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Friday, June 30, 2023
Bishop Schneider: Latin Mass restrictions are an 'abuse' and compliance is 'false obedience' - LifeSite
Bishop Schneider: Latin Mass restrictions are an 'abuse' and compliance is 'false obedience' - LifeSite: Non-compliance with the prohibitions of the traditional Mass does not make one, by that fact, schismatic, provided one continues to recognize the Pope and the bishops and continues to respect them, and pray for them.
Saudi-US Relations in a Changing Global and Regional Landscape
Saudi-US Relations in a Changing Global and Regional Landscape: Kristian Coates Ulrichsen discusses the current state of Saudi-US relations as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman seeks to chart…
US mulls sending long-range missiles to Kiev – WSJ — RT World News
US mulls sending long-range missiles to Kiev – WSJ — RT World News: The US is considering supplying Ukraine with ATACMS munitions as Kiev’s troops struggle to breach Russian defenses
MoA - The Over-Hyped 'Spy' Balloon That Didn't
MoA - The Over-Hyped 'Spy' Balloon That Didn't
The Over-Hyped 'Spy' Balloon That Didn't
With regards to China President Joe Biden said on June 20 2023:
And the reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two boxcars full of spy equipment in it is he didn’t know it was there. No, I’m serious. That’s what’s a great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn’t know what happened. That wasn’t supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course up through Alaska and then down through the United States. And he didn’t know about it. When it got shot down, he was very embarrassed. He denied it was even there.
I commented that:
Biden acknowledges that the weather balloon was 'blow off course' and thereby debunks previous claims that it was steerable. China had no intent to let the balloon cross Canada and the United States. And if there had really been 'two boxcars full of spy equipment' on the balloon why hasn't the U.S. shown any of it?
Why would or should a president of the U.S. or China know of some weather balloon floating somewhere?
Xi was embarrassed by the circus the U.S. made over that affair?
...
Xi denied that the ballon was where it was to whom? And the U.S. would know about that how?
There were so many questions about those 'spy balloon' claims that, from the very beginning, I was sure and said that it was all bunk:
Feb 4 - Blinken's Travel Canceling Adds To China Hate
Feb 6 - NYT Plants False Claims Over China's Balloon Communication
Feb 8 - China Rejects "Shoot First, Talk Later" Attitude
Feb 11 - Airforce Spent Millions To Shot Down A Failed U.S. Weather Balloon - Biden Is Happy It Did So
Feb 15 - After Ten Days Of Panicky Hype The Weather Balloon Nonsense Is Finally Buried
Feb 18 - More Ballooneey News
But the Biden administration created a scandal over the randomly floating weather balloon. It thereby opened itself to criticism from the hawks in the Democratic and Republican parties. It canceled, without need, the planned mission of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to China.
Well - as it turns out it all was bunk, just as I had claimed.
Thursday, June 29, 2023
A New “Synodal Church” Undermines the Catholic Church - The Catholic Thing
A New “Synodal Church” Undermines the Catholic Church - The Catholic Thing
Many questions have arisen about the current “synodal process,” and therefore in order to be of service to Christ’s flock, I would like to address some important points of the Instrumentum Laboris for the October 2023 Session of the Synod on Synodality. This Working Document or Instrumentum appears to undermine the Divine constitution and the Apostolic character of the life and mission of the Catholic Church, substituting for them an invented “synodal church,” inspired predominantly by Protestant, social and anthropocentric categories. Below are several principal areas of concern.
We are NOT in Ukraine: There Is No Coming Backlash to Washington’s Ukraine Policy | The National Interest
We are NOT in Ukraine: There Is No Coming Backlash to Washington’s Ukraine Policy | The National Interest
Studies and historical experience demonstrate that Americans are quite willing to support sustained entanglements abroad absent mass casualties. Critics of the Biden administration’s current approach to Ukraine have not reckoned with this.
Shepherds of the Singularity
Shepherds of the Singularity
Story at-a-glance
Experts warn artificial intelligence (AI) may destroy mankind and civilization as we know it unless we rein in the development and deployment of AI and start putting in some safeguards
The public also needs to temper expectations and realize that AI chatbots are still massively flawed and cannot be relied upon. An attorney recently discovered this the hard way, when he had ChatGPT do his legal research. None of the case law ChatGPT cited was real
In 2022, Facebook pulled its science-focused chatbot Galactica after a mere three days, as it generated wholly fabricated results
The unregulated deployment of autonomous AI weapons systems is perhaps among the most alarming developments. Foreign policy experts warn that autonomous weapons technologies will destabilize current nuclear strategies and increase the risk of preemptive attacks. They could also be combined with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons, thereby posing an existential threat
AI may also pose a significant threat to biosecurity. MIT students have demonstrated that large language model chatbots can allow anyone to design bioweapons in as little as an hour
Escape The Woke Matrix - by Michael Shellenberger - Public
Escape The Woke Matrix - by Michael Shellenberger - Public
I had the pleasure on Monday of giving a keynote address to the students and faculty of the University of Austin titled “Escape The Woke Matrix.” In it, I argue that Western civilization is being rapidly taken over by a psychopathological religion, and that we must resist it by exposing it for what it is, and re-grounding our institutions in love of humanity, civilization, and freedom.
You can hear the emotion in my voice. The global crackdown on free speech has left me feeling angry and afraid. Despite my emotional state, or perhaps because of it, the students gave me a standing ovation at the end.
Narendra Modi’s ultimate test—educating 265m pupils
Narendra Modi’s ultimate test—educating 265m pupils
CLOSING THE factory in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh was not a decision he took lightly, says the boss of a manufacturer based in Mumbai, India’s business capital. Yet the local workforce’s lack of skills and discipline meant it made sense to produce in the south and west. “We offer training at all our production sites, but bringing people to the required level simply wasn’t worth our time.”
The tale illustrates one of India’s biggest problems. Its education system is failing it. At some 1.4bn, it has more people than China, and its economy is growing fast. It needs to make hundreds of millions of its young people employable, particularly in the poorer, more populous northern states. Otherwise it could waste much of its growth potential and court instability as undereducated, underemployed youngsters lose hope.
‘Sanctions deterrent’: China frames new Foreign Relations Law as essential to national sovereignty | South China Morning Post
‘Sanctions deterrent’: China frames new Foreign Relations Law as essential to national sovereignty | South China Morning Post
Top diplomat Wang Yi says the legislation is needed to help the country expand its toolbox to cope with unpredictability
Wang does not refer to the West but says it is in response to containment and interference
Alito’s Wife Leased Land to an Oil and Gas Firm While Justice Fought EPA
Alito’s Wife Leased Land to an Oil and Gas Firm While Justice Fought EPA: A deal made by Alito’s wife with an energy company paints recent Supreme Court decisions on the environment in a damning light.
How a reckless report could increase the chance of a crisis with China - Responsible Statecraft
How a reckless report could increase the chance of a crisis with China - Responsible Statecraft
Written by
Michael D. Swaine, Jake Werner and James Park
Given its broad membership and prestigious leadership, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is generally considered to be the flagship foreign policy think tank in the United States, reflecting the judicious, mainstream views of America’s foreign policy establishment.
It is thus noteworthy and potentially dangerous that CFR has just published an assessment of U.S. Taiwan policy that largely reflects the viewpoint of hawks in Washington on a range of issues, including the strategic value of Taiwan to the United States and the goals of Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). If this highly contested view is misunderstood by the larger policymaking community as an expert consensus, the United States risks further escalation with China toward serious conflict.
The report supposedly drew on the views of a task force composed of a wide range of experts on U.S.-China and U.S.-Taiwan relations. However, the bulk of the study ignores or downplays many of the more balanced stances held by those currently taking part in the Taiwan policy debate. As a result, five of the 17 task force members issued dissents to the report citing foundational problems with the nature of its arguments and recommendations (two other task force members dissented in a more hawkish direction).
Atlanta Airport Goes Full Dystopian, Using Digital Facial Recognition IDs, Fulfilling Klaus Schwab’s Prophecy That Humans Will Be Digitized and Many Nations Will Adopt China’s ‘Very Attractive Model’
Atlanta Airport Goes Full Dystopian, Using Digital Facial Recognition IDs, Fulfilling Klaus Schwab’s Prophecy That Humans Will Be Digitized and Many Nations Will Adopt China’s ‘Very Attractive Model’
By Leo Hohmann June 28, 2023
World Economic Forum founder and executive director Klaus Schwab heaped praise on the Chinese Communist Party this week for adopting “new COVID control measures” while boosting “social dynamism” at the WEF’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions.
We will break down in this article what Schwab means by “social dynamism.” This is important, why? Because Schwab, a globalist, futurist a transhumanist, holds immense sway over many of our Western politicians in Canada, the U.S., Australia, etc., at both the state and federal levels.
Heads of state and governors of all political stripes, from Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, flock to his meetings in Davos each year. Kemp told the corporate media he was going to Davos in January 2023 to “sell Georgia.” He no sooner returned and we found out that Georgia became one of the first handful of states to launch a new drivers’ license with biometric digital identities using facial recognition software. This means a QR Code containing personal biometric data, recognizable instantly when your facial features get scanned at ports of call worldwide, will be assigned to every citizen who signs up for this new digital ID.
Arab Digest. org - Iraq’s Water Crisis guest post
Iraq’s Water Crisis
Summary: Iraq’s water security is poor and – absent urgent action – is set to get much worse.
We are grateful to Greg Shapland for the posting below. He is a writer on environmental affairs (including water), climate change, politics and security in the MENA region. He was Head of Research Analysts in the FCO (now FCDO) from 2010-13 and is currently a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Middle East Centre, LSE.
In many years, Iraq doesn’t have enough water to meet all the needs of its economy. Allocations of water to agriculture – which uses almost 80% of the country’s supply – often have to be cut in summer when river flows are low. Rice, a notoriously “thirsty” crop, is the usual victim.
A report written by the present author and funded by the FCDO makes it clear that this situation has multiple causes.
Over 90% of Iraq’s water comes from outside the country. Three-quarters of the water which reaches Iraq via rivers that rise in Türkiye or Iran comes from Türkiye; around 11% comes from Iran and 5% from Syria. This dependence on sources beyond Iraq’s borders makes the country very vulnerable.
[photo credit: Ribale Sliman-Haidar]
Türkiye has been taking much more water out of these transboundary rivers than has Iran. Flows down the Euphrates into Iraq have suffered as a result. But Iranian use has had a very harmful impact on some parts of Iraq, notably eastern Kurdistan, Diyala Governorate and Basra.
Not only has there been a fall in the volume of water flowing into Iraq from Türkiye and Iran – the quality of the water has declined as well. This is important, as water polluted beyond a certain point cannot be safely used.
Iraq’s growing water crisis has another cause, too, namely, the extreme inefficiency with which water is used in Iraq.
Iraq’s water security looks set to get even more precarious in future. There are six main reasons for this. The first is that Türkiye’s use of water from the Tigris and Euphrates will increase as its South-East Anatolia Project (GAP) proceeds. The next leap in Turkish use of transboundary water will come when the irrigation schemes associated with the Cizre dam on the Tigris come into operation within the next few years.
The second reason is that Iran’s extractions will also increase: Iran hasn’t yet exhausted the full potential to use the water which still flows into Iraq. Thirdly, reconstruction in Syria, when it happens, will mean the use of more water from the Euphrates and to a lesser extent from the Tigris. Fourthly, the increased use for irrigation by upstream countries (Türkiye, Syria and Iran) will further undermine water quality.
The fifth reason is the looming monster of climate change. Projections suggest that, by 2050, there could be a 20-30% reduction in the flow of rivers entering Iraq. Moreover, higher temperatures will mean greater losses of water to evaporation, while crops will need more water per unit of output.
Lastly, within Iraq, population growth, reconstruction and economic development will all create more demand. There will be stiffer competition for less water.
What can Iraq do about all this? In terms of getting its upstream neighbours to allow more water to flow into Iraq on a permanent basis, perhaps not much. Türkiye has professed itself willing to negotiate with Iraq but only on its own terms. Baghdad has been able to get Ankara to provide Iraq with more water at times of severe shortage but Iraq has had to be sure to ask politely. And such provision is temporary and leaves Türkiye in full control of the flow of the Euphrates and Tigris into Iraq.
Until very recently, Iran had simply declined to engage with Iraq in any serious way over transboundary water. It is too soon to tell whether an apparent change of attitude displayed during the Baghdad Water Conference in May by the Iranian Minister of Energy, Ali Akbar Mehrabian, represents a breakthrough or just some fine-sounding but hollow words.
Iraq might be able to offer incentives to Türkiye and Iran to make nice over water. What both Ankara and Tehran would most value from Baghdad would be the suppression of Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq. But this is in Erbil’s gift rather than Baghdad’s – and Iraqi Kurdish leaders would find it politically impossible to act against their fellow Kurds. Alternatively, Baghdad could offer Türkiye discounted oil and gas. This would probably only be acceptable to Ankara – if at all – as a temporary measure until Türkiye’s economy has recovered from its present difficulties.
Iraq doesn’t have a military option either. Both Türkiye and Iran are stronger militarily than Iraq. And Iran has penetrated the Iraqi political system so thoroughly that no Iraqi government could take measures against Iran over water – or anything else for that matter.
Legal remedies might seem appealing. But neither Türkiye nor Iran has acceded to the relevant UN conventions on the subject. And there are no agreements covering the whole of the basin or even three out of the four riparian states. The threat by Iraq’s then Minister of Water to take Iran to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over water in 2021 was not backed by the rest of the Baghdad government and has turned out to be empty rhetoric.
The situation is rapidly reaching the point of no return. That is, Türkiye and Iran will soon have put in place all the dams and irrigation schemes which, from their perspective, make economic sense. Iraq will then be unable to do more than to try to persuade Türkiye and Iran to operate their dams in ways which guarantee a certain level of flow in the rivers they share. So far, there has been no sign of willingness on the part of either country to offer such guarantees. In years of low flow, it is likely that Ankara and Tehran will prioritise their own needs over those of Iraq.
Given the likelihood of lower flows from its upstream neighbours in future, the most effective thing Iraq could do to enhance its water security would be to improve the efficiency of its irrigated agriculture. There is undoubtedly plenty of scope for improvement, Iraqi irrigation techniques having hardly advanced since Sumerian times. However, formidable obstacles stand in the way of such an endeavour, notably a lack of capacity among officials in both central and provincial government, governmental dysfunction and incoherence more generally and endemic corruption.
If Iraq can successfully address these challenges, it will still be able to save something of its agricultural sector. If not, then the prospects for farming in this part of the ancient Fertile Crescent will be poor indeed. Food insecurity could be added to water insecurity.
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
H-1B visa: Canada launches new bid to poach skilled Silicon Valley tech workers
H-1B visa: Canada launches new bid to poach skilled Silicon Valley tech workers: "We’re targeting newcomers that can help enshrine Canada as a world leader in a variety of emerging technologies," Canada's immigration minister said.
Scott Ritter - Wagner is a Criminal Entity. - YouTube
Scott Ritter - Wagner is a Criminal Entity. - YouTube: Scott Ritter - Wagner is a Criminal Entity.Scott Ritter Interview Would Ukraine's attack on Moscow lead to nuclear retaliation?Scott Ritter Book's : https://...
Fr. Bob's Reflection for the Twelfth Sunday of Easter
FRANCISCAN FRIARS of the ATONEMENT™
THIS WEEK’S REFLECTION FROM FR. BOB WARREN, SA
12TH SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME – JUNE 28, 2023
Some time ago, a group from the University of Southern California became curious about why some people succeed while others with equal talents and opportunities fail. They studied nearly two-thousand students for six years. Their findings were remarkable.
They showed that the most important factor contributing to success or failure is self-image. A person with positive self-image is apt to succeed; a person with negative self-image is apt to fail.
In other words, if we perceive ourselves to be valuable or lovable, we will probably succeed in what we do. But if we do not perceive ourselves to be valuable or lovable, we will probably fail. But the effect of our self-image extends beyond even this. Our self-image holds the key to our success as Christians, and our success as Christians is measured by our ability to love God and our neighbor.
Studies show that people with a positive self-image are far more capable of loving than people with a negative self-image. So, why is this true? It is because love is a self-gift. Love is a gift of one’s self to another person. So, if we do not think we are valuable or lovable, we will not be able to give ourselves as a gift to another person. No one gives junk to another person they respect and admire.
That leads us to a question: How do we develop our self-image? Where do we pick up the idea that we are valuable or lovable? The answer is frightening. We pick up this idea from other people, especially those closest to us. If they treat us as not being worthwhile as we grow, that is how we will see ourselves in adult life. On the other hand, if they treat us as valuable and lovable, that is how we begin to see ourselves.
It would seem those closest to us hold the key to our self-image. But, as Christians, we must believe that God made us in His own image. Therefore, all of us should have a positive self-image.
Today’s Gospel emphasizes this. Jesus says that our Heavenly Father knows even the number of the hairs on our head. In God’s eyes, we have ultimate worth and value. He loves you and values you so much that He sent His only Son to save us from our sin.
So, it is important that we convey to others the same message He conveyed to us. That we are lovable beyond counting.
He tells in the Gospel that not a single sparrow dies without God’s consent, and we are worth more than am entire flock of sparrows. And He tell us “Don’t be afraid of anything.”
None of us should have a negative self-image. Pope Leo the Great’s final words were, “You are all Christ bearers, act like Christ bearers. You are called to greatness, then be great.”
Fr. Robert Warren
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Robert Warren Signature
Fr. Robert Warren, S.A.
Spiritual Director
A Synod of No Surprises - The Catholic Thing
A Synod of No Surprises - The Catholic Thing
The IL opens with a proclamation: “The People of God have been on the move since Pope Francis convened the whole Church in Synod in October 2021.” Really? Meetings have certainly been held. Long and windy and vague texts produced. All this, it’s said, better to preach the Gospel.
But what is that Gospel? The human alienation from God due to sin and God’s unmerited grace in redeeming us in Jesus Christ. The Synod leaders say they don’t want to touch on doctrines or settle disputes within the Church, but only to find a way of “walking together” in our differences. But we’re not talking about the differences between Franciscans and Dominicans. Current divisions amount to different Gospels.
Wuhan Scientist Thrown Off Roof
Wuhan Scientist Thrown Off Roof
Story at-a-glance
According to witnesses, a Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) scientist by the name of Zhou Yusen was thrown to his death off the lab’s roof in May 2020, three months after he’d filed a patent for a COVID vaccine
The patent suggests Yusen had been working on the vaccine prior to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, which authorities have insisted was a previously unknown virus of zoonotic origin. The timing of the patent filing is further evidence that SARS-CoV-2 was created in a lab
There’s also evidence linking SARS-CoV-2 to Chinese bioweapons research
WIV researchers also created a coronavirus far more lethal than SARS-CoV-2 — one with a 75% kill rate. This research was, in part, funded by EcoHealth grant money from the U.S. government
At least nine viruses related to SARS-CoV-2 were found in a Chinese mineshaft, but research for only one was published
Suspending U.S.-Chinese military ties is no longer a low-risk proposition | The Hill
Suspending U.S.-Chinese military ties is no longer a low-risk proposition | The Hill
Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent meetings with Chinese leaders in Beijing were a positive development in an otherwise fraught period in U.S.-China relations. While it is still too early to know for sure, the visit holds out the prospect that serious high-level political and economic discussions may once again take place in an attempt to arrest the downward trajectory in the relationship.
Conspicuously absent, however, was movement on restarting communications channels between the two military establishments. When asked at a news conference about progress on this front, the secretary stated, “at this moment, China has not agreed to move forward with that.”
US delivers 'tough talk' to Israeli officials over West Bank escalation - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East
US delivers 'tough talk' to Israeli officials over West Bank escalation - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East
The Israeli government has been warned that the Biden administration won’t stand idly by while settlers attack West Bank Palestinians.
TEL AVIV — Shocking settler violence against West Bank Palestinians has polarized Israeli society and antagonized an already exasperated Biden administration.
Israel’s top three security officials issued a joint communique on Saturday condemning the recent rampaging by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. “These attacks go against every moral and Jewish value and are nationalist terrorism in the full sense of the term, and we are obliged to fight them,” wrote Israel’s top soldier Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet security agency head Ronen Bar, and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai.
Their use of the term "nationalist terrorism," almost always reserved for Palestinian violence against Israelis, found widespread condemnation among settlers and the government ministers who back them.
Differences are no reason for conflict, hear pilgrims during message for unity on Arafat
Differences are no reason for conflict, hear pilgrims during message for unity on Arafat
Muslims should unite in word, prayers and action, and should avoid conflict, Hajj preacher Sheikh Yusuf bin Mohammad said in his sermon on Mount Arafat on Tuesday.
Sheikh Yusuf, who has held several of the highest religious positions in Saudi Arabia before being appointed preacher at this year's Hajj, reminded the world that racism has no basis in Islam, quoting a hadith – or saying – by the Prophet Mohammed.
Read more
Saudi Arabia brings women to the forefront as Hajj 2023 pilgrimage begins
“There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab and no superiority for a white-skinned person over a black-skinned person, except due to one’s consciousness of Allah.”
Georgetown honouring Madeleine Albright endangers Arabs
Georgetown honouring Madeleine Albright endangers Arabs
Georgetown University proposing to rename a school after Madeleine Albright is an affront to Arabs on campus given the former US Secretary of State's support for UN sanctions on Iraq. It glorifies anti-Arab racism & policies, argues Lukas Soloman.
A world where China is Number One - Asia Times
A world where China is Number One - Asia Times
The three key things about China we need to keep in mind are that
it is strong, not weak;
it has become a sea power; and
its values are both different from those of the West and not necessarily what Europe and America think they are.
China, New Zealand ink range of multi-industry deals amid warming ties | Al Mayadeen English
China, New Zealand ink range of multi-industry deals amid warming ties | Al Mayadeen English
New Zealand's Prime Minister Chris Hipkins signed during an official visit to China a basket of agreements aimed to develop trade ties between the two countries.
Hipkins, who is on a two-day business trip to China, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday amid plans to lift New Zealand's struggling economy.
During talks with Xi, China's leader stressed that the two nations should promote the "liberalization and facilitation" of trade and investment and create a better business environment for companies of both countries to facilitate and develop mutual work opportunities.
Guest Post: Red Lights Are Flashing in Belarus
>> Red Lights Are Flashing in Belarus
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>> There is real danger for the Ukraine and NATO in the recent Potemkin Coup in Russia. I suggested this a few day ago, as the Progozhin Saga was unfolding, “A deal which takes Wagner out of the Ukraine war, sends in Prigozhin to Minsk to stabilise a weakened Lukashenko and keep Belarus on Russia’s side, and to absorb those Wagner elements who are willing to take Putin’s shilling, are all positive outcomes. Perhaps this might be a suggested motive of what prompted this weekend’s coup”. What I was reflecting was the view from the in-country and exiled opposition figures in the Belorussian opposition who have been warning about the possible Russian approach to saving Belarus when Lukashenko dies or is replaced. The Belarus card is the last option for Putin to play in his war in the Ukraine. It seems that this Progozhin maskirovka provided the vehicle for Putin to take control of the Belorussian action in support of the Russian attack on the Ukraine.
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>> Belarus has been riven by internal dissent since the last election in 2020 when President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who has been in power for the past 28 years, claimed a landslide victory despite widespread evidence that the election was neither free nor fair and that opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was the likely winner. Before the election results were even announced, tens of thousands of people spontaneously gathered to peacefully protest the conduct of the election and to oppose the Lukashenko regime. The days that followed (9-11 August) were the most violent period in the country’s recent history: up to 7,000 protesters were arrested, many of them beaten and tortured by security forces, with three people dying at the hands of police. Then, between 17 and 18 August, workers across the country took part in strike action to support the democratic protests. Although protests continued until November, and despite international condemnation, Lukashenko refused to concede instead, more than 35,000 people have been arrested in 2021; opposition politicians, trade unionists, journalists, members of civil society, human rights lawyers and protesters have all been targeted with criminal prosecutions, and strict new laws have been introduced to further impede everything from press freedom to freedom of association. Scores of activists have fled the country, and dissents in exile have been kidnapped or found dead.[i] Many of the top leaders of the labour movement have escaped to Germany.
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>> According to Viasna, which remains the principal human rights group in the country, at the end of January 2023 at least 1,440 people were in prison for political reasons. On 5 January 2023, the Minsk City Court sentenced three leaders of trade unions not affiliated with the regime – Henadz Fiadynich, Viachaslau Areshka and Vasil Berasnieu – to heavy prison terms. They were charged with, among other things, “forming or participating in an extremist group”. The men, aged 66, 68 and 73, were sentenced to between eight- and nine-years’ imprisonment in a penal colony. Earlier, on 26 December 2022, three other trade union activists – Aliaksandr Yarashuk, president of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), his deputy Siarhei Antusevich and a union staff member, Iryna Bud-Husaim – were sentenced to between one and a half and four years in prison. The authorities accused them of “threatening national security”. “Others were imprisoned but have already served their sentences and are now out. [ii]
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>> · In February, several constitutional amendments were adopted via a referendum that was neither free nor fair. The approved amendments included provisions granting President Lukashenka lifelong immunity from prosecution.
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>> · Belarus served as a staging ground for Russian military forces before they invaded Ukraine in February, and Lukashenka continued to allow Russian troops to operate on Belarusian territory through year’s end. During the year, the government deliberately obscured information about the scale and extent of Belarus’s involvement in the war against Ukraine.
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>> · Authorities violently cracked down on antiwar demonstrations during the year, arresting more than 800 protesters in February alone. Security forces were also excessive when responding to people accused of disrupting railway links and supply lines used by the Russian military; authorities additionally harassed and threatened relatives of Belarusian volunteers in the Ukrainian military.
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>> · The government approved several legislative measures targeting political activists living in exile during the year. In July, Lukashenka enacted legislation permitting authorities to hold trials in absentia for those accused of threatening Belarus’s national security; in December, the parliament approved a legislative amendment that allows the citizenship of both native-born and naturalized Belarusians residing abroad to be revoked if they are convicted of charges related to “extremism.”
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>> The most important factor determining Belorussian behaviour is the ceding of authority by Lukashenko to the Russians. Without domestic support (made obvious by the population’s revolt after the farce of the last election) Lukashenko has nowhere else to go. Putin has rewarded him well. Russia has granted Belarus a stay in repayments on loans to the tune of $1 billion and issued a new loan for another $1.5 billion. Moreover, due to Western sanctions on Belarusian goods, 60 per cent of the country’s exports now end up on the Russian market. And Belarus receives Russian gas for the bargain-basement price of just $128.5 per thousand cubic meters. Indeed, Moscow has accommodated all of Minsk’s requests. Lukashenko has ceded all military sovereignty over the territory of Belarus. Russian troops can enter, leave, and return to Belarussian territory whenever they want, without the permission of local authorities. Lukashenko has put pressure on the Belarus military, to co-operate with the Russians. Former members of the military and retired police officers are receiving summons. Military medics are also in training, and some civilians have received word that, if the need arises, they will be mobilised in the first wave. Officers of the Belarusian KGB are visiting state-owned enterprises, spreading the word about an ‘impending attack’ against Belarus from Ukraine. And, in a special briefing for foreign military attaches, Belarus’s ministry of defence outlined its brand-new right to use “measures of strategic deterrence to prevent an attack”.
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>> But the Belarusian army does not have the capacity or will to turn the tide of the war in favour of Russia. Firstly, it is too small, with the most combat-ready segment not exceeding 15,000 troops. The remainder are about as efficient as Russia’s press-ganged bunch of new conscripts. Moreover, the Ukrainian armed forces are now much better prepared for an attack from the north: they have mined the roads and fields on the border with Belarus, destroyed the relevant bridges, and modern Western weapons such as HIMARS anti-tank missiles could prevent troops even crossing the border. Belarussian society is overwhelmingly against the country’s participation in the war – more than 90 per cent reject the idea of joining on the side of Russia. Sending Belarusians to war could therefore provoke a serious wave of discontent within the country, even more so than Putin’s mobilisation has in Russia. The Belarussian democratic forces in exile would likely use this to overthrow the Lukashenko regime. They are watching closely: last week, opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged Belarusian troops to respond to orders to attack Ukraine by laying down their arms and joining the Ukrainian forces.[iii]
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>> Over the last month there has been considerable concern by Putin about the health of Lukashenko. He was flown to Moscow for treatment. At the same time there was an escalation of protest inside Belarus with train lines blown up, communications interdicted, and the Belarus security forces unable to contain these threats. Putin already had made an effort to stiffen Belarus potential by delivering tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus. Belarus had 81 single warhead missiles stationed on its territory after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. They were all transferred to Russia by 1996. In May 1992, Belarus acceded to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)and agreed to the anti-proliferation of these weapons in Belarus. The only rational solution to the possible collapse of Belorussian co-operation with Russia in its battles with the Ukraine and to the ’regime change’ of the nation in response to the disappearance of Lukashenko, was to take control of the nuclear weapons and the Belarus Army without it looking like an open Russian invasion of the country. To this end, the Progozhin Coup fit the purpose fully.
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>> Now, the Russians are ‘exiled’ to Belarus. the Belarus Army is opening new military bases in the country for the Russian soldiers. the Wagner exiles will act as the Dzerzhinsky Brigade for the Belarus Army if it tries not to fight. Domestic repression will continue and there will be a slightly disorganised but coherent force on Ukraine’s northern border. For the loyal and patriotic Belarusians, that is the lesson of the Prigozhin Coup.
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>> See: https://youtu.be/zXgnFreZjWw and https://youtu.be/ybRYaWIUEQg
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>> [i] Equal Times, “One year after the protests, workers in Belarus are still pushing for democracy and labour rights”, 18/8/21
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>> [ii] https://www.equaltimes.org/under-threat-and-unable-to-work?lang=en>
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>> [iii] https://ecfr.eu/article/putins-last-ally-why-the-belarusian-army-cannot-help-russia-in-ukraine/>
Israel: Druze confrontation with the state is deeper than anger at wind farm | Middle East Eye
Israel: Druze confrontation with the state is deeper than anger at wind farm | Middle East Eye
The outburst of rage in large demonstrations from Syrian Druze last week and the subsequent violent Israeli crackdown might seem out of proportion to those thinking it's only a protest against the wind farm in the occupied Golan Heights.
The Israeli project to build wind turbines on private Syrian land was certainly the trigger - but it unleashed deeper feelings of anger, hurt and humiliation which have been boiling for years.
China's Reopening in 2023 - Changes to Economy, Policy, and Diplomacy
China's Reopening in 2023 - Changes to Economy, Policy, and Diplomacy
China’s recovery after almost three years of stringent COVID-19 restrictions has proven successful but not without its challenges. Recovery has been steady across a range of sectors, while uneven growth has spurred the government to consider policy measures to keep the country on track to reach its 2023 growth target. In this article, we discuss how China’s reopening in 2023 has brought about changes to the economy, policy, and international diplomacy with key partners around the world.
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
How powerful is the Israel Lobby
How powerful is the Israel lobby? https://youtu.be/HzZBYOPn26o
The Israel Lobby in the US - VPRO documentary - 2007 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N294FMDok98
Peter Beinart: The Israel Lobby Is Spending Millions to Defeat Progressive Democrats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djZVm1n_XNA
The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy | John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYdPSAlhLQA
The Lobby P1: Young Friends of Israel l Al Jazeera Investigations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceCOhdgRBoc
The Lobby P2: The Training Session l Al Jazeera Investigations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuk1EhkEctE
Pro-Israeli Lobby and Influence on U.S. Policy, Part 1 https://www.c-span.org/video/?459045-1/pro-israeli-lobby-influence-us-policy-part-1
The Israel Lobby Is Good for America by Daniel Pipes https://www.jns.org/the-israel-lobby-is-good-for-america/
An Israeli Lobby in China? There is a growing pro-Israeli advocacy within China. By Mohammed Al-Sudairi April 30, 2015 https://thediplomat.com/2015/04/an-israeli-lobby-in-china/
Israel set to increase its soft power in China Although Jews living in China today number no more than 2,500, they have a direct impact on Israeli-Chinese relations Selim Han Yeniacun | 08.02.2020 https://www.aa.com.tr/en/analysis/analysis-israel-set-to-increase-its-soft-power-in-china/1728042
'Israel lobby' scholar sheds light on China, but what did he get wrong? - analysis John Mearsheimer has warned for years about China’s rise. Now he continues to warn about China, while still slamming Israel. By SETH J. FRANTZMAN OCTOBER 23, 2021 https://www.jpost.com/international/israel-lobby-scholar-sheds-light-on-china-but-what-did-he-get-wrong-analysis-682911
Comparison of the Influence of the Chinese Lobby and the Israeli Lobby in the United States D. B. Grafov https://doi.org/10.24833/2071-8160-2015-5-44-84-98 https://www.vestnik.mgimo.ru/jour/article/view/422
Israel Lobby Natan Aridan Israel Studies Vol. 24, No. 2, Word Crimes; Reclaiming The Language of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Summer 2019), pp. 128-143 https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/israelstudies.24.2.11
Israeli-Chinese Relations and Their Future Prospects: From Shadow to Sunlight Yossi Melman and Ruth Sinai Asian Survey Vol. 27, No. 4 (Apr., 1987), pp. 395-407 https://www.jstor.org/stable/2644679
China and the US in Israel: The Lucrative Versus the Indispensable? Nicholas Lyall and Roie Yellinek May 27 2021 https://www.e-ir.info/2021/05/27/opinion-china-and-the-us-in-israel-the-lucrative-vs-the-indispensable/
China and Russia’s infiltration of the American Jewish and Israeli lobbies July 29, 2021 https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2021/07/29/china-and-russias-infiltration-of-the-american-jewish-and-israeli-lobbies/
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Insurers pull back as US climate catastrophes intensify | The Hill
Insurers pull back as US climate catastrophes intensify | The Hill: CORRECTION: Eric Andersen is the president of consulting firm Aon plc. A previous version of this story included incorrect information. The insurance industry is increasingly wary of the risks presented by climate and natural disasters, prompting major firms to scale back their presence in more vulnerable states. In June, Farmers Insurance announced in a company memo it will…
Blinken Hints At More Russia Unrest To Come: "We Haven't Seen The Last Act" | ZeroHedge
Blinken Hints At More Russia Unrest To Come: "We Haven't Seen The Last Act" | ZeroHedge: ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
Was the Russian Coup Staged? | Fight With Kash | fightwithkash.com
Was the Russian Coup Staged? | Fight With Kash | fightwithkash.com: Kash joins Stinchfield tonight, says not all is as it seems in
Russia....
Monday, June 26, 2023
Sunday, June 25, 2023
Daily Gospel Reflection (06/25/23)
Daily Gospel Reflection (06/25/23) - micheletkearney@gmail.com - Gmail
Matthew 10:26–33
Friends, three times in today’s Gospel Jesus tells us not to be afraid. When we fear, we cling to who we are and what we have; we see ourselves as the threatened center of a hostile universe. Fear is the “original sin” of which the Church Fathers speak. Fear is the poison that was injected into human consciousness and human society from the beginning.
And fear is a result of forgetting our deepest identity. At the root and ground of our being there is what Christianity calls “the image and likeness of God.” This means that at the foundation of our existence, we are one with the divine power that continually creates and sustains the universe. We are held and cherished by the infinite love of God.
When we rest in this center and realize its power, we know that we are safe, or in more classical religious language, “saved.” And therefore we can let go of fear and begin to live in radical trust. But when we lose sight of this rootedness in God, we live exclusively on the tiny island of the ego, and our lives become dominated by fear.
Be Not Afraid - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon - YouTube
Be Not Afraid - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon - YouTube
Matthew 10:26–33
Friends, three times in today’s Gospel Jesus tells us not to be afraid. When we fear, we cling to who we are and what we have; we see ourselves as the threatened center of a hostile universe. Fear is the “original sin” of which the Church Fathers speak. Fear is the poison that was injected into human consciousness and human society from the beginning.
And fear is a result of forgetting our deepest identity. At the root and ground of our being there is what Christianity calls “the image and likeness of God.” This means that at the foundation of our existence, we are one with the divine power that continually creates and sustains the universe. We are held and cherished by the infinite love of God.
When we rest in this center and realize its power, we know that we are safe, or in more classical religious language, “saved.” And therefore we can let go of fear and begin to live in radical trust. But when we lose sight of this rootedness in God, we live exclusively on the tiny island of the ego, and our lives become dominated by fear.
La guerre de Jénine: génocide identitaire et éradication des Palestiniens
La guerre de Jénine: génocide identitaire et éradication des Palestiniens
Jenin's War: identity genocide and eradication of Palestinians
Sunday 25/June/2023
The Dialogue
Since the Jenin war triggered by Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, it is bloodthirsty biblical thought that dominates the Israeli political landscape even against moderate Jews. And the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is no longer simply reduced to its outcome and the part that will succeed in extending its grip on Zone C defined on the map of the Oslo Accords; it has become - from the point of view of the Israeli government - a zero produced equation: the historical Palestinian territory is indivisible; therefore, the two-state solution is impossible. Palestinians can no longer live there: they must be eradicated from their territory and exterminated. Palestinian identity must be completely purified, because, in fact, its existence recalls the angry criminal, his crime, the victims they have the rights to recover, and presents to the whole world the testimony that peace will never see the light of day without law and justice.
Impact on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The latest version of the Jenin war triggered at the beginning of this year has had serious repercussions that will be felt - on a large scale - on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Namely, among the most important, the sharp fall of the Palestinian national authority, triggered with the Gaza war in 2014, at the bottom of the abyss of the Palestinian political scene as well as the suspension of negotiations with the Israelis. This fall was counterbalanced by the fortification of other Palestinian organizations such as "Hamas" and "Muslim Jihad". This fall also involved the use of bullets and not stones. And, according to reports from Shin Bet, the Israeli domestic intelligence service, 147 terrorist acts have been carried out in Israel and the West Bank, since the beginning of this year, including 120 shootings reporting an 80% increase. A few days from the great Baïram, it is expected that the ongoing unrest in Jenin and the West Bank will continue until the end of the festival.
It is expected that this confrontation will last just because this new war goes hand in hand with a fierce Israeli plan for colonial expansion in the West Bank declared on June 18, which involves the construction of 4,500 new homes in Israeli settlements and the regularization of about 70 colonial outposts that the former Israeli government had considered illegal and to which Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu added a thousand other homes to be built This colonial expansion is taking place in parallel with a fierce wave of attacks perpetrated by armed colonizers against Palestinian cities and villages, in view of the security forces and the army following the example of what happened in the city of "Morthus Ayya", the village of Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya near Ramallah and in the city of Huwara which experienced similar Armed colonizers set fire to dozens of houses, cars and orchards. They also attacked economic facilities including Palestinian factories and workshops and shops. We even shot at those who fled the fires, thus reproducing the scenes of massacres executed by armed gangs such as "Ahanah", "the Stern group, Lehi" and L'Irgoun". Further galvanizing the cruelty and barbarity of the colonizers, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir said last Wednesday in front of the Knesset that "we need a military operation that would raze buildings and massacre populations. This will be our response to terrorism."
Impacts on the regional and international scene
The Jeninian War has caused until today the fiery anger of the Arab world as in Turkey and Iran and in states with diplomatic relations with Israel such as Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and others such as Saudi Arabia. In a statement in virulent terms, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the barbaric attack on Jenin and his bombing by drones and accused the Hebrew State of violating international humanitarian law. Jordan showed its blue anger through statements that stirred the spectre of revenge. The United Arab Emirates called on Israel to lower the level of tension, Turkey condemned targeting civilians, Iran indicated that the Palestinian resistance will end Israel's aggression and Qatar condemned the new chapter of the escalation against the Palestinians. Internationally, Brussels and Paris have issued statements condemning Israel and advocating lull. The European Union has confirmed the need to stop colonial expansion in the West Bank. The most practical reaction was issued by the Moroccan government, which decided to cancel the next ministerial meeting of the Negev forum that it was to host next month.
Colonization against Iranian nuclear power
The United States took the initiative to condemn the terrorist attack that targeted Israelis near " Eli" in the West Bank. According to the U.S. State Department, Washington is terribly concerned about the continuation of acts of violence in Israel and the West Bank throughout the last few weeks that have caused victims and injuries among Palestinians and Israelis. He pledged to cooperate with Israel and the Palestinian Authority to strengthen steps to appease the escalation. Nevertheless, the position of the current American administration is failing vis-à-vis Israel due to the imminent launch of the American presidential campaign. Moreover, the history of political conflicts between Israel and the United States always resulted in a profitable barter for Israel on three aspects: first, to strengthen colonization, second, to receive military aid and security guarantees, third, to strengthen its political position in preparation for a new round of disputes between the two parties.
The current dispute over colonial expansion is linked to a more severe one that concerns the position taken with regard to the Iranian nuclear program. With the escalation of tension over the dispute over Washington's efforts to sign an agreement with Iran on the non-possession of nuclear weapons, Israel has resumed the adoption of its favorite tactic of perpetrating more attacks against Palestinians, plundering their territories and destroying their properties. In order for Israel to agree to ignore the American-Iranian agreement, it wants Washington to give no importance to its colonial expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as to the barbaric attacks on the Palestinians that took the form of extrajudicial intentional homicides and a cruel violation of the rules of international humanitarian law.
This is the very essence of the transaction sought by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu from U.S. President Biden. It is currently emerging on the surface of the Israeli-American dispute and a few weeks before the start of the American presidential election campaign through which the Zionist lobby practices a policy that would go ahead of Israeli interest over that of the United States. Although the Republican camp in the elections is seriously cracked because of Trump's indictment, the Democrats' chances of success could experience an unparalleled upheaval. The Biden administration is fully aware that any agreement with Iran on its nuclear program will generate strong opposition in the Republican-dominated Council of Deputies.
It must always be borne in mind that Israel opposed the initial 2015 agreement: this is why a crisis broke out with President Obama's administration during which Netanyahu used the intensification of colonialist activity in the West Bank as a weapon to mount a blackmail against the American administration, which reacted by refraining from using the right of veto, in the Security Council, against a resolution that considers "colon And, despite Obama's attempts to satisfy Netanyahu with a $38 billion military aid case to guarantee "Israel's qualitative supremacy over its neighbors", Israeli pressure groups sanctioned the Democratic Party by beating its presidential candidate in the elections in the same year 2016. While Netanyahu said, during the Israeli government meeting on Sunday, June 18, that he could coexist with the planned American-Iranian agreement, he soon criticized the American administration because of his negative position on the new colonization plan approved by the government. And, the next day on Monday, he sent a message implicitly specifying that colonial expansion is only the counterpart of Israeli silence via the American-Iranian agreement.
Placing the subject of colonization in the focus of Israeli-American relations in order to escalate tension and blackmail and obtain additional benefits is a traditional tactic adopted by Tel Aviv in its relations with Washington since the outbreak of the first tensions between them in 1956 when David Ben Gurion refused to withdraw from Sinai and which lasted until the approval granted in 1957 by US President Dwight David Since then, he has used this tactic more than once: during the Reagan-Begin crisis about the purchase of Awacs aircraft for Saudi Arabia in 1981, which was defused by the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement by Cas Weinbergparer and Ariel Sharon; In addition, Israel continued its policy of colonial expansion in order to consolidate the thesis of the "land of Israel" which considers Tension resumed ten years later through the disputes between Shamir and Georges Bush senior in 1991, which resulted in Bush's defeat in the following presidential elections to join the short list of presidents who held a single presidential term and Israel obtained $10 billion in military aid while continuing its expansionist policy of colonization under a political transaction concluded with the new American President Bill Clinton.
By using the colonization map this time, Israel pursues the same tactic but in a barbaric way combined with the use of force and not the law. And, as the Biden administration is trying to pass the nuclear agreement with Iran, during negotiations, through a presidential executive decree to avoid declaring its details or discussing it in Congress, it would need to agree with the Netanyahu administration to avoid a confrontation in Congress that could cost the administration the loss of the presidential elections next year.
Since the American administration is of immense weakness, it is by no means foreseeable that the United States will exert real pressure on Israel to stop colonization or curb attacks on the Palestinians; this is what makes the Jeninian war one of the key points in the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The reason is that this war, characterized by barbaric aggression and placed under the leadership of an extremist religious Zionist government, could put an end to any realistic discussion about the two-state solution; And it is when the two-state solution will be devoid of its practical basis that Israel will continue its policy of liquidation and evacuating Palestinian villages in the West Bank in order to realize the theory
Saturday, June 24, 2023
Guest Post: Our times: Justice for Li Tang "Henry" Liang! -
The APALA Massachusetts Chapter and UNITE HERE Local 26 are supporting a local worker who has been wrongfully targeted. Read the statement below and sign-on to show your support.
Sign-on Letter
Justice for Li Tang "Henry" Liang!
Chinese American community activist and hotel worker Li Tang “Henry” Liang is being wrongfully prosecuted for exercising his protected free speech rights. The federal government has targeted Liang for advocating peaceful relations between the U.S. and China. Liang has served on the boards of directors for Chinatown Main Street and the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England, and is an active member of his union UNITE HERE Local 26. Following his indictment, his employer placed him on indefinite suspension, unfairly depriving his family of income and assuming his guilt without due process.
Liang is facing charges under the Foreign Agents Relations Act (FARA). In recent years, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has used FARA to intimidate peace activists, journalists, and others for voicing opposition towards hawkish U.S. foreign policy. Liang’s indictment is part of a wave of racial profiling and repression which has targeted Chinese and Chinese American scientists, engineers, professors, graduate students and now a hotel worker. These prosecutions are reminiscent of the shameful history of the McCarthy-era “Red Scare,” which destroyed the lives of many innocent people. These prosecutions also irresponsibly inflame racist hatred against Chinese people in the midst of worsening U.S.-China relations and surging anti-Asian
hate violence.
Although the Trump-era DoJ China Initiative was shut down in 2022 because of allegations of racial profiling, racially motivated prosecutions in the name of false national security concerns are intensifying across the country. Someone undergoing trial should not be presumed guilty and should have the right to due process and the right to livelihood. Everyone should have the right to exercise free speech and the right to advocate for peace between the U.S. and another country. Targeted prosecutions of Chinese Americans advocating for peace is racist and an infringement of our right to free speech.
We, the undersigned, demand that Liang be reinstated to his job; that the Department of Justice stop racial profiling and infringing free speech rights; and that the U.S. government drop its charges against Li Tang “Henry” Liang now!
Translation below:
为梁利棠《Henry Liang》伸张正义！
波士顿华埠社区组织人士和酒店工人梁利棠《Henry Liang》因行使受宪法保护的言论自由权而受到错误迫害。联邦政府将矛头指向梁利棠，因为他提倡美中之间的和平关系。梁利棠是波士顿唐人街社区公认的组织人士，曾在华埠主街和纽英崙中华公所的董事会任职，并且是他的工会 UNITE HERE Local 26 的工会会员。在他被起诉后，他的雇主将他无限期停职，不公平地剥夺了他家人的收入，并在未经正当程序的情况下认定他有罪。
根据《外国代理人关系法》(FARA)，他面临指控。近年来，美国司法部利用 FARA 恐吓和平活动人士、记者和其他反对鹰派美国外交政策的人。梁利棠的起诉是针对华裔和美籍华裔科学家、工程师、教授、研究生以及现在一名酒店员工的种族定性和镇压浪潮的一部分。这些起诉让人想起麦卡锡时代“红色恐慌”的可耻历史，它摧毁了许多无辜者的生命。 在美中关系恶化和反亚裔仇恨暴力激增的情况下，这些起诉也在不负责任地煽动对华人的种族主义仇恨。
尽管特朗普时代的美国司法部中国倡议因种族貌相指控于 2022 年被叫停，但以虚假的国家安全担忧为名的出于种族动机的起诉在全国范围内愈演愈烈。 接受审判的人不应被推定有罪，应享有正当程序的权利和谋生权。 每个人都应该有言论自由的权利和倡导美国与另一个国家之间和平的权利。 有针对性地起诉倡导和平的华裔美国人是种族主义，侵犯了我们的言论自由权。
我们，下面的签名者，要求恢复梁的工作； 司法部停止种族貌相和侵犯言论自由权； 并且美国政府现在撤销对梁利棠《Henry Liang》的指控！
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