The Environmental Movement And The Culture Of Materialism

     It is impossible to protect the environment from continued degradation and destruction and yet continue to worship extravagance.

Organic, Healthy Baby Food In Plastic Pouches And The Plastic Poisoning Of The Oceans

     A story in the news today concerns healthy, organic baby food packaged in plastic pouches. This is a growing market that adds to the daily plastic poisoning of the oceans. It is part of the continued trend to choose the convenience of plastics over the long term health of the oceans, wildlife and people. Plastics are cheap for consumers and manufacturers, but are extremely costly to the environment. Daily thousands of tons of plastics, stryofoam and other oil based waste enters into the oceans, harming fish, seabirds, turtles, whales, dolphins, other wildlife, and people.
      When the day comes in which plastics have poisoned the oceans beyond repair, it will be too late to do anything.

Daley, Clintons, Obama And Trump; The Lives Of The Rich And Famous

     Obama prances around the world living large, living extravagantly, enjoying the extreme wealth that politics gave to him, while he gave to the world a failure to stop middle east genocide against Yazidis, middle east Christians and moderate Muslims.
     Many believed Trump was the working class alternative to the extravagant Obamas and Clintons.
     There are two political parties in the United States. They are both for the rich, by the rich, and about the rich. There are few differences between them. One fails to stand up against Islamist supremacy and intolerance, choosing instead political correctness. The other pretends to stand up against it, while making multi billion dollar arms deals with one of the major countries that spreads Islamist supremacy and intolerance.
      Labor rights, environmental protection, security for seniors that spent their lifetimes working, child welfare, proper access to affordable health care; it is all secondary to the politicians of the two political parties. From Richard Daley to Obama to Trump and the rest, it is all about living large, gettting enriched, and enriching cronies.
       
     

Trump And The Little Guy. Making America Great Again- a Great Aristocracy

     A news station did a segment regarding Trump and the little guy, and how the average little guy that voted for Trump is now disillusioned.

    Why would anyone believe that Trump was the president for the little guy? Was there any single thing in his past that indicated he represented the interests of average working class Americans?

     People are suckers for false promises.
     They also listen to the constant stream of nonsense from one side or the other of the political spectrum, not realizing that criticism does not translate into having anything better to offer.

     The hero worship and infatuation for the rich is far from ending.

     The rich will get richer under Trump, further consolidating their hold on almost all of the power and wealth of the nation. While people become more and more dependent on the rich and their philanthropy, they will continue working at low wage jobs that ensure their inability to be dependant on themselves. 

       Tax breaks for the rich, huge increases in military and police spending; all the hallmarks of turning a powerful nation into another third world nation. The rich argue that they already pay a greater percentage of the taxes, and so they should not be burdened any further. They fail to mention that they receive all the privileges and the best of everything. Their pampered lives do not deserve even more indulgence.
        Great nations are not made from selfish, greedy people. Great nations do not rely on the charity and philanthropy of the rich, which is but a pittance compared to the benefits that they receive. Nations that coddle, pamper and pander to their rich are abundant in the world. They are not the strong democracies with strong middle classes.
         The tax reform the Trump elitists want will make the rich richer, the American aristocracy stronger, and significantly increase the national debt. It will be another death blow to democracy.

Democracy Not Now, Phony Leftist Concern For Children And A Blind Eye To Islamists

     On a leftist media cable channel, the point was made that the children killed and wounded by American bombs in Yemen, Syria and elsewhere deserve the same concern and attention as the children killed in the Manchester attack. Yet the only concern these leftists have for children is when they can be used to make political points.
      Meanwhile, they continue to ignore the atrocities committed by those they put in the victim class. The lives of children means nothing to them unless they have been killed by America, Israel or the west. There is no outrage regarding the deaths of children in Africa when it is black on black killing, or the mass killings by Islamists, or the killings committed by any nation or organization that they consider part of the victim/oppressed class.
          As long as thousands of children continue to be killed in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere by Islamists, not by Americans and not by Israelis, the leftist silence will continue. Islamists and those they place in the victim class never are held responsible for the child casualties of war. Because the leftists do not hold Islamists responsible, they never have to answer how it is possible to respond to the wars Islamists start and wage without children getting harmed.
         
         

Powerful, Oil Rich Qatar And Its Al Jazeera Media

Are Qatar and its government owned Al Jazeera media in favor of peace, moderation and tolerance, or are they a force for violent jihad, murderers called martyrs, intolerance, and the spread of Islamic terror?

The Manchester Murderers Excuse To Murder; Fighting Terrorism And Its Religious Foundation

    A news story reports that a sister to the Manchester suicide mass murderer stated that her brother wanted revenge for the killing of Muslim children, including by American bombs in Syria.
    The demented belief that killing innocent people provides justice or revenge continues to find support by far too many. In order to fight terror, it is not enough to go after terrorists and yet ignore the ideological and religious foundation that gives them religious cover. Terrorism does not bring about justice, freedom, or anything other than pain, misery, death and suffering. It does not make martyrs out of murderers, and it does not earn them a place in heaven, no matter how much they are indoctrinated to believe otherwise.

From Coffee To Politics; Rule By The Super Rich Continues

     The head of a major coffee chain, reported to be considering a political career, wants a more compassionate America, which probably for him means an America that conforms only to his vision. Years back, there were far more interesting, independent coffee shops. All of that has mostly fallen to the wayside in favor of one uniform, sterile, giant corporation. Politics is owned by the super rich, whether they are of a liberal or conservative mindset, with their supersized, insufferable egos, and incorrect belief that success in business means competency in everything. Expect more entry into politics of the super rich and arrogant, and years more of poor leadership.

Opposing Elements Of Islam, But Not Muslims.

     Not agreeing with elements of a religion is different than opposing the people that practice that religion. The two are not the same. There are plenty of decent, good Muslims in this world, and no Muslim or any follower of any faith should be punished, persecuted or harmed because of what they believe or because of the religion they are born into.
      But Islamists do not extend this courtesy to others. And thus they are determined to continue their effort to exterminate the Jews living on the small piece of land called Israel, exterminate, persecute or drive out the Buddhists from South Thailand, the Christians from South Mindanao, the Hindus from Kashmir, the Christians from North Nigeria, the Christians and Hindus from Pakistan and Bangladesh, the Christians and Yazidis from the middle east, the Baha'is in Iran, and on and on.
      Muslims deserve the right to be free of persecution, just as do non Muslims. And thus religious persecution should be resisted wherever it might occur, including in places where Muslims are in the minority, or in places where Arab Muslims persecute non Arab black Muslims, such as in Darfur.
       Some Muslims justify Islamic aggression by pointing out aggression towards Muslims by the west, including the invasion of Iraq. But one wrong does not excuse another. Two wrongs never make a right, and never will.
       No matter what the west does wrong, it does not excuse the excesses, imperialism, terrorism and violence emanating from the Islamic world.
        Islam needs to reform, just as Christianity did centuries ago, just as Judaism has done. No one follows the passages in the Old Testament that promote violence. No one should practice literally the passages in the Quran that promote violence, but unfortunately many do.
        It is time to stop pretending these passages do not exist. It is time to stop sugarcoating Islamic violence, or to pretend that the people that follow the violent passages are any less Muslim than the people that follow the peaceful passages.
        A true reform in Islam must include a complete repudiation and rejection of the following: 1. Religious justification and acceptance of child marriage. 2. Muslims can only be governed by Muslims. Sharia supersedes secular laws and the laws of democracies. 3. Marriage to first cousins, which practiced over generations has resulted in enormous suffering from the diseases and defects that result. It is estimated that in Pakistan alone, over 70 per cent of the population is now inbred from marriages to first cousins. 4. Violent jihad and the spread of Islam through violence. 5. Apostasy, where people can be killed for leaving Islam. 6. Blasphemy and the criminalization of thought. 7. Islamic supremacy and the need to subdue nonbelievers. 8. The right to force the submission of non believers and non Muslims, either by killing them, forcing their conversion, making them slaves, or subjecting them to special taxes. 9. The belief that lands that have been conquered by Muslims, even if they are lost to Muslims for generations, must return to Muslim control. Imagine if all the Jews, Christians, Yazidis, Buddhists, Hindus and others driven out from their lands by Muslims demand the same right. It would mean endless war. 10. All forms of terrorism, without any exceptions. 11. Murdering and torturing gays and lesbians. 12. Denying women the same rights as men. 13. Slavery. 14. The right to sexually abuse, rape, murder and torture captives taken in war. 15. The terrorizing, torture and murder of prisoners of war. 16. Promoting hatred and intolerance for another religion.
            Jihad must become nothing more than personal struggle to become a better person. Islam can be a religion of war, violence terror and intolerance. Or it can be a great religion of peace, tolerance and goodwill. The future of humanity depends on which one will prevail.

Why Trump's War On Terror Will Fail

     Trump, following the unproud, failed tradition of Obama and Bush, declares a war on terror, but fails to confront the religious theocracies, some of which are American allies, that spread the religious ideology that fuels the terror.

The Apologists Ignore What The Islamists' Demand; Jihad, Murder and Terror To Achieve Islamic Domination

     The Islamist apologists want you to think these conflicts are about politics. Or something else. They will not tell you or admit to what keeps these conflicts unresolved and alive.
      It does not matter if the Islamists in South Mindanao are granted complete autonomy. It will not be enough.
      It does not matter if Thailand grants complete autonomy to the Islamists in South Thailand. It will not be enough.
      It does not matter if India grants complete autonomy to the Islamists in Kashmir. It will not be enough.
      It does not matter if Israel withdraws to the indefensible 1967 border it once had, and loses control over half of Jerusalem. It will not be enough.
      It does not matter how many concessions are given to Boko Haram in Nigeria, Hezbollah and Iran in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, Hamas in Gaza, Islamic Jihad in Gaza, the Taliban in Afghanistan, Al Shabab in Somalia, ISIS and Al Qaeda in Libya, Syria, and Iraq, the Islamists, Shia or Sunni, in Yemen, the Islamists in Pakistan, the Islamists in Indonesia, the Islamists in China, the Islamists in Russia, the Islamists in Egypt, the Islamists in Europe, the Islamists in North America, the Islamists, Shia or Sunni, anywhere in the world. It will not be enough. Nothing will be enough until they have what they want.
 
       

Terror Creates The Barriers

    It is not compassionate to talk about building bridges, not barriers, but refuse to confront and face the terrorism that creates the barriers.

Making Martyrs Out Of Murderers; When Religion Furthers Evil (Terrorism)

     Until the religious foundation that supports terror ends, the scourge of terrorism will not end.

Terrorists Are Not Martyrs. The Death/Murder Worshipping Must End

      No matter how many excuses terrorists and their apologists make for committing acts of terror, nothing excuses this evil. Acts of evil are never justified.
       Deliberately attacking and harming civilian populations is pure evil. To the nations that promote terrorism against the people they hate, but hate terrorism when it is directed towards themselves, evil is not sometimes good and sometimes not. Evil is always evil, and terrorism is always evil. Calling suicide bombers and other terrorists martyrs keeps evil alive. Death worshippers that seek to murder as the path to heaven follow an evil, demented religious ideology.
       Terrorists often claim to murder because their enemies have murdered. Nothing justifies their evil, no matter how much they want to rationalize, justify and make excuses for it.
        Humanity has failed to uniformly and forcefully make it clear that there is no place anywhere in the world for terror, that it is never justified, and that terrorists, including suicide bombers, are not martyrs and should never be glorified. There is not always a clear line between good and evil, but not so in the case of terrorism, which is always evil. The blind eye, tolerance, acceptance or encouragement to those nations, regimes and organizations that promote, condone, and encourage terrorism needs to end. Not unless the world wants to stay washed in blood.
       

Concern For Middle East Christians, Yazidis And Moderate Muslims; Too Little Too Late.

      The slaughter against Yazidis, moderate Muslims and Christians of the middle east has already taken place. This new disgraceful chapter in the history of human beings cannot be erased, or the fact that virtually no one lifted a finger to stop it. Thousands of Yazidi women and young girls are still held as slaves that are being sexually abused and tortured by demented Islamists.

   
        

    

        

       

An Islamist Suicide Bomber Commits Mass Murder. The War That Must Be Won That Is Not Being Fought

     It is becoming a familiar story. A Muslim man or woman becomes more religious. But by becoming more religious, they become more deadly, culminating in a deadly attack against innocent, defenseless people. After the attack, the public is often told that it is an aberration and that Islam is peaceful, and to think otherwise is racist.

     Islam is a religion and not a race. To oppose the values that far too many embrace in the Islamic world, values and beliefs that are oppressive, hate filled and bigoted, is not racist. Islamist apologists that do not oppose Islamic bigotry and violence and pander to it in the name of political correctness or open mindedness only fuel the hate, bigotry and violence.

     Islam can be a religion of peace and tolerance, or it can be a religion of violence and intolerance. Anyone can read the Quran and see for themselves that this duality exists in the Quran itself. In this day and age in which Islamic violence and terror are tearing this world apart, what is not needed are more Islamist apologists telling us how wonderful is Islam. We do not need to hear it anymore than we need to hear how wonderful is Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, or any other religion. Or how they read the Quran and gush over it in order to show us how open minded and progressive they are. 

       There are passages straight from the Quran that are the playbook for the evil ISIS is committing. 

Instead of promoting the version of Islam that embraces peace and tolerance, a number of oil rich nations have been promoting the most intolerant, hate filled versions of Islam.

         Now we have evil organizations like ISIS. ISIS is a demented manifestation of oil rich Islamic nations that keep spreading the hate filled, intolerant versions of Islam, which guarantees generation after generation of hate filled ISIS like Islamists. The 22 year old Muslim man that thought it his religious duty to blow himself up in a crowd of mostly children and teenagers attending a music concert believed this act of enormous evil was his religious duty. His thinking, his actions, are not the rare aberration that they should be.

           The war will not be won by winning a physical war. The war of ideas must be won. If the version of Islam that embraces peace, goodwill and tolerance prevails, there will be a bright future for humanity. If the Islam that prevails embraces war, violent jihad, bigotry, hatred, intolerance, suicide attacks and other forms of terror, then the future of humanity will be very dark and bleak. 

           

      

        

Are Land Trusts, Like Anti Dogfighting/ Animal Cruelty Programs, Another Way To Make Boatloads Of Money?

      Too often the plight of animals are exploited by animal organizations that capitalize on suffering to raise money for themselves.
      There is already widespread exploitation of animal cruelty and dogfighting by animal organizations that provide a false perception about what they do, while offering nothing but ineffective, worthless, even harmful programs. People too often accept the claims of these organizations on face value, assuming incorrectly that organizations that claim to help animals cannot be self serving and exploitative. This contributes enormously to animal suffering. Furthermore, when people are mislead, no demand is made to properly address serious matters.
       If land trust programs are not held accountable and scrutinized as to their efficacy, then they will fail just as anti animal cruelty and anti dogfighting programs have failed. They will be nothing more than another money maker for undeserving organizations.
     
     

Trump In Israel. The Islamist Agenda To Kill Must End So The Door To Peace Can Open

     Israelis and Arabs must look to Syria and Yemen as the examples of where not to go. No matter how much bad blood and anger there might be between Israelis and Arabs, their conflict does not have to go, and must not be allowed to go, to a place from where there is no return.

      Israelis and Palestinian Arabs can live in peace with one another. These different people living on a small piece of land will both have to make painful compromises. 

      The Islamist Jihadists that want terror, violent armed conflict and the complete destruction of Israel, not only condemn Israelis to endless war, but also their own people. When Hezbollah calls for the complete destruction of Israel, it means that Hezbollah is calling also for the destruction of Lebanon. And for what? To serve the Lebanese people, or the Islamist Jihadists in Iran that want Israeli Jews dead? When Hamas and Islamic Jihad call for Jew killing and Israel's destruction, are they serving Palestinian Arabs or the desire of Islamist Jihadists living in affluence in places like Qatar? Israelis have nowhere to go, and they will not passively submit to the aggression, terror and Jew hatred of Islamist Jihadists. 

       If the moderates on both sides build bridges, the nearby tragedy of Syria does not have to happen. Whether both sides agree in the end to a two state solution, or an accommodation that results in a one state solution that all sides agree upon, what must not be allowed or ignored are ambitions to commit genocide and ethnic cleansing by anyone.

       The Islamist agenda to destroy Israel and kill Jews is real and is a major reason this conflict does not get resolved. Everything can be resolved that involves land and property, including settlements, land disputes, and compromises regarding Jerusalem, 

        People committed to not killing each other can resolve conflicts. 

        

What Trump Should Have Said In Saudi About Islamic Terrorism And Extremism....

    If oil rich Islamic nations, including Iran on the Shia side, and Saudi Arabia and Qatar on the Sunni side, continue teaching, promoting or justifying the following - intolerance, bigotry, terrorism, hatred, Islamic supremacy (and the inferiority of non believers and their religions) - in schools, mosques, in the media and elsewhere, the result will be the nightmare the world has now; Islamic terror groups all over the world.

Trump Continues The Tradition Of Not Facing What Drives Islamic Extremism and Terror

     Once again facing up to who is responsibility for the rise of Islamic terror groups is evaded. Trump, in his recent speech in Saudi Arabia, used the words, " The crisis of Islamic extremism and the Islamist terror groups it inspires"...
      Islamic extremism is not what is inspiring Islamic terror groups. No, it is certain oil rich Islamic nations that have been spreading an ideology of intolerance, violent jihad, cruelty towards nonbelievers, and the use of terrorism to achieve religious and political objectives. Islamic nations, Shia and Sunni, some considered moderate, some not, are the ones that are creating the crisis of Islamic extremism. These countries are the ones inspiring Islamic terror groups.
       These countries do not use their oil wealth to promote peace and the nonviolent resolution of conflicts. Instead, they use it to spread violent jihad, bigotry, hatred towards certain other religions, Islamic supremacy, and terror.
       Trump will no more face politically inconvenient truths than did Obama and Bush before him.

Trump, Saudi, Qatar, Iran. Violent Islamic Jihad And Terrorism

      If religion has nothing to do with violence and terror, then why is religion what motivates almost all of the terrorists in the world and all of the violent jihadists? Sean Spicer said on Feb 1, 2017,  "It is not a religious problem, it is a radicalization problem. ...There is a big difference between Islam, the religion, and radical Islamic terrorists"....

      Republican political correctness may differ in content from democratic political correctness, but make no mistake they both practice political correctness.

      Trump, now in Saudi, sings a far softer tune than what he said before about Obama and Islam.  

       No matter how much these politicians want to sugar coat reality, from Bush, Obama, and now Trump, no matter how much they want to deny reality and follow the politically correct narrative that Islam can only be a religion of peace; warm and fuzzy, the reality is far different.

       Islam can be a religion of peace. It can be a world class religion that makes this world a far safer, better place. But it can also be a religion of war, terror, violent jihad and conquest, and intolerance. Unfortunately, many of the oil rich Islamic regimes have chosen the latter. As long as they promote intolerance, and the narrative that violence and terror are the acceptable way to resolve conflicts and expand Islam, then war and terror are what this world will have. 

       As long as they keep demonizing and encouraging war and violence against the non Muslims they hate, then war, terror and violence will not lessen.

      If Islamic regimes embrace tolerance, instead of the intolerance and hatred they have been spreading, then the wars, terror and violence in this world will greatly lessen. 

      To the leftist and liberal apologists who blame everything on a certain country, Islamic war and terror are widespread, and have nothing to do with that one country they want to demonize and blame for everything. Long standing conflicts in Somalia, parts of South Mindanao, South Thailand, Kashmir, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya, Gaza, and many other places, will never be resolved as long as Islamic jihadists and their apologists remain strong. 

      To the rightists that talk tough and play their audiences like a fiddler plays a fiddle, but care only about the almighty dollar and business, if there is no demand to separate Islam from intolerance and violent jihad, then rest assured military contracts and war related businesses will continue to prosper, but so will war and misery.

       It is untruthful and deceptive to keep pretending Islamic terrorists and violent jihadists have nothing to do with religion and the Islamic regimes that keep promoting the religious ideology and intolerance that lays the foundation for Islamic terrorists and violent jihadists.

                 

Endangered Species Day; Making Money Under The Guise Of Raising Awareness

     Endangered species day.... An  opportunity to show great concern for endangered species, present photographs, make money, and continue to do nothing.

Styrofoam Single Use Products; Centuries Of Ocean Contamination For Convenience

     One important action that should immediately be taken to stop the poisoning of the oceans is to ban all single use styrofoam products, including styrofoam cups, containers, and plates. Styrofoam breaks down into small particles that are virtually indestructible and near impossible to remove from the oceans, which is where much of it ends. Like plastics and other oil based materials, it releases toxins into the environment, while also acting as a magnet for toxins. Alternative materials should also be used to replace styrofoam packaging. The convenience of styrofoam is not worth centuries of contamination.

While Venezuela Sinks, The Leftist Rulers' Children Live Like Kings And Queens In The U.S., Australia And Europe

     While the people of Venezuela suffer, the children of the leftist leaders that have destroyed Venezuela live like kings and queens in the United States, Europe, and Australia. The leftists hypocrites that ran or now run not only Venezuela, but other countries like Bolivia as well, have turned their children into millionaires and billionaires. Venezuela should be prosperous. Instead, it is poverty for the masses and riches for the rulers and their children. The children of the greed mongering hypocrites should be ashamed, and if not, they should be shamed. The United States and other countries should not passively accept their stolen wealth that rightfully belongs to the Venezuelan people.  

The Plastic Poisoning of Henderson Island And The Wake Up Call That Will Not Come

     A recent report regarding Henderson Island, a remote, small, uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, states that the tiny island is littered with over 38 million pieces of plastic, and that every day thousands of new pieces of plastic wash ashore. The researchers concluded that there are almost 18 tons of plastic garbage on the small island, a number that will only increase.

      The enormous threat from the plastic contamination of the oceans continues to be underestimated. Every day thousands of tons of plastics, styrofoam and other oil based contaminants enter into the oceans, mostly coming from land based sources. The overuse of these materials, many of which are used only one time even though they are virtually indestructible, and the inability of many nations to properly remove and dispose of plastics, means the plastic poisoning of the oceans will not stop. 

       Henderson Island might raise some eyebrows, but it will not be a wakeup call. The wakeup call might not come until cancer rates soar from humans eating plastic contaminated fish and other marine life. Or maybe the wake up call will come when seabirds, fish, turtles, dolphins, whales and other marine life populations crash. (Already many of these populations are dying off from plastics.)  But by then it will be too late.

      There needs to be the following: 1. A worldwide, daily, ongoing massive effort to clean up plastic trash from coastlines and other areas. (Not one day occasional high publicity cleanups.) 2. A worldwide, massive effort to ensure proper collection, removal and disposal of plastics, styrofoam and other oil based contaminants. 3. A change in the materials used for packaging and in the way items are packaged. 4. Single use styrofoam products must be immediately banned. 

        The thousands of tons of plastics, styrofoam and other oil based contaminants entering into the oceans daily have to go somewhere. Henderson Island is a small reminder that hazardous trash does not just disappear.

       

What Trump And A Number Of Nonprofits Share In Common

    What Trump shares with a number of nonprofit organizations are the following:
1.  They are good at pointing out problems, creating the impression that they have the solution.
2.  They promise a lot, and no one ever holds them accountable as to what they actually deliver.
3.  The lack of accountability and scrutiny regarding efficacy allows them to go on and on in the case of many nonprofits, with many getting ever richer and more entrenched in people's minds as the answer to an array of problems that they actually do little to nothing about. In Trumps case, as long as he operated in the insular world of the Trump enterprises, he could do as he wanted. He made the mistake of putting himself into a spotlight that is unlike anything he experienced before.
      Trump's ego demanded the presidency, a world of scrutiny far different than what many nonprofits or Trump enterprises ever experience. That was his undoing. Fortunately for a number of nonprofits, and unfortunately for the populations they serve, they have no aspirations beyond their continued survival, self promotion, and wealth expansion.
        Without critically examining an organization as to its efficacy, there can be no true accountability in the nonprofit world. People too easily are willing to blindly follow based on words, marketing and propaganda. Words and promises keep a number of ineffective, even harmful, nonprofits alive and strong. Words and promises handed Trump the presidency.

Ocean Cleanup Project: Why It Will Either Help Oceans Or Become Part Of The Plastic Problem

       A lot of publicity has been generated regarding a new program to clean up plastics from ocean garbage patches. People are mistaken if they believe this will correct the problem of plastics and oil based contaminants killing the oceans. This new program and the technology it will employ will help clean up some, or hopefully a lot, of the plastics from the ocean's garbage patches, but it is not the answer to the poisoning of the oceans by plastics and other oil based contaminants
       First, most plastics and oil based contaminants do not make it to the garbage patches of the oceans. One study estimates that over 94 per cent of the plastic contaminants that enter into the oceans disperse and never reach the garbage patches.
       Second, even if large amounts of plastics are removed from the garbage patches, it will nowhere equal the greater amounts of plastics and other oil based contaminants that are newly entering into the oceans.
      Third, a lot of plastic material breaks down into small particles that not only disperse, but are too small to capture.
      People too often look for easy answers and when easy answers are offered, continue in their complacency. It is naive and reckless to believe that the plastic poisoning of the oceans will be solved because of technology alone.
      The war that must be won, if there is any hope for saving the oceans and ourselves, must be fought on many fronts. It will require hard work. Technology cannot be used as the excuse to avoid fighting these battles and to avoid the necessary hard work.
       Most plastic, styrofoam and other oil based garbage in the oceans originates from the land, including coastal areas. Many countries lack the resources for proper garbage pickup and proper disposal of trash. Much of their plastic and other oil based garbage ends up in the oceans, oftentimes by entering waterways that lead to oceans. The garbage from many coastal communities and cities that lack proper garbage removal and disposal often goes directly into the oceans.
        In a Youtube video called, "Coastal Communities And The Failure To Save Oceans From Garbage", the garbage from just one small coastal community that lacks proper garbage removal and disposal can be seen. The plastics and other trash from just this one small coastal community are significant.
       There needs to be a worldwide effort to ensure the proper removal and disposal of garbage so that the ocean contamination ends.
        Pressure must be put on food manufacturers and other companies to seek alternatives to plastic and oil based wrappers and packaging materials. This includes wrappers for candies, chips and cookies, and plastic bags, whether small or large.
         A worldwide effort to employ people to remove garbage from coastlines and elsewhere will help the environment, in addition to providing employment. It will be good for families, communities, countries and the oceans.
         Styrofoam plates, cups, and all single use styrofoam items must be banned.
         In many countries, food and drinks, including hot drinks and hot food, are put into small plastic bags. This is unhealthy for people because toxic chemical leach out from the plastic bags when heated. These single use bags usually end up in the oceans. Alternatives to plastics must be found.
        Greater research needs to be conducted to obtain alternatives to plastics, styrofoam and other oil based packaging materials.
        Plastics and oil based materials release toxic chemicals, including bpa, and also act as magnets for toxic chemicals, which increase their danger to fish, other wildlife, and ultimately people.
        Unless people are willing to do hard work to clean up the coastlines and other places and significantly reduce the amount of contaminants that enter into the oceans, all the technology in the world will not save the oceans. Every day that plastics are removed from the garbage patches of the oceans or other places by technology, far more plastics enter into the oceans.
         Saving the oceans requires hard work and interventions on many levels. If the ocean cleanup project and its technology are another excuse for continued complacency, the oceans are doomed. If the ocean cleanup and its new technology become one part of a massive effort on many fronts to save the oceans, then there is hope.

Whales, Plastics, The Philippines And The Oceans.Time For Seriousness, Not Stunts

     In the Philippines, an international conservation organization created a statue of a whale with plastic litter coming out of its mouth. The idea is to draw attention to the plastics and trash contaminating the oceans.
     This has generated free media attention for the organization. It gives the appearance that the organization is doing something about saving the oceans without having to do much of anything.
     They must be aware that in the Philippines, a huge amount of plastics and other oil based contaminants enters into the ocean because the Philippines, like many other nations, lacks adequate resources to properly remove and dispose of trash.
       They must be aware of the huge amounts of trash that litter the coastlines, lands and waterways, and that other than an occasional high publicity one day clean up event here or there, no one is doing anything.
        They must be aware that if they are so concerned about plastics and other oil based contaminants entering the oceans, they can open their pocketbooks a little and hire local people all over the country to clean up the coastlines, lands and waterways. This will help the poor by giving employment, it will help the country, it will help the environment, and it will help the Pacific Ocean.
         Every day worldwide thousands of tons of plastics, styrofoam and other oil based poisons enter into the oceans. This is an unaddressed nightmare that is killing wildlife and the oceans. People are not immune from this disaster.
       

The Failure To Properly Navigate And Hold Nonprofits (Charities) Accountable

       When the actual program or service a charity provides is ineffective, worthless or even harmful, which is the case for many charities considered legitimate, it does not matter if the charity is transparent in their accounting, in their willingness to provide information about their organization, and in their willingness to explain their actions to donors.
        The key word here is efficiency, which is far too often lacking in the evaluations of charities. Furthermore, significant harm results when people mistakenly believe serious problems are adequately addressed by charities, when often nothing could be further from the truth.
         No one reputable would evaluate a for profit entity without evaluating the efficacy of the programs, products or services of that entity. There is no excuse for nonprofits (charities) to be held to a lesser standard.

       
     
       
         

Indonesia, Peat Swamp Forests, Islamist Petty Viciousness

       Indonesia holds most of the world's peat swamp forests. The peat in these forests can be layered up to 65 feet thick. What happens to these forests is of great consequence. These forests store enormous amounts of carbon. They are some of the most biologically rich places on earth. Unfortunately, they are being destroyed. Protecting these forests is extremely important. Instead of focusing on what matters, Indonesia is succumbing to the pettiness and viciousness of Islamists, and is choosing instead to protect their ever tender feelings. One of Indonesia's best politicians will now serve two years in prison for blasphemy for making a harmless statement.

       If Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, succumbs to the intolerance, bigotry, pettiness, and viciousness that is sweeping the Islamic world, it will be a quick descent from what Indonesia is now to what Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, Yemen, Gaza, Syria, South Thailand, South Mindanao, and many other places have become. With its large Muslim population and location in the heart of Asia, with its vast and extremely important rain forests, peat swamp forests, coral reefs and mangroves, Indonesia lost to the Islamists will be a disaster beyond repair. 

The Trump Presidency: Distraction And Drama. Rich Does Not Mean Competent

     The Trump presidency is so full of distractions and drama that not much of anything may get accomplished.

Islamists In Indonesia; Mindless Sheep On Witch Hunts

     Some of the most biologically rich, important rainforests in the world are in Indonesia.These forests are rapidly being lost in that Indonesia has one of the world's highest rates of deforestation. The fires set in Borneo in order to turn rain forest into palm oil plantations turns the air toxic, and spreads to countries like Singapore.

      Poverty, deforestation, human rights, and everything important is lost on the Islamists who want nothing but mindless human sheep. Forests burn and so does the future of mankind as the Islamists obsess about punishing one of Indonesia's best leaders for blasphemy based on a harmless statement he made. While millions live in grueling poverty, while forests burn, Islamists are on religious witch hunts. 

       

Indonesia: Will Moderation Or The Islamists Prevail?

     Over a thousand people peacefully protested in Indonesia in support of Ahok. This is a hopeful sign. Will Indonesia succumb to the mindless conformity and intolerance of the Islamists that are washing this world in blood, or will the voices of toleration and moderation prevail?

Indonesia Capitulates To Intolerance In The Islamic world

     Is it a crime to state that someone is lying when they claim the Quran says Muslims should not vote for non Muslims to rule them?  Ahok, the former Christian mayor of Jakarta, recently elected out of office in an election some claim was ripe with fraud, was just sentenced to two years in prison for blasphemy for saying that about some of his political opponents.
     Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population, and a reputation for moderation. There are also a number of vulnerable religious minorities. If Indonesia follows the general trend in the Islamic world of greater intolerance, more hatred, increased cruelty, violence and terror against all things considered non Muslim, it will truly be a dark age for the minorities and Muslim moderates of Indonesia and for the world.
     
   

Obama's 400,000 Speech; Principles Of Democratic And Republican Politicians

     Obama will be paid 400,000 dollars from a wall street firm in exchange for giving a speech at an evening event. The Obamas are making fortunes from speeches, a 60 million dollar book deal, and all the other easy money perks.
      Why? Because Obama was an incredibly great president who prevented genocide? Or that his meaningless red line regarding chemical weapon use in Syria meant a green light to the Assad regime? Or because the Yazidis, middle east Christians and moderate Muslims in the middle east that were slaughtered while Obama did nothing means he is deserving of these riches?
      Obama followed in the footsteps of one of the most incompetent, arrogant administrations. The war in Iraq, the mismanagement and gross incompetence in the management of Iraq in the aftermath of the war, exacts a heavy price to this day. When the incompetents in the Bush administration fired all Baathists party members, and disbanded the army and police forces, leaving untold numbers of people unemployed and bitter, they created the seeds for the disaster that unfolded.
       The United States never should have gone to war in Iraq, but to withdraw in the untimely and unwise way that Obama implemented was the recipe for disaster.
        So with all the failure, all the bloodshed, all the misery that two presidents brought to the world, Bush and then Obama, why does Obama deserve the rich wall street rewards?
         Because wall street cares only about money. It does not care about principles. And neither do all the democratic and republican politicians in wall street's pockets.
          No matter what democrats and republicans say, they are the parties of greed and self interest. Chock full of politicians that line their own pockets.
           Trump got elected partially because some people believe that since he is filthy rich, he has no pockets to line, and therefore he would be an independent reformer.
            Make no mistake about it, Trump is no more for the little guy than any of the others. He never was, and he never will be.
             Imagine if politicians take a vow not of poverty, but one in which they will not allow themselves to personally profit or become rich from political office.
             Obama is one in a long line of self serving opportunists. Meanwhile, the democrats will continue to lose elections because they are not a viable alternative to republicans. If only they would stand strongly for simple things, like labor and the environment, and stop pandering to political correctness and victimhood, they might have a chance. And if they stop being the same greedy sobs as the republicans.
      The republicans will help ensure the rich get richer, the country goes more in debt, labor continues to be devalued and cheap, hard working illegal immigrants that are not criminals and that do the hard jobs Americans do not want to do will remain demonized targets, big moneyed special interests will prevail at the expense of the middle class and working poor, environmental degradation will accelerate, and the United States will continue to lose its middle class and become a nation of extreme rich with fewer in the middle and more at the bottom.
       And while all of this is happening, the Obamas will keep raking in easy money.
           
           
         

Is Reward Money To Stop DogFighters Legitimate?

     Reward money to stop dogfighters is an easy way for an organization to give the illusion it is concerned about dogfighting and wants to stop it, without having to do anything meaningful or substantive. It is naive to believe that an organization posting these reward money signs is unaware of the very poor police response to dogfighting, and that hardly anyone will ever collect a reward. Animal organizations that purport to investigate animal cruelty are ineffective at best, and oftentimes do harm, thereby further ensuring the rarity of reward money. Few dogfighters ever get arrested for dogfighting because of the poor police response and inappropriate and exploitative response by many animal organizations.
      An organization posting signs offering reward money leading to the arrest of dog fighters gets free publicity. It is a great marketing tool. It is more than likely a way to fundraise without directly asking for money.
      For the many years that reward money has been offered to catch dogfighters, how much reward money has actually been paid out?
      If anyone cared to check, they would find out it is a ridiculously small amount. Because animals lack true advocates, it is doubtful anyone will check. Even worse, the poor police response and widespread exploitation by a number of animal organizations will continue, precisely because animals lack true defenders and advocates.

The Rights Of No One To Commit Terror

      Past wrongs and grievances, whether legitimate or not, do not give a person or a people the right to commit terror.

Actions To Stop Further Ocean Destruction From Plastic & Other Garbage

     The daily entry into the oceans of thousands of tons of plastics, styrofoam, and other oil based non biodegradable materials are killing the oceans and wildlife. And yet the will is lacking to do anything significant, including the following:

1.  Pressure food corporations and other companies to change their packaging materials or at least reduce the harmful impact of their packaging materials and wrappers.
2.  Devote more research and resources into creating affordable biodegradable packaging materials.
3.  Reduce the use of styrofoam materials.
4.  Reduce the use of disposable plastic materials.
5.  Eliminate completely all styrofoam cups, plates, and other one time use disposable styrofoam products.
6.  Assist developing nations in properly disposing of their garbage.
7. Develop better waste management practices that are implemented everywhere, including in poor nations, in that garbage entering into the oceans is a worldwide problem.

    There are many things people can do on their own without having to rely on often worthless organizations, including one or more of the following:
1.  Help coastal communities and other communities in the third world that lack the resources to remove garbage.
2.  In the developing world, pick up trash and properly dispose of it.
3.  In the developed world, pick up trash and properly dispose of it.
4.  Clean up coastal areas and make sure they are free from trash, including plastics, styrofoam, fishing lines, hooks, damaged fishing nets, tires, bottles, and so forth.
       The simple act of picking up and removing plastic, styrofoam and other trash is important.
       Cleaning up trash is not glamorous. It is straightforward and necessary. 

Animal Cruelty And Animal Organizations; Unsupported Claims, Harmful Actions

     Animal organizations that claim to do something about animal cruelty never get held responsible because the population they claim to represent is incapable of communicating how ineffective and often harmful these organizations are actually. It is the perfect setup for these organizations because they can claim a lot, and never have to prove anything. And the people that contribute or support these organizations never press for efficacy and accountability. The population that is supposed to be helped is the one that suffers.

Is The World Getting Better, Or Is It Only Stock Markets?

     A recent article in the financial section of a news source was highly optimistic regarding stock markets. The article stated there are two things that are almost always true; the world keeps getting better and yet people keep thinking it is getting worse.
    When viewed through a narrow prism, the world is getting better. The financial world, where money and power rests, cannot see beyond its sanitized world of easy and quick money. In the natural world, the world that ultimately matters, things are not getting better.
     The stock market can go up 100,000 points from here, and it still does not mean real wealth is being created. Real wealth is not the wealth that people see in a bank or brokerage statement. It is the wealth of the world that no one man or woman possesses.
        The stock market will keep going up as long as more money flows into it than flows out. Since governments around the world have ensured that saving money by putting it into a savings account is completely unrewarded, the only asset classes that governments and the federal reserve want inflated are the stock and housing markets. If they have created a bubble, and if that bubble bursts, it will be the people that do not have the luxury to rideout protracted downturns that will be most affected.
         The real wealth of the world is not getting better. Putting aside mass poverty, political instability, nuclear weapons proliferation, and the increasing rise of religious fanaticism, violence and intolerance, what is the world's state of affairs?
           Coral reefs are disappearing at alarming rates. Rainforests are being cut and destroyed at alarming rates. Important coastal and other habitats are being lost to development. More and more species are nearing extinction. Biodiversity is being lost. Widespread environmental degradation continues. People may think they are divorced from the natural world, and that all that matters is the world of business and finance, but the truth is otherwise.
            Think this picture is too pessimistic? Then consider this regarding the oceans - besides the daily overfishing, the huge amount of contaminants that are dumped daily, the increasing ocean acidification, the trawlers that daily scrape the seafloor and destroy it, the ghost nets and human debris that kills marine life, the radioactive water pouring into the Pacific Ocean daily from Fukushima, the collapse of many fisheries, the extinction and near extinction of species, including some marine mammals and seabirds, and more - there is another huge, insidious destroyer. Every single day, thousands of tons of plastics, styrofoam and other non biodegradable material enters into the oceans. Most of the plastic and other oil based material breaks down into small particles that do not degrade and are virtually impossible to remove. Marine life and seabirds eat this plastic. It is in the food chain. It is everywhere. It is contaminating and destroying the oceans and its life. Companies refuse to change how things are wrapped, knowing full well that in most places in the world, there is no way to properly dispose of plastic and oil based packaging materials. Every bag of chips, candy and so on consumed in those places mostly likely will enter into the oceans. No serious effort is being made on any level to stop this daily poisoning of the oceans.
        In the world of rising stock markets, there is euphoria.
        In the world on which all life depends, the natural world, things are not getting better. They are getting worse.
   
       

Religious Intolerance Replaced By Intolerance For Environmental Degradation

     Imagine if religious intolerance and hatred were replaced by intolerance for the destruction of the environment.

Chechnya, Gays and Torture. Human Rights In An Islamic Theocracy

     An article in the news today concerns gay people being tortured in Chechnya. A Chechen official denied this is taking place by asserting that there are no gays in Chechnya. Putin, who has a loyal tyrant running the Chechnyan Islamic republic, takes a hands off posture as long as Chechnya no longer presses for independance. Meanwhile, life in that Islamic republic, typical of most Islamic republics, requires mindless conformity and an intolerant mindset.

     Many people that press for human rights are inexplicably silent when it comes to the Islamic world. Maybe it is out of fear for being labeled Islamophobic. Maybe it is because of the hypocritical way in which human rights are selectively applied.

     There is some percentage of the population that will always be gay. Even people that hate gays and choose to have children cannot control whether or not their own children will be gay. Meanwhile, the gay population of Chechnya, which will not go away just because some people wish it to go away, are being tortured and brutalized.

The Perverted Idea That Grievances Provide Entitlement To Commit Terror

      Grievances are used as an excuse for violence and terror. When a significant number of people experience things to be aggrieved about, and are taught that violence and terror are an appropriate response to their grievances, we have what we have now; a world caught on fire. There are also enough self righteous people eager to point out grievances, but unwilling to stand firm that violence and terror are not an acceptable way to respond.
      There will always be grievances. We do not live in paradise. But having opened the door to violence and terror as acceptable responses, we open the door to endless violence and terror. Violence and terror do not resolve grievances. Instead, they virtually ensure that the grievances will get worse.