This post originally appeared on my political blog at https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2021/04/on-uganda-burma-attempted-coup-in-usa_17.html.
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On Uganda this week:
- the abductions and murders continue - with a focus on priests, continuing a concerning history in Uganda and elsewhere;
- human rights experts have sounded their alarm over the violent crackdown following elections in Uganda.
On Burma this week:
- the protests and killing continue - see here (82 killed on one day), here, here,
- details of the murder of protestors in Bago;
- the junta has underestimated the courage of Burma's people;
- an underground newspaper as a way of fighting back against the Internet shutdown;
- a call for Australia to allow Burmese people to stay here for their safety - as was done after the Tiananmen Square massacre for Chinese students;
- death penalty returns to Burma;
- new year celebrations have been cancelled in protest;
- a warning Burma could become the next Syria;
- continuing calls for economic boycotts;
- an opposition government has been formed.
A comment on Afghanistan: if the USA had stayed out
of Iraq, they would have accomplished a change of state in Afghanistan
by around 2003 or 04 - quickly enough to not build up the resentments
and hatreds that the Coalition forces have, and the problems in Pakistan
would have been more limited. Under those circumstances, I consider it
likely that troops could have been withdrawn then - maybe keep some for
low level training. (The ineptness of the military forces around building a society didn't help anything, either.) The announced withdrawal WILL be a very imaginable disaster for over 19 million people: the women of that nation.
From the news this week:
- forest fires in India; plastic pollution is now in the atmosphere . . . ; the climate crisis is a security threat; Greenland v. mining; the transition technology of hybrid cars are going to be phased out sooner than expected; the flood risks in "informal" settlements are being mapped to help stop evictions; a New Zealand law "will require banks, insurers and investment managers to report the climate impacts of their businesses and explain how they will manage risks"; "the world's wealthiest 1% produce double the combined carbon emissions of the poorest 50%"; Japan will dump nuclear contaminated water into the ocean . . . ; Ugandans have criticised the oil pipeline deal; the climate crisis will make India's monsoon even more devastating; France has banned short flights where a train alternative exists; bats have advantages - such as being pollinators;
- US President Biden has continued the USA's warmongering and will now break an election promise to sell weapons to the human rights abusing Saudis; anger over maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean; Iran has lashed out at sanctions over human rights abuses; those opposed to Ethiopia's Nile dam are building alliances; in a 21st
Century version of their defeat in Viêt Nám, the USA has just abandoned the women of Afghanistan to the increasingly violent misogynistic Taliban . . . more reflections on this . . . ; China is continuing its threats against Taiwan, building ties with Iran, exporting its techno-authoritarianism, and ramping up its saturation propaganda; the CCP's sock puppet will **** Hong Kong's next "elections"; suppression of opposition before elections in Chad; corruption has been building in Nicaragua for a decade; staggering revelations about the extent of bonuses to hundreds of public servants; Somalia's leader has been the latest leader to attack term limits - see also this examination; a kick in the guts to democracy in Thailand; growth of democracy in Samoa; the US has expelled
Russian diplomats in response for Russian interference in US elections -
Russian retaliation is expected; attempts to end the violence in the
southern Philippines are behind track; concerns the pro-democracy movement in Algeria has been infiltrated by extremists; Poland continues its sprint to despotism; talks on the Iran nuclear deal are resuming; "Venezuelans try to beat hyperinflation with cryptocurrency revolution";
- the "panic over cancel culture [is] really about the perceived loss of power"; the problem of extremists being "enterprising" - driven by the desire for power and wealth; Qatar has been using torture; "Australia's slow
adoption of laws that would allow the targeted sanctioning of human
rights abusers has been branded "humiliating" by a prominent activist" - and we will stay out of touch with decency on the age of criminal responsibility; thoughts on long term altruism; a writing competition on "what matters" for young students; new investigations into matters related to possible war crimes of a bemedalled soldier - who is suing for defamation; Denmark is committing refoulement of Syrian refugees; concerns about the proven human rights abusing company being used for vaccination bookings; the vicious national neolib nitwits have put their attack on people with a disability on hold; India is abusing privacy to create digital barriers to vaccination; "the life of an Iranian human rights lawyer";
- a campaign against the abuse of LGBTIQ+ people by their families; good news from the Yukon; abuse of LGBT elders in/by the aged care system; the dangers of AI for LGBT people; homophobia of Canadian police hampered an investigation into a serial killer; US residents OVERWHELMINGLY oppose anti-trans laws;
- a comprehensive article on the misogyny of our "justice" system - and a nuanced examination of innocence, guilt, and redemption; more information of the ineptness and trivialisation of rape allegations by NSW police who rejected three opportunities to interview the victim - which led to a rape victim committing suicide; the silence of a neochristian church on misogyny; misogyny amongst friends/colleagues; sexual bullying amongst girls; a life on the receiving end of misogyny; a notorious MP who said he would not stand for re-election in response to allegations has been blocked from doing so by his party after he backflipped; prolonged sexual assault of a child at a special needs school - by another student; silencing of sexual assault victims in small businesses; a "compelling" revelation of misogynistic bullying by Scott; lies by nurses over the dangers of drug testing for victims of spiking;
enforcement of new protections of women against sexual assault in Egypt; Mali has refused to ban FGM; "52 armies and groups [are] suspected of sexual violence"; - the sub-clinical psychopathy of police; the lived experience of racism in a police force; a call for an end to ‘police investigating police’; protests after yet another killing of a black man by US police - who ALLEGEDLY (journalists have wrongly used the word "apparently") drew the gun instead of the Tasar "by mistake" . . . (and has now resigned) - while 1 of 2 police who assaulted a US soldier has been sacked; a call to "stop training police like they’re joining the Military"; US President Biden has backed away from an oversight commission for police in favour of a bill that is doomed to fail . . . ; racism in academia; an examination of the growth of anti-Asian hate crimes as a result of the pandemic; historic vote on US slavery reparations bill coming up; the racist inequality gap; Australia's continuing failures on Indigenous deaths in custody;
- the NDIS has been ordered to cut costs . . . and damn the costs for people affected, it seems;
- Muslims fear attending mosques because of hate crimes;
- a critique of the democratic decay in Australia over the last five decades; limited media ownership - particularly wrt revenue - in Australia; US right wing politicians are unhappy at signs of decency from their erstwhile supporters/masters of the corporate world; more accusations of the Australian government pressuring experts; facebook has knowingly ALLOWED world leaders to use it to deceive and mislead people because there was no PR risk . . . ; allegations that the head of the Murdoch clan admitted
a media campaign to overthrow the government of the day; the national
neolib nitwits are viciously aiming to keep existing home owners happy at the expense of affordable housing; a debunking of the trickle down economic stupidity; one company in the gig work economy is trialling properly employing SOME of their workers; Scott has been putting government propaganda into primary schools; a community grants programme will be audited after grave concerns about perceptions of corruption;
- disturbing revelations that the ABC edited footage to sensationalise it . . .
