Monday, November 13, 2017

Honduras PC Volunteer Returns, Interpreter Surprise, Amnesty Int’l Venezuela, Visa Lottery, Mass Shootings, Va. Election, Trump Hotels, Free Speech, Ending TPS, Int’l Adoptions, Fire This Time

For a taste of what living in Honduras as a Peace Corps volunteer was like, take a look at this You-tube video from a volunteer whose term overlapped with mine (since I extended my term after starting in 2000).  And, of course, I’ve been back 13 times since, including last Feb. Many familiar scenes appear here:

Speaking of Honduras, while I was serving as an interpreter at a recent parent-teacher school meeting, one of the teachers noticed the tiny logo on my t-shirt for International Health Service of Minnesota (ihsmn.org), one of the brigades where I’ve volunteered yearly since leaving Peace Corps Honduras—was there most recently in Feb. 2017. Her parents, a nurse and a physician, are also yearly volunteers, but in a different part of Honduras from where I usually go. Small world!

Interpreting is a job full of surprises; we never know quite what to expect. Recently, at a law office, I met as interpreter with an asylum applicant, a male-to-female transgender woman, still using a male first name, probably because identifying documents and gender identity cannot be legally changed in the country of origin and all documents would be in that name. I wish I could say more, including original country, but confidentiality precludes it. 

Recently, at the DC Amnesty International office, I am among about 20 people attending a presentation by Marcos Gomez, the head of Amnesty International Venezuela, one of the largest groups in Latin America. Here is a statement issued by the office prior to his appearance:
Earlier this year, amidst an increase in protests around Venezuela have resulted in more than 43 deaths and hundreds of people injured and imprisoned, Amnesty International launched the report Silenced By Force: Politically-Motivated Arbitrary Detentions in Venezuela. The report provides details on a catalogue of illegal actions taken by Venezuelan authorities to repress freedom of expression, and documents how Venezuelan authorities are using the justice system to illegally increase persecution and punishment of those who think differently. Marcos Gomez heads the 40-year old country section of Amnesty International Venezuela (AIVEN) and manages 50 local staff. The Venezuela Section of Amnesty International is one of the largest throughout the Global South with more than 450,000 supporters and 20 networks in all of Venezuela's major cities. Marcos will also provide updates on the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, and on recently documented findings of how Venezuelan security forces have used illegal raids and attacks on private homes as a way of stamping out dissent, expanding their repressive tactics from the streets to people’s homes.

As for Americans’ Cuba travel: U.S. tourists and companies will no longer be able to do business with a long list of entities that allegedly have ties to Cuban military, intelligence or security services. American tourists will also no longer be able to travel to Cuba on individual people-to-people exchange programs. They must travel now with a sponsoring organization or, if there on educational travel, with an American group or university. http://abcnews.go.com/International/cuba-restrictions-make-harder-americans-visit-country/story?id=51013328

Sayfullo Saipov, the Uzbec man charged with killing 8 people in the NYC terrorist attack, had won the visa lottery. I am well acquainted with the visa lottery, as per my Confessions book: Once, in a remarkable streak of luck, three visitors, from Argentina, Japan, and Tunisia respectively, all won that year’s U.S. visa lottery. Our house acquired such a lucky-charm reputation thereafter that visa-lottery hopefuls clamored to live with us, although none subsequently won.

Of course, the visa lottery is not the real problem.

Prepare Yourself for Jihad 3.0

https://www.wsj.com/articles/prepare-yourself-for-jihad-3-0-1509660943

Radical Islamic terrorists will revive their movement. The U.S. needs to focus on defeating the ideology. By Husain Haqqan Wall St. Journal Nov. 2, 2017 Tuesday's terrorist attack in New York City, committed by an immigrant from Uzbekistan, is a reminder that radical political Islam won’t end with the recent defeat of Islamic State in Raqqa. The U.S. must re-evaluate its alliances in the Muslim world based on whether or not partners encourage extremism. Saudi Arabia’s recent avowal to teach moderation in religion, emulating the United Arab Emirates’ campaign against radical Islamism, deserves American support, as does Morocco’s decision to work with the Holocaust Memorial Museum to educate its people about the Holocaust and teach tolerance. On the other hand, Qatar’s support of the Muslim Brotherhood and Turkey’s decision to include jihadi teachings in its school curriculum indicate their support of radicalism. Above all, the U.S. must focus on defeating radical Islamist ideology, not just its periodic manifestation in terrorist attacks.

Even closer to home, how many more mass shootings have to occur before more effective gun control is enacted? Apparently the supposed protective benefit of allowing an armed citizenry is not working in terms of preventing such attacks. An article in the right-wing Townhall Daily is headlined “We Don’t Need Gun Control to Prevent Mass Shootings." OK, then, what do we need? Other developed countries, even less developed ones, don’t have this problem. Mr. Trump says it’s a mental health issue, not “a gun situation.”  If so, what do we do to prevent those with mental health issues from having guns, including Donald Trump himself, who evidently has his own mental health issues?

Despite a bad conduct military discharge and having been found to have assaulted his wife and child, the Texas shooter was able to assemble a firearms collection.

Avid Trump supporter Texas Gov. Greg Abbott commented on Sunday’s killing in Sutherland Spring, Texas, and on the killing of 58 people in Las Vegas in October: :
We have acts of evil taking place, and because they are close in time to us right now, we think this is something heavy right now. But put this in the context of history. Look at what happened with Hitler, the horrific events during that era, and Mussolini. 

Predictably, Trump, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and many other political leaders sent their usual “thoughts and prayers” to Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday after the gunman killed 26 people and injured 20 more at the First Baptist Church. It always is said to be “too soon” to discuss gun control after a mass shooting. But many on Twitter pointed out that the victims were attending church, so likely were already engaged in prayer, and still suffered at the hands of a gunman. Now, they say, it’s time for politicians to offer something more than thoughts and prayers:
FollowFollow @SpeakerRyan
Reports out of Texas are devastating. The people of Sutherland Springs need our prayers right now.

rosanne cash Retweeted Paul Ryan
They were in a church that was full of prayers. They need a government who will enact common sense gun laws. #GunControlNow

Mr. Trump poured gasoline on the fire of the gun debate by reportedly calling for more guns, when all evidence shows that fewer guns deaths occur where there are fewer guns in circulation. As for his international forays, "I do think both the Chinese and the Russians think they can play him," former National Intelligence Director James Clapper said of Trump.

Of course, Trump apparently considers himself to be especially gifted and possessing a very high IQ (he seems obsessed with IQ scores and proving that he is smart). Actually, he is rumored to have been mediocre in college (and maybe a legacy student?) and has what many have called a 3rd-grade vocabulary and obviously poor grammar and spelling. He also is ignorant of basic facts, as when he urged Japanese car makers to make cars in the US, as if they weren’t already doing that! Is Trump’s base really as clueless as he is and do his folks see ignorance as a virtue? Shouldn’t our leaders be a little savvier than the average voter?

GWBush seemed not too swift mentally as president, but he could be folksy and self-deprecating. Bill Clinton was savvy, but a philanderer. Obama as president was a straight arrow and very bright, but maybe a bit too cerebral? What redeeming virtues fitting him for the presidency does a mentally and emotionally challenged guy like Donald Trump have? Rather, let him return to playing golf and promoting his various properties. Maybe he can entertain himself by giving (paid) speeches to his adoring fans?

Well, at least Ralph Northam won, whew! not that he's so fantastic, but certainly much better than the alternative. Former RNC Chair Michael Steele is right in commenting on Trump's blaming of Ed Gillespie for not fully embracing him--Steele asked Trump if he had won Virginia? 

Is the following true or “fake news”?

Former Mexican ambassador Arturo Sarukhan, who served as Mexico’s ambassador to the United States from 2007 to 2013, says State Department is telling world leaders to stay at Trump hotels. https://thinkprogress.org/former-mexican-ambassador-trump-hotels-6fc52c7ce8f5/

The Trump-friendly daily on-line “news” source, Townhall Daily, displays headlines like: “Mueller Strikes Out: Democrat Nuts and Never Trumpers Hardest Hit,” “The Left Is Just Full of Miserable People,” “Hillary Is Having A Terrible Day,” “Mueller Must Resign,” and “Sex: The Progressives’ Problem.” Not sure how I came to receive it, but it’s an interesting look into the alternative world of Trump supporters, the hard-core base. Might most of this be considered honest-to-goodness “fake news”?

Trump routinely labels unfavorable press reports and falling poll numbers “fake news,” and when votes don’t go his way, that’s because illegal aliens voted. And, of course, his predecessor Barack Obama was born in Kenya, hence an illegal alien president who also had smaller inaugural crowd. The economy is in ruins, Obamacare is imploding, and coal is coming back!! And, oh, by the way, Trump is the smartest president ever and the very “best” since Abraham Lincoln. Does that remind you of a tin-horn dictator along the lines of Robert Mugabe? The Alabama Senate race has Trump in a quandary—it's a very high-stakes race.

A democratic government, with free speech and elections, allows different voices to be expressed, making it good for sorting out beliefs and actions, but also subjecting  vulnerable and uniformed citizens to manipulation. What has protected Trump so far—giving credit now where credit is due—is that the economy has continued to hum along, just as under Obama, not quite with the wild success that Trump had predicted, but still doing OK and the stock market has kept on going up. Will it last?

Here’s another huge pending disruption, affecting Hondurans, among others, also Haitians under my jurisdiction as Amnesty International Caribbean Coordinator: Trump administration to drop protections for Central Americans and Haitians: report | TheHill Nicaraguans are already being notified that their TPS will expire.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/358750-trump-administration-drops-protections-for-central-americans-and

Very appropirate of Hawaiians to be greeting Trump with “Welcome to Kenya” signs.

As if international adoptions needed any more complications, Trump administration putting new hurdles on international adoptions, The Columbus Dispatch, Mon, Nov 6


I have an internationally adopted son, Jon, now past 40, and for many years I was a board member of a local international adoption agency that has closed its doors because of the difficulty of maneuvering in the current climate.

In another blow to adoptions (don't Republicans favor adoption over abortion?, Paul Ryan Defends Elimination of the Adoption Tax Credit 


Finally, we all support free speech, but are not allowed to shout “fire!” in a crowded theater when there is no actual fire. But what if our country really is on fire? Isn’t it time to start shouting “fire!” now about the Trump administration? 

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Son’s Progress, Pedestrians with Phones, Cuban Migrants Seek Refuge in Chile, Turkey Releases Amnesty Activists, Honduran Elections, George Bush Senior and Other Harassers, Putin’s Revenge, Trump Targets Hillary in Mueller Probe, Tax “Reform”

                     Daughter Melanie offers son Jonathan a bite off her plate at restaurant meal.





 Halloween is a favorite holiday.



A new law taking effect in Honolulu, where my younger daughter lives, has now made it illegal to text or be looking down at a phone while crossing the street. Pedestrians in Hawaii's state capital who cross a street or highway while using a mobile electronic device can be slammed with a fine of up to $35 for their first offense, according to the new law.
Here’s a brave soul, apparently not intimidated by alleged sonic attacks: 
The Cuban government has alleged that the whole attack story is made-up, but, if so, why have some Canadian diplomats in Havana and tourists claimed the same harm?

According to a report in the Chilean newspaper La Estrella de Iquique, 74 Cuban migrants arrived at the Chilean border seeking refuge and more were reported en route. If Cuban migrants have been blocked going north, now some are veering south instead.

Seven Amnesty International activists arrested in Turkey after a July workshop (that started with yoga) have been freed pending trial for terrorism, while one still remains in custody.  https://www.yahoo.com/news/amnestys-turkey-chief-denies-terror-charge-095350599.html

On November 26, 2017, Honduras will elect a new president.  Amnesty International and ten allied organizations urge presidential candidates to include in their government plans, ten measures to respect the human rights of the Honduran people and protect all those who raise their voices when these rights are violated.

Report: Coordinated plot to murder Honduran activist Caceres
https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/world/the_americas/report-coordinated-plot-to-murder-honduran-activist-caceres/2017/10/31/3b7611a0-be5e-11e7-9294-705f80164f6e_story.html

There have been ample on-line defenses of George HW Bush after he reportedly touched women’s backsides in photo-ops while joking about “David Cop-a-Feel” as Barbara Bush stood stoically nearby. His defenders say he is to be excused by being old and demented and that he is a great man and was a great president. If he is truly mentally compromised, his caregivers, including Barbara, should make sure to stand between him and other women, as all have now been amply forewarned.  That GHW has indulged in such behavior in his old age would indicate (but does not prove) that he might well have done so earlier in life and the habit just carried over. For many men, it’s a culturally acquired habit, learned behavior, though I would not totally discount the influence of testosterone either. Even male animals seem more aggressive, sexually and competitively against other males, than do females. Still, the fact that many or even most men do not harass women sexually or otherwise proves it’s not something beyond their control.

According to one of my more thoughtful blog readers :  all i have to say is that the issue is not about  attractiveness or male testosterone but more about power.  should a woman have to pay 'extra' to get ahead?  is that equality?  are u saying that if she does not  like it, she can go back to wherever she came from, without consequence to the aggressor?   and that the next woman not hit on, can get the opportunity?
   i do not see this as about attractiveness.  Donald Trump is a pretty attractive guy, notwithstanding his personality.  and Harvey W. with all that $ and connections n starpower is too.  but they have used their power to extract sexual favors.  and that is not correct.  if we are putting guys in jail for rape, then these guys......

She’s quite right-- sex should not be the price of success in film or any other field, though it often is. An aspiring actress or any other female employee should not have to pay her dues that way nor be blacklisted because she refuses to consent. Women do need to speak up, despite fear of retaliation. Maybe Harvey and Donald are (or once were) attractive guys in terms of their prominence and power, though it's hard, at least for me, to see that now—it’s all in the eye of the beholder.

Trump won supporters by being anti-establishment, vowing to “drain the swamp.” Now Steve Bannon is turning the tables, using the same rhetoric against Republican incumbents.

Trump is reacting to the first Mueller actions with an attack on Hillary Clinton, par for the course. He must be itching to tell Mueller: “You’re fired!” (Golly, despite his superior intelligence and deal-making skills, he’s finding this darn presidential thing surprisingly harder than being a reality TV star or even a mega businessman!)

A 2- segment Frontline program, Putin’s Revenge, apparently attributes Vladimir Putin’s interventions aimed at elevating Donald Trump and harming Hillary Clinton’s presidential election prospects to her efforts as secretary of state to assist pro-democracy forces in Russia and undermine Putin. Putin aimed to deliberately harm Clinton and the US in retaliation, but apparently never expected Trump to actually win. Of course, that win was due not only to Putin’s efforts, but also to the quirk of the Electoral College system, which has unfortunately given us the president we have today.

Barack Obama tried to educate the electorate by word and example, but Trump uses both avenues to dumb down voters and reinforce and justify their prejudices.

If it ain’t broke, why try to fix it? What’s the point of tax reform, except to give Republican donors, along with Trump and his cronies, a further tax break and to punish blue-state citizens and their office holders by not allowing exemptions for state and local taxes? Of course, Trump wants a “victory”   and about which he can point to as a “win” about which he can tweet his heart out. But changing the tax code to reflect his wishes means a higher deficit, unlikely trickle-down to the bulk of citizens (never happened before), and possible harm to the economy which is doing just fine right now with Janet Yellen at the helm and under the current tax code. His base is likely to lose out.

“Tax reform” always has winners and losers. The main thrust of the Republican tax reform seems to be to accelerate tax collections now rather than later through 401K changes to reduce the immediate deficit impact of reductions in tax rates.

Not much information is available about the young migrant in immigration detention who was finally allowed to have an abortion. I wonder what country she is from and whether she might have been raped?  Not a few youthful first pregnancies in Latin American countries are attributed, rightly or wrongly, to rape. And it’s very unlikely that a legal abortion would have been available in her home country. Did she perhaps cross the border with abortion in mind?  Most young pregnant undocumented women would have welcomed becoming mothers here, believing that would give them a foothold in this country. However, that’s not necessarily the case. More likely, both refugee mother and small child would return back together to her country after she is deported. My friend who teaches preschool and kindergarten kids in public schools in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, tells me that a large proportion of her students were born in the US.