Black Lives Matter.
Stay safe - wash your hands,
practice social distancing, and follow informed medical advice - and be considerate towards those at risk or in
situations of vulnerability (including economic) while the COVID-19
pandemic is a problem.
This is a new, very
cut down series of posts based on some observations on matters that struck a
personal note: unlike the former “Gnwmythr’s News”, it is not
trying to convey key events.
Content Warning: the linked articles and their descriptions here may be
about violence, abuse, hate, and other problems.
This has been cut a bit shorter by exhaustion (work( and family commitments.
My articles this week
include: some thoughts on force,
domination, and coerced compliance;
in
the USA, and other matters.
This week on the protests in the USA:
Mr Floyd’s brother has begged the US Congress to “make it stop”; the possibility of real change this time; car - and gun - attacks (one by a white supremacist group leader) on BLM protestors; the EVIDENCE from other nations relying on police violence for political repressions SHOWS that there WILL be a massive political backlash; an example of the overt racism being fought; police set up and arrested more than TEN THOUSAND protestors, most nonviolent despite appalling police brutality, and forced them into crowding without any protection against the virus; two major tea vendors in the UK are supporting the BLM protests to the extent of telling one bigot to stop buying their tea; a warning on the dangers of using surveillance technology, which are exacerbated by inequality; the USA’s brutal repression inside its borders is destroying its credibility outside its borders; a review of what the protests have achieved in two weeks; a woman has died from exposure to tear gas;
in Australia: “there cannot be 432 victims and no perpetrators” (now 437 . . . ); Australia’s admitted failings; one protest; tear gas was used against prisoners who spelled out BLM; an Indigenous prisoner has been hospitalised by a guard; a four year old Indigenous girl was allegedly racially profiled at a supermarket chain; protests in Australia; “three-quarters of Australians [have implicit] biased against Indigenous Australians” (and thus have a precursor condition to racism); an Indigenous man who was pepper sprayed and tasered is appealing his assault conviction; after yet another stupid comment by our idiotic PM, a reminder that yes, there WAS slavery in Australia; as yet more data SHOWS bigotry in police actions in Australia, consideration of what we can learn from proposals for reform overseas;
internationally: the UK has seen “sporadic violence during a weekend of largely peaceful protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement”; UK protestors have removed a statue glorifying a slaver - more on statue removals here;
“police”: the US Congress is proposing bans on chokeholds and other changes to remove the lethal interactions between US “police” and the communities they’re supposed to serve, and some US cities (unbelievable that the police are so fragmented) are working on change now, including repealing secrecy laws, and a limited reform in one city - see also here; two police have been charged after leaving a man with serious brain injuries; “activists create [a] public online spreadsheet of police violence videos”; an example of constructive - gun free - policing with an Indigenous community in Canada; “how questionable police tactics led to a fatal shooting”; a disabled woman was shot dead by police in a poor area of Jamaica; a TV comedian makes some good comments about the secret “police” who have been assaulting people, and the details of defunding police proposals (there are still police); a US sheriff LIED and got a rumour spreading that led to violence; a call to make sure reforms are meaningful; police have slashed tires;
attacks on and actions by the media: a checklist for journalists; calls for protection of the media;
analysis/commentary: resources here and here;
potus45, who I will shortly commence referring to as #45: another well known, retired, conservative US general has come out in support of the Democrats rather than #45, and “89 former Defense [sic] officials [have said] the military must never be used to violate constitutional rights”; withdrawn the National Guard from the US capital; has lied yet again; caused disgust by accusing a 75 yearl old protestor who was put into hospital by two police who have since been charged, of being an Antifa member . . . ; an examination of one social media platform’s evil decision to keep up an appalling post by #45;
joining the protests have been: a review around the world; Europe.
Mr Floyd’s brother has begged the US Congress to “make it stop”; the possibility of real change this time; car - and gun - attacks (one by a white supremacist group leader) on BLM protestors; the EVIDENCE from other nations relying on police violence for political repressions SHOWS that there WILL be a massive political backlash; an example of the overt racism being fought; police set up and arrested more than TEN THOUSAND protestors, most nonviolent despite appalling police brutality, and forced them into crowding without any protection against the virus; two major tea vendors in the UK are supporting the BLM protests to the extent of telling one bigot to stop buying their tea; a warning on the dangers of using surveillance technology, which are exacerbated by inequality; the USA’s brutal repression inside its borders is destroying its credibility outside its borders; a review of what the protests have achieved in two weeks; a woman has died from exposure to tear gas;
in Australia: “there cannot be 432 victims and no perpetrators” (now 437 . . . ); Australia’s admitted failings; one protest; tear gas was used against prisoners who spelled out BLM; an Indigenous prisoner has been hospitalised by a guard; a four year old Indigenous girl was allegedly racially profiled at a supermarket chain; protests in Australia; “three-quarters of Australians [have implicit] biased against Indigenous Australians” (and thus have a precursor condition to racism); an Indigenous man who was pepper sprayed and tasered is appealing his assault conviction; after yet another stupid comment by our idiotic PM, a reminder that yes, there WAS slavery in Australia; as yet more data SHOWS bigotry in police actions in Australia, consideration of what we can learn from proposals for reform overseas;
internationally: the UK has seen “sporadic violence during a weekend of largely peaceful protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement”; UK protestors have removed a statue glorifying a slaver - more on statue removals here;
“police”: the US Congress is proposing bans on chokeholds and other changes to remove the lethal interactions between US “police” and the communities they’re supposed to serve, and some US cities (unbelievable that the police are so fragmented) are working on change now, including repealing secrecy laws, and a limited reform in one city - see also here; two police have been charged after leaving a man with serious brain injuries; “activists create [a] public online spreadsheet of police violence videos”; an example of constructive - gun free - policing with an Indigenous community in Canada; “how questionable police tactics led to a fatal shooting”; a disabled woman was shot dead by police in a poor area of Jamaica; a TV comedian makes some good comments about the secret “police” who have been assaulting people, and the details of defunding police proposals (there are still police); a US sheriff LIED and got a rumour spreading that led to violence; a call to make sure reforms are meaningful; police have slashed tires;
attacks on and actions by the media: a checklist for journalists; calls for protection of the media;
analysis/commentary: resources here and here;
potus45, who I will shortly commence referring to as #45: another well known, retired, conservative US general has come out in support of the Democrats rather than #45, and “89 former Defense [sic] officials [have said] the military must never be used to violate constitutional rights”; withdrawn the National Guard from the US capital; has lied yet again; caused disgust by accusing a 75 yearl old protestor who was put into hospital by two police who have since been charged, of being an Antifa member . . . ; an examination of one social media platform’s evil decision to keep up an appalling post by #45;
joining the protests have been: a review around the world; Europe.
In this week’s
news: a warning
on AI; some details on how
a missing autistic boy in my home state was found (this is a good news
story, but when watching the video clip, I was struck by how he was covering
his ears: the volunteers were celebrating quietly, but he was clearly
overwhelmed still by the noise. Anyway, he is safely at home with his family
now. There was an excellent radio session on autism, but I can’t find a link
yet - ABC Radio Melbourne, “Morning” - keep an eye open here);
In the environmental arena, where we have been
fighting World
War III for some time now: the climate crisis is a threat
to the health of pregnancies; backburns
in NSW caused two of last summer’s bushfires;
a staggering admission shows one
of the many problems with allowing water trading; a call for the Great Barrier Reef to be
placed on an endangered
list.
other environmental matters have occurred in: Singapore (good news); Lebanon.
other environmental matters have occurred in: Singapore (good news); Lebanon.
On human and animal rights:
more than 100 prisoners in one US state have been given the opportunity to prove racism was a factor in their death sentence; hypocrisy over racism in “Bollywood”; Australia’s first recession in several decades could fuel racism; a plan to introduce targets for reducing Indigenous incarceration; a mining company plans to destroy dozens of Indigenous sites;
a proposed memorial to the victims of LGBT hate crimes; thank you cards to a supportive public figure; a notorious TERF has been at it again - and been resisted by significant people; one of the founders of a pseudo-LGB group has been linked to anti-abortion and anti-LGBT hate groups;
religious bigotry and superstition was behind the brutal torture and murder of a respected herbalist and spiritual guide in Guatemala;
one Australian state’s police took a year to investigate a complaint over a sexual assault in the form of a strip search, and then didn’t tell the victim of the result;
a call to get rid of toxic gym culture when they re-open; reconsideration of patriarchy in Thailand;
anti-Semitism by young white women in the USA; Israel is seeking three life terms for the convicted Israeli murderer of a Palestinian couple and their child;
sham trials in China; calls to stop selling surveillance tech to thug governments;
a notorious janjaweed thug is in custody;
a journalist in Cameroon was murdered and his death covered up for a year;
an appalling case of animal abuse in India.
trafficking/slavery/child abuse matters (good and bad) have occurred in: Pakistan (death of an 8 year old “worker”);
LGBTIQ+ matters (good and bad) have occurred in: West Asia/northern Africa;
sexism, misogyny/misandry and domestic violence matters (good and bad) have occurred in: Internet; Australia; PNG;
disability matters (good and bad) have occurred in: refugees;
other freedom of the press matters (good and bad) have occurred in: Iraq.
more than 100 prisoners in one US state have been given the opportunity to prove racism was a factor in their death sentence; hypocrisy over racism in “Bollywood”; Australia’s first recession in several decades could fuel racism; a plan to introduce targets for reducing Indigenous incarceration; a mining company plans to destroy dozens of Indigenous sites;
a proposed memorial to the victims of LGBT hate crimes; thank you cards to a supportive public figure; a notorious TERF has been at it again - and been resisted by significant people; one of the founders of a pseudo-LGB group has been linked to anti-abortion and anti-LGBT hate groups;
religious bigotry and superstition was behind the brutal torture and murder of a respected herbalist and spiritual guide in Guatemala;
one Australian state’s police took a year to investigate a complaint over a sexual assault in the form of a strip search, and then didn’t tell the victim of the result;
a call to get rid of toxic gym culture when they re-open; reconsideration of patriarchy in Thailand;
anti-Semitism by young white women in the USA; Israel is seeking three life terms for the convicted Israeli murderer of a Palestinian couple and their child;
sham trials in China; calls to stop selling surveillance tech to thug governments;
a notorious janjaweed thug is in custody;
a journalist in Cameroon was murdered and his death covered up for a year;
an appalling case of animal abuse in India.
trafficking/slavery/child abuse matters (good and bad) have occurred in: Pakistan (death of an 8 year old “worker”);
LGBTIQ+ matters (good and bad) have occurred in: West Asia/northern Africa;
sexism, misogyny/misandry and domestic violence matters (good and bad) have occurred in: Internet; Australia; PNG;
disability matters (good and bad) have occurred in: refugees;
other freedom of the press matters (good and bad) have occurred in: Iraq.
In the related human
rights arena of employment: the world’s richest woman wants
to cut Australian workers’ wages; more support for a four
day working week; how to make workplaces more disability friendly.
Risks or
occurrences of atrocities, mass violence and/or war(s) this week in: Nigeria; Somalia; Mali; the Philippines; DR
Congo;
and Mali will investigate an alleged atrocity by its army; a rebel group has pulled out of the peace process in CAR.
other atrocity matters have occurred in: burma; Iraq.
and Mali will investigate an alleged atrocity by its army; a rebel group has pulled out of the peace process in CAR.
other atrocity matters have occurred in: burma; Iraq.
In the democracy, governance, politics, public ethics, and
society arena: “Centrelink
was warned
robodebt could be inaccurate more than four years
ago” - one victim’s story here,
and another incompetent or idiotic Australian government Minister has made a false
claim - that no-one died from their robodebt monstrosity, despite his
department saying 1,279 did; “renewable energy stimulus can create three
times as many Australian jobs as fossil
fuels”; amongst appalling and questionable honours, some “unsung heroes” have been recognised; local news sources are closing; Australian banks did not
pass on interest savings to their customers;
the US government “failed”
to properly oversee Chinese telecommunication companies for two decades.
other democracy, governance, politics, public ethics, and society matters have occurred in: Lebanon; plans to help Australians identify fake news from overseas.
other democracy, governance, politics, public ethics, and society matters have occurred in: Lebanon; plans to help Australians identify fake news from overseas.
On disasters
this week: glacier melt is creating
flood risks in Pakistan.
Internationally: plans for a mass exodus from Hong Kong are
being prepared; plans for 200
urban forests in India could create land
conflicts and be commercialised; more
Israelis (including settlers)
oppose
annexation of the West Bank - which could lead to Jordan cancelling
the peace plan - than support it, and the Israeli High Court has overturned
a law aimed at retroactively “legalising” settlements on the grounds that it
violates Palestinians’ (who are campaigning
to show Israeli’s what annexation would mean) rights; “Iran [is] now violating all
restrictions of nuclear deal” (thank you #45 for nothing); North Korea is threatening
to cut communication with South Korea; students
from China have defended
Australia as a place to study (although there has been a powerful call for
us to fix
our racism), as a warning
is made to not be a dupe at the G7; the
EU “could veto
any trade deal between the UK and the European Union that lacks ‘robust’
safeguards to ensure fair competition and strong standards on the environment
and workers’ rights”.
In Africa: calls
for Mali’s President to step down; a new
rebel group in South Sudan; Malawi has
appointed a new election head for the re-run; analysis
of a resistance movement in Algeria.
other African-related matters have occurred in: the notorious president of Burundi who caused widespread violence several years ago is dead; the story of a man who saved boys in Sudan from becoming child soldiers.
other African-related matters have occurred in: the notorious president of Burundi who caused widespread violence several years ago is dead; the story of a man who saved boys in Sudan from becoming child soldiers.
On the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2
novel coronavirus (there are other novel coronaviruses) (seven
major risks to watch here,
and seven sins of thought to avoid here):
“the health of people and nature is intertwined, and protecting the planet, its climate and ecosystems will be crucial to preventing further pandemics”; bots supporting #45 are behind the worst rumourmongering; WIDESPREAD MASK WEARING COULD PREVENT SECOND WAVES - so the IPOCs who want to whinge should just shut up; the German Chancellor’s personal experience of City Zero in China showed her how serious the virus was (were others racist? Seems so to me); the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia could be limited;
“the health of people and nature is intertwined, and protecting the planet, its climate and ecosystems will be crucial to preventing further pandemics”; bots supporting #45 are behind the worst rumourmongering; WIDESPREAD MASK WEARING COULD PREVENT SECOND WAVES - so the IPOCs who want to whinge should just shut up; the German Chancellor’s personal experience of City Zero in China showed her how serious the virus was (were others racist? Seems so to me); the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia could be limited;
medical aspects: half
of Singapore’s new cases are asymptomatic;
criticism
of the omission of air pollution in examinations of deaths amongst
minorities; more on the illnesses associated
with COVID-19, including damage
to the heart; concerns
over vetting of data; a review
of vaccine/”antibody therapy” development;
symptoms can last for much
longer than two weeks;
human rights aspects (crisis
. . . running summary of impacts on elections here): the UK
is abandoning domestic violence victims;
the UAE is allowing
COVID-19 to go through its prisons (if not, then it can allow independent
inspections); Turkey is trying to silence
doctors; the deepening of inequality; tackling homelessness has
to be part of tackling mental health in Australia;
also including
housing problems in: Australia - increasing inequality;
also including
housing problems in: Australia - increasing inequality;
Australia:
how inadequate funding of research left
us vulnerable; a call for Uni’s to
save “staff,
not cash reserves”; most
have supported
state border closures; even the OECD is saying we need to spend
more on social housing; criticism
of the investigation on allowing a cruise ship to dock;
internationally: India’s
physical distancing based reopening is excluding
hotels in case they’re needed as hospitals;
a testing lab for workers in Bangladesh; suggestions for keeping
New Zealand COVID-19 free; lockdown in Europe likely saved three million lives;
And finally
. . . Black Lives Matter.
