This is a belated post, but in reading The Guardian's reaction to Donald Trump's January press conference in conjunction with President Trump's highly erratic and clueless grasp of his new position, I thought it was appropriate to use some excerpts from the newspaper's provocative take on Trump's "trainwreck" of a press conference. The article was published on January 11, 2017 and was entitled "Trump's trainwreck press conference ushers in a clueless presidency."
The press conference opened with Sean Spicer, the incoming press secretary, condemning the media coverage of Trump's compromised relationship with Russia as "frankly outrageous and highly irresponsible."
In any crisis you generally try to deflect attention from your own misconduct. Instead, Team Trump seems happy to shine a bright light on its own monumental mistakes.
That included the wonderful personal testimony from the incoming vice-president, Mike Pence, who introduced his boss by assuring us that he was full of what he called "energy." Perhaps Pence has been spending too much time with someone who liked to criticize his primary opponents for having low energy.
Besides, if you need your vice-president to attest to your character, you're such damaged goods that your executive position is already in jeopardy.
Without any sense of shame or patriotism, the president-elect celebrated the Russian hacking of the DNC and all those leaked emails. He even bragged about his closeness to the Russian president before claiming -- somehow -- that Hillary Clinton was the real poodle.
Trump will never learn from his mistakes. Suspecting the recent Russia revelations are the work of the intelligence agencies, Trump continues to wage war on his own spies. He could offer no proof of such a betrayal but continued to trash the CIA in public all the same.
After a rambling introduction about carmakers, veterans affairs and his inaugural celebrations, Trump finally arrived at his topic of the day: the non-resolution of the conflicts of interest hat will embroil his presidency from now until he leaves the Oval Office.
A table stacked with yellow envelopes was supposed to represent all the documents Trump signed to disentangle his business affairs from his presidency, by passing management control of the Trump Organization to his sons.
Rather like a suitcase supposedly full of cash, it was hard to tell if any of the documents were real without, you know, releasing them to the press like his tax returns. Instead, we were forced to listen to his personal attorney assuring us there was a wall being built between the president and the Trump Organization.
As the Trump attorney explained, a fire sale of Trump assets would be unfair to the president-elect and it was impossible to find an independent trustee competent enough to do so anyway.
Oh yes, and such a divestment wold involve a lot of third-party debt, despite Trump's claims that he has no debt.
ADDENDUMS:
*Steve Bannon has said, "As things get better, they're going to fight" (meaning liberals and the opposition media). "If you think we're going to give the country back without a fight, you are already mistaken."
*A Trump adviser says 14% of non-citizens are registered to vote.
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Monday, February 27, 2017
Serious Flaws in Building the Wall
Here are a few flaws in building the Wall between the U.S. and Mexico:
1. There is hysteria unrelated to actual border conditions.
As the Wall Street Journal put it, "Border apprehensions were 192,000 last year, but that's down from 981,000 a decade ago. Pew estimates that about 11.1 million unauthorized immigrants live in the U.S. (3.5% of the population), and 52% are Mexicans. That share is falling every year amid rising illegal entries from Asia, Central America and sub-Saharan Africa. Most of these aliens arrive legally but overstay their visas."
2. The terrain of much of the border is not conducive to fencing.
A television station in Albuquerque, New Mexico arranged for an aerial survey of the border and found a number of areas in which building a fence would be very difficult. No matter how long Trump has been proposing to build the Wall, he has never done a survey to determine building conditions.
3. Trump's obsession with the southern border and relative indifference to visa overstays suggests a bias against certain illegal immigrants.
Trump thinks Mexican immigrants are "killers" and "criminals," while apparently never having used such invective against other illegal immigrant groups.
4. A physical wall is duplicative, ineffective and unnecessary.
Cato Institute scholar David Bier explains that we have more than 600 miles of border fencing already. Moreover, "Tunnels are typically used more for drug smuggling but they are still a serious vulnerability in any kind of physical barrier." Walls can defeated by ladders and ramps.
5. This is a boondoggle of the worst sort.
"For the full 1,000 miles, Trump's 30-foot wall (with a 10-foot tunnel barrier) would cost $31.2 billion, according to the best estimate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers --that is $31.2 million per mile," -- as Bier notes.
6. Building a wall will be a huge expansion of federal power and land.
A bill to deny any use of state land to build the Wall is pending in the New Mexico state legislature.
7. Trump is actually making apprehension and deportation of criminals harder.
The Obama administration already prioritized deportation of violent criminals. An immigration lawyer explains that contrary to the Obama administration, the Trump order "prioritizes nearly everything." He points out, "Labeling every person a 'priority' is like highlighting every word in a textbook."
8. There is no way Mexico is going to pay for the Wall.
Mexico has made it crystal clear that it will not pay for the Wall. A proposed tariff has drawn a lot of opposition and stealing remittances going back to Mexico is probably illegal.
9. The notion of a "sanctuary city" is a misnomer.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are free to apprehend individuals wherever they want. What is in question is the extent to which local law enforcement can be required to participate.
10. Cutting off aid to cities has consequences.
There will be shortfalls in everything from schools to roads to anti-poverty programs to health care. These can and will be attributable to President Trump.
There is reason to believe that when the many shortfalls of building the Wall are much more fully aired, the will and enthusiasm to follow through will evaporate. (The source for these ten points can be found in: Jennifer Rubin, "10 huge flaws in Trump's immigration directives," The Washington Post, January 26, 2017). I have taken some liberties with her language.
1. There is hysteria unrelated to actual border conditions.
As the Wall Street Journal put it, "Border apprehensions were 192,000 last year, but that's down from 981,000 a decade ago. Pew estimates that about 11.1 million unauthorized immigrants live in the U.S. (3.5% of the population), and 52% are Mexicans. That share is falling every year amid rising illegal entries from Asia, Central America and sub-Saharan Africa. Most of these aliens arrive legally but overstay their visas."
2. The terrain of much of the border is not conducive to fencing.
A television station in Albuquerque, New Mexico arranged for an aerial survey of the border and found a number of areas in which building a fence would be very difficult. No matter how long Trump has been proposing to build the Wall, he has never done a survey to determine building conditions.
3. Trump's obsession with the southern border and relative indifference to visa overstays suggests a bias against certain illegal immigrants.
Trump thinks Mexican immigrants are "killers" and "criminals," while apparently never having used such invective against other illegal immigrant groups.
4. A physical wall is duplicative, ineffective and unnecessary.
Cato Institute scholar David Bier explains that we have more than 600 miles of border fencing already. Moreover, "Tunnels are typically used more for drug smuggling but they are still a serious vulnerability in any kind of physical barrier." Walls can defeated by ladders and ramps.
5. This is a boondoggle of the worst sort.
"For the full 1,000 miles, Trump's 30-foot wall (with a 10-foot tunnel barrier) would cost $31.2 billion, according to the best estimate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers --that is $31.2 million per mile," -- as Bier notes.
6. Building a wall will be a huge expansion of federal power and land.
A bill to deny any use of state land to build the Wall is pending in the New Mexico state legislature.
7. Trump is actually making apprehension and deportation of criminals harder.
The Obama administration already prioritized deportation of violent criminals. An immigration lawyer explains that contrary to the Obama administration, the Trump order "prioritizes nearly everything." He points out, "Labeling every person a 'priority' is like highlighting every word in a textbook."
8. There is no way Mexico is going to pay for the Wall.
Mexico has made it crystal clear that it will not pay for the Wall. A proposed tariff has drawn a lot of opposition and stealing remittances going back to Mexico is probably illegal.
9. The notion of a "sanctuary city" is a misnomer.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are free to apprehend individuals wherever they want. What is in question is the extent to which local law enforcement can be required to participate.
10. Cutting off aid to cities has consequences.
There will be shortfalls in everything from schools to roads to anti-poverty programs to health care. These can and will be attributable to President Trump.
There is reason to believe that when the many shortfalls of building the Wall are much more fully aired, the will and enthusiasm to follow through will evaporate. (The source for these ten points can be found in: Jennifer Rubin, "10 huge flaws in Trump's immigration directives," The Washington Post, January 26, 2017). I have taken some liberties with her language.
Sunday, February 26, 2017
"Draining the Swamp" Into Washington D.C.
In his election victory speech, Donald Trump promised that "the forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer." Since then, he's assembled the wealthiest administration in US history, with key posts going to billionaires, millionaires, Wall Street insiders, and big donors who embody "the rigged, broken, corrupt system he vowed to fix." - Dave Gilson
$6.8 billion
Total net worth of Trump's Cabinet-level picks.
More than the GDP of 51 countries.
$2,8 billion
Total net worth of Barack Obama's final Cabinet. (90% for former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker).
Enough to expand Medicaid to 1 million Americans.
$250 million
Total net worth of George W. Bush's final Cabinet.
1% of Americans have a net worth above $18 million.
41% of Trump's Cabinet-level nominees do.
126 million Americans combined still have less wealth than Trump's Cabinet picks.
$65K
Median net worth of all American households.
$18.7M
Average net worth of Trump's Cabinet picks.
$357M
Average net worth of Trump's Cabinet picks.
Individual net worth of nine Cabinet members:
$2.9B - Wilbur Ross Jr. - secretary of commerce
$1.4B - Linda McMahon - small-business administrator
$1.5B - Betsy DeVos - secretary of education
$621M - Steven Mnuchin, secretary of the treasury
$385M - Rex Tillerson - secretary of state
$29M - Ben Carson - secretary of housing and urban development
$25.6M - Elaine Chao - secretary of transportation
$18.7M - Tom Price - secretary of health and human services
$110M - Andy Puzder - nominated for secretary of labor but withdrew his name. Puzder is an ardent foe of minimum-wage hikes; however, if the federal minimum wage had increased at the same rate as the incomes of the top 1 percent over the past four decades, it would now be $29 an hour.
During the campaign, Donald Trump railed against "Wall Street guys." His presidential advisers include Wall Street titan Carl Icahn, Blackstone Group exec Steve Schwarzman, and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon. His nominee for secretary of the Army is Vincent Viola, the chairman of Virtu Financial., who's worth $1.94 billion.
Since his election, Trump has recruited five ex-Goldman Sachs employees: treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, adviser Stephen Bannon, economic adviser Dina Powell, adviser Anthony Scaramucci, and National Economic Council head Gary Cohn, who got $285 million from Goldman upon leaving for Washington D.C.
Trump's picks are 86% white. 82% male, and 77% white men. It is the least diverse Cabinet since Ronald Reagan's. (Source for the above: Mother Jones, March/April 2017).
$6.8 billion
Total net worth of Trump's Cabinet-level picks.
More than the GDP of 51 countries.
$2,8 billion
Total net worth of Barack Obama's final Cabinet. (90% for former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker).
Enough to expand Medicaid to 1 million Americans.
$250 million
Total net worth of George W. Bush's final Cabinet.
1% of Americans have a net worth above $18 million.
41% of Trump's Cabinet-level nominees do.
126 million Americans combined still have less wealth than Trump's Cabinet picks.
$65K
Median net worth of all American households.
$18.7M
Average net worth of Trump's Cabinet picks.
$357M
Average net worth of Trump's Cabinet picks.
Individual net worth of nine Cabinet members:
$2.9B - Wilbur Ross Jr. - secretary of commerce
$1.4B - Linda McMahon - small-business administrator
$1.5B - Betsy DeVos - secretary of education
$621M - Steven Mnuchin, secretary of the treasury
$385M - Rex Tillerson - secretary of state
$29M - Ben Carson - secretary of housing and urban development
$25.6M - Elaine Chao - secretary of transportation
$18.7M - Tom Price - secretary of health and human services
$110M - Andy Puzder - nominated for secretary of labor but withdrew his name. Puzder is an ardent foe of minimum-wage hikes; however, if the federal minimum wage had increased at the same rate as the incomes of the top 1 percent over the past four decades, it would now be $29 an hour.
During the campaign, Donald Trump railed against "Wall Street guys." His presidential advisers include Wall Street titan Carl Icahn, Blackstone Group exec Steve Schwarzman, and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon. His nominee for secretary of the Army is Vincent Viola, the chairman of Virtu Financial., who's worth $1.94 billion.
Since his election, Trump has recruited five ex-Goldman Sachs employees: treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, adviser Stephen Bannon, economic adviser Dina Powell, adviser Anthony Scaramucci, and National Economic Council head Gary Cohn, who got $285 million from Goldman upon leaving for Washington D.C.
Trump's picks are 86% white. 82% male, and 77% white men. It is the least diverse Cabinet since Ronald Reagan's. (Source for the above: Mother Jones, March/April 2017).
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Trump's Flawed Position on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
On February 15th, The Washington Post editorial board wrote that by President Trump saying that he could live with a single-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he had made the "already slim prospects for an accord even more remote -- he'd increased the chances that one of the relatively peaceful corners of the region will return to conflict."
Palestinians say that a single state would have to grant them equal rights, including full voting rights. Most Israelis who favor a single state imagine an apartheid-style system in which Palestinians would live in areas with local autonomy but without either sovereignty or the same democratic rights as Jews.
President Trump also embraced a diplomatic approach in which Israel would develop closer ties with the Arab Sunni states and those ties would help broker a settlement with the Palestinians. But Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan will never support a deal in which Palestinians do not have full political rights. In 2002, Saudi Arabia proposed relations with Israel in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from occupied territories. The proposal was adopted by the Arab league but never went anywhere.
In his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, President Trump asked Netanyahu to hold off for a "little bit" on settlement building. Trump may have been thinking that a lull in settlement building would open the way to a peaceful settlement; however, pauses in settlement building in the past have not moved the needle on a peace agreement. What might move the needle would be a total cutoff of U.S. aid to Israel, including military assistance. President Trump has given no indication that he will cut off or even reduce aid to Israel. I imagine that when Netanyahu was flying back home with his aides, they were laughing all the way about what a chump Trump proved to be in the flesh.
Trump's megalomania was in full flower when he told his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at a pre-inaugural black-tie dinner, that only he, Kushner, could bring about a Middle East peace settlement.
ADDENDUMS:
*In his first call to President Vladimir Putin, President Trump denounced a treaty that caps U.S. and Russian deployment of nuclear warheads as a bad deal for the U.S. This is the New START treaty. During the campaign, Trump had said that the U.S. had been "outsmarted" in the treaty, which he called "START-UP."
*A 71-page proposed regulation that DHHS issued on February 15th, would require about 650,000 more people to submit documents to verify they can get health insurance. Those affected are newlyweds, people switching insurance because of a life event, and Native Americans. There is no evidence that those affected pose a special problem of fraud.
*The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee will move forward to neuter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and its power to crack down on predatory business practices. The president could replace the bureau's director at any time.
Palestinians say that a single state would have to grant them equal rights, including full voting rights. Most Israelis who favor a single state imagine an apartheid-style system in which Palestinians would live in areas with local autonomy but without either sovereignty or the same democratic rights as Jews.
President Trump also embraced a diplomatic approach in which Israel would develop closer ties with the Arab Sunni states and those ties would help broker a settlement with the Palestinians. But Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan will never support a deal in which Palestinians do not have full political rights. In 2002, Saudi Arabia proposed relations with Israel in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from occupied territories. The proposal was adopted by the Arab league but never went anywhere.
In his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, President Trump asked Netanyahu to hold off for a "little bit" on settlement building. Trump may have been thinking that a lull in settlement building would open the way to a peaceful settlement; however, pauses in settlement building in the past have not moved the needle on a peace agreement. What might move the needle would be a total cutoff of U.S. aid to Israel, including military assistance. President Trump has given no indication that he will cut off or even reduce aid to Israel. I imagine that when Netanyahu was flying back home with his aides, they were laughing all the way about what a chump Trump proved to be in the flesh.
Trump's megalomania was in full flower when he told his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at a pre-inaugural black-tie dinner, that only he, Kushner, could bring about a Middle East peace settlement.
ADDENDUMS:
*In his first call to President Vladimir Putin, President Trump denounced a treaty that caps U.S. and Russian deployment of nuclear warheads as a bad deal for the U.S. This is the New START treaty. During the campaign, Trump had said that the U.S. had been "outsmarted" in the treaty, which he called "START-UP."
*A 71-page proposed regulation that DHHS issued on February 15th, would require about 650,000 more people to submit documents to verify they can get health insurance. Those affected are newlyweds, people switching insurance because of a life event, and Native Americans. There is no evidence that those affected pose a special problem of fraud.
*The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee will move forward to neuter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and its power to crack down on predatory business practices. The president could replace the bureau's director at any time.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Quotes From President Trump's Press Conference
The Washington Post has complied some quotes from President Trump's February 16th press conference. The Post has been monitoring the many promises that Trump made in the campaign.
1. "ISIS has spread like a cancer -- another mess I inherited." Comment: ISIS has been considerably diminished both in land area controlled and the number of fighters it has.
2. "I guess it was the biggest Electoral College win since Ronald Reagan." Comment: There have been several bigger wins since Reagan. When a reporter challenged his lies, Trump had to stammer that he was given that information. Trump lost the popular vote by a HUGE!!! margin.
3. His administration is "running like a fine-tuned machine." Comment: It is an administration in considerable disarray.
4. "Drugs are coming cheaper than candy bars." Comment: There doesn't seem to be any information about a big hike in [illicit] drug prices.
5. "What Flynn did wasn't wrong." Comment: Then why was he fired or voluntarily retired?
6. "I must say I never get phone calls from the media." Comment: One reason is that the White House comment line has been shut down.
7. "The leaks are real, but the news is fake." Comment: The leaks are damaging to Trump and the problem for him is that they are usually reported straight up.
8. "When WikiLeaks, which I had nothing to do with, comes out and happens to give [news], they are not giving classified information." Comment: a. Hillary Clinton was not found to have given out classified information; b. Trump was eager to promote any WikiLeaks posts that were negative toward Hillary; and c. Trump encouraged Russia to find and publish the alleged 30,000 missing emails sent by Hillary.
9. " 'Fox and Friends' is the most honest morning show." Comment: Fox is widely regarded as a Republican media outlet.
10. "I'm not ranting and raving. I'm just telling you, you'e dishonest people." Comment: Whatever flaws the media has, it is far from being collectively composed of dishonest people.
11. "Nuclear holocaust would be like no other. [Russia's] a very powerful nuclear country and so are we." Comment: The two sentences are obvious statements of fact and add nothing to the public discourse.
12. "Does anybody really think Hillary Clinton would be tougher on Russia than Donald Trump?" Comment: Thus far, Trump has been pretty much of a bootlick for Putin; however, the operative word might be "wiser" rather than"tougher."
13. "Lots of things are done with uranium, including some bad things." Comment: This is another statement of the obvious.
14. "I am the least anti-Semitic person that you've ever seen in your entire life. Number two, racism, the least racist person." Comment: Given the denigration of groups of people by Trump and his descriptions of how awful conditions are in minority communities, it is hard to believe the word "least" fits him in any way.
15. "The things they say are so unfair." [about his wife, Melania] Comment: I don't approve of unfair things being said; however, President Trump is one of the last ones to complain about unfair treatment of others, given how routinely he insults others.
ADDENDUMS:
*Reports are that Trump is considering shuttering the EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance -- essentially leaving polluters to police themselves.
*The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee is reportedly ready to move forward to neuter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and reduce its power to crack down on predatory business practices. Th president could replace the bureaus's director at any time and reduce the bureau's enforcement authority.
1. "ISIS has spread like a cancer -- another mess I inherited." Comment: ISIS has been considerably diminished both in land area controlled and the number of fighters it has.
2. "I guess it was the biggest Electoral College win since Ronald Reagan." Comment: There have been several bigger wins since Reagan. When a reporter challenged his lies, Trump had to stammer that he was given that information. Trump lost the popular vote by a HUGE!!! margin.
3. His administration is "running like a fine-tuned machine." Comment: It is an administration in considerable disarray.
4. "Drugs are coming cheaper than candy bars." Comment: There doesn't seem to be any information about a big hike in [illicit] drug prices.
5. "What Flynn did wasn't wrong." Comment: Then why was he fired or voluntarily retired?
6. "I must say I never get phone calls from the media." Comment: One reason is that the White House comment line has been shut down.
7. "The leaks are real, but the news is fake." Comment: The leaks are damaging to Trump and the problem for him is that they are usually reported straight up.
8. "When WikiLeaks, which I had nothing to do with, comes out and happens to give [news], they are not giving classified information." Comment: a. Hillary Clinton was not found to have given out classified information; b. Trump was eager to promote any WikiLeaks posts that were negative toward Hillary; and c. Trump encouraged Russia to find and publish the alleged 30,000 missing emails sent by Hillary.
9. " 'Fox and Friends' is the most honest morning show." Comment: Fox is widely regarded as a Republican media outlet.
10. "I'm not ranting and raving. I'm just telling you, you'e dishonest people." Comment: Whatever flaws the media has, it is far from being collectively composed of dishonest people.
11. "Nuclear holocaust would be like no other. [Russia's] a very powerful nuclear country and so are we." Comment: The two sentences are obvious statements of fact and add nothing to the public discourse.
12. "Does anybody really think Hillary Clinton would be tougher on Russia than Donald Trump?" Comment: Thus far, Trump has been pretty much of a bootlick for Putin; however, the operative word might be "wiser" rather than"tougher."
13. "Lots of things are done with uranium, including some bad things." Comment: This is another statement of the obvious.
14. "I am the least anti-Semitic person that you've ever seen in your entire life. Number two, racism, the least racist person." Comment: Given the denigration of groups of people by Trump and his descriptions of how awful conditions are in minority communities, it is hard to believe the word "least" fits him in any way.
15. "The things they say are so unfair." [about his wife, Melania] Comment: I don't approve of unfair things being said; however, President Trump is one of the last ones to complain about unfair treatment of others, given how routinely he insults others.
ADDENDUMS:
*Reports are that Trump is considering shuttering the EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance -- essentially leaving polluters to police themselves.
*The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee is reportedly ready to move forward to neuter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and reduce its power to crack down on predatory business practices. Th president could replace the bureaus's director at any time and reduce the bureau's enforcement authority.
Friday, February 17, 2017
A Broadside Against Trump and Praise for Obama
"[I watched] the front men for conservatism stand slack-jawed while the leading candidate for their party's nomination figuratively slapped George W. Bush across the face for starting the Iraq War and flushed 30 years of free-market trade policy down the toilet like schoolwork torn from the hands of teachers' pets. "[I realized] that all I or any of us were doing was losing whatever frayed threads of decency still held American life together." "There is so little fellow feeling left among us these days that we are compelled to seek it in our national leader." "Indeed, Trump's skill is precisely this: to create an entire national theater of shame in which he induces that very emotion in his followers, on the one hand, while on the other saving them from having to acknowledge its pain by publicly shaming others instead."
"His recent misogynist tirade against a former Miss Universe is just one in a series of instances in which he has figuratively offered up the bodies of women for public denunciation." "Just as physical violence monopolizes it in real time, so theatrical and rhetorical violence monopolizes it in the political spaces."
"It is an attack on the federal government and judiciary for its perceived sponsorship of the interests, and often simply the full citizenship, of African-Americans, women, and other racial and sexual minorities -- a sponsorship that, ever since Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, has become more and more identified with the Democratic Party."
"And thus we arrive at the dominant trope of the endless attempts to account for Trump's rise: the seething, racially tinged anger of the white working class." "Yes, Trump is inciting racial hatred and mainstreaming white-supremacist politics more directly than any of his Republican predecessors dared to do. But for all the attention this does and must receive, it is not so much raw anger, but rather its more basic predicate: the shame of being lesser than." [1]
Praise for Obama's Environmental Record
"The [Obama] stimulus laid the foundation for a clean energy future by investing more than $90 billion in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and green jobs and technology." "Between 2009 and 2016, solar electricity increased more than 30-fold, while electricity generated by wind grew more than three-fold."
"The White House spurred car and truck manufacturers to agree to increased average fuel economy standards to 36.6 miles per gallon by 2017 and 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, avoiding millions of tons of carbon pollution and accelerating a transition to electric vehicles."
"President Obama designated 23 national monuments, protecting 265 million acres of land and water -- more than any of his predecessors. He has moved to clean up carbon pollution from existing coal-fired power plants with the EPA's groundbreaking Clean Power Plan. The United States and China issued a joint climate statement in 2014 that paved the way for a breakthrough global climate agreement in Paris." [2]
Footnotes
[1] Adam Haslett, "Vandal in Chief," The Nation, October 24, 2016.
[2] Michael Brune, "Yes, We Did," Sierra, November/December 2016.
"His recent misogynist tirade against a former Miss Universe is just one in a series of instances in which he has figuratively offered up the bodies of women for public denunciation." "Just as physical violence monopolizes it in real time, so theatrical and rhetorical violence monopolizes it in the political spaces."
"It is an attack on the federal government and judiciary for its perceived sponsorship of the interests, and often simply the full citizenship, of African-Americans, women, and other racial and sexual minorities -- a sponsorship that, ever since Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, has become more and more identified with the Democratic Party."
"And thus we arrive at the dominant trope of the endless attempts to account for Trump's rise: the seething, racially tinged anger of the white working class." "Yes, Trump is inciting racial hatred and mainstreaming white-supremacist politics more directly than any of his Republican predecessors dared to do. But for all the attention this does and must receive, it is not so much raw anger, but rather its more basic predicate: the shame of being lesser than." [1]
Praise for Obama's Environmental Record
"The [Obama] stimulus laid the foundation for a clean energy future by investing more than $90 billion in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and green jobs and technology." "Between 2009 and 2016, solar electricity increased more than 30-fold, while electricity generated by wind grew more than three-fold."
"The White House spurred car and truck manufacturers to agree to increased average fuel economy standards to 36.6 miles per gallon by 2017 and 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, avoiding millions of tons of carbon pollution and accelerating a transition to electric vehicles."
"President Obama designated 23 national monuments, protecting 265 million acres of land and water -- more than any of his predecessors. He has moved to clean up carbon pollution from existing coal-fired power plants with the EPA's groundbreaking Clean Power Plan. The United States and China issued a joint climate statement in 2014 that paved the way for a breakthrough global climate agreement in Paris." [2]
Footnotes
[1] Adam Haslett, "Vandal in Chief," The Nation, October 24, 2016.
[2] Michael Brune, "Yes, We Did," Sierra, November/December 2016.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
President Trump's Developing Foreign Policy
On November 28, 2016, Jon Rainwater, Peace Action's executive director, published an assessment of then-presidential-elect Donald Trump's developing foreign policy. Following are selected excerpts:
#A militarist strain of anti-Islam views is the thread that ties much of Trump's positions together.
Three key picks, Steve Bannor as chief White House advisor, Mike Flynn for National Security Advisor -- now pushed out of office-- and Mike Pompeo as CIA chief all share apocalyptic views about Muslims. Flynn called Islam "a vicious cancer inside the body of 1.7 billion people on this planet and it has to be excised." Even with moderate picks sprinkled through the cabinet, this toxic ideology is likely to drive key policies.
The fear is that, as the New York Times put it, Flynn and Pompeo "will thrust the charged phrase 'radical Islamic terrorism' to the center of American foreign policy in a way that blurs the lines between a war on terrorism and a war on Islam."
In this expanded war, the Trump team openly admits it sees torture and increased civilian casualties as a price worth paying. We need to oppose this divisive worldview.
#We should believe Trump when he says he's "much more militaristic" than George W. Bush.
Trump put Clinton on the defensive by critiquing "regime change wars" like in Iraq. But let's be clear: Trump and his advisors have explicitly said they will not shy away from using U.S. military power. Trump promised to escalate the air war in Syria and Iraq, saying he'll "bomb the [expletive] out of them... I'd blow up every single inch, there would be nothing left."
You and I will need to mobilize to oppose that unbridled militarism. Trump has plans to send as many as 30,000 U.S. troops to Iraq and Syria to battle ISIS so we'll need to build opposition to a large-scale ground war.
#The Trump's team cagey mix of white nationalism and "America First" principles is a threat to international peace and cooperation.
There's a lot of uncertainty about how Trump will handle agreements like the Iran deal, the Arms Trade Treaty and the Paris Climate Accords. But it's clear that unilateralism and a suspicion of the rest of the world are likely to drive Trump's policies.
One of the first things Trump and Bannon have done is reach out to other white nationalist political lenders like Nigel Farage in the U.K. and Marine Le Pen in France to create what some call a "global ultra-right coalition." Trump's opposition to alliances, his white nationalist leanings, and his fondness for authoritarians could dramatically transform U.S. foreign policy and global relations.
#War is already on the table.
ISIS may be central to Trump's foreign policy, but Trump and his bellicose advisors have threatened to use U.S. force against targets like Iran and North Korea as well.
Iran is enemy number one for the new Trump administration. It's not only that Trump called the nuclear deal "the worst deal ever negotiated" and plans to "restructure" it." If that's not scary enough, Trump advisors from John Bolton to Mike Flynn have said war with Iran is necessary. They prefer war over diplomacy when it comes to the Iranian nuclear program.
Trump once called for strikes on North Korea, saying: "I don't think anybody is going to accuse me of tiptoeing trough the issues or tap-dancing around them either. Who else in public life has called for a pre-emptive strike on North Korea?" This was way back in 2000. Today, tensions with North Korea are at a fever pitch over North Korea's advancing missile program.
#Trump is planning an expensive Pentagon build-up that would make Reagan blush.
Trump's plans include bulking up what is far and away the largest and most expensive military in world history. Trump has promised to grow the Army to 540,000 soldiers, who are expected to be deployed in Asia and Europe. He wants the biggest navy build-up since the Reagan administration.
He also plans a major investment in destabilizing missile defense and space weapons systems. This outsized spending is likely to be "balanced" by huge cuts in spending on domestic programs.
#Trump has particularly dangerous views on nuclear weapons.
Many were shocked when Trump entertained the use of nuclear weapons both against ISIS and in Europe. Trump's finger on the button is the most terrifying aspect of his soon-to-be presidency. This is a man who, as he was briefed on national security issues before the election, asked repeatedly why nuclear weapons should never be used and suggested more nations should possess their own nukes.
After the election, the Trump transition team announced that the administration plans to make spending on developing new nuclear weapons and delivery systems a top priority. Trump has made the wild claim that President Obama had allowed the large U.S. nuclear arsenal to "atrophy." Never mind Obama's $1 trillion plan for new nuclear weapons spending, Trump wants more.
#We need to promote a positive vision of foreign policy that favors peace and human rights while we fight Trump's dystopian agenda.
You and I share a vision of a more peaceful foreign policy. It's a vision of a world where human rights, diplomatic cooperation and international law are the foundations of global relations.
ADDENDUMS:
*Two changes from what Jon Rainwater has written are: 1. Mike Flynn is out as national security adviser, because he lied about his contacts with the Russian ambassador; and 2. to my knowledge, John Bolton has not been given a high position in the Trump administration.
*As of at least a week ago, 30 under-secretary positions in the Department of State have not been filled nor nominations made.
#A militarist strain of anti-Islam views is the thread that ties much of Trump's positions together.
Three key picks, Steve Bannor as chief White House advisor, Mike Flynn for National Security Advisor -- now pushed out of office-- and Mike Pompeo as CIA chief all share apocalyptic views about Muslims. Flynn called Islam "a vicious cancer inside the body of 1.7 billion people on this planet and it has to be excised." Even with moderate picks sprinkled through the cabinet, this toxic ideology is likely to drive key policies.
The fear is that, as the New York Times put it, Flynn and Pompeo "will thrust the charged phrase 'radical Islamic terrorism' to the center of American foreign policy in a way that blurs the lines between a war on terrorism and a war on Islam."
In this expanded war, the Trump team openly admits it sees torture and increased civilian casualties as a price worth paying. We need to oppose this divisive worldview.
#We should believe Trump when he says he's "much more militaristic" than George W. Bush.
Trump put Clinton on the defensive by critiquing "regime change wars" like in Iraq. But let's be clear: Trump and his advisors have explicitly said they will not shy away from using U.S. military power. Trump promised to escalate the air war in Syria and Iraq, saying he'll "bomb the [expletive] out of them... I'd blow up every single inch, there would be nothing left."
You and I will need to mobilize to oppose that unbridled militarism. Trump has plans to send as many as 30,000 U.S. troops to Iraq and Syria to battle ISIS so we'll need to build opposition to a large-scale ground war.
#The Trump's team cagey mix of white nationalism and "America First" principles is a threat to international peace and cooperation.
There's a lot of uncertainty about how Trump will handle agreements like the Iran deal, the Arms Trade Treaty and the Paris Climate Accords. But it's clear that unilateralism and a suspicion of the rest of the world are likely to drive Trump's policies.
One of the first things Trump and Bannon have done is reach out to other white nationalist political lenders like Nigel Farage in the U.K. and Marine Le Pen in France to create what some call a "global ultra-right coalition." Trump's opposition to alliances, his white nationalist leanings, and his fondness for authoritarians could dramatically transform U.S. foreign policy and global relations.
#War is already on the table.
ISIS may be central to Trump's foreign policy, but Trump and his bellicose advisors have threatened to use U.S. force against targets like Iran and North Korea as well.
Iran is enemy number one for the new Trump administration. It's not only that Trump called the nuclear deal "the worst deal ever negotiated" and plans to "restructure" it." If that's not scary enough, Trump advisors from John Bolton to Mike Flynn have said war with Iran is necessary. They prefer war over diplomacy when it comes to the Iranian nuclear program.
Trump once called for strikes on North Korea, saying: "I don't think anybody is going to accuse me of tiptoeing trough the issues or tap-dancing around them either. Who else in public life has called for a pre-emptive strike on North Korea?" This was way back in 2000. Today, tensions with North Korea are at a fever pitch over North Korea's advancing missile program.
#Trump is planning an expensive Pentagon build-up that would make Reagan blush.
Trump's plans include bulking up what is far and away the largest and most expensive military in world history. Trump has promised to grow the Army to 540,000 soldiers, who are expected to be deployed in Asia and Europe. He wants the biggest navy build-up since the Reagan administration.
He also plans a major investment in destabilizing missile defense and space weapons systems. This outsized spending is likely to be "balanced" by huge cuts in spending on domestic programs.
#Trump has particularly dangerous views on nuclear weapons.
Many were shocked when Trump entertained the use of nuclear weapons both against ISIS and in Europe. Trump's finger on the button is the most terrifying aspect of his soon-to-be presidency. This is a man who, as he was briefed on national security issues before the election, asked repeatedly why nuclear weapons should never be used and suggested more nations should possess their own nukes.
After the election, the Trump transition team announced that the administration plans to make spending on developing new nuclear weapons and delivery systems a top priority. Trump has made the wild claim that President Obama had allowed the large U.S. nuclear arsenal to "atrophy." Never mind Obama's $1 trillion plan for new nuclear weapons spending, Trump wants more.
#We need to promote a positive vision of foreign policy that favors peace and human rights while we fight Trump's dystopian agenda.
You and I share a vision of a more peaceful foreign policy. It's a vision of a world where human rights, diplomatic cooperation and international law are the foundations of global relations.
ADDENDUMS:
*Two changes from what Jon Rainwater has written are: 1. Mike Flynn is out as national security adviser, because he lied about his contacts with the Russian ambassador; and 2. to my knowledge, John Bolton has not been given a high position in the Trump administration.
*As of at least a week ago, 30 under-secretary positions in the Department of State have not been filled nor nominations made.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Trump's Reckless New Iran Provocation
The following is the seminal work of NIAC Action and republished by Peace Action, of which I am a board member.
Designing the IRGC
According to the New York Times, the Trump administration is prepared to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). This is an extremely provocative move by an administration that increasingly looks eager to start a war with Iran. At minimum, it will put the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- the Iran nuclear deal -- in extreme jeopardy.
An Escalation that Increases Risk of War and Undercuts Diplomacy
Hardliners will be boosted by provocative U.S. actions leading into the May 2017 Iranian presidential elections. Already, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has exploited the Trump administration's actions to generate popular backlash. The Rouhani government, which has advocated for engaging the West and has fought to reign in the IRGC, may either lose reelection or be forced to adopt a more hardline stance under domestic pressure due to the Trump administration's actions.
Jeopardizes the JCPOA
Paragraph 29 of the JCPOA's Main Text obligates the U.S. and other parties to "refrain from any policy specifically intended to directly and adversely effect the normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran."
The designation would subject non-U.S. persons that conduct a transaction involving a non-designated Iranian entity in the which the IRGC holds an interest -- passive or otherwise -- to civil and criminal penalties (18 U.S.C. 23339B). This action threatens to kill the practical value to Iran of the JCPOA's sanctions-lifting, as the risk of engaging with broad sectors of Iran's economy could prove too substantial to merit potential benefit.
The U.S. Military Has Opposed Designating IRGC
In 2007, the U.S. military reportedly opposed designating the IRGC or the Qods Force as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). According to "The Twilight War" by David Crist, it was the position of the Joint Chiefs that foreign militaries or their officers should not be designated as "terrorists" for fear that such designation could be reciprocated against the U.S. military, particularly the Special Forces officers.
Currently, the U.S. and Iran are engaged in de facto tactical cooperation in Iraq as both U.S. forces and Iran-linked Shia militias target ISIS forces, including in Mosul. Designating the IRGC an FTO will put that tactical cooperation at risk.
The designation could turn the current de facto cooperation into outright conflict with Iranian forces and proxies in Iraq. U.S. personnel remain on the ground in Iraq and an FTO designation could pose significant threats to U.S. soldiers on the front lines against ISIS forces.
The IRGC Is Already Heavily Sanctioned
The IRGC was not designated under a single sanctions program until October 2007 and has thrived since then in a sanctions economy.
Iran's private economy, not the IRGC, will be the victims of a designation. The chilling effect that an FTO designation would have on the entire Iranian economy will harm the private sector, which -- thanks to the JCPOA -- has been clawing back its share of the economy relative to the IRGC.
ADDENDUMS:
*Gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment (GLGE) in the United States emits a total of 20.4 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, and that number is projected to reach almost 23 million tons in a few years, according to the EPA.
Designing the IRGC
According to the New York Times, the Trump administration is prepared to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). This is an extremely provocative move by an administration that increasingly looks eager to start a war with Iran. At minimum, it will put the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- the Iran nuclear deal -- in extreme jeopardy.
An Escalation that Increases Risk of War and Undercuts Diplomacy
Hardliners will be boosted by provocative U.S. actions leading into the May 2017 Iranian presidential elections. Already, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has exploited the Trump administration's actions to generate popular backlash. The Rouhani government, which has advocated for engaging the West and has fought to reign in the IRGC, may either lose reelection or be forced to adopt a more hardline stance under domestic pressure due to the Trump administration's actions.
Jeopardizes the JCPOA
Paragraph 29 of the JCPOA's Main Text obligates the U.S. and other parties to "refrain from any policy specifically intended to directly and adversely effect the normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran."
The designation would subject non-U.S. persons that conduct a transaction involving a non-designated Iranian entity in the which the IRGC holds an interest -- passive or otherwise -- to civil and criminal penalties (18 U.S.C. 23339B). This action threatens to kill the practical value to Iran of the JCPOA's sanctions-lifting, as the risk of engaging with broad sectors of Iran's economy could prove too substantial to merit potential benefit.
The U.S. Military Has Opposed Designating IRGC
In 2007, the U.S. military reportedly opposed designating the IRGC or the Qods Force as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). According to "The Twilight War" by David Crist, it was the position of the Joint Chiefs that foreign militaries or their officers should not be designated as "terrorists" for fear that such designation could be reciprocated against the U.S. military, particularly the Special Forces officers.
Currently, the U.S. and Iran are engaged in de facto tactical cooperation in Iraq as both U.S. forces and Iran-linked Shia militias target ISIS forces, including in Mosul. Designating the IRGC an FTO will put that tactical cooperation at risk.
The designation could turn the current de facto cooperation into outright conflict with Iranian forces and proxies in Iraq. U.S. personnel remain on the ground in Iraq and an FTO designation could pose significant threats to U.S. soldiers on the front lines against ISIS forces.
The IRGC Is Already Heavily Sanctioned
The IRGC was not designated under a single sanctions program until October 2007 and has thrived since then in a sanctions economy.
Iran's private economy, not the IRGC, will be the victims of a designation. The chilling effect that an FTO designation would have on the entire Iranian economy will harm the private sector, which -- thanks to the JCPOA -- has been clawing back its share of the economy relative to the IRGC.
ADDENDUMS:
*Gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment (GLGE) in the United States emits a total of 20.4 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, and that number is projected to reach almost 23 million tons in a few years, according to the EPA.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Some Looks at Law Enforcement Disfunction and Immune Law-Breakers
*Eugene Robinson, the Washington Post columnist, has commented on how difficult it is to convict a police officer, even in what should be a slam-dunk case of conviction for murder. Police officer Michael Slager shot a fleeing Walter Scott in the back and it was all caught on video. Robinson writes: "Last week, a mistrial was declared when a South Carolina jury of 11 whites and one African-American could not convict police officer Michael Slager of either murder or manslaughter in the shooting death of Walter Scott, an unarmed African-American. In the trial, Slager claimed he feared for his life; apparently, that's all a police officer has to say to get off the hook."
Officer Slager committed another crime, which was not prosecuted. He picked up the trigger assembly of the Taser that he had used on Scott and walked it over to Scott's body, where he dropped it on the ground. Planting evidence is a crime in most, if not, all, legal jurisdictions. Slager brazenly carried out the plant, even though another police officer had already arrived upon the scene.
*Fontana, California police shot and killed a legally blind and mentally ill person named Hall. A total of 12 officers had arrived on the scene but five of them were most closely involved in the fatal shooting. The police claim that Hall was advancing on them with a knife in his hand. The video does not show Hall lunging at any officer, and although one image seems to show Hall with a small object in one hand, other images show him empty-handed.
*In October 2015, a Gallup poll found 61 percent of Americans still supported capital punishment for convicted murderers; however, the Pew Research Center also conducted a poll in the fall of 2016 and found only 49 percent favoring a death sentence for convicted murderers. Sometimes how a poll is worded changes the results. Yet, half of Americans in favor of capital punishment is a high level of support.
This high level of support is very troubling when measured against the finding published in DeathPenaltyInfo.org, showing that over the past four decades there have been at least 156 people exonerated and freed from Death Row. And try as they might, experts have never been able to find evidence that capital punishment deters future murders. A phenomenon that has been noted is that murders spike when highly-publicized executions are carried out.
*Two Los Angeles police officers who shot and killed a 25-year-old African-American named Ezell Ford will not face charges. The decision comes 18 months after a police oversight board had faulted one of the officers, saying his handling of the encounter was so flawed that it led to the fatal shooting.
Records show that the Los Angeles District Attorney has not charged a single officer in an on-duty shooting since 2000.
*When Willie Earle, a 24-year-old African-American was lynched in South Carolina in 1947, 31 white men were charged and all acquitted. The Equal Justice Initiative, which places a memorial at the site of each lynching it finds in the nation, has found 184 lynchings in South Carolina. During the past 40 years, 81 percent of those given the death sentence in South Carolina had been convicted of killing white victims.
In a statewide poll in South Carolina, two-thirds of African-Americans favored sentencing Dylann Roof to life in prison, while 64 percent of whites believed that the death sentence was warranted. "A death sentence for Roof would add a patina of fairness to a practice steeped in the racial disparities of the criminal-justice system. A life sentence, on the other hand, would seem to suggest that, whatever the opaque mathematics of race, a black life is worth less than one-ninth of a white one." (Source: Jelani Cobb, "Prodigy of Hate," The New Yorker, February 6, 2017).
Roof's appointed attorney, David Bruck, wrote a 1983 article in The New Republic, in which he argued that the imposition of capital punishment, a practice that reinforced the value of the lives of white victims over those of black ones, was as troubling as violent crime itself.
*In a letter to the editor, published in the February 6/13, 2017 issue of The Nation, Stephen Rohrde vents his frustration over the Obama administration for failing to prosecute torturers. "No one in the Bush administration, beyond a few soldiers at Abu Ghraib, has even been held accountable for torture and other crimes against humanity --despite mountains of evidence contained in reports from the CIA, the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, and committees of Congress. It was Obama's sworn duty under the Constitution and the United Nations Convention Against Torture to investigate and, if warranted, prosecute those crimes."
*"Disparate groups triggered a huge movement but the [Vietnam] war was finally ended by Vietnam veterans, the civil-rights leadership, and a congressional bloc that woke up and took action." "Few of the pro-war pundits, elites, and think-tankers have apologized or resigned since Vietnam. Instead, they have risen in the ranks of the national-security establishment while implementing further military follies based on many of the same assumptions that led to the Vietnam collapse."
"The myth persists that freedom can be expanded at home while repression is imposed and massive bombings escalated abroad." "Instead, the antiwar movement has been ignored or scapegoated, while those truly at fault have enjoyed decades of immunity." (Source: Tom Hayden, "The Forgotten Power of the Peace Movement," The Nation, January 30, 2017).
*Treasury Secretary-nominee Steven Mnuchin failed to properly disclose that he was a director of a offshore business in the Cayman Islands that owned more than $100 million in real estate. Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) says that one does not go to offshore entities other than to "avoid, in some form or fashion, the tax laws of the United States."
Mnuchin's OneWest bank has been described as a "foreclosure machine."
*The New York Times has reported that some police departments keep "wish lists" of items they'd like to seize; in one case, officers were advised to focus on TVs, cash, and cars and not to bother with computers.
Officer Slager committed another crime, which was not prosecuted. He picked up the trigger assembly of the Taser that he had used on Scott and walked it over to Scott's body, where he dropped it on the ground. Planting evidence is a crime in most, if not, all, legal jurisdictions. Slager brazenly carried out the plant, even though another police officer had already arrived upon the scene.
*Fontana, California police shot and killed a legally blind and mentally ill person named Hall. A total of 12 officers had arrived on the scene but five of them were most closely involved in the fatal shooting. The police claim that Hall was advancing on them with a knife in his hand. The video does not show Hall lunging at any officer, and although one image seems to show Hall with a small object in one hand, other images show him empty-handed.
*In October 2015, a Gallup poll found 61 percent of Americans still supported capital punishment for convicted murderers; however, the Pew Research Center also conducted a poll in the fall of 2016 and found only 49 percent favoring a death sentence for convicted murderers. Sometimes how a poll is worded changes the results. Yet, half of Americans in favor of capital punishment is a high level of support.
This high level of support is very troubling when measured against the finding published in DeathPenaltyInfo.org, showing that over the past four decades there have been at least 156 people exonerated and freed from Death Row. And try as they might, experts have never been able to find evidence that capital punishment deters future murders. A phenomenon that has been noted is that murders spike when highly-publicized executions are carried out.
*Two Los Angeles police officers who shot and killed a 25-year-old African-American named Ezell Ford will not face charges. The decision comes 18 months after a police oversight board had faulted one of the officers, saying his handling of the encounter was so flawed that it led to the fatal shooting.
Records show that the Los Angeles District Attorney has not charged a single officer in an on-duty shooting since 2000.
*When Willie Earle, a 24-year-old African-American was lynched in South Carolina in 1947, 31 white men were charged and all acquitted. The Equal Justice Initiative, which places a memorial at the site of each lynching it finds in the nation, has found 184 lynchings in South Carolina. During the past 40 years, 81 percent of those given the death sentence in South Carolina had been convicted of killing white victims.
In a statewide poll in South Carolina, two-thirds of African-Americans favored sentencing Dylann Roof to life in prison, while 64 percent of whites believed that the death sentence was warranted. "A death sentence for Roof would add a patina of fairness to a practice steeped in the racial disparities of the criminal-justice system. A life sentence, on the other hand, would seem to suggest that, whatever the opaque mathematics of race, a black life is worth less than one-ninth of a white one." (Source: Jelani Cobb, "Prodigy of Hate," The New Yorker, February 6, 2017).
Roof's appointed attorney, David Bruck, wrote a 1983 article in The New Republic, in which he argued that the imposition of capital punishment, a practice that reinforced the value of the lives of white victims over those of black ones, was as troubling as violent crime itself.
*In a letter to the editor, published in the February 6/13, 2017 issue of The Nation, Stephen Rohrde vents his frustration over the Obama administration for failing to prosecute torturers. "No one in the Bush administration, beyond a few soldiers at Abu Ghraib, has even been held accountable for torture and other crimes against humanity --despite mountains of evidence contained in reports from the CIA, the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, and committees of Congress. It was Obama's sworn duty under the Constitution and the United Nations Convention Against Torture to investigate and, if warranted, prosecute those crimes."
*"Disparate groups triggered a huge movement but the [Vietnam] war was finally ended by Vietnam veterans, the civil-rights leadership, and a congressional bloc that woke up and took action." "Few of the pro-war pundits, elites, and think-tankers have apologized or resigned since Vietnam. Instead, they have risen in the ranks of the national-security establishment while implementing further military follies based on many of the same assumptions that led to the Vietnam collapse."
"The myth persists that freedom can be expanded at home while repression is imposed and massive bombings escalated abroad." "Instead, the antiwar movement has been ignored or scapegoated, while those truly at fault have enjoyed decades of immunity." (Source: Tom Hayden, "The Forgotten Power of the Peace Movement," The Nation, January 30, 2017).
*Treasury Secretary-nominee Steven Mnuchin failed to properly disclose that he was a director of a offshore business in the Cayman Islands that owned more than $100 million in real estate. Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) says that one does not go to offshore entities other than to "avoid, in some form or fashion, the tax laws of the United States."
Mnuchin's OneWest bank has been described as a "foreclosure machine."
*The New York Times has reported that some police departments keep "wish lists" of items they'd like to seize; in one case, officers were advised to focus on TVs, cash, and cars and not to bother with computers.
Monday, February 6, 2017
Opioids, Drug Price Explosion, Zika/Abortion Nexus
I. Opioid Addiction
"More people died of drug overdoses in 2014 in the U.S. than in any other year, and 60% of them were because of painkillers. Over the past 17 years, rates of opioid-overdose deaths have quadrupled." "Study after study supports the effectiveness of drug-based therapies for opioid addiction. People who take methodone and suboxone are better able to keep a job, avoid relapses and gradually reduce their need to continue using heroin or opioids." "Still, many doctors don't prescribe suboxone. About 90% of the prescriptions for it are written by just 6,000 of the 32,000 doctors in the U.S. certified to administer the drug." (Source: Alice Park, "A new paradigm for opioid addiction," TIME, October 24, 2016).
II. Shooting Down Skyrocketing Drug Prices
Three in four Americans believe that drug companies put profit before people, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll. There are four ways to bring down rising drug prices:
1. Hillary Clinton rolled out a plan in early September that would have created a team of federal officials tasked with monitoring drug-prices hikes.
2. Allow Americans to import drugs.
3. Change the patent process so that the government rewards companies with patent protections only when they can demonstrate they've invested in developing or improving a drug with high therapeutic value.
4. Help regulate fast-track generics by allowing the FDA to collect fees from generic-drug manufacturers to expedite the approval of new drugs. Manufacturers could hire more employees to make headway on the backlog of roughly 4,000 generic medications. (Source: Haley Sweetland Edwards, "4 ways to shoot down skyrocketing drug prices," TIME, October 24, 2016).
III. The Zika/Abortion Nexus
The dilemma for American women is that taking steps to end a pregnancy at the 20-week point that it takes to know if the Zika infection has developed, would be considered a late-term abortion, which 15 states have outlawed. That leaves pregnant women in those states with a near impossible choice should they contact or even think they have contacted Zika: They either abort the fetus earlier in their pregnancy, while it is legal, but before they have evidence of microcephaly, or roll the dice and hope for the best.
A recent Harvard-STAT poll found that only 23% of Americans believe a woman should have access to an abortion after 24 weeks. The same poll found that support for abortions after 24 weeks more than doubles, to 59%, if a woman is told her baby has a serious risk of microcephaly. Those in the same poll who believe that abortions should be legal in all or most cases: 59% for those in their 30s or 40s; and 52% of those over 65. Overall, 41% think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. (Source: Bryan Walsh, "How Zika could change the politics of abortion," TIME, October 24, 2016).
IV. Doctors Oppose Health Care Reform
James Surwiecki, who writes on economic matters for the New Yorker magazine, believes that doctors have a history of opposing health-care reform of all kinds. He cites the most "famous instance" as when the American Medical Association's campaign against the creation of Medicare. "It's not only government reforms that doctors have resisted; it's about any plan that has threatened to reduce their income or autonomy."
"There's plenty of evidence that financial considerations affect medical decisions: for instance, studies show that doctors have a financial stake in imaging equipment like MRI machines order many more unnecessary MRIs." (Source: James Surwiecki, "Doctors Orders," The New Yorker, December 19, 2016).
"More people died of drug overdoses in 2014 in the U.S. than in any other year, and 60% of them were because of painkillers. Over the past 17 years, rates of opioid-overdose deaths have quadrupled." "Study after study supports the effectiveness of drug-based therapies for opioid addiction. People who take methodone and suboxone are better able to keep a job, avoid relapses and gradually reduce their need to continue using heroin or opioids." "Still, many doctors don't prescribe suboxone. About 90% of the prescriptions for it are written by just 6,000 of the 32,000 doctors in the U.S. certified to administer the drug." (Source: Alice Park, "A new paradigm for opioid addiction," TIME, October 24, 2016).
II. Shooting Down Skyrocketing Drug Prices
Three in four Americans believe that drug companies put profit before people, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll. There are four ways to bring down rising drug prices:
1. Hillary Clinton rolled out a plan in early September that would have created a team of federal officials tasked with monitoring drug-prices hikes.
2. Allow Americans to import drugs.
3. Change the patent process so that the government rewards companies with patent protections only when they can demonstrate they've invested in developing or improving a drug with high therapeutic value.
4. Help regulate fast-track generics by allowing the FDA to collect fees from generic-drug manufacturers to expedite the approval of new drugs. Manufacturers could hire more employees to make headway on the backlog of roughly 4,000 generic medications. (Source: Haley Sweetland Edwards, "4 ways to shoot down skyrocketing drug prices," TIME, October 24, 2016).
III. The Zika/Abortion Nexus
The dilemma for American women is that taking steps to end a pregnancy at the 20-week point that it takes to know if the Zika infection has developed, would be considered a late-term abortion, which 15 states have outlawed. That leaves pregnant women in those states with a near impossible choice should they contact or even think they have contacted Zika: They either abort the fetus earlier in their pregnancy, while it is legal, but before they have evidence of microcephaly, or roll the dice and hope for the best.
A recent Harvard-STAT poll found that only 23% of Americans believe a woman should have access to an abortion after 24 weeks. The same poll found that support for abortions after 24 weeks more than doubles, to 59%, if a woman is told her baby has a serious risk of microcephaly. Those in the same poll who believe that abortions should be legal in all or most cases: 59% for those in their 30s or 40s; and 52% of those over 65. Overall, 41% think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. (Source: Bryan Walsh, "How Zika could change the politics of abortion," TIME, October 24, 2016).
IV. Doctors Oppose Health Care Reform
James Surwiecki, who writes on economic matters for the New Yorker magazine, believes that doctors have a history of opposing health-care reform of all kinds. He cites the most "famous instance" as when the American Medical Association's campaign against the creation of Medicare. "It's not only government reforms that doctors have resisted; it's about any plan that has threatened to reduce their income or autonomy."
"There's plenty of evidence that financial considerations affect medical decisions: for instance, studies show that doctors have a financial stake in imaging equipment like MRI machines order many more unnecessary MRIs." (Source: James Surwiecki, "Doctors Orders," The New Yorker, December 19, 2016).
Friday, February 3, 2017
Military Base Burn Pits
I. Burn Pits on Military Bases
"Burn pits were dug on military bases in the midst of housing, work and dining facilities, with zero pollution controls. "Tons of waste -- an average of 10 pounds daily per soldier -- burned in them every day, all day all night. Ash laden with hundreds of toxins and carcinogens blackened the air and coated clothing, beds, desks and dining halls, according to a Government Accounting Office investigation."
"Some of the U.S. bases were built on the remnants of Iraqi military bases that had been bombed and flattened by U.S. airstrikes. A handful of these bases -- at least five -- contained stockpiles of old chemical warfare weapons, among them the nerve agent sarin and the blistering agent mustard gas, used by Iraq against Iran and the Kurds in the 1980s and 1990s."
"From the ailing veterans, Joseph Hickman, former Marine and Army soldier, learned of medical claims denied by DOD and Veterans Health Administration doctors, who flatly refused to consider that their health problems were service-related, and insinuated that they were looking for a free ride. He discovered that veterans had more than 20 class-action lawsuits in 2008 and 2009 against KBR Co., the DOD contractor that constructed the burn pits."
"In the course of his work, Hickman enlisted the legal assistance of Seton Hall University Law School's Center for Policy and Research. The center was highly regarded for its uncovering of human rights violations at Guantanamo and exhaustive probing of the 2008 financial crisis. Its work yielded a list of the most prevalent illnesses reported by 500 veterans interviewed by Hickman, mainly, acute and debilitating respiratory illnesses (74 percent) and throat, lung and brain cancers and leukemia (26 percent). Over 90 percent, after long waits, were refused disability."
"Medical research has since pinpointed titanium dust particles, inhaled by soldiers from the burn pits, as a likely cause of their high rates of brain cancer."
"The arc of poisons begins with the oil fires in Kuwait set by fleeing Iraqi soldiers, which burned for seven months, and depleted uranium weapons used by the U.S. in the first Gulf War (1991) and in the Iraq War (2003-2011). It extends to the burn pit air toxins from U.S. bases that wafted into nearby towns and cities and the recent oil conflagrations set by ISIS and ignited during U.S. bombing of ISIS strongholds." (Source: Joseph Hickman, "The Burn Pits: The Poisoning of America's Soldiers")
II. A New U.N. Framework
The co-chairs of the Commission on Global Security, Justice and Governance were former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former U.N. Under Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari. Their report makes the case that we can't have security anywhere without justice, or justice anywhere without security. And it asserts that nothing could do more to provide both security and justice to much of humanity than smart 21st Century innovations in global governance.
The Commission addressed three broad issue areas -- the impact of climate change on the poor and vulnerable, the intersection between "cross-border economic shocks" and various cyber nightmares, and intrastate "violence" in fragile states. For climate, the report proposed an "International Carbon Monitoring Entity" and a "Climate Engineering Advisory Board," as well as atmospheric modification and climate adaptation efforts.
Regarding the U.N. Security Council, the Commission called for adding new members beyond the present 15, creating a new kind of "dissenting vote" that would not block passage of a resolution, and it recommended "restraint in the use of the veto." It concluded that if the U.N.is ever to become both democratic and effective, the veto doesn't need to be "restrained." The veto needs to be eliminated.
The Commission also recommended the creation of a "UN Parliamentary Network." The concept is that individuals already elected to national legislatures could be selected to sit in this new international body.
The principle of one nation one vote, for states large and small, could hardly be more undemocratic. Also, once the votes are cast in the U.N. General Assembly, its decisions serve only as polite requests to the world. It has no power to make anything like universal laws. The solution is to establish some kind of weighted voting system in the General Assembly (perhaps accounting for both population and monetary contributions to global public initiatives), and then to give the results of its balloting the force of international law (like Security Council decisions already possess).
As a funding mechanism, the Commission suggested something like the "Tobin Tax," which by placing a microscopic fee on international currency speculation, could provide new resources.
Finally, to try to prevent genocide and crimes against humanity, the Commission proposed a permanent, directly-recruited, all-volunteer U.N. Rapid Deployment Force (UNRDF).The UNRDF would be poised to act not to serve the national interests of any individual state, but to serve the common human interest in relegating genocide to the dustbin of history. It could free the American president, in particular, from the dilemma of dispatching "the most powerful military force in the world" to stop crimes that have little to do with us, or doing noting while the nightmares continue to unfold.
"Burn pits were dug on military bases in the midst of housing, work and dining facilities, with zero pollution controls. "Tons of waste -- an average of 10 pounds daily per soldier -- burned in them every day, all day all night. Ash laden with hundreds of toxins and carcinogens blackened the air and coated clothing, beds, desks and dining halls, according to a Government Accounting Office investigation."
"Some of the U.S. bases were built on the remnants of Iraqi military bases that had been bombed and flattened by U.S. airstrikes. A handful of these bases -- at least five -- contained stockpiles of old chemical warfare weapons, among them the nerve agent sarin and the blistering agent mustard gas, used by Iraq against Iran and the Kurds in the 1980s and 1990s."
"From the ailing veterans, Joseph Hickman, former Marine and Army soldier, learned of medical claims denied by DOD and Veterans Health Administration doctors, who flatly refused to consider that their health problems were service-related, and insinuated that they were looking for a free ride. He discovered that veterans had more than 20 class-action lawsuits in 2008 and 2009 against KBR Co., the DOD contractor that constructed the burn pits."
"In the course of his work, Hickman enlisted the legal assistance of Seton Hall University Law School's Center for Policy and Research. The center was highly regarded for its uncovering of human rights violations at Guantanamo and exhaustive probing of the 2008 financial crisis. Its work yielded a list of the most prevalent illnesses reported by 500 veterans interviewed by Hickman, mainly, acute and debilitating respiratory illnesses (74 percent) and throat, lung and brain cancers and leukemia (26 percent). Over 90 percent, after long waits, were refused disability."
"Medical research has since pinpointed titanium dust particles, inhaled by soldiers from the burn pits, as a likely cause of their high rates of brain cancer."
"The arc of poisons begins with the oil fires in Kuwait set by fleeing Iraqi soldiers, which burned for seven months, and depleted uranium weapons used by the U.S. in the first Gulf War (1991) and in the Iraq War (2003-2011). It extends to the burn pit air toxins from U.S. bases that wafted into nearby towns and cities and the recent oil conflagrations set by ISIS and ignited during U.S. bombing of ISIS strongholds." (Source: Joseph Hickman, "The Burn Pits: The Poisoning of America's Soldiers")
II. A New U.N. Framework
The co-chairs of the Commission on Global Security, Justice and Governance were former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former U.N. Under Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari. Their report makes the case that we can't have security anywhere without justice, or justice anywhere without security. And it asserts that nothing could do more to provide both security and justice to much of humanity than smart 21st Century innovations in global governance.
The Commission addressed three broad issue areas -- the impact of climate change on the poor and vulnerable, the intersection between "cross-border economic shocks" and various cyber nightmares, and intrastate "violence" in fragile states. For climate, the report proposed an "International Carbon Monitoring Entity" and a "Climate Engineering Advisory Board," as well as atmospheric modification and climate adaptation efforts.
Regarding the U.N. Security Council, the Commission called for adding new members beyond the present 15, creating a new kind of "dissenting vote" that would not block passage of a resolution, and it recommended "restraint in the use of the veto." It concluded that if the U.N.is ever to become both democratic and effective, the veto doesn't need to be "restrained." The veto needs to be eliminated.
The Commission also recommended the creation of a "UN Parliamentary Network." The concept is that individuals already elected to national legislatures could be selected to sit in this new international body.
The principle of one nation one vote, for states large and small, could hardly be more undemocratic. Also, once the votes are cast in the U.N. General Assembly, its decisions serve only as polite requests to the world. It has no power to make anything like universal laws. The solution is to establish some kind of weighted voting system in the General Assembly (perhaps accounting for both population and monetary contributions to global public initiatives), and then to give the results of its balloting the force of international law (like Security Council decisions already possess).
As a funding mechanism, the Commission suggested something like the "Tobin Tax," which by placing a microscopic fee on international currency speculation, could provide new resources.
Finally, to try to prevent genocide and crimes against humanity, the Commission proposed a permanent, directly-recruited, all-volunteer U.N. Rapid Deployment Force (UNRDF).The UNRDF would be poised to act not to serve the national interests of any individual state, but to serve the common human interest in relegating genocide to the dustbin of history. It could free the American president, in particular, from the dilemma of dispatching "the most powerful military force in the world" to stop crimes that have little to do with us, or doing noting while the nightmares continue to unfold.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Now Is the Time to Speak of Many Things: Cabbages and Kings
I. Middle-Class Population as Percentage of Country Population
*Finland and Netherlands - a little over 40%
*Germany and Canada - somewhat under 40%
*United Kingdom - a little under Canada and Germany
*Spain - a little under the U.K.
*U.S. - 27%.
II. Muslims: "Perception versus Reality"
(A.A. stands for Average Answer and A.N. stands for Actual Answer)
*France - A.A. 31 --- A.N. 7.5
*South Africa - A.A. 22 --- A.N. 1.7
*Philippines - A.A. 23 --- A.N. 5.5
*Germany - A.A. 21 --- A.N. 5
*U.S. - A.A. 17 --- A.N. 1
*India - A.A. 28 --- A.N. 14.2
*United Kingdom - A.A. 15 --- A.N. 4.8
*Turkey - A.A. 81 --- A.N. 98
(Data is from Pew, Ipsos MORI. The question asked was: "Out of every 100 people in your country, how many are Muslim?")
III. The Conspiracy Theorist, Michael Flynn
In a December 9, 2016 email, Jon Rainwater, executive director of Peace Action, writes: "This week's media cycle highlighted [Michael] Flynn's penchant for conspiracy theories. Now the media is starting to cover a real whopper of a theory that is supposed to be in his area of expertise and germane to his role as NSA. He claimed that 'Arabic signs were present along the United States' border with Mexico to guide potential state-sponsored terrorists and radicalized Muslims into the United States.' Flynn further said in his interview that he had personally seen photos of such signs in Texas. 'I know from my friends in the Border Patrol in CBP that there are countries -- radical Islamist countries, state-sponsored -- that are cutting deals with Mexican cartels for some of what they call "the lanes of entry into our country.' "
"Flynn said in an interview with Breitbart News on Sirius XM radio: 'I have personally seen the photos of the signage along these oaths that are in Arabic. They're like way points along these paths as you come in. Primarily, it is the case that one I saw was in Texas and it's literally like signs that say in Arabic, "move to this point!" 'It's unbelievable.' "
IV. The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act
In a December 6, 2016 email, Jon Rainwater forwards a statement on the Act that I find to be both cogent and concise. I'll start with the State Department definition of anti-Semitism and then carry forward with the statement:
"The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act endorses the State Department of anti-Semitism, which includes 'delegitimizing' Israel, 'demonizing' Israel to a 'double standard.' The Act directs the Department of Education to consider this definition when investigating complaints of anti-Semitism on campus. But the [Act] does not add any new protections for Jewish students; the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Department of Education's interpretation of the statute, already protects Jewish students against discrimination."
"The State Department standard is highly controversial because it conflates criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish hatred, shutting 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-Semitic environment, they may revoke federal funding."
The Anti-Semitic Awareness Act was approved in the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent, with zero debate and no public scrutiny.
V. Military Child Neglect or Abuse
A Los Angeles Times investigation found that the Army, Navy and Air Force knew of numerous cases of child neglect or abuse but failed to intervene, or to alert the Family Advocacy Program (FAP) or child welfare agencies. FAP is not accepting those most in need due to... "failure on the part of others to report concerns in 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 5 years reached the same conclusion. "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.
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, studies show. FAP counted 5,378 child abuse and neglect victims in military families in 2015. (Source: David S. Cloud, "Child abuse in the military: Failing those most in need," The LA Times, December 29, 2016.)
VI. U.S. Students Lag on Education
"On a 1,000-point scale, U.S. students averaged a 470 in math (students in 36 countries did better), 496 in science (students in 18 countries did better), and 497 in reading (students in 14 countries did better)." "PISA (Proramme for International Student Assessment) data show America's teens perform worse in all three subjects compared to Vietnam students, where the average income, adjusted for purchasing power, is one-tenth of the U.S. average; and they do worse in math than students in Latvia, where the average income is less than one-half the United States." (Source: "PISA test shows U.S. must act globally on education," an editorial in the Albuquerque Journal, December 17, 2016.)
*Finland and Netherlands - a little over 40%
*Germany and Canada - somewhat under 40%
*United Kingdom - a little under Canada and Germany
*Spain - a little under the U.K.
*U.S. - 27%.
II. Muslims: "Perception versus Reality"
(A.A. stands for Average Answer and A.N. stands for Actual Answer)
*France - A.A. 31 --- A.N. 7.5
*South Africa - A.A. 22 --- A.N. 1.7
*Philippines - A.A. 23 --- A.N. 5.5
*Germany - A.A. 21 --- A.N. 5
*U.S. - A.A. 17 --- A.N. 1
*India - A.A. 28 --- A.N. 14.2
*United Kingdom - A.A. 15 --- A.N. 4.8
*Turkey - A.A. 81 --- A.N. 98
(Data is from Pew, Ipsos MORI. The question asked was: "Out of every 100 people in your country, how many are Muslim?")
III. The Conspiracy Theorist, Michael Flynn
In a December 9, 2016 email, Jon Rainwater, executive director of Peace Action, writes: "This week's media cycle highlighted [Michael] Flynn's penchant for conspiracy theories. Now the media is starting to cover a real whopper of a theory that is supposed to be in his area of expertise and germane to his role as NSA. He claimed that 'Arabic signs were present along the United States' border with Mexico to guide potential state-sponsored terrorists and radicalized Muslims into the United States.' Flynn further said in his interview that he had personally seen photos of such signs in Texas. 'I know from my friends in the Border Patrol in CBP that there are countries -- radical Islamist countries, state-sponsored -- that are cutting deals with Mexican cartels for some of what they call "the lanes of entry into our country.' "
"Flynn said in an interview with Breitbart News on Sirius XM radio: 'I have personally seen the photos of the signage along these oaths that are in Arabic. They're like way points along these paths as you come in. Primarily, it is the case that one I saw was in Texas and it's literally like signs that say in Arabic, "move to this point!" 'It's unbelievable.' "
IV. The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act
In a December 6, 2016 email, Jon Rainwater forwards a statement on the Act that I find to be both cogent and concise. I'll start with the State Department definition of anti-Semitism and then carry forward with the statement:
"The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act endorses the State Department of anti-Semitism, which includes 'delegitimizing' Israel, 'demonizing' Israel to a 'double standard.' The Act directs the Department of Education to consider this definition when investigating complaints of anti-Semitism on campus. But the [Act] does not add any new protections for Jewish students; the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Department of Education's interpretation of the statute, already protects Jewish students against discrimination."
"The State Department standard is highly controversial because it conflates criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish hatred, shutting 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-Semitic environment, they may revoke federal funding."
The Anti-Semitic Awareness Act was approved in the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent, with zero debate and no public scrutiny.
V. Military Child Neglect or Abuse
A Los Angeles Times investigation found that the Army, Navy and Air Force knew of numerous cases of child neglect or abuse but failed to intervene, or to alert the Family Advocacy Program (FAP) or child welfare agencies. FAP is not accepting those most in need due to... "failure on the part of others to report concerns in 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 5 years reached the same conclusion. "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.
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, studies show. FAP counted 5,378 child abuse and neglect victims in military families in 2015. (Source: David S. Cloud, "Child abuse in the military: Failing those most in need," The LA Times, December 29, 2016.)
VI. U.S. Students Lag on Education
"On a 1,000-point scale, U.S. students averaged a 470 in math (students in 36 countries did better), 496 in science (students in 18 countries did better), and 497 in reading (students in 14 countries did better)." "PISA (Proramme for International Student Assessment) data show America's teens perform worse in all three subjects compared to Vietnam students, where the average income, adjusted for purchasing power, is one-tenth of the U.S. average; and they do worse in math than students in Latvia, where the average income is less than one-half the United States." (Source: "PISA test shows U.S. must act globally on education," an editorial in the Albuquerque Journal, December 17, 2016.)
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Half-Baked Executive Orders
"Half-Baked" strikes me as a good description of President Trump's executive orders. Various publications have commented on a number of the executive orders.
Trump's executive orders not well thought through, Politico:
"The breakneck pace of Trump's executive actions might please his supporters, but critics are questioning whether the documents are being rushed through without the necessary review from agency experts and lawmakers who will bear the burden of actually carrying them out."
The "wall" order is vague, The Atlantic:
The order is "really just a set of instructions for Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly. The American public still doesn't know how big the wall will be, when it will be built, or how it will be paid for -- to pick only the most glaring questions."
Trump to suspend refugee program, Politico:
"[A] State Department official said the White House had done next to no consulting with his agency on whether the executive orders are legally tenable or what impact they would have on America's alliances."
Trump needs to find workers to build a wall, Bloomberg:
"A labor shortage has left few hands to build houses and factories in the region, where wages have already been rising and projects delayed. Now, the president's plan for 'immediate construction of a border wall' will force the government to find legal builders for a project that could employ thousands, if not tens of thousands. About half of construction workers in Texas are undocumented..."
The attack on regulation will be subtle, The Atlantic:
"Offered under the label of regulatory 'reform,' what is being contemplated is complicating the rulemaking process even further so that the machinery of public administration produces few new regulations and courts have even more power to rebuff those rules that do emerge."
"EPA science under scrutiny by Trump political staff" reports AP:
"The Trump administration is scrutinizing studies and data published by scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency, while new work is under a 'temporary hold' before it can be released. The communications director for President Trump's transition team at EPA, Doug Erickson, [has said] the review extends to all existing content on the federal agency's website, including details of scientific evidence showing that the Earth's climate is warming and man-made carbon emissions are to blame."
Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush are two presidents in the recent past who had scant regard for science. It now appears that Trump will make them look like pikers.
What I find stunning is that the Republicans raised unholy hell about President Obama's executive orders, but we haven't heard a pip out of them regarding President Trump's executive orders. So executive orders signed by a black Democratic president were destroying the republic, while executive orders from a white Republican president are pearls of wisdom, not to be questioned.
Scorched Earth
It is widely anticipated that President Trump will become a dedicated enemy of the environment. Here are a few ways that Trump might carry out a scorched earth policy:
1. Weaken the Antiquities Act of 1906, which President Obama recently used to preserve 1.65 million acres of federal land.
2. Curtail public comment regarding decisions to change U.S. land-management policies.
3. Open up lesser-known, less-visited public lands for fossil-fuel development.
4. Reverse the decision to review alternative routes for the Dakota Access Pipeline.
5. Rescind President Obama's moratorium on new coal-mining leases for federal lands.
6. Gut NASA's climate research.
7. Drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuse, which is home to some of the greatest wildlife diversity found in the Arctic Circle. (Source: "Scorched Earth," The Nation, January 30, 2017.)
Breaking News on Steve Mnuchin
Democrats are boycotting the Senate hearing on Steve Mnuchin, the Treasury Secretary-designee, because he lied to them on using robo-signing of bank documents. The Courage Campaign has called Mnuchin a corporate criminal, because his bank, OneWest, "mugged thousands of people for their homes instead of their wallets, including more than 30,000 foreclosures in California."
The Courage Campaign refers to a "memo leaked from the California Department of Justice [showing] just how far OneWest Bank's criminality, callousness, and greed went under Mnuchin's leadership. Essentially, the bank falsified the dates on potentially thousands of foreclosure documents in order to expedite the foreclosure, depriving homeowners of critical due process rights that could have given them the opportunity to save their homes. One former federal prosecutor said Mnuchin's bank had 'a pattern of creating whatever documents that appear necessary at the time... to grease the wheels of the foreclosure machine.' "
Losing Settled Rights
"With Donald Trump and Mike Pence in the White House and a conservative majority once again in the Court, decisions that seemed like settled law only a few days ago -- gay marriage, legal abortion, the right to join a union, indeed the very right to citizenship itself to anyone born inside the country may well come under attack." (Source: D. D. Gutterplan, "Mourn, Resist, Organize," The Nation, November 28/December 6, 2016.)
ADDENDUMS:
*A PEW poll has found that 50% pf white Americans think African Americans are treated less fairly in interactions with police. Yet, 75% of whites say the police use the right amount of force for each situation, versus 33% of African Americans. These findings appear to be contradictory to a significant degree; however, there is little doubt that law enforcement is the primary agent of the widening gap in race relations in the nation.
Trump's executive orders not well thought through, Politico:
"The breakneck pace of Trump's executive actions might please his supporters, but critics are questioning whether the documents are being rushed through without the necessary review from agency experts and lawmakers who will bear the burden of actually carrying them out."
The "wall" order is vague, The Atlantic:
The order is "really just a set of instructions for Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly. The American public still doesn't know how big the wall will be, when it will be built, or how it will be paid for -- to pick only the most glaring questions."
Trump to suspend refugee program, Politico:
"[A] State Department official said the White House had done next to no consulting with his agency on whether the executive orders are legally tenable or what impact they would have on America's alliances."
Trump needs to find workers to build a wall, Bloomberg:
"A labor shortage has left few hands to build houses and factories in the region, where wages have already been rising and projects delayed. Now, the president's plan for 'immediate construction of a border wall' will force the government to find legal builders for a project that could employ thousands, if not tens of thousands. About half of construction workers in Texas are undocumented..."
The attack on regulation will be subtle, The Atlantic:
"Offered under the label of regulatory 'reform,' what is being contemplated is complicating the rulemaking process even further so that the machinery of public administration produces few new regulations and courts have even more power to rebuff those rules that do emerge."
"EPA science under scrutiny by Trump political staff" reports AP:
"The Trump administration is scrutinizing studies and data published by scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency, while new work is under a 'temporary hold' before it can be released. The communications director for President Trump's transition team at EPA, Doug Erickson, [has said] the review extends to all existing content on the federal agency's website, including details of scientific evidence showing that the Earth's climate is warming and man-made carbon emissions are to blame."
Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush are two presidents in the recent past who had scant regard for science. It now appears that Trump will make them look like pikers.
What I find stunning is that the Republicans raised unholy hell about President Obama's executive orders, but we haven't heard a pip out of them regarding President Trump's executive orders. So executive orders signed by a black Democratic president were destroying the republic, while executive orders from a white Republican president are pearls of wisdom, not to be questioned.
Scorched Earth
It is widely anticipated that President Trump will become a dedicated enemy of the environment. Here are a few ways that Trump might carry out a scorched earth policy:
1. Weaken the Antiquities Act of 1906, which President Obama recently used to preserve 1.65 million acres of federal land.
2. Curtail public comment regarding decisions to change U.S. land-management policies.
3. Open up lesser-known, less-visited public lands for fossil-fuel development.
4. Reverse the decision to review alternative routes for the Dakota Access Pipeline.
5. Rescind President Obama's moratorium on new coal-mining leases for federal lands.
6. Gut NASA's climate research.
7. Drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuse, which is home to some of the greatest wildlife diversity found in the Arctic Circle. (Source: "Scorched Earth," The Nation, January 30, 2017.)
Breaking News on Steve Mnuchin
Democrats are boycotting the Senate hearing on Steve Mnuchin, the Treasury Secretary-designee, because he lied to them on using robo-signing of bank documents. The Courage Campaign has called Mnuchin a corporate criminal, because his bank, OneWest, "mugged thousands of people for their homes instead of their wallets, including more than 30,000 foreclosures in California."
The Courage Campaign refers to a "memo leaked from the California Department of Justice [showing] just how far OneWest Bank's criminality, callousness, and greed went under Mnuchin's leadership. Essentially, the bank falsified the dates on potentially thousands of foreclosure documents in order to expedite the foreclosure, depriving homeowners of critical due process rights that could have given them the opportunity to save their homes. One former federal prosecutor said Mnuchin's bank had 'a pattern of creating whatever documents that appear necessary at the time... to grease the wheels of the foreclosure machine.' "
Losing Settled Rights
"With Donald Trump and Mike Pence in the White House and a conservative majority once again in the Court, decisions that seemed like settled law only a few days ago -- gay marriage, legal abortion, the right to join a union, indeed the very right to citizenship itself to anyone born inside the country may well come under attack." (Source: D. D. Gutterplan, "Mourn, Resist, Organize," The Nation, November 28/December 6, 2016.)
ADDENDUMS:
*A PEW poll has found that 50% pf white Americans think African Americans are treated less fairly in interactions with police. Yet, 75% of whites say the police use the right amount of force for each situation, versus 33% of African Americans. These findings appear to be contradictory to a significant degree; however, there is little doubt that law enforcement is the primary agent of the widening gap in race relations in the nation.
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