The North Dakota Pipeline

Hello, everyone! Today’s post will have some maps, so if you are of the geographic phobic variety, perhaps you want to scroll by quickly.

This is a map of the 48 contiguous states with Alaska and Hawaii shown in the left corner. It’s a pretty common map children see when learning about geography. (To the point, however, that some of them end up growing up thinking that Alaska is located near Mexico. But that’s a whole different kettle of fish).

the-united-states-of-america-map

I’d like to draw your attention to the middle top of the states, a place we usually refer to as a “fly over” state, meaning that it’s not a place people go to on a regular basis, just a place the planes fly over. (The US is biiiiiiiiiiggggg). It is a state we fondly refer to as North Dakota. (South Dakota is, well, south of it. I know, we’re so creative!). To the north of North Dakota is one of our neighboring countries, Canada, which we typically have very friendly relations with.

north_dakota_ref_2001

Lately, however, it has become less of a fly over state and instead become very very busy. Why, you might ask? We might sum it up in a single word: oil. Oil becomes gasoline which helps our cars, trucks, and planes go. (And the United States is biiiiiiiggggg with very, very, VERY primitive mass transit if any at all, especially in rural places. That, also, is another kettle of fish). We are trying to get oil from Canada into other places in the country. Oil, in this form, go boom if it’s looked at funny, so planes are a nono.

So, what’s the problem  you ask? Well, there are two routes that the oil company has proposed. One of them through a mostly white neighborhood, one through a First Nations/Native American reservation. (The treatement of the indingenous peoples by our government? Not exactly what we might call stellar). If you’ve guessed already that the mostly white neighborhood has voted against the pipeline due to possible issues with the pipeline contaminating the drinking water, congratulations, you win a cookie!

People are protesting the whole shenanigans, with some saying that hey, it’s safer than moving the oil by train. Which is not untrue – but doesn’t really solve the problem that the pipelines are still going where they aren’t wanted. This picture sums up the current relationship:

dakota20pipeline

It was looking like he law of the land would eventually prevail. The Army Corp denied the easement.

Annnnnd then Trump was inaugrated. He issued an executive order to advance the pipeline anyway. As of this writing, it remains to be seen precisely how this will play out in real life. But chances are, given the other stunts he’s pulled thus far, it won’t be good.

Sources:

Why, California? Why?

If you read this blog in it’s beginning, you’ll know that I have a very special relationship with Eric Holder; specifically, a relationship that could mostly be characterized as sheer, unadulterated hatred.

Why? Oh, just things like voter intimidation, Project Gunrunner/Fast and Furious, Operation Choke Point, and the lack of due process. Small things like that.

And, in full knowledge of all of this, California hired him as a consultant.

Since the last posts have been fairly depressing, here’s a cartoon to lighten things back up.

Cut Up Holder and the Constitution

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Steve Bannon

Apparently, Trump is in a race to see just how quickly I can come to loathe his policies and appointments as much as I loathed Obama’s. (Magic answer: Pretty dang quick).

As Trump’s chief strategist, he has appointed a man named Steve Bannon. If your immediate response is: Who? Allow me to introduce you!

Born in 1953 in Norfolk Virginia (one of the US states on the east coast, famous for a whole bunch of Presidents and some other stuff that probably isn’t important), Bannon is the executive chair of an organization called Breitbart News, a very very VERY conservative newsgroup, something so far off the path it’s called “alt-right”. What do we mean by that? Well, in Bannon’s case, we mean someone who’s a xenophobic, racist, mysgonistic poopy head. I’d use worse words, but this a mostly family blog, after all.

If you too feel like you need to take a shower after reading that, enjoy this cartoon from The Denver Post: 

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The Bowling Green Massacre*

This week I really wanted to write something humorous. Maybe find a few laugh-worthy sketches and comics. Instead, I’m disappointed. Thinking of this administration¹ I hang my head low.

We had the travel ban, and a clear demonstration by the Trumpster which, to me, goes against everything that is essential to a political system that is fair through checks and balances. I briefly talked about checks and balances here. Essentially, it is the separation of power in government, in the form of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, that allow for checks and balances. This is a good thing: it promotes the security of liberty by balancing and restraining tyranny to preserve freedom.

Now note, it is not just the existence of these branches that is important, but also the ability of these branches to be able to check and restrain the other branches. It is so to prevent any one branch of government from becoming an absolute².

Speaking of checks and balances, you might know of this one guy Jefferson, on his Notes on the State of Virginia he called out that “the powers of government should be so divided and balanced among several bodies of magistracy, as that none could transcend their legal limits, without being effectively check and restrained by the others”³.

So does the class want to take a stab at why the Trumpster fired acting US Attorney General Sally Yates?

Okay, okay, wrong question. I should ask what it means: What it means is that the political branch of government, i.e. the executive, is bent on silencing the judiciary, which exists to check the executive. Yes, let that settle. Think on it. Mr Trumpster said goodbye to Yates because she disagreed with him, instead choosing to replace her with Dana Bonte who agrees with the Trumpster. What we are seeing see a man hiring lapdogs, and yes-men. Is this the government that the people of the United States of America deserve? One which panders to itself? One which silences those who disagree, speak up, and those who question?

Okay, anyone else need a breather? And an Advil?

And to the ladies of The View who here talk about Yates’ dismissal, and whether Sessions’ will be just another yes-man.

* Oh and as for the title of this blog piece, the Bowling Green Massacre, here, here and here are some relevant commentary.

¹ If it is not clear that I am referring to the Trumpster’s administration, then we would much appreciate the address to the rock you’ve been under.

²… an absolute asshat.

³ This if you would believe it is from an actual book: Roger Scruton’s The Palgrave Macmillian Dictionary of Political Thought, p. 89

I Agree With the WBC

For those of you souls fortunate enough not to recognize the acronym WBC, it stands for Westboro Baptist Church. For those of you who are still fortunate enough not to know what that is, I assume most of you are familiar with the KKK, the Klu Klux Klan. If you are somehow privleged enough not to know what that is, buckle up, buttercup. This post is gonna be a doozy.

I pretty much assume the readers of this blog are American and thus somewhat familiar with American history. For those of you, however, who slept through history class or just aren’t familiar with this particular story, let me take you back in time . . .through the mists. . . to the year 1619.

In the year 1619, econonmics really sucked for a lot of people. So much so that people were willing to become indentured servants. Basically, they worked for room and board working off a debt, typically the price of their ticket to come to America. If I remember correctly, the typical period was about 7 years of labor. But I don’t remember where I got that from, so feel free to correct me.

People noticed that that this was a really expensive way of doing things. And, since there were other people in the world already involved in an active slave trade, 1619 brought the first African slaves to the United States. This began several hundred years of people mistreating blacks because of the color of their skin, a problem that unfortunately continues to today.

There was a bit of a skirmish we Americans like to refer to as “the Civil War” as if it was the only one in history. It was very bloody and very divisive to the point that, yes, you can still see traces of that divide to today also. After the battles were over,  in a tiny little town in Tennessee, a group called the Klu Klux Klan was formed. They were most known for being truly delightful Caucasian fellows by day, then wearing white hoods  so they wouldn’t be recongized while burning crosses and/or lynching their black neighbors at night.

ku-klux-klan

You’ll notice that I did not mention a date when the Klu Klux Klan dissolved; they still exist. (The first ammendment gives them the right to exist, sans burning crosses and lynching). I wish I could tell you that truth was going to be the most distatestful thing I ever have to write for this blog, but it’s not even the most distasteful thing I have to write for this post.

According to their own website (which I refuse to link to – not only do I find their ideology reprehensible in every sense of the word, but their website URL actually contains a slur against homosexuals; if you want to find it, which I cannot caution you enough against, you can Google it), the Westboro Baptist Church was founded in 1955. And instead of following in the grand tradition of many other Christian groups in America who selflessly and quietly serve their communities by doing things like creating tutoring centers for under-privileged children or having food pantries where all are welcome (both things I’ve personally witnessed churches in my communities doing), the WBC decided to take a  . . . different approach.

Specifically, they like to picket funerals. Of soldiers, usually. Sometimes children. With signs like this:

wbc_protest

That was one of the tamer images I found. How bad did it get, really? Let me put it this way. It got to the point where the Klu Klux Klan came out and said the WBC might want to tone it down a bit. No, really. Allow me to suggest to you, dear reader, that when the Klu Klux Klan comes out and tells you that you are being too hateful, you may want to dial it down a notch/re-evaluate your life choices/throw yourself off a bridge.

Anyway. Where was I? Oh, yes. The title of this post.

Apparently, the Apocalypse is just around the corner or something, because the WBC is protesting Trump. No, REALLY.

tumblr_ok8laoanjd1s9c6nao1_1280

And as much as I hate to say it, as much as I thought this day would never come, as much as I would rather cut out my tongue than say this, and I really, really, really hate hate hate saying this, but.

The WBC and I agree: Donald Trump has not proven he belongs in the White House.

The plagues of blood and boils may now commence.

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Gag Me

I had a lovely post all planned out for today, then Trump went and did a thing that I have to talk about first. So, we will get to the loveliness that is Steve Bannon, but we will have to talk first about the gag order Trump has imposed.

Employees from the Enviromental Protection Agency (the EPA) and the Department of Agriculture are now blocked from communicating with the public or the press.

Allow me to repeat that sentence for you. Employees from the Enviromental Protection Agency (the EPA) and the Department of Agriculture are now blocked from communicating with the public or the press.

And one more time, just to make sure it sunk in. Employees from the Enviromental Protection Agency (the EPA) and the Department of Agriculture are now blocked from communicating with the public or the press.

Because the president disagrees with the findings of science regarding climate change.

Because the president disagrees with the findings of science regarding climate change.

Because the president disagrees with the findings of science regarding climate change.

Which, look, even if you think everything about climate change is totally bogus, how is this going to help? This stops two fairly important government agencies from doing important parts of their JOB. They can’t educate the public about ANYTHING. Like, oh, I don’t know, if say we had a crop blight in one part of the country that coud spread to another.

I’d like to give you a silly cartoon (this is silly civil liberties, after all), but I think it more important I give you this:

United States Constitution

Ammendment the First

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

You don’t get to gag people just because you disagree with them. There is, I feel it important to note, Constitutional provision for military secrets, stuff against throwing the country into anarchy, and sedition, etc. What about “wrong science” (if, indeed, it is that) qualifies?

The senior management officials of these agencies looked at each other and did two things: 1. Set up rogue Twitter accounts that they posted to anyway and 2. Resigned en masse. (Though now rumor has it that this was the normal overturn of administration and that they were fired. Make of that what you will).

If you’re in the United States or a citizen abroad, call, mail, e-mail, or send smoke signals and carrier pigeons to your representatives. You can find them here: Representatives. If you’re not a citizen, you can still send your opinion to the White House here: White House.

I warn you now, however. The time when sending an e-mail or letter may be sufficient is, I suspect, rapidly coming to a close. More action may soon be required. But for liberty, it is worth it to risk all, for without liberty, none of the other rights are worth the letters used to print them on paper.

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Global Gag Order: A Ban on Abortions

You heard it folks: there is a ban on abortions.

Okay, okay, it only applies where federal money is going to international groups that perform or provide information on abortions. I.e. it only applies outside of USA borders. (This is still a major problem!).

Now this is not something new, for many a decade Republicans and Democrats have been going back and forth on this issue. Some might remember it as the Mexico City policy or the global gag order.* It started with Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1984 with stopping the funding for international groups which perform or provide information on abortion. The tug-o-war on this continued from Clinton, to Bush, to Obama. But just because it’s happened before does not mean that it is alright to take these rights away from women.

There are several things about this that get my blood boiling (and fill me with terror and sadness);

  1. This takes away a woman’s right to choose.
  2. This takes away a woman’s control over her own fertility.
  3. This takes away a woman’s right to complete and full advice on family planning.
  4. This in ways censors organisations from giving women all the information, and providing essential care.
  5. This will result in a rise in unsafe abortions, which could result in death.¹
  6. Trivially, why was there no woman in the photograph: Are men eminently qualified to make such decisions about women’s health care?¹

In the face of all of this, what brings tears to my eyes (because of the good in the world) is that the Dutch have stepped in (#ThankYouToTheDutch). They are stepping in to support an international abortion fund which will help to mitigate the some harmful effects of Trump’s atrocious, ogre-defining, uncivil global gag order. The fund, announced by Dutch Development Minister Lilianne Ploumen, will help those groups that wish to continue providing birth control and abortions to women who need it. I do hope other organisations and governments also step up, join the cause, and help provide this essential health care for women.

Population Action International (PAI) describes the ban well: “The only goal the policy will achieve is to punish women in already challenging circumstances by blocking access to essential care.”

And Ploumen’s words are one to remember: Speaking of the Netherland’s taking an independent stance, even if it sets the Dutch government against the Trump administration, she said: “I’m pro-choice and pro-women’s rights. It’s important to stand your ground…We respect the decisions of a democratically elected president, but we’re democratically elected too and we can make different decisions…This is also about millions of women and girls who often have no voice or live in countries where democracy is less deeply rooted, and when they speak up they need our support.”

 

¹ Activists say that Trump’s global gag order will lead to deaths: Read more here, and here, and here where there is also some talk of the new patriarchy.

² Many thanks to the Dutch Government for stepping in with their international abortion fund.

*P.s. we’re noticing a trend: gag-orders galore. For more gag-order related news watch out for Friday’s post by Bookpheonix.

 

Inauguration Day

Today is a solemn day for the American people. Today is the day we swear in the President of the United States. No comic today. Just the words of the inaguration. And imagine saying them out loud. Imagine meaning them. Imagine being given the responsibility of leading one of the greatest countries in the world. Imagine the chill down your spine as you stand on the steps while the cameras and microphones are hyperfocused on your every move.

If you’re a person of religion, pray for our president, will you please? And if you’re not, at least think good thoughts, eh?

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

The Electoral College

Many of my fellow American citizens are confused about how Donald Trump won the presidency. Hillary Clinton got more votes, so how did he win? America is a democracy after all, right?

The answer comes down to a fascinating little quirk of our government and a truth that most people don’t realize. The shocking truth first: the United States of America is not a democracy.

I can hear the confusion collecting in your consciousness, so let me hasten to explain. The United States of America is not a democracy at the national level – it is a federal republic.

I expect that this has made things about clear as mud for most of you, so let me explain more.

When American citizens go to the voting place every November (as I have done every time I could since I turned 18), many (most?) of the representatives and laws they vote for are elected/chosen by a simple democracy. That is, whoever/whatever gets the most votes, wins.

But not so the president. When American citizens vote for the president, they are voting for a representative. Each state has a certain number of representatives (with California having the most at 55). Those electors are usually chosen in a “winner take all” scenario, but Maine and Nebraska divide it up by percentage of votes. (So, 60% of the vote goes to Candidate A, so Candidate A gets 60% of the electoral votes). A majority of the 538 electors (270, to be precise) is required to become president. How the representatives are chosen is a whole other basket of bananas, so another day on that topic, perhaps.

You might be thinking this is all a little convuluted and a ridiculous way to choose a leader. To that, I have but one image to share with you from On Sizzle:

now-imagine-living-in-the-gray-zones-and-the-blue-6343378

If this map still doesn’t make sense, let’s review a couple of facts.

Fact the first: the United States is HUGE. The distance between San Francisco (one of the western most points in the continental US) and Washington DC (the nation’s capital) is 3,928 kilometers or 2,441 miles. Mapquest says you could make the drive in 40 hours with $200 for gas; the reality is you would just barely make it out of California for the first day. I leave as an exercise for the reader what gas might cost.

Fact the Second: The population of the United States is not evenly distributed over the landmass. There are lots of different reasons why this is – geography, history, culture, jobs. The fact is, people tend to congregate. And in the United States, they’ve congregated in the blue areas seen in the above map.

Fact the Third: the United States has a HUGE population, currently at around 320 million people. And while a large number of them do live in the blue areas, a large number also live just about everywhere you could imagine (and probably a few places you couldn’t).

Fact the Fourth: the United States is diverse in a way very few countries are. I don’t mean merely in terms of geography (though there is that too); I mean that two people born and raised in America can still end up with issues understanding each other’s accents, much less cuisine choices, politics, or religion.

(These four facts are also why a large number of social programs that work in other counties never take off here).

Further, we need to discuss a few historical facts about America.

Historical Fact the First: America was a country born out of too much government interference without representation. The people who drew up the Constitution were well aware of what happened when the government got too involved.

Historical Fact the Second: Countries that are pure democracies (purely ruled by the majority) tend to fall apart. I forget which philosopher wrote that “the masses are easily swayed”, but if you have any doubt of its veracity, just check the trending hashtags on Twitter some time. The founders were also well aware of this problem.

Historical Fact the Third: There are certain groups in America that have been exploited and mistreated. Well, actually, pretty much every group has been exploited at some point. But some groups more than others. The people who live outside of the blue areas tend to be economically disadvantaged. They don’t have access to the kind of political power that those in the cities have.

So, if we put all these things together, what do we get? We get a lot of people living in a few places with one set of ideas who tend to have power and we get a lot of people spread out over a lot of places with a different set of ideas without a lot of power. So the electoral college is the attempt to balance out that problem.

Also, you can direct your ire to Alexander Hamilton. He’s responsible for plenty of other ire anyway, so he’s used to it.

Check, please!

You have to feel really low if Trump is chastising you.¹, ²,³

As the year began, behind closed doors the Republican Party voted to weaken the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. Now the story has, mostly, blown over with the Republicans walking off stage, tails between their legs.

If you did not know, the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) was established in the wake of a lobbying scandal in 2008. It was set up to investigate corruption allegations against members of Congress.

The secret vote had it come to fruition would have led to the OCE falling under control of a House committee – specifically there would have been a name change (the Office of Congressional Complaint Review was top pick), and it would have become a subordinate body to the House Ethics Committee, which in this political climate is ruled by the Republican majority. The proposed new body would not have allowed anonymous tips from members of Congress, and nor would it have made its findings from investigations public.

Had this made it through, with the Republicans controlling all three branches of government, another layer of constraint on their powers would have been removed as such a vote would have seriously restricted the power, and ultimately purpose, of the OCE. What this means is that another check would have been dismantled.

Checks and balances allow for the separation of power in government, thus ensuring that no one branch may have too much control. In most cases this divides the Government into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

Checks and balances are essential to the security of liberty. John Adams phrases this more eloquently as he speaks of the balancing of these branches of government: “It is by balancing each of these powers against the other two, that the efforts in human nature toward tyranny can alone be checked and restrained, and any degree of freedom preserved in the constitution”.

Our governments need systems, entities, and bodies to question, investigate, and check the branches of power. Because in a world where bodies such as the OCE lose their power, we might be looking at a world where corruption and tyranny can run free.

 

¹By no means do we suggest that the Trumpster should be anyone’s moral compass, after all his concerns were based on what he perceived to be of greater value and not one on ethics: tax reform, healthcare and so many other things of far greater importance…than the OCE which the Donald thought to be unfair

² I did try to find a link to the original tweet, but seven tweets into the Trumpster’s feed and I was starting to feel a tad queasy

³ Instead, here is Trevor Noah’s take, and here are some quick facts about the OCE

 

 

Back, Yay

So unless you’ve been living under a rock on Mars somewhere, I’m sure you’ve all heard that the United States managed to elect the 45th President and that, somehow, it was Donald Trump. (Hey, I can almost say it without throwing up in my mouth a little bit! Wait, no. Nevermind). If you have to ask why I don’t like him, well, he’s racist or, if he isn’t, he appoints people who are, doesn’t like women, or really, people who aren’t him (wealthy, white, males). His vice president, Mike Pence, has a record of wanting to shock people out of being gay.

It was not that Clinton was any better as a candidate, mind you. (I’ll go on record as stating I voted for a third party write in just because I couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else). But Trump? Huh?

Yeah. If you’re a person of faith, send prayers for the USA, eh?

So clearly, the blog which has wasted due to lack of energy, has now become seriously important (while still silly, mind you). Take, for example, this picture from The Week: 20150805edcmc-a_0

See? Silly, Civil, Liberties.

We’re coming BACK baby. Every Friday at 8:00 CA time and other times maybe sometimes!

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2016: The year of whimsical hair pieces and a Key

Good morning. Or afternoon, evening, or noon where ever you all are.

My, my, did we ever have an entertaining year. Though I suspect many will have more colourful phrases to describe the year that was 2016. Below I briefly touch on only two of our shock moments in 2016: one which involves a whimsical hair piece on an orange head, and the man after Obama’s heart.

Mr Donald Trump, if you had not already heard¹, is all geared up as the 45th POTUS. This was ground-shaking news across the globe. Even days following the Trump victory people walked around the streets in a dazed disbelief. One of the great² things that the 2016 USA Presidential elections highlighted was how non-democratic the land of the free was. As you’ve already read elsewhere, Clinton had the popular vote but Trump snagged the electoral college (come back on January 13th to see more on this!).

In other news, with the wake of Mr Trump’s election victory, came Prime Minister (of New Zealand) John Key’s resignation. By no means am I suggesting that Mr Trump’s victory is the reason for Key’s resignation, but here Dr Bryce Edwards suggests that it, and Brexit, bring some additional stressors, so maybe it played a small part.

In my lifetime this has never happened before: a Prime Minister stepping down early. Strategically this works well for the National Party to trial out someone else in the top job and for the nation to gain some familiarity with a new leader before the general elections in 2017.

Key more or so says that he would not be able to give the job his all to complete his term and carry on into another term, and so he has chosen to leave. This is considerate, strategic but considerate. Though I wonder if we should we let a man who has put his hand up to serve the nation just step down because it’s gotten a bit hard? After all it is a hard job to be a leader to a nation. Aren’t our leaders expected to be made of harder stuff? To stand up and continue, to hold us up, and keep the nation going? But then again is it not right for a leader to step down should he or she feel that they are no longer able to give the nation their 100%? After all what use is a leader who cannot fully support the nation?

So what happens now for New Zealand? Do we have to put up with some replacement who we did not vote for? Ultimately, yes. Under our constitutional conventions the resignation of a Prime Minister between elections does not change the composition of the Government. Currently the New Zealand Government, whilst a representative government, is led by the National Party (the majority) and it is the leader of the National Party who serves as the Prime Minister. With Key’s resignation, the Party has  already selected a new leader for their Party who is now the 39th Prime Minister of New Zealand, as appointed by the Governor-General.

The New Zealand and American governments are built differently. Our politics are different, as are our needs as nation states. With the change in the air I look forward to seeing how New Zealand balances it’s relationship with Trump’s USA, in the face of a new Prime Minister and New Zealand’s growing economic relationship with China. Conversely what will Trump’s America look like as an ally to nations who are not Russia.³

¹ P.s. Please give us the address to that rock, we would much enjoy curling up under it too

² The definition of great used here is not to suggest that it was a good thing, but maybe more along the lines of a ridiculously crazy flaw in the system

³

Lithuanian mural depicts Trump and Putin in liplock

Lithuanian mural depicts Trump and Putin in liplock;  Source: CBS News http://www.cbsnews.com/news/lithuanian-mural-depicts-donald-trump-and-vladimir-putin-in-liplock/

 

 

 

The Ebola Czar

I know this blog has been away for some time. In my defense, I got a full time job and I moved. Right about at the same time.

I’m not sure if I can start writing again Monday-Friday until, perhaps, the new year. For now, expect occasional updates.

The most amusing story in the news about ebola has been this: http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/17/politics/ebola-czar-ron-klain/index.html. Yes, that’s right folks. Only in America can a man with no medical degree, no medical experience, become the ebola czar. Which is almost like one of those “find the error” sentences – just how many things ARE wrong with that?

The good news is that Ron Klain was Al Gore’s and Joe Biden’s chief of staff, so he is well used to working with people who are not, shall we say, particularly dexterous.

The Fifth Eye

Recently, the New Zealand Prime Minister John Key took a trip to Washington, which included a secret  (read: undeclared) trip to the National Security Agency headquarters. This trip seems to have generated new interest in New Zealand’s membership to Five Eyes, some of which has talked about  New Zealand being welcomed back into the fold back in 2009 – a fold that also includes West Zealand (a.k.a Australia), Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Whilst the exact reasons for New Zealand’s some two decade absence are hazy, it is worth remembering that in 1984 then-Prime Minister David Lange barred nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed ships from using NZ ports or entering NZ waters, and this was succeeded by the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act of 1987.

[Bonus: If interested check out journalist Toby Manhire’s take (read:opinion piece) on the briefing for POTUS (President of the United States) written in the lead up to the official leader meeting between President Obama and Prime Minister John Key].

Initially, the Five Eyes provided signal intelligence, but they have since extended to include human intelligence and defense intelligence. The origins of the Five Eyes can be traced back to World War II and in particular to the plans of five (yes, you heard it hear first: five) nations regarding the post-war world. Where some call constant vigilance the price of freedom, Anna Crowe speaks of documentations revealed by Edward Snowden highlighting New Zealand’s active role and in its light she questions whether Five Eyes is something wee New Zealand wants a part of. A part that has seen contribution from New Zealand’s own intelligence agencies, including the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) providing signal intelligence. Now, the scandal involving Kim Dotcom and the GCSB might be quite fresh in the minds of some Kiwis – ah, all that trouble with aged-off information, or was the information simply meant to be archived? Does this sound familiar? It should, there has been a bit of a kerfuffle in the USA recently regarding the IRS, an audit and some lost emails – more on this from my partner in crime in The IRS Scandal to Date (as at June 21st 2014).

 

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Baghdad Lawsuit

It sounds like a story from The Onion, but it isn’t.

If Baghdad blocks oil sales, the Iraqi Kurds have said they will sue.

Oh, I’m sorry – you’re right. Clearly a lawsuit over oil money is much more important than the caliphate invading the land! At least there’s one bit of consolation:

It shows that America isn’t the only country that has misplaced priorities.

ISIS: Now Serving Shrimps on the Barbie

If you’re like the average American, you know absolutely nothing whatsoever about ISIS.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (aka the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria; aka the Islamic state of Iraq and al-Sham; aka ISIS; aka ISSL; aka ISSA) is an unrecognized state and active jihadist group. Its intentions are, quite frankly, nothing short of terrifying. You would think, given its recent actions in Turkey, Iraq, and Syria, that most of its new recruits would be from that area. Especially given the phenomenal acquisition of borders.

You would be incorrect.

Per capita, who is the biggest contributor of recruits to ISIS?

Australia.

Exactly why is yet to be determined, yet some Australians are going to fight for ISIS. Some have already been seen committing heinous war crimes. A preacher has even used social media to defend his support of ISIS and has tried to convince others to do likewise. While the whole country is certainly not involved, in the few weeks ISIS has gained  power and momentum, the movement has already gotten bad enough that Australia is trying to figure out how to stop it.

I’m hard pressed to find a punchline about citizens of a democratic country choosing to fight for a group that wants to establish a tyrannical rule over a large part of the world. But perhaps Tom Janssen’s cartoon says it best:

USA Iran ISIS

Source: http://www.cagle.com/2014/06/usa-and-iran-and-isis/

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SCOTUS and Corporate Rights

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) gave two rulings having to do with corporate rights today.

The first had to do with contraception. Certain kinds of contraception have chemicals in them that could cause abortions. These contraceptive devices cause moral implications for many Americans. (Many believe that life begins at conception). When the President declares healthcare is mandatory (highly illegal, but that deserves its own blog post), this becomes an issue for corporations. There have been exceptions granted to non-profit organizations such as churches, but today’s ruling involved a for-profit organization. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby, a small chain of art supply stores that did not wish to provide some forms of contraception to its employees. I fully expect to see this ruling challenged in future cases.

I’m torn on this one – on the one hand, it’s no business of an employer what form of contraception a woman chooses to use; it’s a choice between her and her health provider and should be covered regardless of what it is. On the other hand, it’s no business of an employer what form of contraception a woman chooses to use; it’s a choice between her and her health provider and women don’t necessarily what their employer to have access to that information. (And if you say HIPAA, I say nay nay. If the employer is involved, there is ALWAYS a possibility they’ll find out the info). Personally, I favor the latter, but perhaps privacy is not a primary concern of this debate.

The second case had to do with unions. There’s a lot you can say for unions – they helped establish weekends, forty hour workweeks, safe work environments, abolish child labor and company stores. [Bonus: Tennessee Ernie Ford sings Sixteen Tons and it’s not to be missed]. There’s also a lot you can say against unions – weird things can start to grow in the stagnant pond of leadership, they can be power-hungry lobbyists unconcerned with the welfare of the employees they are supposed to represent, and inconsistent with the application of rules.

Today’s ruling has to do with employees who are not in the union – if you work in a company that has a union and you have chosen not to be part of that union, should you pay fees for benefiting from the union’s bargaining with the company? The SCOTUS ruled today that it violates first amendment rights – but only because the public sector employees were not entirely public sector. (In other words, the ruling was not sweeping). Yet, Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion included the fact that the precedent that established the fees in the first place was on rocky legal ground. Combine that with the White House’s vow to support the unions and you have a practical guarantee that there will be future cases of this kind before the Supreme Court.

For this, I have a rather simple suggestion: if you don’t pay union dues, you don’t get union rules. Perhaps that’s too simplistic an idea to always work, but in general, if you choose not to belong to the union, it’s your responsibility to come to an agreement with the employer on your own.

To paraphrase the late former President John Kenned: “Let us not seek the corporation’s answer, nor the employee’s answer, but the right answer.”

And because this blog is entitled Silly Civil Liberties, after all, here’s the take of Pat Bagley on the fact that the Supreme Court sides with corporations:

corporate scotus Source: http://www.politicalruminations.com/images/cartoons/3scotus-walmart/

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