With family

 Tony Blair came out to say there are such things as forever wars and Afghanistan is one of them. Everyone who believes in the politics of ending forever wars are blithering idiots.

Time to end the lies and war.

The Taliban are taking out ISIS from Afghanistan.

When the Taliban ran Afghanistan before the USA occupation, they didn't have any other organization challenge them. It may be the reason Pakistan reconstituted them. I am not making excuses for Pakistan, but, the ISI is rather independent of the Pakistani government and may see the Taliban as capable of stabilizing the region.

It wasn't much of a battle the Taliban won by the way. The Afghan military disintegrated, except, for a police station chief that was assassinated because he was wearing a uniform that did not represent the Taliban. Did they ask him if those were the only clothes he had to wear? But, the police chief may have been hated by the people. It is just something that isn't known. Iraq was like that for a while. Local authorities were some of the most hellish figures in Iraq and then one day the British came to investigate and there were no more terrorists running the police station. There were death squads for a time in Iraq. Everyone has their own revenge list and it surfaces when there is chaos in the country.

Al Baghdadi is dead (click here). He created a modern day terrorist organization empowered to return his variety of Islamic Law to its original haunts. When the Middle East defeated ISIS it was to destroy it forever, but, some members decided they had a noble cause and made it to Afghanistan to find a place to call home. This is what I mean when I say geography alone provides an impossible task to end the hideouts of extremists and murderers.

Khorasani, also known as Mawlawi Ziya ul-Haq

The leader of the Islamic State (click here) group in South Asia and the Far East has been arrested in Kabul, Afghanistan's intelligence service says.

Zia ul-Haq, also known as Sheikh Omar Khorasani, was held with two other senior leaders of the militant group.

The Taliban are the main militant group in Afghanistan but IS has been active in some areas and has carried out several bomb attacks in Kabul.

Correspondents say the arrest will be a major breakthrough if confirmed.

The other two were named as his spokesman Saheeb and chief of intelligence Abu Ali....

See, the economy of Afghanistan is built around poppies. It has been for a long time. So, the occupation of the USA brought a challenge to these goons that run the Poppy Cartels, namely the Haqqani Network (click here). And eventually, the USA was made to leave the poppy growers alone because there was no other economic opportunity on the horizon.

Richard Holbrooke ate, drank, and slept Afghanistan. He believed he could turn a sow's ear into a silk purse. He died trying. He died of a heart attack. The land and the people were tougher than he was. He would make testimony to Congress and report all the upside of our occupation and then he would report the ideas and hopes that were more lackluster than possible.

I think the Pakistani ISI is responsible for the long-standing presence of the Taliban in the region. Haqqani probably funded their militia. The land is tough land and the people are very difficult to change because overbearing force maintains a presence in every thought the people have. If a woman has a burka too short showing too much ankle they are hung in the town square. At least that is the way it used to be. They may have mellowed a bit. They are stating women do have rights in Sharia Law. I would not want to live under Sharia Law, but, at least everyone knows where they stand.

But as to Khorasani, the people were terrified of him or any ISIS member. I don't doubt the fact he was in prison rather than executed played into the Taliban's insistence on control of one kind or another. They saw groups of men inhabiting what was their land and the Taliban didn't think they were safe. Today, with Khorasani dead, there are people in the Middle East that might admire the Taliban for doing what no one else would do, end the life of a man intent on others' destruction if he ever obtained any power at all.

There are reasons for the way things rolled out in Afghanistan and it was going to happen that way no matter how much the USA prepared to leave. It is a land that does not adhere to Western principles. There are many divisions of authority in Afghanistan along the lines of ethnicity. If one ethnic is doing better than another, it is an issue. The USA never wanted to recognize those divisions as important so much as an evil of democracy, the melting pot.

Equality is a threat in Afghanistan, where one authority rules their corner of the world while another would like to eliminate them. There is no equity in Afghanistan. It is a foreign idea that the people might like to have as governance, but, with a drug cartel running the only economy that sustains, that will never happen. Reality took over in Afghanistan no matter the efforts of the USA and its allies

The drama at the airport is unfortunate and the gunmen that fired into crowds to disperse them didn't know water cannons can do the same thing, only better. This is the land that God forgot. Afghanistan is a niche in the world where small minorities could be safe enough to survive. It is a marginal land with extremist populations that cannot survive any place else. Afghanistan is what it is called, but, the country is completely unmanageable unless it is ruled by men who see their lives through limited possibilities and act on those possibilities with the idea of survival.

So long as the people understand the dynamics of their governors and the governance, they will be okay. Women will be recognized and in time the affiliation they have with Pakistan might even prove to be a changing force in the country ruled by the Taliban.

Democracy is a strange thing. Once a peoples have had a taste of it, it is difficult to ignore. I would say, the future for Afghanistan isn't written yet and I would not give up on the idea that the people liked democracy enough to carve out a future where it can grow and bring their children prosperity.

For now, the people will have to get used to their new governance and decide what the future holds. I am sorry the nation-building didn't work. So, did Richard Holbrooke in his chronic insistence that it would.

August 19, 2021

With the Taliban having won the battle (click here) for supremacy in Afghanistan, the group appears to have begun a crackdown on its rivals. According to media reports and social media footage, Omar Khorasani, former head of the Islamic State in South Asia.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Khorasani, also known as Mawlawi Ziya ul-Haq, was taken from an Afghan government prison and executed. Khorasani had been arrested by Afghan security forces in an operation in May 2020. Khorasani headed the group’s South Asia operations, but had been replaced as chief at the time of his arrest....

Here is another fine mess the Flint residents are seeing due to deadly water and a maniacal govenor.

Flint is having trouble maintaining it's population. That will affect funding across the board and will slow the city's recovery. The Mayor and Council will have to decide, but, they should consider a lawsuit against the state and the people involved for causing irreparable harm to the city causing fiscal and economical distress as well as poisoned water.

Water is a very big deal. The city will never be the same. The city should find those that left to move to a safer city and ask exactly what caused them to uproot their family and move away from Flint, Michigan.

The people that moved away should file a lawsuit as well for damages that caused them to leave.

This is not the normal attrition of a city's population. There has been a loss in longevity in the USA and probably a loss in population due to COVID-19 in most parts of the country, especially the southeast. But, this is due to poisoned water. The averages of losses in population can be known across the country and other cities with population the same as Flint going into the Global Pandemic will reflect a loss of life and longevity of their residents, but, more than a fifth of the population was moved to leave beyond the deaths from the pandemic. This is due to the poisoned water.

August 12, 2021
By Dave Boucher

The number of people living in Flint (click here) dropped to its lowest point in more than 100 years, according to the results of the 2020 U.S. Census released Thursday.

The city had 81,252 residents as of last year, according to the national survey conducted once every decade. That's a substantial drop from the 102,434 residents reported in 2010. Census estimates from 2019 had put Flint at closer to 95,500 residents.

It's the first time the city's population dropped below 100,000 since surpassing that total in 1930. The city's population jumped from 38,550 in 1910 to 91,599 in 1920.

Flint experienced arguably the worst public health crisis in its history during the past decade, as the city continues to grapple with the impact of its tainted water.

Flint City Council President Kate Fields was a little surprised the population drop wasn't larger. She pointed to job losses and the water crisis, as well as the massive attention it garnered, for driving the decline....

Repair after repair may not bring them back. People don't like to continually uproot their children. So, those that left may not want to return for the reasons that they made a new home elsewhere.

August 20, 2021

Flint - Officials from the City of Flint Department of Public Works (click here) will start the 95-5 water increments to the secondary water pipeline on Monday, August 23, pending no issues with the pipeline connection work over the weekend. This work is needed to begin repair work on the primary water pipeline system.

All protocols with the State of Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act and the City’s agreement with its primary water supplier, the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) will continue to be followed. Residents will continue to be updated regarding the progress of this infrastructure project.

As a reminder:

- Additional monitoring will take place during the incremental increase, valve replacement work on the primary water delivery system (GLWA) and during all other major infrastructure projects. Monitoring results are posted on the EPA’s “Taking Action on Flint Water” website at www.michigan.gov/flintwater....

Today was an eye opener.

I went to an uncle's funeral at Great Lakes National Cemetery. He was a navy veteran. He died at the age of 82 and left a widow who is devastated without him. She held up well today. The service was lovely and two of our finest sailors were there to present her with the flag. The people that are employed by the cemetery are always very sensitive to the family and others there to pay the soldier honor. It helped her to realize the depth of her husband's love of people and country. He was honored during his life with service to the community through the "Knights of Columbus."

But, the scenery was different today. I have other relatives buried at that same cemetery. I visited their graves. But, when I was standing at the administration building waiting for the service to begin I looked out across the field and remembered it was only two years ago when no headstones could be seen from that building. I looked out today and there were far more headstones in all the fields surrounding the administration building. Then it hit me. COVID. The cemetery had many more veterans buried today than two years ago or earlier. 

It is my estimation with that reality check today, the country has lost many of our veterans to COVID-19. I could not believe the population of headstones in the fields at Great Lakes National Cemetery. I did not engage the staff to discuss such observations although I am sure they see it as well.

We should take a census of the veterans that died of COVID-19 and hold a national remembrance of their service and their equally tragic death. My uncle did not die of COVID-19 or any of its variants and his widow was there and she is perfectly healthy and vaccinated. But, the early months of the virus until there were vaccinations took the lives of many elderly people. Our veterans were among them.

The people of Haiti have to be relocated.

The USA has California, but, we can afford to build earthquake-proof buildings. Haiti is still building weak structures that collapse at the first shake of an earthquake. We can provide tidal wave warning systems, but, there aren't warning systems that will work for Haiti. It is in a very volatile part of the Caribbean Sea. Ten years between quakes is a lot for people, but, on a geological timeline, it is bearly a blip.

The problem is this: Haiti sits on a small plate between two large plates and next to two smaller plates. All three of the small plates, Nazca, Cocos, and the Caribbean move independently of each other. The colored lines of the diagram above illustrate a very stark and worrisome future.

The divergent plates between the Cocos and Nazca plates actually help those two plates remain relatively calm because they are moving in opposite directions of each other and DO NOT HAVE A BUILD-UP OF PRESSURE BETWEEN THEM. Haiti does not get a break from the pressure. The illustrations also show that divergent plates also provide a place for volcanos to erupt. That is true. It is also true of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (click here) that runs north and south in the center of the Atlantic Ocean. The volcanos are underwater and particularly under seawater. Those volcanos contribute to the land at the bottom of the ocean as the plates move apart.

The transformation faults move past each other. They build up pressure along their borders and when the pressure is great enough the plates move and cause earthquakes, underwater and on land. The north end of the Caribbean Plate where Haiti sits is a transformation fault between it and the North American Plate. 

MASS matters with these plates. The bigger and heavier the plates are the less they will move and cause damage to any human settlements. However, the North American Plate is the dominant plate with the Caribbean Plate and it will push the Caribbean Plate around. But, the danger to the people doesn't stop there.

The other three sides of the Caribbean Plate are convergent plates. They all put pressure on the Caribbean Plate. They cause a lot of stress on the Caribbean Plate and when that stress meets up with pressure by the North American plate, the answer is a catastrophic earthquake in Haiti. Basically, Haiti is caught in between two bullies the North American Plate and the South American plate. None of these plates give the Caribbean plate relief. They are all converging on the Caribbean plate.

There will be no relief for the people of Haiti. This will continue for the remainder of the existence of that island nation.

The United Nations is getting used to the idea of Climate Refugees and what to do about them when their islands are swallowed up by rising oceans and seas. It is my opinion that is the best way to treat the people of Haiti. There is profound poverty which leads to poor construction of houses and buildings which leads to deaths of the people on a regular basis.

When entire nations of people are reassigned to a different place on Earth, the idea of preserving the ethnic composition of the people is very important. So, while sending aid to Haiti is always a plan, what isn't a plan is the idea this can go on forever. In one lifetime a Haitian can experience eight devastating earthquakes if they occur every ten years and the people live at least to the age of 70. One earthquake for every decade of life.

The problem with those statistics is the understanding if a person is exposed to eight severe earthquakes, they won't live through one of them. They will never achieve the age of 70 years old. That is a human rights issue and one the entire world has to grapple with to ensure the survival of the genetics of Haiti and the people's culture.

I hate to say this, but, this is the only reasonable solution for Haiti and there is no reason to do anything else, except, hand a sign on the island that says "No Trespassing, Danger Ahead."

They need stable land to begin to move out of poverty and into an economy that flourishes for them while preserving their beliefs and customs with their children.

When the North and South American Plates meet they will have turned the island of Haiti to dust at the bottom of the Caribbean. That is a long way off, but, it creates a picture of the future of this island that provides for a better outcome for the people of Haiti.

Hobby Lobby get a clue! This is a human rights issue!

Did you realise that through your last trip to the bathroom, you were actually exercising one of your fundamental human rights? (click here)

August 16, 2021
By Nara Schoenberg

There’s a woman’s restroom at the East Aurora Hobby Lobby (click here) where Meggan Sommerville works, but for 10 years, she’s been barred from using it because she is transgender.

She has had to punch out of work and cross a parking lot in the rain or snow to access the bathroom at a fast-food restaurant, she said. She has used the men’s room, which is shared by both employees and customers. She has restricted her fluid intake and endured dehydration, muscle cramps and headaches, according to court documents.

So when Sommerville contemplated the Illinois Appellate Court’s ruling that she had the right to use the women’s restroom at work, she paused, took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“It’s a huge, huge relief,” said Sommerville, 51, of Oswego. “It’s still an emotional roller coaster, because we don’t know how Hobby Lobby is going to respond, and we have a ways to go. But to have a court uphold unanimously: I can’t put into words the relief that this brings.”

Hobby Lobby could not be reached for comment. The company has the option of appealing the case to the Supreme Court of Illinois....

The Taliban were never elected by the people of Afghanistan. They are not an ethnicty with long ties to Afghanistan. They are a militant militia.

Newsweek has reported there are women news anchors that have interviewed members of the Taliban leadership currently in control of the country. This new somewhat younger Taliban leadership might be adopting global values in that human rights are important.

There were leaders in negotiations with The West for years. It may be they are now taking on the policies they were exposed to in negotiations. The Taliban leadership did not come to their current status by permission of the people. I understand there were demonstrations against the Taliban insurgency that took over the country and the demonstrators were met with guns and violence.

The Taliban are not the legitimate leaders of Afghanistan, but, a coup occurred for whatever reason it did. It is in the Taliban's best interest to allow the USA to carry out an evacuation of people desiring to leave. It is the experience of the USA, especially with Iraq, that as soon as the country is viewed as orderly, respecting human rights, and a government representative of the people, the diaspora will return if that is their first priority. Not all refugees want to stay in a country where they are safe. They, in many instances, want to return to their homeland. The Taliban should consider that and demonstrate a society and government focused on human rights.

In the past and what the USA found in Afghanistan after ending al Qaeda's stranglehold on the country were enormous human rights abuses by the Taliban including public hangings of basically innocent women and men. The Taliban MUST do better and treat people with dignity and respect and win over their ability to trust them. A repeat of their past human rights record will bring many sanctions and dissension from the global community. That dissension was obvious in the UN Security Council meeting.

   

Why the booster vaccination may be necessary.

The first issuance of the booster vaccine is for Americans that are immune-compromised. People that are immune-compromised for any reason are not going to have as much immunity available against the viruses as people with a normal immune system. 

In recent weeks, I believe it was Dr. Fauci that stated the immunity by 90 percent of vaccinated Americans that received 2 vaccines. The other 10 percent was divided between immuno-compromised and others each with 5 percent of Americans. Compromised people can include Americans fighting for their lives with cancer and others that have these immuno-compromised problems. The booster vaccine is to address those 5 percent that Dr. Fauci talked about. Keeping their immunity up is important because their health is compromised and the virus takes advantage of that.

There is also an article in "VOX" that attempts to explain the immunity acquired and maintained by those that received two injections. "VOX" looked at two studies about the issue of immunity and the need for a booster. This is their article.

January 19, 2021
By Julia Belluz

For the nearly 100 million people (click here) around the world who’ve been infected with the coronavirus, new science offers some comfort: Reinfections appear to be rare, and you may be protected from Covid-19 for at least five months.

The study, the largest of its kind, followed more than 20,000 health workers in the UK, regularly testing them for infection and antibodies. Between June and November, the researchers — from Public Health England (PHE) — found 44 potential reinfections out of the 6,614 participants who had tested positive for antibodies or had a previous positive PCR or antibody test when they joined the study. Meanwhile, of the 14,000-plus people who had tested negative for the virus at the start of the study, there were 409 new infections.

Only two of the 44 potential reinfections were designated “probable” and the rest were considered “possible,” “based on the amount of confirmatory evidence available,” according to the health agency. Fifteen people — or 34 percent — had symptoms.

So if all 44 reinfections are real, that translates to an 83 percent lower risk of reinfection compared to health workers who never had the virus. If only two are confirmed, that rate of protection goes up to 99 percent. Either way, it suggests natural immunity might provide a similar level of protection as the approved Covid-19 vaccines....

 

What concerns me is that I read a report on a television program at the gym two days ago that stated the CDC did their own testing for continued immunity following 2 initial injections. It found that after six months Moderna offered 84 percent immunity down from 94 percent after the initial two injections. Pfizer on the other had only had 34 percent immunity down from the initial two injections of 95.4 percent.

I haven't been able to find the written report of the CDC, but, these percentages, especially for the Pfizer vaccines are worrisome because the virus is not confirmed dead and under control, either in the USA or the world.

I do believe there is a reason to fast-track the Pfizer vaccine booster because it has a poor performance over time. The Moderna can be fast-tracked because there is at least 10 percent of their vaccines are not proving permanent immunity. Both these vaccines are in use in the USA and need to be provided boosters to return the higher levels of immunity. There is just no feasible way to have one or the other totally in the USA immune regime. That level of vaccine is impossible to produce at this point.

The long-term goal is to end the need for vaccines by removing COVID-19 from the face of the earth. It is possible as we have had that success with Small Pox. The Small Pox vaccine worked and ended the disease from ever invading human beings again. In the case of COVID-19, the long-term goal is out of reach at this point and the dangers of the virus mutating to a Level Three Virus is still possible.

Two of the variants are proving to be a problem, Delta and Lambda. Lambda is less understood than Delta and that is not good. We know Delta is blocked by the vaccine, hence, the speedy need for a booster in some people. But, we are uncertain about Lambda. Lambda may be the first of the variants that is successful in infecting people even those with healthy immune systems and are vaccinated with good immunity.

So, the most dangerous variant in the USA that is spreading quickly is Delta and it would be a good idea if the people vaccinated received a boost. Ultimately, all those fully vaccinated should receive a booster, but, the ones in most danger at the moment are immunocompromised.

One other aspect to this is the global community and it's problem in being vaccinated to end the virus. Some countries only recently started their vaccination process and may not have started at all. If the USA uses vaccines for boosters that reduces the number of vaccines for the rest of the world.

There is no easy answer for any of this and why the New Zealand Model is so very, very valuable even today with vaccines and continued outbreaks of variants.

In contrast to Florida, California, home of Disneyland, is asking industry leaders to require COVID-19 vaccine or weekly testing.

I would suggest the federal Health and Human Services standardized definitions be used across the country in regard to reporting COVID-19 status. A surge in states like North Dakota is going to be different than a surge in California or Florida.

Since the COVID-19 virus is becoming a chronic issue, there needs to be the standard language in reporting the virus. There also needs to be in place, if there isn't already, a strategic plan when a level three virus is DETECTED and isolation of potentially an entire region of the country. Part of that strategic plan has to be humanitarian measures such as food, clean water, housing, and medical care. I would not expect any exportation of goods from such a region as there will be the transmission of the virus in such exports. There will be a complete collapse of the economy in such exposures to a level three virus.

August 16, 2021

San Diego County, California - San Diego County leaders (click here) and public health officials Monday recommended that all employers in the county begin requiring COVID-19 vaccines for their employees or require weekly testing for the virus.

The recommendation comes a day before the county will begin collecting vaccination proof from its 18,000 employees before the requirement goes into effect next Monday. County employees unwilling or unable to receive the vaccine will be subject to weekly COVID-19 testing and are required to wear masks while indoors.

Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher mentioned the possibility of penalties attached to fraudulent proof, but said the county is still in negotiations as to what that might be.

The Delta variant of the virus is considerably more contagious than previous strains and now comprises 95% of the virus' genome, Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer, said at a news conference Monday.

"We are in the middle of the surge right now," she said, referring to a spike in coronavirus infections in recent weeks far outpacing last summer's surge and matching the early trajectory of last fall and winter's spike.

"It will get worse before it gets better," Wooten said....

The United States of America will never have any variants or COVID-19 under control until Florida is in compliance.

Florida is a tourist haven. Foreign countries can list Florida as a danger to health because of the widespread problems with the virus, but, the states have no border guards preventing access to dangerously infected states.

Homeland Security may want to develop a map of the country advertising dangerous regions and entire states so Americans know the danger in states such as Florida. I could not be more serious. By identifying states or regions of the country where the virus is out of control, other countries may designate those as a "No Go Zone" while the rest of the tourism in the USA is undisturbed.

Florida is also a Super Spreader State with absolutely no repercussions to it's economy and causing the rest of the world problems due to the COVID-19 virus and it's variants.

It is most likely the states without compliance to viral precautions will be the first states to develop a level three virus. Orange County is testing positive for the virus 20 percent of the time and that is only a fraction of the population. Twenty percent positive testing is significant and should not be disregarded as a potential for further spread and further mutation of the virus.

August 16, 2021

Orange County, Florida - Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, (click here) along with health officials, addressed the public on Monday regarding COVID-19 and the detection of the virus in wastewater.

Demings and other health leaders discussed the process by which they collect and test the wastewater, and said that levels of the concentration of the virus detected in the wastewater are "very high" and "very concerning."

Officials said there has been more than a 600% increase in levels of the concentration of the virus detected in the local community's wastewater.

Sampling began back in mid-May, according to Ed Torres, utility director.

"The results of the virus RNA that we measure in the wastewater, indicate that we will see continued clinical cases and hospitalizations this week," Torres said....

How soon can people 65 and older get a booster shot to prevent COVID-19 from being infective again?

I am in full agreement with President Biden.

The tactics used by the Taliban are brutal and cruel, but, we have witnessed the same “drama” with radical groups before, like Hamas and Israel.

Every time Israel pulls out of Gaza or other occupied areas Hamas would stage an offensive to make it appear they defeated the Israeli military. It is exactly the same dramatics staged by the Taliban. Not to belittle the loss of life and the trauma of a failed Afghan military, but, that is exactly what occurred and the people of Afghanistan now know who is fully in charge of the country and there are no more peace talks.

The international community is monitoring the cruel regime of the Taliban and for now the entire UN Security Council is united in their condemnation of the violence the Taliban are intent on bringing to the people of Afghanistan. 

Refugees from Afghanistan should be welcomed by every country that can take them.

Complete sanctions are necessary and the only exchange should be food drops to the villages within the country of Afghanistan. The global community must press the Taliban to return to the peace tables as soon as possible and end violence against the people.

THE PEOPLE ARE UNARMED!

The Taliban had support within Afghanistan otherwise they would not be there still today.

"The Surge in "Green on Blue" Attacks in Afghanistan" (click here)

 

Because of all the political positioning surrounding Afghanistan, Richard Trumpka's death has basically gone without notice.

Besides his early death at age 72, his wife died this year as well.

The union announcement (click here) 

Trumka was married to Barbara Vidovich. They got married in 1982. Barbara was the daughter of a coal miner. They were married at St Procopius Church in New Salem. The couple has one son together.

There is little known about his wife Barbara Vidovich. Some sources state she had died in 2021 before he did. Some sources cite her as a survivor along with their son. The union needs to memorialize him. He was the one true figure that through time has been the consistent message of the Middle Class.

Senator Manchin has come out declaring thJe Late Richard Trumpka a valued friend and a sincere loss. The Senator needs to understand more about Richard Trumpka's position on voting rights before he can call him a dear friend.

July 15, 2021

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (click here) delivered the following remarks as prepared at the Democracy For All press conference with labor leaders, civil rights leaders and Texas state lawmakers outside the House of Labor. Watch the press conference here.

Good morning. 

Welcome to the House of Labor. Here on Black Lives Matter Plaza. In the shadow of the White House. 

One year ago, in the wake of the protests that happened on this street against racial injustice, America lost one of our greatest guardians of democracy: Congressman John Lewis.

Take a look at this picture. The determination. The passion. The humility. 

I feel John with us today. I feel his love. I feel his fight. 

I feel his hope for what we can do together. And I feel his anger at what is happening all around us. 

John’s devotion to democracy brought him within an inch of death. But Congressman Lewis lived, and he lived to fight for us. 

Now we must honor that legacy. With action. 

John Lewis understood the link between democracy at the ballot box and democracy in the workplace.

Without the right to vote, there is no democracy. Without the right to form a union, there is no democracy. 

Nothing less than our freedom is on the line. 

The labor movement is appalled at the attacks on voting happening across the country. 

And let's call it like it is: The target of this suppression is overwhelmingly Black and Brown Americans. That was not a coincidence during Jim Crow, and it is not a coincidence today.

That’s why the Texas state delegation is in Washington, D.C. and with us today.

They are heroically blocking voter suppression legislation, but they are also giving U.S. senators a clear and common sense assignment: protect voting rights now for Texans and all Americans! 

The labor movement is also appalled at the attacks on unions in America, from Jim Crow right to work laws to the Janus Supreme Court case to union-busting at Amazon. 

Those attacking voting and those attacking unions are one and the same, what Dr. King called “a twin-headed creature spewing anti-Negro epithets from one mouth and anti-labor propaganda from the other mouth.”

These are the founding fathers of January 6. And massive inequality of income, opportunity and power. And the purging of voter rolls. 

And we are going to fight them together. On every single front. With everything we have.

Democracy is not promised. It has to be protected when it's threatened. It has to be perfected so it can be passed onto the next generation. 

John Lewis' life taught us that. 

It has become clearer than ever: to save American democracy, we need democracy in the U.S. Senate. 

And that means passing labor law reform and voter protection legislation with a simple 50-vote majority. 

We cannot allow the minority to block the will of the American people, expressed decisively in the 2020 elections. 

And we cannot afford to let any of our agenda—from democracy in the workplace to democracy at the ballot box to investments in our people—fall victim to a procedural tool conceived in segregation.

It has become clear that one of two things must be pushed aside: the filibuster or the hopes and aspirations of the American people.  

The choice is crystal clear. 

This is a time for the Senate to be courageous and lead...by clearing the way for the PRO Act, S.1, and the entire Workers First Agenda to move forward together. 

Some will say that’s impossible. But every time our democracy has been threatened, Americans found a way to save it. John Lewis devoted his life to strengthening it. 

When John Lewis marched on Washington…

When he marched across the Edmund Pettus in Selma...

When he marched through the halls of Congress...

John Lewis marched for us.

The faithful marches Congressman Lewis led...the moral convictions he embodied...we must carry those forward today.

It’s our turn to pass this test.

Democracy for All. That’s what we’re fighting for. 

And together, with the labor and civil rights movements locked arm in arm, we are going to win it. 

Thank you.

NO MORE NATION BUILDING.

It didn't work in Vietnam, Iraq, and now Afghanistan. If there was ever a chance it might work it would have been Afghanistan. Well, it turned out to be the next failure in the military might be the USA.

Get rid of all AUMF now!!!!

AUMFs relate to the 1991 Gulf War (click here) and a 1957 measure countering ‘Communist aggression’

The USA does not need a war to keep this country's military strength along with NATO. There is more money to spend during peacetime than when at war. It is time to reinvest in the USA and fight the war against greenhouse gases, poverty, and racism. 

When the political right likes to warmonger they point to success stories of nation-building like during WWII with Japan and Germany. That war as well as with World War I was a war of allies to survive evil. Europe and Russia could not defeat the Third Reich. The USA came in with fresh troops and military equipment built by USA industry. We drove the lousy demons back and saved Europe and ended the war with Russia. We would have been next anyway and Japan was already taking advantage of the European War when they bombed Pearl Harbor.

The USA successfully fought a two-front war with the help of FDR and our allies. We saved Europe, but, killed millions of people. It was the only time nuclear warfare ever was used.

Nation-building after WWII was to prevent war, not incite it. It wasn't nation-building either, it was war reparations which is engaged after a war is concluded.

We have had too many wars and not enough diplomacy that works. Diplomats will continue their work with Afghanistan to protect lives and bring about humanitarian efforts. The Taliban will suffer greatly if they simply kill Afghan citizens at will for absolutely no reason at all except to instill fear and control. The Taliban will be held responsible for the deaths of Afghan civilians. 

 

Hey, FOX News, get a clue. This is the best of Republican's generational nation building.

There is no easy way to say goodbye, President Biden took too long to end the American occupation in Afghanistan.

Hm? How long did it take to take Afghanistan from al Qaeda and the Taliban? How long? A generation ago, it took three days from the parachuting in of American soldiers to ride donkeys to their destination. 

THREE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bush's forever war was never authorized.

I really don't want to hear the boohoos about the USA leaving Afghanistan. Any soldier that served in that hell hole, should be pleased we are leaving to save ANOTHER ENTIRE GENERATION from failure.

August 14, 2021

DAN BONGINO: I agree with President Trump and President Biden,(click here)  who both shared the same vision that our mission in Afghanistan is coming to an end. It has to come to an end. The Afghan people have to take responsibility for their own country. I fully agree with their position on that.

But this hasty departure with no concern for force protection or our forces or our people being left behind is insane. We have soldiers still out there. We have soldiers out there now watching this program tonight who lost loved ones or lost pieces of themselves and friends over this overseas....

No sympathy for Pakistan, who took millions if not billions from the USA and turned around to buy weapons from China who then built more nuclear weapons aimed at the USA. Pakistan took care of Osama bin Laden for a long time until a Democratic president finally had the guts to kill him. One block away from the Pakistan military academy and no one knew. Bulloney.

Pakistan reconstituted the Taliban and rearmed them. Over and over again there were reports of how the police of any particular area of Pakistan were unable to enforce the law due to the occupation of the Taliban.

Then there was the Haqqani Network that General Mullen brought to the attention of the Pakistan president. He did that to alert them they should do something about that. The trillions poppy culture was their stronghold. Does the Haqqani network exist today? Of course, it does.

Afghanistan is a cesspool of Muslim losers that put their ideology before the well-being of their families and country. Afghanistan cannot be conquered, the terrain alone makes that impossible.

So, Goodbye to Afghanistan, this is the second chance to be a real country. You failed. 

August 14, 2021

By Emily Schmall

The Taliban (click here) are claiming towns and territories across Afghanistan. With each victory, scrutiny is falling on the leaders of neighboring Pakistan.

For decades, Pakistan has served as a sanctuary for the Afghan Taliban, who have often crossed the countries’ rugged, 1,660-mile border with ease. Officials have acknowledged that Taliban fighters maintain homes and families in Pakistan, at a safe distance from the battlefields.

Now that the American military has declared its part in the Afghan war over, and the Taliban increasingly look as if they can capture the country, Washington is applying pressure on Pakistan to push for a negotiated settlement.

While voicing support for a peaceful solution globally, however, the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan has been quieter at home. It has not spoken out against pro-Taliban rallies within Pakistan. It also hasn’t condemned reported Taliban atrocities as the group marches toward Kabul....

The time is now for search and rescue. No one should be waiting to respond.

August 14, 2021
By Evans Sanon

Port-Au-Prince - At least 227 people were killed (click here) and hundreds were injured and missing after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, and Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he was rushing aid to areas where towns were destroyed and hospitals overwhelmed with incoming patients.

The epicenter of the quake was about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and widespread damage was reported.

Haiti’s civil protection agency said that the death toll stood at 227 and that search teams would be sent to the area. Rescue workers and bystanders were able to pull many people to safety from the rubble, the agency said Saturday afternoon on Twitter. It said injured people were still being brought to hospitals.

Henry declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country and said he would not ask for international help until the extent of the damages was known. He said some towns were almost completely razed and the government had people in the coastal town of Les Cayes to help plan and coordinate the response....

I didn't forget Flint .Flint is the reason I sat down at the computer.

What the heck is this? Nessel is saying the prosecutors for the people of Flint were private lawyers? 

Real cute. Private industry prosecutors are normally called mitigation experts and a one-person Grand Jury.

Prepare a Supreme Court case to get rid of the corruption surrounding the crimes committed against the people of Flint. Snyder and his Attorney General set up a corrupt scenario to avoid prosecution of the real crimes against the people.

There is a bunch of good ole boys running the State of Michigan. Wiped cell phone numbers, a one-man Grand Jury, and now a private prosecutor, instead of the government the people of Michigan pay to bring justice.

There is a lot wrong, It is sounding more like the State of the Lawyers, rather than the people. It is amazing the corruption that exists in that state. There need to be cases that can be appealed to the higher courts to get rid of the corruption, not only surrounding these cases but, in the state in general.

When Ferguson manifested in the State of Missouri, President Obama sent in the Justice Department to identify the problem and find ways forward. It sounds like the same thing here. The people count on a Governor that is uncorrupt and doing the work of the people. What the people don't expect is a system so corrupt that white-collar crime of corruption is never brought to trial and seriously imprison the criminals.

This is going to be a prolonged process because the corruption has to be identified and considering Snyder was Governor when the corruption was organized he is going to face far more than the charges he faces now. But, the corruption has to be identified, weeded out, and then the cases proceed without all this EVASION OF PROSECUTION existing.

Who knew?

August 6, 2021
By Beth LeBlanc

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office (click here) is coming under fire for paying roughly $300,000 to five private lawyers for their work on the Flint water investigation and prosecution.

The private counsel makes up about a quarter of the roughly 20 lawyers who have worked on the investigation since Nessel's office scrapped prior prosecutorial efforts and began from scratch in 2019. The probe concerned Flint's switch under state-appointed emergency managers to a new water source that resulted in lead contamination of the drinking water and that experts linked to an outbreak of Legionnaires' diseases cases and deaths.

Supporters of the nine former state and city officials being prosecuted by Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud's team have cried foul over the employment of the private lawyers because Nessel criticized her predecessor, Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette, for "farming out" the prosecution....

...But Nessel's office has pointed out that her team is being led by a full-time employee of the Attorney General's office and not by a private attorney — as Schuette decided to do with Metro Detroit lawyer Todd Flood.

Nessel agreed early on to handle the civil litigation side of the Flint water crisis investigation and appointed Hammoud to handle the criminal investigation because of inherent conflicts between the two causes. In February 2019, as Nessel announced Hammoud's role, both she and the solicitor general criticized Schuette's handling of the case and his reliance on Flood to lead the prosecution "with practically no oversight by this office whatsoever."....

I get really annoyed when the storm systems in the world are looked at as the "usual" tropical system. This is a heat transfer system. Not hurricane.

Fred and it's heat transfer system (click here)

Looking at the large satellite there is a heck of a storm in the Pacific off Central America and one over Costa Rica. There is another system in the Atlantic, too.

Tropical Strom (where it originated) Fred is over Cuba and in this satellite, it is green in color.

It is not only a storm unto itself, it is the anchor of the branch of the vortex near Greenland and exits north to the Arctic Circle and what is left of the Arctic Ocean.

In this satellite, is appears to be heading straight north from Cuba. Those northern vortexes are strong systems and they are not storms themselves so much as an organization of heat transfer, usually off the Equator. That is why good, ole Fred is part of the northern vortex system. It is one of the mechanisms of the heat transfer system.

That is my estimation. I think the entire State of Florida should be on alert for flooding and high winds. It doesn't look good to me.

that other Atlantic Ocean system following Fred can escalate it's winds because Fred is throwing more water vapor from the ocean into the air. That water vapor will encourage the Atlantic storm to grow and absorb more heat from that water vapor kicked up by Fred.

We are living in ridiculous times. Everyone is supposed to be able to exercise pinpoint accuracy to every danger in life because Artificial Intelligence tells them so. That is a bunch of hogwash. When I watch the film loop of Fred, it is not moving outside the water vapor trail of the northern vortex that mitigates heat. I think it is going north. There is a system coming down from Canada to hold that water vapor trail of the northern vortex in place and even push it slightly east.

I don't find Artificial Intelligence much of a help. I think good old common sense and accurate measurements go a long way to saving lives. Calculations are always a reassurance, but, when it comes right down to it, people have a gut that recognizes the shortcomings of computers and calculations. The tools we use are a help for people, but, they aren't the answer. 

The storm is too wide to only cast clouds and shadows on the western part of Florida. The state needs to be ready for a change in direction due to the approaching front from Canada and the heat transfer vortex near Greenland. I would say there is a lot of uncertainty, especially if one is depending on computers to point the way.

Good luck to everyone.