Category Archives: Government Oppression

At noon on Saturday, I will be leading a march on Parliament Hill along with Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus and Indigenous elders. We will be marching to call on the government and in particular, Attorney General David Lametti and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take the steps necessary to appoint an independent special prosecutor, with International Criminal Court observers, to investigate the crimes against Indigenous peoples through the residential school system.

Almost 20,000 Canadians have emailed Lametti demanding action, but so far, the Liberal government is stubbornly refusing to do the right thing. Its clear that we need to take to the streets if the First Peoples of these lands are going to see truth and justice from the federal institutions.

How can there be reconciliation without truth? How can there be reconciliation without justice?

This is not ancient history. The last residential school closed less than 30 years ago. People like Father Johannes Rivoire who was charged in 1998 with sex crimes against children dating back to the 1960s, but was never brought to trial are still alive.

And who knows how many of those who preyed on Indigenous children in those schools are still out there? The system, which was a partnership between church and state, continues to protect these pedophiles. No one cared enough when this abuse was taking place, and the inaction today shows that the system, and the people upholding it, are fine with our suffering and death.

This system was committed to annihilating Indigenous peoples. This was genocide.

When a genocide happens, shouldnt the perpetrators be brought to justice? Its not as though we dont have the evidence. The federal government has the names of many alleged abusers on file, but it is burying the evidence and protecting perpetrators. The Liberal government is also shamefully refusing to use its clear power to compel the Catholic Church to release its records. Canadians are and should be outraged by this government coverup. We are hitting the streets of Ottawa to tell the federal government that this must stop today.

The violence and abuse of the residential school system is still ripping through communities in my riding and across the country. Everyone I know in Nunavut has been affected in some way by the cycles of trauma that began when the federal government, through its partnership with the church, stole children from their families and put them into day schools, sanatoriums, and residential schools.

Canada is a country that was built on the oppression and displacement of Indigenous peoples. Like prime ministers before him, Justin Trudeau is refusing to do whats needed to bring us the truth and justice that we clearly deserve. Instead of action, we get excuses. Lametti acts like there is nothing he can do. Trudeau says hes supportive of a criminal investigation, but that he doesnt have the power to act.

I want to set the record straight: these are excuses. The federal government has the power to set up this investigation. According to the Director of Public Prosecutions Act, the attorney general can recommend and refer the appointment of a special prosecutor to the director of public prosecutions. The issue is a lack of political will, not a lack of political authority.

Despite the endless excuses and evasions from the federal government, the reality is that it has the power to fulfil our demands. Indigenous people continue to die every day as a result of intergenerational trauma. The federal government refuses to do whats needed to create the healing we need.

Its hard for me to explain how fed up we are with the prime ministers pretty words. Legal experts and Indigenous nations agree it is time for action.

More and more Canadians are waking up to reality and seeing through a government that uses pretty words to mask more colonial inaction. Thats why were marching in Ottawa this weekend.

Throughout my time as a member of Parliament, people from across Canada have contacted me and asked how they can take action to fight for justice for the First Peoples of these lands. This is how. Now is the time to act. If you can make it, I expect to see you there. Join us on Parliament Hill on Saturday and show the prime minister that he cant ignore us anymore.

Join us on Parliament Hill on Saturday. If you cant, please send an email demanding an independent special prosecutor. Lets show the prime minister that he cant ignore us anymore.

Mumilaaq Qaqqaq is the member of Parliament for Nunavut.

See the article here:

Crimes have been committed against Canadas Indigenous people. Justin Trudeau has no excuse for not bringing the perpetrators to justice - Toronto Star

Haitis History and Future: Revolution, Repression, Resistance, and Ultimate Victory

Mauranaka Brick, an ethical philosopher, author, two PhD, professor and chairman of the African State University Long Beach School of African Studies, was born on July 14, 1941 in Maryland. Dr. Karenga is a nationally and internationally recognized activist who has been a major figure in black intellectual and political culture since the 1960s, especially in black research and social movements such as the Black Power Movement, the Black Arts Movement and the Million. Has played a role. Man March where he wrote the mission statement.

Haitis history and culture, characterized by the extraordinary expressions of revolutionary struggle and victory, suffering and oppression, are always the legitimate and relentless resistance of the people and the fundamental refusal to their defeat. The Haitian nation was born in a revolutionary struggle and achieved that the enslaved people did nothing back and forth. It defeated slaves and other military and political forces who tried to prevent and deny the liberation of the state, stimulate and support the liberation struggle in Latin America, sign the liberation of Africa and humans, and against all possibilities. Taught the possibilities and achievements. But Haitis enemies, the African community of the world, and human freedom never allow it, and since its birth it has worked to divide it, conquer it, and reverse its beneficial and lasting achievements. rice field. In a nutshell, their efforts were aimed at making it irrelevant, except for imperial exploitation, defamation, and disdain for conversation.

The recent assassination of Jovenel Moise, the president of choice and support by the United States, has attracted the attention of the United States and the world. But who went to Haiti with a little care and concern before this? With the consent and cooperation of this U.S.-backed president and cohort by gangsters and thugs, to relieve or eliminate the deep, lasting, unjustified suffering of the mercilessly murdered and slaughtered Haitians. Someone who is shocked or upset to help. Like their predecessors?

And fighting Haitian Americans to maintain the Temporary Protection (TPS) of immigrant Haitians, prevent them from returning to dangerous and deadly states, and win the legitimate asylum they were seeking here. Who was it? Similarly, who, along with Latina / males and others, came out to protect and rescue them and their children from camps on the US-Mexico border? And who protested the brutal occupation of the United States, France and Canada and the commitment and practice of the core group of ambassadors to the domination, deprivation and deterioration of the Haitian people? So, whether Americans like it or are aware of it, the U.S. government is deeply involved in the past and present events of the killings and turmoil, turmoil and suffering imposed on the Haitians. ..

Obviously, the Haitians have rejected the political violence that accompanies the presidents murder and therefore seek justice. But they have killed them as recently as the day he died, including corruption, gang governments, drug trafficking, political and civilian institutional internals, political killings, office seizures and occupational Corruption. They want for all, everyday people, journalists, community leaders and organizers, teachers, lawyers, and corrupt gangster government opponents who were mercilessly killed and often killed in groups. Comprehensive justice.

It is all known anonymously victims, adults and children, killed, kidnapped, tortured, raped, infected with cholera, sold and enslaved in homes, farms, and factories anywhere, anywhere. It is a claim and demand for justice to a person. Because there is no true justice in simply seeking justice for the rich, powerful and prominent, ignoring and denying justice for the poor, the weak and the vulnerable. Haitis future and hope must be in its own hands and determined by the people. The Commission for Finding Solutions in Haiti affirms the revolutionary and dignity that Haiti shows itself, and promises the unified practices and struggles needed to advance and improve the path of improving life. It is to build consensus for a shared path forward and upward by all political and civil society groups working on a free, self-determining, justice and people-focused society. Is correctly sought.

Haiti people should stop intervening in their countries and occupiers, the United States, France and Canada to end their occupation under the guise of manipulative puppets, oppressive policies, elite support and protection. Asked the world. The throne petitioner, destroyed by Moises crime, called for intervention in the United States, but people pleaded that this would protect them and the other elites from each other and prevent the purpose of liberation and the efforts of the people. I know its not too much. It seeks support for the issue of becoming their patron, their claim to the legitimacy and authority that was there for Moise. They, of course, have no honor among thieves, no security among assassins, and the waves of killings they organized, sponsored, and / or assisted blow them away and swallow them. Im afraid.

There is a constant call among the Haitians we grew up in the 1960s. Let the masses decide! Let them determine their future, their destiny and their daily lives. And they cannot do that by the presence of foreigners who support dolls, oppress people, and rob people of their lives, livelihoods, resources, and future. Obviously, the United States has no moral right or legal basis to return to occupy Haiti, and has a stupid and barbaric history of existence in Haiti. He has been disqualified for the invasion and occupation of Haiti, the overthrow of a democratically elected president, the economic collapse, the support of a series of dictators, and the inhumane and unfair treatment of Haiti immigrants.

The United Nations is second to none than the imperialists who sent it as a surrogate mother after the United States defeated democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide under the Bush administration in 2004. In fact, the United Nations has a terrifying history of sexual characteristics in Haiti. It caused predation and assault, an epidemic of cholera that killed thousands, which did not accept real responsibility or just give back, but ruthlessly suppressed people for the benefit of the occupiers and the elite.

To build true democracy in Haiti, that democracy must be considered, built and maintained by the Haiti people themselves as self-conscious agents of their lives and liberation. This is the Commissions central purpose, concern and commitment to finding a solution in Haiti. Reorganized societies determine how others can help, but Haitians, in a final analysis, restore, renew and expand the promises and possibilities of the first revolution of 1804. We have to make a second revolution in order to do so. Governing criminals and crimes on the government and on the streets, conducting free and fair elections, rebuilding governments and civil society, establishing fair order and ensuring peoples safety. Also, such a fair and free society will ensure the justice of people at all levels. It provides basic essentials for food, housing, medical care and education. It will put an end to capital flight. Its the billions of people sent abroad to be stored, invested, and washed.And Haitians may want to consider re-raising the demand for compensation from France and even the United States.

The rise, reconstruction and recovery of Haiti will be difficult, dangerous and tough, but their history and revolution, resistance and resilience are evidence of their ultimate and inevitable victory. Taking advantage of this revolutionary history, the liberation leader Boukman urges us to listen to the voice of freedom that speaks in our hearts, and the Haitians rekindle with a powerful victory. Stand in positive and unbreakable solidarity while struggling for. And it enhances the light of human freedom in their country and the world.

Dr. Mauranaka Rengar, Professor and Chairman of Afrikaners, California State University Long Beach. Secretary General of the African American Cultural Center (USA).Creator of KwanzaaAnd the author Kwanzaa: Family, Community and Cultural Festival When Struggle Essay: Position and Analysis, http://www.AfricanAmericanCulturalCenter-LA.org; http://www.OfficialKwanzaaWebsite.org; http://www.MaulanaKarenga.org..

The History and Future of Haiti: Revolution, Repression, Resistance and Eventual Victory Los Angeles Sentinel | Los Angeles Sentinel Source link The History and Future of Haiti: Revolution, Repression, Resistance and Eventual Victory Los Angeles Sentinel | Los Angeles Sentinel

See the original post here:

The History and Future of Haiti: Revolution, Repression, Resistance and Eventual Victory - Los Angeles Sentinel | Los Angeles Sentinel - California...

Lord we stand before you as people consecrated to You, to carry out your mission of JUSTICE, PEACE and MERCY. We are aware of the situation and the environment that we are living in. We notice the fetters of Injustice, Oppression, Discrimination, and Corruption that plaque our society. We recognize in our calling the urge to respond to the unjust structures, with the fire of your love blazing in our hearts to establish your kingdom here on Earth. And so Lord, I pledge this day that I will keep my eyes open and see the injustice around me, keep my ears open and hear the cries of those who are oppressed, keep my heart open and feel compassion for people who are victims of all kinds of evil and reach out my hand to those in need. Lord, let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong, nor afraid to shield the poor because of the anger of the rich. Give me the courage to defend the defenseless, to be the voice of the voiceless and to hunger and thirst for justice while teaching people to respect the rights and dignity of every human person A PLEDGE taken during the above programme.

Mangaluru: On Monday, 5 July 2021 Fr Stan Swamy, who is known for his work for the underprivileged and downtrodden, died in a Mumbai hospital. Father Stan Swamy made Jharkhand home, fought for voiceless. He fought for Tribal Rights, and for that he was arrested by a team of National Intelligence Agency (NIA) from his residence in Ranchi-Jharkhand in connection with the probe into the 2018 violence in Maharashtras Koregaon-Bhima village, and also for other Human Rights Activists who are being harassed and tortured for their role in seeking justice for Dalits, Adivasis, Minorities, unorganized labourers, Fisher folk, distress migrants, Dalit Christians, among others. Fr Stan was unnecessarily arrested by the NIA. alleging that he was involved in the Koregaon-Bhima Village case. But Fr Stan denied such allegations made on him regarding the Koregaon-Bhima Village case, because according to him, he has never been to that village. So, why did NIA officials arrest a 83-year-old Jesuit priest who was doing yeomen service fighting for the rights of Tribal/adivasis in Jharkhand.

Fr Stan Swamy lived a life of service to the poor and oppressed. He paid for his commitment. Those who wanted him out of the way will be happy though crocodile tears may be shed. It is a mystery that can be solved only if the government wishes to establish the truth. At the moment, its minions are sticking to their guns. Their experts, they say, have given their opinion and they will not consider contrary views of extra-territorial experts who they do not recognize.

Yes, Fr Stan dedicated his life working for tribal rights. The 84-year-old Jesuit priest was kept in jail for more than eight months and denied bail sought on medical grounds. The Union Govt should be answerable for absolute apathy and non-provision of timely medical services, leading to his death. Fr Stan lives in our struggles and memories. His death is the result of murder by the state. Lets hold the NIA and the central government wholly responsible and strongly condemn their role in Stans death. May His Soul Rest In Peace!

In response to the call given by President, Jesuit conference of India, Rev. Fr Stany DSouza S J, Conference of Religious India (CRI-Mangaluru Unit) and St. Aloysius Institutions, Mangaluru jointly organized a Panel Discussion on Understanding Stan Swamy: The role of the church in the struggle for justice and peace to mark NATIONAL JUSTICE DAY on 28th July 2021 at St. Aloysius High School auditorium. The audience was predominantly of religious nuns and priests, who gathered to support Late Fr Stan Swamy and his legacy in his struggle for justice and peace.

Following a prayer invoking Gods blessings by Br Ovin Rodrigues joined by four Scholastic of Asha Kiran Scholastic Centre, and Gospel reading by Fr Roshan Pinto SJ, Fr Melwin Pinto SJ, the Rector of St Aloysius Institutions in his welcome address said, The Catholic Church of India on 28 July is observing as National Justice Day, a day to remember and pray for all those who cry out for justice and we, as a society, have an obligation to ensure justice to all. The Catholic Church will pay its respectful homage to the Late Fr Stan Swamy,a true prophet of justice and a martyr for human freedom and dignity, who lived and died defending the legitimate rights of the marginalized people of Jharkhand.

We salute Fr Stan for his commitment to human rights and dignity, who was passionate about fighting for Justice, Social AnalysisRebelRadical. But no doubt, totally committed. Fr Stan was unjustly incarcerated, all because he had become a headache. Reaction of the Church and Catholics..Priest.. Martyr.. Saint.. reduced to a statue with a dumb box in front of him. What he did..should not be forgotten his values, radical commitment. His cause. In this diocese, fear is what we are complacent. Religion is limited to devotions..Charity. Issues come up. No one sticks their necks out to sa-We stand for Justice through peaceful means. What are the justice issues before us..Can we identify them? How can we be the Church in the modern world? What is our Role? All this is and more will be discussed during this programme today, where we will also take a pledge to fight for justice and peace added Rector.

Panel discussion on the Theme was expertly dealt with by Dr. Rita Noronha , Rev. Fr Joachim Fernandes, and Sr Jeswina A.C which was efficiently moderated by Rev. Fr Praveen Martis S J, Principal of St Aloysius College, Mangaluru. Following the speeches by three speakers, a few relevant queries were posed by a few members from the audience. Rev Dr Peter Paul Saldanha-the Bishop of Mangalore Diocese in his concluding remarks said, Fr Stan was a devoted Cathoic, a Jesuit Priest, a social analyst who stood by what he proclaimed, and whose main aim was to fight for justice and peace. He sat with tribals for hours . He had harmonized two factors- Love and Justice. He worked diligently for justice and charity. As Catholics we need to follow through Gospel scriptures.

The Bishop further said, Like Dr Rita Noronha mentioned, we need to start institutions which teach the values and meaning of Justice.The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. Our main fear is that if we raise our voice, we will be noted, and put into trouble. Minority should not be a complex today. Fr Stan was a Blend of both justice and love and without love, Justice is violence and without justice, love is sentimental. Quoting Saint Mother Theresa he said She awakened the dead conscience of the country. Bishop also said we must focus on human education rather than being result oriented. We should ask the educationists Whether Your Heart is BIG as Your Head- Charity begins at home! added Bishop.

A pledge was taken by all present. Sr Jacintha D Souza, President CRI Mangaluru unit, proposed vote of thanks Rev. Fr Gerald Furtado S J, the Vice President of CRI and Headmaster of St Aloysius High School, Mangaluru compered the programme.

FOLLOWING ARE THE SPEECHES BY THE THREE SPEAKERS DURING PANEL DISCUSSIONS ON THE ABOVE TOPIC :

DR RITA NORONHA :

Lessons learnt from being Fr Stans student at the Indian Social Institute, Benagalur & from his work.

1. A mind ( heart) filled with concern for those who suffer social discrimination / injustice and commitment to Work among them at high cost to one sell. A life of sacrifice, humility, reflection & non violence & other values that uphold the dignity of every human person are seen in Fr. Stanslife

2. Deeper knowledge of our constitution, relevant laws of the land and international Human Rights instruments is an essential basis of work..

DR RITA NORONHA

3. Deeper understanding of Philosophies ( ingenious & global), Theologies which integrate the essence of spirituality of all religions inclusiveness of that of Tribes. Critical theories are essential for grounding praxis among the socially excluded by understanding the various facets and the process of social exclusion.

4 Painstaking research has to be done to unearth facts about the realities of those who suffer multiple forms of social exclusion, dehumanization and persecution.

5 Facilitating critical consciousness involves action centered praxis among those who suffer injustice and requires highly Committed persons .

6 To begin with we need to apply the praxis to one self, ones institutions inclusive of ones culture of social discrimination / exclusion. My conclusion in the need of the hour is to internalize the prophetic message of Fr Stan, a true follower of a radical nonviolent Jesus ( who went through torturous, humiliating, / dehumanising crucifiction to uphold the dignity of the human person and the need for personal and collective striving among the homo ( Men + women), Sapiens ( wise ) towards a more humane, just , peaceful & sustainable selves and societies on planet earth .

About Speaker : Dr Rita Noronha is a former professor at Roshni Nilaya of School of Social Work, Mangaluru and a Social Worker/Activist.

Fr JOACHIM FERNANDES :

The passing of 84 year old Father Stan Swamy marks the lowest point in the functioning of several institutions of the state, which seemed to be more keen on keeping in jail the life-long crusader for the rights of tribal people than helping his cause or upholding the rule of lawas stated in Frontline July 30,2021-the Indian National Magazine in its front cover page with the photo and title MURDER BY OTHER MEANS.

The Golden rule (treat others as you would have them treat you) is recognized in many cultures as a norm of the good life. The commandment of love in the Old Testament is even more forceful: you shall love your neighbour as yourself (Lev 19:18). Jesus intensifies the commandment of mutual love and makes it more specific by attaching it to himself and the sacrifice of his life: this is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you (Jn 15:12). This love is oriented toward community and the individual in equal measure: everyone matters, as a unique, unrepeatable person loved by God and through love everyone relies on others. Divine love is the beginning of a civilization of love (Pope Paul VI and John Paul II), to which all human beings can contribute.

What is the Christian way of living together in the present day circumstances?

If power is central, then societies are structured according to the principle of Might is right. That of course, is not Christian; life together in society then becomes a battle for self-preservation. If work is held up as the pinnacle of meaning in societal coexistence, then people soon feel that they are harnessed to a meaningless machine and enslaved. Nor does God want us to take luck or comfort as our highest good. Life would then resemble a lottery that often favors those who cheat; we would follow our instincts and drives and impose all sorts of constraints on ourselves in order to prevent the worst from happening.

Catholic social doctrine says: Gods master plan for human coexistence is social charity. When we live in the sight of a personal God who willed us and has some purpose for us, then we are children of a common father, brothers and sisters to one another. Then gratitude, meaning, and responsibility determine our individual and common life. A culture of mutual respect comes about. Then trust, consolation, and joy in life make sense. Social charity overcomes the spirit of impersonality, creates emotional cohesion in society, and makes possible a social consciousness that even transcends denominational boundaries.

Society without love? Love-caritas will always prove necessary, even in the most just society. There is no ordering of the State so just that it can eliminate the need for a service of love. Whoever wants to eliminate love is preparing to eliminate man as such. There will always be suffering which cries out for consolation and help. There will always be loneliness. There will always be situations of material need where help in the form of concrete love of neighbours is indispensable. The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person every person-needs namely, loving personal concern. Pope Benedict XVI, Encyclical Deus Caritas est. (2005) 28B

Love begins today. Today somebody is suffering, today somebody is in the street, today somebody is hungry. Our work is for today, yesterday has gone, tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today to make Jesus known, loved, served, fed, clothed, and sheltered. Do not wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow we will not have them if we do not feed them today. St Teresa of Calcutta; and Christians remain people of hope even amidst recurrent disappointments. said Al Kresta, broadcaster, journalist and author.

About Speaker : Fr Joachim Fernandes is the former Parish Priest of Kelarai Church, and presently is a professor at St Josephs Seminary, Mangaluiru

SR JESWINA A.C. :

We have gathered here to understand and share our views and opinions on the topic: Understanding Stan Swamy: The role of the church in the struggle with justice and peace and discussing our own responsibilities to be the champions of the injustices prevailing in our society and strive to bring about peace in our country.

The church shares several responsibilities through its teachings and doctrines in ensuring that there is peace and justice in the world. The basic ecclesial community has been part of the struggle for social justice and liberation from the beginning. Peace and justice are very important to promote human development at all levels of societal life. In most societies, religion forms the foundation of peace and justice. Just as major factors are needed for development and sustainability, justice and peace are essential fundamentals in the quest for a harmonious living and for a prosperous society. As Prophet Isaiah says, Peace is the work for justice and justice is the cause of peace (Isaiah 32:17).

SR JESWINA A.C.

The church since its inception has been an advocate for peace through justice. It has done this through promotion of social justice which refers to Gods original invention for human society: a world where basic needs are met, people flourish and peace reigns. St John Paul II described justice as the foundation of solidarity. Justice and peace are important concepts and virtues for the advances of all societies. Hence, the church is called upon to participate in the renewal of society so that all especially the weak and vulnerable can enjoy Gods gifts of equality and peace.

This involves identifying the root cause of what keeps people poor, violent, hungry and powerless. In this context I would like to speak on Fr Stan Swamy who lived and worked to uphold the cause of the adivasis, dalits, the powerless and the marginalized till his death. Most of us present here hardly knew or heard about Fr Stan. After his arrest, all the social media highlighted about his life and work. We know that people from all walks of life spoke in volumes of his exceptional commitment to the most marginalized and vulnerable people. Therefore, today all of us know who and what Stan Swamy is.

To be the voice of the voiceless was Stan Swamys prophetic mission. He identified himself with Adivasi people and their struggle for a life of dignity. He noticed all the social inequalities and injustices that are ultimately connected with human development. His struggle was for justice for the poor, and for an inclusive India in which all people are equal. In all these instances, Stan insisted on non-violence when many victims of injustice were demanding a violent reaction. Ironically, he was accused by the state of being a Naxalite, and died a martyr for the cause of justice for tribal communities. Our God is the God of justice and peace. According to the Bible Shalom or peace and justice imply freedom from fear, injustice, disorder and any form of oppression in the family, society, nation and the world at large. Righteousness and justice are both sides of the same coin. God is righteous because he is just and vice versa. There cannot be true peace without justice.

Oscar Romero, the archbishop of El Salvador, now declared a saint, who became a voice of justice for the poor, courageously spoke out against violations of human rights of the most vulnerable people and defended the principles of protecting lives, promoting human dignity and opposing all forms of violence. Likewise Stan Swamy fought for the rights of the adivasis, dalits and the marginalized. He was with them in their struggles, worked for their well being and stood by them even in their imprisonment till he sacrificed his own life for their cause.

The similarities between the death of Bishop Oscar Romero and Fr Stan Swamy are painfully striking; both were murdered: Bishop Romero fell to the bullets by a right-wing death squad, backed by government and leftist rebels; whereas 84 years old Stan was a victim of a calculated cold-blooded institutionalized murder because he subscribed to and promoted the idea of an India in which the excluded and exploited had their rightful place.

In the Gospel of Luke we read the mission of Jesus announced in his first public proclamation (Luke 4:18-19). The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lords favour. These words of Jesus are a message of justice for the poor and the oppressed. Wherever poverty and riches exist side-by-side, there is lack of justice, fidelity and peace. The will and rule of God, who has created enough for all, is being thwarted. The concept of justice as portrayed by Jesus involves a positive response to the needs of the poor and the oppressed even though the poverty and oppression may be sanctioned by law. This justice goes beyond national judicial systems. Ultimately, it finds its parameters in the heart of God.

In Fr Stan we see the same humane and compassionate face of God. He was a gentle, fearless warrior for Adivasis rights, brave to face his opponents, resolute in his mission and determined to stand with the oppressed. He supported the cause of the exploited and subjugated indigenous; and marginalized people. He stood for the land right of those whose land was being snatched away. His quiet, daring courage is revealed very powerfully in the video he recorded just two days before his arrest. What is happening to me is not something unique happening to me alone, he said.

It is a broader process that is taking place all over the country. We are all aware how prominent intellectuals, lawyers, writers, poets, activists, students, leaders, are all put into jail because they have expressed their dissent or raised questions about the ruling powers of India. We are part of the process. In a way I am happy to be part of this process. I am not a silent spectator, but part of the game, and ready to pay the price whatever be it. The price he ultimately paid was his heroic death. The words of prophet Isaiah: Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widows cause: are augmented in the life and works of Stan Swamy.

What defined Stan Swamy was not just this indomitable fearlessness, but his uncompromising outrage with injustice. Until the end, what shone through this man was an exemplary humanity and the deepest compassion. In his letters to his Jesuit colleague from Taloja central jail, rather than dwelling on his own sufferings, he spoke with grief about the plight of his fellow prisoners.

Though NIA leveled charges against a frail 84 year old man yet his indomitable strength even in the prison was an outstanding testimony of his moral conviction and a commitment to truth and to the powerless. Social activist Harsh Mander called Stans death a tragedy for the nation. Devoted to selfless defence of Adivasi rights. Gentle, brave, even from prison he grieved not for himself but injustice to poor prisoners. A cruel state jailed him to silence his voice; the judiciary did nothing to secure his freedom. A tragedy for the nation, he said. It is time that the human rights activists and all people of good will, including the media, came together to demand an inclusive India in which all people are equal. Together, they should demand a legal system that holds people who perpetrate such injustice in the name of the law responsible for their actions. That would be a good way of paying tribute to Fr Stan Swamy.

We will still sing in chorus, that a caged bird can still sing wrote Stan from the Prison. Even the life in the prison did not imprison his spirit so also his death is not an end to his fight for the cause of the indigenous to protect their land and culture. The equality he claimed for the tribal, Dalits, and marginalized and for whose cause he laid down his life should inspire all of us to come together and fight against the prevalent injustices. This would be the fitting tribute to Stan Swami.

In own city, in and around Mangalore we too could identify some of the injustices that are prevalent in small and big ways: the unorganized labour sector, child labour, human trafficking, plight of the fishermen, displaced people whose fertile, agricultural land is taken over by the industrialists and the government, abuse of the environment and garbage management systems turning into disasters. We need not just one prophet like Stan but many like minded people to come together and deliberate on these issues that threaten our very existence and fight for peace and justice.

About Speaker :

Sr. Dr. M. Jeswina A.C., presently at St Marys Convent, Mangaluru is the Former Principal, St Agnes College, and Associate Professor, Department of English,St. Agnes College (Autonomous). Her Achievements during the tenure as the Principal of St Agnes College : Status of COLLEGE OF EXCELLENCE from the University Grants Commission; A+ Grade CGPA 3.65 out of 4 in Cycle 4 by NAAC; STAR COLLEGE STATUS by the Ministry of Science & Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India for the outstanding progress made by the College in the field of Science and Technology; A number of awards for NSS Unit from the State and the University: the college, NSS Officer and the students; and Celebrated the Centenary of the College in 2020

She has a Ph.D. from the University of Calicut, Kerala; M.Phil, from the University of Calicut, Kerala; PGDTE (Post Graduation Diploma in the Teaching of English from Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages; PGCTE ((Postgraduate Certificate in the Teaching of English from Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages; M.A., B.A. from the University of Mysore. She has 28 years of Teaching experience at St. Agnes College. Books written/Publications by her are- Value Education Syllabus for PUC and Degree Classes; Life of St. Agnes; The Covenant of Love Catechism Book for the II Degree students. Besides, she teaches Spoken English and Phonetics to students, teachers, sisters, seminarians and other Officials.

ALSO READ RELATED ARTICLES :

Like Loading...

See the original post here:

Understanding Fr Stan Swamy: The Role of the Church in the Struggle with Justice & Peace - Mangalorean.com

With Quint Forgey and help from Andrew Desiderio

Welcome to the penultimate edition of the premier week (aka edition four) of National Security Daily, POLITICOs newsletter on the global events roiling Washington and keeping the administration up at night. Im Alex Ward, a national security reporter at POLITICO and your guide to whos up, whos down and whats happening inside the Pentagon, the NSC and D.C.s foreign policy machine. National Security Daily will arrive in your inbox Monday through Friday by 4 p.m.; please subscribe here.

Tips, comments and hate mail at [emailprotected], @alexbward or likely at some bar in Washington. Make sure to follow @QuintForgey, too!

Yes, the Biden administration decided to let Nord Stream 2 get built. No, Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas) wont lift his holds on a slew of State Department nominees ready for confirmation.

In an exclusive interview on the 764-mile-long pipeline, the lawmaker said he will still block the administration from building out its diplomatic team until it imposes congressionally mandated sanctions on the companies constructing the pipeline.

Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN has repeatedly said their waiver of sanctions can be rescinded. Well, good. Hes laid out the path forward: Rescind the waiver and actually follow the law, Cruz said in his Senate office. And when they rescind the waiver, I will happily lift my holds. State has it within their power to lift the holds any time they want.

The problem for Cruz is that time for waivers has come and gone: President JOE BIDEN has already made his deal with Germany, and keeping those sanctions off the pipeline is a key component of it. The senators holds on the State nominees didnt get the administration to reverse course in fact, one prominent nominee got through thanks to maneuvers by Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER and after repeated questioning, Cruz couldnt detail a new move to pressure the White House.

Still, he insists Bidens Nord Stream decision is so historically wrong that nothing but a complete 180-degree turnaround will get him to change his mind. I believe, if they continue down this path, this will be on the order of magnitude of Jimmy Carters giving away the Panama Canal. That, five decades later, remains a spectacular loss for U.S. foreign policy, because a Democratic president was too weak to stand up for our interests. I think Biden and [Vice President KAMALA] HARRIS decision on Nord Stream 2 is at that level of magnitude.

Its this kind of rhetoric that has many on Capitol Hill, namely Democrats, thinking Cruz is using the Nord Stream 2 issue for his own political gain. Theres no question the Texan championed this issue before Biden entered the White House and worked behind the scenes to pass legislation to mandate sanctions. But staffers who NatSec Daily spoke with say hes leveraging the presidents position on the pipeline purely for notoriety.

Hes catering to [former President DONALD] TRUMPs base by accusing Biden of being weak on Russia, one senior Senate Democratic aide said. Another commented: Bidens f---up on Nord Stream 2 gave [Cruz] the opening he wanted.

With Cruz, as with many politicians, its hard to know where conviction ends and ambition begins.

Come Jan. 20, 2025 the next president I believe the next Republican president will reimpose the sanctions on this pipeline, he said. That means that a European company that thinks they can get along with facilitating this pipeline is facing the sword of Damocles when you no longer have a White House that just capitulates to Russia.

When I asked if it will be Cruz leading that White House in four years, he paused with a chuckle before replying: Time will tell.

A message from Lockheed Martin:

Innovation and Partnership Advance Long-Range Precision Fires

PrSM joins the U.S. Army's precision fires arsenal using transformational technology on a rapid timeline to support Joint All-Domain Operations. Learn More

BREAKING FROM POLITICO U.S. AND IRAQ TO ANNOUNCE SHIFT IN MILITARY ROLE: Our own LARA SELIGMAN has the scoop: "U.S. and Iraqi officials are finalizing a shift in the U.S. military mission in Iraq to a purely advisory role by the end of the year, marking the official end of the U.S. combat mission in the country, according to a U.S. official and two people familiar with the issue," she reported today. "Under the plan, which the people stressed will not constitute a withdrawal of American forces from the country, a number of U.S. service members will remain in Iraq indefinitely. These troops will provide logistics and advisory support, as well as air power, intelligence and surveillance capability in the fight against the Islamic State, which this week claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in Baghdad that left dozens dead."

NS2 DEAL A BETRAYAL: RADEK SIKORSKI, the former top Polish official and current EU Parliament member, says his region is raging over the Nord Stream 2 pact between the U.S. and Germany. Its viewed as a betrayal in Eastern Europe, he told NatSec Daily in the lobby of his D.C. hotel.

Poland, Ukraine and others see the Russian natural gas pipeline as a clear win for Moscow. That Washington and Berlin made the deal showed little regard for Central and Eastern European interests, he argued.

Sikorski is in town with a European delegation to meet with U.S. officials and surely give an earful to his American counterparts.

Biden, for his part, defended the agreement his administration brokered with Chancellor ANGELA MERKELs government on Nord Stream 2 late last night. Speaking to reporters on an airport tarmac outside Cincinnati, the president explained that the pipeline is 99 percent finished.

The idea that anything that was going to be said or done was going to stop it was not possible, he said.

BIDENS CUBA RESPONSE GETS SOME TEETH: The U.S. has slapped targeted individual sanctions on a Cuban military leader and a government entity extending the Magnitsky Act penalties originally passed to punish Russian government oppression and then broadened to include countries such as Venezuela.

In a statement announcing the sanctions first reported by our own MARC CAPUTO and SABRINA RODRIGUEZ Biden condemned the mass detentions and sham trials that are unjustly sentencing to prison those who dared to speak out in an effort to intimidate and threaten the Cuban people into silence.

This is just the beginning, the president said, pledging that the U.S. will continue to sanction individuals responsible for oppression of the Cuban people.

The Treasury Department this afternoon added two new entries to the Office of Foreign Assets Controls list of Specially Designated Nationals: 77-year-old LVARO LPEZ MIERA, minister of Cubas Revolutionary Armed Forces, and the Brigada Especial Nacional del Ministerio del Interior, or the Cuban governments Interior Ministry Special Brigade.

Cuban American activists, Republican lawmakers and conservative commentators had loudly criticized Biden in recent days for declining to take more forceful action since the July 11 uprisings on the island.

But the latest sanctions accompanied by measures to bring increased internet access to Cuba and calls for more international pressure on the totalitarian government is huge, said SASHA TIRADOR, a top Miami political operative who was briefed on the administrations plans last night.

No administration has ever announced that they will hold each individual who violates human rights on the island of Cuba accountable, she said.

WELCOME TO NATIONAL SECURITY DAILY. Thanks for tuning in to POLITICOs newsletter on the national security politics roiling Washington. NatSec Daily is for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage is made. Please share this subscription link with a colleague or friend. Tips welcome anytime at [emailprotected], and follow me at @alexbward on Twitter.

IF YOURE MISSING MORNING DEFENSE, DONT WORRY WERE STILL HERE: Morning D is now turbo-charged and better than ever, coming at Pro subscribers bright and early every a.m. Get more intel and sign up here. With industry scoops, breaking Pentagon news, and new reporters covering acquisitions and influence, you cant afford to miss it.

NORTH KOREAS NUKE COUNT: Researchers HANS KRISTENSEN and MATT KORDA, writing for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, are doing the math on North Koreas nuclear arsenal.

The two experts cautiously estimate that North Korea might have produced sufficient fissile material to build 40 to 50 nuclear weapons and that it might possibly have assembled 10 to 20 warheads for delivery by medium-range ballistic missiles.

That number is pretty much in line with other estimates of Pyongyangs arsenal which continues to grow. So far, North Korea has given the Biden administration the cold shoulder, and any meaningful dialogue on denuclearization with Washington just isnt happening.

HONG KONG ACTIVISTS PLEAD FOR HELP: A group of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists currently living in exile have sent a letter to Congress imploring U.S. lawmakers to pass legislation granting refugee status to Hong Kong citizens with well-founded fears of persecution by the territorys authorities, our own PHELIM KINE reports.

The letter calls on Congress to grant Priority 2 Refugee Status to Hong Kongs peaceful pro-democracy protesters seeking resettlement, Temporary Protection Status to Hong Kong citizens already in the U.S. and an extension of visas to high-skilled Hong Kong residents with an associate degree or above.

U.S. lawmakers must act quickly, the letter states, as the Hong Kong government is closing travel routes for citizens fearful of government reprisals for peaceful protest. As of Aug. 1, a new law goes into effect that would allow for exit bans on government critics.

FRANCE FINGERS CHINA FOR CYBERATTACK: The French cybersecurity agency ANSSI released a statement today formally blaming a large intrusion campaign on a hacking group called APT31 thats known to be operating in China, per our own VINCENT MANANCOURT.

In addition to allegedly targeting the numerous French entities, the U.S. this week named APT31 as one of several Chinese government-linked groups behind a major attack on Microsoft Exchange servers. The European Union said the group was operating from the territory of China, without explicitly linking it to the state.

AUSTIN REBOOTS PENTAGON BOARDS: Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN plans to restart five major Pentagon advisory boards the same ones he dissolved in February amid an effort to root out Trump loyalists, reports Lara Seligman.

Days after his confirmation in February, Austin fired the members of 31 defense advisory boards and directed the immediate suspension of operations for all 42 of the Pentagons panels, pending a zero-based review" of the Defense Departments boards and commissions.

Now, Austin is expected to restore the five major panels which focus on policy, science, business, innovation and health after he looks over the recommendations of the committee that conducted the review. The new membership of the reconstituted boards is likely to be more diverse, although some of the prior members are expected to be renominated.

LINKING UP WITH LOCKHEED: Lockheed Martin CEO JIM TAICLET, in an interview with Defense Ones MARCUS WEISGERBER, laid out plans for his company the worlds biggest defense contractor to help the Pentagon start digitally connecting all its weapons on the battlefield.

The Defense Department has already embraced a connect-everything approach. In May, the top brass signed off on the Joint All-Domain Command and Control strategy, which aims to link weapons systems and sensors from all of the military services into a single network. Now, Taiclet says he believes companies should assist in writing the technical standards for the Pentagons effort.

HOUSE HASTENS VETTING FOR AFGHAN ALLIES: The House this morning approved a measure to streamline the vetting process for Afghan nationals seeking refuge in the U.S., our own ANDREW DESIDERIO tells us. The overwhelming 407-16 vote comes amid bipartisan pressure on the Biden administration to ensure that the Afghans who aided the U.S. war effort as translators and interpreters are sufficiently protected from the rapidly advancing Taliban.

Evacuation flights for Afghan nationals are scheduled to begin later this month, but the administration is still working to find additional third countries willing to temporarily house the applicants, pending final approval of their visas.

The House bill, dubbed the Allies Act, eliminates some steps of the vetting process in order to accelerate the Afghans formal admission into the U.S. The legislation now heads to the Senate, and the White House has indicated that Biden will sign if it reaches his desk.

OUT WITH THE OLD: Air Force and Navy leaders defended their push to divest almost $3 billion worth of planes and ships in an appearance before a Senate subcommittee yesterday, according to CQ Roll Calls ANDREW CLEVENGER.

Lt. Gen. DAVID NAHOM, the Air Forces deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, and Vice Admiral JAMES KILBY, deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting requirements and capabilities, teamed up to argue that retiring the assets was necessary to invest in future capabilities and to get rid of equipment well past its service life.

But both Democratic and Republican lawmakers seemed hesitant to embrace the plan, which is part of the Defense Departments budget request. Theres not a member of this committee that doesnt get pressure from other members who serve in the Senate to keep some of these systems, said Sen. JON TESTER (D-Mont.).

AND IN WITH THE NEW: Meanwhile, on the House side of the Capitol, U.S. Special Operations Command Gen. RICHARD CLARKE testified about SOCOMs bid to buy 75 new armed overwatch aircraft with the goal of replacing an aging Air Force fleet and helping meet a global demand for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, per Air Force Magazines BRIAN EVERSTINE.

Congress previously blocked SOCOM from procuring armed overwatch aircraft in the latest National Defense Authorization Act, but it allowed the command to continue with demonstrations. In May, SOCOM awarded $19.2 million to five companies for prototypes as part of the effort.

LITTLE ACTION BACKING UP TOUGH BIDEN TALK: The Wall Street Journals right-leaning editorial board is livid with the presidents handling of foreign affairs this week, arguing his tough-guy rhetoric hasnt matched his decisions on Nord Stream 2 and China.

As for the controversial pipeline, the Biden Administration has now blessed the projects completion, handing Vladimir Putin a major strategic victory at the expense of Ukraine and Europes energy independence.

And on the lack of public retribution for Chinas hacking and cyberattacks, the editorial board argues that a joint statement with Europeans isnt enough: The allied powers announced no sanctions or other repercussions. A coalition against Chinese cyber attacks is nice, but not if the result is a lowest-common-denominator response i.e., nothing. Beijing may conclude that harsh words are all the U.S. can unite its allies behind.

ACTIVISTS WARY OF BIDENS WAR ON DOMESTIC TERROR: According to our own BETSY WOODRUFF SWAN, civil liberty advocates are warning that the administrations efforts to root out extremism within the U.S. could produce a litany of unintended consequences including a chilling effect on various forms of protest and undue government scrutiny of tens of millions of Americans.

The debate presents a challenging political dynamic for an administration seeking to appeal to progressives while also strengthening its domestic counterterror work across the board.

Our domestic terrorism strategy and its implementation are laser-focused on violence and threats of violence that threaten public safety and national security, said a senior administration official, not constitutionally protected advocacy and freedom of expression in support of political views, whatever they may be.

But CHIP GIBBONS, the policy director at Defending Rights and Dissent, framed Bidens approach in another way: It will have collateral consequences.

ROSE MAXED OUT: MAX ROSE, a senior adviser on Covid-19 in the Pentagon, announced he was leaving his post. It was an honor to work alongside so many heroes who turned the tide against the Pandemic here at home, he tweeted. Its unclear what hell do next, but he said he looks forward to some family time & the next chapter.

DOD'S TOP ASIA HAND LEAVES: DEREK HELVEY has left the Pentagon earlier after leading its Indo-Pacific policy shop. He's now a senior adviser at the U.S. Mission to NATO, Foreign Policy's JACK DETSCH reports. Previously a member of the Obama and Trump administrations, Helvey took charge of one of DOD's most vital policy portfolios and proved himself useful to SecDef Austin. "Even though Helvey was not expected to stay for the long term, he had worked closely with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, serving at his side during the Pentagon leaders first overseas trip to Japan, South Korea, India, and Afghanistan in March," Detsch wrote.

Foreign Affairs: Pakistans Pyrrhic Victory in Afghanistan

Foreign Policy: Get Ready for a Spike in Global Unrest

The New Yorker: Is Cubas Communist Party Finally Losing Its Hold on the Country?

A message from Lockheed Martin:

Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod: Affordable, Reliable and Sustainable

Sniper ATP is the most widely fielded combat-tested targeting and ISR pod used today. Handling the most challenging air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, Sniper ATP has easy two-level maintenance with 24/7 support worldwide. Learn More

SecDef Austin departs on a trip to Alaska, Singapore, Hanoi and Manila: Hell meet with key leaders to reaffirm defense relationships and conduct bilateral meetings with senior officials, per the Pentagon.

The Heritage Foundation, 11 a.m.: How Congress Can Help America Get More Out of Our Defense Dollars

Hudson Institute, 12 p.m.: Transforming Defense for a Competitive Era

The Brookings Institution, 12:30 p.m.: Transatlantic data flows: Whats next after the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield?

Have a natsec-centric event coming up? Transitioning to a new defense-adjacent or foreign policy-focused gig? Shoot us an email at [emailprotected] or [emailprotected] to be featured in the next edition of the newsletter.

Follow this link:

Ted Talks: What Cruz wants from Biden on Nord Stream 2 - Politico

Daily Political BriefingJuly 22, 2021Updated

July 22, 2021, 10:57 p.m. ET

The House voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to expand a visa program for Afghans who are facing retribution for helping American troops and diplomats during the 20-year war in Afghanistan, moving to allow more of them to immigrate to the United States quickly as the Biden administration races to evacuate them.

With Afghans who helped the U.S. personnel now facing threats from the Taliban as American troops withdraw, a broad bipartisan coalition in Congress led by military veterans who have worked alongside interpreters or fixers in combat zones themselves has raced to give the administration wider latitude to airlift them to safety.

By a vote of 407-16, the House moved on Thursday to expand the number of available special immigrant visas for Afghans to 19,000 from 11,000 and broaden the universe of people eligible for them by removing some application requirements.

Many of us have expressed grave concerns about the challenges our allies face in navigating the application process, said Representative Zoe Lofgren, Democrat of California and chairwoman of the Administration Committee. Afghans stepped forward to serve aside our brave military.

Under the legislation, applicants would no longer have to provide a sworn statement that they faced a specific threat or proof that they held a sensitive and trusted job. Instead, the measure would in effect stipulate that any Afghan who helped the U.S. government by definition faces retribution, and should be able to apply for a visa.

The legislation also strengthens protections for surviving spouses and children, allowing them to retain eligibility if an applicant dies or is killed before his or her visa is approved. Each visa applicant is allowed to include up to four family members, limited to their spouse and unmarried children under the age 21.

The bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where there is bipartisan support for the Afghan visa program, but funding for its expansion has been embroiled in a broader fight over spending on Capitol security. The same is true for another measure the House passed recently that would waive a requirement for applicants to undergo medical examinations in Afghanistan before qualifying for visas.

Both pieces of legislation aim to shorten the long wait for permission to enter the United States, which can last as long as seven years for some applicants.

Even with the bill passed on Thursday, the application process is still expected to take more than a year long after the American withdrawal.

Sixteen Republicans opposed the measure, which some of them argued did not contain strong enough vetting for the Afghans who helped American troops. Others argued that the bill was simply misguided at a time when Congress should be more strictly limiting immigration, not making it easier.

But those arguments were rejected by Representative Michael Waltz, Republican of Florida and a former Green Beret who still serves as a colonel in the national guard. He referenced an interpreter he served with in Afghanistan, nicknamed Spartacus, who he said had been beheaded along with members of his family for helping Americans.

The legislation does not diminish or circumvent the screening process, Mr. Waltz said. Trust me, before these men and women were allowed to work with our units, they were heavily vetted.

The legislation, spearheaded by Representative Jason Crow, Democrat of Colorado and a former Army Ranger, has widespread support in both parties.

Some members of this body, including me, may not be here without the service and sacrifice of Afghans who answered the call to serve shoulder-to-shoulder with us, Mr. Crow said.

Its consideration comes as the Biden administration has announced plans to evacuate an initial tranche of Afghans to an Army base in Virginia in the coming days. About 2,500 Afghan interpreters, drivers and others who worked with American forces, as well as their family members, will be sent in stages to Fort Lee, Va., south of Richmond, to await final processing for formal entry into the United States, officials said.

With the American military in the final phases of withdrawing from Afghanistan, the White House has come under heavy pressure to protect the Afghan allies.

Representative Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas, said the Afghans have a bull's-eye on their back.

They will be killed if we dont get them out of there, Mr. McCaul said. Please, Mr. President, get them out before they are killed.

Some of the Afghans awaiting visas have spoken out about the threats they face from the Taliban.

Since 2014, the nonprofit organization No One Left Behind has tracked the killings of more than 300 translators or their family members, many of whom died while waiting for their visas to be processed, according to James Miervaldis, the groups chairman and an Army Reserve noncommissioned officer.

More than 18,000 Afghans who have worked as interpreters, drivers, engineers, security guards, fixers and embassy clerks for the United States during the war have been caught in bureaucratic limbo after applying for special immigrant visas, which are available to people who face threats because of work for the U.S. government. The applicants have 53,000 family members, U.S. officials have said.

J. Thomas Manger, a veteran police chief of departments in the Washington, D.C., region, has been hired to lead the United States Capitol Police, the board that oversees the agency announced on Thursday.

After conducting a national search in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, the board members said in a statement that they were confident in Chief Mangers experience and approach in protecting the Congress its members, employees, visitors and facilities.

He will begin work on Friday. Chief Manger takes over a police force that is still reeling half a year after the riot. The 2,000-member police force that protects Congress finds itself at perhaps its biggest crossroads in its nearly two-century existence. Its work force is traumatized and overworked as its ranks have been hollowed out by a flood of departures. The agency is facing possible furloughs, teetering on the brink of running out of funding as overtime costs outpace its budget for salaries. It has been besieged by criticism from members of both parties for the stunning security failures that allowed the assault to occur.

After the attack, Steven A. Sund resigned from his post as the Capitol Police chief, along with the top House and Senate security officials, a move that left raw feelings on the force among those who remained deeply loyal to Mr. Sund.

The union representing officers voted that it had no confidence in the acting Capitol Police chief, Yogananda D. Pittman, and six other senior officials in the department.

The challenges in protecting the Capitol campus, and everyone who works or visits there, have never been more complex, Chief Manger said in a statement.

The courage and dedication of the men and women of this agency were on great display on Jan. 6th. It is now my job to ensure that they have the resources and support to continue to fulfill their mission in an ever increasingly difficult job.

Chief Manger has spent more than four decades in policing, including serving as chief of police in Montgomery County, Md., from 2004 to 2019. He also served as police chief in Fairfax County, Va., from 1998 to 2004.

From 2014 to 2018, Chief Manger was president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, and from 2013 to 2017, he was vice president of the Police Executive Research Forum.

transcript

transcript

If were ever going to be able to get through this, and especially to prevent something like this from happening again, we need to at least find out how it really did happen. And while Speaker Pelosi refuses to investigate this, many of us have taken action on our own to start digging in to the facts, to try to get the facts as best we can. We know that the Chinese Communist Party wont release the background, the data, the facts. Wont let us talk to those people that worked in that Wuhan lab was there American tax dollars that went directly or indirectly to the Wuhan lab to perform gain-of-function research. A lot of evidence indicates there was all of these questions deserve answers. The question is: Why are Democrats stonewalling our efforts to uncover the origin of the Covid virus? Why are Democrats not investigating the growing list of evidence that leads us directly to the Chinese Communist Party and their cover-up? And why is this administration refusing to hold China accountable? Our Republican members will continue to work to demand answers and accountability and transparency for the American people.

House Republican leaders and doctors gathered Thursday morning for a news conference ostensibly to urge Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus amid rising infections across the United States, but they used the event to attack Democrats who they said, without proof, had dissembled about the origins of the virus.

The appearance by the second and third-ranking House Republicans, Representatives Steve Scalise of Louisiana, and Elise Stefanik of New York, alongside a dozen doctors suggested that a resurgence in the spread of the virus, driven by the more contagious Delta variant, had not prompted the party to change its tone. Mr. Scalise and Ms. Stefanik instead blasted Democrats for what they called a cover-up on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.

Only when pressed by reporters did the leaders address vaccination.

I would encourage people to get the vaccine, Mr. Scalise said near the end of the event, when pressed about his position on it. I have high confidence in it. I got it myself.

He and other Republicans spent most of their time on Thursday discussing unproven claims that the Chinese had released a virulent, human-made virus on the world and charging that Democrats had ignored it.

The event in front of the Capitol had been billed as a press conference to discuss the need for individuals to get vaccinated, uncover the origins of the pandemic, and keep schools and businesses open. Yet Republicans who attended, many of whom represent constituencies that have refused to get the vaccine, could not seem to bring themselves to hammer home the importance of doing so.

Even the doctors who emphasized vaccinations, Representative Andy Harris of Maryland and Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, soft-pedaled and qualified their statements.

If you are at risk, you should be getting this vaccine, Dr. Harris said, adding, We urge all Americans to talk to their doctors about the risks of Covid, talk to their doctors about the benefits of getting vaccinated, and then come to a decision thats right for them.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that anyone age 12 or over not only those at higher risk get vaccinated against the coronavirus as soon as possible.

When pressed, Representative Greg Murphy, Republican of North Carolina, demurred: This vaccine is a medicine, and just like with any other medicines, there are side effects and this is a personal decision.

The emphasis on the so-called lab leak theory was something of a surprise given the surge of infections concentrated in rural, strongly Republican regions of the country.

Nationally, the average of new coronavirus infections has surged 171 percent in 14 days, to more than 41,300 a day on Wednesday, and deaths a lagging number are up 42 percent from two weeks ago, to nearly 250, according to a New York Times database. Still, new cases, hospitalizations and deaths remain at a fraction from their previous devastating peaks.

Vaccines remain effective against the worst outcomes of Covid-19, including from the Delta variant. Experts say breakthrough infections in vaccinated people are so far still relatively uncommon. The Delta variant is estimated to account for 83 percent of new cases in the United States, the C.D.C. said earlier this week.

The Kaiser Family Foundation reported at the end of June that 86 percent of Democrats had at least one shot, compared with 52 percent of Republicans. An analysis by The Times in April found that the least vaccinated counties in the country had one thing in common: They voted for Mr. Trump.

But Dr. Murphy said the notion that conservatives are hesitant to receive the vaccine is not only disingenuous; its a lie.

As for the lab leak theory, one after another, Republicans framed the issue as virtually settled: Research at a virus laboratory in Wuhan, China, created the novel coronavirus through risky gain of function experiments, then leaked it into the world.

Criminals have been convicted on less circumstantial evidence than currently exists, and every day more evidence has revealed, Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa said.

Recently, some scientists have urged that the possibility of a lab leak be taken seriously, alongside the possibility that the coronavirus emerged naturally, most likely from an animal. But they are mostly looking at the possibility that a naturally evolved virus was present in the lab and escaped, not that the virus was created deliberately. Even some of the most vocal scientific supporters of a lab leak possibility do not claim that there is definitive evidence of the origin of the virus.

Rather than cover up the matter, President Biden ordered U.S. intelligence agencies in late May to investigate the origins of the coronavirus and to report back in 90 days.

The Justice Department on Thursday began putting in place a plan to reduce violent crime in the nations largest cities, detailing the work of five federal strike forces aimed at disrupting illegal gun traffickers who flood urban streets with illicit firearms.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland traveled to Chicago, where one of the strike forces will be located, to highlight the plan and underscore the Biden administrations efforts to curb the spread of illegal firearms. A Chicago police officer and two agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were shot while working undercover in the city this month.

The gun violence tragedy now facing the country, needless to say, affects our communities and our security and safety, but it also affects our law enforcement officers, Mr. Garland said in remarks at A.T.F. headquarters in Washington before leaving for Chicago.

He also appealed to lawmakers, who have not yet confirmed President Bidens nominee to lead the bureau, David Chipman. A.T.F. is on the front lines of our efforts to battle gun violence, Mr. Garland said. We are very hopeful that the Senate will soon act.

The bureau will serve as a key coordinating partner in the strike forces, which will be overseen by U.S. attorneys in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Northern California and Washington, D.C. The Justice Department has identified those places as end points for significant gun trafficking corridors.

WASHINGTON Calling Roe v. Wade egregiously wrong, Mississippis attorney general urged the Supreme Court on Thursday to do away with the constitutional right to abortion and to sustain a state law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

The court will hear arguments in the case in the fall, giving its newly expanded conservative majority a chance to confront what may be the most divisive issue in American law: whether the Constitution protects the right to end pregnancies.

Lower courts blocked the Mississippi statute, calling it a cynical and calculated assault on abortion rights squarely at odds with Supreme Court precedents. The justices agreed to hear the case in May, just months after Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who has said she personally opposes abortion, joined the court. She replaced Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a proponent of abortion rights, who died in September.

The new filing, from Attorney General Lynn Fitch, was a sustained and detailed attack on Roe and the rulings that followed it, notably Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision that said states may not impose an undue burden on the right to abortion before fetal viability the point at which fetuses can sustain life outside the womb, or about 23 or 24 weeks.

The Constitution does not protect a right to abortion, Ms. Fitch wrote. The Constitutions text says nothing about abortion. Nothing in the Constitutions structure implies a right to abortion or prohibits states from restricting it.

She told the justices that the scope of abortion rights should be determined through the political process. The national fever on abortion can break only when this court returns abortion policy to the states where agreement is more common, compromise is often possible and disagreement can be resolved at the ballot box.

The law at issue in the case, Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, No. 19-1392, was enacted in 2018 by the Republican-dominated Mississippi Legislature. It banned abortions if the probable gestational age of the unborn human was determined to be more than 15 weeks. The statute included narrow exceptions for medical emergencies or a severe fetal abnormality.

The law was challenged by Mississippis sole abortion clinic, which is represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, an advocacy group. The centers president, Nancy Northup, said she was dismayed by the states new filing.

Mississippi has stunningly asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe and every other abortion rights decision in the last five decades, Ms. Northup said in a statement. Todays brief reveals the extreme and regressive strategy, not just of this law, but of the avalanche of abortion bans and restrictions that are being passed across the country.

The precise question the justices agreed to decide was whether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional. Depending on how the court answers that question, it could reaffirm, revise or do away with the longstanding constitutional framework for abortion rights.

Ms. Fitch urged the justices to take the third approach, saying it would bolster the legitimacy of the court.

Roe and Casey are unprincipled decisions that have damaged the democratic process, poisoned our national discourse, plagued the law and, in doing so, harmed this court, she wrote.

Representative Hank Johnson, Democrat of Georgia, was among a group of protesters arrested on the Capitol complex on Thursday while demonstrating for voting rights and against the filibuster in the Senate. The arrest came one week after the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police, also while demonstrating for voting rights.

I was arrested today protesting against Senate inaction on voting rights legislation & filibuster reform, Mr. Johnson wrote on Twitter. In the spirit of my dear friend and mentor the late Congressman John Lewis I was getting in #goodtrouble.

In a video posted to his Twitter account, Mr. Johnson could be seen continuing to chant with protesters even after he was taken into custody with his hands bound in zip ties.

Tia Mitchell, a reporter with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution who was on the scene, posted a video on Twitter showing Mr. Johnson and other protesters with their arms linked, blocking a doorway. They were warned by U.S. Capitol Police that they could be arrested for demonstrating without a permit, according to Ms. Mitchell.

Last Thursday, Representative Joyce Beatty, Democrat of Ohio, was among nine people arrested in the atrium of a Senate office building while demonstrating in favor of two voting rights bills in Congress, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act.

Both measures aim to protect and expand access to voting but face long odds of becoming law because Democrats, who have a narrow majority in the Senate, need Republican votes to overcome a filibuster. For months, Democrats have expressed frustration over their inability to advance their expansive voting overhauls as Republican state legislatures rush to pass laws that restrict voting rights across the country.

President Biden last week called the fight against restrictive voting laws the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War, even as he seemed to acknowledge that the legislation had little hope of passing. At a televised town hall on Wednesday in Cincinnati, the president defended keeping the filibuster, saying that getting rid of it would throw the entire Congress into chaos and nothing will get done.

As news and images of the arrests spread across social media, some noted the contrast between the treatment of the members of Congress, who are both Black, and the hundreds of rioters who trespassed at the Capitol on Jan. 6 who were not detained, although police made efforts to impede them.

In an interview with Elle about her arrest, Ms. Beatty pointed out the same discrepancy.

At the Jan. 6 insurrection, you had thousands of people damaging federal property, rushing and breaking down doors, Ms. Beatty said. People were dying. There was nothing peaceful about it. And look what happened. That day there were no arrests, no handcuffs, no paddy wagons.

WASHINGTON The Biden administration issued new sanctions on Thursday against Cubas defense minister and an elite brigade of government security forces over human rights violations during a crackdown on protesters this month.

In the days since demonstrations erupted across Cuba on July 11, the Biden administration has been consulting with officials in Washington and experts on how broadly it should impose economic penalties against authorities accused of ordering or carrying out a heavy-handed response.

The Biden administration concluded that lvaro Lpez Miera, the head of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, has played an integral role in the repression of ongoing protests in Cuba, the Treasury Department said in a statement.

Members of the special forces unit Boinas Negras, or Black Berets, which was previously placed under sanctions during the final days of the Trump administration, will also be penalized for a wave of arrests larger than any other crackdown in years, if not decades.

Activists said at least 150 protesters were arrested or disappeared during the July 11 demonstrations, and internet service was cut for much of the island to stifle anti-government sentiment. Additionally, Human Rights Watch officials said on Thursday that protesters in Cuba were being subjected to closed-door summary trials without a defense lawyer.

The sanctions, issued as part of the Global Magnitsky Act, allow the American government to freeze the property or other assets in the United States that belong to the people targeted by the economic penalties.

The Cuban people have the same right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly as all people, President Biden said in a statement.

He added, This is just the beginning the United States will continue to sanction individuals responsible for oppression of the Cuban people.

Cubas foreign minister, Bruno Rodrguez, said the new sanctions were unfounded & slanderous in a message on Twitter.

Calling attention to police violence in the United States, the foreign minister added: It should rather apply unto itself the Magnitsky Global Act for systematic repression & police brutality that took the lives of 1021 persons in 2020.

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, described the sanctions as among a range of responses Mr. Biden would deploy to help Cubans grappling with government oppression and a growing humanitarian crisis. She said that addressing this moment was a priority for the administration.

As vice president during the Obama administration, Mr. Biden oversaw a policy that restored full diplomatic relations with Cuba for the first time in more than a half-century. But he has taken a tougher stance as president, a position that generally has been greeted warmly by members of Congress including some Democrats who had been in the awkward position of siding with President Donald J. Trumps policy of containing Cubas communist government.

Cubans have grown increasingly frustrated with their government amid an economic crisis that has included food scarcity, power cuts, skyrocketing inflation and a growing number of Covid-19 deaths. The Cuban government, for its part, has blamed the United States for a trade embargo and, last week, accused American officials of stirring the unrest.

Our message could not be clearer: The U.S. stands with the people of Cuba and there will be consequences for those with blood on their hands, Senator Bob Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey and the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said on Twitter. Mr. Biden is absolutely right in holding the Cuban regime accountable as it violently tries to squash Cubans hopes & dreams.

The State Department also is considering whether to allow people in the United States to send money to relatives and friends in Cuba though a remittance process that, in past cases, has been exploited by government officials who have seized a cut of the funds. The departments spokesman, Ned Price, said this week that the Biden administration was examining how to get the money directly in the hands of the Cuban people.

Additionally, Mr. Price said, the department may increase the number of American diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, where the Trump administration set the number of staff at the bare minimum. It is not clear when, or if, the Biden administration will move forward on either front.

Ernesto Londoo and Frances Robles contributed reporting.

The C.I.A. is stepping up efforts to confront the cause and effects of mysterious sonic incidents, believed to be attacks, that have injured U.S. officials, by increasing medical staff and assigning an agency veteran who hunted Osama bin Laden, the agencys director, William J. Burns, said in an interview on Thursday.

Im certainly persuaded that what our officers and some family members, as well as other U.S. government employees, have experienced is real and its serious, Mr. Burns told NPR in his first interview since taking over the C.I.A. three months ago.

Read this article:

The House votes to increase the number of visas for Afghans who have helped U.S. troops. - The New York Times

A Cuban flag and an image of Cubas late President Fidel Castro hang on a wall in Havana as people head to Revolution Square for a massive tribute to Castro in 2016.(Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters)

Like all forms of oppression, communism and democratic socialism belong in the dustbin of history.

We may be witnessing the end of Communism in Cuba. On July 11, thousands of Cubans took to the streets to protest the islands appalling political and economic conditions. Some media outlets are trying to spin these as COVID protests rather than a general rejection of government domination. The cries of Freedom! and Enough! and the prevalence of American flags put that narrative to rest. Cubans long to be free, and now they may get the chance.

The island nation of 11 million is a political and economic basket case. Its government is a brutal dictatorship with an appalling record of human-rights abuses. Freedom of speech and assembly are heavily curtailed, and in response to the protests, the regime has restricted Internet access. Cubas economy is largely bereft of private ownership. Government-run enterprises are the rule, not the exception. Most workers are employed by the state. On the Heritage Index of Economic Freedom, only two countries rank lower: Venezuela and North Korea.

These are not separate problems. Political and economic tyranny are symptoms of the same malady. We must not fall into the trap of blaming only one kind of repression. In Capitalism and Freedom, Milton Friedman warned against thinking any kind of economic arrangement can be associated with any kind of political arrangement. We arent free to choose political and economic systems a la carte. Genuine democracy requires free enterprise, and vice versa.

Cubas ongoing turmoil reminds us we cant compartmentalize human freedom. Sadly, many Western politicians and intellectuals remain obstinate. So-called democratic socialism is currently fashionable. Its also completely unworkable. F. A. Hayek, who shared the Nobel prize in economics in 1974 and was also an accomplished political philosopher, demonstrated this nearly 80 years ago. His Road to Serfdom shows economic control and political liberty are incompatible. The reason is obvious: Top-down economic planners cannot possibly obtain the knowledge of free citizens acting in their economic interest. Political freedom threatens the very control the elites wish to exercise. As Hayek recognized, democratic socialism is not only unachievable, but that to strive for it produces something utterly different the very destruction of freedom itself.

What about China? comes the inevitable reply. Yes, China has seen significant economic liberalization without political liberalization over the decades. But even now, the Chinese Communist Party dominates economic affairs. Formally and informally, many businesses take their marching orders from the government. In the words of Xi Jinping, the CCPs goal is integrating the leadership of the party into all aspects of corporate governance. Dont be fooled into thinking the CCPs compromise with some amount of private residual income is a capitalist triumph.

Is it possible to have extensive economic freedom without political freedom? Certainly, its possible. But far more importantly, how likely is this to work? Too often we focus on authoritarian-capitalist success stories Singapore is a favorite as if they provide a generalizable model. Robert Lawson, a researcher at Southern Methodist University and a leading expert on economic and political freedom, rightly calls out this ahistorical thinking. For every Lee Kuan Yew, Lawson reminds us, there are dozens of tin-pot dictators who have ruined their nations. The extensive scholarly literature on political and economic freedom is clear: They are complements, not substitutes.

Of course, the fullest flowering of human political freedom is liberal democracy. While regular, transparent elections are important, these may matter less for economic liberty than constitutional protections for speech, religion, assembly, and so on, writes Lawson. Reaching this destination is incredibly hard. It took a good long time in the Anglosphere. As ex-prime minister Gordon Brown once quipped, When establishing the rule of law, the first five centuries are the hardest. Can it happen in Cuba, China, and other authoritarian states on a more favorable timeline? The jury is still out on how effectively political repression can function in these societies. What might be fragile in Cuba can weather a storm in China. Transitions are always tricky. Hopefully all nations suffering despotism can find their way.

Like all forms of oppression, Communism and democratic socialism belong in the dustbin of history. They deprive millions of life, liberty, and property. Its time to make a final push to eradicate these barbaric philosophies once and for all. We can only hope the brave Cuban demonstrators will lead the way. If they show the world the harmony of political and economic freedom, they can forever wear it as a badge of honor.

See more here:

Cuba Reminds Us There Is No Political Freedom without Economic Freedom - National Review

By contributing authors Tishina Okegbe, PhD, MPP and Temi Ifafore-Calfee

Historically, global health assistance has been delivered largely by high and upper-middle income countries, the so-called Global North. These countries export technical expertise, often furnishing financial and human resources to low- and middle-income countries, frequently referred to as the Global South. Annually, OECD and donor countries spent over $150 billion on foreign aid with a subset targeted to advance global health goals and priorities abroad. While we celebrate declining poverty rates, improving maternal and child health outcomes and ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic, deeper investigation leads one to question the purportedly altruistic nature of the Global North. In fact, one may find that an element of duality exists.

Global health assistance has its origin in colonization, though development agencies, donors, academic institutions, and global health practitioners seldom refer to this history. As a result, health systems across the globe model themselves on systems established by former colonial powers. These systems are held up as the ideal to which the Global South should aspire. The consequences of the Global North not recognizing the enduring imprint of colonization and imperialism results in continued subjugation of the Global South through the provision of global health technical assistance.

The negative impact of the North-South dynamics is evident. People from the Global South regularly report being ignored, silenced, and excluded from funding decisions that affect them. Several studies have highlighted the extraction of intellectual property from the Global South as reflected by principal authors from outside countries of research, including a recent Lancet Global Health commentary. Global health organization staffing models built on highly paid Global North leadership and inexpensive Global South labor may result in adverse work conditions. Moreover, English and other UN official languages dominate the language of global health fora and publications, further devaluing local languages.

In the Global North countries, academic institutions can play a critical role in shrinking the space between the purported values of global health and incongruent actions. This starts by acknowledging the duality that exists and actively working to improve the health and wellbeing of domestic communities of color. Framing the work through a restorative justice lens, Global North countries must also self-reflect. Given that the United States is the worlds largest global health assistance funder, intentionally rectifying ubiquitous oppressive global health practices may motivate other Global North countries to initiate national-level self-inquiry.

Because systems of oppression are complex and longstanding, we recognize that there is no sole solution to dismantle them. Hence, we offer two recommendations for US academic and global health institutions and practitioners to implement towards mitigating the problematic duality.

We applaud efforts by institutions like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Lancet to address the organizational structures and systems that perpetuate racial inequity. These efforts advance transparency and contribute towards closing the vast research gap on the study of racism and its impact on health practices. However, were concerned that these efforts are performative and commitments will fade once momentum passes. US academic institutions can address this concern by establishing a global accountability structure. This structure would create a safe space through which the Global North acknowledges its oppressive legacy and the subsequent impact on the Global South, and truly listens and learns from the Global South. This structure could be coordinated by a body such as the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, whose current membership represents government, US and international institutions, and think tanks. This would lead to a gradual shift in power dynamics, which currently favors the Global North. It will also be important for Global North institutions to hold each other accountable so that the onus does not rest on the Global South.

US academic institutions also have a role to play in advancing equitable access to quality health services. While domestic communities of color appear strikingly similar to populations the US serves abroad through global health assistance, strategic domestic health investments in communities of colors have been lacking. US academic institutions should employ the same evidence-based decision-making processes domestically that are utilized internationally to determine where resources and healthcare investments should be deployed. By determining the magnitude and geography of the problem, these institutions can assist the government in providing technical assistance to communities in need.

We acknowledge that these recommendations will not eradicate this duality, as more robust, systemic approaches are needed to shift dynamics that have been in place for centuries. However, they can serve as first steps and can be implemented immediately. We are also inspired by recent US commitments toward advancing racial equity and can envision a decolonized global health field on the horizon.

Tishina Okegbe, PhD, MPP is a global health specialist with 10+ years of experience. She earned her PhD at the University of Pennsylvania and a masters degree from Princeton University, and is a Term Member on the Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tishina-okegbe/

Temi Ifafore-Calfee is the acting Managing Director within USAIDs Private Sector Engagement Hub. Her career spans 15 years, holding senior and director-level roles and she is a first-generation American.

Disclaimer: The findings and views in this commentary are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.

Read more:

Helping or Hurting? The Duality of Global Health and How to Fix It - PLoS Blogs

More than 200 nations are represented at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. As ever, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) asserts the games are a means of unifying humanity through elite sport. At the same time, though, IOC president Thomas Bach concedes:

The Olympic Games cannot prevent wars and conflicts.

Instead, he says, the games are unifying by way of symbolism:

[] they can set an example for a world where everyone respects the same rules and one another.

The inference here is that the Olympics, with a rule-based platform for nations and athletes to come together respectfully and cohesively, provide an opportunity for dialogue and friendship that resonates beyond sport.

The confluence of nations at the Olympics also underscores the IOCs much-vaunted position that the games must be politically neutral. Indeed, as a practical demonstration of that aspiration, both the IOC and the United Nations promulgate the goal of an Olympic Truce for a period of seven days before the Olympics until seven days after the Paralympics.

Thus, there is an expectation that UN member states will cease hostilities, ostensibly to protect athletes competing at the Tokyo games.

However, that anti-political idealism is confounded by a sobering reality: nations and athletes come together to compete at the Olympics, but they can hardly leave behind a range of tensions and conflicts in global geopolitics.

Indeed, beneath the hubris of Olympic evangelism, the realpolitik of corruption, conflict, domination or genocide permeate numerous countries that are an integral part of the so-called Olympic family. Among them, Myanmar and Iran provide compelling examples.

The Facebook site of the Myanmar Olympic Committee highlights an invitation to athletes at Tokyo to sign the Olympic Truce Mural. However, this hardly seems a straightforward matter for the three qualified athletes from Myanmar.

Back home, the countrys military dictatorship has shown genocidal intent against the (largely) Muslim Rohingya community, while Myanmars armed forces, reacting against pro-democracy activists, have reportedly killed more than 900 people since the coup and detained thousands.

The IOC, meanwhile, will welcome to Tokyo 2021 Myanmars deputy minister for health and sports, U Myo Hlaing, thereby providing sanction to the countrys repressive regime.

Read more: Explainer: why the UN has found Myanmars military committed genocide against the Rohingya

For Win Htet Oo, an expatriate swimmer living in Melbourne with his family from Myanmar, the hypocrisy of representing a country that is wantonly killing its own people proved too much to bear. Win Htet initially wrote to the IOC with a request that he be allowed to swim as a neutral athlete, independent of any country.

But this was denied, presumably because he was not a refugee. The politically neutral IOC was not about to allow a citizen-athlete to claim neutrality from their country. Unable to disassociate himself from a murderous regime, Win Htet withdrew from selection for the Tokyo games, declaring: I shall not march in the parade of nations under a flag steeped in my peoples blood.

By contrast, Thet Htar Thuzar, a badminton player, is committed to representing Myanmar at the Tokyo Olympics. In a social media post, she wrote that her long-cherished dream has come true. Thet Htar was not merely self-absorbed: she hoped to make her compatriots smile even for just a moment amid the hardships they are facing.

However, many respondents on social media were unimpressed, seeing participation in the games by local athletes as a gesture of subservience to the Myanmar military.

Unlike Win Htet, though, Thet Htar and her family live in Myanmar under a dictatorship. With the military regime talking up her role in the Olympics, she may have been in no position to talk it down.

Wrestling is a sport in which Iranians have performed extremely well. The countrys official news agency reports that six wrestlers will represent the republic at Tokyo 2021.

However, champion Greco-Roman wrestler Navid Afkari cannot be among them. In September 2020, he was executed by the Iranian government. The execution was widely seen by critics as retribution for Navids high-profile participation in mass protests against an oppressively authoritarian regime.

The IOC was deeply disappointed that its diplomatic representations to the Iranian government, seeking clemency for Navid, were ignored. Capital punishment is, of course, part of state power in many countries that take part in the Olympics. But critics contended that Navids trial was a sham. For them, this punishment amounted to a political execution.

Navid had aspired to be at the Tokyo Olympics. Exiled Iranian activists argued that, in the wake of this athletes execution, the IOC should ban their country from the 2021 games.

Yet this did not happen. Discussing the case, the IOC vice president, John Coates, personified the IOCs navet when he noted:

The difficulty for us is this execution didnt relate to a sporting event.

However, he pointed out that when Iranian athletes refused to compete against Israeli athletes, a suspension ensued. In terms of Navid, though, Coates sat firmly on the IOCs neutrality fence:

Weve been getting two sides to the story as to whether he got a fair go or didnt get a fair go.

Although the Olympic Truce is a public relations metaphor rather than a declaration with practical salience, the games environment may inadvertently provide safe haven opportunities for athletes from countries with repressive political regimes.

The best-known example of this was the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, which featured the defection of some 55 Hungarian athletes to the West in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Hungary. However, political asylum at the Olympics is relatively uncommon and, in the context of the Tokyo games, unlikely. The Japanese government has no appetite for political refugees, with long-term detention the norm.

The IOC, meanwhile, has conceived its own safe haven for a small number of Olympic athletes who have fled conflict and assumed the status of refugees. The IOC Refugee Olympic Team, which began at the Rio Olympics of 2016, has now been selected for Tokyo. It features 29 athletes, of whom four are originally from Iran. The best known of the Iranians is taekwondo star Kimia Alizadeh, who absconded during athletic competition in Europe.

Read more: The Olympics have always been a platform for protest. Banning hand gestures and kneeling ignores their history

Notwithstanding the IOCs commitment to political neutrality, Kimias claims of oppression by the Iran regime are manifest in their profile of her as a refugee Olympian. So, in a decidedly political pivot, the IOC welcomes Iran to the Tokyo Olympics, along with four Iranian athletes who fled to seek political asylum.

Notwithstanding the Olympic ideals of friendly dialogue during the games, the schism between political refugees and their original countries is hardly going to evaporate.

More generally, the IOCs selectively applied position of political neutrality is certain to provide ongoing consternation given that the worlds most repressive regimes are welcomed into the Olympic family. Arguably, the IOCs apolitical position actually emboldens dictatorships and human rights abuses. It offers no consequences except in the case of athletes prevented from playing sport.

Read more from the original source:

The Olympic movement claims political neutrality. In reality, that ideal is often selectively applied - The Conversation AU

Wed, Jul 21, 2021

UkraineAlertbyDoug Klain

I dont ask [the United States] to back me, I ask [it] to back democratic values, said Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the democratic opposition in Belarus, during her first working visit to Washington, DC, to meet with high-level US government officials.

This is understandable for America. We are sharing common values like rule of law, human rights, democracy. The fight now is in Belarus locally, but its the problem of the whole world, she continued.

Tsikhanouskaya sat down in-person for an Atlantic Council Front Page event hosted by the Councils Eurasia Center, where she was interviewed by PBS NewsHour Chief Correspondent Amna Nawaz and was joined by US Ambassador to Belarus Julie Fisher and Eurasia Center Deputy Director Melinda Haring. The event came a day after Tsikhanouskayas meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other State Department officials, and hours before her meetings with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and members of Congress.

Asked by Nawaz what she wants from the Biden administration, Tsikhanouskaya replied Maximum pressure, and maximum support to civil society in Belarus, especially to those Belarusians still working to document human rights abuses and crimes committed by Belarusian authorities.

Send a clear message that the independence for Belarus is the highest value and that Belarus is not [up for deals]. Nobody can sign any deals with Lukashenka at the moment because he is illegitimate.

watch the event

Tsikhanouskaya rose to prominence challenging Belaruss longtime dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka during the lead up to the countrys 2020 presidential election. When her husband, political vlogger Siarhiy Tsikhanouski, was jailed by the government for trying to challenge Lukashenka for the presidency, Tsikhanouskayaan English teacher without political experiencestepped up and ran in her husbands place.

Lukashenka stole the election and forced Tsikhanouskaya to flee the country when she likely won. Belarusians took to the streets en masse in protests that ground the country to a halt for months and faced violent beatings and detentions from police, torture and assault in prisons, and one of the harshest authoritarian crackdowns seen in years.

Today, Tsikhanouskaya runs the Coordination Council for the Transfer of Power working to rally the international community to support the Belarusian people and hold Lukashenka accountable.

Our goal is holding new free and fair elections in Belarus, and observation of [the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] or different organizations to retain peoples right to vote, said Tsikhanouskaya.

But as the face of the movement for democracy in Belarus and the biggest voice against Lukashenka, would Tsikhanouskaya run again for the presidency herself?

Im not going to participate in new elections, she told Nawaz. I have a mandate only tobring our country to new elections. But I never wanted to be in power.

Since fleeing Belarus and finding refuge in Lithuania, Tsikhanouskaya has managed a balancing act of using her newfound prominence to elevate the issues facing Belarusiansespecially the more than 550 political prisoners still locked up, including her husbandwhile maintaining that success will mean her stepping away from the leadership role she now occupies.

One of the biggest concerns Tsikhanouskaya is facing is the ability for the democratic movement to sustain itself. While Belarusians took to the streets in the hundreds of thousands last year, the combination of massive state violence and a brutally cold winter have limited wide-scale protests.

Is the enthusiasm gone? Has Lukashenka won? asked Nawaz.

Of course people went to fight on an underground level People are continuing to fight, even though we cant go out so massively, said Tsikhanouskaya. This is bravery. When you are under attack, under oppression, but you are continuing to fight. People understand that they can be detained at any moment, you can be kidnapped on the street just because of the color of your socks or because you participated in peaceful demonstrations [last year], but you are going out and doing something.

Thats why in my meetings, I urge countries, Dont lead a picture-based policy, lead a values-based policy. Dont think that if you dont see those huge demonstrations, people lost intention for changes. Of course not.

Subscribe for the latest from BelarusAlert

Another key issue is what a future Belarusian state will look like on the world stage. To stay in power, Lukashenka has relied heavily on support from Russian President Vladimir Putin as Western leaders have rebuked him. What does Moscow want in Belarus, and how critical is Putins support for Lukashenkas government?

Putin supported Lukashenka after fraudulent elections because the Kremlin also did not expect such an uprising of the Belarusian people, said Tsikhanouskaya. Its really a pity, because we have a wonderful relationship with the Russian people. Lukashenka is not the whole of Belarus, hes only one person.

I have a question, said Tsikhanouskaya. Why are we talking about Russia in this case? This is not a fight between West and East, our fight is between the past and the future. This is a fight inside our country for bringing people their right to choose whoever they want.

Our country is in crisis, and if Russia wants to play a constructive role, just dont interfere in the policy of our country.

When the conversation concluded, Tsikhanouskaya left for the White House to meet with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and then on to Capitol Hill where she met with the leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and other members of Congress, and later with USAID Administrator Samantha Power.

While her appearance at the Atlantic Council occurred on day three of her trip, Tsikhanouskaya also plans to travel to New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles for further meetings.

Doug Klain is a program assistant at the Atlantic Councils Eurasia Center. Find him on Twitter @DougKlain.

Related content

Wed, Jul 7, 2021

The autocratic regime of Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka is intensifying its ongoing cold war against Europe via a series of threats to block trade routes along with ongoing moves to flood the EU with illegal migrants.

UkraineAlertbyBrian Whitmore

Read the original:

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Belarus' future and her place in it - Atlantic Council

In 1979, Assata Shakur of the Black Liberation Army achieved a near-impossible feat: She escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women, where she was serving a life sentence for the first-degree murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster after a shootout on the state turnpike.

She has remained a free woman ever since, having been officially granted political asylum by Cuba in 1984, five years post-breakout.

Shakur's story serves as something of a symbol for the relationship between some American social justice movements and Cuba's authoritarian regime. Take the statement released last week by Black Lives Matter (BLM), addressing the ongoing protests in Cuba amid the government's inability to provide basic food and medicine: "Since 1962, the United States has forced pain and suffering on the people of Cuba by cutting off food, medicine and supplies," the group wrote, referring to the U.S. embargo on trade. "The people of Cuba are being punished by the U.S. government because the country has maintained its commitment to sovereignty and self-determination.Instead of international amity, respect, and goodwill, the U.S. has only instigated suffering for the country's 11 million peopleof which 4 million are Black and Brown." The statement also mentioned Cuba's protection of Shakur.

It's true that U.S. trade policies have exacerbated Cuba's woesinsomuch as the communist island has been unable to reap the rewards of American capitalism. Apart from that, the "sovereignty and self-determination" of the country's government has led to mass oppression of those 11 million people, who are only equal in that they are equally starving.

But don't take it from me. "[Black Lives Matter is] using the situation in Cuba to club their own government over the head," says a 35-year-old black Cuban activist, whose identity has been redacted as he participates in the nation's first protests in more than 60 years. "What's wrong with them?"

In a conversation recorded and sent via WhatsApp, an encrypted messaging service, two Cuban demonstrators, who are both black, responded to the claim that the 4 million black and brown people of Cuba are truly free. After I reached out via an intermediary and asked them to react to BLM's statement, the clip of the two speaking to each other was sent to DADE magazine's Nicols Jimnez, who translated and shared the transcription with Reason.

The correspondence was dispatched via encrypted messaging because Cubans cannot talk openly about the Cuban government. In fact, the conversation heavily features the two protesters going back and forth on whether it is safe to respond to my press request at all. "You have to respond in a way that doesn't screw you over," says the other activist, who is 25 years old. "They're arresting people at their homes."

"That's why I tell people not to screenshot my messages," responds the 35-year-old. "I've reviewed and I think I'm safe with all my Instagram content, but I'm not sure." He adds that he would have liked to respond with a video, but "I can't expose myself like that," he notes, "because it's true that they're rounding people up."

The Cuban Revolution sought to engineer forced equality via communism following the overthrow of the brutal military dictator President Fulgencio Batista. But that equality is a myth, say the activists, who argue that the Cuban government tries to hide the lingering effects of institutionalized and systemic racism.

At a recent university protest, the 35-year-old relays that special forces "went directly after black people." The 25-year-old agrees. "The idea is that only people on the margins protest against the government. Only delinquents," he says. "In fact, they used to call it a revolution for the poor, and now they use words like marginalized and delinquent to describe what's happening, which is a way of hiding all their racism and all their classism, right?"

Riquet Caballero, a black Cuban immigrant to the U.S., also takes issue with the assertion that the country is equal, a claim made by the Democratic Socialists of America and journalists like The New York Times' Nikole Hannah-Jones.

In an interview, Caballero describes his confusion after coming to the U.S. in the late 1990s and noticing various differences between the two nations. He no longer had to make his own kites out of reeds and newspapers, and, to his surprise, kids no longer played baseball with broomsticks and bottle caps. Other differences were more dramatic: When Caballero came to his Cuban public school in an American Olympic '96 basketball jersey, his teacher threatened him with reeducation unless his mother stole Coca-Cola from her factory job and turned it over for a school party.

"I also used to steal light bulbs and sell them for candy," he adds.

He was able to ditch that side hustle upon moving to the U.S. "I would say that what I have thanks to Cuba is to be grateful for having opportunities," he says, having mounted a Libertarian bid in 2018 for the Florida House of Representatives. "I realized that here in America, you could basically make anything of yourself.The pursuit of happiness is something that is really central to my core."

That mentality is not welcome in Cuba. On the contrary, it's actively discouraged, and punishable by law. "There was a man that was arrested who produced illegal cheese," notes Caballero. "He didn't report all the milk that the cows were producing, even though they were his cows.He only reported the milk production, started making cheese and selling cheese on the side.The government found out and they confiscated his cheesemaking operation." The man was then sent to jail, says Caballero.

Like the two activists in Havana, Caballero also altogether rejects the claim made by American leftists that Cuba has been able to construct racial equality. "They really made sure to control the black population because we have a history of being fighters."

BLM in particular has been criticized by the right for having Marxist roots. While it is certainly not true that every person involved with or sympathetic to BLM is also a Marxist, the group's support of the communist regime in Cuba has cost it support from people who otherwise identify with the broader civil liberties goals of the movement.

"When they killed George Floyd I remember that all of [the Cubans] in Miami were accusing BLM of being Marxist, of being communist. And I defended them, bro. I would say, 'Look, it's more than that,'" the 25-year-old Cuban activist says in the voice recording. "And now I see that no, it's actually less than that. It's like they have this ideological starting point from which they see the world instead of standing alongside allies and people who are going through the same things they are."

"You feel alone," he adds. "You feel likeI don't know. It's a letdown. It's horrible, really."

Excerpt from:

In Their Own Words, This Is What It's Actually Like for Black and Brown People in Cuba - Reason