We may have one of the great constitutions in the world, but it means nothing if social justice still has to be attained, writes Somila Dondashe.

The preamble of the Constitution asserts that the people of South Africa recognises the injustices of the past and are therefore committed to the attainment of social justice forallwho live in it.

For all.

The South African Constitution has been hailed as a progressive document. In a society that threatens to be quite conservative, our Constitution stands valiantly. Bold in its inclusiveness, it is coloured in liberal ideas and cloaked in transformation.

Praise for the Constitution extends beyond our borders. Harvard scholar, Cass Sustein, called it the most admirable Constitution in the history of the world, and a US Supreme Court Justice hailed it as a "great piece of work that embraces basic human rights".

The presumption would then be that South Africans are reaping the social justice promised by this supreme law, but unfortunately for the majority of black people - this praised progression is a myth. Despite all the rights that stand attractive on paper, a simple look into the world's most unequal country informs even the biggest optimist that this document, alone, is simply unable to translate into the attainment of social justice.

Fetishisation of rights

The deification of the Constitution has led to what legal scholars such as Tshepo Madlingozi call a fetishisation of rights.

This glorification makes state actors act oblivious to the fact that the struggles that confront most black people today are still the same ones that they faced pre-1994. If one were to put aside the promises that exist on paper and look only at lived realities - it would be clear that black people still carry the burden of normalised social injustices.Umhlaba usabolile.

The prevalence of illegal evictions is one of these normalised social injustices. On the 1 July 2020, a video of a naked Bulelani Qolani being violently evicted from his home circulated the internet. The video shows the City of Cape Town's Law Enforcement dragging the 28-year-old man, who is naked and in full public view.

The City of Cape Town continues to conduct these illegal evictions despite the Disaster Management Act's prohibition of evictions during lockdown.

Apartheid's spatial planning and racist land and property laws have left many black people displaced and dispossessed. These laws entrenched socio-economic inequality through the common law. Legislation favoured property rights, thus private landowners could vindicate these rights through eviction processes without consideration of the occupiers' circumstances. Spatial planning meant that majority black people were deprived from formal access to land and housing and were relegated to the homelands.

Because of a host of legislation such as theNatives Land Act 27 of1913,Group Areas Act 41 of 1950and thePrevention of Illegal Squatting Act52of 1951; the majority of black people still find themselves on the periphery of human rights.

The residue from racialised land and property laws has left an unshakeable stench which has resulted in the right to housing being one of the most litigated rights. Today most black people still find themselves in undesirable living conditions, waiting for the longstanding promise of service delivery.

Disparities

The disparities between people's lived realities and the Constitution's promise of human rights are inescapable.

Section 26(1) provides that everyone has a right to have access to adequate housing and that the State must take reasonable legislative and other measures within its available resources to achieve the progressive realisation of the right.

This momentous right is a preventative measure against the system of laws that sought to ostracise black people from their own country.

Section 26(2) indicates that the State must take reasonable legislative and other measures within its available resources to progressively realise this right.

All arbitrary evictions are prohibited by section 26(3) and no one may be evicted or have their home demolished without a court order made after considering all the relevant circumstances.The Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act(PIE) was enacted to give effect to section 26(3). PIE protects against the eviction of unlawful occupiers living on both privately and publicly owned land.

Despite these rights and an array of case law in support, poverty continues to be criminalised in South Africa as communities and individuals are frequently and violently evicted from places they call home.

The right to housing is an all-encompassing right.

As perGovernment of the Republic of South Africa v Grootboom, housing is about more than bricks and mortar. The right is informed and informs other rights such as dignity, privacy, safety and security and water. More than half of South Africa's population lives in poverty and it is probable that the housing crisis is at the heart of this destitution.

The rights exist and the legal jurisprudence is rich, but it often fails to translate into people's lived experiences.

In an article by Tshepo Madlingozi titledSocial Justice in a Time of Neo-Apartheid Constitutionalism: Critiquing the Anti-Black Economy of Recognition, Incorporation and Distribution,he eloquently states that poor black people fall on the other side of the promise of a new South Africa. Informed by a report by Abahlali Basemjondolo, Madlingozi refers to South Africans who have been excluded from the miracle of the transition as "The Forgotten". The Forgotten are excluded from reaping the benefits of basic human rights despite the legal jurisprudence which continues to develop in their name.

Grootboomjudgment

My first introduction to the Constitution and Constitutional law was in second year in my Public Policy and Administration class when a student was explaining the separation of powers doctrine and used theGrootboomjudgment as an example of a case where the Court reminds the government of its obligation to provide adequate housing, as per section 26 of the Constitution.

The case concerns Irene Grootboom who brought the application on behalf of 510 children and 390 adults who were rendered homeless when they were evicted from their informal homes situated on private land. The application was for an order which required government to provide the respondents with adequate basic shelter or housing until they obtained permanent accommodation.

True to the circuitous nature of the legal system; Grootboom died eight years after the judgment, still waiting for reasonable accommodation from the State. Today the judgment remains a powerful precedent for communities under threat of eviction as it implores government to be consistent with its constitutional obligations to provide adequate housing. However, the case's namesake died without attaining that socio-economic right. The case is an example of how the legal jurisprudence is enriched in the name of The Forgotten - who unfortunately never see beyond their deplorable living conditions.

The developing legal jurisprudence often conceals the fact that black South Africans are still confronted with the same issues which trammelled them during the merciless years of apartheid. Black people still bear the brunt of normalised social injustices and the promise of the Constitution is frequently offered as a panacea. It has been 26 years since apartheid property and land laws were abolished but the stain of displacement still lingers. Black people still exist on the periphery of belonging.

A day after Qolani's eviction video circulated, he shared the following words with a journalist regarding the matter:basihlisile isidima sam.

The have disregarded my dignity. Lowered it.

These fervent words lament the history of dispossession suffered by black people at the hands of a merciless State. It all comes down to the fight for dignity and

a fight for the attainment of social justice forallwho live in it.

- Somila is a postgraduate LLB student who has a blog where she writes on socio-economic issues.

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OPINION | Who are the rights enshrined in the Constitution for? - News24

Seth Rogen has said he was fed a huge amount of lies about Israel as a young Jewish person, stoking controversy around the countrys sometimes fraught relationship with many North American Jews.

The Canadian-US actor, who attended Jewish camp and whose parents met on a kibbutz in Israel, said the fact that the Jewish state was created on land where Palestinians were living had always been omitted.

[As] a Jewish person I was fed a huge amount of lies about Israel my entire life, Rogen told the comedian and actor Marc Maron in an episode of Marons WTF podcast.

They never tell you that, Oh, by the way, there were people there. They make it seem like it was just like sitting there, like the fucking doors open.

More than 700,000 Palestinians were driven out of their homes or fled fighting in the 1948 war that led to Israels creation. Today, those families and their descendants make up around 5.6 million refugees.

Rogen and Maron, who is also Jewish, were speaking to promote Rogens new comedy, An American Pickle, which tells the story of a Jewish immigrant from the 1920s who falls into a vat of brine and wakes up in modern-day Brooklyn.

The pair talked and joked at length about Israel and also spoke about antisemitism, which Rogen said remains pervasive and prevalent.

I remember my dad frankly telling me, People hate Jews. Just be aware of that. They just do. And its honestly something that I am so glad was instilled in me from a young age. Because if it wasnt, I would constantly be shocked at how much motherfuckers hate Jews.

Zionists have pointed to the Holocaust and centuries of bloody antisemitism as evidence that Jews will never be safe without a state. Rogen, however, argued, you dont keep something youre trying to preserve all in one place.

Asked if he would ever go to live in Israel, Rogen said no. Maron replied: Im the same way, and were gonna piss off a bunch of Jews.

Lahav Harkov, a senior contributing editor to the Jerusalem Post newspaper, criticised Rogens comments on Twitter, saying they were made from a position of really, really great privilege and ignorance - if he cant understand why Israel makes sense to millions of Jews around the world.

Among Zionists, there is anxiety that North American Jews, who could possibly outnumber Israeli Jews, are becoming less supportive of the Jewish state, even as surveys often show the opposite.

The debate has frequently reignited after high-profile figures, often Jewish, express views that are highly critical of Israel.

Most recently, Peter Beinart, a prominent Jewish American political commentator, was both derided and lauded for commentaries in which he questioned whether he could remain both a liberal and also support the Jewish state while millions of Palestinians continued to be denied basic rights.

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Seth Rogen: 'I was fed a huge amount of lies about Israel' - The Guardian

Tokyo [Japan]: As North Korea and China develop new weapons that are harder to intercept through traditional methods, Japan is now looking forward developing new systems to head off missile threats in enemy territory.

Nikkei Asian Review reported that the draft recommendation approved by a team in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) does not specifically mention striking enemy bases -- a topic that has been debated since June, when plans to deploy the Aegis Ashore land-based missile shield were suspended -- but implicitly encourages Japan to develop such capabilities.

The proposal stressed the need for "integrated air and missile defense" capabilities to protect Japan as a whole at the same time as the current Aegis-equipped ships are unable to do so.

Nikkei Asian Review reported that the lawmakers urge continuing the "sword and shield" dynamic of the US-Japan alliance while creating a stronger overall deterrent against threats. They also called to improve Japan's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

The proposal will reportedly be submitted this month to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government, thus, accelerating the National Security Council talks on several issues, including alternatives to Aegis Ashore and also whether to acquire enemy base strike capabilities. The officials will set a policy direction by September.

While adhering to its war-renouncing constitution, Japan seems to be now considering strikes on enemy bases in response to an imminent threat if no other options are available.

Link:

Japan looks forward to developing new systems to head off missile threats in enemy territory - Economic Times

The former Tanzanian president Benjamin William Mkapa, who died on July 24, was the countrys third president. He was in office from 1995 to 2005.

Born in 1938 in Masasi south-eastern Tanzania, Mkapa was a staunch supporter of the Tanzania African National Union, which won independence from Britain in 1961 under Mwalimu Julius Nyerere. His star rose steadily under Nyereres long reign from 1961 to 1985 as leader of the renamed party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi.

In addition to being editor of the party newspaper and establishing the national news agency Shihata, he served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Information and Culture and Science, Technology and Education.

Mkapa was thus an experienced communicator, politician and administrator when he entered the presidency.

Mkapas presidency is particularly significant since it represents the first phase of Tanzanian multi-party democracy. It was Nyerere who in 1991 opened debate on a multi-party democratic system for Tanzania. He saw it coming in the wake of developments in neighbouring Kenya, where multi-party democracy was promoted at an early stage by church leaders, civil society and the population at large.

His reported response in Kiswahili loosely translates to,

When you see your neighbour being shaved, youre best advised to wetyour beard otherwise you will have a rough shave.

Nyerere was a firm supporter of Mkapa and was instrumental in Mkapas party nomination to stand for the first multi-party election in 1995.

Mkapas government initially faced a gloomy economic position. This was partly based on global economic stagnation. It was also partly due to the previous governments lack of economic and institutional discipline. His predecessor Ali Hassan Mwinyi (1985-1995) had lost the trust of the international financial institutions which provided substantial assistance and loans.

The first main challenge for Mkapa was to enhance the discipline in state finances and stabilise the economy. The second was restoring confidence among donors by pursuing western-backed neo-liberal market policies. Having agreed to implement proposals endorsed by donors, Mkapa quickly won international trust.

The resumption of external development assistance was not enough to immediately spur the economy. During the 1990s the average annual real per capita GDP shrank slightly.

But during his second term it grew markedly. The main drivers included gold and gemstones, tourism and construction.

Mkapa also oversaw a period in which poverty levels declined, however slightly. Hunger statistics from 2005 showed that rural people were worse off than those of the urban population. His attention to rural areas, so important for Nyerere, grew only towards the end of his presidency.

However, instead of strengthening village and women land rights which the land laws of 1999 tried to do, he went for a top-down formalisation of individual land rights championed by the Peruvian economist deSoto.

Mkapa came to see property and business formalisation as a major priority of his government well aligned to international financiers who supported his government handsomely.

These transitions were unable, for the time being, to challenge village and smallholder production and land management systems. But they did create an opening for future administrations to attract foreign investors pushing large scale mechanised agriculture which demand land (mostly village) but provide limited employment.

Coupled with a decline in manufacturing, a rapidly growing rural population was left with limited exit options.

Thus, at the end of Mkapas term the challenge of a structural transformation of the economy that could redistribute growth and create sustainable production systems that could absorb labour and importantly rural youth, remained unresolved.

At an early stage, Mkapa sought to enhance the legitimacy of his government both domestically and externally by fighting corruption. His anti-corruption strategy laid out by the Warioba Report started in 1996.

But his crusade didnt result in significant change. Petty corruption linked to foreign business and investment appeared to decline. But graft linked to household service delivery such as health and water did not. In fact, the evidence is that corruption showed an increase during his second presidential term and beyond.

One area where Mkapas term saw important institutional, policy and legal development was the forestry sector. This is saw 8 000 registered villages and community groups managing 70-80 % of the national land on behalf of the state.Policies such as this opened a space for rural and village involvement.

Thus people could use existing institutions from below for the purpose of managing community and joint forest management for villagers own benefits. In a significant way, this was Mkapa trying to instil a democratic and participatory spirit in Tanzania.

After his presidency Mkapa was much sought after for his spirit of cooperation, participation and peace. He became an important mediator in conflicts across Africa and including the Kenyan post-election conflict in 2007 and the 2011 referendum in South-Sudan.

The graduate of Makerere and Columbia is rightly hailed by Kenyan and others as a peace maker and true East African and Pan Africanist.

For his people in south eastern and coastal Tanzania he will most certainly be remembered as the president who made real their desire for better transport, communication and cooperation in their part of the country. In 2003 the construction of the long awaited bridge the Mkapa Bridge - across the Rufiji river was finalised.

For Tanzanians maybe as a whole he will also be remembered as a president who continued and secured the path of peace and cooperation between and for his peoples. He was 81.

Kjell Havnevik and Aida Isinika jointly edited Tanzania in transition - from Nyerere to Mkapa. Published in 2010 by the Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala and Mkuki na Nyota, Dar es Salaam.

Read the original post:

Tanzania's Benjamin Mkapa: the peace maker, true East African and Pan-Africanist - The Conversation CA

As a state legislator, I prioritize economic opportunity for all Montanans and their families.

Key to this goal is equal access to public education and healthcare.

Recognizing that Montanans are assets who will build their own capacity and create upward mobility for the next generation, we must support policies that allow for homeownership, fair taxation, and a college education.

World War II Veterans were welcomed home with the G.I. bill supporting their education and home ownership. Now with COVID-19, there has never been a more important time to support policies that build the middle class and not lose sight of the American dream for all people.

We will get through the crisis of COVID-19 by listening to the leaders who are innovative, forward thinking and tapped into the latest research and science. Right now, scientists around the world are developing more than 155 COVID vaccines, and 23 are in human trials. Meanwhile, wholesale distributors and pharmacies are working around the clock to ensure they can reach every part of our state, building a web of providers able to span the nation, coast-to-coast.

Mike Cooney and Steve Bullock have had their shoulders to the plow responding to COVID-19 to protect the health and lives of Montanans. They never stop working. They put people before politics.

We need strong, experienced leaders like Steve Bullock and Mike Cooney looking out for us at this critical time and into the future. Please vote for Mike Cooney for Governor and Steve Bullock for U.S. Senator.

Representative Mary Caferro HD 81,

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Missoula and Western Montana speaks up: Letters to the editor for the week of Jul. 31, 2020 - The Missoulian

But as we know, history doesn't stay in one place. My new neighborhood, and playground, is built on a former cotton plantation.

Any other summer, this University of Florida college town would be buzzing with talk of whether the Gators will win the Southeastern Conference title. But with the revival of the Black Lives Matter movement, I can't ignore that the name of my predominantly White neighborhood invokes a dark history.

A word like "plantation" may seem minor in scope compared to other iterations of America's racist past and present, but what it represents is larger than the 10 letters that evoke slavery at worst and exclusivity at best.

What I deemed a welcoming community when I moved into it (despite its name), feels uncomfortably different to me after someone from my HOA posted on Nextdoor (which groups members into virtual neighborhoods based on their real addresses) about removing "plantation" from Haile Plantation as a consideration toward residents and visitors who are Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC).

The responses poured in. While the original post had more than 225 replies from Haile Plantation residents and those in nearby communities, subsequent posts regarding the name change added hundreds more.

"If you don't like [plantation], leave!" and many variations of "This is ridiculous to even be a conversation. The Instantly Offended crowd need to stop," were common sentiments from those content with the current name. As I wrote this, the very unofficial Nextdoor poll showed that a majority who voted want to keep "plantation" in the name.

One Black woman, who doesn't live in Haile Plantation, but is part of my Nextdoor neighborhood remarked on the original post: "Ask someone that's Black if it's offensive and then comment. If you aren't willing to do that, you are the problem and there is nothing me or the post can help you with. My 11-year-old Black son will not be playing outside or jogging through any neighborhood named a plantation, some people care about this and others have openly stated on this post they don't. And this is the America we live in."

What does this tell me? More White people who want to be allies need to speak up.

Retaining "plantation" on land that actually was a plantation 166 years ago is giving tribute to the Haile family lifestyle.

A startling number of responses quip with out-of-touch comments like, "As far as I know there are no slaves here anymore and the Union won" and "It bothers me that people are bothered by the name....can we somehow get rid of these people????? I was just fine with everything, I was at peace, and now some people want to make it ugly and unpeaceful. ...where there was no ugly before!"

One commenter mockingly suggested renaming Haile Plantation to Haile Revisionist, echoing other replies stating that changing the name changes history. While I admit that without the "plantation" in Haile Plantation, I may have overlooked its history when I moved here, I can understand that not everyone wants a reminder of slavery every time they drive home.

Claiming it's only a name doesn't mean that this name isn't toxic to someone else. And to think that Black Americans are going to forget the history of slavery without the word "plantation" stamped on it is downright ignorant.

This Nextdoor blowup suggests that the outrage has little or nothing to do with the name itself. It's really about an unwillingness to look through a different lens. The true litmus test for the folks who don't see an issue with retaining the word "plantation" is to flip the matter to something that affects their heritage.

Would a Jewish family feel comfortable settling in Hitler Homes? Would Russians sign up to live in Communist Commons? Would die-hard Gators fans consider a home in Seminoles' Village? Are these examples unrealistic and extreme? Yes. But that's the point.

It is easy to see that denying service to a person of color is racist, that eyeing a Black shopper with skepticism is racist, but glossing over words that seem innocuous but can feel like a splinter that nags every time you turn into a neighborhood or send your kid outside to play is also racist.

Words are triggers and "plantation" is pretty much synonymous with the antebellum South and its slavery roots. The woman who first posted about changing the Haile Plantation name on Nextdoor is not alone in her endeavor.

With all the social media attention on Nextdoor, my HOA formed an exploratory committee of volunteers to feel out whether its 1,500-plus residents care enough about the "plantation" dispute to put it to a vote, or if it's a fleeting issue soon to be forgotten. At any rate, between tallying surveys and other HOA bureaucracies, the Haile Plantation name change question isn't likely to be answered any time soon.

It's easy to ask of someone like me: Well, if you don't like it, why are you living there? Yes, I could move to another neighborhood, but I also want to make this neighborhood, and neighborhoods like it, live up to their promise of true community.

We cannot move forward and teach our kids about diversity and inclusion if we are pushed out by bullies who say things like, "Deal with it or move up North where all the riots are." I am staying. It's time to make a monumental change and remove "plantations" from our neighborhoods.

Real change doesn't happen in a vacuum. Neighbors across all communities must keep this conversation alive -- at book clubs and bars, on Facebook and on FaceTime.

Originally posted here:

What my Nextdoor neighbors don't get about the word 'plantation' - CNN

by Charlie Barber | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Last Word | August 2nd, 2020

optimism (assumed) we were living in a new world order and a new economy that would growbringing a prosperity of which every new increment would be unprecedentedThe developed nations had given to the free market the status of a god, and were sacrificing to it their farmers, farmlands and rural communities, their forests, wetlands, and prairies, their ecosystems and watersheds. They had accepted universal pollution and global warming as normal costs of doing business. Wendell Berry, In the Presence of Fear, II, IV

WhatHanna Arendt meant by totalitarianism was not an all-powerful state, but the erasure of the difference between private and public lifeDuring the campaign of 2016, we took a step toward totalitarianism without even noticing by accepting as normal the violation of electronic privacyRather than reporting the violation of basic rights, our media generally preferred to mindlessly indulge the inherently salacious interest we have in other peoples affairsWe can try to solve this problemcollectively, by supporting, for example, organizations that are concerned with human rights.- from Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny, #14

It is impossible to over estimate the consequences of American ignorance on world affairs. - Salman Rushdie to Edward Said, 1986

The countries that top the rankings of COVID-19 deaths globally are not the poorest, the richest or even the most densely populated. But they do have one thing in common: They are led by populist, mold breaking leadersthe disruptive policies of populists (Trump in U.S.; Boris Johnson, U.K.; Bolsonaro, Brazil; Modi, India; Obrador, Mexico) fare poorly (in the pandemic) compared to liberal democratic models in countries like Germany, France and Iceland in Europe, or South Korea and Japan in AsiaPopulist politics makes it very difficult to implement rational policies that really resolve the issue or at least manage the crisis more effectively. - John Daniszewski, AP/Bismarck Tribune, July 24, 2020

Realists(fail) to appreciate the power of illusion in human affairs especially when it acquires the force of myth. R.G.L. Waite, The Psychopathic God: Adolf Hitler

A fail safe system (like The Department of Homeland Security)(can) destroy all others.- (Amended) Murphy

Unlike Facebook, (Tik Tok) collects little data about users, and its quick exit from Hong Kong shows that it is not ready to be a tool of Chinas government.Tik Tok became a global phenomenon because it is less filled with hate and disinformation, and genuinely funnier than most other platforms. Tae Kim, Bloomberg.com; The Week

Mike Pompeo wants to know: Who is Chinas Stephen Miller for the Uighurs?His boss needs tips.- Kim Dog Un

Who are the Nazis in your neighborhood? - Dirty Bird - Big Birds undercover, feathered fiend

In the nut house that is the White House, the liar tweets tonight, about injuries his fragile ego suffers from ungrateful citizens, who prefer his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, by double- digit margins in States Republicans thought they owned.His populist, anti-establishment mantras, mixed with unprecedented incompetence, have produced chaos in a people who voted in 2016 for better, not worse.Trumps nod to centuries old racism produced overwhelming white support for Black Lives Matter.His nod to millennia of misogyny has produced the spectacular takedown of neanderthal Congressman Ted Yoho (R-FL), and his fellow Republican sexists, by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), on behalf of all women, and the rising number of men who dare to think of women as equal in every way.

Trump is also stung by the reality of Covid-19 and the hilarity of TikTok, an Al Jazeera for teenagers, punking him over poor crowds in Tulsa, OK.So he pitches Dr. Fauci on masks, distancing, and hygiene, while the latter is honored by Major League Baseball, far better funded for Covid at their own expense, than Trump has supported the country with Federal funds.

Meanwhile, Trumps Gangsta AG, Bill Barr, grim guru Stephen Miller of Concentration Camps For Kids of Color fame, and temporary, national cops, plot frantic strategies.Their mission?Turn walls of moms and big city Mayors Trump has refused to aid in the pandemic, into terrorist leaders among the minds of his dim bulb followers in the boondocks. He also announces a surge in Federal police, threatening to impose Vladimir Putins methods of governance on the United States Constitution and the vast majority of American people, who still believe that their local sovereignty matters, like black lives, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I live in those boondocks, and most people here dont bother themselves with Trumps nonsense, except if they, alas, tune in to FOX News, or worse.A few enthusiasts were visible at a Trump Table in Mandan last week, festooned with Trump flags, one of a Rambo-like Trump, brandishing a lethal big ass weapon. What was more disturbing was to hear from my friend, Real Live Lena, who saw a car marked Federal Police parked and pointed at one of Bismarcks busiest roads.I rushed home to ask my KGB canine friend Lena and her colleagues whether Trump was planning to dominate the mean streets of Bismarck and Mandan, ND.

High Plains Reader:No car marked Federal Police has ever been spotted out here before.Whats going on?The Trump/Rambo table in Mandan is only a block away from a statue of Teddy Roosevelt.Surely they are not insane enough to think we care to tear that thing down.

Lena:Theyre insane enough to tear gas a wall of moms, the Portland, OR, Mayor, and beat up on a peacefully assembling, Navy Veteran.Welcome to Orwells Third World borderlands!

Portlands Dads, as a legion of leaf blowers, may be enough for Trump to declare martial law.

Rasputin:Nah.Its just the Traveling Trump Show, spreading terror for the hell of it on the road to their next episode of the Donalds Reality TV version of Strongman Democracy. Putin:Actually, its policy, not insanity.Its not the first time government agents initiated violence and then blamed their targets. Trumps feeble memory is being coached by Vlad Putin on those secret phone calls, after all. Trumps Badass Barrister is his enforcer.Barrs tardy, artful dodging before the House on July 28, was not from respect for Congress, but to give Trumps DOJ time to provoke violence that could help his Law n Order Shtick for the Fall election.Its what dictators and their henchmen do all the time. Donald gets that part.

Schickelgruber:Barrs postponed House appearance also gave time for willing executioners like (Congressman) Jim Jordan (R-OH) to put together creative, Agitprop film clips for an anti Joe Biden campaign ad, masquerading as evidence of how much trouble there was in River City (ie. Portland).The 7 minutes+ duration was painfully close to the elapsed time of George Floyds murder in Minneapolis by the kind of cops not needed at any level of law enforcement.

Chicago Dog:As the Jacksonville, FL fiasco shows, Trump and the RNC cant organize a piece of crap, but Bill Barr is another matter.Hes almost as good a liar as (former White House Press Secretary) Sarah Huckabee Sanders.Trump?Not so much. His M/O is: Bluff and fake being in charge. Good for campaign rallies, but not for running a government.Covid-19 shows that.

Headless Horseman:Thats why conservative, Federalist principles at State and Local levels are utilized by liberal Democratic Mayors and Governors, and any Republicans, not terrorized by Trump populist, Know Nothing, Republican Party manifestos of arbitrary federal government.

Kim Dog Un:And while it makes sense from a Cold War perspective for Sec. of State Mike Pompeo to close down the Chinese Consulate in Houston, before they pirate vaccine information like they have done with so much U.S. intellectual property, it might not benefit the U.S. or the world that much, if a successful vaccine is developed here during Trumps gangster Presidency.

Corporal Kangaroo:Barrs competence is more dangerous than Trumps malevolence, especially if added to Trumps penchant for bullying and blackmail.It might be a bad scene.

Seor Perro:Trump blackmailed Puerto Rico over hurricane relief, because he doesnt like Puerto Ricans in general.He blackmails Blue State Governors over PPE, specifically, because he doesnt like Democrats.He blackmails Mayors, especially those of color, who stand up for their cities.Hell hoard a vaccine from the rest of you, for his people, for sure.

Alter Goat:With pandemic, economic crisis, and new Cold Wars, Americans face a dictatorial President and enslaved Republican Party: unleashing racism and misogyny in harrowing waves.But democracy is pushing back; with women and people of color, all over your Federal system, backed by critical masses of white folks, fed up with old divisive ways.If you stick, youll win!

Mr. Swamp Fox:Things must be bad for his boss, if AG/Advance Man Bill Barr is showing his cards this early in the Presidential cycle, when folks are switching their TVs to Major League Baseball, the NBA, and the WNBA, and fretting over school cancellations amid the Covid crisis.

Prudence Possum:The rising policy swamp engulfing the White House is yielding some interesting talk.I overheard Barr chewing out Trumps terrible temps, for unsubtle application of Trumps wish to dominate streets of blue America: Acting DHS Secretary, Chad Wolf, and Deputy DHS Secretary and Acting Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services (aka. Department of concentration camps/borderland storm troopers) Ken Cuccinelli.

B-6th power:Whats the matter with you?Our job is to give Trump illusions of power in what we do, but (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) owns the Budget. Tear gassing Mayors?

Ken (Front Man) Cuccinelliortlands Ted Wheeler is not a Republican Mayor. Bullying of Democrats and liberals is popular with Trumps base, who like bloodshed if its not their own.

B-6th power: What base?Remaining simpletons in Red areas of the country, trying to kill themselves off?Is Covid-19 not real enough for you?Trumps ratings on the pandemic are worse than a pedophile Priests on child-care.Millennials, and their moms in cities, suburbs, and even the boondocks, dont fall for what worked under Nixon, Reagan and the Bushes. You dont have to clean up your act, but you do have to be kinder, gentler thugs, like Kelly Ann Conway.

Chad (Wolf Man) Wolf:Kelly Ann cant get her husband (Lincoln Projects George Conway) locked up anymore than I can keep my neighbors from outing me as one of your human rights deniers and a blight on their real estate values.And you couldnt keep Michael Cohen in the slammer.So much for intimidation -- Who are you to talk?

B-6th power:At least I made the effort.Unfortunately, my Ukraine/Benghazi ploy to slander Joe Biden hit a snag.(Majority Leader) Moscow Mitch had many nasty tools in his dirty Senate pet tricks box, but he had to pick a wedge like (Senator) Ron Johnson (R-WI) to run the show.

KFC & Wolf Man:A wedge?

B-6th power:The simplest tool in the world.All this lying is not going well, I must admit.

KFC & Wolf Man:It used to be so easy, to lie and cheat like hell.When did Americans wake up; demand a show and tell.Who did this to us Bill?Why cant we bluff as old?We cant admit were wrong, or were left in the cold.

B-6th power:Look in the mirror, morons! And see what Trump hath wrought.He always uses weakness; its we who have been bought.If I really had an answer, Id give it to you now; But those who have been plowing, are soon to feel the plow.

Prudence Possum:If that bunch were not so evil, it might be possible to sympathize with their unenviable position; caught between a madman President, and a mad-as-hell electorate. The only thing I would bet on would be that Bill Barr is frantically maneuvering to save himself, and the devil take the hindmost, although he may keep up his Trump defender persona to the end.

Ms. Recovering Republican Lap Dog:A revolution of family values is taking place all over America, as a result of the challenges of the Covid virus.Whether on zoom, or in quiet conclaves without electronic access, families are spending more time discovering each other in myriad ways.Homeless folks, Black Lives Matter demonstrators, white folks who never before had to line up for food banks, are discovering a family of mankind in their misery, but also in their daunting, courageous, daily struggles to maintain themselves.American politics is being reshaped as a result, inexorably challenging some of our age-old undemocratic demons.

Omar Khayyam:There is plenty of frustration among the hardest hit, and even some violence not initiated by the Trump White House for the TV cameras.But the silent majority this time is not listening to Trumps Richard Nixon/George Wallace redux law and order demagogy.They are listening, instead, to the measured wisdom of the late John Lewis and C.T. Vivian, echoed in the themes of Reverends William Barber and Al Sharpton, to make good trouble and practice, as well as preach non-violence.National polls reflect this in every corner of the land.

Seor Perro:Appearances of former Vice President, Joe Biden with former President Barack Obama are heartening: a return to responsible government in 2021, but with officials who reflect America in its myriad colors and genders, in a renewed resolve for a more perfect union.

Chicago Dog:One defeats power plays as lies: the big lie (Hitler); multiple untruths (McCarthy) or serial lying (Trump) with power plays of truth (Dr. Fauci; Governors Hogan [R-MD] and Whitmer [D-MI]), and constant vigilance, prior to, during, and after each and every election.

Prudence Possum:The bad guys know this.Bill Barr has done a great job of destroying U.S. Criminal Justice at the top, but he hasnt cracked the Judiciary, or lower Federal, State and Local authorities, who loathe Barrs imposition of fascist principles of justice.His acolytes, KFC, Wolf Man and other Trump terrorists are themselves terrified.Republicans are doomed unless they shut down the election process in all 50 States, but they havent a clue about how to pull it off, short of all out war on the American people.My alligator friends found their lament

Lullaby of TrumplandThe Terrified TempsTheyre on the road again to see if theyCan terrorize the people to give in;And hand our Donald Trump his biggest winAgainst the libs and laws that block his sway.

We know his bluff is called in all the portsOur phony circus tries to land a punchFor Putins way governance and launchA world made safe for tyrannies of sorts.

Our boys are up against democracyDeployed by young and old, and White and Black;Brown, Yellow, Red and female, we must say;In numbers and sophisticated gleeAt our discomfort, and our blatant lackOf courage, brains, or plans to win the day!

Link:

Trump and Barr Dominate The Streets of Ignorance - High Plains Reader

American Charles Emch and his Canadian partner Danielle Larocquewho's dying of cancer were separated by border restrictions due to COVID-19, but about nine hours after CBC News reported their story, they saythey'll soon be reunited.

Larocque, 67, has terminal uterine cancer and has been told she has less than a year to live.Her one wish was to reunite with her Americanfianc before it wastoo late."I really, really miss him," said Larocque, who lives in Ottawa.

The couple doesn't have the typical required documentation to prove their common-law status that wouldallowEmch, who is 81 and livesin Pompano Beach, Fla.,to come to Canada.So Larocque's family compiled evidence of the couple's relationship, including photos, a shared phone bill and a written history of their time together since 2015.

On Monday, Emch showed up at the border with the documents, which includedhis quarantine plan and Larocque's medical records.

He said it was enough to convince a border office to allow him to enter Canada.

"I was elated," he said. "We have hopes that we are going to be able to spend some quality time together."

Emch will see Larocque in two weeks after he finishes his two-week quarantine at an Airbnb rental.

"It was a total roll of the dice," said TaraVidosa, Larocque's daughter."I really think [Emch] just got, like,a very down to earth, compassionate agent.

"Perhaps the agent saw the [CBC News]article this morning," she added.

The couple had beenkept apart because of border restrictions implemented to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Canada has banned foreigners from entering the country for non-essential travel. On top of that, the U.S. land border is closed to Canadian visitors. Canadians can still fly to the U.S., but Larocque is unable to flydue to her ill health.

The couple had daily Facetime calls, but wanted to be together in person.

"It's important that I come now," said Emch, "because of how fragile her life is."

The federal government recently revised its rules to allow foreigners to visit immediate family in Canada, including spouses and common-law partners.

But Larocque and Emch didn't believethey fit the criteria.

To qualify as common-law, couples must have lived together for at least one year and havedocumentationto prove it, such as a lease or mortgage agreement that shows a shared address.

Larocque and Emch saidthey'vebeen together for five years, but have split their time between each of their own homes in Ottawa and Pompano Beach,so they don't have paperwork showing a shared residence.

The couple did get engaged by phone earlier this month, but they can't get married until they're reunited.

Heartbroken and outraged by her mother's situation, Vidosaearlier this month contactedLarocque'sMP, Liberal Marie-FranceLalonde, requesting a special exemption forEmchto enter Canada.

Lalonde told CBC News last week that she was trying to help the couple.

"Unfortunately, this couple does not exactly fit the definition of ... common-law," she said. "I really would like to find a solution and I believe our government will try to find a solution."

But a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Bill Blair gave no indication that the government wasworking on a solution.

"Our hearts are with Ms. Larocque during this unimaginably difficult time," said the spokesperson in an email to CBC News last week. The email went on to explain that Canada's stringent travel restrictions are necessary "to keep Canadians safe."

Vidosa isthrilled that Emch will soon be reunited with her mother, but says her work isn't done. That's because she wants the federal government to revise its rules so that more families separated by theclosed Canadianbordercan be reunited.

"It's absolutely heartbreaking what's happening, so we're going tokeep fighting the good fight."

Watch | Son and mother kept apart by U.S.-Canada border restrictions:

The grassroots group Advocacy for Family Reunification at the Canadian Border which includes hundreds of separated family members has been lobbying the government since June to expand its immediate family exemptions to include all committed partners and adult children. Currently, only dependent children qualify.

"Even as an adult child, if I was living in the states, I couldn't come see my mom in her last days," said Vidosa. "I would flip."

Earlier this month,CBC News reportedthe plight of AmericanTimothy Martin House who lives in New York City. As an adult child, he can't cross the border to visit his sick, 85-year-old mother in Toronto.

"You should be by your mother's side at this stage, and I can't get over there," said Martin, 61.

The Public Health Agency of Canada told CBC News it's currently reviewing its definition of immediate family, while still keeping in mind the risks posed by international travel during the pandemic.

See the rest here:

Canadian woman dying of cancer will be able to reunite with American fianc - CBC.ca

Campaign Beat: Money, Mobs And Corruption

Montana's U.S. House race looks to be tight and maybe getting tighter. New ads in the Senate race allege corruption and kowtowing to the "liberal mob." And the candidates in that race agree to three debates this fall.

Listen now on Campaign Beat with Sally Mauk, Rob Saldin and Holly Michels.

Sally Mauk Rob, in the U.S. House race Democrat Kathleen Williams continues to outraise her Republican opponent Matt Rosendale, but The Cook Political Report continues to see the races "leaning Republican." And in part, that's because no Democrat has won that seat since 1994. So it's still, I think, Rob, seen as an uphill battle for Williams.

Rob Saldin Yeah, I agree, Sally. You know, both of them are doing well in terms of fundraising, and in fact, they're both among the handful of top-funded candidates in the country, which to me is a clear indication that both the Republicans and Democrats see this one as a competitive election.

Williams is actually doing a little better than Rosendale, but, you know, he's going to have plenty to do what he wants to in the campaign. There was also one poll out this month that showed it all tied up.

But, yeah, my own sense, though, is that Rosendale has to be a slight favorite in this one. All things being equal, Republicans have a significant built-in advantage in Montana.

And plus, Rosendale's been around longer, so he's already been elected statewide as auditor. He ran that high-profile Senate campaign against Jon Tester two years ago. And he's almost, because of all that, certainly got higher name ID than Williams, who I think remains a little bit undefined for a lot of voters. And additionally, one of Williams' strengths as a candidate two years ago was her retail campaigning, and of course, that's not possible this time.

But yet, you know, all that said, the broader backdrop for this election is about as good as it can get for Democrats, and it's not easy to see how things are going to improve all that much for Republicans between now and November, between the pandemic and the economy and President Trump's continued struggles.

And Rosendale, of course, has some weaknesses as a candidate. He sometimes comes off as a bit awkward, and on the issues, he sometimes comes off as pretty strident as an ideologue.

Mauk Rosendale continues to oppose the Affordable Care Act, Rob, and that now provides health insurance for tens of thousands of Montanans.

And that might have been a popular stance for Republicans at one time, but is it now, in the middle of a pandemic to be opposed to something that's providing health insurance for thousands of Montanans?

Saldin Well, yeah, exactly, Sally. I mean, his opposition to the Affordable Care Act, that's actually been one of his most identifiable positions, I'd say. And during his time as state auditor, which is the office tasked with regulating the insurance industry and protecting consumers, he's been right in the middle of it.

He's been a strong opponent of the Affordable Care Act, and as we talked about a couple weeks ago with regard to that Senate campaign, that position just isn't popular with the public anymore like it was a few cycles ago in the aftermath of Obamacare actually being passed. And, now on top of it, we're now in the middle of a pandemic and the various anxieties that that provokes. So this does have a potential, I think, to be a real weakness for Rosendale, and it's certainly one that the Democrats have identified and are trying to exploit.

Mauk Holly, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has a new ad out basically accusing Gov. Steve Bullock of corruption, and the ad accuses Bullock of steering millions of dollars worth of state contracts to a firm that was founded by Bullock's brother. Here's the ad:

Ad "We all know about Steve Bullock' government-run health care plan that will close rural hospitals and raise taxes, but there's more: Bullock has been accused of steering state grants to his brother's firm."

"It turns out a company founded by Bullock's brother received more than $14 million from state agencies."

"Steve Bullock: Steering hospitals away from Montana, and business to his own family. Think about that."

Mauk The ad, Holly, leaves out some important details, and the president of the firm referenced in the ad has demanded that it be taken off the air because, in his opinion, it is so erroneous.

Holly Michels Yeah. Right after this ad started airing - it's Pioneer Technical Services in Butte, which isn't directly named in the ad - but they sent a letter to TV stations around the state who are running it, asking them to take it down.

The letter said that Bullock's brother Bill resigned as CEO from Pioneer in 2004, and has sold his interest in the company to the employees by 2009, which is three years before Bullock was first elected to the governor's office.

I reached out to NRSC, and they said they stand behind the ad. They pointed to these corporate filings that show that Bullock's brother is still chairman of the board at Pioneer.

But Pioneer sent another letter to TV stations again on July 27, again saying the ad was false, misleading and defamatory. They say that Bullock's brother became chair of the board in 2017, and the next year he got a stipend of just $1,500. And they say that aside from this stipend, the governor's brother doesn't make any money from the company and has no financial stake in it. NRSC's trying to say as chairman of the board, he still has direction over it and would have interest in the company doing well.

I did reach out to TV stations that are running the ad. One replied that they got the letter from Pioneer, talked to their lawyers and decided to keep the ad on the air.

I think it's interesting. We did see an iteration of this ad in 2012, when Bullock was a first-time governor candidate, and it was pulled by NBC Montana over claims about money going to Pioneer. At that time, they pulled the ad saying that as attorney general, Bullock had no oversight over the grants the ad talks about.

I think it's unclear at this point. I think next steps, if ads I haven't heard from any other stations that they would take down the ads. Pioneer did warn that they would consider a lawsuit over defamation, so that might be the next step that we see if nothing else changes and this ad keeps airing.

Mauk The thing about ads that sling mud is that sometimes the mud sticks, no matter what the facts are. And, of course, that's the point.

Also this week, Holly, the Bullock campaign fired a young staffer for some offensive tweets he had posted some years ago.

Michels Yeah, this was Evan McCullers, who was a junior staffer who worked on communications for the campaign.

These tweets - in them, he made statements that made light of sexual assault. Some language is homophobic. There were statements that were derogatory toward black people and women. And he was fired just a couple hours after these tweets were surfaced online.

It looks like McCullers was a teenager at the time that these tweets were written, and he released a statement through the campaign after he was let go apologizing for them and saying that he's evolved since making them. But the campaign, you know, they also issued a statement saying the tweets are inappropriate, and once they learned about them, they did let McCullers go.

Mauk Well, Rob, again in the Senate race, Sen. Steve Daines has a new ad featuring Wibaux Sheriff Shane Harrington. Here's that ad:

Ad "These liberal attacks on law enforcement are a real threat to public safety, but Steve Bullock refuses to stand up for law and order."

"Bullock's campaign is being bankrolled by the liberal mob. That's why Bullock's been silent while left-wing radicals try to defund our police, erase our history and turn America into a socialist country."

"Steve Bullock doesn't share our Montana values: He's with the liberal mob."

"I'm Steve Daines and I approve this message."

Mauk And whew, Rob, this ad has all the catch phrases: socialism, liberal mob and left-wing radicals.

Saldin Right? Yeah, it's a real doozy. I'm a little skeptical, though, that this one is going to stick because it just seems a little over the top. You know, maybe this is the kind of thing that would work on a candidate that no one has heard of, but Bullock is well-known after his now nearly two terms as governor, one term as attorney general, the state's top law enforcement position. So this ad, which features all these images of just full-fledged rioting, it just doesn't seem consistent with what we know of Bullock. It just strains credulity a bit too much, it seems to me.

It also strikes me as unintentionally funny in its assertion that we should be scandalized by Bullock's silence in the face of the far left's excesses, right? Not the Democratic Party's left flank, mind you, but the violent rioters depicted in this ad. It's just a bit ironic, because Sen. Daines has - for nearly four years now - maintained his own silence in the face of routine outrages from President Trump. To my knowledge, he's never leveled any direct criticism of the president. And unlike the so-called liberal mob that this ad is trying to connect to Bullock, Daines is undeniably linked to Trump, right? They have this close personal relationship, Trump is a leader of Daines' party. So it's a little amusing to me to see the Daines campaign condemning someone for cowardly silence.

Mauk Holly, it looks like there will be three debates between Gov. Bullock and Sen. Daines this fall.

Michels Yeah, we saw this week the Bullock campaign agreed to three of the four debates that Daines had proposed. He came out less than 24 hours after the June primary, calling for Bullock to agree to participate in these four debates.

There'll be a Montana Broadcasters Association debate coming up Aug. 8, which is pretty soon here, a Montana PBS debate Sept. 28 and a Montana Television Network debate Oct. 10.

I think Daines' campaign was critical for Bullock's camp not expecting a Montana Chamber of Commerce debate.

I do think debates are going to be pretty important this year, with the coronavirus and campaigns limited from hosting in-person events like they would in a normal year. This gives voters a chance to see the candidates at their, you know, on TV at home, and sort of see how they interact together, so I think those will hopefully be pretty heavily watched this year.

Mauk Holly, there's been yet another campaign finance complaint filed in the governor's race, and this time it's by the Montana Democratic Party against Republican Greg Gianforte.

Michels Yeah. What this complaint is saying is that Gianforte coordinated with a political action committee to work around campaign contribution limits that a governor's campaign has.

It's referencing an invitation to a campaign event where Gianforte told people if they'd already maxed out giving to his campaign, they could give to this political action group.

It's going to be up to the commissioner of political practices to determine if that counts as illegal coordination, but I think the point of these complaints...

I don't think individual people and voters really track them much or watch what happens with them. It feels like, to me, sometimes this process is more about getting coverage of a candidate being accused of wrongdoing than the actual complaint itself.

There are, of course, genuine findings of candidates breaking ethics laws. We saw Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney get dinged with the maximum fine for participating in a campaign call from his official office. But we also saw, right after that and while the complaint was still filed and pending, a lot of attack ads about that.

I think, you know, looking at so far this year, just looking at campaign finance complaints: There's been 11 that are still pending, 19 already resolved, so it gives you an idea of the magnitude of how many we've seen.

It's also interesting to look at who's bringing these complaints. They're most often brought by political opponents, or political parties or figures adjacent to them. It's not members of the public really using this process to ask questions about things they think that might not be compliant with the law.

So you see a lot of coverage. I'm not sure if voters are really tracking the granular details of each individual complaint and the findings, but more seeing it when they pop up in campaign advertising.

Mauk Rob, here we are, just three months out from the election, and we're in the middle of a raging pandemic and fire season is just beginning. I wonder if voters are so overwhelmed, they just want 2020 and the election to be over.

Saldin Maybe, Sally, but it's a little hard to escape.

I actually think there is a higher level of engagement than normal - and part of that may have to do with people having more time on their hands - but we're also just living through such a crazy and incredibly politicized time right now, it's hard to get away from the politics.

And that's clearly immersed itself in the pandemic, and debates over masks and opening schools and everything else: it's all politicized. With that heightened level of engagement and awareness, though, I also get the sense that we're looking at an electorate in which there are just fewer undecided voters than normal.

So my sense is people are pretty dug in, even if they are paying more attention, or are just forced into not finding a place to get away from the politics of everything right now.

Mauk We're going to keep following it all from a safe distance, of course, and Holly and Rob, stay cool and I'll talk to you next week.

Campaign Beat is a weekly political analysis program produced by Montana Public Radio. Campaign Beat features University of Montana political science professor and Mansfield Center fellow Rob Saldin, and Lee Newspapers Capitol Reporter Holly Michels and host Sally Mauk.

What are "Montana Values"?

Every campaign season, we hear a lot about Montana Values. Things like liberty, opportunity, and love of public land. Ideas that supposedly define Montanans. But when elections come around, that language seems to do just as much to drive people apart.

For our elections coverage, our news team wants to know what values matter to you, and how candidates are talking about them in the run up to November. What do you think of when you hear Montana Values - and why?

Call us at 406-640-8933 and leave a message to share your thoughts.

Continued here:

Campaign Beat: Money, Mobs And Corruption - MTPR

By Chris Trotter*

It wasn't that Act was short of talent or money, it had plenty of both, but it was definitely short of something. That much was plain in the weeks and months that followed the partys launch in 1994.

The partys two leading campaigners, Sir Roger Douglas and Derek Quigley, toured the country tirelessly. Still enhaloed by the success of his 1984-1990 policy revolution, Douglas easily persuaded employers to give the duo access to their workforces. Hundreds, and quite possibly thousands, of working-class men and women thought it advisable (in this post- Employment Contracts Act world) to listen politely as Douglas and Quigley delivered their classical-liberal pitch. With equal docility they accepted the glossy pamphlets paid for by Acts bankroller, the multi-millionaire Craig Heatley.

And yet, in spite of Douglass confident predictions of Act rapidly attracting major-party levels of voter support, its poll ratings hovered stubbornly just below or fractionally above 1%. Classical-Liberal economics and politics does have an audience in New Zealand, but it is very, very small. Too small to provide Act with the 5%of the Party Vote required to make it into Parliament without the turbo-charger of an electorate seat however acquired.

Clearly, the something Act was lacking needed to be identified and supplied as a matter of urgency or the Herculean efforts of Douglas and Quigley, and the $1 million dollars spent by Heatley, would all have been for nought.

Enter Richard Prebble.

Douglas and Quigley had given it their best shot, but by March 1996 it was clear their ammunition was too lightly packed. If the revolution unleashed by Douglas (ably assisted by Prebble) in 1984 was to be protected and extended, then Acts cartridges would require a considerably heavier charge.

Nobody possesses a better understanding of the explosive material required to propel the Right into political contention than Prebble. His gut-level feel for the anxieties and prejudices of working-class and middle-class New Zealand voters had served the Labour Party well. Not that the partys activists were ever very comfortable with the ingredients of Prebbles political sausages. They looked at the Auckland Central MPs bull-necked enforcer, Gene Leckie, and shuddered. The Labour Left was equally perturbed by the sudden influx of voluble right-wingers organised by Prebble and his fellow Backbone Club members (many of whom went on to join Act) as Rogernomics tore the Labour Party apart.

Prebble understood what so many well-meaning Labourites refused to accept: that in Labours broad church there were deep reservoirs of racism, sexism, homophobia and full-throated red-neck authoritarianism. The trick, as Prebble knew, was to keep these people voting Labour while simultaneously hiding them from public view. He also knew (as Quigley, perhaps, did not) just how many more of these folk lurked within the ranks of the National Party. Perhaps only the kiwi-gothic novelist, Ronald Hugh Morrieson, understood more about the darkness which enshrouds the heart of rural and provincial New Zealand. (In the years that followed his takeover of the Act leadership, Prebble would discover how many dark impulses also lurked in the heart of Remuera!)

In March of 1996, with the first MMP election just months away, Prebble gently moved aside Acts classical-liberal trappings and steered it towards an unabashed courtship of the angry Right. In this regard, his party was not competing directly with either National or Labour, but with NZ First and the Christian Coalition. And precisely because Prebble was the principal wooer, Acts blandishments were clear and unequivocal (unlike NZ Firsts) and unencumbered by religious dogma (unlike the Christian Coalitions). When the votes were counted on Election Night, Prebbles right-wing populist Act had received 6.1%of the Party Vote roughly six times the level of public support which Douglass and Quigleys classical-liberal Act had attracted.

In the general election of 2002, Prebble topped-out Acts support at 7.14%of the Party Vote (9 List MPs). A contemporary outburst from Prebble, directed against Helen Clarks stated intention to increase the number of refugees admitted to New Zealand, reveals how wholeheartedly Act had embraced the right-wing populist agenda:

There are millions of refugees around the world and instead of taking those who have most difficulty settling in New Zealand e.g. those from desert cultures we should look sympathetically at refugees who would have no difficulty integrating into New Zealand society. For example, white farmers being driven off their land in Zimbabwe are real refugees and theyd make good citizens but theyd never be selected by this politically correct government. These Zimbabwean farmers are homeless because theyre not politically fashionable.

Prebbles sudden exit from the leadership of Act in 2004 (never satisfactorily explained) heralded the slow and seemingly irreversible decline of the partys electoral fortunes. The more distance Acts new leader, Rodney Hide, attempted to put between himself and the partys right-wing populist legacy the harder it became to sustain its electoral support. In the absence of Nationals strategic electoral support in the Auckland seat of Epsom, Acts determination to return to the classical-liberal principles of its founders would, almost certainly, have led to its demise.

How, then, to explain the steady rise in Acts support since 2019? Receiving just 0.5%of the Party Vote in 2017, it has surged to 5%in the latest Colmar Brunton poll. Polite commentators point to the current Act leaders, David Seymours, statesmanlike shepherding of his End of Life Choice bill through the House of Representatives. Others cite his sterling defence of the principle of Free Speech. Sadly, this will not do. The steady rise in Acts popularity stems not from these classical-liberal stances (which barely nudged the pollsters dials) but from its unwavering defence of New Zealands gun culture in the aftermath of the Christchurch Mosque Massacres.

The signal that went out into all the dark corners of rural and provincial New Zealand could hardly have been clearer or stronger. Deliberately, or as the result of the most unfortunate political happenstance, Act had turned to the same kinds of voters Prebble had courted in 1996. While the rest of New Zealand and all the parliamentary parties, except his own, were uniting behind the call for comprehensive gun control, Seymour allowed himself to be turned into the poster-boy for the very worst sort of American-inspired political paranoia.

Its a package-deal, of course, this far-right, conspiratorial, evidence-averse, Rapture-anticipating, 5G-fearing and Covid-19-denying rag-bag of political craziness. Buy into the gun-owners rights narrative and you risk getting all the others thrown in for free. Seymour should thank his lucky stars that his party has, too date, only had to suffer an influx of gun-owners rights enthusiasts. (Their spokesperson, Nicole McKee, is No. 3 on Acts Party List.) For the moment, at least, all the other conspiracists have rallied around the Advance New Zealand banner raised by Jami-Lee Ross and Billy Te Kahika (BTK).

Its easy to laugh, but the astonishing numbers turning out to BTKs rallies and the sudden surge in Acts poll numbers point to a reservoir of popular anger and alienation that only remains hidden from Middle New Zealand because it so seldom finds any person or party with the ability and/or inclination to make its feelings known.Richard Prebble, who grew up in the bosom of a mass political party, has always known such people existed and where to find them. With their votes he turned Act into a genuine electoral force. The fervent response to BTKs populist conspiracy theories proves theyre still out there in their thousands.

The question is: If this is the something that Act is short of, then, surely, it is something Act should do without?

*Chris Trotter has been writing and commenting professionally about New Zealand politics for more than 30 years. He writes a weekly column for interest.co.nz. His work may also be found athttp://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com.

Read the original post:

Chris Trotter argues Richard Prebble made Act competitive electorally by turning it into a right-wing populist party, and asks whether David Seymour...

Roughly two years after modern historian Ramachandra Guha batted for KREA University to be given the tag of institution of eminence, he has been appointed distinguished professor of history at the same university. The university has said that Dr Guha will teach classes, interact with students, work with colleagues on curricular development, and help build the vision of KREA.

In a rant against Jio University being given the institute of eminence tag, Guha wrote in the Hindustan Times in July 2018: Even if, for arguments sake, the jury decided to favour one so-called greenfield project, why Jio Institute over the other contenders? Were the more impressive credentials of KREA considered and carefully scrutinised?

Guha went on: Why, for example, had the jury not selected the new KREA University, which is in a more advanced stage of preparation? With a campus rapidly being developed outside Chennai, KREA has a governing council which includes Anand Mahindra, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Anu Aga and N Vaghul. KREAs Academic Council is chaired by Raghuram Rajan; its other members include the gifted historian Srinath Raghavan, the brilliant classical musician T M Krishna, and the great mathematician Manjul Bhargava.

This is not to suggest any quid-pro-quo or even hint at Guhas unsuitability for the job at KREA he has the credentials but we need to make an entirely different point: Guha represents the outer limits of acceptability for the Left-wing cancel culture of mainstream Indian social sciences academia.

He is also seen to be a necessary ingredient in less-Left wing wannabe universities that want to prove intellectual heft. Another intellectual in the same mould as Guha is Pratap Bhanu Mehta, who functioned as Vice-Chancellor of Ashoka University, which is moving away from its initial liberal character to more Left-wing politics, as faculty hiring trends show.

The problem for institutions like Ashoka University or KREA, which claim to want a liberal campus culture, is simple: they are not bold enough to hire true academics from the Right, someone like Belgian Koenraad Elst or Michel Danino today, or a dogged expert of the Rig Veda like Shrikant Talageri, or a mediaeval historian like Meenakshi Jain. This is why they settle for someone like Guha, who occasionally berates the Left, as a good enough stand-in for the Right.

Guha, on the contrary, is a closet admirer of the Left. Thus, while mildly critiquing the Left for putting up pictures of two Germans from the 19th century and two Russians from the 20th) at their political events (a reference to Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin), he still thinks they are great human beings leading lives which are the simplest of any political party leaders in the country, and for investing in healthcare and education whenever they ruled any state.

Kerala may fit this bill, for reasons that have less to do with Leftist rule in the state than decisions made when Travancore was a princely state with enlightened rulers, but for a historian to believe that West Bengal and Tripura are some kind of leaders in education and health is bizarre. Also, the description of Leftist leaders as people living the simplest of lives fits the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) even better.

For his part, Guha refuses to engage with true Right-wing intellectuals. In his book on Makers of Modern India, he engages with the RSSs second Sarsanghchalak M S Golwalkar, but not V D Savarkar, the ideologue of Hindutva.

He prefers to believe that the Right-wing today has no intellectuals, when the question to ask is why? Is it because of the cancel culture of the Left, and the state-organised looting of all Hindu institutions (from temples to charitable trusts) in the name of secularism? If there are no good Right wing intellectuals, isnt it the job of liberal universities to develop them?

Balancing the Left-Right composition in new universities means picking centrists who are more opposed to the Right than the mindless Left. This is not just cancel culture but self-cancel culture, where promoters of new universities lose the plot without the Left firing the first shot. Guha, with his international linkages, is preferred because he can earn brownie points in Left-Liberal and Hinduphobic Western academia even for private liberal universities.

Unlike the US, where the Lefts cancel culture of denying space for non-Left-liberal voices in academia is of more recent origin, in India cancel culture came in as early as the mid-1960s, when Indira Gandhi handed over the culture and education portfolios to the Left.

This ensured two things: most universities, already biased towards the Left, became an in-bred crowd of people spouting similar ideologies. This is being said not only by the Right, but fellow travellers from the Centre and Left spaces, including Guha himself (read here, here). Secondly, this in-breeding has damaged the Left as much as stunted the Right. Shorn of any intellectual challenge, Left intellectualism has withered on the vine.

After more than half a century of dominating campuses, the Left cannot produce any legitimate scholarship that is genuinely India-centric or non-Hinduphobic. Most of its academic work is about sticking an Indian label on Marxist theory, with no original contributions or local insights to boot.

This is why the Left cannot produce any new intellectuals beyond the usual suspects, Romila Thapar and Irfan Habib, and even these intellectuals are busy defending their shop-soiled theories (Aryan invasion, class conflict and sub-alternism), even though no sub-altern has been allowed to wield any bit of academic power in the universities they dominate.

The Left denied caste till it became important to reinvent it to attack the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the RSS as Brahminical. Ironically, almost all Left intellectuals and political leaders have Brahminical or upper caste roots.

Having mortgaged true intellectualism to Western liberals and Marx, the Left has produced true excellence on two fronts: it has been great in producing pamphleteers and propagandists. Thus, some of them could even fib in court about the non-existence of a temple below the Babri structure.

In fact, both the Allahabad High Court judgement in the Ram Janmabhoomi case, and the five-judge Supreme Court bench that finally decided to hand over the disputed land to the Hindus, rubbished the Lefts claims to writing objective history. When presented with the Left historians grandly titled Babri Mosque or Rams Birthplace? Historians Report to the Nation, the bench said that at best this could only be considered an opinion.

Only two of the historians who compiled the report had even visited Ayodhya before presenting the report, and even they had little knowledge of the puranas or the Hindu side of the argument, which had indirect information on the temple that existed before the mosque built over its ruins.

The reason why Pratap Bhanu Mehta at Ashoka University and Guha at KREA sound like exceptional choices is simple: the Left no longer has intellectual credibility, and the genuine Right is denied space for fear of offending the politically influential Left propagandists.

In the US, where culture has been moulded by evangelical Christianity, robber-baron entrepreneurship, free speech rules and widespread gun ownership, money flows both to Left and Right institutions. Many post-graduate institutions are run by churches, and many liberal institutions are funded by big corporations. Cancel culture cannot last as there are enough sources of funding for non-Left institutions.

In India, there is almost no funding for the Right because business needs Left support in order to survive in a hitherto crony capitalist culture. Even with a BJP government in power, business people worry about what may happen to them if the Congress returns to power, or the Left becomes an influential player in a future government (as in UPA-1 or United Front in 1996-98).

Giving money to the Left ensures that your company is protected from political attacks in future; giving money to the Right will get you no accolades, for the Right is anyway inclined to support a market economy and businesses.

Guha and Mehta are beneficiaries of this fear culture, where Liberal means largely Left in the Indian context, and Right means Right-hating opinion-makers like the duo. Academic institutions are still to free themselves from this self-imposed tyranny and diffidence.

Read more from the original source:

Why Ramachandra Guha And Other Usual Suspects Are Coveted By Even Private Liberal Varsities - Swarajya

Education

Not everyone has the easiest time in school. I know I didnt. My mental health was something I struggled with coming up in the one brick-and-mortar school in my small town. It was difficult to succeed in the school district. Fortunately, I found a solution with online school.

I can now say that Ive grown so much from my transition from a brick-and-mortar school to online learning at Idaho Technical Charter Academy, as I look to complete my senior year of college at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX

I didnt have what one would call a normal life. For starters, my home environment wasnt great and my struggles with mental health made it difficult to take full advantage of everything that online school has to offer. My school provided me with an incredibly strong support system in the form of its teaching staff. I became very close with one of my English teachers who is part of the reason I even got into Trinity. I now study English there and Im really involved in advocacy and inclusion on campus.

With COVID-19, many families are concerned about returning to in-person learning but also hesitate to go fully online. I can assure you that with the right tools and guidance, online school works. It drove me to establish myself as a truly self-driven and self-directed person, and I appreciate that it could act as that buffer for my mental health. Lets make sure that every family has the ability to choose the school that meets their needs.

Brianna Duncan, Meridian

Lands

The consequences of swapping McCall land to Trident Holdings LLC will outlive sweet-talking Alec Williams. Its easy to imagine the owners of the contemplated private acre lots backing up to public land enjoying access to the public land and denying it to the public, as often happens. An easement on private property is only a right to sue for access, not access. Who wins that suit, the deep-pocketed, politically-connected rich guy or the public? If Tridents plans are so benign and financially beneficial, why doesnt the Land Board do them? And endowment lands arent public lands but Tridents would be? Huh?

James Runsvold, Caldwell

Kool-Aid

Sorry Mr. Cannamela, youve been drinking the same $17 Billion Dollars worth of Kool-Aid over the past 20 yrs that the majority of Governors, Congressmen and Native Americans have on how to renew the Salmon/Steelhead runs in the PNW. Imagine $17 Billion and still no solution; typical government scenario in wasteful spending. Well, I have a solution that is backed by Good Science. Contact Mr. Ron Harriman at ronharriman@q.com for the details and I would invite our Governor to do the same. Mr. Harriman has the solutions without losing any of our Hydro Power and it wont cost another $17 Billion of taxpayers money to do it. Will it be easy? No, but the plan will solve the problem.

Chuck Stadick, Caldwell

Grow a heart

An Idaho Press story over the weekend helped me understand why so many Idahoans do not wear masks or take protective measures urgently recommended by the governor and, most recently, the president.

While discussing the death of a St. Lukes nurse, Representative Tammy Nichols told the Idaho Press that information about the virus coming from government and medical scientists was without consensus. This suggests that, for many, science which seems unequivocal can be disregarded if, for example, medical advice changes about the importance of masks. She then implied a distinction should be made between those who died from the disease from those who died with it, as if Covid death numbers are also without consensus. Finally, Nichols said she did not want someone else to be held responsible to keep me safe.

It is obvious and undeniably we are responsible for ourselves. But have we no responsibility to protect others, which is the purpose of wearing a mask? What happened to Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself or the Golden Rule?

The same weekend brought a call from my brother saying his dear wife had just been diagnosed with Covid and taken to a hospital. Apparently, three workers at a facility where she was in medical rehabilitation had brought the infection to her.

Should she die, it would be from three workers failing to wear masks or engaging in risky behavior or because testing, tracing or protective equipment was unavailable. Isnt the point to protect everyone possible, not statistical consensus? And, as with Samantha Hickey, the St. Lukes nurse who died, we will not care if Covid is only the immediate but not the sole reason we lost her. Please, Representative Nichols and likeminded Idahoans, grow a heart.

Jerry Brady, Boise

Baseball

It is good to see that major league baseball is now being played. It would be nice if the Idaho Press printed the box scores in a larger font so that we can read them, otherwise why print them at all. Please do what you can to present a sports page that is readable to all readers. Im sure you can spare a bit of additional space in the daily paper.

Craig Lochner, Boise

Subscriber no more

Please add my name the expanding list of readers dropping off your subscriber list due to your obvious tilt to the left. I was sold on the Idaho Press as it was presented to be an alternative to the liberal Statesman, but the July 28 article titled Black kids die more often after surgery, new research shows pushed off the ledge. How can an article stating that out of 173,000 operations 23 black youngsters died within 30 days of surgery compared with 13 whites be declared striking without any additional info such as the admitted slightly more heart and digestive problems among black children. How many of those surgeries were the result of domestic or gang violence for instance? When looking at the odds of dying after 173,000 surgeries (about 0.01%, it compares to the odds of dying after being struck by lightening. If you want to print something truly striking, why not print the odds of dying as a black child due to a gunshot in Chicago.

Michael Piechowski, Boise

Dictatorial

The Barr Hearing once again gave insight to what a Democratic Party governance would be. Dictatorial, lacking any fairness or truth, unprofessional. Once more we see that Democratic control of the House of Representatives proves to be out of control. If you do not see anything wrong with their actions you could go to Venezuela and enjoy that type of government right now. The governance we see in the House of Representative is the best reason I have seen to vote for Trump for President.

Richard Wasson, Meridian

Why?

Is anyone else concerned with the larger companies eateries. I chose to stay local because the local companies seem to have figured out the way to be safe. The larger companies choose to have their employees use gloves! They will put them on and wear them for long periods of time in between touching menus, money and delivering your food! The gloves only protect those who are wearing them- not us. They are spreading any bacteria, virus, e coli etc from pone patron to the next. WHY??? How often are they washing their hands, one of the #1 ways to prevent spreading anything.

Cheri Beauvais, Nampa

Liability

A recent article in the Newspaper written by Betsy Russell covered legal liability issues regarding school closures, and reopening risks for school districts, teachers and administrators.

The article vividly reminded me of one of the 8 primary reasons for moving OUT of California 20 years ago. While on the board of directors of a California company that was growing rapidly, but still not profitable, we cratered when 4 different investment bankers promising funding did not deliver.

Soon thereafter, the buzzards (lawyers) starting circling, and first sued the company but nothing there, then sued the management team and nothing there, and finally sued the board of directors. The board spent 3 years fighting the lawsuits, spent a fortune, and won all suits. But no compensation for our legal expenses was paid.

The United States is one of 2 countries in the world where the loser in a lawsuit does NOT have to pay all lawyer fees, which puts US companies at a real disadvantage to competing companies around the world which do not have all those ambulance chasing lawyers; there is no opportunity for them.

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Realizing that the California legislature was primarily lawyers, but the Idaho legislature was comprised of business people, teachers, farmers, etc. helped push us here. Unfortunately, California lawyers can sue anywhere, and this is probably a problem for the school districts today.

Finally, look at the mess California is in now---Dirty and financially broke cities, people camping in tents along the ocean beaches, no funds for clean up, declining quality of schooling, etc. And today Californians are moving quickly to Idaho, but thankfully, those moving are financially sound. Lets keep Idaho sound!

Chas Bonner, Eagle

Shameful

I cried watching destruction of our U.S, cities during the Barr hearings, then laughed when the dems showed their videos & denied knowing about the damage of our cities. Shameful!

I wear a mask, but what good is it when hundreds or thousands of protestors are out in many states. No masks, no social distance, then return to their state. Why should we tax payers pay for special guard just for political people ( left or right) who do not stand up for & insist on law & order with the protestors?

Why cant teachers have private session with the students assigned to her or no pay or give the designated money for each student to hire their own tutor? I worry about pay to play, as the 85 year old mother of six children, that I raised on my own when their father left us, I was not able to spend a penny for sports. One of my sons received a football scholarship. We better all pray if police are abolished or defunded to the point of being worthless or no one is willing to join because of no support. 3 of my sons served in the military, one retired military is now state police. Have we no appreciation for all these young peoples sacrifices?

As for BLM. They should have to take some of the responsibility for much of the destruction of our country. all known members & others who have encouraged all this damage ( federal & private) They should not only serve time, but be sued for all the cost involved. Along with many people I agree Trump is never or seldom politically correct in speeches & tweets. Never was a politician. I guess thats why he was elected.

Thanks for the opportunity to unload!

Pat Cone, Eagle

Whats right

Paulette is right on in her assessment of Risch. He is a puppet of Trump. No backbone to stand up for what is right.

Ed Crateau, Meridian

Thank you

I want to thank Americas Frontline Doctors and President Trump for taking the message to the public that outpatient treatments for COVID-19 exist. People need to know that they can ask for treatment and get help from their own physician.

I have been a pharmacist since 1981 and I am astounded at the attacks on hydroxychloroquine. The Frontline Doctors are brave to stand up against almost entirely negative coverage in the news media.

I also want to say that hydroxychloroquine is not the only useful drug in the early treatment of COVID-19 infections. People who should not take it because of possible adverse effects or are frightened of using it can use other medications that also reduce the chance of serious illness due to COVID-19.

In my opinion this is a battle for lives, and I applaud anyone who dares to stand against the most shameful episode of medical disinformation that I have seen in my career.

Brent Cornell, Boise

Link:

Letters to the editor, July 31, 2020 - Idaho Press-Tribune

Posted on August 1, 2020 at 10:25 am by Carol Tannenhauser

A word of explanation: some comments below and posted on WSR exceed the 100-word limit we ourselves set. If a lengthy comment offers new information or perspective, or raises provocative questions, we will sometimes let it through. This is not an invitation to extend the length of your comments! Most long ones will be cut. The Editors.

re: Sean Hannity Says Upper West Sides Homeless Hotels Are Part of a New York City Nightmare

Bruce E. Bernsteinsays:Are UWS residents really as right wing as the comments imply? I know very few people like this in real life. There are some but they are few and far between.

UWSHebrewsays:I know those guys and others, like ex-servicemen and ex-NYPD detectives who live right here, and buy bagels every weekend, same as you. More of us right-wingers in your midst than you could know

re: Some Homeless Residents Coming to UWS Hotel Are Being Transferred From Another Hotel Where it Didnt Work Out And Drug Use Continued

Katesays:I love this neighborhood, but reading this piece makes me want to move further uptown. That people who are comfortable and privileged can so proactively want to withhold a basic human right like shelter from a group of human beings is appalling. Housing the homeless in hotels has long been done all over the city, but this NIMBY stuff terrifies me. New Yorkers have proven during COVID that we might be one of the only true societies left in the U.S.; when crisis hit, we leaned into the very meaning of community. While Im a young single woman always highly mindful of safety, the extent of any perceived risk is so much less than the extent of established need of those who have less than I do, and who did not have the advantages I had purely out of luck.

Peter says:Yes, we all live here. Under a social contract. The social contract that governs how we spend our citys resources, i.e., tax dollars, time and effort. The same contract that forces us to have community board hearings to determine whether the addition of a 22 ft coffee table to a sidewalk cafe is appropriate or unnecessarily infringing on someones rights or safety. Or commit vast city resources to establish that a new building can be 14 stories but not 15. Or conduct a myriad of surveys and assessments and public hearings to determine the impact of adding a science wing to a museum.

The same social contract under which matters that may reasonably be expected to affect the quality, safety of life here should be debated, given due consideration, and those most likely to be impacted should be able to voice their opinions. Not swept under the rug by unknown and unaccountable city bureaucrats on a Friday-for-Monday basis. Vulnerable population? Vulnerable to what? The covid-19 that the City claims to have under complete control? What was the spread and impact on these men at the peak of the crisis? How did they protect them then? Why now, at its supposed nadir?

re: Revel To Shut Down Until Further Notice After Second Rider Dies

Shara Feinstein says:You dont see this problem with Vespa and Motorcycle drivers because they invest in owning them and wear helmets and drive safety. It is a shame because having more transportation options would have been great. No helmets, no masks, no responsibility means we all lose out.

chuck D says:This is why we cant have nice things.

re: Photos: Upper West Siders Commune With Turtles, Cats And Each Other

Fred Kepler says:Beautiful photos. Even behind the masks, I could sense the smiles!

Read the original post:

Comments of the Week: Right-Wing UWS? 'Homeless Hotels,' Mopeds Cancelled - westsiderag.com