Monthly Archives: February 2022

I'm not really a protester, but I support the right to protest. I just tend not to show up at those events. I'm glad others do. I don't like crowds. I supported the protests of small business owners during COVID-19. I supported the George Floyd protests.

I do not support the violence, looting and rioting within protests. I condemned the violence at former President Donald Trump's inauguration. I condemned the violence during the George Floyd protests.

Too many people deploy situational ethics. When rioters stormed the Wisconsin State Capitol to stop the legislature in 2011, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended the people who smashed the windows and stormed the building. Now she wants the people who did the same in the U.S. Capitol to go to prison. I wanted them all in jail.

When rioters burned down various cities in America, many of the talking heads in the press defended them. Now they're assailing the truckers of Canada for impeding the flow of traffic and commerce.

I think the truckers have every right to protest, but I don't see a difference between them blocking everything and the climate alarmists super-gluing themselves to the highway in Europe to stop the flow of traffic. I support all of their rights to protest. I do not support them obstructing others. I'm not a situational ethicist.

Instead of creating traffic jams, the truckers should stop driving and protest through their unwillingness to participate in commerce. Show how needed they are. Take themselves out of the flow of commerce and watch the flow of goods cease.

That said, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party was only supported by one-third of the public in the 2021 federal election in Canada. The Conservative Party actually got more votes. But because Canada has six parties represented in Parliament, the Liberal Party was able to build a coalition to keep power.

The parties ratified Trudeau's vaccine mandate during the course of COVID-19 restrictions, and Trudeau has the emotional stability of a toddler, unable to ever admit he is wrong or change course. Canadians get the prime minister they didn't vote for. Again, only a third of Canadians voted for his party, and he remains prime minister because of a coalition that might be fraying over his heavy-handed refusal to admit COVID-19 has changed and he can, too. Now, Trudeau is threatening to take the protesters' children and even their pets. He is freezing not just their bank accounts, but those of donors who support the truckers. More than one donor has been publicly harassed and the government has done nothing to protect those people.

This all makes me proud to be an American.

It makes me proud our Founding Fathers were smart enough not to create a central government with police and health care powers that could overwhelm the states. It makes me proud of our constitutional system with checks and balances. It makes me proud we have a 10th Amendment, a First Amendment and a Second Amendment. It makes me proud we are not a multiparty coalition style parliamentary system.

The Canadian system is a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy. The people have the rights given to them by their Parliament, and their prime minister intends to take a great many away.

It would not be possible in the United States.

So much policy in the United States, from health care policy to gun control, is viewed through the lens of what other nations do. But other nations do not have the horizontal and vertical federalism of the United States based on a Constitution in which limited enumerated powers -- not including the police, health care and education powers -- are ceded to a federal government. Other nations do not have a Second Amendment that conveys an individual right to gun ownership to citizens.

The American vaccine mandate for businesses got stopped by the United States Supreme Court. There is no court in Canada that can stop the prime minister.

Thank God I am an American. Our nation is not perfect. But it sure is better than every other nation, including Canada.

Erick Erickson's column is syndicated by Creators.

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Erickson: The land of the free | Winchester Star | winchesterstar.com - The Winchester Star

Think of it like farming. Planting the seeds is like establishing a democracy. But for democracy to function you have to till and fertilize the soil, erect fences, pull up weeds, prune the early growth. The founders knew that democracy is not natural. It takes a lot of cultivation to make democracy work.

American foreign policy had a second founding after World War II. For much of our history Americans were content to prosper behind the safety of the oceans. But after having been dragged into two world wars, a generation of Americans realized the old attitude wasnt working any more and America, following the leadership of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, would have to help build a liberal world order if it was to remain secure.

The postwar generation was a bit like the founding generation. Its leaders from Truman to George F. Kennan to Reinhold Niebuhr championed democracy, but they had no illusions about the depravity of human beings. Theyd read their history and understood that stretching back thousands of years, war, authoritarianism, exploitation, great powers crushing little ones these were just the natural state of human societies.

If America was to be secure, Americans would have to plant the seeds of democracy, but also do all the work of cultivation so those seeds could flourish. Americans oversaw the creation of peaceful democracies from the ruins of military dictatorships in Germany and Japan. They funded the Marshall Plan. They helped build multinational institutions like NATO, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund. American military might stood ready to push back against the wolves who threatened the world order sometimes effectively, as in Europe, but oftentimes, as in Vietnam and Iraq, recklessly and self-destructively. America championed democracy and human rights, at least when the Communists were violating them (not so much when our dictator allies across, say, Latin America were).

Just as Americas founders understood that democracy is not natural, the postwar generation understood that peace is not natural it has to be tended and cultivated from the frailties of human passion and greed.

Over the past few generations that hopeful but sober view of human nature has faded. Whats been called the Culture of Narcissism took hold, with the view that human beings should be unshackled from restraint. You can trust yourself to be unselfish! Democracy and world peace were taken for granted. As Robert Kagan put it in his book The Jungle Grows Back: We have lived so long inside the bubble of the liberal order that we can imagine no other kind of world. We think it is natural and normal, even inevitable.

If people are naturally good, we no longer have to do the hard agricultural work of cultivating virtuous citizens or fighting against human frailty. The Western advisers I covered in Russia in the early 1990s thought a lot about privatization and market reforms and very little about how to prevent greedy monsters from stealing the whole country. They had a nave view of human nature.

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Opinion | The Dark Century: Why Is Liberalism in Decline? - The New York Times

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A former controversial president of the Canberra Liberals will spend more than three months behind bars in New Zealand, after he was sentenced for illegally dumping concrete waste and rebar into a protected harbour in an effort to extend his property while also allowing excrement to flow into the water from a pig farm. But Tio Faulkner has already filed an appeal in the country's high court challenging the conviction, claiming he is not subject to any New Zealand law as a Maori man, Open Justice has reported. Faulkner was on Thursday sentenced to three months and three weeks imprisonment. He was found guilty of six charges following an eight-day trial, where he represented himself, last November. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council laid charges in 2019 after council workers discovered the material dumped into the protected area of the harbour. Faulkner did not comply with council abatement notices, and continued to dump material into the waterway. The high court rejected an earlier bid to release Faulkner after he was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing. Faulkner had claimed the court had no jurisdiction to detain him because he was both Maori and an Australian citizen. "I am very grateful to [the judge] for giving me this experience behind bars, and I'll be thanking her for that, because it will add to my memoirs," Faulkner reportedly said during his application for freedom. Faulkner was remanded in custody after refusing to meet with a corrections officer to discuss whether he had enough money to pay a fine if he was ordered to do so. Faulkner is a former staffer in the Legislative Assembly office of then ACT opposition leader Zed Seselja. He resigned in 2012 after he was at the centre of an office entitlements scandal involving alleged breaches. An independent inquiry ultimately exonerated Mr Seselja of ''overpayments or other entitlements inappropriately extended to staff'' because of the mismanagement of staff records. Mr Seselja was accused of paying Faulkner a taxpayer-funded salary to be the director of electorate services while Faulkner in fact worked at the Liberal Party's headquarters. It was revealed Faulkner had not submitted time sheets for 22 months and his employment arrangements became the subject of the inquiry. The review, by former royal commissioner Ron McLeod, strongly criticised Mr Seselja's office for a ''serious failure'' to comply with staff attendance records, finding a lack of ''sensitivity to the level of accountability expected [in] the management of publicly funded resources''. Faulkner resigned as president of the Canberra Liberals in November 2013 after three years in the post. He went on to found Marriage Alliance, an anti-same-sex marriage lobby group active during the postal survey campaign in 2017. Stuff, the New Zealand-based news website, in November reported Faulkner was trying to expand his property into the neighbouring tidal flats in 2019, using broken concrete to build a three-metre high platform. However, an aerial survey by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council identified the structure and located a piggery with 20 pigs, whose effluent was leaking into the harbour. Faulkner reportedly provided council officers who inspected the property with handwritten trespass notices. Faulkner reportedly claimed in court the structure on the tidal flats was lawful because he had usage rights over Maori-owned land. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

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February 18 2022 - 5:30AM

A former controversial president of the Canberra Liberals will spend more than three months behind bars in New Zealand, after he was sentenced for illegally dumping concrete waste and rebar into a protected harbour in an effort to extend his property while also allowing excrement to flow into the water from a pig farm.

But Tio Faulkner has already filed an appeal in the country's high court challenging the conviction, claiming he is not subject to any New Zealand law as a Maori man, Open Justice has reported.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council laid charges in 2019 after council workers discovered the material dumped into the protected area of the harbour. Faulkner did not comply with council abatement notices, and continued to dump material into the waterway.

Tio Faulkner in Canberra in February 2012. Picture: Melissa Adams

The high court rejected an earlier bid to release Faulkner after he was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing. Faulkner had claimed the court had no jurisdiction to detain him because he was both Maori and an Australian citizen.

"I am very grateful to [the judge] for giving me this experience behind bars, and I'll be thanking her for that, because it will add to my memoirs," Faulkner reportedly said during his application for freedom.

Faulkner was remanded in custody after refusing to meet with a corrections officer to discuss whether he had enough money to pay a fine if he was ordered to do so.

An independent inquiry ultimately exonerated Mr Seselja of ''overpayments or other entitlements inappropriately extended to staff'' because of the mismanagement of staff records.

Mr Seselja was accused of paying Faulkner a taxpayer-funded salary to be the director of electorate services while Faulkner in fact worked at the Liberal Party's headquarters.

It was revealed Faulkner had not submitted time sheets for 22 months and his employment arrangements became the subject of the inquiry.

The review, by former royal commissioner Ron McLeod, strongly criticised Mr Seselja's office for a ''serious failure'' to comply with staff attendance records, finding a lack of ''sensitivity to the level of accountability expected [in] the management of publicly funded resources''.

Former Canberra Liberals president Tio Faulkner during his trial in New Zealand. Picture: Open Justice

Stuff, the New Zealand-based news website, in November reported Faulkner was trying to expand his property into the neighbouring tidal flats in 2019, using broken concrete to build a three-metre high platform.

However, an aerial survey by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council identified the structure and located a piggery with 20 pigs, whose effluent was leaking into the harbour. Faulkner reportedly provided council officers who inspected the property with handwritten trespass notices.

Faulkner reportedly claimed in court the structure on the tidal flats was lawful because he had usage rights over Maori-owned land.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

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Ex-Canberra Liberal jailed in NZ over leaking pig farm, land reclamation - The Canberra Times

According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index (PVI), Vermont is the second most Democratic state in the U.S. after Hawaii. Since 1792, Vermont has participated in every election, becoming the 14th state to join the Union in 1791. Since the birth of the Republican Party in the mid-1800s, Vermont was primarily a Republican state, but that changed in 1992.

Home to former Presidential Candidate Senator Bernie Sanders, Vermont today has several reasons to be called one of the leading liberal states in the U.S. Interestingly, Vermont has a much-loved Republican governor, Phil Scot.

The home of Ben & Jerrys ice cream and the top maple syrup producer in the U.S., Vermont has the second smallest population in the nation after Wyoming. Its capital, Montpelier, is the smallest state capital.

Liberal politics are evident in the state, contributing to its progressive reputation. Here are seven reasons why:

Vermont was almost entirely an agricultural community, but farmers struggled to farm the land, eventually turning to dairy farming. From the 1960s onwards, its population started growing, and Vermonts economy began to boom thanks to ski resorts and a growing number of families establishing summer homes in the state.

Besides being home to Ben & Jerrys, IBM is its most famous technology company, developed in Burlington on the shores of Lake Champlain in 1957.

In the meantime, the state also started attracting more liberal-minded people willing to pay the price of living in the states pristine environment that is, higher costs and taxes.

The people who have chosen to make Vermont home are also great supporters of its public policies on environmental restrictions. Vermonts ecological reputation grew with Act 250, passed in 1970 by Republican Gov. Deane Davis.

All building developments can only pass from the several commissions if they meet the strict criteria required for ski resorts, housing, etc. The state has also banned rooftop airconditioning units and billboards, preserving its quaint appeal. Vermont also passed a Clean Air Act, taxing cars with heavy fuel consumption.

Vermont is working toward achieving 100% renewable energy power. In 2014, the state decommissioned its only nuclear power plant after four decades of service. In the same year, Burlington, the states most populous city, announced that its electricity was already coming from 100% renewable sources like hydroelectric power, wind turbines, woodchips, and solar. The city also aims to become a net-zero energy locality as far as heating and transportation go by 2030. In addition, Green Mountain Power is the largest electric utility in the state; it recently committed to using only renewable power by 2030, joining the smaller utilities that have already met this commitment.

Economic success is mainly attributed to the states liberal policies, ensuring low unemployment rates. These spiked a bit during the pandemic but are now at half the national rate. In the meantime, wage growth remains low in the state, explaining its lower unemployment figures. In addition, smaller private businesses and street fairs are far more popular in the state than big-box stores, but this is slowly changing.

For years the state deviated from most Democratic states on gun rights, implementing few restrictions. However, this attitude started to change in 2018 when the bipartisan leadership enacted a package on gun control. Dr. Anthony Fauci pointed out Vermonts success in handling the various issues affecting the state during the pandemic, including mask mandates implemented early, contact tracing, regular testing, and careful reopening procedures.

Vermont ranks among the best states for LGBTQ rights. It was the first state where the legislature legalized same-sex marriages rather than the courts.

The estimated 26,000 LGBTQ community enjoys some of the most inclusive health and safety laws in the U.S., ensuring that everyone enjoys the benefits of the health care system. The state also has wide-ranging nondiscrimination regulations.

Overall, Vermonts population grew by 2.8% in the past decade between 2010 and 2020, reaching 643,000 people. Interestingly, 81.6% of the population is over 18. Vermont remains a mainly white state, as a matter of fact, the second whitest in the U.S. However, the last census showed an increase in the Hispanic population of 68.4% and 44% in the Black population. Respectively, these increases are the 3rd and 7th biggest of these population groups of any state in the country.

The senior editor of Legal Scoops, Jacob Maslow, has founded several online newspapers including Daily Forex Report and Conservative Free Press

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7 Reasons Why Vermont Is One of The Most Progressive U.S. States - Legal Scoops

Last month, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement after 27 years of service on the Court. Progressive groups had been pressuring Breyer to retire over the last few years, arguing that a more progressive voice should hold his seat. Although Breyer had previously resisted their pleas, now that his departure is official, these groups may finally get their wish. President Biden has promised to announce his nominee to replace Breyer by the end of February, with many expecting him to fulfill his campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman to the Court.

Although Bidens nominee will be a historic pick, some have regarded Breyers replacement, no matter who it is, will have little influence on the Courts functionality. Therell still be a 6-3 conservative supermajority, which ensures that the liberal voices of the court will rarely join majority opinions, especially on landmark cases. The coverage of Breyers retirement certainly conveys a lighter attitude than what was granted to President Trumps three nominees, as the ideological makeup was at stake. Now, with a conservative grip cemented on the Court for likely decades, one may conceivably presume that replacing a liberal justice with another liberal justice doesnt matter.

However, that outlook is severely flawed and misunderstands the role of dissents in the judiciary. It is certainly likely that the three liberal justices will remain in the minority, particularly on high-profile cases. Yet, their dissents are of vital importance. First, dissents offer the ability for the majority opinion to be refined. Regardless of a cases outcome, its necessary that the Courts opinion provides clear guidance on the law and address all the issues at stake. While one may disagree with the content of an opinion, everyone can appreciate the necessity of polished writing, particularly in lawmaking where semantics matter heavily.

Second, although it is unlikely, dissents can also sway the Court. The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once explained that a dissenting opinion may become the majority opinion as many as four times in a single term. While that number appears insignificant, the lesson learned is that dissents have the potential to become the Courts official opinion.

Third, as Justice Ginsburg described them, dissents are appealing to the intelligence of a future day. Although a dissent may not reflect the law of the land today, it lays the groundwork for future legal opinions when current rulings are potentially overturned. At times when the judiciary formally recognizes its mistakes, a dissent provides the framework and reasoning to rectify that injustice. In this sense, dissents strengthen the Court and the legitimacy of the law in our nation. The late Justice Antonio Scalia was correct to assert that dissents augment rather than diminish the prestige of the Court.

Even if Bidens nominee remains in the minority (absent the possibility of a liberal majority in the future), their contributions to the Court through dissents offer a powerful toolset for current and future judicial rulings. Despite this, some may ignore my praise for dissents and reiterate the liberal minoritys lack of influence on current cases. In this view, as long as liberal voices are in the minority, their dissents dont matter. While the argument does have merit, it still doesnt deny the significance of Breyers departure and the burden it leaves for his successor.

To understand the ramifications of Breyers retirement, one must understand the judicial context of his tenure. Breyer stems from a time of judicial moderation and compromise where the Court wasnt overtly political. He served alongside the likes of Sandra Day OConnor, Anthony Kennedy and David Souter, conservative justices who, despite their politics, cooperated with liberal justices like Breyer to reach compromises on rulings.

Moreover, like other justices from the time of his appointment, his confirmation process lacked the partisan bickering and politicking we see today. When he was confirmed in 1994, he received 87 votes in the Senate, an overwhelming majority we havent seen in recent Supreme Court justices.

Breyer represents a time where the judiciary lacked the clear partisanship we see today on the Supreme Court. At the time of his confirmation, the Republican Party wasnt engaging in hypocrisy on whether the president can nominate justices in an election year, which Ive written on before. Throughout his career, Breyer built consensus with conservative justices to produce rulings that generally satisfied liberals and conservatives. As the Court becomes more politicized and partisan, Breyers departure potentially signals the end of compromise and cooperation above political ideology on the Court. While it reflects the increasingly polarized nature of our nations politics, it also threatens the preservation of our rights and liberties.

I use the word potentially to convey that this prediction is not firm. Breyers successor, no matter who it is, will play a pivotal role in determining the future of the Courts demeanor and relationships between justices. The future Supreme Court justice has an opportunity to follow in Breyers footsteps as a mediator and consensus builder, a firebrand that champions liberal causes or something else entirely. Only time will tell.

Blake Ziegler is a junior at Notre Dame from New Orleans, Louisiana, with double majors in political science and philosophy. He enjoys writing about politics, Judaism and the occasional philosophical rant. For inquiries, he can be reached at [emailprotected] or followed at @NewsWithZig on Twitter if you want to see more of his opinions.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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Partisanship on the Supreme Court in a post-Breyer era - Observer Online

Of all the religions of the world, Hinduism is perhaps the most liberal and accommodating. It is one of the richest philosophies, embodying rich culture and codes of behaviour.

One fundamental characteristic of Hinduism is its spirit of toleration. True Hinduism teaches that one has to respect other faiths: a true Hindu can go to the extent of allowing others the right to be wrong, Shashi Tharoor writes in Why I am a Hindu. This quality of mutual acceptance of differences begets tolerance, which is the hallmark of true Hinduism.

Hinduism does not claim that it is the only way of salvation. A true Hindu believes that he follows a true path and at the same time he also understands that others also follow their own paths.

Commenting on the universalism of Hinduism, in his speech at Chicagos Parliament of World Religions on September 11, 1893, Swami Vivekananda solemnly affirms, I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true.

This clearly shows that a true Hindu does not claim a monopoly of truth. He firmly believes in interfaith coexistence with a spirit of live and let live. Given the broad meaning of Hinduism and its universalism, let us now focus on Hindutva ideology.

Hindutva does not simply mean Hindu-ness. It is beyond that. It has nothing to do with spiritualism but everything to do with political economy. Its ideology is neither Hindu nor India. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar borrowed and imported the concept from the West, particularly from Hitlers Nazsm and Mussolinis fascism. These two together provided the foundational root of Hindutva ideology.

Savarkar and M.S. Golwalkar rejected the multi-ethnic structure of Indias unity. According to them, a Hindu was one who considers India to be his motherland (matrbhumi), the land of his ancestors (pitrbhumi) and his holy land (punyabhumi).

Also read: The Truth of the Ill-Defined Hindu Rashtra, as Narrated by Golwalkar

Christophe Jaffrelot says, Savarkar and Golwalkar crystallised the identity of Hindutva while borrowing most of their political concepts from the West. They indeed internalised the western mainly German notion of ethnic nationalism as a means of strengthening Hindus against their enemies.

The two think tanks of Hindutva ideology thus lay down three essentials of Hindutva, namely, a common nation (Hindu Rashtra), a common race (jati) and a common civilisation (sanskriti). In Savarkars vision of Hindu Rashtra (Hindu nation) there is only one culture that is a Hindu culture: there is only one language, that is Hindi and there is only one religion, that is Hinduism.

Savarkar and Golwalkar flatly rejected the territorial or civic nationalism which includes all peoples born in India. They accepted only the cultural nationalism of a Hindu culture. According to them, political salvation does not lie in Indian democracy, but in embracing Hindu dharmacracy. The longterm objective of Hindutva is therefore to declare India as Hindu Rashtra.

The Dharma Sansad at Haridwar. Photo: Video screengrab

Under the Hindu Rashtra as envisioned by Savarkar and Golwalkar, Muslims and Christians will automatically have no locus standi in their land of birth. Hindutva is thus seen as an ideology seeking to establish the hegemony of Hindus, Hindu values and the Hindu way of life in all aspects of Indian life.

According to Hindutvavadis, Muslims and Christians are not bonafide Indians because they are not Hindus even though they are born and brought up in India. They argued that Islamism and Christianity were born outside India. Islamists put their faith in Prophet Mohammed and their holy place is Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Similarly Christianity is also originated in Palestine and their holy place is in Palestine. Given the choice between their motherland, India, and their holy land, Savarkar argued that the Muslims and Christians would opt for Mecca and Jerusalem.

In his scheme of Hind Rashtra, there could be only Hindu Muslim and Hindu Christian, not vice versa. Therefore, the Hindutvavadis concluded that both the followers of the two foreign religions are not loyal to Mother India or Bharat Mata. At most, Muslims and Christians may be treated as second class citizens.

To quote Golwalkar (1939) again:

The foreign races in Hindustan must either adopt Hindu culture and language, must learn to respect and hold in reverence Hindu religion, must entertain no ideas but those of glorification of the Hindu race and cultureOr may stay in the country, wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation, claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, far less any preferential treatment not even citizens rights.

In this context, Savarkars new mantra was sangathan (unification of Hindus) and shuddhi (purification in religious terms).

According to Sarvarkar, in pre-Mughal and pre-colonial eras, there were no Muslims or Christians in peninsular India. The forefathers of present Muslims and Christians were all once Hindus and therefore, the Hindutvavadis solemnly affirmed that both the Muslims and Christians must be reconverted into Hinduism.

One speaker at the three-day Dharma Sansad conclave at Haridwar in December, 2021, made a call to the army and police to pick up weapons and participate in the task of establishing a Hindu Rashtra in India. Thus on December 31, 2021 several former chiefs of our Army, Navy and Air Forces, and many more senior veterans were busy drafting a letter to the President and Prime Minister of India to stop the call for genocide of Indian Muslims and Christians. As a matter of fact, many non-Hindu officers and high-ups both in the civil and army, have been fighting and will continue to fight for the defence of their country up to the last ounce of their strength. Their religions do not teach them to be disloyal to their country.

Also read: Hindutva and the Steady Politicisation of Religion

Hindutva ideology divides Indians through a politics of hate. It preaches a message of hatred among the Indian communities, saying, thou shall hate thy neighbour; and thou shall murder thy groups enemy. How many Christians and Muslims have been murdered in the name of religion? To make matters worse today, the anti-conversion act is being vigorously enforced in mainland India where many Christians and Muslims are being tortured and killed. The same act is being contemplated to be introduced in Karnataka. Almost everywhere and every day in mainland India, Christians are being threatened for demolition of their churches or persecutions for their faith.

In fact, the year 2021, had witnessed the highest number of persecution of Christians in the country, with reported cases reaching 486. The worst states are Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh. Considering the rapid sraffronisation of the country, no one can say this will not happen in northeast India.

Hindutva undermines individual freedom. As a matter of fact, in the Hindutva scheme of building a Hindu Rashtra, an individual is sacrificed to the state. In this connection, Golwalkar emphatically again says: The ultimate vision of our work is a perfectly organised state of society wherein each individual has been molded into a model of ideal Hindu manhood and made into a living limb of the corporate personality of society.

In short, the long-term objective of Hindutva is to establish Hindutvas totalitarianism which will be the source of all values and meanings absolute sovereignty of Hindu Rashtra.

On the question of cow worship, present Hindutvavadis have sharply deviated from Savarkars view. Savarkar did uphold the protection of cows, but he abhorred the idea of consuming the animals urine. He attributed many of Hindu defeats in the past to their undue fear of defiling the cow by citing, for example, the march to Multan and the 18th century Maratha chief Malharrao Halkers campaign to liberate Kasi.

Savarkar emphatically asserted, Rather than backtracking at moments like these for fear of being criminally responsible for cow slaughter and the razing of temples, Hindus needed to start a different courseIf ever the Hindu Rashtra was hemmed in by non-Hindu forces and there was no other way to lift the siege and procure food, cow slaughter would have to be exercised as an option.

Under the BJP regime, freedom of speech is drastically curtailed.

The booklet titled Attacks on Journalists, January 2010- June 2018: Murder/Fabricated Cases/Threats and Other Human Rights Abuses is really self-revealing. We do not know how many crimes and assaults are committed against media persons and those who speak against the BJP government during 2019 -2021. This is the situation we are in.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the ambassador of Hindu Rashtra. Having controlled both the two houses of parliament, the BJP government is now pushing us towards a totalitarian Hindu Rashtra. In fact, Modis fascism has now become a hot topic even on international platforms.

Let us ask a simple question. To whom does India belong? India belongs to all citizens of India irrespective of caste and creed; and all citizens of India, big or small, belong to India. No Hindutvavadis can claim the sole ownership of India and impose their ideology upon all sections of Indian society simply because they are a majority community. What were their contributions towards the freedom of the country? The pages of modern Indian history have clearly shown that the nationalist freedom movement under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi comprised all sections of Indian society. The idea of India cannot be narrowed down to one communitys interests.

The fundamental DNA of India, as Shashi Tharoor has pointed out, is one land embracing many unity in diversity built on the solid structures of democracy, socialism and secularism as enshrined in the Constitution. It is inclusive, tolerant and pluralist.

No one can deny the historical fact that the leaders of Hindutvavadis were the ones who betrayed the cause of the Indian nationalist freedom movement. For instance, when the Congress ministry resigned in 1939, the Hindu Mahasabha (HM) joined hands with the All-India Muslim League (AIML) and formed coalition ministries in Sind, North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Bengal. In March, 1943, the coalition ministry of HM and AIML in Sind went to the extent of passing a resolution for the creation of Pakistan.

Also read: Full Transcript: Savarkar and Hindu Mahasabha Stayed Firmly Outside the Freedom Movement

Most surprisingly, the Hindu Mahasabha openly and officially boycotted the historic Quit India Movement launched under the leadership of Gandhi in August 1942. V.D.Savarkar, the then president of Hindu Mahasabha, wrote an official letter titled Stick to Your Jobs in which he instructed all the Hindu Mahasabha members who were in municipalities, local bodies, legislatures, or those serving in the army to stick to their posts across the country, and not to join the Quit India Movement at any cost.

Staunchly supporting Savarkars stand, S.P. Mukherjee, another Hindutva ideologue, wrote to the British government on July, 1942, thus:

Let me now refer to the situation that may be created in the province (Bengal) as a result of any widespread movement launched by the Congress. Anybody who during the war (World War II), plans to stir up mass feeling, resulting in internal disturbances or insecurity, must be resisted by the government that may function for the time being

Mukherjee in this letter further instructed Fazal Hag, the governor where the Mahasabha-League coalition government was formed, to make every possible effort to defeat the Quit India Movement in the province of Bengal and make a concrete proposal as regards this:

The question is how to combat this movement (Quit India Movement) in Bengal? The administration of the province should be carried out in such a manner that in spite of the best efforts of the Congress, this movement will fail to take root in the province. It should be possible for us, especially responsible ministers, to be able to tell the public that the freedom for which the Congress had started the movement, already belongs to the representatives of the people. In some spheres it might be limited during the emergency. Indians have to trust the British, not for the sake of Britain, not for any advantage that the British might gain, but for the maintenance of the defense and freedom of the province itself. You, (Fazal Hag) as governor, will function as the constitutional head of the province and will be guided entirely on the advice of your ministers.

The real situation showed that many of his own followers too were uncomfortable with his opposition.

N.C. Chatterjee, one of Savarkars close colleagues and father of a former Lok Sabha speaker, lamentably remarked thus: The entire Hindu population is with Gandhiji and his movement and if anybody wants to oppose it, he will be absolutely finished and hounded out of public life.

As a result, the Hindu Mahasabha candidates during the election of 1945-46 were branded as British agents, anti-nationals and traitors. No one doubts Sarvarkars patriotism and his selfless sacrifice for his country. But unfortunately for all of Sarvarkars championing of Hindutva, it was Gandhi who was seen as the devout Hindu who worshipped the cow, spoke of Ram Rajya and at the same time extolled the virtues of Hindu-Muslim unity, Vaibhav Purandare writes.

Indias freedom movement is one of the biggest mass movements in history including all sections of Indian society. No community, however powerful, has any right to manipulate the ownership of India and impose its narrow and fanatic viewpoints upon others.

Dr Lal Dena is a retired professor of history, Manipur University and former Vice-Chancellor of Sangai International University, Manipur. He can be reached at laldenas@rediffmail.com.

Originally posted here:

Hindutva and the Question of Who Owns India - The Wire

Visakhapatnam: As the entire country is applauding YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP government for doling out welfare schemes in a liberal manner, the Opposition in the state ends up politicising every issue, pointed out Tourism Minister M Srinivasa Rao.

At a press meet held here on Saturday, the minister expressed anger over the allegations levelled by the Opposition party leaders in recent times. Referring to the remarks made by the TDP former minister Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy, Srinivasa Rao said Bandaru was making baseless allegations on Bhogapuram Airport issue.

Srinivasa Rao mentioned that the government felt that 2,500 acres of land would not be needed for the Bhogapuram Airport as proposed earlier and hence restricted the area. The surplus land would be used for developing the Aerocity, he reasoned and added that wide roads would be developed while constructing the international airport.

The minister wondered whether the TDP government indulged in any scam while laying Anakapalli - Anandapuram highway during its regime. Speaking about Andhra University (AU), the minister condemned the allegations made by the TDP leaders. He said it was false that the AU had been turned into a party office. Srinivasa Rao alleged that the TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu has no record of ever supporting the development of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation. Further, he said many got elected as corporators from the TDP after conducting the GVMC elections during YSRCP's rule.

He said Jagan Mohan Reddy was the only Chief Minister in the country who implemented welfare schemes beyond caste, religion and political affiliation. Srinivasa Rao advised the Opposition to give suggestions to develop the state if possible and not to resort to making baseless allegations. City Mayor G Hari Venkata Kumari, VMRDA chairperson A Vijaya Nirmala and Gajuwaka MLA T Nagireddy were present.

Meanwhile, responding to the remarks made by the Tourism Minister, AP Telugu Nadu Students Federation (TNSF) state president MV Pranav Gopal challenged the minister for a public debate over the corruption scandals in Andhra University. Later, he warned that if the situation in Andhra University was not restored, the TNSF would conduct 'Chalo Andhra University' on March 3.

Originally posted here:

Visakhapatnam: Opposition politicising every issue - The Hans India

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Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein has confirmed the state's bid to host or co-host the 2026 Commonwealth Games has fallen flat with Victoria now in the box seat for the major event. Gutwein met with Commonwealth Games Australia, who earlier this week indicated Victoria would be sole Australian bid for the Games, to discuss other avenues Tasmania could pursue to support the games. "I met with Commonwealth Games Australia this morning (Friday, February 18) and they are now in an exclusive arrangement with Victoria with finalising a bid," he said. ""That will need to go forward obviously in around April I think it is in terms of whether or not Victoria might be successful and the games be hosted in Australia." Tasmanian Labor had slammed the bid for the Commonwealth Games as a distraction. "Frankly, the fact that Mr Gutwein thought he could distract Tasmanians into believing he was launching a serious Commonwealth Games bid was ridiculous," Labor sports spokesperson Josh Willie said. "The Premier gave no thought to the most basic details like where would we accommodate thousands of athletes and spectators? Where could he possibly hold an opening and closing ceremony of any size?" "There was never a serious bid for the Commonwealth Games." The bid had been supported by several of Tasmania's previous Commonwealth Games representatives, including Jake Birtwhistle, Rebecca Van Asch and Stewart McSweyn. After aiming to co-host or host the Commonwealth Games, the state's role now looks set to be reduced to a possible training camp facility. IN OTHER NEWS: "We spoke this morning about what the opportunities might be for Tasmania should the games land in Victoria and obviously there are training camps," Gutwein said. "We will remain engaged, but again, they're working exclusively now with Victoria." The 2026 Commonwealth Games had been set for Birmingham until the English city covered the loss of Durban as the 2022 host city.

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February 19 2022 - 10:30AM

Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein has confirmed the state's bid to host or co-host the 2026 Commonwealth Games has fallen flat with Victoria now in the box seat for the major event.

"I met with Commonwealth Games Australia this morning (Friday, February 18) and they are now in an exclusive arrangement with Victoria with finalising a bid," he said.

""That will need to go forward obviously in around April I think it is in terms of whether or not Victoria might be successful and the games be hosted in Australia."

Tasmanian Labor had slammed the bid for the Commonwealth Games as a distraction.

"Frankly, the fact that Mr Gutwein thought he could distract Tasmanians into believing he was launching a serious Commonwealth Games bid was ridiculous," Labor sports spokesperson Josh Willie said.

"The Premier gave no thought to the most basic details like where would we accommodate thousands of athletes and spectators? Where could he possibly hold an opening and closing ceremony of any size?"

"There was never a serious bid for the Commonwealth Games."

The bid had been supported by several of Tasmania's previous Commonwealth Games representatives, including Jake Birtwhistle, Rebecca Van Asch and Stewart McSweyn.

After aiming to co-host or host the Commonwealth Games, the state's role now looks set to be reduced to a possible training camp facility.

"We spoke this morning about what the opportunities might be for Tasmania should the games land in Victoria and obviously there are training camps," Gutwein said.

"We will remain engaged, but again, they're working exclusively now with Victoria."

The 2026 Commonwealth Games had been set for Birmingham until the English city covered the loss of Durban as the 2022 host city.

Read more here:

Josh Willie slams state government for Commonwealth Games 2026 bid - Daily Liberal