Murky Empires

Hawaiians are studying how "powerful" nations deal with very distant colonies.

96% here voted to remain in the European Union, but...

(27 Dec 2017, Gibraltar border)

Ignored Inheritance

Native Hawaiians received an apology from the USA for overthrow of the Kingdom (US Public Law 103-150). 

But without compensation for illegally seized lands & property, Native Hawaiian inheritance is hugely and wrongly diminished. 

Chief beneficiary of this aggressive crime is the US Federal Government, who occupy far too much of the 1,800,000 acres of crown, government & public lands of the Kingdom of Hawaii taken without the consent of or compensation to the Native Hawaiian people or their sovereign government. 

Until legal reconciliation is achieved, Native Hawaiian descendants should not be liable for US Federal taxes or duties.

Han Sang-gyun, political prisoner in Korea

South Korea continues to imprison Han Sang-gyun (한상균), the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions KCTU President. He was arrested for leading demonstrations against the corrupt Park Geun-hye administration. Although a new government is now in power, he's still held behind bars as a political prisoner.

Amnesty International (link) as well as the global Public Services International (link) trade union federation, and many others monitoring global injustice demand Korea release Han Sang-gyun. President Moon Jae-in, a positive force in many ways, could pardon Han Sang-gyun immediately. Non-violent civil disobedience should be cherished in South Korea... instead, we see resurgence of controls & democracy suppressed.

Corruption & chauvinism in South Korea must be stopped.
Free Han Sang-gyun !

American Accounting

When a person is kidnapped, beaten, and forced to work many months or years without pay, there should be criminal liability; surely businesses or individuals profiting from forced labor should pay compensation. Simply to free the slaves is not enough.

 

Much ado abo

Why's Democracy Bullshit? Count the Days

US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died 13 Feb 2016.

As required by the US Constitution, the President nominated Scalia's successor, but while Congress was in session the Republican-controlled Senate took no action for 326 days.

Another nominee from the new President was eventually confirmed -- but the important US Supreme Court seat was vacant for 420 days.

This type of tactic is improper; it taints semi-Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Expect the same delaying tactic with the recent democratic election of Doug Jones as US Senator for Alabama. Because Republican control of the Senate will be negatively impacted, they'll go slow.

Senator-elect Jones will only be able to take-up his seat after any recount is conducted, and "either campaign could request a recount. As long as that campaign is willing to put up a bond and pay to cover the cost, the state will recount the votes. Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.), who had been appointed to fill the seat until the special election, will remain Alabama's junior senator as long as the process takes." (link)

Rich scum ignore democracy as long as possible.

Withdrawal Method May Fizzle

The UK government under Theresa May seeks to favourably re-position the nation by withdrawing from the European Union.

Some segments of the populace may indeed benefit. But many others will suffer grievously.

Can Britain setup as a wholly independent player in a world where teamwork offers the many benefits of lower transaction costs and economies-of-scale? Much alarm has been generated by xenophobia - but surely the UK has much more to offer than deliberately painting itself out of a diseased world.

Decent people should be worried by Theresa May & Boris Johnson manipulations, and especially spiritual leader Nigel Farage and his UK Independence Party. The Theresa May government's use of half-truths is shocking. Sudden pie-in-the-sky assurances and gross dishonesty may keep them in office for more weeks, but the nation and even the world are put at risk by their deceits.

After months of vague & secretive backroom bunco, PM May's sudden explicit assurances are so much hot air aimed to save her job -- wholly unreliable. This historic process needs attention far beyond partisan politics or the conceit of a handful of individuals.

Mr & Mrs Anglican, please confirm from any Roman Catholic older & wiser: forget WITHDRAWAL -- it's both unfulfilling & unsafe.

Yes ICAN

Congratulations once again to ICAN, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, for winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

As reported here before, the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was agreed last July. To a large extent, this was a response to nuclear non-proliferation agreements, where the nuclear powers pledged to cut-down and eventually eliminate their nuclear arsenals but instead have boosted them.

Here's a summary from the Nuclear Threat Initiative

UN links are confusing & incomplete; here's their best (PTNW)

Overview from Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists noting media bias

Unfortunately, the nuclear weapons states tried to deflect attention from the UN Treaty efforts & boycott proceedings. The USA also pushed junior partner states such as Australia, Japan & Norway to help rubbish efforts toward nuclear prohibition. (Here's how the Treaty stands now - link)

This ignorant stance continues, as reportedly the US, UK and French ambassadors callously skipped last night's Nobel banquet in Oslo which honored ICAN.

They failed to disarm as promised. Now they hide.  SCUM ! 

Two final links: on lapdog media and PTNW (treaty text)

Swing to the Flim Flam

The Sandwich, Massachusetts, Heritage Museum drove a flim flam now being challenged by local Cape Cod residents.

First -- Heritage Museum shouldn't be in the aerial adventure zipline business. Could the museum leadership have a dark plan to expand operations into off-topic activities, then cut-back & liquidate, taking away Cape Cod treasures? The zipline park attracts additional people, but strangely defines HERITAGE...

A big problem has become destruction of trust. Heritage initially listed the wrong permit application address (67 Grove Street), resulting in no neighbor notifications. The actual address for the aerial park is 0 Shawme Road and 0 Pocasset Road. Nearby neighbors & abutters had minimal chance to challenge the project. 

Terrible! ...this stinks. The adventure park is operated by Outdoor Venture Group of Connecticut, with a pattern of Continental trickery. The Connecticut firm partnered as well with TreeTop Adventures of Canton, MA whose address was also misrepresented, and for which their license to operate was subsequently ordered withdrawn (link). Many people reportedly are both distrustful and disgusted.

Make no mistake, Cape Cod justice should not be fooled

Any improper application should be rejected when incomplete or false (even if mistakenly first permitted).

(Here's a recent news link)

Trump Puppet

Congratulations Finland !

Promises promises

Keywords: President Trump, Native nations, Hawai'i, Land management, resource extraction, pipeline, Koch industries, US militarism, lying sack o' shit, forked tongue

Livestock Nation

Louise Hay (British muzungu aka Louise Linton; in $635 leather gloves) w/ U.S. Treasury Secretary husband & newly-printed Steven Mnuchin dollars

Cape Wind Greased

The Cape Cod Times reports the end of Cape Wind offshore renewable energy project. They quote Director of Public Policy Jack Clarke from the Massachusetts Audubon Society (which supported the project) "Over 50 lawsuits were filed by opponents, led by Bill Koch" - the Osterville property owner and primary financial backer of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound (link)

The New York Times identifies Koch as "a billionaire industrialist who made his fortune in fossil fuels."

Greenpeace is considerably less kind, labeling the Koch fortune "dirty money" (link to .pdf report)

Could Koch influence the many other people such as fishermen or the local Native American tribe who came to believe Cape Wind was problematic?

Sure!

How many of these people want to breathe coal smoke everyday? How many wish Cape Cod beaches were covered by the ooze of an oil spill, or hope to completely lose their homes & communities to rising seas or horror storms from global warming?  Not a single person wants such suffering from any Koch industries.