June 8, 2020
By Kate Linthicum
...“Who is it?” her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, (click here) said he yelled multiple times. When nobody answered, he reached for his licensed handgun.
The door burst open, and three men in street clothes rushed in, weapons drawn, Walker said. He fired a shot, striking one of them in the thigh.
The men responded with more than 20 bullets, eight of which hit Taylor, killing her.
The men, whom Walker said he believed were intruders, turned out to be police who were serving a warrant at Taylor’s apartment in search of a suspected drug dealer. The alleged dealer, who police say once picked up a package at Taylor’s house, had in fact already been arrested by other officers at his house 10 miles away....
There is an aspect of this raid no one has answered. Where did the story come from? Where did the story come from about a drug dealer picking up a package at Taylor's house? The drug dealer was arrested 10 miles away. Where did the story come from about Breonna Taylor's home? A judge actually issued a warrant. Where did the story come from and where is the proof the judge used to issue the warrant? Someone is lying and a judge didn't care enough to realize it was a lie. There needs to be charges filed.
Saturday, June 13, 2020
The end result is not known. Mass incarceration is not the end result.
"Well, we are free, Mr. President, so I think he did pretty well," Faulkner, who is Black, said.
Harris Faulkner (click here) may be Outnumbered but she’s succeeding. The first black woman at Fox to host her own weekday daytime show, the journalist and mom has some strong words about being confident, being heard in the world and what she tells her daughters when it comes to both.
My 85-year-old mother has gone to the Catholic mass at her parish every morning for as long as I can remember. She can't do that now because of her age and a request by the Monsieur to only worship the mass online. She doesn't do much of the online stuff, but, she watches a Catholic mass every morning on television via cable. Today, in reaction to Trump's visit to the statue, they have included Pope John Paul II in their daily prayers.
"Smile for the cameras, honey."
Isn't the late Pope a saint now?
It is safe to say that Trump now has a new name, Beelzebub. He continues to use religion as a prop and the Catholics don't put up with it. It scares them. It is self-righteousness. It would be better if he simply "acted out" within the confines of his own religious affiliations. I am surprised no one has counseled him yet.
June 2, 2020
By Sarah Pulliam Bailey and Michelle Boorstein
President Trump (click here) triggered sharp condemnation from top religious leaders for the second time in two days on Tuesday, with Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory slamming his visit to a D.C. shrine honoring Pope John Paul II.
On Monday, Trump’s appearance in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church across from the White House set off a controversy because it involved aggressively clearing peaceful protesters.
“I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles, which call us to defend the rights of all people, even those with whom we might disagree,” Gregory said in a statement as Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Northeast Washington....
"Smile for the cameras, honey."
Isn't the late Pope a saint now?
It is safe to say that Trump now has a new name, Beelzebub. He continues to use religion as a prop and the Catholics don't put up with it. It scares them. It is self-righteousness. It would be better if he simply "acted out" within the confines of his own religious affiliations. I am surprised no one has counseled him yet.
June 2, 2020
By Sarah Pulliam Bailey and Michelle Boorstein
President Trump (click here) triggered sharp condemnation from top religious leaders for the second time in two days on Tuesday, with Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory slamming his visit to a D.C. shrine honoring Pope John Paul II.
On Monday, Trump’s appearance in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church across from the White House set off a controversy because it involved aggressively clearing peaceful protesters.
“I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles, which call us to defend the rights of all people, even those with whom we might disagree,” Gregory said in a statement as Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Northeast Washington....
China carries out an extraordinary effort to find every carrier of the virus, it is surprising this should occur, but, evidently, one person was missed. The other question is were there infected animals or animal products in the market? That would be a reinfecting and not a transmission by a carrier.
June 13, 2020
By Vivian Wang and
The Beijing authorities (click here) shut down a major seafood and produce market and locked down several residential complexes on Saturday after 53 people tested positive for the coronavirus in the city, renewing fears that China’s grip on the pandemic is not yet secure.
Nearly everyone who tested positive had worked or shipped at the Xinfadi market, a wholesale market on the city’s south side that sells seafood, fruit and vegetables, according to the Beijing health commission.
More than 10,000 people work at the market, which supplies 90 percent of Beijing’s fruits and vegetables, according to the state media. The virus was reportedly detected on cutting boards for imported salmon there....
Someone breathing over the salmon while cutting it? I doubt the salmon had the virus. Not every person that was found to have the virus purchased and ate salmon.
....China’s wet markets — where vendors sell fresh meat, seafood and produce — have come under scrutiny in recent months, because many of the first reported cases in Wuhan were tied to a seafood market there that has since been permanently closed. Epidemiologists have not arrived at a consensus on whether the market was the source of the virus....
Just because the market has been shut down in Wuhan doesn't mean the source is gone. The vendor that initially would have caused the first outbreak could have moved his sales to a different place. Wuhan is not seeing the outbreak because the contamination moved to Beijing.
...Of the seven people with symptoms, six had not left Beijing in the previous two weeks, officials said....
That is not an indicator either. They contracted it in Beijing, but, the transmission probably came from outside the city.
...The Beijing health commission said that at least three of the seven were employees of the Xinfadi market, including a 50-year-old purchaser for the market who was in serious condition and a 35-year-old salesman....
There is your contagion. Who did they have contact with as they purchased for the market?
It doesn't sound like this is an open consumer market, but, more similar to New York's Hunts Point Terminal Market where semi-trucks bring produce in from the country to be sold by suppliers into restaurants and local markets.
All the article states is that it is a coronavirus. I warned about this early on in that being specific is far more important. So, this virus in Beijing is SARS-CoV-2 and not another similar or different virus. Yes?
June 13, 2020
By Vivian Wang and
The Beijing authorities (click here) shut down a major seafood and produce market and locked down several residential complexes on Saturday after 53 people tested positive for the coronavirus in the city, renewing fears that China’s grip on the pandemic is not yet secure.
Nearly everyone who tested positive had worked or shipped at the Xinfadi market, a wholesale market on the city’s south side that sells seafood, fruit and vegetables, according to the Beijing health commission.
More than 10,000 people work at the market, which supplies 90 percent of Beijing’s fruits and vegetables, according to the state media. The virus was reportedly detected on cutting boards for imported salmon there....
Someone breathing over the salmon while cutting it? I doubt the salmon had the virus. Not every person that was found to have the virus purchased and ate salmon.
....China’s wet markets — where vendors sell fresh meat, seafood and produce — have come under scrutiny in recent months, because many of the first reported cases in Wuhan were tied to a seafood market there that has since been permanently closed. Epidemiologists have not arrived at a consensus on whether the market was the source of the virus....
Just because the market has been shut down in Wuhan doesn't mean the source is gone. The vendor that initially would have caused the first outbreak could have moved his sales to a different place. Wuhan is not seeing the outbreak because the contamination moved to Beijing.
...Of the seven people with symptoms, six had not left Beijing in the previous two weeks, officials said....
That is not an indicator either. They contracted it in Beijing, but, the transmission probably came from outside the city.
...The Beijing health commission said that at least three of the seven were employees of the Xinfadi market, including a 50-year-old purchaser for the market who was in serious condition and a 35-year-old salesman....
There is your contagion. Who did they have contact with as they purchased for the market?
It doesn't sound like this is an open consumer market, but, more similar to New York's Hunts Point Terminal Market where semi-trucks bring produce in from the country to be sold by suppliers into restaurants and local markets.
All the article states is that it is a coronavirus. I warned about this early on in that being specific is far more important. So, this virus in Beijing is SARS-CoV-2 and not another similar or different virus. Yes?
The Los Angeles riots occurred after the police officers were acquitted of charges. That isn't the way I remember it. But, it is the way it happened. My memory is that it is one timeline that occurred after the beating. I guess 18-19 years has a way of compacting memory. The trauma is one memory and not several over time.
Friday, June 12, 2020
Testimony to the US House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee
The lawsuits regarding Flint have a resource available to them to make their case and that is decades of records at "Human Rights Watch." They should consider it. They testified before Congress and are recognized as a reliable source of information on many fronts regarding structural racism.
June 10, 2020
...Based on decades of investigations and advocacy in the United States, (click here) Human Rights Watch’s submission analyzes the links between current disparities in Covid-19 and racial disparities in protecting:
(1) The right to health for communities of color, especially for women of color; (2) The rights to water and sanitation for communities of color;
(3) The right to be free from racial segregation;
(4) The right to be free from racially discriminatory and unnecessary policing and incarceration;
(5) The right to safe and healthy working conditions; and
(6) The right to the highest attainable standard of living. The United States is obligated under international human rights law to overcome the longstanding structural discrimination that is evident in Covid-19’s disparate racial impact....
...Access to safe and affordable water is essential to human health, and to following basic recommendations issued by US federal and independent public health experts on hand hygiene and Covid-19. Despite this, communities of color, especially Native Americans living on reservations, are facing Covid-19 without adequate access to water.
Despite the country’s wealth, many people in the United States live with unsafe drinking water. According to a UN expert, the United States ranks 36th in the world in terms of access to water and sanitation. Reports estimate that nearly 77 million US residents are served by drinking water systems with one or more violations of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. While the data are not available to disaggregate this number by race or income, we know that race and income are central factors in both urban and rural water vulnerabilities.
June 10, 2020
...Based on decades of investigations and advocacy in the United States, (click here) Human Rights Watch’s submission analyzes the links between current disparities in Covid-19 and racial disparities in protecting:
(1) The right to health for communities of color, especially for women of color; (2) The rights to water and sanitation for communities of color;
(3) The right to be free from racial segregation;
(4) The right to be free from racially discriminatory and unnecessary policing and incarceration;
(5) The right to safe and healthy working conditions; and
(6) The right to the highest attainable standard of living. The United States is obligated under international human rights law to overcome the longstanding structural discrimination that is evident in Covid-19’s disparate racial impact....
...Access to safe and affordable water is essential to human health, and to following basic recommendations issued by US federal and independent public health experts on hand hygiene and Covid-19. Despite this, communities of color, especially Native Americans living on reservations, are facing Covid-19 without adequate access to water.
Despite the country’s wealth, many people in the United States live with unsafe drinking water. According to a UN expert, the United States ranks 36th in the world in terms of access to water and sanitation. Reports estimate that nearly 77 million US residents are served by drinking water systems with one or more violations of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. While the data are not available to disaggregate this number by race or income, we know that race and income are central factors in both urban and rural water vulnerabilities.
The human right to water is derived from the right to the highest attainable standard of living. However, the US government and state and municipal authorities have refused to acknowledge this basic right to water. In 2014, a US federal judge in Michigan ruled that there was “no enforceable right” to water after the city of Detroit started massive shut-offs of household water supplies if people did not pay their water bills.
The case of Flint, Michigan is well known. Under state-appointed emergency management, Flint switched its water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River as a cost-savings measure in 2014, causing the number of children with elevated lead levels in their blood to double—and in some neighborhoods to triple—after the water supply switch....
The case of Flint, Michigan is well known. Under state-appointed emergency management, Flint switched its water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River as a cost-savings measure in 2014, causing the number of children with elevated lead levels in their blood to double—and in some neighborhoods to triple—after the water supply switch....
What's next, throw them to the lions?
It is time the USA make Health Care a basic human right. End this hate and discrimination by extremist government officials. It is no wonder to realize how Trump is in the White House. Besides the Russians, all the extremists and haters have him on their side. There is no moral content in this step by Trump.
June 12, 2020
By Selena Simmons-Duffin
The Trump administration (click here) Friday finalized a rule that would remove nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people when it comes to health care and health insurance.
"HHS respects the dignity of every human being, and as we have shown in our response to the pandemic, we vigorously protect and enforce the civil rights of all to the fullest extent permitted by our laws as passed by Congress," said Roger Severino, who directs the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services, in written statement announcing that the HHS rule had become final. The rule is set to go into effect by mid-August.
This is one of many rules and regulations put forward by the Trump administration that defines "sex discrimination" as only applying when someone faces discrimination for being male or female, and does not protect people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Supporters of the rule say this is a necessary reversal of Obama-era executive overreach, and will reduce confusion about the legal meaning of "sex discrimination." Critics argue the rule could further harm an already vulnerable group — transgender people — in the midst of a pandemic and historic unrest spurred by the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis....
UCLA Williams Institute School of Law:
April 2011
By Gary J. Gates
...An estimated 3.5% of adults in the United States (click here) identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual and an estimated 0.3% of adults are transgender.
This implies that there are approximately 9 million LGBT Americans, a figure roughly equivalent to the population of New Jersey.
Among adults who identify as LGB, bisexuals comprise a slight majority (1.8% compared to 1.7% who identify as lesbian or gay).
Women are substantially more likely than men to identify as bisexual. Bisexuals comprise more than half of the lesbian and bisexual population among women in eight of the nine surveys considered in the brief. Conversely, gay men comprise substantially more than half of gay and bisexual men in seven of the nine surveys.
Estimates of those who report any lifetime same-sex sexual behavior and any same-sex sexual attraction are substantially higher than estimates of those who identify as LGB. An estimated 19 million Americans (8.2%) report that they have engaged in same-sex sexual behavior and nearly 25.6 million Americans (11%) acknowledge at least some same-sex sexual attraction.
Understanding the size of the LGBT population is a critical first step to informing a host of public policy and research topics. The surveys highlighted in this report demonstrate the viability of sexual orientation and gender identity questions on large national population-based surveys. Adding these questions to more national, state, and local data sources is critical to developing research that enables a better understanding of the understudied LGBT community....
Increasing hatred and stigmatizing difference only places young people at risk.
March 29, 2017
By Jamie Seaton
I will never forget the father who told me, (click here) on a first date, about his transgender son, who was assigned female gender at birth but identifies as male. What stuck with me most wasn’t the fact that he had a transgender child, but the affectionate way he described his relationship with his son. He told me about how his teenager, who identified as a lesbian, came to him one night and explained that she was a he.
The father told me that he didn’t fully understand at first what his child was saying, but he knew he loved him, and that was all that mattered. So he educated himself and supported his child through the transition.
Not all parents are as accepting of their children. Too often, kids who come out to their parents are rejected, abused or thrown out of their home.
Up to 1.6 million young people experience homelessness in the United States every year. Forty percent of them identify as LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender), according to a 2012 study conducted by the Williams Institute at UCLA Law. It’s estimated that LGBT youth represent about 7 percent of the population, which puts that 40 percent figure into heartbreaking context....
June 12, 2020
By Selena Simmons-Duffin
The Trump administration (click here) Friday finalized a rule that would remove nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people when it comes to health care and health insurance.
"HHS respects the dignity of every human being, and as we have shown in our response to the pandemic, we vigorously protect and enforce the civil rights of all to the fullest extent permitted by our laws as passed by Congress," said Roger Severino, who directs the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services, in written statement announcing that the HHS rule had become final. The rule is set to go into effect by mid-August.
This is one of many rules and regulations put forward by the Trump administration that defines "sex discrimination" as only applying when someone faces discrimination for being male or female, and does not protect people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Supporters of the rule say this is a necessary reversal of Obama-era executive overreach, and will reduce confusion about the legal meaning of "sex discrimination." Critics argue the rule could further harm an already vulnerable group — transgender people — in the midst of a pandemic and historic unrest spurred by the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis....
UCLA Williams Institute School of Law:
April 2011
By Gary J. Gates
...An estimated 3.5% of adults in the United States (click here) identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual and an estimated 0.3% of adults are transgender.
This implies that there are approximately 9 million LGBT Americans, a figure roughly equivalent to the population of New Jersey.
Among adults who identify as LGB, bisexuals comprise a slight majority (1.8% compared to 1.7% who identify as lesbian or gay).
Women are substantially more likely than men to identify as bisexual. Bisexuals comprise more than half of the lesbian and bisexual population among women in eight of the nine surveys considered in the brief. Conversely, gay men comprise substantially more than half of gay and bisexual men in seven of the nine surveys.
Estimates of those who report any lifetime same-sex sexual behavior and any same-sex sexual attraction are substantially higher than estimates of those who identify as LGB. An estimated 19 million Americans (8.2%) report that they have engaged in same-sex sexual behavior and nearly 25.6 million Americans (11%) acknowledge at least some same-sex sexual attraction.
Understanding the size of the LGBT population is a critical first step to informing a host of public policy and research topics. The surveys highlighted in this report demonstrate the viability of sexual orientation and gender identity questions on large national population-based surveys. Adding these questions to more national, state, and local data sources is critical to developing research that enables a better understanding of the understudied LGBT community....
Increasing hatred and stigmatizing difference only places young people at risk.
March 29, 2017
By Jamie Seaton
I will never forget the father who told me, (click here) on a first date, about his transgender son, who was assigned female gender at birth but identifies as male. What stuck with me most wasn’t the fact that he had a transgender child, but the affectionate way he described his relationship with his son. He told me about how his teenager, who identified as a lesbian, came to him one night and explained that she was a he.
The father told me that he didn’t fully understand at first what his child was saying, but he knew he loved him, and that was all that mattered. So he educated himself and supported his child through the transition.
Not all parents are as accepting of their children. Too often, kids who come out to their parents are rejected, abused or thrown out of their home.
Up to 1.6 million young people experience homelessness in the United States every year. Forty percent of them identify as LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender), according to a 2012 study conducted by the Williams Institute at UCLA Law. It’s estimated that LGBT youth represent about 7 percent of the population, which puts that 40 percent figure into heartbreaking context....
Secretary Sony Purdue is exporting garbage to China.
If a product cannot be consumed in the USA, then it isn't fit to export. This level of disrespect for any other country is only going to cause a loss of business to the exporting companies.
China needs to up it's game and outlaw pet food that does not meet minimal nutrition standards and includes ingredients that are undesirable.
We have enough trouble with people eating wildlife in China that then becomes a nightmare virus. The world does not need similar dynamics with pets or other animals. I would think the USA would put pressure on China regarding animal feed and export better quality animal feed than poor quality.
China needs to up it's game and outlaw pet food that does not meet minimal nutrition standards and includes ingredients that are undesirable.
We have enough trouble with people eating wildlife in China that then becomes a nightmare virus. The world does not need similar dynamics with pets or other animals. I would think the USA would put pressure on China regarding animal feed and export better quality animal feed than poor quality.
Washington, D.C., June 12, 2020 – The United States (click here) Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing a protocol that will allow the use of U.S.-origin bovine ingredients and most imported ingredients in pet food being exported to China. The U.S. and China signed the pet food protocol on April 13, and the certification requirements were finalized May 21, with an implementation date set for June 15, 2020. There will be a two-month transition period to ensure companies currently exporting pet foods can comply with the new requirements.
APHIS will post the requirements on the APHIS International Regulations webpage to ensure manufacturers understand the conditions they need to meet in order to ship using the new ingredients (imported ingredients and/or ruminant ingredients). Facilities will have to meet China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs requirements for product registration, and companies will be able to export only after all of these details are complete.
This action is part of the continuing progress to implement the U.S.-China Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement. The agreement entered into force on February 14, 2020, and this action builds upon measures that were previously announced on February 25, March 10, March 24, and May 21.
The PPE emergency is not resolved.
June 11, 2020
By Joe Carroll
Houston-area officials are “getting close” (click here) to reimposing stay-at-home orders and are prepared to reopen a Covid-19 hospital established but never used at a football stadium as virus cases expand in the fourth-largest U.S. city.
The announcement by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Thursday came a day after the Lone Star state recorded its highest one-day tally of new cases since the pandemic emerged....
Now is not the time for "letting up." Letting up means letting go. Now, is the time to dig in and win a safer and sane America.
"The Virus Will Win" (click here)
By Yascha Mounk
A Second Wave of the coronavirus is on the way. When it arrives, we will lack the will to deal with it. Despite all the sacrifices of the past months, the virus is likely to win—or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it already has.
In absolute terms, the United States has been hit harder than any other country. About a quarter of worldwide deaths have been recorded on these shores. And while the virus is no longer growing at an exponential rate, the threat it poses remains significant: According to a forecasting model by Morgan Stanley, the number of American cases will, if current trends hold, roughly double over the next two months.
But neither the impact of mass protests over police brutality nor the effect of the recent reopening of much of the country—including the casinos in Las Vegas—is reflected in the latest numbers. It can take at least 10 days for people to develop symptoms and seek out a test, and for the results to be aggregated and disseminated by public-health authorities....
An increasing number of cases in the USA means increasing numbers of deaths, maiming and disabilities. This is not the flu. A full six percent of all Americans that contract the virus will die. These include mothers and fathers that will leave children scarred with the loss of a parent and forbid both parents.
"Sheltering at Home" is the best form of prevention and ending this virus in the USA. Competent leadership requires strong measures. Would everyone in the USA consent to a three week sheltering in place if it meant the end of SARS-CoV-2 completely? That is a real option that should not be ignored, but, there needs to be an apolitical approach that doesn't dismantle such a measure for the second time. Why expect a third escalation?
There are states like Maine that have mostly tackled the virus, but, they still have hotspots that could use a reset.
June 12, 2020
By Colin Woodard
By Joe Carroll
Houston-area officials are “getting close” (click here) to reimposing stay-at-home orders and are prepared to reopen a Covid-19 hospital established but never used at a football stadium as virus cases expand in the fourth-largest U.S. city.
The announcement by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Thursday came a day after the Lone Star state recorded its highest one-day tally of new cases since the pandemic emerged....
Now is not the time for "letting up." Letting up means letting go. Now, is the time to dig in and win a safer and sane America.
"The Virus Will Win" (click here)
By Yascha Mounk
A Second Wave of the coronavirus is on the way. When it arrives, we will lack the will to deal with it. Despite all the sacrifices of the past months, the virus is likely to win—or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it already has.
In absolute terms, the United States has been hit harder than any other country. About a quarter of worldwide deaths have been recorded on these shores. And while the virus is no longer growing at an exponential rate, the threat it poses remains significant: According to a forecasting model by Morgan Stanley, the number of American cases will, if current trends hold, roughly double over the next two months.
But neither the impact of mass protests over police brutality nor the effect of the recent reopening of much of the country—including the casinos in Las Vegas—is reflected in the latest numbers. It can take at least 10 days for people to develop symptoms and seek out a test, and for the results to be aggregated and disseminated by public-health authorities....
An increasing number of cases in the USA means increasing numbers of deaths, maiming and disabilities. This is not the flu. A full six percent of all Americans that contract the virus will die. These include mothers and fathers that will leave children scarred with the loss of a parent and forbid both parents.
"Sheltering at Home" is the best form of prevention and ending this virus in the USA. Competent leadership requires strong measures. Would everyone in the USA consent to a three week sheltering in place if it meant the end of SARS-CoV-2 completely? That is a real option that should not be ignored, but, there needs to be an apolitical approach that doesn't dismantle such a measure for the second time. Why expect a third escalation?
There are states like Maine that have mostly tackled the virus, but, they still have hotspots that could use a reset.
By Colin Woodard
Hospitalizations (click here) for COVID-19 continued to fall across the state over the past week, even in the parts of southern Maine that have continued to see significant numbers of people testing positive for the disease.
At Maine Medical Center, which has had nearly half of the state’s confirmed coronavirus inpatients through most of the crisis, the number of confirmed COVID-19 inpatients hovered at between 8 and 11 over the week ending Thursday, down from a peak level of 35 hit on both April 7 and May 25. The inpatient count Tuesday and Wednesday was the lowest daily number there since March 22, at the beginning of the crisis.
At Portland’s other major hospital, Mercy, the number of inpatients fell from five to zero during the period, down from five to eight the previous week and eight to ten the week before that, which had been the busiest that hospital had experienced during the pandemic.
In Androscoggin County, hospitalizations have fortunately not been paralleling discouraging trends in new cases. The county saw a dramatic spike in new COVID-19 cases in mid-May – going from a seven-day average of one case at the end of April to more than 15 on May 23 – and over the past seven days has averaged a still-high nine cases a day, according to data from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention....
While the USA needs a police reformation act, it needs a Race Reformation Act that includes a Supreme Court proof voter rights act.
Currently, the Republican governors have oppressed minority voters. They have placed voters in danger by refusing mail-in ballots. An extremely sad example of the attempts to eliminate voters from balloting was seen in Georgia when the Secretary of State's plans to suppress traditionally Democratic voters caused problems across the entire state.
A Vote and Voter Security Act needs to be passed to end the corruption of partisan Secretaries of State.
Currently, the Republican governors have oppressed minority voters. They have placed voters in danger by refusing mail-in ballots. An extremely sad example of the attempts to eliminate voters from balloting was seen in Georgia when the Secretary of State's plans to suppress traditionally Democratic voters caused problems across the entire state.
A Vote and Voter Security Act needs to be passed to end the corruption of partisan Secretaries of State.
In Oregon, reports of counter protesters sent police sharp shooters to the roof.
No surprise here. Oregon has a population of White Supremacists (click here).
Canty-Jones: It was very much in the milieu, it was very much in the politics, and it’s very clear as you can see from George Williamson’s letter laying out the argument right before the 1857 Oregon Constitutional Convention, that Oregon would be a place that neither had slavery nor free black people. And those were laws that were already in the books from the territorial government....
It is a known fact that governments, be they local, state or federal, have extraneous laws and/or regulations that do not apply to current standards of living. As a matter of fact, there are some laws/regulations that are counter to modern standards. In the case of Oregon, these laws/regs can go back into the 1800s which is nearly the beginning of the country. I have no doubt there will be an ongoing project to examine such annoyance and possibly dangerous domestic governing and policing laws/regs.
The discovery of actionable intelligence regarding the infiltration of White Supremacists into protest marches is no surprise. I am sure the police officials in Oregon were waiting for it to surface. Something needs to be done with HATE groups such as the KKK. The Southern Poverty Law Center (click here) has a vast collection of knowledge regarding these groups. Hate cannot be a reason for organizing. It has to stop.
My mistake this is actually Portland, Maine. It doesn't matter the same applies to the idea of eliminating draconian laws that support racism. Holy smokes, Portland, Maine. We have a problem.
Some Portland, Maine council members want an independent review of the police actions regarding the protests in that city. It sounds like a great idea for all major cities and even those with known racist problems.
Alert: US Senate Republicans (click here) have their own police reform bill. It needs to be scoured for corruption and racism, bigoted, and discriminatory content. I haven't read any of the content, but, a Republican President just assaulted protesters in Lafayette Park and erected a fence around the park nearly overnight.
Racist "Moscow Mitch" tapped an African American Senator to sponsor the legislation that no doubt McConnell wrote. Everything is a photo op.
There is also such a fence around the White House. Trump is scared of his "photo op" becoming a place where counter-photo ops would take place. The fences are to preserve Trump's definition of USA land that belongs to the people.
RETURN LAFAYETTE PARK TO THE PEOPLE!
June 12, 2020
By Randy Billings
Portland police say (click here) they stationed officers on top of downtown buildings at last week’s anti-racism protests after learning that armed counter-protesters planned to be there.
The disclosure — which differs from an earlier explanation that police were likely just observing the protests — comes a week after questions were raised, some in a flurry of social media activity, about police officers positioned on top of buildings, seemingly with rifles, scopes and other equipment.
Commander James Sweatt made the disclosure about the armed counter-protesters Wednesday night during a virtual meeting of the Police Citizen Review Subcommittee. He said police had received “actionable intelligence” that armed counter-protesters planned to demonstrate near the Black Live Matter protesters. He said the officers were deployed on buildings to protect the protesters, not to intimidate them.
“They actually did show up. They were actually armed. We intercepted them before they made it there,” Sweatt said at the meeting. “We also discovered other individuals in the crowd that were legally possessing firearms, but their intent was not known. I think that’s an important note to make.”...
Canty-Jones: It was very much in the milieu, it was very much in the politics, and it’s very clear as you can see from George Williamson’s letter laying out the argument right before the 1857 Oregon Constitutional Convention, that Oregon would be a place that neither had slavery nor free black people. And those were laws that were already in the books from the territorial government....
It is a known fact that governments, be they local, state or federal, have extraneous laws and/or regulations that do not apply to current standards of living. As a matter of fact, there are some laws/regulations that are counter to modern standards. In the case of Oregon, these laws/regs can go back into the 1800s which is nearly the beginning of the country. I have no doubt there will be an ongoing project to examine such annoyance and possibly dangerous domestic governing and policing laws/regs.
The discovery of actionable intelligence regarding the infiltration of White Supremacists into protest marches is no surprise. I am sure the police officials in Oregon were waiting for it to surface. Something needs to be done with HATE groups such as the KKK. The Southern Poverty Law Center (click here) has a vast collection of knowledge regarding these groups. Hate cannot be a reason for organizing. It has to stop.
My mistake this is actually Portland, Maine. It doesn't matter the same applies to the idea of eliminating draconian laws that support racism. Holy smokes, Portland, Maine. We have a problem.
Some Portland, Maine council members want an independent review of the police actions regarding the protests in that city. It sounds like a great idea for all major cities and even those with known racist problems.
Alert: US Senate Republicans (click here) have their own police reform bill. It needs to be scoured for corruption and racism, bigoted, and discriminatory content. I haven't read any of the content, but, a Republican President just assaulted protesters in Lafayette Park and erected a fence around the park nearly overnight.
Racist "Moscow Mitch" tapped an African American Senator to sponsor the legislation that no doubt McConnell wrote. Everything is a photo op.
There is also such a fence around the White House. Trump is scared of his "photo op" becoming a place where counter-photo ops would take place. The fences are to preserve Trump's definition of USA land that belongs to the people.
RETURN LAFAYETTE PARK TO THE PEOPLE!
By Randy Billings
Portland police say (click here) they stationed officers on top of downtown buildings at last week’s anti-racism protests after learning that armed counter-protesters planned to be there.
The disclosure — which differs from an earlier explanation that police were likely just observing the protests — comes a week after questions were raised, some in a flurry of social media activity, about police officers positioned on top of buildings, seemingly with rifles, scopes and other equipment.
Commander James Sweatt made the disclosure about the armed counter-protesters Wednesday night during a virtual meeting of the Police Citizen Review Subcommittee. He said police had received “actionable intelligence” that armed counter-protesters planned to demonstrate near the Black Live Matter protesters. He said the officers were deployed on buildings to protect the protesters, not to intimidate them.
“They actually did show up. They were actually armed. We intercepted them before they made it there,” Sweatt said at the meeting. “We also discovered other individuals in the crowd that were legally possessing firearms, but their intent was not known. I think that’s an important note to make.”...
Thursday, June 11, 2020
LOL
Did I hear Treasury Secretary Munchkin say there will be no closing the country again for other medical reasons like returning to having surgeries again.
That would carry more brevity if it came from the AMA.
That is such a joke. It is okay surgeons the national emergency is over because we said so.
That would carry more brevity if it came from the AMA.
That is such a joke. It is okay surgeons the national emergency is over because we said so.
"It is just law and that is the way it is."
Those words have been haunting me that last two days, so it's time to put this ALL into perspective. The looting, the whole picture. If I can. At least I can try.
The statement is grossly incorrect. The law is not supreme in the USA in a way that every American can pass judgment on one another. The USA's strength is in due process and a fair trial. People have to get to that trial to receive justice, not receive it at the end of a barrel of a gun or the knee of a police officer.
"When the looting starts, the shooting starts," is supposed to be an act of law enforcement. "That is the law and the way it is." That is incorrect. That is not the law. Police are not allowed to enforce the law at the end of the barrel of a gun. All too often it happens though.
In recent months and years, we are seeing asphyxiation as a method of police resulting in the death of the suspect. None of these techniques should be allowed to continue to be used by law enforcement. But, as to the idea that looting should be resolved by more violence and by gunfire needs to be addressed. The dialogue is so far out of line with the civilization of our country it has to be addressed to bring everyone together to understand why something like looting occurs.
March 7, 1991, I was working the evening shift and television was on. It was the first time I had ever witnessed police officers beating anyone and this was a black man. It scared me. I never put a police officer in that content before and my worry was about the man being beaten. In my understanding of law enforcement, this sort of treatment of another human being was absolutely wrong and I believed it to be illegal.
One of the police officers involved stated that "people like King" were unpredictable to allow taking them without first subduing them. The officer went on to say that "people like Rodney King" do drugs and when they are on drugs like PCP they become super-strong and it takes measures such as this to subdue them.
I am sure the defense of many officers has been that they were just trying to subdue the subject to bring them into jail for processing. But, that isn't the point here. The point is that for the first time for many people officers were beating a man that was an African-American. It was scary to me and I can only begin to understand how scary it was to others that knew Rodney King and the communities of Los Angeles.
Nearly immediately the black communities of Los Angeles broke into violence. There was looting and there were fires set. The violence that consumed the city over this beating was the only way people had to make the law enforcement system take notice of the crimes of beating an unarmed human being. I was scared for Mr. King, the city of Los Angeles, and the people rioting in the streets. I feared for their lives and worried about retaliation. The beating of Rodney King was wrong and the violence was a way of stopping it from occurring again.
The violence in LA at that time was RATIONAL to me. I did not feel bad for anyone who was having their life changed because of that violence in looting and fire setting, that broke out over the beating by police officers of an unarmed black man. Like I said, if he runs, then chase him and if he gets away then file a summons for arrest with the prosecutor, but, DON'T EVER TAKE THE LAW INTO THEIR OWN HANDS AND BEAT A HUMAN BEING OR PUT A KNEE ON THE NECK OF A HUMAN BEING. The law in the USA does not demand that level of absolute resolve.
I was on the other side of the country in New Hampshire at that time. It is where I lived. It wasn't as though I lived in LA and sympathized with the communities so upset over this beating. I was completely removed from this reality except for a video that scared me. When the violence broke out I completely understood it. I think the mayor of LA at the time understood it as well and was appalled by the violence against Mr. King. He is a citizen. He has rights.
The day after the violence stopped, including pulling a white man by the name of Reginald Denny out of his semi-truck as an exhibit as to how black men can also beat white men, the city called the crimes of looting and fire setting as mayhem. There were cameras that helped authorities identify people participating in the riots. They were not charged with arson. They were not charged with stealing. They were not charged with assault. They were charged with mayhem. Some may have received fines, but, in all that I remember is that the people in the riots now had a criminal record without serving any time in jail or prison.
So, for all the people that cannot relate to the violence following the UNLAWFUL and WRONGFUL death of a black man, that doesn't give anyone the right to pass judgment on those that are scared, upset and worried about their own lives and the fact they might be next. Those that seem to think they are allowed to judge the actions of others are arrogant and quite frankly lack the ability to empathize with minority people that do experience injustice in their lives. That is the real shame in those statements that "When the looting starts, the shooting starts," "That is the law and just the way it is." Those are wrongful statements. They are ignorant statements and do not take into context the reason the violence erupted in the first place. The people that stood up to law enforcement, set fires and looted saved everyone's life. They made a statement of the fear and injustice they feel.
The reason the uprising ended is because of people like Reverend Al Sharpton that brings an understanding of that pain to the form of organized marches. It is people like the Reverend Jessie Jackson that leads the minority communities to pursue justice. It is all those people involved in speaking against the injustice that stops the mayhem. They bring meaning to that pain and no American should take that reality for granted. The leaders of the minority community have a very important and valuable place in this country and it is up to us to accept and respect every word they say.
I don't ever want to hear criticism of the expression of fear shown when there is a wrongful death of anyone. We all have rights in this country and we will all understand when those rights are violated and pose a threat to every life in the USA. There better not be any more inflammatory statements about the expression of fear that results in violence. It is the wrongful deaths, the beatings and the injustice that is on trial in those moments and not the people fearful for their own lives.
The statement is grossly incorrect. The law is not supreme in the USA in a way that every American can pass judgment on one another. The USA's strength is in due process and a fair trial. People have to get to that trial to receive justice, not receive it at the end of a barrel of a gun or the knee of a police officer.
"When the looting starts, the shooting starts," is supposed to be an act of law enforcement. "That is the law and the way it is." That is incorrect. That is not the law. Police are not allowed to enforce the law at the end of the barrel of a gun. All too often it happens though.
In recent months and years, we are seeing asphyxiation as a method of police resulting in the death of the suspect. None of these techniques should be allowed to continue to be used by law enforcement. But, as to the idea that looting should be resolved by more violence and by gunfire needs to be addressed. The dialogue is so far out of line with the civilization of our country it has to be addressed to bring everyone together to understand why something like looting occurs.
March 7, 1991, I was working the evening shift and television was on. It was the first time I had ever witnessed police officers beating anyone and this was a black man. It scared me. I never put a police officer in that content before and my worry was about the man being beaten. In my understanding of law enforcement, this sort of treatment of another human being was absolutely wrong and I believed it to be illegal.
One of the police officers involved stated that "people like King" were unpredictable to allow taking them without first subduing them. The officer went on to say that "people like Rodney King" do drugs and when they are on drugs like PCP they become super-strong and it takes measures such as this to subdue them.
I am sure the defense of many officers has been that they were just trying to subdue the subject to bring them into jail for processing. But, that isn't the point here. The point is that for the first time for many people officers were beating a man that was an African-American. It was scary to me and I can only begin to understand how scary it was to others that knew Rodney King and the communities of Los Angeles.
Nearly immediately the black communities of Los Angeles broke into violence. There was looting and there were fires set. The violence that consumed the city over this beating was the only way people had to make the law enforcement system take notice of the crimes of beating an unarmed human being. I was scared for Mr. King, the city of Los Angeles, and the people rioting in the streets. I feared for their lives and worried about retaliation. The beating of Rodney King was wrong and the violence was a way of stopping it from occurring again.
The violence in LA at that time was RATIONAL to me. I did not feel bad for anyone who was having their life changed because of that violence in looting and fire setting, that broke out over the beating by police officers of an unarmed black man. Like I said, if he runs, then chase him and if he gets away then file a summons for arrest with the prosecutor, but, DON'T EVER TAKE THE LAW INTO THEIR OWN HANDS AND BEAT A HUMAN BEING OR PUT A KNEE ON THE NECK OF A HUMAN BEING. The law in the USA does not demand that level of absolute resolve.
I was on the other side of the country in New Hampshire at that time. It is where I lived. It wasn't as though I lived in LA and sympathized with the communities so upset over this beating. I was completely removed from this reality except for a video that scared me. When the violence broke out I completely understood it. I think the mayor of LA at the time understood it as well and was appalled by the violence against Mr. King. He is a citizen. He has rights.
The day after the violence stopped, including pulling a white man by the name of Reginald Denny out of his semi-truck as an exhibit as to how black men can also beat white men, the city called the crimes of looting and fire setting as mayhem. There were cameras that helped authorities identify people participating in the riots. They were not charged with arson. They were not charged with stealing. They were not charged with assault. They were charged with mayhem. Some may have received fines, but, in all that I remember is that the people in the riots now had a criminal record without serving any time in jail or prison.
So, for all the people that cannot relate to the violence following the UNLAWFUL and WRONGFUL death of a black man, that doesn't give anyone the right to pass judgment on those that are scared, upset and worried about their own lives and the fact they might be next. Those that seem to think they are allowed to judge the actions of others are arrogant and quite frankly lack the ability to empathize with minority people that do experience injustice in their lives. That is the real shame in those statements that "When the looting starts, the shooting starts," "That is the law and just the way it is." Those are wrongful statements. They are ignorant statements and do not take into context the reason the violence erupted in the first place. The people that stood up to law enforcement, set fires and looted saved everyone's life. They made a statement of the fear and injustice they feel.
The reason the uprising ended is because of people like Reverend Al Sharpton that brings an understanding of that pain to the form of organized marches. It is people like the Reverend Jessie Jackson that leads the minority communities to pursue justice. It is all those people involved in speaking against the injustice that stops the mayhem. They bring meaning to that pain and no American should take that reality for granted. The leaders of the minority community have a very important and valuable place in this country and it is up to us to accept and respect every word they say.
I don't ever want to hear criticism of the expression of fear shown when there is a wrongful death of anyone. We all have rights in this country and we will all understand when those rights are violated and pose a threat to every life in the USA. There better not be any more inflammatory statements about the expression of fear that results in violence. It is the wrongful deaths, the beatings and the injustice that is on trial in those moments and not the people fearful for their own lives.
The KKK is not freedom of speech. Stop allowing their rallies. None of their message should be tolerated.
The KKK is anti-American. Their only message is about hate and it cannot be tolerated. They propagate violence among their own members at these marches and rallies. They are increasingly a problem.
June 11, 2020
By Lee Brown
This is the way they used to show up at rallies.
Two men wearing Ku Klux Klan-style hoods (click here) tried to interrupt a George Floyd rally in Nevada — with even a group who’d shouted abuse at Black Lives Matter protesters switching to help kick them out.
The pair — with another man walking beside them — were filmed in distinctive white hoods as they tried to gatecrash a rally Monday in Fallon, leading to angry chants of, “No KKK, no racist, fascist USA.”
They were almost immediately stopped by a cop who ordered them to turn around, with two other officers arriving on bikes as backup.
The crowd also made sure they marched away, with a group of “All Lives Matter” supporters who had been shouting abuse at the race-rights protesters now joining them against the KKK men, KTVN said....
June 11, 2020By Lee Brown
This is the way they used to show up at rallies.
Two men wearing Ku Klux Klan-style hoods (click here) tried to interrupt a George Floyd rally in Nevada — with even a group who’d shouted abuse at Black Lives Matter protesters switching to help kick them out.
The pair — with another man walking beside them — were filmed in distinctive white hoods as they tried to gatecrash a rally Monday in Fallon, leading to angry chants of, “No KKK, no racist, fascist USA.”
They were almost immediately stopped by a cop who ordered them to turn around, with two other officers arriving on bikes as backup.
The crowd also made sure they marched away, with a group of “All Lives Matter” supporters who had been shouting abuse at the race-rights protesters now joining them against the KKK men, KTVN said....
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
China's aggression throughout the region leaves suspicion to it's late report of SARS-Cov-2.
Trump has no right to demand CNN to remove its election statistics. If he is so self-righteous then the Trump Campaign can publish their results.
.........................................................
Dr. Fauci is not to blame himself for the mess the USA finds itself. It is due to the inept president in the White House and nothing short of it. Dr. Fauci now understands the selective priorities of Trump. If anything interferes with his re-election is to be blamed on anyone in the area, including Dr. Fauci.
........................................................
Now is not the time for military aggression by China!
June 8, 2020
By Sutirtho Patranobis
China on Monday (click here) said the militaries of the two countries had reached a consensus during the weekend talks not to allow differences to escalate into disputes.
In brief comments on the meeting between senior military officers on Saturday to resolve the standoff in Ladakh, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday that the two sides had agreed to implement the consensus reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping not to allow differences to become disputes.
Modi and Xi have reiterated several times including during their second informal summit in Chennai last October that New Delhi and Beijing should not allow differences to escalate into disputes; differences can be managed, they reiterated....
The incidents that are causing problems between India and China (click here):
...There hasn’t been any activity (click here) at the four standoff points along the Line of Actual Control after Indian and Chinese military commanders held a 7-hour-long ice-breaking meeting over the weekend, people familiar with the developments told Hindustan Times on Monday.
India, which was the first to speak about the meeting at the Moldo-Chushul border meeting point some 14,000 feet above sea level, had underlined on Sunday that the two sides had agreed to peacefully resolve the situation. On Monday, the Chinese foreign ministry statement about the discussions over the weekend made the same point.
To be sure, the two sides are not anywhere close to a resolution of the standoff at three points in the Galwan valley and the fourth, near Pangong Lake.
Saturday’s meeting between Lt Gen Harinder Singh, commander of Leh-based 14 Corps, and a Chinese delegation headed by Maj Gen Liu Lin, commander of the South Xinjiang military region, agreed to keep talking at the brigade and battalion commander level....
What the heck does China think it is doing? It has an all-out assault on Hong Kong, it is artificial islands to expand its borders into the sea, Vietnam has settled it's a dispute about oil rights that China impinged upon. And let's not forget the new mischief of the USA in the South China Sea.
June 9, 2020
Some Western media outlets (click here) have launched a new wave of public opinion offensive against China.
A CNN report on Monday hyped up a standoff between China and Malaysia in the South China Sea that has lasted more than a month. Even though this was old news that took place earlier this year, CNN criticized China for its "growing aggression" and "forcefulness," which are "partly driven by the global coronavirus pandemic."
Malaysia is one of the South China Sea claimants. Compared with countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines, Malaysia has been regarded as a low-profile pragmatist when it comes to the South China Sea issue. The country has played it safe....
China should know the governance of one billion people is delicate. So the attitudes toward India by China have to be that of peace. India does not need any sparks flying to it's potential of a powder keg.
It is difficult finding common ground when the differences are based in faith. Faith can create rigidity to the resolve of civilized society.
The Muslims in India have a right to be heard. They are not leaving India and is the largest Muslim population in the world. The Muslim population of India need to be recognized, but, becoming a "Muslim Lives Matter" group may create greater differences rather than common ground.
...But India (click here) also is expected have 311 million Muslims in 2050 (11% of the global total), making it the country with the largest population of Muslims in the world. Currently, Indonesia has the world’s largest number of Muslims....
This is PEW Research. It would seem as though the current status of the Muslims among the Hindus is equal when it comes to numbers but not when it comes to governance. This must change because their sheer numbers alone must be engaged to find a peaceful governing structure that will provide freedom to all religions. Without peaceful governance, through mutual respect, there will be decent and challenges to India's internal stability.
June 2, 2020
By Saroj Chadha
The death of a black man in Minneapolis, USA (click here) who died in police custody because of suffocation as a white policeman continually pressed on his neck with his knee has reignited anger across USA over racist approach of police. There have been violent protests, by blacks and whites alike, in many parts of the country against this killing. Even the White House had to be placed under a lockdown as protests raged outside. This incident is a manifestation of the racial abuse that continues to plague USA even in the 21st century. While some accept it’s existence, there are many who follow an ostrich like approach and pretend that it does not exist. Governments over the years have done little to address this serious problem.
This incident in USA has given rise to a movement that has been christened as ‘Black Lives Matter’. There can be no two opinions that Black Lives do matter as does any other human life irrespective of one’s colour, creed, faith, shape or belief. Some overzealous Indian liberals, media persons and others have been quick to equate the plight of black men in USA with that of Muslims in India. They want a similar movement in India and are calling it ‘Muslim Lives Matter’. Is it a right analogy? Can Indian Muslims be compared to Black Americans? Is the communal divide between Hindus and Muslims in India same as racism between Whites and Blacks in USA? It may be prudent to understand a few basic facts before any comparisons can be made....
The best example of failed peace attempts is Kashmir. It would be tragic if that occurred in India and religious divisions served as a method to terrorize the public and end effective governance.
...Since the Centre stripped Jammu and Kashmir of autonomy (click here) and split the former state into two Union Territories on August 5, “public order” has become a powerful reason to block the flow of public discourse in Kashmir. It has been used to paralyse the local press and intimidate reporters in the Valley. Last week, the Jammu and Kashmir government issued a vaguely worded statement about a new “media policy” that will “raise alarm against any attempt to use media to vitiate public peace, sovereignty and integrity of the country”....
.........................................................
Dr. Fauci is not to blame himself for the mess the USA finds itself. It is due to the inept president in the White House and nothing short of it. Dr. Fauci now understands the selective priorities of Trump. If anything interferes with his re-election is to be blamed on anyone in the area, including Dr. Fauci.
........................................................
Now is not the time for military aggression by China!
June 8, 2020
By Sutirtho Patranobis
China on Monday (click here) said the militaries of the two countries had reached a consensus during the weekend talks not to allow differences to escalate into disputes.
In brief comments on the meeting between senior military officers on Saturday to resolve the standoff in Ladakh, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday that the two sides had agreed to implement the consensus reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping not to allow differences to become disputes.
Modi and Xi have reiterated several times including during their second informal summit in Chennai last October that New Delhi and Beijing should not allow differences to escalate into disputes; differences can be managed, they reiterated....
The incidents that are causing problems between India and China (click here):
India, which was the first to speak about the meeting at the Moldo-Chushul border meeting point some 14,000 feet above sea level, had underlined on Sunday that the two sides had agreed to peacefully resolve the situation. On Monday, the Chinese foreign ministry statement about the discussions over the weekend made the same point.
To be sure, the two sides are not anywhere close to a resolution of the standoff at three points in the Galwan valley and the fourth, near Pangong Lake.
Saturday’s meeting between Lt Gen Harinder Singh, commander of Leh-based 14 Corps, and a Chinese delegation headed by Maj Gen Liu Lin, commander of the South Xinjiang military region, agreed to keep talking at the brigade and battalion commander level....
What the heck does China think it is doing? It has an all-out assault on Hong Kong, it is artificial islands to expand its borders into the sea, Vietnam has settled it's a dispute about oil rights that China impinged upon. And let's not forget the new mischief of the USA in the South China Sea.
June 9, 2020
Some Western media outlets (click here) have launched a new wave of public opinion offensive against China.
A CNN report on Monday hyped up a standoff between China and Malaysia in the South China Sea that has lasted more than a month. Even though this was old news that took place earlier this year, CNN criticized China for its "growing aggression" and "forcefulness," which are "partly driven by the global coronavirus pandemic."
Malaysia is one of the South China Sea claimants. Compared with countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines, Malaysia has been regarded as a low-profile pragmatist when it comes to the South China Sea issue. The country has played it safe....
China should know the governance of one billion people is delicate. So the attitudes toward India by China have to be that of peace. India does not need any sparks flying to it's potential of a powder keg.
It is difficult finding common ground when the differences are based in faith. Faith can create rigidity to the resolve of civilized society.
The Muslims in India have a right to be heard. They are not leaving India and is the largest Muslim population in the world. The Muslim population of India need to be recognized, but, becoming a "Muslim Lives Matter" group may create greater differences rather than common ground.
...But India (click here) also is expected have 311 million Muslims in 2050 (11% of the global total), making it the country with the largest population of Muslims in the world. Currently, Indonesia has the world’s largest number of Muslims....
This is PEW Research. It would seem as though the current status of the Muslims among the Hindus is equal when it comes to numbers but not when it comes to governance. This must change because their sheer numbers alone must be engaged to find a peaceful governing structure that will provide freedom to all religions. Without peaceful governance, through mutual respect, there will be decent and challenges to India's internal stability.
June 2, 2020
By Saroj Chadha
The death of a black man in Minneapolis, USA (click here) who died in police custody because of suffocation as a white policeman continually pressed on his neck with his knee has reignited anger across USA over racist approach of police. There have been violent protests, by blacks and whites alike, in many parts of the country against this killing. Even the White House had to be placed under a lockdown as protests raged outside. This incident is a manifestation of the racial abuse that continues to plague USA even in the 21st century. While some accept it’s existence, there are many who follow an ostrich like approach and pretend that it does not exist. Governments over the years have done little to address this serious problem.
This incident in USA has given rise to a movement that has been christened as ‘Black Lives Matter’. There can be no two opinions that Black Lives do matter as does any other human life irrespective of one’s colour, creed, faith, shape or belief. Some overzealous Indian liberals, media persons and others have been quick to equate the plight of black men in USA with that of Muslims in India. They want a similar movement in India and are calling it ‘Muslim Lives Matter’. Is it a right analogy? Can Indian Muslims be compared to Black Americans? Is the communal divide between Hindus and Muslims in India same as racism between Whites and Blacks in USA? It may be prudent to understand a few basic facts before any comparisons can be made....
The best example of failed peace attempts is Kashmir. It would be tragic if that occurred in India and religious divisions served as a method to terrorize the public and end effective governance.
...Since the Centre stripped Jammu and Kashmir of autonomy (click here) and split the former state into two Union Territories on August 5, “public order” has become a powerful reason to block the flow of public discourse in Kashmir. It has been used to paralyse the local press and intimidate reporters in the Valley. Last week, the Jammu and Kashmir government issued a vaguely worded statement about a new “media policy” that will “raise alarm against any attempt to use media to vitiate public peace, sovereignty and integrity of the country”....
Honestly, how many people defending the police are paying attention. They are quoting gun deaths by police year after year. Heck, they got smart to that. They just decided to use strangulation and masqueraded as home invaders.
Honestly.
There is one young black girl on Tic-Tic saying she lives in Texas and the statement by Trump that when the looting starts the shooting states is just the law and the way it is. No one stops to think about that one. Anyone ever stop to realize what a mass shooting would look like if the cops did that. Looting is wrong and people can be arrested for it, but, death during protesters for civil rights would be a mass shooting event the cops would be held for trial. Trump is not a smart man and it would seem those that follow him regardless of age aren’t either.
Honestly.
There is one young black girl on Tic-Tic saying she lives in Texas and the statement by Trump that when the looting starts the shooting states is just the law and the way it is. No one stops to think about that one. Anyone ever stop to realize what a mass shooting would look like if the cops did that. Looting is wrong and people can be arrested for it, but, death during protesters for civil rights would be a mass shooting event the cops would be held for trial. Trump is not a smart man and it would seem those that follow him regardless of age aren’t either.
The attorney for Derek Chauvin is stating the film was edited multiple times. The bottom line are the live witnesses. The lies about this case started with the government and the first coroner that falsely reported and the changed his cause of death to homicide. The corruption of the Minneapolis government runs deep. It is worse then Ferguson. The attorneys for the Floyd family will carry the truth forward.
Tuesday, June 09, 2020
The federal budget needs to cut funding PROPORTIONALLY in all areas. Ending programs such food stamps and Medicaid will cause more crime than reducing it. Reducing social programs while the USA economy is struggling with change is a really bad idea beside being cruel and victimizing. The social problems and unrest must be prioritized with increased benevolence by the federal government. States must receive enough funding to address the needs of their citizens to work toward stability and not greater hardship. The defeat of COVID-19’s effect must take priority through education, testing and sufficient medical response. We cannot allow illness and death to be successful. Cultural issues in the USA must be addressed to end foolishness and increase danger. Attitudes have to be put in check in the face prolonging the virus danger.
Even ONE additional case of the virus leads to exponential growth.
There can be no special interests such as police and the military protected from budget cuts. Entitlements are fixed and cannot be used to balance the federal budget. The poor handling of the COVID-19 outbreak by Trump and an effective national strategy cannot be an excuse to assault Medicare and Social Security. The national debt must be addressed and the deficit reduced.
Even ONE additional case of the virus leads to exponential growth.
There can be no special interests such as police and the military protected from budget cuts. Entitlements are fixed and cannot be used to balance the federal budget. The poor handling of the COVID-19 outbreak by Trump and an effective national strategy cannot be an excuse to assault Medicare and Social Security. The national debt must be addressed and the deficit reduced.
End of communication between North and South Korea.
Activists have been releasing the balloons for years, such as here at Paju, north of Seoul, in 2012
North Korea has said it is cutting all communication with South Korea because Seoul has not stopped leaflet-filled balloons being floated over the border.
Severing communication between the countries was the first step to "completely shut down all contact means with South Korea", said state news agency KCNA.
So much for a velvet glove.
It said the decision had come from Kim Jong Un's powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, and Kim Yong Chol, a former military intelligence chief....
Have the relationships between the USA and the rest of the world has never been worse.
China wants the communications to continue, but, North Korea won't have it. It may be SARS-CoV-2 is the reason to end communications between the Koreas. China was rather successful in stemming the spread of the virus. I would think advisors may be helping North Korea. The release of flyers to the people from South Korea may be one of the problems North Korea has identified as a high-risk activity.
The region is having problems with the virus. Russia is the third-highest number of cases in the world behind the USA and Brazil. It is difficult to say if the communication breakdown is only due to the release of flyer balloons. To say the relationship with the West and North Korea is a minor problem is a huge understatement. The West didn't even know if the Korean president Kim Jong Un was even alive a few weeks ago.
There is a huge loss of any relationship with the North with the South or West for such information to be lost. The president wasn't interested in the West's knowledge of his well being. It is safe to say if there was a change in authority in North Korea because of illness or loss of the President the government will remain with same with Kim Yo Jong appearing to be more of a radical than the current Korean President Kim Jong Un.
June 8, 2020
By Min Chao Choy
The China-North Korean border city of Mudanjiang (click here) has detected 19 additional asymptomatic cases of COVID-19, Mayor Wang Wenli said Monday, raising fears of a potential surge just over 170 kilometers from the DPRK.
The results came as China reckons with “imported cases” from Russia that first centered on the small border city of Suifenhe in April, which quickly spread to other cities in Heilongjiang and Jilin Provinces, which border North Korea.
The outbreak represents a higher risk to the DPRK than previous outbreaks reported as taking place along the Sino-DPRK frontier: Mudanjiang is the next stop inside China from Russian gateway cities such as Suifenhe, and serves as a major travel and services hub for the Chinese-North Korean-Russian corridor....
Students took part in a rally in Pyongyang last week to denounce defectors who flee to the South
There has been no improvement in relations with North Korea and the West. If anything it is worse.
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