Politics Plus

I won't say it has been a busy day, but I have not sat idle.  I have this post and have finished the PP Monthly Report.  The weather has been rather muggy today but no rain.  Fortunately there were few fireworks around me yesterday so the furbabes were calm until this morning when a group of crows decided to dance along the peak of the garage roof.  They were not happy that going out to play was not allowed.  My brother and his wife will be arriving late Thursday for 2 days before boarding an Alaska bound cruise ship.  As a result, I will be scarce Friday and Saturday.

Obituary — Elie Wiesel, age 87, activist and writer, Second World War death camp survivor who won a Nobel Peace Prize for becoming the lifelong voice of millions of Holocaust victims, philosopher, speaker, playwright and professor.  Rest in Peace

Politico — Jackie Richter is the foul-mouthed, frank-talking owner of Heels and Hardhats, a small construction company near Rockford, Illinois. For almost half a century, she lived as a man—an existence the 58-year-old transgender woman told me felt fundamentally wrong, like always having to wear her right shoe on her left foot. But in the summer of 2010, a few years after she finished transitioning, she applied for a United States passport saying she was female. That September, she got it. This, she said recently, was the first time she felt the full support of the federal government. The document saved her business, saved her family, and—she believes—saved her life.

And for this, she credits Hillary Clinton.

"None of it would have been possible without what she did,” Richter said. “She was a forerunner on this.”

It’s not a label typically associated with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Over her quarter-century of national public life, Clinton mostly has enjoyed broad support from LGBT voters, donors and activists, but many of them considered her a laggard on the litmus-test issue of marriage equality, which she didn’t endorse until 2013. And during her surprisingly drawn-out primary fight with Senator Bernie Sanders, Clinton consistently was cast as the more centrist candidate. Sanders, not Clinton, was the full-throated social revolutionary.

But five years before the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage and President Obama lit up the White House in the colors of the rainbow, Hillary Clinton and her staff at the State Department made a change that for thousands of people was exactly that—revolutionary.

I think that Clinton walks a line, or thinks she has to walk a line on some issues as illustrated in this quote.

Clinton, thought Julie Dorf, a senior adviser for the Council for Global Equality, was “quite comfortable” with the policy “personally.” But “politically,” Dorf told me, “she’s so much more calculating and cautious.”

She is a pragmatist, but as such, she might tend to keep some more progressive actions low key.  Unfortunately, for others, that pragmatism can cloud things.

Alternet — Given all of his antics on the campaign trail, Donald Trump might seem like he's in a class by himself when it comes to pettiness. This is a man, after all, who narcissistically patted himself on the back for predicting terrorism would happen again, even as the bodies of the Orlando victims were still being identified, who celebrated the sharp drop in value of the British pound because it helped his golf course, and who has hissy fits when reporters point out his foibles and lies. He has openly talked about all the people who will regret “mistreating” him once he becomes King…uh, President…of the United States. There is little doubt that, should the unthinkable happen, President Trump would go down in history as a serial abuser of political power, hammering the final nails into the coffin of the Party of Lincoln (or the ghost of what remains of it).

But petty politicians are certainly not a new phenomenon. They existed in the past, and carry on today. And abuses of power need not always mean history-shaping acts of evil. Sometimes they can just be…well…small and petty. Here are some acts of political entitlement, some just bratty, some actually evil, committed by politicians that The Donald would, and in at least one case, does, feel right at home with:

4. Humberto Benitez Trevino, Attorney General for Consumer Protection, Mexico

Humberto Benitez Trevino received a call from his daughter Andrea in 2013, and got an earful, as she complained how Maximo Bistrot, a trendy Mexico City eatery, was being mean to her. It was lunchtime, she wanted her favorite table, and they said it was not available. Daddy sprang into action. Trevino was the official in charge of Profeco, Mexico’s Consumer Protection Agency, and clearly his daughter, a consumer, needed protection. Soon several officials from his agency showed up at the bistro, and, in short order, they found several “violations,” such as incorrect reservation policies, and mislabeling of mescal. The restaurant was closed down. Sadly for Humberto, his daughter decided to brag about the incident on Twitter. Consumer outrage at such corrupt pettiness ensued, earning daughter Andrea the nickname “Lady Profeco”. Internet memes even began to pop up. The restaurant was reopened. Oh, and Humberto was fired.

Click through for the other five petty politicians.  I had a good chuckle but was surprised that Canada's former PM Stephen Harper didn't make the list.  After all, "Tony Turner, a physical scientist at Environment Canada and longtime singer-songwriter in Ottawa's folk music scene, wrote the controversial tune Harperman. Turner was sent home in mid-August, according to his union, over concerns that his song breached Environment Canada's value and ethics code." (CBC)  There were some suggestions from Harper that this was inapropriate.  Incase you need a laugh here is the video.  It is very explicit about Harper's failures.

As to those politicians noted in the article, I liked the outcome of Mexico's Humberto Benitez Trevino — You're fired!

Youtube — We can always count on John Oliver for a fresh telling of current events with a goodly dose of humour.

For your listening pleasure on this long weekend if you live in the US or Canada.  Otherwise, just enjoy!

My Universe —

Boris Johnson and Trump discussing Brexit

My turn for lying in the hammock for the weekend!

Well today is Canada Day, the 149th anniversary of our independence from Britain.  While the American separation from Britain, which is celebrated on the 4th of July annually, was a bloody one, such was not the case for Canada.  The British North American Act, which was "…passed by the British Parliament, created Canada as a new, domestically self-governing federation, consisting of the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec, on July 1, 1867."  Perhaps the Americans taught the British a lesson — don't mess with the colonials — which meant no revolt.  Around my community of Port Moody, BC, we are celebrating Golden Spike Days which mark the completion of the trans Canada railway in Craigellachie, BC.  The actual western terminus is Port Moody.  During construction in the 1870's and 1880's, one section started in Port Moody working east, while the largest section started in Montréal and worked west.  It was on the 20th of July in 1871 that the Colony of British Columbia joined Canada, and it was the promise of a railroad and money that motivated them.  Eastern Canada was afraid that BC would join the US so they really sweetened the money component.  Even now we hear little rumbings that the west coast, or more accurately, the territories west of the Rocky Mountains in both Canada and the US should form their own country potentially named Cascadia.  If you'd like to read a bit more, check out Building the Trans-Canada Railroad.  Thanks to the Napster (Lona) for the emoticon, a Mountie stetson and a moose, both very evocative of Canada.

Short Takes

CBC — Among the thousands of people gathered on Parliament Hill to celebrate Canada Day, some were there for the very first time, celebrating the start of a new life in Canada.

The Toubehs — mother Wejdan, daughter Aziza, 11, and sons Wessam, 17, and Ward, 22 — have been in Canada since December after fleeing Syria's civil war.

Their father, a welder, did not make it to Canada. He was killed in an industrial accident while working in Lebanon as the family waited to gain refuge.

When I see the negativity in the US that surrounds refugees, I will read this story to remind myself that the whole world is not like that.  We have a choice to embrace people in need, or not. I will embrace my neighbours!  I rejoice with this family and the others that have escaped war and uncertainty for a new life in Canada.  I was very happy to see PM Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, meeting with the Toubeh family at the Parliament Hill Canada Day celebrations.  This is a new start for the Toubehs after so much tragedy.  Trudeau is correct when he said to diverse crowd: "This is who we are.  This is what we believe in.  This is Canada!"

Foreign Policy — The first time Yiech Pur Biel boarded a plane, in 2005, it was to escape the war-torn corner of southern Sudan where he grew up. He has lived in a refugee camp in northwestern Kenya ever since. If all goes as planned, the second time he boards a plane, in just a few weeks, it will be to make history. Biel is slated to compete in the 800-meter track and field event at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as a member of the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team.

In the face of unprecedented global displacement as a result of war, despotism, and poverty, the famously apolitical International Olympic Committee (IOC) has made an unprecedented political statement. It has created a team of 10 refugee-athletes from Syria, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ethiopia who will compete not just for individual Olympic glory, but for the dignity of the world’s 65.3 million displaced people. Their very presence in Rio is a call for peace in war-torn nations and acceptance of refugees elsewhere in the world.  …

“It saved my life,” Biel said of Kakuma. “Most of the people, when they’re being called a refugee, they feel ashamed.” But he says the refugee camp not only saved his life; it helped him become who he is today — a high school graduate who is about to compete against the world’s best sprinters in Rio.

“Where I’ve reached now, it’s because of being a refugee,” he said.  …

For his part, Biel is most interested in calling attention to the experiences that he and his new teammates share in common — both what they have had to sacrifice and what they still hope to achieve. “We shall meet as refugees, the 10 of us,” he said, ahead of the games. “We become one team. We are the eyes of the refugees.”

Please, make a point of reading the entire article.  It is truly inspirational.  My ESL student, Lucia, is a refugee from South Sudan.  She and her husband fled South Sudan to a refugee camp in Uganda where her two oldest children were born.  After 7 years in the camp under extremely difficult circumstances, a pregnant Lucia, her husband and two children were accepted to come to Canada as refugees.

Lucia has nothing to do with this Olympic team, but they share something — HOPE! … and a dream!

CBC  — A new GMO labelling law in Vermont is sending ripples through the North American food industry.

Starting July 1, processed foods sold in the state that contain genetically engineered ingredients must say so on the label.

Similar laws exist in countries across Europe, but for now, genetically modified organisms don't have to be labelled in the rest of the U.S., or in Canada.

David Zuckerman, an organic farmer and Vermont state senator who pushed for the law, said people in his state want to know where their food comes from. The new law will allow them to decide whether or not they want to buy GMO foods.

"With a labelled product, consumers can make that decision," Zuckerman said. 

Kudos to Vermont!  It would be great if other states and countries would follow suit.  However to be sure, the likes of Monsanto and the food conglomerates will oppose such moves solely on the basis that labelling GMO's might interfere with their profits.  Of course they won't tell consumers that.  Here is another related article.

food & water watch — You’ve heard the controversy about genetically engineered foods (GMOs) and whether they’re safe to eat (and the question of safety is nowhere near settled, despite what the companies that create GMOs would like you to think). But the rest of the story about GMOs is far more complex: for biotech companies, the real purpose of GMOs is power and control over the food supply, and ultimately it’s about profits. The undeniable fact is that GMOs are bad for our environment, our food system, and the people in it.
You can help: tell your members of Congress that you support labeling of GMO foods.

Here are five reasons why everyone should be concerned about genetically engineered foods:

4. GMOs and organics can’t coexist

Trying to keep a farm GMO-free is harder than you might think. Some GMOs don’t stay put where they’re planted. It’s quite common for them to contaminate neighboring farms, or even farms many miles away when pollen from GMO crops drifts on the wind. Seed supplies can be contaminated with GMOs, too. In 2013, an Oregon farmer found GMO wheat in his field – an unapproved crop that hasn’t been field tested since 2005. This is a serious problem for organic farmers, who are not allowed to use GMOs.

Check out the other four points.  It should be up to consumers to decide if they are willing to ingest GMO foods, not companies whose sole focus is profit and power.

My Universe —

Trying to get rid of the dawg smell!

Keep your moneygrubbing paws off my stash!

And lastly, the cuteness overload!

Well it has been a busy day  . . . mostly spent slaving over a hot keyboard with this and two other articles,  I haven't even done TC's Open Thread yet.  I did manage to get out to pick up my new cell phone so I'll have to spend some time getting accustomed to it.  Tomorrow is Canada Day and I am staying low.  It may rain anyway, but I have a few urgent matters requiring my attention.  Lucia will be out with her kids so no teaching tomorrow.  A nice rest.

Short Takes

Think Progress — In a blunt letter to Congress, 31 leading scientific societies reaffirmed the reality that humans are causing climate change and only we can stop it. “To reduce the risk of the most severe impacts of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions must be substantially reduced,” they write.  …

But as long as the media still gives presidential candidates (and pretty much every other major politician) a free pass on this most preventable of existential threats to America, scientists will have to keep “reminding” policymakers of the broad scientific understanding about human-caused climate change.

“Observations throughout the world make it clear that climate change is occurring, and rigorous scientific research concludes that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver,” explain the 31 scientific groups. “This conclusion is based on multiple independent lines of evidence and the vast body of peer-reviewed science.'”

I guess the old adage "give until it hurts" applies here.  Certainly the Republican dominated (for now!) Congress is not going to back down from their denial state.  That would mean ignoring their ever fattening wallets.  Of course, if they and theirs don't have a world in which to make more money and spend it, who cares, right?  They are such a bunch of myopic lame-brains!

CBC — The Federal Court of Appeal has overturned approval of Enbridge's controversial Northern Gateway project after finding Ottawa failed to properly consult the First Nations affected by the pipeline.

"We find that Canada offered only a brief, hurried and inadequate opportunity … to exchange and discuss information and to dialogue," the ruling says. …

Constitutional requirement to consult

The majority ruling was signed by two of the three judges on the Appeal Court panel. Judge Michael Ryer wrote a dissenting opinion.

Pipeline opponents have called the decision "landmark."

"At every turn you're going, you are seeing nails in the coffin of the Enbridge project," said Peter Lantin, president of the council of the Haida Nation, one of the parties that appealed.

"I don't think there's enough room for another nail in the coffin."

It was former Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his harlots that rushed that decision through in 2014 ignoring the consultative process.  Not surprising really!  He ignored a lot of First Nations issues and emergencies such as Attawapiskat.  PM Trudeau commented that he does not want to see a pipeline through the Great Bear Rainforest of the BC central and northern coast, nor oil tankers, massive tankers, plying the coastal waters of the Pacific.  I hope this will be the end but the pro-pipeline group is likely to try to take this to the Supreme Court of Canada.  May they fail miserably!

Daily Beast — The battle to become Britain’s next prime minister has descended into a blood-spattered Shakespearean epic within 24 hours of the nominations being opened. Betrayal, intrigue, and backstabbing gripped the Conservative Party at the end of the most dramatic week in the history of British politics.

Run Forest! Run!

Some kids can sleep in any position!  Life is tiring when you're so cute!

My horoscope today said in part: "Today the moon is in your sign lined up with wild, wacky Uranus."  Uranus?  Uranus!  I want nothing to do with Ted Cruz.  It was bad enough that I had already seen the Raw Story article below, but then to see my horoscope contained Uranus . . . well that was just too much!  The day started off on a low note with a 2.8 blood sugar reading (50 on the US scale) which had me sleeping all morning, even through the heat.  Then the heat hit 29  (85 F) and I was getting more miserable.  It has cooled down at bit but is scheduled to drop to 13 C (55 F) over night (I have my pom-poms out!).  At least I had some laughs when a respected local radio commentator to whom I enjoy listening, in commenting about Brexit and the ultra conservative US politicians (read Drumpf), referred to the UK as our ailing mother and the US as our weird and wacky brother.  Tomorrow will be busy with physio and teaching.  Inbetween the two, I have to go pick up a new cell phone.  Two days ago, it slipped from my fingers into the toilet (another good reason to leave the lid down!).  I rescued it very quickly but some damage was already done, although I was able to use it — just not reliably.  When I charged it yesterday, it slipped again from my fingers and fell about 25 cm (10 inches) to the carpet.  That finally did it in!  Do you see what I mean about Uranus???!!!

Short Takes

Alternet — During an explosive CNN segment on Sunday, former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) lashed out at President Barack Obama because she said she was tired of being called a “bigot” for supporting presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.  …

“Obama just always comes tearing after Republicans constantly, calling names and calling people bigots and racists,” she complained. “And that’s their big comeback, you know. And it’s absolutely ridiculous. To see a president speak like that is offensive.”

It has been awhile since I have seen or heard of the battle-axe of Arizona, and I have thoroughly enjoyed her silence.  But recently, she unleashed her big mouth attached to her fact devoid brain and lashed out at Obama for using facts when talking about Drumpf.  It seems that she feels "guilty" about her association with Drumpf, or at least getting caught publicly with her hand on his ass.  Even while she was governor, she demonstrated no respect for Obama, so this latest extremism does not surprise me.

Raw Story — Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz on Tuesday accused the Obama administration of under-emphasizing the “threat of radical Islam” as he presided over a Senate hearing for the second time since suspending his presidential campaign in early May.

President Barack Obama and top Justice Department officials have come under fire from conservatives for avoiding the term “radical Islam” when denouncing attacks by violent extremists who claim inspiration from Islamic State, such as the Orlando nightclub shooter.

I am tired of hearing the term "radical Islam" from the likes of Ted Cruz.  When will we hear of "radical Christianity" and "radical Judaism"?  Yes they do exist!  In the news over the past several days, I have seen Pastor Steven Anderson of the Independent Fundamental Baptist church (Christian) in Tempe, Arizona preach from atop his lectern condemning the LGBTQ community with the most toxic vitriole ever, calling for the death penalty for gays, and celebrating the deaths at Orlando.  Now he is calling for the  death penalty for adulterers.  I suppose that is one way to get rid of some politicians! — you know those family values Republicans!  Of course there is "Pastor" Terry Jones formerly of Gainesville, Florida who threatened to burn Qu'rans.  Or let's see, there are extremist Jews, some of them settlers who occupy Palestinian lands.  Let's call this what it is with no adjectives — extremism!  OK, rant over.  I was appalled with the tenor of Cruz's hearing.

Globe and Mail — The Supreme Court issued its strongest defence of abortion rights in a quarter-century Monday, striking down Texas’ widely replicated rules that sharply reduced abortion clinics in the nation’s second-most-populous state.

By a 5-3 vote, the justices rejected the state’s arguments that its 2013 law and follow-up regulations were needed to protect women’s health. The rules required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and forced clinics to meet hospital-like standards for outpatient surgery.  …

Breyer wrote that “the surgical-centre requirement, like the admitting privileges requirement, provides few, if any, health benefits for women, poses a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions and constitutes an ‘undue burden’ on their constitutional right to do so.”

A great judgement that should never have been necessary.  There are pending actions in Mississippi and Louisiana which will likely fall.  Let's hope that all such laws and regulations in all states will be declared unconstitutional now that SCOTUS has ruled.

My Universe —

Thank God for 9 lives!

Arrggghhhh!!!!!  Kitty breath!