Paper presented at the Association of Asian Studies (AAS) Forum conducted at the Hilton Hotel, New York, March 27-30, 2003

Religious and Islamic Fundamentalism  (click here for downloadable pdf)

Islam is obviously an open-minded and inclusive faith, and is not an intolerant political ideology nor is a religion which forces people to embrace.  The Qur’an is very clear that “there is no force in religion” (QS al-Baqarah/2:256).   

However, the fundamentalists have exposed a face of the religion which is terrorizing global human security.  Islamic fundamentalism has displayed a terrifying face of Islam because of its characters, mainly in exerting an aggressive agenda for the politicization of the religion to achieve certain objectives.  Religious symbols have been used to pursue political agenda.  It is, therefore, important to distinguish Islam as a belief and cultural system and Islam as a tool to build political legitimacy by political authorities, oppositions and other fundamentalist movements....

The strain of Islamic faith considered to be valid by extremists is actually a lie. The majority of Muslims, with Indonesia being the largest population of Muslims in the world, do not practice this fundamentalist extremism. 

In the case of a book in Indonesia introduced to turn children into extremists is worrisome. It could literally undermine benevolent societies into war machines through elections. 

It appears there is a charismatic movement within the Muslim faith characterized by extremism practiced in violence. This type of charismatic movement could survive past the end of regimes such as Daesh. 

March 24, 2015
By Janelle P
 
Teachings of fundamental Islam (click here) similar to Islamic State ideology have crept into Indonesian public schools. A textbook on the subject of the Islamic religion being used in a senior high school in an East Java province carries a statement that “people who worship other than Allah (non-Muslims) should be killed.”

This finding raised a critical concern among local media, which reported that this might be a sign of deeper infiltration of the Islamic State into the Indonesian education system. Some suspect that identical books have been distributed to other provinces.
While fundamentalist teachings are common in Islamic boarding schools, it is the first time they have reached government-run schools, where a majority of Indonesians attend.

“These books can further propel the spread of extremism in the country,” said Sidney Jones, an international expert on terrorism.

East Java is one of the most hostile places for Indonesian Christians to live. It has witnessed assaults of believers, such as the multiple stabbings of an evangelist while he was asleep. The presence of literature hostile to Christians could further justify violence in the name of religion. Pray that the government would take firm action by banning the books....

It seems Easter has brought the reality of recent deaths of Christians center stage.

April 5, 2015
By Ruth Giedhill

The Archbishop of Canterbury (click here) and the Pope will today issue a powerful call today on behalf of all Christians persecuted by Islamic militants worldwide.

Pope Francis warns in his Easter homily of the difficulty of maintaining the Christians presence in lands where most Christians used to live.

Archbishop Justin Welby says issues such as sexuality which have torn churches apart internally, along with politics and gender, are "irrelevant".

He uses his Easter sermon today to remember the hundreds of thousands of Christians being martyred in Africa and the Middle East....

Hundreds of thousands? 

...Life for Christians in most of the 50 countries on the Open Doors world watch list is getting more difficult, the charity says...

"Open Doors" (click here)

...In Syria along, four in ten Christians have fled the country. Nigeria, Iraq and Sudan are among the countries where thousands are suffering still, while in North Korea, which heads the persecution list, tens of thousands have been banished, arrested, tortured and killed and where the kidnapping and arrest of South Korean missionary Kim Jeong-Wook saw dozens more, presumed to be Christians, also rounded up, tortured and murdered.

In Pakistan Christians are socially excluded, living in fear of trumped-up blasphemy charges. Open doors says persecution is increasing most rapidly in Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa where even Christian-majority states are experiencing unprecedented levels of exclusion, discrimination and violence. Kenya, the scene of the terrible mass university shootings, was the highest riser on the latest watch list, up to 19th from 43. Open Doors says Islamic extremism is "the most significant engine of persecution".

April 5, 2015
By Ines San Martin

ROME — As Christians commemorate (click here) the suffering and death of Jesus on Good Friday, attacks on believers in various parts of the world are causing many pastors and other leaders to cast modern martyrdom as an extension of Christ’s agony which, they say, will also end in the resurrection.

During the Easter period, Christian churches in India have stepped up security fearing attacks from radical Hindus, a university in Kenya is recovering from a rampage by Muslim extremists that targeted Christians and left an estimated 147 people dead, and fear hangs over Church services in Iraq and Syria where Christian holy days tend to be favorite windows for ISIS assaults.

Facing those realities, Pope Francis said on Wednesday that the Christian martyrs of today, by shedding their blood, join Christ in serving the Church as witnesses to the faith.

“Even today, there are many men and women, true martyrs, who offer their lives with Jesus to confess the faith,” the pope said. “It is a service: Christian witness to the point of shedding blood.”...

...In India, after a series of attacks on churches in the capital, New Delhi, the local police enlisted more than 10,000 officers to guard the services during Holy Week....

Security gaurds were tied...(click here)
The men escaped with some cash, a mobile phone, a laptop computer and a camera, all belonging to the school, the officer said. They also ransacked the school's chapel and holy items, the Press Trust of India news agency cited the archbishop of Kolkata, Thomas D'Souza, as saying....

...The Indian Express reported on Wednesday that churches are being barricaded along a half-mile radius, fearing terrorist attacks from extremist Hindus.
Last month, a nun in her 70s was gang-raped by a group of men in India. The men who attacked the Convent of Jesus and Mary School also ransacked the chapel and destroyed holy items, police said.

Last Friday in Egypt, while locals were celebrating a Mass to mark 40 days since the death of the 21 Coptic Christians beheaded by ISIS in Libya, a church that was being built in their memory was attacked with petrol bombs by Muslims protesting its proposed location.

On the same day, a mob identified by witnesses as composed of members of the Muslim Brotherhood attacked the home of a family of one of the martyrs.
British Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s foreign minister, presided over a prayer vigil in Rome this Tuesday, organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio, a movement that specializes in inter-faith dialogue.

During his sermon, Gallagher strongly condemned terrorism, saying that a martyr is someone who gives his or her life for the love of God, not who sheds it. A martyr is the victim, he said, not the victimizer....

Back in the USA for a pause.

April 5, 2015
By Kim Trent

...Perhaps (click here) that is why I'm so inspired by the life of white civil rights martyr Viola Liuzzo. A Detroiter, Liuzzo spent part of her childhood in the Jim Crow South, but from a young age, she rejected the region's ideas about white supremacy. She became a dues-paying member of the NAACP in the 1940s, a time when such an act was considered to be wildly radical even for Southern blacks, and much more so for a white woman. She donated money to black college charities. Her best friend was a black woman, Sarah Evans, and Liuzzo's five children were raised with Evans' family and taught that people of all races are created equal....

April 5, 2015
By Cassandra  Spartling
 
But it got worse for her family. The FBI assassinated her character, spreading rumors she was unfaithful and an unfit mother. Crosses were burned at her family's home and her five children, ages 6 to 18, were taunted. Husband Anthony Liuzzo Sr. hired armed guards to protect their home.
During the radio report, a daughter talked about how sad the family was that Detroit's only tribute was a deteriorating city park a few miles from their old house.
Mezza, who lives in St. Clair Shores, wanted to do something. She called her longtime friend and running buddy Julie Hamilton of Royal Oak, and the two women set out to restore the park, and Viola Liuzzo's name....

Viola Liuzzo Park Association (click here)

Iran should consider sending three Americans home. It has nothing to do with a framework for Iran's nuclear program.

Naghmeh Abedini, Saeed Abedini (click here) and the children.

January 21, 2015

Update (Mar. 20): Despite asking the President of the United States in person (click here) to "please bring daddy home for my birthday," Jacob Abedini turned seven years old on Tuesday (Mar. 17) without his father, Saeed Abedini. But President Obama marked the Iranian New Year today by demanding that Iran's government "immediately release" the imprisoned pastor and two other Americans.

"Saeed Abedini of Boise, Idaho has spent two and a half years detained in Iran on charges related to his religious beliefs," said Obama. "He must be returned to his wife and two young children, who needlessly continue to grow up without their father."...

...More than 100,000 people had signed a petition, sponsored by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), asking the President to let Naghmeh make a “personal appeal for her husband” during his visit today to Boise, Idaho. Obama met privately with her and her two children for about 10 minutes.

“I am extremely thankful the President took the time to meet with our family and told us that securing the release of my husband is a top priority,” said Naghmeh Abedini, according to an ACLJ statement. “The President was focused and gracious—showing concern to me and my children. I know that this meeting could not have occurred without prayer, and I am grateful to the many people around the country and world who continue to pray for Saeed’s release....

Two months later another asking for the return of Americans.

March 20, 2015

 

The spirit of family (click here) is deeply woven into all of the rich cultural traditions of the Nowruz holiday.  It is a time for reuniting and rejoicing with loved ones and sharing hopes for the new year.  Today, as families across the world gather to mark this holiday, we remember those American families who are enduring painful separations from their loved ones who are imprisoned or went missing in Iran.

Saeed Abedini of Boise, Idaho has spent two and a half years detained in Iran on charges related to his religious beliefs.  He must be returned to his wife and two young children, who needlessly continue to grow up without their father.

Amir Hekmati (click here) is a different class of prisoner. He actually was a USA military soldier. After leaving the military he went to work as a consult for private contractors regarding cultural standards in other countries. The program he was working for was Human Terrain System (HTS). It was simply an independent system for awhile, but, as of 2011 it has been considered part of USA intelligence. It puts Amir Hekmati in more peril than an ordinary visitor to Iran. I am sure he wasn't acting for the USA government in intelligence gathering, but, to another government he appears to be a threat by credentials only.

Amir Hekmati of Flint, Michigan has been imprisoned in Iran on false espionage charges for over three and a half years.  His family, including his father who is gravely ill, has borne the pain of Amir's absence for far too long.

Jason Rezaian of Marin County, California, an Iranian government credentialed reporter for the Washington Post, has been unjustly held in Iran for nearly eight months on vague charges.  It is especially painful that on a holiday centered on ridding one’s self of the difficulties of the past year, Jason’s mother and family will continue to carry the heavy burden of concern regarding Jason’s health and well-being into the new year....

Journalists are frequently considered an enemy of the state because they collect information for publication. The government in many instances likes to control the information available to their citizens. Unfortunately, when a Western journalist practices his craft it appears as though it is an anti-government activity. What makes Jason's disappearance worrisome is that he is a credentialed Washington Post journalist. Major media organizations don't put their journalists in a country for the sake of espionage.

FOR Jason Rezaian, the Iran correspondent of the Washington Post and his wife Yeganeh Salehi, herself a journalist, the knock on the door came on July 22nd. Security men took them away and, almost two weeks later, they and a photographer for the American newspaper are still in custody. Nobody knows what they are accused of and family members have received no information about their whereabouts. On August 4th the case became murkier when it was reported that the caretaker of Mr Rezaian's building died after being tasered by Revolutionary Guards when he asked to see an arrest warrant....

April 5, 2015
By Kathryn Jean Lopez

Pope Francis has said that there are at least as many martyrs today as during the times of the early church. This isn’t an academic debate. And even as we’ve been touched by the testimonies of relatives of Christian martyrs in the Middle East and Africa, it still may seem a world away. A visit to that area from an American presidential candidate could lead the way in bringing the tragic and inspiring stories home....

...”Religious freedom (click here) is a sacred space that must be protected in the name of civilization,” Nebraska Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, co-chair of the Caucus for Religious Minorities in the Middle East, tells me....

...He adds a visit to the area by an American presidential candidate would be a “bonanza for the humanitarian agencies like Catholic Relief Services and World Vision.” For anyone seeking to be president, it would not only demonstrate some mature leadership, it would also be the decent thing to do.

Everyone benefits from protecting human dignity.

Speaking during a “religious freedom summit” put on by New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan just before Easter, an imam suggested that Muslims take a lead from Catholics and others who have worked to integrate their faith into a pluralistic society.

Truth be told, Christians in the West have miles to go yet in terms of emulating Christ, but in walking that humble walk, by seeing God in others, they do make a difference....

I don't know how realistic it is for all US Presidential candidates to make a trip to the Middle East to promote the well being of Christians. Not because they don't care about the faith, but, because there is a a fairly good chance they may meet up with violence.

I don't believe anyone should be setting a standard involving unknown danger for potential leaders of the free world. I think that comes later after they are elected. 

The fact of the matter is, Christians across the world are running into problems with prison or worse, even in countries such as China.

Kenya is a disaster. This attack was expected.

There is something very wrong with the attacks on Garissa University College campus. The university was primarily Christian in a strongly Muslim region. Even students claiming to be Muslim to save their own lives had been given a chance to prove it by reciting a Muslim prayer. There is no doubt this is an attack that can be called ethnic cleansing. Some of the students worried about an attack and resolved they would be okay due to a nearby security headquarters. The few survivors stated they did not understand why it took hours for the security unit to arrive.

There are many questions without answer currently. I am sure there will human rights groups looking into this massacre. There is no surprise there is a new President in Kenya. How many bad decisions are made internationally that imperil Christians?  That is what occurred here. Ethnic cleansing. Why was this location chosen when Christian students dominated the population and feared an attack exactly like this would occur?

April 5, 2015
By Robin Dixon

Kenyan Christians hold candles as they offer prayers Sunday at a Catholic church in Garissa for the 148 people killed in an attack on Garissa University College by the Islamist militant group Shabab. (Dai Kurokawa / European Pressphoto Agency)

...In a town (click here) long known for violent extremist attacks, the campus of mainly Christian students was an obvious target in a predominantly Muslim area within striking distance of Somalia, 90 miles away. Students said they felt unsafe and exposed, knowing the university was vulnerable to attack.

“We were fearing that if these people [Shabab] came, they could kill many, many Christians,” said Muli, who had been shot in the thigh but survived in his hiding place. He said the government “failed to protect us. We are angry, because we lost some of our best friends. We think, ‘How come security wasn’t there when we were are the university?’ They took no care.”

Garissa University College was inaugurated in 2011, the first university in northeastern Kenya, but its first full-year intake was in 2013. Students said almost no one wanted to be there because of Garissa’s security problem, but they were declined spots on the mother campus, Moi University in Eldoret. Most wanted to transfer, but found it impossible....

Is religion and faith the next sexual harassment?

Is praying for a peer an aggressive thing to do? This case is interesting because the employment 

April 5, 2015
By Elaine O-flynn 

A devout Christian (click here) has launched an appeal against an employment tribunal which found she had ‘bullied’ a Muslim colleague by praying for her and inviting her to church.

Victoria Wasteney, 38, says she was branded a ‘religious nutcase’ when she was suspended from her job as a senior occupational therapist, after her colleague Enya Nawaz, then aged 25, accused her of trying to convert her to Christianity.

Her lawyers have now submitted a challenge to an employment tribunal, arguing that they broke the law by restricting her freedom of conscience and religion - enshrined in article nine of the European Convention of Human Rights.

Miss Wasteney, a born-again Christian, was working at the St John Howard Centre in Homerton, east London, when she became friendly with a junior colleague Miss Nawaz.

The two women had discussed Islam and Christianity, as well as the work done by her church at the Christian Revival Church in the O2 Arena in Greenwich against human trafficking....

This particular employer in London is not affiliated with a religious order of any king. It is a mental health facility where dangerous criminals are maintained.

Switchboard - John Howard Center (click here).

It's Sunday Night

"Holy" by Pvris (click here)

Yeah, you've got it all,
But you've got it all wrong.
No, you don't know
You're a poor unfortunate soul.
Oh I know,
You make it seem that you feel whole,
So they don't know
You're a poor unfortunate soul.

Yeah you put on a faith facade,
Think you're holy when you're not.
I hate to break it to you baby,
But you're simply lost.
You can right all the wrongs just to feel you belong,
But simply calling out sins don't bring you closer to God.
You're just a ghost at most,
A set of empty bones,
Searching for anything and everything to make you feel whole,
When it gets cold, oh oh oh.

You don't know.
No you don't know.
Oh you're all alone,
You poor unfortunate soul.
You can't control where your body lets you go.
Oh you're all alone,
You poor unfortunate soul.

And you say that I've got it all wrong.
'Cause you just know I'm a poor unfortunate soul.

But there's no way that there's weight in the words that you preach,
When you're claiming your faith and you contradict your speech.
So I sit here and listen to your tongue and cheek,
I know that when you sit and pray you're only praying for keeps.
Cause you're a ghost at most,
A set of empty bones,
Searching for anything and everything to make you feel whole,
When it gets cold, oh oh oh.

You don't know.
No you don't know.
Oh you're all alone,
You poor unfortunate soul.
You can't control where your body lets you go.
Oh you're all alone,
You poor unfortunate soul.

You're shallow and empty and filled with regret.
I think that chest must be heavy from that cross on your neck
You only wear 'cause you're wary of what comes next after you're death.
Don't think I didn't notice.

Don't think I didn't notice.

Don't think I didn't know you just a po-oh-oh-oh
Poor unfortunate so-o-o-oul
Poor unfortunate so-o-o-oul
Poor unfortunate so-o-o-oul
Poor unfortunate

And you've got it all (poor unfortunate so-o-o-oul)
You've got it all wrong (poor unfortunate so-o-o-oul)
No you'll never know, never know, never know (poor unfortunate so-o-o-oul)
You're a poor unfortunate soul.

Don't think I didn't notice.

"LGBT not welcome here."

Governor Bobby Jindal stated the RFRA laws proposed does not ban the LGBT community from any participation of society's everday activities.

BUT. And it is a huge but.

The LGBT community cannot participate in any marriage in any restaurant or organization's hall if they are denied services because of religious devotion.

So, Bobby Jindal states, the religious discrimination can be practiced underground. If Bennigans has a hall for rent for special occasions it can deny the same members of the LGBT community it willing serves in their restaurant. It is unconstitutional as the RFRA laws are.

When these young ladies decide to marry they are not going to find a hall that will serve them or a bakery or a florist because they are lesbians. Tell me where the rights of these young women change because they decide to get married?

No law can create an underground that will breed voids of services for LGBT Americans? Where in the USA Constitution is there the right of people to deny services to the LGBT Community. I want to know where exactly the US Constitution removes the rights from these young women? 

October 30, 2013
By Lucy Hallowell

We told you about (click here) Br{ache the Silence (BTS) last month. The organization is working to end discrimination and homophobia in women’s sports and has just put out its first video in its Tour of Champions. The Tour’s purpose is to use NCAA Champion teams and individuals to send the message that LGBTQ athletes are welcome in women’s sports at its highest levels.
The first stop on the tour is Storrs, Connecticut home to the University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball Team. The Huskies won the NCAA Championship a year ago and were voted number one in the coaches poll yesterday. The team has won eight national championships and has been at the top of the sport for more than a decade. When the top team in the country makes a video that says not only are gay players welcome here, but discrimination is absolutely not, it’s a message that filters down through other programs....

The discrimination is not based in the Freedom of Religion Right in the First Amendment. There is no justification in the First Amendment for discrimination of any American based in religion. 

The First Amendment of the USA Constitution PROVIDES a SPACE for religious practice in the country. It does not provide a place of the practice of religion in an underground framework in any law.

Is an organization withholding services to the LGBT community, allowed to post signs openly that it does not serve the LGBT patrons in private party services? What does that look like? Can a business owned by a Christian be allowed to post a sign that states we only serve the LGBT community in the back of the restaurant? Is that same organization or business that refuses the LGBT certain services allowed to post a sign stating they refuse to allow any LGBT person from using the public restroom open to heterosexuals. They discriminate between the two. Those discriminating in certain services, where do their services stop? Serving food. The LGBT Community is allowed to go into businesses and organizations' building, but, they can be refused services. 

Who decides what services are provided to them? 

Can a florist have a defined limited menu of choices for anyone LGBT and make it so hideous no one would want that arrangement, hence, they are not welcome. This is the same exact basis of the poll tax. By law everyone can vote, but, certain ethnicities have to pass tests or pay for a voter registration card so expensive no one can afford it.

There is always a way to defeat laws without really breaking the law. 

There can be no special status for public services or services by private industry that serves the public. If A minister states he or she only provides services to those of the same faith he is legitimate, but, he is legitimate anyway. He is not obligated to perform marriages to anyone outside of his faith. That already exists.

Just because the butcher, the baker and the candle stick maker is Christian, there is no special status. The business cannot refuse services simply because a person is not of their faith. If at Easter all he provides for purchase is Hot Cross Buns, that is legitimate, but, that is legitimate anyway. If a baker wants to provide a service to Christians and limits the choice from a religious definition, it is allowed so long as the entire community can have access unless the service is provided in a different space exclusively refusing LGBT individuals. 

That is very true of the Jewish faith when they are shopping for 'correct' menus for their family. Walk into any public grocer and find products or a section that is Kosher. That is what most Americans expect. They expect to find choices based in their faith because that is good business. If a grocer wants to make profits, it will occur because the community has it's needs met. 

This idea there can be a separate but equal place for the public in any establishment is discrimination and assaults the individual's identity. It is an attack against a person that has no control over their genetic identity. 

The legislation is illegitimate for all these reasons and more. Can LGBT be treated in a Christian hospital?  

How does anyone decide what child is gay or straight? Does a day care center managed by a Christian owner have the right to determine if a child is gay and prohibit that child from services reserved for 'normal' children? If that owner is required to provide services to the public will that mean the children of gay parents be placed in a certain room with different playground time than children of straight parents? Where does the special status stop? Who determines the rules? 

The RFRA laws state services have to be provided to the LGBT community, EXCEPT, for special circumstances. Who defines what those special services are and how are they administered?

Providing certain rights but not all rights to the LGBT Community is toxic to our society. It will hurt people if it doesn't already. 

What qualifications does it take to fly in a jet? Certain jets are set aside for the LGBT Community? Is Amtrak exempt from any rules and must provide accommodations for the entire public or is a Christian noting the RFRA law which states they have special status and cannot sit in the same train car as any LGBT person to be accommodated? 

RFRA rules are nighmares and belong nowhere in American legislation that passes into law.

Governor Brown needs to hold town hall meetings and not simply hand out summons.

April 4, 2015
By Frank Shyong, Hailey Branson-Potts and Matt Stevens

There are few signs of California’s epic drought (click here) along a stretch of Maple Drive in Beverly Hills.
Deep green front lawns stretch out, dotted with healthy trees and sculpted foliage. The only brown lawn in sight was at a home under construction.
As California gears up for the first mandatory water restrictions in its history, a long-standing class divide about water use is becoming increasingly apparent....

Water is a big deal. It is a part of our lives in insidious ways. No one no matter what community they live in believes they would have to part with this vital component of this entitlement of life. 

Besides the communities, there are businesses that are going lose revenue because they won't have the same Spring Time and Summer Time market places. They can become inventive and invite ideas such as sand boxes for the children and patio furniture where dinner is served. 

But, water is something most people take for granted and I guarantee you no matter who it is this idea of sacrificing more and more is stressful. Imagine that. The lack of water in day to day life is stressful. Water is stressful when there is too much of it and now it is stressful when there is too little.

The folks in Beverly Hills have spoiled themselves into thinking they can have everything they want if only they pay the bill. They aren't so much belligerent as they are soiled. They don't know what it is to sacrifice. That seems obvious to me.

Governor Brown should hold town hall meetings across the state. He needs to hear what people think and offer them remedies to cope. I personally challenge him to bring back water to all of California in one year. This time next year California needs water flowing and crops blooming and Beverly Hills getting off their psychologist couch.

It is important Governor Brown has this relationship with the people. Everyone needs to be connected. Their sacrifice has to be realized and their suggestions and complaints noted. 

This is a very difficult time. Crime may escalate and jobs might be lost. The Governor has to bring about an understanding that he is aware of their burden his ambitions to bring an end to the water shortage.  It may even be wise to have an emergency plan ready with water trucked in should the drought this summer become unbearable. Citizens can have copies of emergency plans for reassurance.

The people living in Beverly Hills need to have a small greenhouse(s) on the property where rare and important plants can receive attention if they haven't made the jump to light speed yet. Water needs of special and precious plants can be better managed in a greenhouse where their own humidity can be contained. Those folks will need their gardeners all the more to control the climate in order for those plants to be maintained. 

Governor Brown is up to this. If there is still noncompliance after a town hall meeting then citations for breaking the law should be issued. I wish everyone good luck.   

Modern day nuclear arsenals define the brinkmanship that exists in our world today.

I read somewhere that Russia is unhappy with any interceptor missiles deployed in Europe.

Really?

If Russia's only protection were large number of tigers I would think the interceptors were nonsense and stupid, but, that isn't the case is it? 

Clue: Ukraine and the former treaty.

Think about it.

It is my estimation the interceptors will be the last missile system removed once all nations' nuclear arsenals are destroyed and that level of intimidation is gone from Earth. There will still be some conflict such as exists with Israel and Palestine whereby interceptors will carry brevity, but, most use of them will be mute after the nuclear weapons are ended.

Both the USA Democrats and leadership in Russia should recognize modern day use of such WMD as nuclear weapons. They define the brinkmanship that lead to the invasion into Iraq and same with Ukraine. China also uses them to intimidate to expand it's sovereign borders. 

The threat is very real. I believe President Putin was prepared to use them over Ukraine if tensions were not somewhat cooled. Now, today, Ukraine wishes it never gave up it's nuclear arsenal. They believe their country would have remained intact and sovereign if the nukes were ever present. That is a very scary reality for all people of this Earth. 

If there is one aspect of international governance that is a pariah it is nuclear weapons. It is so ridiculous to regard those weapons as necessary in the 21st century.

Unfortunately, there are examples in Japan of what exactly nukes can do to a country and society. The warning is just not heeded. Nukes leverage too much power and cause international conflict because of the nature of the weapon itself. If we only realized after WWII what a horror was unleashed in Japan and actively sought to remove such a threat from our children's futures the Middle East would not have the problems that exists today. 

The unspoken threat. That is what nukes have become. 

Are they an equalizer in the balance of power between nations? I don't think so. There have been a deterioration of countries such as Pakistan in the face of ownership of such weapons. As a matter of fact, the nukes Pakistan has are the reason why the country has deteriorated and compromised the tribal areas with terrorists. The bad guys want them to use against whomever they perceive as an enemy.

Someday, leaders with such capacity will look at their people and realize they are innocent participants in a danger they abhor. The French today find nukes a huge immoral presence in their country. The French wanted and had plans to remove them from any military reality of their country, but, then came the issue of Ukraine. Ukraine and the broken treaty did a lot of damage to sanity and movement away from nukes.  

Someday, leaders will realize the imposition of these weapons on the stability of the world's powers, the brinkmanship they allow and will demand a higher moral standard for war as practiced in the Geneva Conventions. Someday. It might not be in my lifetime, but, it will happen and Earth will find peace and benevolence among people.

I hope that will come sooner than later, but, realistically I know there is a 'presence of threat' that has been renewed as of 2001 and the civil war of Ukraine. It feels pretty lousy to be one of the P5 and be responsible for the deaths in Japan. It really does.

"The Iran Deal"

The audacity of hope. You see the flag in that picture. Amazing.

President Obama is proving why the people placed trust in him, not once, but, twice. He is a magnificent president. His transparency makes politics difficult for some of the Democrats in Washington, DC as they head home, but, his peers should be proud of him. 

It is unfortunate the Supreme Leader is so negative about the deal, but, he is on the other side of any threat of war with this deal. For that he should be grateful. His people are excited about their choice of President and the fact President Rouhani has actually negotiated the country's historic diplomacy. 

Just listen to this tape. Magnificent. And to think the Supreme Leader is disgruntled over the agreement and the pledge by President Rouhani to have it survive the criticism. Incredible and makes quite a statement by the President of both Iran and the USA.

April 3, 2015
By Greg Botelho

Iran's President (click here for video) on Friday hailed the proposed international deal on his country's nuclear program, vowing that Iran will stick to its promises and -- assuming other countries live up to their end of the bargain -- become a more active, engaged player in world affairs.

"Some think that we should either fight ... or we should surrender to other powers," President Hassan Rouhani said. "However, we believe none of that. There is a third path. We can cooperate with the world."

Rouhani said his government kept its word to Iranians when negotiating the framework deal, which was agreed upon Thursday and sets parameters for talks that could lead to a comprehensive deal by a June 30 deadline. Chief among them is that Iran would keep at least some centrifuges and no longer face international sanctions.... 

Kindly remember, there were concessions made at the very first beginnings of these talks. The Iranian government has lived up to every one of those concessions. President Rouhani did not play politics or bargain with the lives of Iranians; he was steadfast in providing reason to the P5 that he was an honorable and truthful leader deserving of trust.

I still pinch myself to realize Secretary Kerry found a way forward and solidified that framework. It is a good deal. It is negotiated through international law that governs such dangerous weapons. Kerry and the President were nothing short of brilliant. I am so pleased the former Senator from Massachusetts was able to carry out such an incredible document. I am happy and I am happy for the Iranian people. 

I am more confident today that the future holds a time when nuclear weapons will become a complete affront to the global conscience. It is a verifiable treaty. It will stand. Do I fear Iran? No. I fear the nukes and that goes for any nuclear weapon capacity.

This is a victory for the Iranian political moderates. The people trusted them and they have prevailed in their promise to Iran. This is a very good thing for all of Iran.

I find that statement about RIFR by Jeb Bush very interesting.

He said, "I didn't expect the backlash...."

It shows he is not prepared to be the President of the USA. When he stated he didn't expect the backlash he was simply following the politics of his party. I guarantee you even today he hasn't familiarized himself to the law. 

Then he continued his endorsement of Governor Pence's RFIR law. He stated, "...when all the facts are established..."

That is a familiar Republican paradigm for lies and deceptions to the electorate. Rather than stating the law may not be necessary under our Constitution he postponed his decision waiting for the facts.

Do Republicans lie? Do they deceive? You betcha, one of the hallmarks of Republican governance is to manipulate the public to prevent backlash and when it happens no one is wrong in the first place and the public over reacted. The Public must be nothing more than basket cases and primarily women who listen to every word their spouses tell them.

I think one of the most famous and current reflections of the SOP Republican Lie belongs to Senator Bob Corker and the VW union vote. That man lied about every aspect of the presence of a union with VW. The company thought it was a good idea to have a union, because, their corporate structure requires representation of the labor force in management decisions. 

The lies didn't start with Senator Corker, they stated with partisan politics at the state level in Kentucky. 

February 11, 2014 

By Steven Greenhouse

...State Senator Bo Watson, (click here) who represents a suburb of Chattanooga, warned on Monday that if VW’s workers voted to embrace the U.A.W., the Republican-controlled Legislature might vote against approving future incentives to help the plant expand.

“The members of the Tennessee Senate will not view unionization as in the best interest of Tennessee,” Mr. Watson said at a news conference. He added that a pro-U.A.W. vote would make it “exponentially more challenging” for the legislature to approve future subsidies....

That level of interference with a PRIVATE COMPANY is incredibly invasive to a person's work place and is a threat to their future of holding down a job. Now I would expect if the company was practicing coercion in the work place by threatening employees with their jobs in a general statement, as in voting practices and/or religious expression, enforcing a 'desired culture;' it would be appropriate to ask local prosecutors and/or even the SBI to investigate or simply refer the employees to a US Attorney regarding labor laws in Kentucky.

February 20, 2014
By Stephen Crockett

Last week’s Volkswagen worker unionization vote (click here) in Tennessee was the dirtiest union election of the 21^st Century with all the dirty tactics coming from outside anti-union political forces.

Without the intimidation and lies of elected Tennessee Republicans along with billionaire financed national right-wing groups, the union would almost surely have won the union representation vote. (A slim majority of 53 percent of plant workers opposed unionization.)...

But, for a US Senator to back the threats made by state legislators and act completely unethically in his capacity there should have been ethics investigation of the US Senator with a referral to state investigators to close the loop with others involved in the lies to and manipulation of the public.

There is a level of privacy innate to any work place. Bathrooms, break time, phone calls to others within work break times, lunch and socializing or not with peers and the list goes on. The relationship with the company is extremely important and to realize state and federal legislators will put their thumb on the scale through abuse of power is outrageous. The legislators lied about everything and today the UAW has a union in the VW plant anyway. 

That is why Republicans count on their image and ability to manipulate the public. The will become a member of the dinner table without even knowing a family because that is the image they portray. 

The FIDUCIARY relationship between Republicans and there electorate is chronically unethical and invades a home's privacy.

Their favorite statement is "...when all the facts are in, things will be seen differently." They are calming the waters so THEIR interpretation of political atmospherics will prevail. Doesn't it usually? When Republicans step into a situation and state the facts will bear out, don't they usually? And normally those that challenged Republicans are to be meek and apologetic to all that is possible under that interpretation of events.

In regard to Pence? He has from the beginning been lying. He is still lying. He won't stop lying because rather than the truth he has hung his hat on a lie and now he has to make the lie the truth.

Good governance is not simply 'the best in political theater.' It is actually knowing and understanding what is occurring within the legislative process, judicial process and the actual power leveraged by legislation. A Republican will lie and simply pat any objector on the head and send them out to play in a world unfit for their daily lives. 

When citizens 'act up' in opposition to something said or legislated, what is going on there? Sometimes it's politics, but, Americans have an inherent knowledge of their lives and their idea of good governance. When people strongly oppose government in the USA it is because the 'status quo' in their lives has been rattled. People know 'when something is wrong.' They know when their lives have been affected by an act of government. That 'knowing' is important because within it is 'the lie' facing the Republican politicians and THEIR BACKLASH against the public. 

It is not up to the public to take time out of their daily lives to fight for their rights. Their elected officials are suppose to know the rights afforded the people under the constitution and act accordingly. People should not be upset because a politician is voting or acting in opposition to their understanding of the laws within the life they lead. 

Legislation is not suppose to remove rights from people or penalize them unfairly enforcing poverty or poor health that can kill them. Legislation is to address new ideas that will enhance the electorates' quality of life or solve problems, which might be the same thing. The legislative process is not suppose to come out of the woodwork like cockroaches. It isn't suppose to be Citigroup handing a politician an amendment TO DEEPLY IMPORTANT legislation like the US Budget. 

Those elected are suppose to live up to the moral obligations of providing for THE PUBLIC GOOD and protection. Now compare that to what happened in Kentucky over VW. Reflect now on the completely inappropriate RFRA laws and know they assault not only human rights, but, legal standing of an entire class of people in the USA. 

Indiana's RFRA law is unconstitutional and we know it. It allows discrimination and we know it. We know Pence is lying to appease his so called "base" and bring about discrimination and hatred of the LGBT community. Hate? Yes, because all this will be interpreted by some of the electorate or public (which is not the same thing, but, should be) as permission to grow hatred and to influence the outcomes of elections at the cost of human quality of life or life itself. Do I have to give examples?  

What is more important is the Republicans not only lie, but, they know they are lying. When they state, "...when all the facts are known..." they are looking for wiggle room to make the lie the truth. That is very passive aggressive. It just is. The lie that becomes the truth mostly is to appease and provide services to the cronies that elected them. It is not about the people. It is for that reason Republicans are mostly untrustworthy of the votes and power they are provided. 

The Indiana RFRA law should have never made it the Governor's Desk, yet alone the legislative agenda. But, governance by Republicans means acting in the best interest of their 'base electorate,' which is not the public because Republicans practice voter oppression as in the 2000 Dade County purging of the African American electorate.

So, for those that look at this entry and state, THOSE simple words caused all this? I say, it sure did, so stop lying.

Oh, one more thing. 

Harry Reid. 

He didn't lie, he just wasn't as quick on his feet as he should have been. I am quite confident when he stated as Senate Majority Leader, "Romney didn't pay taxes," it was to provide an impetus to disclosure that the public was clamoring for. I doubt Senator Reid knew whether or not Romeny paid taxes, but, it sure appeared to be the case. Senator Reid could not rifle through IRS forms to LEAK a definitive statement, he simply came to conclusions most of the electorate was coming to.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid knew he should find a way and there was a lot going on to bring about a disclosure of which at least the 47% wanted from Romney. The statement by Harry was somewhat proven a lie as well when Romney at the very least disclosed two tax returns. 

I have to laugh when pundits today state, "Hillary must have something to hide because she didn't turn over the server (which doesn't belong to her, but, her spouse that happens to be the Former President of the USA) and erased private emails. It is one thing to be a strong Democratic candidate and have their reputation played with and it is quite another to be a wealthy Republican candidate and be proud of the fact he didn't want to disclose his tax returns. 

There were many issues with Romney. He had absolutely no foreign affairs experience, he coveted his income tax filings and he pandered to wealthy donors by mocking 47% of the population when the economy had dumped so many at the doorstep of poverty or worse in 2008. He had no empathy, which is strongly Republican. Romney's credentials is counter culture to the majority of the people of the USA. He annihilated companies that provided work for Americans and called it moral at his garage sales. It wasn't Harry Reid that caused the defeat of Mitt Romney, it was Romney himself.