1. Migratory Birds: The administration proposed formal regulations to cement into law a hotly disputed legal opinion declaring that the Migratory Bird Act (MBTA) does not need to protect migratory birds from harm caused by industrial activities. This has dramatically undercut the law's ability to conserve birds.
2. National Monuments: In December 2017, President Trump signed proclamations that decimated two national monument in Utah -- Bear Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante. And the president's threat of downsizing or reducing protections remains for an many as eight other national monuments around the country.
3. Marine Life: The Trump administration has reversed direction and permitted the use of seismic air guns for gas and oil exploration in the Atlantic Ocean. The practice, which can kill marine life and disrupt fisheries had previously been blocked by the Obama administration.
4. Clean Water: The administration revoked a rule recognizing federal responsibility to protect for streams that provide clean drinking water and wetlands that provide sanctuary for wildlife. This reversal was formalized in the Waters of the United States, or 'WOTUS' rule in January 2020.
5. Public Lands: The Trump administration opened 9 million acres of western public land to oil and gas drilling by weakening habitat protections for the greater sage-grouse, an imperiled bird known for its elaborate mating dance. This move is now only temporarily deterred by an Idaho District Court injunction blocking the administration's 'Energy Dominance' agenda.
6. Climate Change" In 2017, President Trump issued an executive order that cripples our ability to take action on the global threat of climate change. This was quickly followed by an effort to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, among dozes of other climate change policies revised, reversed and dissolved under this administration. In January, the Trump administration proposed rules that would allow federal agencies to ignore climate impacts of their actions in environmental reviews.
7. Border Wall: In December 2019, Congress unveiled $1.4 billion in funding to build the border wall. When built, a border wall between the U.S and Mexico will fragment vital ecosystems and landscapes,threatening wildlife and people. Thousands of scientists from around the world agree that building a border wall will be devastating to North America's biodiversity. Defenders [of Wildlife] has requested U.S. Supreme Court review of federal court rulings that have allowed the Trump administration to waive dozens of environmental laws to speed construction of border wall.
8. Evaluation: The Trump administration targeted the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in January 2020 in order to fast track development and infrastructure projects like highways and pipelines. NEPA ensures that federal agencies publicly evaluate the environmental effects of their actions. Rolling it back will only expose the American people and environment to serious harm and dirty our water, clean air and environment.
These items were taken from a Defenders of Wildlife leaflet. There were ten items, but copying errors obscured all or part of two items, one dealing with the BLM and the Arctic Refuge.
Friday, February 21, 2020
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Trump's Israel-Palestine "Peace" Treaty Violates International Law
Stephen Zunes, professor of politics and coordinator of Middle Eastern studies at the University of San Francisco. Zunes's article is found at: https://truthout.org/articles/trumps-israel-palestine-peace-plan-violates-international-law/
"Donald Trump's long-awaited 'deal of the century' between Israel and Palestine essentially gives Israel's far right coalition government everything it wanted. This Middle East 'peace deal' allows Israel to annex vast stretches of the Palestinian West Bank (which has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967) into Israel, including all of the illegal Jewish-only settlements in areas colonized by Israeli settlers as well as Arab East Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley. Palestinians would be granted limited autonomy in a series of largely urban enclaves surrounded by the expanded borders of Israel, with Israel still controlling Palestinian borders, immigration, security, airspace, aquifers and the electromagnetic spectrum.
Indeed, Trump's proposals for Israel and Palestine bears remarkable resemblance to the notorious Bantustan system of apartheid South Africa.
The United Nations and UN Security Council resolutions -- which previous U.S. administrations insisted were to be the basis of a peace settlement -- explicitly forbid any nation from expanding its territory by military force, But Trump's proposal allows Israel to do just that. In addition, the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits any occupying power from transferring its civilian population onto territories seized by military force. United Nations Security Council resolutions have explicitly recognized the application of the Fourth Geneva Convention to Israeli-occupied territories, as does a landmark 2004 decision by the International Court of Justice.
Trump now insists that Israel's illegal occupation of these territories is, in fact, legal.
The proposal was praised not only by right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,who is currently under indictment on multiple charges of corruption,but also by his supposedly more 'moderate' rival, Benny Gantz, who called Trump's plan 'a significant and historic milestone,' and 'immediately after the elections I will work toward implementing it.'
Not all Israelis were supportive, however, Hagal El-Ad, executive director of the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem, noted how the future for Palestinians under the plan 'is not rights or a state, but a permanent state of Apartheid. No amount of marketing can erase this disgrace or blur the facts.'
Similarly, Nimrod Novik, a former aide to Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who engaged in years of negotiations with the Palestinians,said, 'It's worse than any of us could anticipate.'
Trump's plan essentially gives the green light to unilateral Israeli annexation of large swathes of occupied territory, which would bring worldwide condemnation, but the Trump administration has promised to veto any initiatives at the United Nations to criticize such a flagrant violation of the UN Charter."
ADDENDUMS:
*The Hill-Harris X survey finds 58% of respondents said Trump acted improperly, compared to 42% who said he acted properly in the assassination of Qassem Solemiani.
*The White House on January 9, issued sweeping changes to one of the bedrock environmental laws relieving agencies from considering climate change when they assess the environmental impacts of key infrastructure projects. The 50-year-old National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires agencies to evaluate how pipelines, highways, and some oil and gas developments affect the environment and nearby communities.
*A University of Massachusetts poll found that only 12% of Americans said their families had "benefited a great deal from recent economic growth," and only 18% said that middle-class families had "benefited a lot" from Trump's economic policies.
* Alan Dershowitz said, 22 years ago, that if a president "corrupts the office," abuses trust," and "poses a great danger to our liberty," he has committed impeachable offenses. Now he requires a violation of a specific law.
"Donald Trump's long-awaited 'deal of the century' between Israel and Palestine essentially gives Israel's far right coalition government everything it wanted. This Middle East 'peace deal' allows Israel to annex vast stretches of the Palestinian West Bank (which has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967) into Israel, including all of the illegal Jewish-only settlements in areas colonized by Israeli settlers as well as Arab East Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley. Palestinians would be granted limited autonomy in a series of largely urban enclaves surrounded by the expanded borders of Israel, with Israel still controlling Palestinian borders, immigration, security, airspace, aquifers and the electromagnetic spectrum.
Indeed, Trump's proposals for Israel and Palestine bears remarkable resemblance to the notorious Bantustan system of apartheid South Africa.
The United Nations and UN Security Council resolutions -- which previous U.S. administrations insisted were to be the basis of a peace settlement -- explicitly forbid any nation from expanding its territory by military force, But Trump's proposal allows Israel to do just that. In addition, the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits any occupying power from transferring its civilian population onto territories seized by military force. United Nations Security Council resolutions have explicitly recognized the application of the Fourth Geneva Convention to Israeli-occupied territories, as does a landmark 2004 decision by the International Court of Justice.
Trump now insists that Israel's illegal occupation of these territories is, in fact, legal.
The proposal was praised not only by right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,who is currently under indictment on multiple charges of corruption,but also by his supposedly more 'moderate' rival, Benny Gantz, who called Trump's plan 'a significant and historic milestone,' and 'immediately after the elections I will work toward implementing it.'
Not all Israelis were supportive, however, Hagal El-Ad, executive director of the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem, noted how the future for Palestinians under the plan 'is not rights or a state, but a permanent state of Apartheid. No amount of marketing can erase this disgrace or blur the facts.'
Similarly, Nimrod Novik, a former aide to Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who engaged in years of negotiations with the Palestinians,said, 'It's worse than any of us could anticipate.'
Trump's plan essentially gives the green light to unilateral Israeli annexation of large swathes of occupied territory, which would bring worldwide condemnation, but the Trump administration has promised to veto any initiatives at the United Nations to criticize such a flagrant violation of the UN Charter."
ADDENDUMS:
*The Hill-Harris X survey finds 58% of respondents said Trump acted improperly, compared to 42% who said he acted properly in the assassination of Qassem Solemiani.
*The White House on January 9, issued sweeping changes to one of the bedrock environmental laws relieving agencies from considering climate change when they assess the environmental impacts of key infrastructure projects. The 50-year-old National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires agencies to evaluate how pipelines, highways, and some oil and gas developments affect the environment and nearby communities.
*A University of Massachusetts poll found that only 12% of Americans said their families had "benefited a great deal from recent economic growth," and only 18% said that middle-class families had "benefited a lot" from Trump's economic policies.
* Alan Dershowitz said, 22 years ago, that if a president "corrupts the office," abuses trust," and "poses a great danger to our liberty," he has committed impeachable offenses. Now he requires a violation of a specific law.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Syria/Turkey/Trump Talking Points
Following are Syria/Turkey/Trump talking points done in late December by Peace Action's executive director, Jon Rainwater. Although somewhat dated, they provide an important look at a broken foreign policy process. I have done some editing
1) Although U.S. troops do need to come out of Syria, it was heartless and impulsive for President Trump to give what appears to be a green light for the Turkish offensive into Syria. The suddenness of the shift in policy threatens the lives of civilians as well as the Kurdish forces. What was needed was a responsible withdrawal, closely coordinated with allies, that allowed for the protection of civilians in the area. This coordinated withdrawal should include ending U.S. airstrikes that often kill civilians, as well as a withdrawal of U.S. ground troops.
The president's announcement reflects a badly broken foreign policy process. At the same time, many Syria experts believe U.S. troop withdrawal is careless, the troops do need to come out and the U.S. couldn't ensure the Kurds' security in the long-term, and only diplomatic progress could do that.
2) Now that Trump's hasty decision on Syria has been followed by a Turkish military offensive, U.S. diplomats must work to mitigate the damage by pushing Turkey to de-escalate. The U.S. should join the EU in formally calling for Turkey to end its offensive. The United States should throw its full weight behind diplomatic efforts at the UN Security Council to replace the offensive with a ceasefire in northeast Syria. Turkey has key alliances with Europe. Russia and the U.S. who could all put pressure on Turkey.
3) The U.S. should back up its diplomacy with immediately cutting off all military assistance and weapons sales to Turkey. Once again, U.S. weapons will be harming civilians in the Middle East.
4) Urgent conflict mitigation initiatives are needed to supplement the call for a ceasefire including:
- Humanitarian access for the UN and its partner NGOs to civilians in northeast Syria so that aid and medical care can be delivered.
- Protecting civilians from any fighting until a ceasefire can be implemented.
- Congress must also resume U.S. funding for Syria stabilization and encourage others to give generously to address this epic humanitarian disaster. Critical stabilization funds include rebuilding infrastructure for clean water and electricity, schools, and transportation that help restore stability and help prevent a region from slipping back into a war zone. The U.S. should do its fair share and admit more Syrian refugees, and help address the global Syrian refugee crisis.
5) U.S. politicians need to highlight the Trump administration's diplomatic failure and avoid portraying a few dozen U.S. troops in northeast Syria as a legitimate solution or a real peacekeeping force. The U.S. government -- alongside other actors -- have failed to do the hard diplomatic spade work necessary to avert escalation in northeast Syria. A UN peacekeeping force could be helpful at some point but U.S. officials made clear that this was not a peacekeeping force. A peacekeeping force would need a UN mandate and would need to be part of a diplomatic agreement that establishes the political underpinnings of a peace that the force can "keep."
6) Diplomacy between the Syrian Kurds and the Syrian government was the way to address concerns about the Kurds, and was not taken seriously enough. The former U.S. Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, told NPR "The Syrian Kurds are part of Syria, and they will have to come to an agreement with the Syrian government."
7) Despite having the last two years since the liberation of Raqqa from ISIS to work with, Trump failed to prioritize a diplomatic solution between two U.S. allies, Turkey and the Syrian Kurds --despite everyone knowing about the "ticking time bomb" between the two. Instead, Trump appears to be basing Turkey policy on his long-time personal relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a relationship developed alongside decades of Trump family business dealings in Turkey.
8) Whether we are talking about Afghanistan or Syria, we should have learned by now that U.S. military forces -- whether a force of 60,000 troops or 60 troops -- can not stabilize a country or protect the people. It hasn't worked after 18 years in Afghanistan and it won't work in Syria. The international community has had 18 years to come up with a diplomatic approach to Syria, but instead key global and regional powers have tragically jockeyed for military advantage.
9) Instead of learning the lesson of decades of disastrous interventions, U.S. policymaking has focused obsessively on calibrating U.S. troop presence (a presence that in Syria is illegal), while failing to advance constructive, lasting solutions. What this situation points out is that we need increased resources for and attention to diplomacy, the State Department, funding for peacemaking and peacekeeping at the UN, as well as Syrian stabilization aid.
Turkey's intervention simply proves again the moral bankruptcy of the war on terror. Imitating the U.S. rhetoric and practice of unilateralism, President Erdogan cynically called the unilateral invasion "Operation Peace Spring" and said it was to "neutralize terror threats against Turkey." In the long run we need to build the international movement to press governments to abandon this penchant for exaggerating threats to justify unilateral and illegal military action that contravenes international law.
1) Although U.S. troops do need to come out of Syria, it was heartless and impulsive for President Trump to give what appears to be a green light for the Turkish offensive into Syria. The suddenness of the shift in policy threatens the lives of civilians as well as the Kurdish forces. What was needed was a responsible withdrawal, closely coordinated with allies, that allowed for the protection of civilians in the area. This coordinated withdrawal should include ending U.S. airstrikes that often kill civilians, as well as a withdrawal of U.S. ground troops.
The president's announcement reflects a badly broken foreign policy process. At the same time, many Syria experts believe U.S. troop withdrawal is careless, the troops do need to come out and the U.S. couldn't ensure the Kurds' security in the long-term, and only diplomatic progress could do that.
2) Now that Trump's hasty decision on Syria has been followed by a Turkish military offensive, U.S. diplomats must work to mitigate the damage by pushing Turkey to de-escalate. The U.S. should join the EU in formally calling for Turkey to end its offensive. The United States should throw its full weight behind diplomatic efforts at the UN Security Council to replace the offensive with a ceasefire in northeast Syria. Turkey has key alliances with Europe. Russia and the U.S. who could all put pressure on Turkey.
3) The U.S. should back up its diplomacy with immediately cutting off all military assistance and weapons sales to Turkey. Once again, U.S. weapons will be harming civilians in the Middle East.
4) Urgent conflict mitigation initiatives are needed to supplement the call for a ceasefire including:
- Humanitarian access for the UN and its partner NGOs to civilians in northeast Syria so that aid and medical care can be delivered.
- Protecting civilians from any fighting until a ceasefire can be implemented.
- Congress must also resume U.S. funding for Syria stabilization and encourage others to give generously to address this epic humanitarian disaster. Critical stabilization funds include rebuilding infrastructure for clean water and electricity, schools, and transportation that help restore stability and help prevent a region from slipping back into a war zone. The U.S. should do its fair share and admit more Syrian refugees, and help address the global Syrian refugee crisis.
5) U.S. politicians need to highlight the Trump administration's diplomatic failure and avoid portraying a few dozen U.S. troops in northeast Syria as a legitimate solution or a real peacekeeping force. The U.S. government -- alongside other actors -- have failed to do the hard diplomatic spade work necessary to avert escalation in northeast Syria. A UN peacekeeping force could be helpful at some point but U.S. officials made clear that this was not a peacekeeping force. A peacekeeping force would need a UN mandate and would need to be part of a diplomatic agreement that establishes the political underpinnings of a peace that the force can "keep."
6) Diplomacy between the Syrian Kurds and the Syrian government was the way to address concerns about the Kurds, and was not taken seriously enough. The former U.S. Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, told NPR "The Syrian Kurds are part of Syria, and they will have to come to an agreement with the Syrian government."
7) Despite having the last two years since the liberation of Raqqa from ISIS to work with, Trump failed to prioritize a diplomatic solution between two U.S. allies, Turkey and the Syrian Kurds --despite everyone knowing about the "ticking time bomb" between the two. Instead, Trump appears to be basing Turkey policy on his long-time personal relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a relationship developed alongside decades of Trump family business dealings in Turkey.
8) Whether we are talking about Afghanistan or Syria, we should have learned by now that U.S. military forces -- whether a force of 60,000 troops or 60 troops -- can not stabilize a country or protect the people. It hasn't worked after 18 years in Afghanistan and it won't work in Syria. The international community has had 18 years to come up with a diplomatic approach to Syria, but instead key global and regional powers have tragically jockeyed for military advantage.
9) Instead of learning the lesson of decades of disastrous interventions, U.S. policymaking has focused obsessively on calibrating U.S. troop presence (a presence that in Syria is illegal), while failing to advance constructive, lasting solutions. What this situation points out is that we need increased resources for and attention to diplomacy, the State Department, funding for peacemaking and peacekeeping at the UN, as well as Syrian stabilization aid.
Turkey's intervention simply proves again the moral bankruptcy of the war on terror. Imitating the U.S. rhetoric and practice of unilateralism, President Erdogan cynically called the unilateral invasion "Operation Peace Spring" and said it was to "neutralize terror threats against Turkey." In the long run we need to build the international movement to press governments to abandon this penchant for exaggerating threats to justify unilateral and illegal military action that contravenes international law.
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
U.S. Says "No" to Lifting Sanctions
I. "No" to Lifting Sanctions
UNITED NATIONS: China and Russia on Monday (December 16) proposed that the UN Security Council lift a ban on North Korea exporting statues, seafood and textiles, according to a draft resolution seen by Reuters, in a move Russia said is aimed at encouraging talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
The draft also called for a ban on North Koreans working abroad and the termination of a 2017 requirement for all such workers to be repatriated by next week. The draft would also exempt inter-Korean rail and road cooperation projects from UN sanctions.
A US State Department official said that now was not the time for the Security Council to consider lifting sanctions on North Korea as the country was "threatening to conduct an escalated provocation, refusing to meet to discuss denuclearization, and continuing to maintain and advance its prohibited weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes."
The sanctions on industries that Russia and China have proposed lifting earned North Korea hundreds of millions of dollars, and were put in place in 2016 and 2017 to try and cut off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes.
The United States, Britain and France have insisted that no UN sanctions should be lifted until North Korea gives up its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Pyongyang has been subject to UN sanctions because of those programs since 2006.
Concerns were growing internationally that North Korea could resume nuclear or long-range missile testing -- suspended since 2017 -- because denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington have stalled.
The draft welcomes "the continuation of the dialogue between the United States and the DPRK at all levels, aimed at establishing new US-DPRK relations, building mutual confidence and joining efforts to build a lasting and stable peace on the Korean Peninsula in a staged and synchronized manner." DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The draft also calls the so-called six-party talks between North Korea, South Korea, China, the United States, Russia and Japan to be resumed or the launching of "multilateral consultations in any other similar format, with the goal of facilitating a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue."
Russia and China have long said the Security Council should reward Pyongyang after Kim pledged in 2018 to work toward denuclearization.
At a council meeting on North Korea -- called by the United States -- China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said sanctions should be adjusted to "head off a dramatic reversal" of the situation.
The draft resolution circulated to the Security Council by Russia and China said the sanctions would be terminated "with the intent of enhancing the livelihood of the civilian population."
Pyongyang was famous for building huge socialist-style statues which it exports mainly to African countries. Some analysts estimated that North Korea had made tens of millions of dollars selling such statues.
It also made millions of dollars from seafood. A UN diplomat said in 2017 that North Korea had been expected to earn some US $295 million from seafood exports that year.
Textiles were North Korea's second-biggest export after coal and other minerals in 2016, totalling US $752 million, according to data from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). Nearly 80 per cent of textile exports went to China, according to Chinese customs data.
The wages of workers sent abroad also provided foreign currency for the Pyongyang government. A UN human rights investigator said in 2015 that North Korea was forcing more than 50,000 people to work abroad, mainly in Russia and China, earning between US $1.2 billion and US $2.3 billion a year.
II. Disarmament Treaties on Chopping Block
The next nuclear disarmament agreement on the chopping block appears to be the 2010 New START Treaty, which reduces U.S. and Russian deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550 each, limits U.S. and Russian nuclear delivery vehicles, and provides for extensive inspection. If the treaty is allowed to expire, it would be the first time since 1972 that there would be no nuclear arms control agreement between Russia and the United States.
One other key international agreement,which President Clinton signed -- but, thanks to Republican opposition, the U.S, Senate has never ratified -- is the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Adopted with great fanfare in 1996, and backed by nearly all the world's nations, the CTBT bans nuclear weapons testing, a practice which has served as a prerequisite for developing or upgrading nuclear arsenals.
UNITED NATIONS: China and Russia on Monday (December 16) proposed that the UN Security Council lift a ban on North Korea exporting statues, seafood and textiles, according to a draft resolution seen by Reuters, in a move Russia said is aimed at encouraging talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
The draft also called for a ban on North Koreans working abroad and the termination of a 2017 requirement for all such workers to be repatriated by next week. The draft would also exempt inter-Korean rail and road cooperation projects from UN sanctions.
A US State Department official said that now was not the time for the Security Council to consider lifting sanctions on North Korea as the country was "threatening to conduct an escalated provocation, refusing to meet to discuss denuclearization, and continuing to maintain and advance its prohibited weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes."
The sanctions on industries that Russia and China have proposed lifting earned North Korea hundreds of millions of dollars, and were put in place in 2016 and 2017 to try and cut off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes.
The United States, Britain and France have insisted that no UN sanctions should be lifted until North Korea gives up its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Pyongyang has been subject to UN sanctions because of those programs since 2006.
Concerns were growing internationally that North Korea could resume nuclear or long-range missile testing -- suspended since 2017 -- because denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington have stalled.
The draft welcomes "the continuation of the dialogue between the United States and the DPRK at all levels, aimed at establishing new US-DPRK relations, building mutual confidence and joining efforts to build a lasting and stable peace on the Korean Peninsula in a staged and synchronized manner." DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The draft also calls the so-called six-party talks between North Korea, South Korea, China, the United States, Russia and Japan to be resumed or the launching of "multilateral consultations in any other similar format, with the goal of facilitating a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue."
Russia and China have long said the Security Council should reward Pyongyang after Kim pledged in 2018 to work toward denuclearization.
At a council meeting on North Korea -- called by the United States -- China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said sanctions should be adjusted to "head off a dramatic reversal" of the situation.
The draft resolution circulated to the Security Council by Russia and China said the sanctions would be terminated "with the intent of enhancing the livelihood of the civilian population."
Pyongyang was famous for building huge socialist-style statues which it exports mainly to African countries. Some analysts estimated that North Korea had made tens of millions of dollars selling such statues.
It also made millions of dollars from seafood. A UN diplomat said in 2017 that North Korea had been expected to earn some US $295 million from seafood exports that year.
Textiles were North Korea's second-biggest export after coal and other minerals in 2016, totalling US $752 million, according to data from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). Nearly 80 per cent of textile exports went to China, according to Chinese customs data.
The wages of workers sent abroad also provided foreign currency for the Pyongyang government. A UN human rights investigator said in 2015 that North Korea was forcing more than 50,000 people to work abroad, mainly in Russia and China, earning between US $1.2 billion and US $2.3 billion a year.
II. Disarmament Treaties on Chopping Block
The next nuclear disarmament agreement on the chopping block appears to be the 2010 New START Treaty, which reduces U.S. and Russian deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550 each, limits U.S. and Russian nuclear delivery vehicles, and provides for extensive inspection. If the treaty is allowed to expire, it would be the first time since 1972 that there would be no nuclear arms control agreement between Russia and the United States.
One other key international agreement,which President Clinton signed -- but, thanks to Republican opposition, the U.S, Senate has never ratified -- is the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Adopted with great fanfare in 1996, and backed by nearly all the world's nations, the CTBT bans nuclear weapons testing, a practice which has served as a prerequisite for developing or upgrading nuclear arsenals.
Monday, February 17, 2020
Human Rights Defenders, Greenhouse Gases, and Child Poverty
I. Human Rights Defenders by the Numbers
304 - Human rights killed across the globe in 2019, according to a new report by Front Line Defenders.
40% - Percentage of murdered human rights defenders who advocated for land, environmental, or indigenous peoples' rights.
3.5K - Human rights defenders killed since 1998, the year the United Nations adopted its Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
85% - Percentage of murdered human rights defenders who had previously been threatened.
107 - Human rights defenders killed in Colombia in 2019,the highest of any country that year ( 13 cases are still being investigated, which could bring the total to 120.) (Source: Meerabelle Jesuthasan, The Nation, February 10, 2020.)
II. Greenhouse Gases
1.2B - Metric tons of greenhouses gases emitted by the US military since 2001 -- roughly equivalent to the annual output of 257 million cars, according to Brown University's Costs of War Project.
47th - The US military's ranking, if it were a country, among greenhouse gas emitters,based on its fuel usage alone -- ahead of Sweden, Portugal, and Denmark.
4-8 - Miles per gallon of diesel fuel for the Army's 55,000 Humvees.
80 - Number of countries across six countries in which the US is engaged in counterterrorism operations (Source: The Nation, February 3, 2020.)
III. Two Ways to Cut Child Poverty
Both plans include giving families a child allowance, but one would lift nearly three times as many times as many children out of poverty.
Democrat's Bennet-Brown American Family Act of 2019: $3,600 per child under the age 6 --- reduction in poverty - 40% (would include 4.5 million children) --- annual cost - $90 billion.
Bipartisan Bennet-Romney Tax Bill: $1,500 per child under age 6 --- reduction in poverty - 40% (would include 1.6 million children) --- annual cost - $90 billion.
"The Bennet-Romney proposal would make several changes to the current system; the most important is that most of the child tax credit would be fully refundable." "Effectively, the bill would create a basic income for all families with children, linking the interests of poor, and working class families." (Sources: Mike Konczal, "Think of the Children," The Nation, February 10, 2020. Also, the Niskanen Center.)
ADDENDUMS:
*A DCCC ad begin running in January, telling Americans that in 2011, Trump said: "Our president (Obama) will start a war with Iran. He will attack Iran sometime before the election because he thinks that's the only way he can get elected."
*Sen. Mike Lee was apoplectic regarding the briefing on the killing of Soleimani. He said those getting the briefing were told that they should be good little boys and girls and shut up about limiting the power of the president to take military action.
*Former ambassador to Russia Mike McFall said that he would not support the non-binding House resolution but would support legislative action stopping Trump from launching a military attack within Iran.
*Trump said early in January that he does not believe climate change is a hoax, cementing a perception that Trump will say anything.
District Judge Peter Messitte ruled in a 31-page opinion, that the Trump administration grant of a veto power to local governments to block refuges as likely "unlawful." It is "arbitrary and capricious as well as inherently susceptible to hidden bias."
*Betsy DeVos said her department plans to remind schools that students and teachers have a constitutional right to pray in public schools, and that students and religious organizations should get to access public facilities just like secular ones do.
304 - Human rights killed across the globe in 2019, according to a new report by Front Line Defenders.
40% - Percentage of murdered human rights defenders who advocated for land, environmental, or indigenous peoples' rights.
3.5K - Human rights defenders killed since 1998, the year the United Nations adopted its Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
85% - Percentage of murdered human rights defenders who had previously been threatened.
107 - Human rights defenders killed in Colombia in 2019,the highest of any country that year ( 13 cases are still being investigated, which could bring the total to 120.) (Source: Meerabelle Jesuthasan, The Nation, February 10, 2020.)
II. Greenhouse Gases
1.2B - Metric tons of greenhouses gases emitted by the US military since 2001 -- roughly equivalent to the annual output of 257 million cars, according to Brown University's Costs of War Project.
47th - The US military's ranking, if it were a country, among greenhouse gas emitters,based on its fuel usage alone -- ahead of Sweden, Portugal, and Denmark.
4-8 - Miles per gallon of diesel fuel for the Army's 55,000 Humvees.
80 - Number of countries across six countries in which the US is engaged in counterterrorism operations (Source: The Nation, February 3, 2020.)
III. Two Ways to Cut Child Poverty
Both plans include giving families a child allowance, but one would lift nearly three times as many times as many children out of poverty.
Democrat's Bennet-Brown American Family Act of 2019: $3,600 per child under the age 6 --- reduction in poverty - 40% (would include 4.5 million children) --- annual cost - $90 billion.
Bipartisan Bennet-Romney Tax Bill: $1,500 per child under age 6 --- reduction in poverty - 40% (would include 1.6 million children) --- annual cost - $90 billion.
"The Bennet-Romney proposal would make several changes to the current system; the most important is that most of the child tax credit would be fully refundable." "Effectively, the bill would create a basic income for all families with children, linking the interests of poor, and working class families." (Sources: Mike Konczal, "Think of the Children," The Nation, February 10, 2020. Also, the Niskanen Center.)
ADDENDUMS:
*A DCCC ad begin running in January, telling Americans that in 2011, Trump said: "Our president (Obama) will start a war with Iran. He will attack Iran sometime before the election because he thinks that's the only way he can get elected."
*Sen. Mike Lee was apoplectic regarding the briefing on the killing of Soleimani. He said those getting the briefing were told that they should be good little boys and girls and shut up about limiting the power of the president to take military action.
*Former ambassador to Russia Mike McFall said that he would not support the non-binding House resolution but would support legislative action stopping Trump from launching a military attack within Iran.
*Trump said early in January that he does not believe climate change is a hoax, cementing a perception that Trump will say anything.
District Judge Peter Messitte ruled in a 31-page opinion, that the Trump administration grant of a veto power to local governments to block refuges as likely "unlawful." It is "arbitrary and capricious as well as inherently susceptible to hidden bias."
*Betsy DeVos said her department plans to remind schools that students and teachers have a constitutional right to pray in public schools, and that students and religious organizations should get to access public facilities just like secular ones do.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Statement by Massachusetts Peace Action on the Green New Deal
The Green New Deal (GND) has three basic dimensions 1) radical action on climate change; 2) a leading role for government; and 3) explicitly addressing social injustices, especially those affecting "frontline communities" that are most affected by climate change and environmental degradation.
Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA) endorses the GND and urges that its members -- and all activists and concerned people -- give serious consideration to the GND for several reasons:
1. The GND addresses real human security, which includes climate and the environment, together with social justice and peace-building -- all of which must be addressed at the national and international levels.
2. In the 21st century, we badly need new approaches -- such as those in the GND -- for addressing contemporary challenges.
3. MAPA focuses not only on ending wars and building peace, but also on conditions that lead to conflicts and wars such as climate change and social injustice.
To implement the GND we need to rethink the meaning of security and create new visions. These should include addressing crucial issues that are mentioned in the Congressional resolution, such as economic inequality and meeting basic human needs like housing, education and health care. In addition, MAPA appreciates that the resolution calls for resources to be allocated to these issues in a comprehensive and integrated way.
To address climate change and other 21st century challenges, we need respectful dialogue, citizen empowerment, grassroots engagement,and holistic thinking. In implementing the GND we need to be ready to experiment, and if necessary to modify specific proposals as we learn from experience. This can lead to actions that transform our society, merging peace, justice, prosperity, and respect for all life.
MAPA notes that there are important peace-related issues that are not mentioned in the resolution that will need to be part of carrying out the work. These include:
1. The US and the whole world needs to move from war and cutthroat competition to peace, sustainable development and a co-operative economy.
2. The US should commit to transferring large amounts of development aid that fosters sustainability and social justice. In the process we need to explicitly address deep-seated issues of neocolonialism, poverty, racism, and other forms of oppression.
3. The US's engagement with other countries must be based on dealing with climate change. The enormity of the climate crisis requires that it be addressed by all countries collaboratively.
4. The gigantic US military budget involves spending billions of dollars on activities that are unsuited to the challenges of the 21st century and that run counter to the vision of GND. There must be major shifts of federal spending from the military to GND projects. Federal dollars spent on meeting domestic needs generate far more jobs than equivalent dollars spent on the military.
5. Military operations cause huge amounts of climate, environmental and human harm.. These must be addressed by the GND.
Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA) endorses the GND and urges that its members -- and all activists and concerned people -- give serious consideration to the GND for several reasons:
1. The GND addresses real human security, which includes climate and the environment, together with social justice and peace-building -- all of which must be addressed at the national and international levels.
2. In the 21st century, we badly need new approaches -- such as those in the GND -- for addressing contemporary challenges.
3. MAPA focuses not only on ending wars and building peace, but also on conditions that lead to conflicts and wars such as climate change and social injustice.
To implement the GND we need to rethink the meaning of security and create new visions. These should include addressing crucial issues that are mentioned in the Congressional resolution, such as economic inequality and meeting basic human needs like housing, education and health care. In addition, MAPA appreciates that the resolution calls for resources to be allocated to these issues in a comprehensive and integrated way.
To address climate change and other 21st century challenges, we need respectful dialogue, citizen empowerment, grassroots engagement,and holistic thinking. In implementing the GND we need to be ready to experiment, and if necessary to modify specific proposals as we learn from experience. This can lead to actions that transform our society, merging peace, justice, prosperity, and respect for all life.
MAPA notes that there are important peace-related issues that are not mentioned in the resolution that will need to be part of carrying out the work. These include:
1. The US and the whole world needs to move from war and cutthroat competition to peace, sustainable development and a co-operative economy.
2. The US should commit to transferring large amounts of development aid that fosters sustainability and social justice. In the process we need to explicitly address deep-seated issues of neocolonialism, poverty, racism, and other forms of oppression.
3. The US's engagement with other countries must be based on dealing with climate change. The enormity of the climate crisis requires that it be addressed by all countries collaboratively.
4. The gigantic US military budget involves spending billions of dollars on activities that are unsuited to the challenges of the 21st century and that run counter to the vision of GND. There must be major shifts of federal spending from the military to GND projects. Federal dollars spent on meeting domestic needs generate far more jobs than equivalent dollars spent on the military.
5. Military operations cause huge amounts of climate, environmental and human harm.. These must be addressed by the GND.
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