Thursday, August 09, 2018

Drones of Yemen

I am not going to make excuses for the deaths of Yemeni children on their school bus. The USA made a huge error in targeting. It was by drone. All those children were killed and injured by a USA drone flown by the USA military hundreds to thousands of miles away. To begin, this administration has used children before to inflict pain. Specifically at the USA southern border. I caution them to be far more careful than this.

Most Americans don’t really understand the USA involvement in Yemen. Yes, Saudi Arabia is an ally to the USA, but, the Saudis aren’t the only reason we are there. Yemen is still baggage from September 11, 2001. Since, 2002 the USA has carried out and confirmed 392 drone strikes over Yemen. The rational back in 2002 was that Yemen had several bases belonging to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. According to the American military 57 Al Qaeda leaders were killed in those strikes along with innumerable training camps. Really? Yemen isn’t that big. A few training camps, maybe, but not so many the USA military lost count.

This is not the first time civilians were killed. Depending on the source there have been 111 to 210 civilians killed in Yemen by USA drones. No doubt these children are the youngest.

How long does the war on terror go on? The argument can be made that the attacks into Saudi Arabia  by the Houthis is due to the prolonged USA bombing that spans 16 years. Is there any wonder why Iran is a sympathizer?

The most famous drone strike carried out in Yemen was Anwar al Awlaki, an American born cleric. In days following Awlaki’s death a USA drone targeted and killed his 16 year old American born son as well as slaughtering four of his friends with the same drone strike. The reason the son’s death occurred was that on examination of Awlaki’s cell phone record a frequent number appeared and it was the cell phone of his son. But, the USA didn’t view it as a family member joyfully speaking to his father, but, another terrorist. Testimony in a court case regarding the deaths of these two Americans would reveal by the 16 year old’s grandfather that the boy was a good student with a loving family and good friends. The 16 year old was never raised to be a terrorist by his father or anyone else. The truth is Awlaki was radicalized due to mistreatment by the USA on American soil after 911 that drove him to Yemen.

That was a very long winded way of saying those children better not have been a deliberate target for ANY reason. There needs to be a thorough investigation including pilot fatigue and burn out. Given the parameters by which drone pilots operate this seems like a planned strike. It better not have been a side swipe at Iran. There is only one person I can think of maniacal enough to do such a thing. If I remember correctly didn’t all drone strikes have to go through Obama?

Iran needs to initiate a peace process through the U.N. Security Council to end this senseless violence. I might add, the Saudis were at Trump Tower recently and there still exists the insane Trump - Kushner peace plan for the Middle East that needs to be considered by the Security Council as well. President Rouhani is up to taking on the USA at the U.N. Security Council. The truth must be known. Please.

It is time to end this.
There seems to be a lot going on in Kansas this year from Governor to US House and the Kansas State House. There is a lady from Kansas that could be helpful. Her time as HHS Secretary was a rough ride. She, definitely was not on everyone’s Christmas card list. But, considering she was once Kansas’ Governor I can’t help but believe at the very least she would make an excellent coach to newly minted hopefuls about her experience with leading Kansas.

Her name is Kathleen Sibelius. She has to be excited as a woman for the new ambitious face in the Kansas race. Sometimes the voice of experience is a good thing. Just a thought.
Judge Ellis’s inconsistency in his rulings and interruptions has to raise questions of competency on both sides of the trial. He is creating his own mistrial. I do believe that. 

Paul Manafort is innocent until proven guilty. The judge has to allow the prosecution to present it’s case. Paul Manafort has been afforded every opportunity to build his defense. If he has no defense because he is guilty the judge should not seek to change that reality. It is called justice.
Hope Hicks back in the White House?

One reason and one reason only.

“Executive Privilege”

There is more than one way to obstruct justice.

Giuliani says Mueller can get Trump in a perjury trap. Really? That is amazing. One has to commit perjury in order to be trapped. Giuliani knows Trump will perjure himself. Wow. Giuliani must like to represent crooks.
The Center for Immigrantion Studies updated it’s list of sanctuary cities. As of May 30, 2018 the state  of Ohio does not have one sanctuary city. It is all Republican rhetoric.

I do not oppose sanctuary cities. It is a matter of having a factual election without high levels of fear and anxiety. Voters should be voting in November based on facts and policy.

Ohio has no sanctuary cities.

Excuse me, but, Democrats are not interested in anarchy. Who is it that is deregulating even air and water quality that has been in place for decades. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION wants anarchy. 

Pence’s Space Force is a bunch of hokum.

The National Enquirer and Area 54 will be receiving most of the funding. If aliens invade in more places than Red State nightmares I think the world will have a new reality that brings countries together faster than Daesh did.

So, Pence and Trump have this disillusion the USA is going into space to hunt those aliens down first.

In all the years of the SETI Institute and Hubble I never saw the Enterprise streaming toward Earth with its no interference directive.

Wait, let me guess, the Republicans are scared that Sagan’s legacy will bring Space Invaders to their homes in a way their military style weapons can’t help them. So they are demanding a Space Force to circulate Earth in anticipation of the non-existent threat. 

WHERE IS THE PROOF OF THESE NEW THREATS!

The only legitimate use of taxpayer dollars for Space Invaders is elimination of threats by asteroids and comets. And that is not a big deal when weapons amount to a space craft with enough weight and velocity to force them off their trajectory in the vacuum of space. Otherwise, the climate should be taking priority over frivolous campaign spending of the US Treasury.

Ferguson Speech | President Richard Trumka | AFL-CIO Video

Richard Trumpka is a great American (Click the title for a timeline to his work, please note his involvement with Christian organizations as well. He speaks every year at the Christian Science organization).

He has been in the trenches of American labor enough to know union formation takes time. The other night when Missouri rejected "Right to Work" he was happy and grateful to the voters.

The strongest Middle Class the USA ever had was when labor unions supported the workforce to a better quality of life, including better wages. Richard Trumpka is walking the walk and talking the talk and every working class American should hold his involvement as a hero to their families better outcomes.

Unions are great organizations that benefit from the First Amendment in Freedom of Speech and Right to Assemble. They should be held in the highest of esteem and rewarded for their hard work. When Americans keep believing in their leaders, the outcomes benefit the country.

Companies are experiencing record profits and their labor should be benefiting from it as well as the backbone to their product production and services rendered.

A word about JANUS.

No. 16–1466. Argued February 26, 2018—Decided June 27, 2018 (click here) 

Alito wrote the majority (5-4) opinion and it proves where the activist judge exists in the conservative judicial movement out of the Federalist Society.

Alito and his Brothers on the Supreme Court stated the "agency" provision in union contracts was a violation of speech. In other words, if an employee of JANUS was paying "agency" dues to the union it was as if the employee was backing the union.

ONE MIGHT RECOGNIZE THIS "SPEECH" MESS AS IT TAKES ON CHARACTERISTICS OF RELIGIOUS DOGMA IN EMPLOYMENT AND CONTRACEPTIVE RIGHTS. I THINK THE EMPHASIS IS VERY SIMILAR. IT DEALS WITH "THE CONSCIENCE."

So, Alito and his Supreme Court Brothers decided the "agency" provision of union contracts was unconstitutional.

I am quite confident most adults have dealt with an agency when renting or purchasing a residence. They fill out the contracts and witness the signatures and provide an accounting for fees and monies paid. In such an agency relationship all parties involved benefit. It is a fiduciary relationship. TRUST. One party trusts the other to be acting in good faith.

There is no such thing as a divided union shop, either all employees benefit from the contract or none do. It is to keep harmony in the union shop with members having benefits beyond the paycheck such as involvement and voting for those that represent them. Also, "shops" have union representatives. Being a union representative also has it's perks such as higher involvement and possibly advancement in the union organization.

What Alito and his Supreme Court Brothers did was to continue the "agency" aspect of the union contract WITHOUT any fees being paid. So, this employee that BELIEVED his partial payment of dues for the benefit of the union acting as an "agent" would make a statement about his permission for unionization while still receiving the benefits. He is not troubled in accepting the work of the unions and the pay and benefits they bring to his life, simply the partial dues required in the CLEAR DEFINITION of "agency."

The Supreme Court is completely out on a limb and WRONG. If the employee from JANUS wants to eliminate the "union agency" of his conscience he should not be benefitting from the contract at all. The ALITO DECISION is making the unions work for ALL the employees of a company without an agency fee. The union will still seek members and receive union dues and continue to collective bargaining, BUT, achieving union members is more difficult with this ALITO DECISION.

THE CORRECT decision if one is to follow ALITO'S TROUBLED CONSCIENCE PARADIGM is to have three levels of involvement; member, agency member and non-member. The agency member would be paying partial dues as it exists today and the non-member would receive no benefit of the contract at all. In that three-tiered system, it is easy to see there is an incentive to join the union at least at the agency level. ALITO'S TROUBLED CONSCIENCE PARADIGM had no problem with the idea of cheating unions out of their agency fees.

I would like to see real estate agencies work for free. Does anyone believe a CONSCIENCE DRIVEN DIRECTIVE about such "agency" fees will ultimately find it's way into such businesses? I think it might. I know of no greater conscience in relation to Americans than a home or residence. 

THINK ABOUT IT.

Unions need the support of Americans to place a REASONABLE structure for their vital agencies that build the Middle Class and doesn't cast it into poverty.

Robert Reich: Why "Right to Work" is Wrong for Workers

So-called “right to work” (RTW) (click title to entry - thank you) is a legislative tactic used by corporations to severely weaken or eliminate unions by making it legal for workers who are protected by a union contract to opt out of paying membership dues....

This may or may not tie into the violence in Chicago.

This is the kind of thing that causes real problems in the culture that exists between the community and the police. If the potential for a crime does not exist in a community, there is absolutely no reason to place one there artificially and cause the community hardship.

The clashes did not take place between police and gang members it was one person against another. Currently, people witnessing the violence are not talking to police. (click here)

This is simply bad police work. Chicago needs a new police commissioner that doesn't worry about statistics to impress citizens for elections so much as someone familiar with Chicago and it's gangs. Chicago needs a native born police officer that can fill the shoes of the Police Commissioner and bridge all these problems with the communities.

The Chicago City Council has to be willing and able to work with the Police Commissioner to change the violent culture in these communities. That culture change won't happen if the people don't trust the police. Chicago has a long road to walk to take back this level of mistrust in a community afraid to talk to police. They are eons apart. 

August 8, 2018
By Jeremy Gorner

A joint investigation (click here) by Chicago police and the Norfolk Southern Railroad that used a truck loaded with goods and left parked in Englewood as a lure for potential thieves has come under fire after video of the operation went viral.

“This bait truck operation is an unacceptable and inappropriate use of police resources,” said Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th, chair of the City Council’s Black Caucus. “In a moment where police capacity is clearly under extreme strain, these sort of tactics are the last thing we should be spending manpower and energy on.”

A video shot earlier this month that was posted on the Facebook page of community activist Charles Mckenzie appears to show officers arresting a man after he allegedly broke into a “bait truck” in the Englewood neighborhood. People on the video argue that community members are being set up for arrest....              

It seems to me the American people don't have a clear understanding of Trump tariffs.

I hear the pain of the impacts of the Trump tariffs and believe every pain is worth exploring to expand the manufacturing sector in the USA.

The monies coming into the federal government is pure government profit. The government spends nothing to achieve the bankroll that shows up with imports. The Trump tariffs are especially expansive. I firmly believe the tariffs are being used to close the income tax gap with all the tax cuts to the wealthiest citizens and larger companies.

As I thought these tariffs are hitting small businesses with profound damage. This is pure folly. Why? Because when the 2008 global economic collapse occurred it was the small businesses that took the least economic hit and was quickest to rebound and back into the profit range from the losses they initially sustained. All other businesses in the USA took far longer to recover. The bigger the business the longer it took for it to recover to profitability. Kindly remember 2008 were losses. Simply because businesses recovered doesn't mean there weren't losses across the spectrum in the USA and abroad. Yes, some businesses that could not recover went out of business.

The tariffs are being misused in my opinion. Tariffs are supposed to be used to add EQUITY to the domestic market. In other words, the Chinese can produce products American consumers buy or use in their manufacturing far cheaper than any domestic product. A tariff is supposed to add cost to the consumer to move the domestic product into a reasonable range to American consumption either direct sales of a product or materials used in American manufacturing.

The Trump Tariffs are about paying for the expansive tax cuts. That is becoming more and more clear as the US Treasury Department is adding US Bonds that can be cashed within two months. Those two-month bonds are used to FLOAT LIQUIDITY in the USA cash flow. That screams out loud to me. The Trump Budget does not have the economic income to continue the function of the US government. The very short-term bonds alleviate that cash flow congestion.

So, as to what to do:

First and foremost Americans have to put COMPETENT legislators into the federal government. I do not consider the Trump White House and its pressure on Congress to comply with its demands competent. 

Secondly, Americans have to look beyond the protest and upcoming elections to change the course of the peril when tariffs are causing job loss and business closures.

The way I see this is for small business owners to work with the Small Business Administration to network within the country to find the supplies they need in their manufacturing. Those domestic supplies are not carrying tariffs. In realizing the businesses were viable before the tariffs is to realize there needs to be a shoring up of the manufacturing process in the USA. I think that can be a good thing. Small businesses will carry a great deal of pain for these paradigm shifts, but, in the long run they will be offering consumers products that are completely manufactured in the USA.

Thirdly, consider any downturn in a business seriously. I don't think these tariffs are going to disappear AND that means the countries that normally exported their products to the USA are already looking for new and different markets. I strongly believe the damage is done. While American business persons are hopeful of turning this around in January when a new Congress is seated, there is a chance the other countries have strategized away from the USA and they are not coming back. A war is a war and there are casualties. The idea is to intercede as soon as possible to move into this paradigm shift.

Kindly realize these tariffs are expansive and are having an impact in other countries, however, a country like China is already involved with the Third World and ready to develop these countries to move what was once the USA exports to other countries. All of this mess can be beneficial to the global economy in the long run, but, as the imports become a trickle to the USA economy there are dire consequences. 

So, if I may?

If one accepts the fact the Trump Tax Cuts are supported by the Trump Tariffs what happens to the USA economy as it's income to the USA Treasury trickles to a halt. Now, the national budget deficit will grow as the tariffs no longer support the Trump Tax Cuts. As the budget deficit grows and the national debt adds up, the USA will be forced to seek more and more loans through sale of USA Bonds (which still TODAY have a good rating). The knowledge of the national deficit and debt to the American electorate is vital, because, the falling tariff income can be hidden by the sales of US Treasury bonds and low and behold all of a sudden a national debt of $21 trillion will double in a short period of time without a return to taxes that support the USA government.

I think this scenario is very possible and probably is already underway because of Mnurchins new two-month US treasury bonds.

Placing a new Congress in January is important and will cause a second look at the USA in relation to trade. Countries do watch what occurs with the USA government and where their interests are either protected or penalized. This change is vital to allies. It is important the American people realize how important they are to these countries of people. We can't disappoint them. The world is still dangerous and the USA needs allies. We are lucky to have wonderful allies that forgive the ups and downs of elections, but, this time the country really needs to let our allies know we believe something is very array.

Americans have a lot of work to do in securing the domestic economy and placing US and State Congresses that are benevolent and prudent in their decisions when it comes to trade, supporting small business in this paradigm shift and reaching out to trading partners. 

Get busy.