Religious Cover To Evil; The Slavery and Rape Of Yazidi Women And Children

    Grown men took helpless women and children, believing their religion gives them the right to enslave and rape. Many women are being raped multiple times by multiple men who have no regards for the enormous physical and emotional harm they inflict. Children are raped by men that do not care about destroying a child's life, and that believe their religion allows them to commit this evil against children as young as nine. Thousands of helpless Yazidi women and children are still in the hands of ISIS Islamists.
      In some of the wealthiest oil rich countries in the world, religious figures justify slavery and rape against so called infidels. ISIS did not appear out of a vacuum. When one day they are defeated militarily, new ISIS type groups will form in their wake, and existing ISIS type groups will grow. Because as long as evil finds religious cover, this will never stop.
 
   
         

Obama, 400,000 dollars, And The Road to Trump

       Obama will be paid 400,000 in order to speak at a dinner event hosted by a financial powerhouse corporation.
       If only Obama does the right thing, and declines the speaking invitation, showing that politics must never be the road to riches. If only not everyone can be bought, and that everything is not about money.
       Limited moral compasses lead to no moral compass. And thus we have Trump.
     
   
      
       

The United States Spreads Its Gangs to Central America: MS13 And Barrio 18

     MS13 and Barrio 18 are two of many gangs that were American born, American created, and that originated in the violent underbelly of American life. People fled from the civil war in El Salvador to the United States, many illegally. Some of their children, growing up in Los Angeles, joined gangs, not an uncommon event in many communities across the United States. Unlike American born gang members that commit crimes and cannot be deported, many of the children that joined gangs and grew up in the states, but were not legal residents, were deported. Once in El Salvador and other Central American countries, countries to which they had little connection, they brought with them the one thing that they were connected to; the gang. America exported to Central America MS13 and Barrio 18.

     And there, in some of the most poverty stricken countries, these gangs grew like cancer. 

    Whereas decades ago people fled the wars in Central America for the safety of the states, now people are desperately fleeing the chaos and violence gangs have created in Central America. 

     As appealing as it is to talk about crushing gangs, it is not that easy. Crushing one gang often strengthens its rivals. Gangs, gang culture, and everything that fuels it is not a problem that is going away.
     Also, exporting a problem is not the same as solving a problem. The more countries to the south of the United States are destabilized, the more people will flee to the United States, wall or no wall. Far more important than a physical structure is the need for stability, the rule of law, and economic opportunity, both within the United States and in the countries south of the United States.
      MS13 is not all of a sudden a new phenomenon that has landed on U.S. soil. It is one of many violent, pathological gangs that originated in the states and spread. Its demise will strengthen its equally pathological rivals. It should have always been unacceptable for these violent gangs to prosper and spread as they have. None of this started with MS13, and it will not end with MS13, even if this gang should disappear. The U.S. soil has been, and continues to be, fertile ground for gangs. It is time we face this ugly reality. Changing this reality is a lot more complicated than bringing down one or two gangs.
      The United States has a gang problem. The United States is wealthy enough to contain it to certain areas. In poorer countries lacking the same resources, gangs are out of control. Either way, there is no excuse for gangs to be strong enough to destabilize entire neighborhoods in the states or entire countries in Central America.
       
       
  
     
       
          

         

Is Federal Overreach In Allowing Lead Poisoning Or In Restricting It?

     On March 2, 2017, the secretary of the interior revoked an earlier ban (order 219) barring lead ammunition and fishing tackle from federal land and water. Groups, including the NRA, opposed the ban, calling it federal overreach. Lead is poison for humans, fish, birds and other wildlife. Allowing for lead contamination is true overreach.

Not Logging Rainforests Is Needed, Not Tariffs And A Timber Trade War With Canada

       Illegal logging is destroying the Peruvian Amazon, despite U.S. efforts to stop this illegal activity, according to a recent article by a major Chicago newspaper. According to the article, the world bank asserts that 80 per cent of the timber exports from Peru are obtained from illegal logging. U.S. efforts to stop this criminal activity have resulted in little success. Each year, Peruvian Amazon rainforest is lost equivalent to the size of Rhode Island.

       After Brazil, Peru has the second greatest amount of Amazon rainforest. Lose the Amazon, and the lungs of the planet are lost. The detrimental consequences of losing the Amazon are many.

       People rely on wood. It needs to come from somewhere.

       People and politicians need to choose their battles wisely. Having timber that is responsibly harvested must be the number one priority, making everything else regarding timber a distant second. 

        Preserving the rainforests of the Amazon, the Congo, Borneo, southeast Asia and elsewhere must be the focus of energy and efforts, rather than tariffs and an unnecessary trade war with Canada, one of the more responsible countries on this planet. 

         

Killing For Allah; The Incident In Bohol, Philippines With Abu Sayyaf

       People are killing in the name of Islam.The latest episode of murder sanctioned by religion involved a man from the island of Bohol in the Philippines that converted to Islam. After converting, one news article reported, he lived in Saudi Arabia and the South Mindanao region of the Philippines where he married a Muslim woman. He became involved with a violent Islamist organization based in the southern Mindanao region of the Philippines, Abu Sayyaf. The man from Bohol led his Abu Sayyaf compatriots far from their strongholds in southern Mindanao to the distant island of Bohol, hoping to take captives. People taken captive by Abu Sayyaf often end up beheaded.
        Details about what unfolded can easily be found on the internet, as it all took place recently.
        What led  the man from Bohol, who was killed by Filipino forces, to lead terrorists back to the peaceful island he grew up in, and to betray his family and all the people of that island? What led this man to believe that a religious duty to murder and kidnap superseded everything decent that there is in this world? What led a police woman to throw away her family and career in an attempt to help the terrorists during this incident?
         There are people that believe it is a duty or acceptable to murder in the name of Islam.There are people that are murdering and killing in the name of Islam. Pretending this does not exist, or ignoring, excusing or failing to ask why it exists is not only cowardly, but also suicidal.

Gangs, Violent Crime, Illegal Immigrants And Sanctuary Police Departments

     It is easier to blame illegal immigrants for the violence and crime in the United States then look into a mirror and face ourselves. There are millions of people that have been living inside of the United States for decades, hoping for one small chance to become legitimate citizens of the country that many of them truly love.

     No matter how much this population is demonized, including by one major news magazine that asserts they are more prone to breaking the law because they broke the law by violating immigration laws, the facts do not support this opinion. Most people that have entered the United States illegally, or overstayed their legal entry, are hypervigilant about not breaking laws because they do not want to jeopardize their already vulnerable status, and also because most of these people are conscientious, honest, hardworking and exactly the kind of people that are helping this country to prosper. Despite the lies certain radio personalities, pundits and others promote, illegal immigrants are not receiving special benefits and privileges. In fact, it is the opposite. They work at some of the hardest jobs often without protections and benefits. It may have an appeal to some to promote untruths, but it is dishonest.

      The news magazine that want to create their own facts, the radio talking heads and pundits at their easy, overpaid jobs, and others may want to demonize this population of some of the most honest, hard worker laborers inside of the United States, but the facts are that they are not the cause of America's violent crime. 

       If tomorrow every single one of the millions of illegal immigrants are removed from the United States - destroying their families, communities, their lives, in addition to the harm that comes from removing a hard working reliable labor force that have been doing, usually without benefits, the jobs few Americans are willing to do - there will not be a decrease in the level of violent crime in the United States. There will be no decrease in drug dealing, drug use, or in gang and criminal activity. 

       The gang culture in the United states is wholly American owned. It is time we face up to this and stop blaming foreigners for our problems. In fact, gangs and gang culture have spread to other countries from the United States.

        Instead of blaming falsely illegal immigrants, if this country wants to be serious about addressing violent crimes and gangs, it had better start looking inward.

         Here is a simple start....... start with the reform of police departments. Too many have become clout laden, inefficient enterprises that are draining law enforcement resources. Cops belong on the streets in patrol. Police departments must stop being sanctuaries for the politically connected, for multi layers of lazy people that do everything other than patrol. Papers pushers are abundant, as are multitudes of worthless jobs, including layers upon layers of many do nothing supervisors and brass, much of which can be eliminated.

          Eliminate the numbers game in police work. End community policing as the fictitious entity it has become and start real community policing, which means returning cops to neighborhood patrols on foot, supplemented by cops patrolling in vehicles, and at times on bicycles. Unless cops are on the ground, on foot, they will never really understand the community in which they work, and never become an effective crime deterrent and crime fighting force.

           Reconsider the war on drugs, which has done nothing but enrich gangs, criminals, terrorist organizations, destabilizes other nations, and contributes to corruption, including in law enforcement. Focusing on illegal immigrants is an easy way to never focus on the inefficiencies and failures of law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and the social, political and economic reasons that have given rise to a violent American gang culture.

            Focus immigration efforts on illegal immigrants that commit crimes, including drunk driving. This is long overdue, and has caused harm that could have been prevented. But demonizing an already vulnerable, often taken advantage of population of honest, hardworking people that are not criminals, detracts from any serious effort to go after real criminals and terrorists.

             Focusing on  illegal immigrants must not be the diversion that allows for continued lawlessness and criminality, including in the white collar ranks.

            A serious effort to weaken gangs and hate groups must include not allowing gangs and hate groups, including religious groups that promote hate and intolerance, to run jails and prisons and to recruit new members there.

              The United States, not gangs, not hate groups, should be in control of the jails and prisons. Yet we are not in control of most of our jails and prisons. We are not in control of vast neighborhoods and communities in the United States, which are now controlled by gangs.

                 Go after illegal immigrants that commit crimes. But do not pretend, or delude others into thinking, they are the source of the uniquely American, home grown vast gang, drug and criminal problem that exists in the United States. 

               

       

   

If Humanity Is To Survive, The Sword Cannot Keep Being Chosen

     Religions, all religions, must become a force for peace and tolerance, otherwise there will be no future for humanity.

The Children Of Yemen And Somalia Starve While Islamist Religious Fanatics Wage War

     As famine grips Yemen and Somalia, where millions of children face starvation, death or permanent disability from malnutrition, violent Islamist religious fanatics cannot stop waging war. They cannot control their bloodlust, their zeal to kill for god. While children starve, they continue killing.

Nuclear Proliferation, Iranian Theocrats And Hezbollah. The Face Of Oppression, Not Resistance

     An Iranian dissident group claims Iran is covertly and actively seeking nuclear weapons. This group, discredited by some, nonetheless has been accurate in their past assessments regarding Iranian nuclear weapons activities.
     Iran's mullah theocracy and its reactionary, not revolutionary guard and Hezbollah occupation army of Lebanon, parts of Syria, Yemen and Iraq, are not a resistance. They are not fighters for freedom. They are not fighters against oppression. They are the Shia face of Islamist aggression, imperialism, bigotry and hate. They are the Shia version of the Sunni Islamists fanatics.
      Iran's theocrats and Hezbollah do not hide what they want. They do not hide what country they want to destroy. They do not hide their thirst for war and blood. They will not allow Lebanon to be free. They will not allow Israel to exist without making every effort to destroy it. Iran will not allow their own oppressed minorities to live in peace. Its theocrats are religious fanatics, and just because they are not Sunni Islamist murderous psychopaths like ISIS does not make them any less dangerous.
       The Iranian dissident group revealed the locations where Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. If Iran is adhering to the nuclear agreement, then they will allow these sites to be inspected. If Iran is not adhering to the nuclear agreement, it is only a matter of time before the world faces a threat far greater than North Korea. The North Korean murdering dictator was raised in a belief system that this life is all there is. The Shia (and Sunni) Islamist fanatics have little regard for this life, certain that something far better awaits, and therefore this world is of little value to them.
       The more there is nuclear weapons proliferation, the more all human life on this planet is imperiled. The mere existence of nuclear weapons anywhere is a threat to all life. But religious fanatics with nuclear weapons spells certain apocalyptic disaster.
     
   
   

Abused Animals Without Defenders. The Animal Organizations And People That Have Failed Them

      The level of animal suffering should be far less than what it is now but it is not because......
      Animal organizations refuse to stop investigating animal cruelty and dogfighting, no matter how ineffective and harmful this has proven to be.
       Law enforcement continues to minimally respond to these crimes, let off the hook by ineffective, self serving and harmful animal organizations.
       No one questions the efficacy of these organizations, or stops buying into their propaganda and marketing.
       If the people that profess to love animals would only care about the animals that they do not see, and not just the tiny few that come to their attention. If only they would care about the animals suffering on the streets, or in the hands of abusers, which are more than 99.9 per cent of the abused domestic animals out there.
        If only concern was not limited to high publicity abuse situations or situations that generate publicity and self promotion.
         If only animal organizations would stop exploiting animals by pretending they are really doing something to ameliorate the terrible conditions that almost every abused animal lives in.
         If only these organizations would quit exploiting animals by their endless presentations of pathetic, sorrowful animals, while making a fortune from these animals but doing little to nothing to improve the lot of almost every abused animal.
          If only the animal movement people did not put their own need to feel good over all else.
          If only the animal movement did not require mindless conformity completely lacking in self examination and criticism.
          If only manipulative, exploitative people that pretend to care about animals did not gain so much personal wealth, fame and fortune on the backs of animals and people.
          If only the animal movement was not cult like and self righteous, exploitative people would not have become so prominent and enriched from the movement.
          If only the concept of no kill did not take over uncaring minds that give no consideration to the welfare of wildlife, the plight and suffering of domestic animals that live on the streets or in the hands of abusers, or how no kill can easily lead to animal hoarding, filthy overcrowded conditions, and the enormous diversion of resources away from addressing real cruelty and suffering.
          Sorry animals, you really are voiceless and defenseless. It is truly a sad world full of pain and suffering.

         
         

Selfish, Corrupt, Cruel, Incompetent Leadership Is Killing Venezuela; A Day Of Mass Protest

     Venezuela is an example to the world of how selfish, incompetent, corrupt, cruel leadership can take a country and grind it to the ground. Leadership that has brought nothing but poverty, pain and despair.

Today mass protests were held in Venezuela, barely covered by the press. We can only hope the rulers with guns do not continue to prevail over the people that are armed with nothing but the desire for freedom.

Animal Welfare, Trump, Erdogan, Obama; The Common Thread

     Donald Trump congratulated Erdogan, Turkey's president, on winning a recent referendum in Turkey. The referendum gives Erdogan more power, and is a further erosion of Turkey's democracy. Did Trump understand it is not something worthy of congratulations?
      Trump got elected by making promises. People believed Trump's promises, just as they believed Obama's. Now that Trump is in power, he is over his head, just as Obama was. People with big egos believe they should hold positions of power they never should have, while others are forced to endure their learning curves.
       When it comes to animal welfare, tell people what they want to hear and the money flows.
Ditto for conservation and an array of other issues. For politicians, tell people what they want to hear, and the reward is power. Empty words and promises makes poor leaders powerful, and ineffective organizations rich.
     
     

More Of The Same - Jeff Sessions War On Drugs. And Just Say No

      The new attorney general has announced a war on drugs and wants the people of the United States to follow the words of Nancy Reagan and just say no.

      What have the existing and previous wars on drugs given? Other than a black market that has destabilized nations, strengthened gangs and terrorist organizations, and that cost trillions? The trillion dollar drug trade has contributed to corruption on all levels, including in law enforcement itself. And what is there to show for it other than trillions spent, full jails and prisons, stronger gangs, and no shortage of drug addicts? 

        Doing more of the same will yield more of the same. And it has not been good. 

        Regarding just saying no....It might be wiser to ask instead why do so many people say yes. Why do so many people self medicate? What is lacking in the treatment of addiction, and in the treatment of the emotional and physical pain that drives many people into the world of addiction?

      

Destroying The Scarborough Shoal And the Rest Of The South China Sea So Nobody Gets To Eat

     Let us separate from the territorial dispute and claims regarding the coral reefs, shoals, atolls and islets of the South China Sea and instead examine the consequence of dredging the ocean floor, destroying the seabed, and pouring the material and concrete onto shoals, reefs and atolls. Turning healthy marine areas into dead zones is the epitome of short sightedness and stupidity.

Dog Fighters; Helped By Police And Animal Organizations

      A teenager that fought dogs, and that is now a man that fights dogs, said that before there may have been a few that could stop him, but now there are none.
      By virtue of the poor law enforcement response and the animal organization exploitation response, dog fighting remains the common crime that is uncommonly enforced.
 

Riding The Coattails Of Michael Vick Dog Fighting Publicity And A Nowhere Meeting About Animal Cruelty

       A number of years ago a meeting was arranged with the man that had just become the head of a major animal organization. We explained how police were not responding appropriately to calls of animal cruelty, if they were responding at all (with few and rare exceptions, which continues to this day). We explained why animal organizations should not be doing the job of the police, and why their efforts to do so were not only self serving, but were harmful to both people and animals. They also give the police an excuse to continue to do little to nothing.

       We were told things would be different, and that he would get get back in touch with us soon. 

       This was not the only animal organization we had reached out to. Surely, we thought, they would want what is best for animals.

       We never heard back from the then new president, who remains at that high paying, lucrative job many years later. He is probably considered a success because of the marketing, money and publicity he has generated. Success for these nonprofits has nothing to do, unfortunately, about efficacy.

         Later, the events concerning Michael Vick and dogfighting generated enormous publicity for that organization and others. They were the experts, even though they were not, that could show the world they were on top of the situation. By sending them money, things would be better.  

         Things will be different, we were told, so many years back. We never heard back, and nothing ever changed for the better.
          If a celebrity ever gets arrested for dog fighting again, it will be another windfall for certain animal organizations.
       

         

        

Whale Hunting At St. Vincent Island In the Caribbean, Dogfighting, And What Will The President Of the Humane Society Do Next?

     Passengers from a cruise ship that made St. Vincent island in the Caribbean a port of call went on a whale watching excursion. They observed a pod of 4 orcas (killer whales), at which time whalers from St. Vincent island proceeded to harpoon two of the orcas and kill them. Tourists on the whale watching excursion were in tears, according to news reports about the incident.

      The cruise ship company, according to one news report, said that St.Vincent would no longer be a port of call. Facing the harsh reality that the hunting of whales and dolphins does occur should not be a reason to stop making St.Vincent a port of call. Tourists can be a mixed blessing, and tourists visiting coral reefs can be the death of the reefs. But tourists can also be the reason some Caribbean islands and other locations in the world stop whaling and dolphin hunting. There is a lot of money that can be made in whale and dolphin watching, and having people invested in keeping whales and dolphins alive, instead of hunted, will help save those cetaceans. 

         Hopefully St. Vincent will remain a port of call, and whale watchers will help in the preservation of cetaceans by supporting whale watching tourism, and not by running away because some of the people hunt cetaceans. Whale watching tourism will disincentivize whale hunting. There are already successful examples of places were cetaceans and whale sharks have been hunted, and where hunting no longer takes place because it has been replaced by more lucrative tourism.

           The president and chief executive of one of the wealthiest charities in the world, the Humane Society, wrote that whaling is on the decline in St. Vincent, according to one news article. Unless it can be clearly ascertained as to how it is he reached this conclusion, it should not be taken at face value. Too often people blindly accept information that may be incorrect because of the prestige that they attach to the source of the information. Incorrect information can lead to a poor outcome.

             Whale hunting must not become what dog fighting became - namely an opportunity to receive a lot of free publicity without having to do much of anything except make it incredibly easy for dog fighters to continue fighting dogs with rarely any consequence.

                  The vast resources of the Humane Society, if put to good use, can help ensure that cetacean hunting ends in the Caribbean, and that coral reefs and marine reserves are adequately protected and patrolled. They can also help keep the huge amount of plastics that presently enters the oceans daily out of the waters. That will help save cetaceans and other marine life.

                   I hope that no animal organization does for whale hunting what I experienced they did for dog fighting-  which was exploit dog fighting and animal cruelty in order to promote and market themselves, while doing nothing substantive or in the way of true advocacy.

                  

Putin Is Now a Forensic Scientist - His Conclusions About Assad And Chemical Weapons

     Putin states chemical attacks by Assad are fake news. Are over half a million dead fake news? Are millions of refugees fake news? Are barrel bombs fake news? Are the testimony of thousands about torture and murder by the Assad regime fake news? If not for Assad, Syria would not be crawling with murderous Islamists. Hezbollah and Iranian Islamists on the Shia side, and ISIS and other deranged Islamists on the Sunni side. Assad and ISIS have given to Syria nothing but death and misery. The Putin/ Russian television (RT) defense for anything unfavorable to Putin - it is fake news.

Minimally Taxing The Rich So The U.S. Can Become A Third World Country

     Note to the United States: It is not possible to remain the world's leading superpower and continue to think it can be done on the cheap and by printing money. The United States needs to stop pandering to its wealthy citizens, who already receive the best of everything society has to offer, and raise their taxes. Certain conservative pundits like to be melodramatic, insisting raising taxes on the rich is class warfare. But not having an equitable tax structure is already class warfare.
      The rich in many third world countries, just like in the United States, have almost all of the wealth. They pay minimal taxes, just like in the United States, which some still complain about, neglecting to mention that they own, and receive, almost all of the country's wealth and benefits.
       People work all kinds of jobs where the risk is great and the pay is low. People risk health, safety and limb, while the rich complain about their money being taxed. Societies do not succeed in the long run that fail their workers and reward only their wealthy.
      Democracies survive by having strong middle classes, not by catering to a wealthy few. The failure to tax the wealthy leads to failures in the third world, as it will in the states.

Coptic Christians Slaughtered In Their Churches; The Islamists That Want This Blood

      Islamic terrorists want this world washed in blood. And so they slaughter Coptic Christians praying in their church. Or drive vehicles into crowds of people. Or commit some other cowardly act of terror deliberately targeting defenseless people. Is there something in Islam or in the way Islam is being taught that opens the door to terror and murder? It is not enough to declare Islam is a religion of peace and then shut down the conversation. There are a number of Islamic terror groups operating across the world that insist in their words and actions that terror and violent jihad are an integral part of Islam. It is not enough to pretend that they are an aberration. No matter how many people in the world, including Muslims, hope and pray Islam is a religion of peace in which there is no place for terror, simply wishing is not enough. A number of Islamic regimes continue to spread the most virulent, terrorism condoning and promoting, intolerant, bigoted, supremacist interpretations of Islam across the world.
     

When Religion Grants Legitimacy To Terror; Making Murdering Psychopaths Into Martyrs

     Terrorism is not a legitimate response to oppression or anything. Yet there are those that condone, justify, encourage or promote terrorism. Despite what the apologists for terror want people to believe, terrorism is a cause of oppression, rather than a legitimate response to it. Terrorism forces societies to become more restrictive and less free. When religion grants legitimacy to terrorism, every murdering psychopath on the planet gets drawn in, and the bloodbath never ends.

Islamists, Islamophobia and Terrorism.

      While the world faces serious environmental problems that are affecting the survival of many species, including mankind itself, Islamists are unconcerned, believing their only obligation is to kill for god. While many in the the west agonize over why some people fear Islam, believing such fear to be irrational, Islamists keep on killing, ensuring that such fear continues.

     
         

The Rivers That Flooded In Colombia Tragedy And Deforestation

     The recent news in Syria has overshadowed the tragedy that took place in a city in Colombia. The latest figures put the death toll at possibly over three hundred when three rivers located near where many people live overflowed. The survivors of this tragedy need support and assistance. The jury is still out as to why so many lives were lost. It is common for poor people that have nowhere else to go to build homes near rivers. The homes are often poorly constructed structures. It was suggested by a leader in Colombia that global warming caused heavy rains, which caused the rivers to overflow.
       While people argue back and forth about climate change and continue to do little to nothing of substance (it is not as though humans are relying significantly less on fossil fuels, and the human population continues to explode), there is something very real and insidious that no one can deny. And that is that deforestation is real. As long as deforestation continues, weather related events will take a greater toll on human life and property than otherwise would have been the case. Mudslides, flooding and landslides are made worse by deforestation, and at times are directly caused by it. The rainforests of Colombia and elsewhere are being destroyed, and people pay a heavy price for this loss.

Jew Hatred That Finds Cover In Religion Or Politics

     Many dime a dozen Jew haters try to legitimize their hate by claiming it is rooted in politics or religion. They seek religious or political justifications for their demented obsession. Too often religion or leftist or rightist politics accommodates these weak minded hate filled people, and gives them an undeserved legitimacy.

Alt Right; The Effort To Give Legitimacy To Hate

  Weak minded Jew hating supremacists have rebranded themselves with a flashy title - alt right. Because they want to be called something different than what they have always been - Jew obsessed weaklings - does not mean the money grubbing sensationalist media should go along. A follower of nazism might like the more attractive title, but that does not make them any less of an American traitor than were the American traitors that supported nazism during WW2.
     It is too bad that white, black, and other supremacists filled with cowardice and hate, steal the stage.

David D., Chemical Weapons And The Weaklings World Guide

      Weak minded people need a scapegoat and a crutch. Instead of facing the complexities, difficulties and ambiguities of life, they need a target to demonize and blame for everything.

      And so a well known Jew hater blames the Jews for Trump's cruise missile response to Assad's use of chemical weapons. 

      It comes down to this: should there be a response to the use of chemical weapons or not? The world decided after WW1, a war in which chemical weapons were widely used, that their use had to be permanently outlawed. That is the issue, not what deranged Jew haters want it to be. In their obsessed, demented minds, all discord, all wars, all turmoil in the world is blamed on Jews or Israel. 

       

Assad's Use Of Chemical Weapons Could Not Be Ignored

     The use of chemical weapons were outlawed after WW1. It apparently was not enough for the Assad regime to use barrel bombs, which in and of themselves should have triggered a strong reaction from the west. Trump is right in responding to the recent chemical weapons attack. It could not have been ignored. The Geneva convention regarding chemical weapons and rules of war has to mean something.

The United States Cannot Continue As A Superpower And Still Be A Low Tax Paradise For The Rich

     It is not possible for the United States to continue as the world's leading military superpower and at the same continue to tax the rich at low rates (while still providing tax loopholes), without significantly increasing the already massive debt and eventually bankrupting the nation.

      

Words And Actions Matter; Trump's Actions And Obama's Failure To Act In Syria

     Trump responds to the Syrian chemical attack. What if Obama responded likewise years ago? If Obama took action after his red line was crossed when Assad used chemical weapons, would Syria be in the shape it is now?

Note To Trump Administration; Stop Talking So Much

     Note to the Trump administration: The next time you decide that regime change is not an important priority when it comes to a brutal dictator like Assad, keep that information to yourself. Did Assad interpret what the Trump administration said last week in regard to Assad as a green light to do whatever he wants, including unleashing chemical weapons upon the Syrian people?

Is The Iranian Nuclear Weapons Agreement Sounder Than The Syrian Chemical Weapons Agreement?

     The previous administration assured the American people that an agreement they made with Assad and Russia to remove chemical weapons from Syria resulted in the removal of the weapons. The recent Assad regime's chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians day proves otherwise.

      Is the Iranian nuclear agreement based on sounder ground?

      

Syria Uses Chemical Weapons We Were Told They No Longer Have

      The Obama administration declared the Syrian government under Assad crossed a red line when they used chemical weapons. Instead of reacting as they said they would, the Obama administration declared a settlement was reached with Assad and Russia, in which Syria would get rid of its chemical weapons. Secretary of State Kerry later declared Assad's did indeed get rid of its chemical weapons.
       The recent use of chemical weapons on the civilian population by the Syrian regime proves otherwise.
        In the dark world of religious theocracies, tyrants and dictators, words and promises mean nothing.

Chemical Weapons Used On Civilians In Syria. The Russian Reaction. Trump's' Reaction...

      Obama drew a red line regarding Syria and chemical weapons, and then backed down from doing anything. Obama pulled American troops out of Iraq in an untimely manner, and then did nothing while Islamists committed genocide against Christians and Yazidis.

       The Assad regime just used chemical weapons, probably the nerve gas sarin. This is a violation of the Geneva convention. Russia, true to form, backed by its Russian television propaganda arm (RT), denies any responsibility and blames the rebels. Russia will keep the United Nations from conducting an investigation. 

         The civilians in Syria are caught between Islamists, either the Iran/Hezbollah Islamists on the Shia side, or Sunni Islamist fanatics like ISIS. Russia has chosen to back the Shia Islamists and the brutal Assad regime. And so the killing continues.

          Trump went on record stating this is a terrible crime. He is president now and cannot lead by deflection. It does not matter anymore what Obama failed to do, or what Clinton might have done. It does matter what Trump will do. Years of Assad regime barrel bombs, torture, mass killings, and brutal ISIS rule in ISIS controlled areas, and now this. This cannot be ignored, just as the use of chemical weapons during Obama's presidency should not have been ignored. What will Trump do? He must do something, and it must be more than twitter tweets.

Executive compensation Should Be Reason 7 On The List Of Problem Areas Holding Back The Economy

        There is no proportionality between what executives earn and what workers earn. Much of the U.S. workforce labors at low paying jobs that provide barely enough money to get by. Executive compensation, on the other hand, ensures an elitist class of of pampered people. This elitist class lives in a dream world of affluence, luxury and entitlement. Whether they run a company well, or run it to the ground, they get rewarded. Win or lose, they remain winners as the wealth of the nation is syphoned off into their hands.
          In Japan, executives would be embarrassed to live so high on the hog. In America, there is no shame. There should be.
           From a practical standpoint, the extravagant executive compensation in the United States takes a toll. It is demoralizing to workers. It drains the wealth of the nation into the hands of a few. In that two thirds of the American economy is driven by consumer spending, a heavy price will eventually be paid by having so much of the American workforce earning substandard wages while executives live like kings and queens. The elitist class that runs America helped cause or at best did not prevent the financial collapse, helped lead the U.S. into unnecessary and extremely costly (from a financial and human standpoint) wars, or at best did not prevent the political establishment from leading the U.S. into these wars. For all the money that has gone into the hands of the executive class, it is surprising how little has been gained. It is unsurprising how much has been lost, including the enormous transfer of manufacturing jobs to China and other countries.
             Executives and others earning ridiculously high salaries contributes to the decline of the middle class. A small number of people paid fortunes while most others are paid pittances is not a recipe for economic success. With two thirds of the U.S. economy driven by consumer spending, this is the recipe for disaster.

A Problem With Dimon's List Of Problem Areas Holding Back The U.S. Economy

     Jamie Dimon listed six reasons the U.S. economy is held back. He wrote that over the past 16 years, trillions of dollars have been spent on war. He added that he is not saying that this money did not need to be spent, but that every dollar spent on battle is a dollar that cannot be put to use elsewhere. Why can he not say that much of that money did not need to be spent? What is he afraid of? Business leaders like to peddle soft positions and shy away from anything too controversial.
      Timid leadership that puts money over morality has held back the economy. The elite leadership, which people put so much trust in, almost collapsed the economy not that many years back, while they raked in fortunes during and after the crisis. As for wars that never had to be fought, the financial and human cost continues to be paid, and not by overly paid business leaders and executives.

The Only Effective Way To Keep People In Their Own Country

      Gangs, drug cartels, terrorist organizations continue to grow, fueled by the insatiable American demand for narcotics. The more they grow, the more neighborhoods, communities, cities and countries are destabilized.
      Recent news from Mexico included reports about a newspaper that had to shut down because it became too dangerous to continue publishing. Another news story concerned a young woman that was raped, finding her life is threatened by coming forward, while the well connected rapists are free.
       The more countries are destabilized by gangs, criminals, drug cartels, terrorist organizations, extremists, Islamist fanatics, the United States will find that there is no wall high enough that will keep desperate people out from escaping their hopeless situations. Desperate people escaping violence and poverty will not let obstacles stand in their way. They have nothing to lose.
        Reducing poverty (which includes allowing women access to safe family planning), reducing  fanaticism, intolerance and violence is the surest way to keep people in their own countries. Without opportunity, without hope, beset by violence, poverty or both, desperate people will be on the move.
     
       
       

The Lesson Of Syria For Israelis And Palestinian Arabs

     While there is still time, Israelis and Palestinian Arabs must look one country over to Syria and see where a conflict that spins out of control can lead. Hundreds of thousands of people are dead and maimed from the Syrian conflict. Terrible atrocities have been committed by all sides. About a third of the country's population are now refugees.
       Israelis and Palestinian Arabs share a small piece of land. The only way to avoid the tragedy that Syria has become is to learn to live with one another in peace.

Occupation; The Excuse Jew Haters Use For Jew Killing

     Interesting how many Jew hating hypocrites use occupation as their reason for supporting terrorist attacks against Jews, as they live comfortably in safe lands that were obtained by conquest and occupation.

      If the conflict was about land, it would have been resolved already. The deep, pathological hatred towards Jews continues, a reflection of the human inability to accept that which is different and practice tolerance. In places where there are no Jews, another minority group is most often oppressed.  The world continues to find its scapegoats, some group to despise and oppress, and so the killing does not stop.
        If sanity, decency and tolerance prevails, Jews and Arab Muslims and others will live in peace. Without tolerance, nothing is possible.

It Takes A Village To Raise A Violent Sociopath. The Minister Of Incitement

     A certain black minister that is quick to blame others, especially his most preferred scapegoat, spends his life inciting hatred and contempt, all of which has earned him a huge following and made him a multimillionaire. It is easy to cast a light elsewhere, and then the light is never cast on him. Had he spent his life teaching tolerance, individual responsibility, self restraint and compassion, he would not be the rich man he is today with his huge following. And if he had taught tolerance instead of incitement, the violence in some low income black communities would not be as pronounced as what it is. It takes a village to raise a violent sociopath.

It Takes A Village To Raise A Violent Sociopath. Cop Killing Song And Media Incitement

     A number of years ago, a rap singer wrote a song about cop killing. Now, years later, it is suggested the controversial song was a prophetic commentary about police brutality and racism and where it leads.
     The song was not prophetic. While gangs were killing each other in the early nineties, a time when crack cocaine was spreading like wildfire and homicide rates were much higher than they are now, rappers were glorifying the violence. The flimsy excuse was often given that their glorification of violence was merely a reflection of reality, when in fact what they were doing was helping shape reality. By glorifying violence and the reduction of women into nothing more than sex objects, they sent a clear message to young people that what should have been unacceptable was not.
     The more violent sociopaths there are, the more violence there will be (including the violence between police and violent sociopaths). Those that incite violence and hate (and most often blame others for the violent result), have blood on their hands.
      It takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to raise a violent sociopath.
     
     

A Governor Accused Of Blasphemy In Indonesia. Islamists And The 1965 Genocide

     A non Muslim governor in Indonesia is accused of blasphemy. He allegedly told voters they were being deceived if they believe a certain verse in the Quran prohibits Muslims from electing a non Muslim as leader. For saying that, he is now facing five years in prison for blasphemy.
      Islamists in that still democratic nation insist Muslims must not be ruled by a kafir ( i.e.,non believer in Islam, a generally derogatory term), and that the governor must be punished for blasphemy.
      The governor, a Christian man of Chinese descent, is up for re election. Many assert that his leadership has been transparent and not corrupt. His opponents have much to gain by playing the Islamist card. By making this about religion, evil politicians have an easy way to stir up people's hatreds and thereby gain political and economic control.
       Indonesia is one of the only Muslim majority states in the world that is a secular democracy. The Indonesia of today is far different than the Indonesia of the 1960's. In the mid 1960's, unleashed and egged on by politicians and military leaders, Islamists and others killed hundreds of thousands (some place the numbers slaughtered between one to three million people) of their fellow Indonesians. It started as a killing spree against alleged communists, and quickly spread to include the settling of personal and religious vendettas (Islamists declared Indonesia had to be purged of atheists, which opened the doors to further unrestrained mass killings of innocent people). Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of defenseless people were hacked to death. It was not the clean killing some associate with a murderous regime by a bullet to the head. It was unrestrained mobs and death squads hacking and chopping off their imagined enemies limbs, their penises, the breasts of women, and heads.
        The United States had a hand in this genocide. So did Sweden, which provide arms to the Indonesian military. (Source- Wikipedia, Indonesian Mass killings 1965 to 1966.) So eager was the United States to oppose communists, it did not recognize the genocidal nature of Islamists. (Decades later, in supporting the Islamists in Afghanistan against the former Soviet Union, the United States made a similar mistake.)
         The world better pray that Indonesia chooses the path of tolerance, religious freedom and democracy. If Indonesia goes the way of many Islamist regimes, it will mean genocide for its religious minorities. It will mean the murder of untold thousands of Muslims that are moderate, reasonable human beings. It will be the slaughter of 1965 all over again.

Standing for Freedom - Rejecting Religious Theocracies

     Religion should be a private matter that belongs in the home and place of worship. It does not belong in the political realm. Religious theocracies are poison. Nations that do not separate church/mosque from state almost all are failed states. The few exceptions are nations propped up by oil wealth. Even these nations tend to be unproductive places that export fanaticism, intolerance, oil and virtually nothing else. In the religious theocracies without the necessary oil wealth to keep their populations compliant and submissive, the true nature of religious theocracies can be seen in full force. Massive oppression and corruption, child marriage, the criminalization of thought, no religious freedom, the loss of creativity, imagination and initiative. The leaders of religious theocracies are often corrupt, decadent people that live in a way they would never tolerate from their subdued populations.