Daily Archives: August 20, 2021

Photo: David McNew (Getty Images)

No. This isnt about freedom. This is about freedoms.

No, my friend, this is an entirely different subject. Everyone deserves freedom but freedoms are invisible things that only exist in white peoples imaginationslike rhythm...

Or not seeing color...

Or the tiny voice that whispers in unmelanated ears about what Martin Luther King Jr. would have wanted.

Whenever unshowered Americans are confronted with something they dont want to do, they immediately begin blabbering about their freedoms. Its like the race card for white people. While you and I know that the word freedom only makes one appearance in the Constitution, apparently theres a second Caucasian Constitution that I havent seen that clarifies this murky terrain.

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As you can see, it doesnt even have to make sense. More importantly, they will never say exactly which specific freedom they are talking about. They wont cite a specific law or clause in the Constitution that supports their position. Thats because there isnt one.

Inserting freedoms into a random sentence makes one seem more patriotic, like randomly mentioning the troops. Basically, freedoms is a conservative dog whistle used to justify police brutality, pro-gun legislation and even blackballing Colin Kaepernick.

Well, currently, anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers and people who are adamant about their right to inhale coronavirus-laced droplets are crying that mandates preventing the escalation of the COVID pandemic violate their freedoms. In the absence of any peer-reviewed evidence to support their conspiratorial claims that the CDC and Dr. Anthony Fauci are working with Moderna, the Illuminati and the New World Order to infect you with facemask-tainted carbon dioxide, the one-trick GOP ponies have resorted to their failsafe, citing their freedoms as the reason for their pro-coronavirus position. Im not saying theyre crazy...

Im just writing it.

See?

Which of our basic freedoms will be ruined by medical science? Most Americans were vaccinated at birth without their consent. Why were our parents so comfortable giving up their freedoms then? Why doesnt McDonalds no shoes, no shirt, no service policy erode these freedoms? Make it make sense!

As someone once said: Your liberty to swing your fist ends just where my nose begins.

Theres absolutely nothing wrong with asserting ones rights. These people absolutely have the right to not wear masks or refuse vaccines. Thats not what theyre arguing. Theyre arguing that they have the right to ignore science at the peril of others. Their kids right to go to facemask-free schools cant infringe upon the rights of parents who dont want their children to die coughing up coronavirus phlegm. They are insisting that their personal liberty is not just worth their health, its more important than your right to choose to be healthy.

Its the ultimate act of privilege because what they are essentially saying is: Give me liberty or give you death.

Because they are stupid.

You may have noticed that their explanations are curiously devoid of facts and science. Instead of listening to medical experts, researchers or data, they are willing to entrust their health to their political allies or random Facebook memes. Their arguments also are all strangely similar. None of them have presented a unique viewpoint that they came up with; theyre all spouting stuff they heard on Parler or at whatever the white peoples version of a barbershop is (Im pretty sure its antique shops). Theres no other fathomable reason for their positions except that they lack the ability to think critically.

Well, ultimately, its because of whiteness.

Generally, white people dont have to consider other people because they dont have to face the consequences of their actions. Its easy to oppose tax increases when you live in a country that ensures your children will get the best education. Youd probably back the blue if you never had to worry about police violence. If you didnt have to consider the possibility of your vote not counting, you might be willing to ignore voter suppression.

These people believe in law and order, except for when it applies to them. They genuinely think their kids have the right to attend school without abiding by the rules the school boards set in place. They want to open up the economy but they want toignore the COVID protocols businesses and cities have put in place to make sure the open economy is safe for everyone. They insist that COVID only affects kids with preexisting conditions, but dont want to abide by the laws that protect those children.

For white people, living in America is like having skin that cant burn. If you didnt have to worry about being consumed by flames, you might think fire codes are overregulated. Why should your hard-earned money be spent on a fire extinguisher if youre fireproof?

They are victims of what I call privilege envy. Using our previous analogy, imagine if you were rich enough to move into a neighborhood where all your neighbors had fireproof skin. You might start to think that the key to a nice neighborhood is not spending money on fire departments and sprinkler systems.

Sure, youd enjoy low property taxes, public parks, and good schools becauseinstead of paying for a fire department fire sprinklersthey put their money into education and playgrounds. Over time, you might start to believe that theyre right when say that the hullabaloo over fires is overblown. You might even forget that your skin is different and believe that protecting your family from the possibility of a fire should be a personal responsibility.

Maybe we cant.

They are impervious to fire, so we cant force them to care about the people who arent. But we also cant forget the fact that the role of government is not just to protect our individual rights; it also must protect our collective rights.

We pay taxes so that our children can be safe when theyre at school and those collective rights are just as important as our individual rights. The reason every individual has the right to vote is that a true democracy represents the collective, not just individuals. You dont pay school taxes so that your kid can get an education; you pay them so you can live in an educated community. You dont pay the cops to keep you safe. You pay police departments to keep your community safe. If your neighbor is robbed or killed, you should want the cops to catch the criminal so that your community doesnt become a high-crime area.

No one wants to wear a mask. We do it because we want to be safe. All children deserve to be protected from this deadly pandemic, and those who dont want to wear masks dont have the individual right to infect the children who cover their mouths for the sake of their fellow Americans health. Thats how a society works.

Oh, I cant say that I dont like freedoms.

When I get some, Ill let you know.

.

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'Freedoms,' Explained - The Root

The resignation of Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin follows months of political turmoil, economic hardship and a dramatic deterioration in human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and assembly, Amnesty International said today.

On 16 August 2021, after a tumultuous 17 months in office, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin resigned, yet will stay on as interim leader until a successor is appointed.

Following the Prime Ministers resignation, the next government must urgently restore respect for freedom of expression and assembly.

Over the past 17 months, the government has responded to a wave of public anger brought about by political infighting and official handling of the Covid-19 pandemic by curtailing free speech. In recent weeks, this also extended to peaceful assembly.

Amid an ongoing political crisis, the authorities have wielded repressive laws to investigate or arrest not only activists, journalists and protesters, but also members of political opposition and the general public to quell dissent. It is crucial that the next government learns from the past and ends attacks on peaceful critics.

Investigation and harassment of peaceful protestors

In recent weeks, the government has used excessive powers to enact a crackdown on freedom of assembly. Despite Muhyiddins resignation, police called in five people yesterday for questioning after they participated in a peaceful protest that called for him to step down. A journalist was also questioned over an article based on a press statement released by protest organizers.

A state of emergency was lifted on 1 August 2021, yet a strict ban on assemblies and gatherings remains in place as part of restrictions imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19. By implementing blanket bans on demonstrations and dispersing peaceful assemblies the authorities are failing to respect the right to peaceful assembly and expression.

While governments can legitimately impose restrictions on the right to peaceful assembly for public health reasons, these restrictions must be necessary and proportionate.

Dozens of people have been summoned for questioning after participating in the Lawan demonstration on 31 July 2021, which demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin amid continuing political turmoil and concern over the official handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hundreds of people attempted to march to Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square). After being blocked by police, participants resorted to gathering nearby.

Following the demonstration, police visited protesters homes and have so far called over 20 people in for questioning, including participants, organizers, journalists and other observers. In addition, commissioners from the National Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) were called in for questioning, prompting the public body to release astatement of concern.

Members of Parliament questioned over protests

Police are also questioning members of parliament over a demonstration held on 2 August 2021, after parliamentary sessions were suspended following the detection of several cases of Covid-19 among MPs and parliament staff. Parliament had only been in session for one week after its suspension in January 2021. As MPs tried to gain access to the parliamentary estate, riot police blocked the road to the Houses of Parliament in an intimidatory show of force.

Marching instead to Dataran Merdeka, MPs criticized Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his cabinet for bypassing the King when they revoked the emergency ordinances a step they said broke usual protocols and ignoring repeated calls for parliament to reopen.

After the protest, police announced they would be questioning all 107 members of parliament who were present under laws including the Peaceful Assembly Act and the Prevention & Control of Infectious Diseases Act.

Besides MPs, at least 30 media workers have been questioned following the demonstrations, which represents a clear violation of press freedom.

The Malaysian authorities are employing tactics to intimidate activists, members of political parties, journalists and others who have participated in peaceful protests, by subjecting them to police questioning, investigations and visits to their homes and offices, Rachel Chhoa-Howard added.

The authorities must allow peaceful assemblies to resume in line with reasonable and proportionate Covid-19 prevention protocols. Parliament should also be allowed to sit and scrutinize government policy to ensure adequate oversight after being prevented from doing so for such a long time including virtually if there are concerns over Covid-19.

A wider crackdown on peaceful expression

Civil society activists, opposition politicians, journalists, and social media users have also been targeted by police and investigated under numerous repressive laws used to stifle dissent.

Those targeted include a high school student accused of breaching the peace after she posted a TikTok video criticizing a teacher who allegedly joked about rape in class in August, as well as four individuals who criticized the Chief Minister of Kedah on Facebook over a joke hetold about Covid-19 related deaths.

Since 13 August, at least seven activists linked to the Lawan demonstration have also been questioned by police in the past week over a possible upcoming protest.

Although these examples describe just a few cases, they represent a broader crackdown on freedom of expression that is sending a chilling message across the country and leading many to self-censor.

Freedoms have deteriorated ever since the Perikatan Nasional government assumed power in March 2020, and recently the situation has worsened, Rachel Chhoa-Howard said.

The next government must end the criminalization of peaceful expression, both on and offline, and also restore respect for the rights to freedom of association and the press.

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Malaysia: PM's resignation must restore respect for freedom of expression and assembly - Amnesty International

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Annice Sterling, one of a group of ICU nurses from Northwell Health who will support ICU teams at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah, expresses her thanks at a news conference in Murray on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020. Last April, Intermountain deployed two COVID-19 Response Teams totaling 100 caregivers to assist New York City-area hospitals during that states major surge of COVID-19 cases. Those hospitals planned to return the favor when their surge subsided, which it now has.

By Jen Solomon | Special to The Tribune

| Aug. 20, 2021, 7:00 p.m.

What is the magic number where everyone takes COVID-19 seriously? People remain undeterred by the statistics and wide-ranging consequences, unmoved by the repeated warnings and pleas from the medical community.

Doubters, unconvinced by studies illustrating both the efficacy and safety of the vaccine and mask-wearing, continue to proudly or complacently ignore both. Too many subscribe to conspiracy theories and misinformation from unreliable sources, placing trust anywhere but in the people whose expertise should be the only voices that matter: experts who have degrees and credentials and are created by years of formal education, study and hands-on experience, not hours of online research and anecdotal evidence.

As Americans, we value our personal freedoms. But at what point does ones freedom begin to infringe on those of others, especially when it comes to health? It takes incredible selfishness to tout personal freedom as being more important than the highest good of the community. Shouldnt the basic right to live come first?

Cooperating with a public mask mandate includes minor inconvenience, discomfort and pride-swallowing. I suppose theres also reconciling fears that this is just the beginning of a complete government takeover. (McCarthyism, anyone?)

Meanwhile, the worst-case scenario for inaction entails serious illness and death, as the Republican members of the Salt Lake County Council opted for in their decision to allow others freedom instead of optimizing safety for children like my 8-year-old son.

Lets take a quick look at American citizens past response to adversity. World War I saw voluntary rationing of food items that created a surplus to send to soldiers and starving Europeans. During World War II, our nation again banded together against a common enemy. 20 million victory gardens emerged, producing 40% of vegetables consumed. Rations were a part of everyday life. Women left their households, filling gaps in the workforce. Americans bought $185 billion in war bonds, averaging $2,000 per person in a time when the average income was $2,000 a year.

Today, many cant be inconvenienced enough to simply wear a mask in public places, protecting both themselves and others.

At polios peak in 1952, the virus killed over 3,000 children, infecting and paralyzing thousands more. Historys largest human medical trial was conducted by Jonas Salk, involving nearly 2 million children volunteered by their parents, resulting in the 1955 vaccine. (For reference, Pfizer and Moderna have 4,600 and 6,700 children enrolled in their vaccine studies, respectively.) In less than a year, vaccines were administered to 30 million children and cases were virtually halved.

Today, eight months into the vaccines availability, less than 60% of eligible Utahns are fully vaccinated and cases are again rising, in some places reaching previous peak numbers.

Its hard to ignore the results created when Americans were truly united. Where is that true patriotism now? Where are the proclamations of United We Stand, rather than USA chants in response to tantrums rewarded by the overturning of a mask mandate meant to protect children? Where is the true exemplification of Love thy Neighbor? Where is the display of real courage, not immature, oppositional behavior?

Every single one of us wants a return to normal life, and the solution is right in front of us. If you dont take the necessary precautions, you are responsible for the continued difficulties we all face, and whats more, your actions are essentially telling others that you just dont care if they get sick, live or die. I find it difficult to be kind and respectful to decisions that constitute the worst possible insult; this behavior doesnt deserve tolerance. You should be ashamed of your lack of compassion and disregard for life.

Benjamin Franklin, against his own inclinations, appeased his wifes fears and held off on having his 4-year-old son inoculated against smallpox, resulting in his sons death and the subsequent deterioration of his marriage.

In his autobiography, Franklin describes how he long regretted bitterly this mistake, stating: This I mention for the Sake of Parents, who omit that Operation on the Supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a Child died under it; my Example showing that the Regret may be the same either way, and that therefore the safer should be chosen.

Jen Solomon, Salt Lake City, is the mother of an 8-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl and has been a nurse at the University Hospital for 20 years, most of those in the intensive care unit.

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Jen Solomon: When personal freedom infringes on the health of others - Salt Lake Tribune

People arriving from Afghanistan make their way through the Friendship Gate crossing point at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border town of Chaman, Pakistan, Aug. 19, 2021. (CNS photo/Saeed Ali Achakzai, Reuters)

by Ins San Martn

ROME There are an estimated 200 Catholics in Afghanistan a tiny minority within the minority of around 7,000 Christians and days after the Taliban took control of the country following the withdrawal of U.S. troops, a papal charity is sounding the alarm over their situation.

Aid to the Church in Need said it sees a black future for religious freedom in Afghanistan.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban, declared on Twitter that its now officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Thomas Heine-Geldern, executive president of the pontifical foundation, expressed profound concerns about the seizure of power in the Central Asian nation.

During the rule of the previous Emirate of Afghanistan, the Taliban imposed a strict version of Sharia law nationwide, he said. We can expect that Sunni Islam will be the official religion, Sharia law will be reimposed, and hard-won freedoms for human rights, including a relative measure of religious freedom, over the last 20 years will be revoked.The Taliban ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001.

This concern is shared by the Vatican, which on Wednesday ran a cover story in its newspaper asking about the future of women in Afghanistan.

Regardless of the reassurances of the insurgents, for the Afghan women this seems like the beginning of a new nightmare, says the cover story of LOsservatore Romano from Aug. 18. When they led Afghanistan during the second half of the 1990s, the Taliban led the country to total darkness: Women were in fact, canceled from society. And with the return of the Taliban, theres a concrete risk that the most extremist version of Sharia, the quranic law, returns too.

In its statement, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) highlights that it had predicted the deterioration of the situation in its recent Religious Freedom Report, published in April 2021. Afghanistan has always been among the countries that most violates religious liberty, as documented both by ACN and the U.S. State Departments Religious Freedom Report.

Even before the Taliban took over on Sunday, the Afghani constitution established Islam as the state religion. According to the 2020 U.S. Religious Freedom Report, conversion from Islam to another religion is considered apostasy, punishable by death, imprisonment, or confiscation of property.

Although there are no explicit restrictions on the ability of religious minorities to establish places of worship or train their clergy, in reality, options for them are limited, notes the 2021 report from ACN. Some foreign embassies provide places of worship for non-Afghans. The US-led military coalition has facilities where non-Muslim worship can take place.

Theres only one Catholic church in the country, and its technically on foreign soil, as its located within the Italian embassy.

Christianity is seen as a western religion and alien to Afghanistan, the ACN report notes, adding that the military presence by international forces has added to the general mistrust towards Christians, a situation that forces Afghan Christians to worship alone or in small groups in private homes.

Despite a constitutional provision guaranteeing religious tolerance, those who are openly Christian, or convert from Islam to Christianity, remain vulnerable.

The situation has grown steadily worse for the 0.01% of the Afghan people who are not Muslim in addition to Christians, there are small groups of Hindus and Sikhs, as well as one Jew, who recently promised to remain in Afghanistan to protect the one synagogue.

Our analysis, unfortunately, does not leave much room for hope, says the statement released by ACN on Thursday. All those who do not espouse the extreme Islamist views of the Taliban are at risk, even moderate Sunni. The Shia (10%), the small Christian community, and all other religious minorities, already under threat, will suffer even greater oppression. This is a huge setback for all human rights and especially for religious freedom in the country.

The foundation also expressed regrets over the fact that a number of countries have already declared their sympathies for the new Emirate, which will not only legitimize the Taliban but also embolden authoritarian regimes all over the world, particularly in the region, spurring increasing violation of religious freedom in their own countries.International recognition of the Taliban will also act as a magnet for smaller radical Islamic groups, creating a new constellation of religious terrorist factions that could supplant historic formations such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, ACN warns. Among others, areas of concern include Pakistan, Palestine, and the province of Idlib in Syria. The situation for Christians and other religious minority communities already suffering oppression will further deteriorate.

The fact that most Western embassies are closing, and international observers are leaving, as they did in Syria in 2011, is not a good omen, the papal foundation added.

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Papal Foundation Warns of 'Bleak Future' for Religious Freedom in Afghanistan - The Tablet Catholic Newspaper

Freedom is so close now I can almost taste it. I'm on my third run of Road 96, and this time I find myself breaking into the back of a truck right at the border. As a teenager who's trying to flee the fictional dystopian setting of Petria, which is ruled by an oppressive and authoritarian leader, I'm trying to break free and start a new life. I feel very on edge in this truck, surrounded by boxes that hide my presence. This is a particularly precarious situation, since I have to get through checkpoints and hope I'm not caught in the process. I've gotten so far, and I'm so close to succeeding. I can't fail now. A guard brings the truck to a halt and declares they're using a movement sensor to make sure nothing fishy is going on. I catch myself freezing in place in my seat, trying my best not move my PC mouse a single inch. Once the guard is satisfied, I feel a little bit of tension subside, but I'm still not in the clear just yet.

This is just one of the many examples of how your road trip might unfold in developer Digixart's procedural experience set in 1996. With a branching narrative that plays out across your travels on the road, there are so many different chance encounters, routes, and scenarios you can come across as you try to make your way to the border, and you never know what might happen next. Each run of Road 96 sees you play as a different missing teen who's trying to make a break for it, and as every road trip comes to close, I'm all too eager to dive right back and see what awaits me next. Immersive and engaging with plenty of surprises in store, Road 96 effectively plays on the sense of discovery and possibility that comes with taking to the open roads in its own distinctive way.

Each road trip is made up of a series of pit stops you make as you travel to try and reach the border. You'll be presented with all manner of choices, such as how you choose to interact with a character, what actions you take, or what mode of transport you decide on to put more miles behind you. Your teen has an energy meter you need to be mindful of, since you don't want it running out entirely. The meter can go up or down depending on how you travel and if you can find yourself some food or drink, and there are also opportunities to get your hands on money that could potentially help you in a tight spot. Everything you choose to do can have an impact on your journey in unexpected ways, and may even bring your road trip to halt entirely. This element of unpredictability makes the experience of playing Road 96 all the more enjoyable since each run feels fresh and exciting.

There's an undeniable appeal about the prospect of hitting the open roads and meeting new people along the way. But in Road 96, you're taking a great risk by traveling to the border. In Petria, lots of teens are going missing, and tensions are rising in the government, which is currently under the rule of authoritarian president Tyrak. With more people trying to rebel, you learn about a group of protestors known as the Black Brigades, as well as Tyrak's opponent in the polls, Florres. Since the journey you're on can put you into dangerous situations, there are plenty of moments on the road where I feel tense, be it because of the atmosphere of the surroundings I find myself in, the company I'm keeping, or a particular scenario I'm presented with.

You will also come across quieter scenes where you can get to know a new found acquaintance a little more, or even play a mini-game. During my travels the second time around, I end up playing a game not unlike Connect Four in the backseat of a van with another runaway teen by the name of Zoe, who is one of Road 96's central characters. I've met her before on a previous run, and she even mentions meeting them, which makes it really feel like my past experiences with Road 96 have had an impact on the world. When I do successfully reach the border, I can also see graffitti I painted on a cave wall the previous time, which again reinforces the idea that every teenager I play and every road trip I go on makes a mark on Petria.

I've really enjoyed my time on the road so far, and Digixart does well to deliver an ever-evolving experience that feels different each time. I'm still all too eager to venture out and try and reach the border again to see what else is in store for me. With its own distinctive look and feel, the excellent '90's aesthetic is accompanied by some killer mixtape tracks (which are collectibles), and the characters of Petria truly bring the world to life. If you're looking for an exciting adventure with a bit of difference that's easy to dip in and out of, you can't go wrong with Road 96.

Road 96 is out now on PC and Nintendo Switch.

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Have you tried hitting the road to freedom as a teenager in Road 96? - Gamesradar

For much of the last year Kacey Wong was waking up in Hong Kong and checking social media to see if friends had been arrested overnight. On a good morning Wong might see a photo of an oval plane window looking out over clouds or a foreign airport, a pictorial sign they had fled to safety.

On one of the worst mornings it was the arrest of 53 campaigners, politicians and activists, many of them Wongs friends, for having the gall to hold a pre-election poll.

That was January. Then in March a pro-Beijing newspaper, Ta Kung Pao, published a highly critical list of artists and organisations linked to the Arts Development Council which the paper said was using government money against the government by funding what it deemed to be anti-government entities and potential violators of the national security law, introduced in June 2020.

Wong, a 51-year-old Hong Kong political and performance artist, was marked for a Ted Talk given in 2019: so much for the national security law being non-retrospective. He decided to leave for Taiwan.

The arrest of the legislators was a clear indication for me, telling me that law and order in Hong Kong has collapsed, he says. That was a big alarm bell.

Its not about what you do after the establishment of the national security law, but how the national security law becomes this weapon of cultural mass destruction, in the now, the past, and the future, he tells the Guardian from his new home city of Taichung.

Its like the state newspaper is dictating a hitlist, and the national security bureau will just follow that, to create fear and intimidation against anyone or any organisation.

Wong was a common sight at Hong Kongs protests during the Umbrella movement and 2019s pro-democracy rallies. Since then the crackdown on the movement has seen thousands arrested, including more than 130 under the national security law. It has targeted newspapers and journalists, legal groups, civil society, unions, illustrators, and individuals over any sign of dissent.

Wong is just a couple of weeks out of Taiwans strict hotel quarantine. The enforced isolation in a guarded albeit comfortable and catered room for 15 days felt like one final test before gaining freedom. He announced his exile with a Leonard Cohen-inspired music video, singing Vera Lynns Well Meet Again to his home town.

We are sitting under the large trees ringing Taichungs modern art museum, dragonflies darting through the heavy humid air in this CBD oasis. Wong is quietly spoken but airs strong opinions peppered with military metaphors (he is a war games enthusiast). Taiwan is the green zone to Hong Kongs red; those in exile have not lost the war but are retreating to another place to continue to fight.

Tens of thousands have left Hong Kong. Many like Wong rushed to beat the 1 August implementation of Hong Kongs version of exit bans. Data released last week revealed the sharpest population decline in six decades, a net lost of 89,000 people or 1.2% of the population. Analysts say Covid is a factor, but so too is Hong Kongs decline under Beijings growing intervention. In 2020 Taiwan issued almost twice as many residence permits to Hongkongers than the previous year a complicated and sometimes problematic process amid Covid restrictions and no asylum pathway.

Wong had told almost no one he was leaving, but since the Ta Kung Pao article and the recent airport arrests of Apple Daily journalists he assumed authorities were watching.

But you never know if youre on the list or not unless you go test it by charging through the border, which brings two possible consequences, he says.

I went to the airport with a really gloomy emotion, because I knew I was either going to say farewell to Hong Kong for the last time, or that I might be going to jail for the first time.

At the immigration e-gate his thumbprint wouldnt scan, and an automated message told him to call over an officer for assistance. Hed already noticed the officers that day were bigger and burlier and more dressed for action than usual. Furiously he pressed and pressed his thumb until eventually it worked and he walked through to the boarding gate, with relief. But then he laughs, recalling the discovery of other passengers in the waiting area.

I have been to so many rallies I can spot who is undercover police, he says. Its a four-man team: one middle-aged officer leading three younger two guys and a girl. Theyre all in sneakers and T-shirts with no carry-on luggage, and they have their bags across the chest so both their hands are loose to do whatever they want to do.

When it was time to board they came out and lined up like [they were defending] a penalty goal at a football match, they were staring at everybody presenting their passport and boarding pass.

Wong felt no calmer at take-off, or even landing in Taipei and checking into the quarantine hotel, where he feared a knock on the door for 15 days. He quickly moved to Taichung, a coastal city midway down the west coast, grungey, industrial and artistic. Once settled he plans to restart his work, telling the story of Hong Kong and preserving its culture.

Wong could have gone back to the UK, where he spent two years and where more than 7,000 other Hongkongers have resettled just this year, but chose Taiwan because he says he can blend in here. He doesnt have to prove his identity to people, or be a walking fluorescent light all the time, and he has full artistic freedom.

Most of Wongs work is sculptural or performance art, often with a military theme and focusing on the erosion of human rights and freedoms. But he says he wasnt really politicised until the 2011 arrest of Ai Wei Wei by Chinese authorities.

As we sit Wong often gazes over at the art museum free of political intervention, or to the streets where he says he still forgets he doesnt need to look over his shoulder. Hes about to go buy a secondhand motorbike, another layer of freedom. Soon hell find his new studio.

One question I got often in Hong Kong is: do you think theres a responsibility for artists to speak out for political freedoms and democracy? Before I used to answer: no, theres no responsibility, its a personal choice isnt it? he says.

But for those who decided to leave Hong Kong like me, I think theres a responsibility for those who can advocate for those who cannot speak out.

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Law and order collapsed: Hong Kong artist Kacey Wong on finding freedom in Taiwan - The Guardian

(Photo by Sergio Espaa)

On July 19th, civil rights leaders, religious officials, activists, and elected officials embarked on a Freedom Ride which took them from Annapolis to Ocean City. This summers Freedom Ride was intended to call back to the 1960s Freedom Rides, which pointed out racial inequities and opposed white supremacy. The purpose of the 2021 Freedom Ride was to point out racism on Marylands Eastern Shore both from the past and present.

As many of us know all too well, racism is not just a thing of the past. It still has its claws sunken into our society. In order to abolish it, we must not only be aware of it, but also challenge it.

So in mid-July, thanks to the leadership of local Civil Rights leaders such as Carl Snowden, Dr. Kirkland Hall, and the Caucus of African American Leaders, a little over 100 Marylanders went on a Freedom Ride that left from Annapolis. One of our ACLU of Marylanders, Sergio Espaa, our Director of Engagement and Mobilization, decided to join this journey.

The first stop was Easton, the location of the last standing Confederate statue in the state. Many activists in Talbot County have been working tirelessly to get local officials to move the monument and end this public honoring of a shameful symbol of white supremacy. What is even more degrading is that a statue of Frederick Douglass is situated in the same courthouse green as the Confederate statue.

(Photo by Sergio Espaa)

How can we have a statue of Frederick Douglass, a national hero who advocated for equal rights and the freedom of Black people, standing close to a Confederate statue of traitors who actively fought for Douglass and other Black peoples continued enslavement?

It is wrong, racist, and demeaning to pretend they are on equal footing.

This final vestige of the traitorous confederacy has got to go, said Dana Vickers Shelley, Executive Director of the ACLU of Maryland. At long last, Maryland is finally moving away from symbols like this, including discarding the Maryland State song, an outdated homage to white supremacy. Like most Confederate monuments, it was built 50 years after the Civil War, during the height of the Jim Crow era when such symbols were erected to put fear into formerly enslaved people, and now it is beyond time for this racist symbol of violence and oppression to be removed.

(Photo by Amber Taylor)

Whats even worse is that the Confederate statue is outside a courthouse a place where everyone is supposed to be able to expect justice. How can Black people realistically expect justice in a courthouse that prominently and proudly displays a symbol of white supremacy and slavery?

Sergio Espaa said: There is no logical explanation for keeping this statue. It is not about preserving history. This portion of our history can be, and is, reflected through ongoing books, research, and academic study. Erecting a monument meant to acknowledge the maintaining of white supremacy is exactly what it sounds like. Monuments are celebrations. We look up to them. We shouldnt be looking up to white supremacists. It is racist and we will not tolerate it.

Talbot County activists are hoping to get rid of the statue soon. A lawsuit brought forth by the NAACP of Talbot County, attorney Kisha Petticolas, and community activist Richard M. Potter, with legal support from the the Washington, D.C. law firm Crowell & Moring LLP and the ACLU of Maryland, is demanding that the statue be brought down. These individuals and organizations are advocating for change and the removal of symbols that honor white supremacy.

The next stop on the Freedom Ride was Cambridge, where there is an IGSA agreement in effect. These agreements are contracts between the federal government and local governments that allow ICE to use beds from local jails to detain people in order to deport them. Cambridge is in Dorchester County, where we once again see a sharp contrast between the IGSA agreement and a memorial garden dedicated to Harriet Tubman. Tubman was another national hero, born in Cambridge, Maryland who helped many Black people experience freedom and escape slavery through the underground railroad that she played a key role in creating.

A city official from Cambridge and young people from the NAACPs Glen Burnie Chapter came and spoke during the Cambridge stop. They made calls highlighting the importance of young Marylanders picking up the torch for civil rights. The movement for racial justice that so many Black Marylanders like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass started, continues and is being passed down to our younger generation.

Our faith in equity and justice continues to grow as we watch the torch being passed.

(Photo by Sergio Espaa)

After this stop, the group went to Salisbury to visit a new lynching memorial, commemorated just this year. There have been at least three confirmed lynchings that have taken place at the site of the lynching memorial in the early 20th century. In one of those cases, a man was actually taken from a hospital by a white mob to be lynched.

Race equity has continued to play a key role in the ACLU of Marylands work for 90 years. The ACLU of Marylands first case was actually one where we tried to help a man who was threatened to be lynched by a white mob. In 1931, Orphan Jones aka Euel Lee was racially mistreated and beaten before he was questioned, brutalized, charged with murder, and denied counsel. We were able to provide Euel Lee with some measure of justice, but that wasnt enough. Since then, we continued our race equity work.

(Photo by Sergio Espaa)

White Marylanders from our past wrongly participated in and witnessed so many cases of unjustified violence against Black people needless killings and physical abuses that happened with no accountability. This is one of the reasons the Freedom Riders are pushing for reforms, so that race does not have to play a dominant factor in our justice system in the future.

At the Salisbury stop, city officials including Mayor Jacob Day could be heard recounting real life stories about their own experiences with racism in our justice system. In Berlin, Maryland, we heard from local elected officials including Councilman Todd Nock of Pocomoke City and Councilwoman Shaneka Nichols saying that they have been pulled over by police and unfairly treated. They questioned why police do not give a Black person the same treatment as a white person. These Lower Shore officials had much to say about how the climate of racism continues, and is not just a legacy of the past. But if we are willing to recognize it and take action, we can overcome white supremacy.

(Photo by Sergio Espaa)

The final stop was Ocean City, where recently there have been several incidents of young Black people being over policed and abused over minor issues. The Freedom Riders took the march up to the boardwalk, so their message could be heard by everyone.

Sergio said: All in all, it was an amazing experience. A hundred of us were marching while more and more folks on the boardwalk joined in. We were all there to support a better future for Black people in Maryland. We wanted to make sure that everyone knows that Black lives do matter.

(Photo by Sergio Espaa)

During legal segregation times, Black people were not allowed on the beach in Ocean City. It was both powerful and symbolic for the march to occur there. If we can learn anything from this Freedom Ride, it is that our past is riddled with the legacy of white supremacy. It is in the ground we walk on, the stories we pass down, and the monuments around us. We must come face to face with our racist legacy in order to tear it down and build something better, more equitable from its ashes.

Together, we can advocate and create a better Maryland for all Black people, for all Marylanders. #FreedomRide #BlackLivesMatter

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2021 Freedom Ride: What Can the Past Teach Us? - aclu-md.org

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Rep. Ross Berry: Why I voted for education freedom - The Union Leader

Australias freedom of information system is broken and the government is potentially unlawfully blocking the release of documents to the public, a new report has found.

Experts have long warned of the degradation of Australias FoI system, fuelled by increased delays and complaints, the use of heavy redactions and a higher refusal rate from government agencies.

On Thursday the Grata Fund, an organisation supporting public interest litigation, released the results of a two-year review.

The organisation found that despite its importance, Australias FOI system is broken and has written directly to the attorney general, Michaelia Cash, to warn that the overuse of exemptions to block the release of information is often unlawful.

The report identifies four areas where the handling of FoI requests would most likely be found unlawful, and contemplates using strategic litigation to test a series of issues before the federal court or administrative appeals tribunal.

They include the inappropriate use of cabinet confidentiality to block requests, and the unreasonable refusal of FoIs seeking text, Whatsapp, Signal or other electronic messages.

The common practice of ruling that documents in a ministers office cease to exist when they switch roles is also likely unlawful, the report says. Overused, broad exemptions from FoI should also be tested by the courts, including exemptions that withhold records that disclose personal information, law enforcement, commercial information, certain operations of agencies or deliberative processes.

Clarification of these provisions of the FOI Act, through the AAT or Federal Court, would create enforceable obligations on government bodies to apply the exemptions consistently with the Courts or Tribunals rulings, the report says.

Such test cases would follow the success of the independent senator Rex Patricks AAT challenge against the use of cabinet confidentiality to block FoI requests for national cabinet records.

The report also warns that the lack of resourcing for the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner is also contributing to the significant delays in that agency reviewing government FoI decisions.

Lou Dargan, Grata Funds head of strategic litigation, said delays reduced the worth of information and discouraged applicants from continuing to pursue requests.

Weve been hearing from partner organisations who use the FoI system all the time that it can take up to two years for an officer to be appointed to even look at your case, she told Guardian Australia.

Its really hard to see all of these efforts by various government agencies at various times, and ministers offices, to delay the release of information as anything other than gaming the system.

The report said government bodies only granted 26% of FoIs for non-personal information in full in 2019-20. A further 34% were granted in part and 41% were refused.

About 10% of FoIs were decided more than 90 days late, a five-fold increase from the previous year. Delays have worsened each year for three years, and 79% of requests were processed within the 30-day statutory time period in 2019-20, down from 85% in 2017-18.

As part of its research, the Grata Fund submitted FoIs to various government agencies for non-contentious documents about FoI handling practices.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

None of the requests were finalised within the 30-day statutory time limit. The home affairs department, which receives a huge number of FoI requests, did not even acknowledge receipt of the request within 30 days.

Delays in processing FOIs undermine the efficacy of the system, the report said. If government decision-making is to be scrutinised and decision-makers are to be held accountable, information must be provided quickly.

The report identifies a overarching cultural problem that actively resists disclosure.

The approach is inconsistent with its obligations under the FoI Act, the Grata Fund says.

Originally posted here:

Coalition unlawfully blocking freedom of information requests - The Guardian Australia

It was in the dusty depths of Birmingham record library in 2000 that Shabaka Hutchings first discovered the wonders of 70s British jazz. I was 16 and Id just moved back to England from Barbados, explains the Sons of Kemet saxophonist. The first record I played was John Surman and Stu Martin Live at Woodstock Town Hall, which starts off with this really gnarly synthesiser and sax. I remember thinking: this is pretty crazy. I know this sounds like a cliche but without it being punk music they were playing with this almost punk attitude.

The scene Hutchings is talking about was a brief golden window, from 1965 to 1975, when London record labels and recording studios opened their doors to British jazz stars creating a unique sound that combined the US influences of Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and Gil Evans with the London blues, folk and rock scenes plus West Indian and African rhythms. Its a progressive and thrilling sound rawness, freedom, experimentation, Hutchings says that is now being documented in depth under the umbrella title British Jazz Explosion, with a scene-spanning compilation alongside a series of remastered original LPs.

For the man behind the project, DJ, music historian and film-maker Tony Higgins, it is the culmination of 20 years of work that began with a short-lived series of British jazz compilations and reissues entitled Impressed, compiled with DJ and broadcaster Gilles Peterson.

Gilles and I were both into the same records by people like Michael Garrick, Don Rendell, Neil Ardley, explains Higgins, Records that captured British jazz at its most innovative, dynamic and experimental. The compilation led to BBC documentary, Jazz Britannia, and a 2005 concert at the Barbican featuring such venerable British jazz names as Stan Tracey, Garrick, Surman and Mike Westbrook. Then nothing.

Universal should have seized that moment but they didnt, says Higgins. The moment flagged, management at Universal changed, and the idea just withered on the vine. Higgins would occasionally fire off an email to Universal to see if the idea was worth reviving. But in the end, he says, I had to let it go for my mental health.

Then, in 2019, Universal got back in touch. There was a booming British jazz scene again, fronted by the likes of Hutchings, Nubya Garcia and Moses Boyd, and these old records were being name-checked. Recordings by people like Garrick, Westbrook and Surman are what really inspired me, Hutchings says. The first time I heard John Surmans red LP from 1969: that record is calypso, modal, Afro-Cuban. These people were making beautiful, far-out music.

That wasnt strange to me, explains the 76-year-old saxophonist , who had grown up in Plymouth and moved to London in 1962. I was still basically a schoolboy. I was learning from musicians like Mike Osborne and Alan Skidmore, Caribbean players like Joe Harriott and Harry Beckett, but also the South African musicians who came over here like Dudu Pukwana and Louis Moholo.

That is the beautiful thing about this music being out here again, says Hutchings. All these musicians were united in a common language at a time when when it seemed like there was actually no hope of finding unification; trying to bring society together as opposed to pull apart.

Surman agrees: In 1966, 1968 this was a time of liberation. We were all involved in anti-apartheid marches, CND marches, embracing different cultures. It all fed into the music and brought a freedom to it. Just living in Ladbroke Grove surrounded by West Indians and their music, it all went into the mix along with the English folk songs Id learned at the school piano. Put that on top of the blues that Id learned from playing with Alexis Korner and you have something very interesting.

Korner, who died from lung cancer in 1984, aged 55, is now a relatively forgotten figure but his group Blues Incorporated, the first amplified R&B band in Britain, was a training ground for everyone from Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts to folk musicians such as Davey Graham and Danny Thompson, as well as the burgeoning British jazzers.

That was our university, says tenor saxophonist Skidmore, 79. Learning to play and understand the blues was probably the most important thing you could do to become a jazz musician.

Skidmore, who married in 1965, was a working jazzer with a family to support, paying the mortgage with daytime gigs for the BBC Radio Big Band and an evening shift playing dance music at the nightclub Talk of the Town. Asked how he managed to fit jazz into all that, he mentions the importance of the Old Place, where I got to realise my dream of being a jazz musician.

Previously the original Ronnie Scotts jazz club on Sohos Gerrard Street, the Old Place became a place to meet, jam, perform, rehearse and share ideas. That was the birth of this new wave, says Tony Higgins. American jazzers like Sonny Rollins would jam there along with South African migrs like Chris McGregor and the Blue Notes. Thered be this collaborative creative energy feeding into the music.

By the mid-60s, many of the London clubs were becoming rock and R&B venues, edging out the jazz scene. But where one outlet died, another grew. In the wake of albums such as the Beatles Revolver, Pink Floyds The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and the Moody Blues Days of Future Passed, record labels began looking for more progressive sounds. Nurturing producers like Denis Preston at Lansdowne Studios and Peter Eden at Decca were there to facilitate, satisfying the demand for forward-thinking modern jazz by the likes of the Don Rendell & Ian Carr Quintet, the Mike Taylor Trio and, a few years later, Skidmores own Quintet.

But before that, we had to go to Europe and make jazz more respectable, says Skidmore with a dry laugh.

In 1968 the BBC had sent the Mike Westbrook Sextet to represent the UK at the Montreux Jazz festival. It had been a huge success. A year later they asked Skidmore to represent them at Montreux. And we won loads of prizes as well! he says. When we returned home this journalist called Steve Race wrote an article asking: Why do British jazz musicians have to go abroad to be recognised? From that period on people suddenly wanted to record British jazz. Thats when I became a professional jazz musician.

The Alan Skidmore Quintets spiralling, lyrical, abstract 1970 LP, Once Upon a Time, came out on Deram a Decca offshoot label that quickly became a home for other British jazz musicians and bandleaders such as Mike Westbrook and Mike Gibbs. Suddenly it was hip for major labels to have a boutique subsidiary releasing progressive jazz. RCA launched Neon, EMI had Harvest and Philips had Vertigo, the home of jazz trumpeter Ian Carrs prog-jazz-fusion collective Nucleus. But despite Steve Races words, and the late-60s efforts of jazz organisations to get the genre recognised as a government-subsidised art, British jazz musicians were still struggling to make a living on the live circuit.

That tight-knit time of cross-pollination of jazz and rock was a very narrow period, says John Surman. Just as quickly jazz lost its popularity. The clubs were no longer run by aficionados or musicians they were run by people looking to make a profit from the latest thing. In 1969, me, Mike Osborne, Harry Miller and Alan Jackson had a gig in Coventry and got paid four pounds and ten shillings. A pound each and ten shillings for the petrol. I think that tells your story.

Beaten down by lack of recognition in their own country, musicians such as Surman and Skidmore established themselves in Europe, where subsidised jazz gigs were regularly broadcast on national radio. Surman made a name for himself as a composer of note for Manfred Eichers ECM label, Skidmore toured the world playing with numerous outfits and British jazz went back underground.

But there was always someone carrying the torch, says Surman. The music has always been alive and well in its underground stream, its just that sometimes, like 1970 and like now, the general public and the press decide to take notice.

Thats the thing, says Hutchings. Its not up to the artist to decide whether their music has longevity or relevance. The music will finds its place. Without those records from 50 years ago by people like Harry Beckett, Kenny Wheeler and John Surman you wouldnt have the music thats here today. You wont hear the influence directly but its there. It created where we are now.

Journeys In Modern Jazz: Britain is available now on double CD and double vinyl. The British Jazz Explosion vinyl reissue series starts with The Don Rendell Quintets Spacewalk (out now), Ken Wheeler & The John Dankworth Orchestras Windmill Tilter (out now) and Le Dejeuner Sur LHerbe by The New Jazz Orchestra (released 10 September), all on Decca.

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Rawness, freedom, experimentation: the Brit jazz boom of the 60s and 70s - The Guardian