Animal Welfare And Protection, So Much Could Have been Done...

Animal welfare and protection are some of the most lucrative tax free businesses. Fortunes are made off the backs of suffering animals. Efficacy and accountability are nonexistent. That is why, more than twenty years after sounding the alarm regarding animal cruelty and dog fighting (refer to previous blogs), only the illusion that things have gotten better has changed. In response to yet another person that could have done so much, all we can say in regard to his resignation is the following.....

We are profoundly ungrateful for X's unparalleled level of accomplishment and service to the exploitation of animal protection and welfare in order to further the financial and other interests of x animal organization.

Start Of A New Unwinnable Nuclear Arms Race

      Trump announced he will pull the United States out of a nuclear weapons agreement signed long ago by Gorbachev and Reagan. Trump's arguments include allegations Russia is violating the treaty, and that China, which is not a signer to the treaty, is free to develop nuclear weapons that the United States is prevented from developing. Putin has been boasting lately of Russia's new supersonic nuclear weapons that cannot be stopped.
      What does humanity get in exchange for the leaders that it has? Leaders that are fabulously wealthy, or that make themselves fabulously wealthy? Leaders that are far removed from the lives of ordinary people, many of whom live in grinding poverty. Most people struggle for nothing more than a decent place to live, enough food to eat, clean water to drink, a job, and a small sense of security. Their leaders, far removed from ordinary lives, seem oblivious to the serious issues ripping humanity apart, including enormous environmental degradation, grinding poverty, violence, and religious fanaticism, to name but a few. In exchange for leaders that are often corrupt, enormously enriched, live like kings, and give so little to the people from whom they take so much, is it too much to ask that they not embark on another senseless nuclear arms race that no one can win? These leaders seem incapable of providing even that. If only they would take their billions of often ill gotten wealth, and leave the world stage if they cannot achieve at the very least a reduction in the nuclear weapons threat. Nuclear weapons proliferation is one of the greatest threats to human survival. No one wins a nuclear war. The radioactive fallout alone will destroy human civilization. Even if one sides destroys the other, the radioactive fallout will travel the world, making human life uninhabitable on all sides.
       Before the dark days of the cold war return, before a new nuclear arms race begins, will sanity prevail?
       Imagine if the world had leaders that announced an 80 per cent reduction of nuclear weapons within five years. The 20 per cent left is still enough to destroy the world. And then, after another five years, the remaining 20 per cent is destroyed. Imagine if all nations agree that the destruction of one nation by others is completely unacceptable, which will greatly reduce the argument for any nuclear weapons.
       It is not too late to pull back from a new nuclear arms race. If Trump, Putin and other world leaders change directions and stop and reverse a nuclear arms race, it will grant them a legacy that they can be proud of. Do they have the moral strength and courage to do so?

       There are poisoned, radioactive places that were ruined by nuclear weapons testing or by the storage of nuclear weapons material. Some of these storage places are ticking time bombs where radioactive material is already leaking out. Many people have been genetically damaged by nuclear weapons fallout, whether from nuclear weapons tests or exposure to nuclear weapons material, or from the bombs dropped over Japan. If only these world leaders visit the casualties of high radiation exposure, which is one of the most ferocious, damaging forces on earth. If only they realize that if they develop or unleash these demons, it does not make them martyrs, even if they are not the first ones to unleash the weapons. It makes them mass murderers and the destroyers of mankind and mankind's future.

   
   

Saudi Sponsored Madrasas, Murdering Young Minds

     The focus on Saudi Arabia must extend beyond the high publicity murder that is in the news.
      Saudi sponsored madrasas or schools have spread throughout the world. Children are being indoctrinated into following rigid, intolerant, supremacist versions of Islam. The west claims Saudi as an ally and valuable partner, including in the fight against terrorism, forgetting that Saudi style indoctrination creates the very terrorism that is being fought.
      Moderation in the Islamic world is falling to the wayside, and is being overtaken by fanaticism and hate, whether it is the fanaticism, bigotry and intolerance promoted by Iran, on the Shia side, or the fanaticism, bigotry and intolerance promoted by Saudi and a number of other Islamic nations (not all of which are aligned with Saudi Arabia) on the Sunni side.
       Many children in the Sudan and elsewhere are forced to study nothing but the Quran all day long. Those that resist are beaten and chained in many of these schools. These children are completely at the mercy of their often cruel "teachers".  There is an entire, complex world that exists beyond the Quran that these children and millions of others will never get to know.
        Saudi sponsored madrasas are poisoning young minds with an agenda of hate, bigotry and intolerance in Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Philippines, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and in many other places, including in the west.
       When children are taught to be narrow minded bigots, the groundwork is set for a future of war and terror. Unless the world wants to endlessly fight fanatics and their senseless jihads, the way many madrasas are brainwashing young minds must no longer be ignored. Saudi Arabia is an extremely wealthy nation. It must moderate and change the vast network of madrasas that it sponsors, or watch the world continue to be soaked in blood. It must ensure that no child anywhere is raised on a diet of hate, bigotry and intolerance. The west is complicit by blindly accepting the brainwashing and destruction of young minds.

Ocean Plastic, Putin's Supersonic Weapons, And A Dismal Future

       Serious ecological problems are dooming mankind to a miserable future. The long list of death by a thousands cuts includes the thousands of tons of plastics and other non biodegradable waste pouring into the oceans daily. Almost all of these contaminants break down and disperse, damaging ocean ecosystems worldwide. Only a small amount makes it to the ocean garbage patches, where there is a much hyped effort to clean up the patches by technology, while ignoring the massive flow of contaminants that enters daily, and that far exceeds the small amount of trash that can be removed from the ocean garbage patches. Enormous amounts of non biodegradable trash can be removed from coastlines and elsewhere, if only there is the political and economic will. Millions of people worldwide can be employed to do ongoing cleanups, coastal and elsewhere. Occasional volunteer cleanup days are good publicity for organizations, but do virtually nothing for the oceans.
        Trillions of dollars are floating around this world. The money is there to provide massive employment worldwide to clean up coastlines and other environments before it is too late.
        Forests, especially vulnerable rainforests, continue to be destroyed. The world is increasingly polluted and contaminated, with an ever increasing human population relying on an increasingly degraded environment.
        Putin announced a new supersonic nuclear weapon systems that cannot be detected and that can destroy the world. In a world massively degraded and impoverished, how can anyone take pride in or respect this huge waste of money, time and effort that does nothing for humanity except bring it closer to annihilation?
     

Overcharging For Moringa (The Poor Man's Vegetable) And Cannabis

     Moringa is an easy to grow tree in a favorable climate. Moringa is now grown throughout Southeast Asia, India, Kenya, Florida, Haiti, and many other places. In the Philippines, many people refer to it as the poor man's vegetable. Moringa grows fast. Once established, it tolerates drought along with heavy rains. It does not like cold weather, but that is not a problem, as there are many places in the world where the weather is just right for the tree. The leaves of the tree are edible, as are other parts of the tree. Unlike many vegetables, the moringa leaves are often available year around. When leaves and branches are removed from the tree, new ones grow back rapidly. In times of drought, it may drop most or all of its leaves, but once given water, the moringa rapid growth continues. Moringa grows easily in many places without the use of pesticides, fertilizers, or much care of any sort.

      Why do the leaves of this inexpensive to grow tree cost a small fortune? One large store that is part of a national food chain sells moringa powdered leaves for around 23 dollars for less than half of a pound. Other places sell moringa powdered leaves from 40 dollars and up for a pound.

       Moringa is billed as a miracle food. It is indeed healthy. It sustains many poor people that have access to no vegetable or green food source. Moringa leaves are high in antioxidants and nutrients. So why the high prices charged in the states for a food that is easy to grow, requires little care, and where expensive pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers are not needed? Perhaps for no other reason than that they can get away with it. 

        Some people say moringa is an answer to deforestation and the food needs of impoverished nations. In the states, people in warm climates can easily grow this tree and help kill the overpriced commercial market for moringa products. Marijuana and cannabis, as legalization increases, can also be commonly grown, and hopefully will kill the overpriced market for those products.  

Marijuana Hype And Keeping MJ Away From Big Business

       Cannabis plants, including marijuana, are being legalized or are moving in the direction of legalization in many places. Big shot republicans, big shot democrats, big shots from other walks of life that never lifted a finger when it was politically unacceptable to promote marijuana legalization, are suddenly on board. They expect huge profits will be made.
      Cannabis is getting taken over by big money interests. But it does not have to be this way.
      When marijuana is legalized, people can do what many have been deterred from doing. Grow it themselves. There are many suitable places where it can be grown. In unsuitable places, it can easily be grown indoors. There is no reason for marijuana to get owned by big shots and big business. For the millions that like to smoke or use marijuana, they can become small scale harvesters and grow their own.
         Legalizing marijuana will end the black market, and stop being a cash cow for gangs, criminals, and terrorists. But is marijuana or cannabis the wonder plant that many people are making it out to be? The claims that it will help with arthritis, sleep, pain, anxiety, and a host of other ailments and illnesses are still unproven. Cannabis was proven to be beneficial for a certain form of childhood epilepsy. However, the alleged miracle powers of cannabis may prove to be another dead end road for many that will find cannabis or marijuana provides little to no relief for their pains and ailments.
          There are hundreds of thousands of vascular plants in this world, including thousands of undiscovered plants, in which some may provide benefits far beyond what marijuana or cannabis can provide. Unfortunately, as rainforests and other habitats are destroyed, many of these plants will never be found. Hyping marijuana and cannabis, including cbd oils and so forth, will leave many disappointed. The wonders of the plant world, and the tremendous benefits that plants can provide humanity, hardly starts or stops with marijuana or cannabis.
       If only more people were concerned about the preservation of biodiversity, including rainforests, before plants that can really do what marijuana and cannabis are alleged to do are lost forever.
     
   

Suze Orman And Other Media Stars Never Go Away

     The media likes to make stars out of people, no matter how mediocre, harmful  or incompetent they may be. Stars are money makers for the non profits they represent and for the corporate interests they promote. Stars bring in fortunes for media companies. A mediocre dog trainer was turned into a dog whispering superstar. Sadly, many were the times teenagers and children had to be stopped from emulating his training methods, which in the hands of the inexperienced youths were harmful. A woman that studied a species of animal was turned into a superstar, bringing in huge sums of money for herself and the nonprofit she represents, even as the species that brought her fame and fortune has collapsed by more than 90 per cent. The nonprofit grew into a giant, while the animal that brought fame and fortune has fared poorly. (Hype and minimal protection ensured that.) Image, not substance, has come to mean everything.
       Suze Orman is billed as a personal finance expert. She is a media money maker. Her advice, when it is good, is not uncommon knowledge. Other times, her advice has caused harm. During the last market crash, when she advised some people to get out of the market all or partly, those that followed her advice missed the upswing that followed, and lost money. Now she is advising people to stay in the market. Not selling in downturns is commonly accepted, mainstream advice, as is dollar cost averaging. She said that people should wish for a recession, because that is when stocks can be bought cheaply. No sound financial adviser or financial expert would wish for a recession. Recessions cause people to lose their jobs, their homes, and their money. Is it worth it just so someone can make money in the stock market? The Suze Orman debit card debacle and fico score nonsense campaign should have ended her career as a personal financial expert. That, and unoriginal, and at times bad advice, does not stop the media from giving her a voice.
        Media stars do not go away.

Israeli Jews, Yazidis, And The War Against Israel

      The simplistic narrative of Palestinian victimhood and Israeli oppression does not serve the interests of Palestinians or Israelis. Israeli Jews are a small minority in a sea of Arabs, which includes the Arabs now called Palestinians. Israelis have only their one small country. Without it, their fate will be no different than the Yazidi people. Yazidis, a religious minority, were slaughtered by Muslim fanatics. Their menfolk were murdered, their young women and girls were taken as sex slaves. Their male children were kidnapped to be turned into brainwashed Islamic jihadists. The Yazidis are but one cruel example of the too often plight of non Muslim religious minorities living in Muslim majority lands.
       The propaganda that Israel is nothing but a European colonial state is nothing but that - propaganda. It ignores the majority population of Israel that originated from middle east and North African Muslim majority nations, where the Jews were expelled and sent fleeing for their lives to the new state of Israel. It ignores the Jewish connection to the land of Israel for thousands of years. It ignores the fact that Jews have never stopped living in what is now Israel.
       The apartheid label is best applied to those Arab and Muslim majority nations that expelled their Jews. Where are their Jews? Most are in Israel. If they return to Arab Muslim and other Muslim majority lands, they will be slaughtered. They know that, and so do millions of Jew haters that would love to see another mass slaughter of the Jews.
        Jews and Palestinian Arabs are stuck with each other on one small piece of land. Every effort to promote coexistence, mutual acceptance, peace and tolerance must be lauded. Every effort to fan war, hate, killing, conflict and death should be opposed by people of any faith that have a shred of decency.
        Many people want Israel destroyed. That, and the belief of many Muslims that only Muslims can be allowed to rule, condemns the region to endless war. Islamists and their apologists, of which there are many (they will support anything the Islamists and jihadists do as long as they are killing or trying to kill Jews) have ensured  blood keeps flowing on all sides.
         

Nobel Peace Prize. Yazidi, Congo Genocide. Islamist Sexual Slavery

     Will the Nobel peace prize given to Nadia Murad and Dr. Dennis Mukwege for raising awareness about sexual violence change anything?
     Millions have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many have been hacked to death. Gang rapes, rapes of infants and children, have been committed by warring soldiers. The atrocities have not stopped. The world has been silent throughout it all. (The world focuses on Israel and little else, and ignores the mass atrocities and horrific human right abuses that occur throughout the world, including by many of Israel's accusers.) There is little to no outcry about the ongoing atrocities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or in places like Syria and Yemen.
     The second largest rainforest, most of which is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is no less important than the Amazon rainforest. Unlike the Amazon, great apes live in the Congo rainforest. The Congo rainforest is being destroyed, including by mining and logging. Wildlife, including great apes, are hunted and eaten. This rain forest is a lung of the planet. Its rich biodiversity, which holds plants that very well may be the cure for many human diseases, will soon be lost forever.
      Few care or pay attention to the human and environmental catastrophic in the Congo region. Will the Nobel Peace prize awaken eyes to the unfolding tragedy of the Congo? The environmental destruction? The mass rapes? The mass murders? The ongoing atrocities?
         
      Thousands of Yazidi women and girls are still held captive as sex slaves to brutal Islamists, even though ISIS has lost most of its territory. Many ISIS members are now blended into civilian populations. Many Yazidi women and child captives have yet to be freed.
      Many Islamists and jihadists believe that sexual slavery of non Muslims is acceptable, and that sex slaves are their rightful reward as the booty of war. It is not enough for the west to say it opposes sexual violence. Does the west have the moral courage to stand up to demented religious beliefs that allow for persecution, slavery, rape and murder of certain so called infidels?
      Yazidis practice a religion far older than Islam. The poisoned religious beliefs that drew Muslims from all over the world to Syria and Iraq to fight for ISIS and to attack Yazidis and others considered infidels are still widespread in the Islamic world. Yazidi menfolk and older women were murdered. Yazidi young women and children were taken as sex slaves. Yazidi boys were taken to be used as brainwashed jihadi child soldiers. Most of these children and women have not returned home.
       The sickening hatred for religious minorities by many in the Islamic world, especially for Jews, is alive and well and unchallenged, and waiting for the next opportunity to kill and enslave.
     

World Leaders That Turn Themselves Into Millionaires And Billionaires

     World leaders that loot their countries and enrich themselves, their families, friends and cronies beyond imagination are traitors and thieves. Traitor does not have a singular definition, and is not limited to the actions of spies and double agents.