Category: Politics

Don’t send cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia

Posted on by Paul Jones

Since cluster bombs release many small bomblets over a wide area, they pose heightened risks to civilians both during attacks and afterwards. During attacks, the weapons are prone to indiscriminate effects, especially in populated areas. Unexploded bomblets can kill or maim civilians long after a conflict has ended, and are costly to locate and remove. […]

Urge Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin and Milwaukee Representative Gwen Moore to advocate for a ban on sending these weapons to Saudi Arabia, including in the National Defense Authorization Act, by signing our petition.

Sign the petition.

 

Greenpeace leaks big part of secret TTIP documents

Posted on by Paul Jones

Greenpeace has leaked secret documents describing the TTIP deal:

Whether you care about environmental issues, animal welfare, labour rights or internet privacy, you should be concerned about what is in these leaked documents. They underline the strong objections civil society and millions of people around the world have voiced: TTIP is about a huge transfer of power from people to big business.

And Cecilia Malmström of the European Commission responds:

It is only normal that both parties in a negotiation want to achieve as many of their own objectives as possible. That does not mean that the other side gives in to those demands. That does not mean that the parties will meet halfway. In areas where we are too far apart in a negotiation, we simply will not agree. In that sense, many of today’s alarmist headlines are a storm in a teacup.

If this were a free trade deal, it would not be so complicated. This is a special interest managed trade deal marketed as a free trade deal. Even if Malmström is right or merely honest claiming these documents represent the initial bid of what both parties want to achieve, it still isn’t free trade and still isn’t in the people’s interest.

Both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump oppose this deal.

Bernie’s “bad end”

Posted on by Paul Jones

The Democratic capital-D primary is not a democratic lowercase-D process – it’s not supposed to represent the will of the people, it’s supposed to represent the will of Democrats. Consider Paul Krugman on Bernie Sanders’ tone following the commitment of superdelegates:

This is really depressing: Sanders claiming that there will be a contested convention, and suggesting that the nomination fight was rigged. Can someone tell Bernie that he’s in the process of blowing his own chance for a positive legacy?

It’s not depressing, it’s just half true. Bernie Sanders would have won New York in a general election, and if it was against Donald Trump it would have been by wider margins than Trump v. Clinton.

The pitch that Sanders has for superdelegates of the party is not “join me to represent the will of the Democratic capital-D voters”, it’s “join me if you want to win.”

Stand with Verizon employees against CEO greed

Posted on by Paul Jones

I happened to be walking past the Verizon location in Brooklyn, where I saw the CWA striking. Their signs read “Build FiOS, Lower Executive Pay.” One of the reasons I like Bernie Sanders is his support for the CWA:

Verizon wants to take American jobs – call center jobs – out of this country and bring them abroad where people will be paid pennies an hour. That is unacceptable.

 

The DARK act is a real bill

Posted on by Paul Jones

We deserve to know:

Any day now, the U.S. Senate could vote on a Big Ag-supported bill known as the DARK Act – for Denying Americans the Right to Know – which would prohibit states from requiring labeling of genetically modified foods.

There’s plenty of science to be done with regards to GMOs and their consequence on health, and I’m not convinced that either genetic engineering is bad (namely because we’ve been doing it, through artificial selection, for generations) or that it’s always safe (because I’ve seen some strawberries that are just, well, too big). Having said that, this bill is called the DARK act, as in “denying American the right to know”, keeping Americans “in the dark.”

You must know you’re the baddies, right?

Tell American Electric Power: stop funding opponents of the Clean Power Plan

Posted on by Paul Jones

American Electric Power’s power plants are major source of heat-trapping carbon pollution in the United State, so it’s a big deal when the utility company says, “…we recognize the need to responsibly address the issue of climate change.”

But actions speak louder than words. American Electric Power still irresponsibly funds opponents of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan, including the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity and the US Chamber of Commerce.

We need to send American Electric Power’s CEO a message: responsible utilities do not fund special interest groups that oppose the EPA’s action on climate change.

Sign the petition.

British parliament exempts itself from laundering checks

Posted on by Paul Jones

British MPs have passed a law exempting them from being scrutinized by banks for associations with money launderers, terrorists, and corruption. I’m simply astounded by their shamelessness, some claiming that this was to protect their “grannies” banks. From Guido Fawkes:

George Osborne this afternoon accepted an amendment to the Financial Services Bill which will see some Politically Exposed Persons and their families exempted from these anti-money laundering rules. Ministers will now “exclude… specified categories of persons” from the list of so-called PEPs, as Osborne says it is “disproportionate”for banks to include MPs and relatives on the watch list.

And if this doesn’t just reek of colonialism, classism, and exceptionalism, here’s a line from the Mirror reporting on this:

[Charles Walker] sniffed at the “small amount of money” Mr Cameron had made out of the deal, saying it was only “enough to buy a Skoda Octavia.”

Of course, only little people drive those, it’s easy to afford an Aston Martin when you’re above the law.

No more coal mining on public lands

Posted on by Paul Jones

The federal coal leasing policy has been dangerously out of step with the public good on our public health and the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels. Climate change is an emergency and we can no longer afford for our public lands to be a major source of climate change pollution. It’s long past time for federal land use policy that prioritizes the health and safety of Americans, not the profits of coal industry executives. We must keep fossil fuels in the ground.

Sign the petition.

United Electrical Workers endorse Sanders

Posted on by Paul Jones

Bernie Sanders has received the endorsement of over 100 national and local unions representing well over a million people, including a 35,000 person unanimous endorsement from the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America. That’s amazing. In response, he had this to say:

During my 25 years in Congress, I have been proud to stand side by side with the UE fighting to increase the minimum wage to a living wage; to guarantee health care to every man, woman and child as a right; to make it easier for workers to join unions; to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure; to transform our nation’s energy system; and against disastrous trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement and normalized trade with China which have destroyed millions of decent-paying jobs in America.

This is a concise elucidation of why I voted for Bernie Sanders in the NY primary. I’m glad he’s polling increasingly well against Hillary in California, but unfortunately I don’t think Pennsylvania and Maryland favor Sanders.

Ask “the big 5” nations to deliver on their Paris climate commitments

Posted on by Paul Jones

World leaders have officially signed the groundbreaking Paris climate agreement — and now it’s time to put this visionary blueprint for global climate action into motion. We’re looking to the world’s five largest emitters of climate-wrecking carbon pollution — the U.S., the European Union, China, India and Brazil — to lead this fight against climate chaos. Sign the petition calling on The Big 5 to deliver on their Paris climate commitments.

Sign the Petition

UK Cabinet office to gag scientists

Posted on by Paul Jones

Science is our best tool for understanding the world, and scientific results can be inconvenient, like in these cases from the Guardian:

These critics highlight examples such as those of sociologists whose government-funded research shows new housing regulations are proving particularly damaging to the homeless; ecologists who discover new planning laws are harming wildlife; or climate scientists whose findings undermine government energy policy. All would be prevented from speaking out under the new grant scheme as it stands.

These policies go into effect in Britain on May 1st unless something changes, and that would be a grand shame.

Update 4/26/16

Thank goodness:

Ministers have exempted thousands of scientists from a controversial “gagging clause” that would have prevented the academics from trying to influence government on public policy matters.

Big money and Sanders’ viability

Posted on by Paul Jones

My criticisms of Hillary Clinton as president is that I don’t think her interests are aligned with the people, and relatedly, she’s continually shown herself to be a war hawk. Here’s Trevor Timm from the Guardian on this point:

[I]t would be difficult not to worry about at least the potential for a conflict of interest, when weapons manufacturers and Saudi Arabia were making donations to the Clinton Foundation while their weapons deals were approved by the State Department, oil companies were doing the same before the State Department approved the oil sands pipeline project, and other fossil fuels donated at around the same time the secretary was advocating increased fracking abroad.

There’s a narrative that this paranoia borders McCarthyism that substitutes communism with money, because even Sanders in the NY debate couldn’t name a single action that Clinton took that was influenced by her donations. I don’t buy it. When I pay for something, like a hosting service or a hot meal or rent, I expect a return on investment. There’s no way that Clinton’s donors, some of the most profitable organizations on Earth, are giving her money out of the goodness of their heart, the notion is ludicrous.

And that’s why I’m glad Sanders has a plan. Here’s his campaign manager explaining Sanders’ pitch to Democrats:

And in November, you know, only about a quarter of the population is Democrats. If you can’t create a coalition with independent voters, you can’t win the White House. You can’t win the Senate. You can’t bring additional people into the House.

So this is what has to be built in November. It has to be Democrats along with independents to defeat the Republicans. And Bernie Sanders is the candidate who can do that.

 

1.5C climate change report

Posted on by Paul Jones

Climate change science and its economic and socio-cultural impact is a fascinating and relatedly terrifying case study into the human condition. The last battle was to limit emissions to curtail warming the oceans to 2C over the pre-industrial era. But this may not be enough, recent science suspects:

The 1.5C report was requested by governments meeting at the Paris climate talks in December where countries unexpectedly agreed to “pursue efforts” to limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. 1.5C marks the point, say many scientists, where there is a real danger of serious “tipping points” in the world’s climate. Temperatures have already risen 1C and show little sign of slowing.

I agree with the aphorism that “no one person can do everything to solve this problem, but everyone can do something.” Try to curtail waste in your everyday life, and vote for government that realizes the dangers of global climate change.

Corporate greed and Bernie Sanders

Posted on by Paul Jones

I suspect one of the reasons we cannot “afford” universal healthcare, living wages, or paid family leave in the richest country on Earth is that multinationals dodge their taxes. So I’m sad to learn that the EU has failed to create adequate regulations for public country-by-country reporting of income tax. Panama and states like it are tax havens for massive amounts of money, but there’s sufficient multinational tax dodging in the EU and the US we should focus on first.

Corporate greed needs to end. They’re taking advantage of the benefits of America, yet refuse to accept their responsibilities as Americans.

– Bernie Sanders

This is why I’m upset that Bernie Sanders was trounced in the New York democratic primary. I don’t believe that Hillary Clinton can accept Big Money’s paychecks for speeches and still fight for the interests of the People, they’re going to want their return on investment.

Mitt Romney on Donald Trump

Posted on by Paul Jones

In a surprisingly honest speech delivered to the University of Utah, Mitt Romney muses on the present presidential candidate race. The whole thing warrants reading, here’s a particularly prescient snippet:

For the last three decades, the Clintons have lived at the intersection of money and politics, trading their political influence to enrich their personal finances. They embody the term “crony capitalism.” It disgusts the American people and causes them to lose faith in our political process.

A person so untrustworthy and dishonest as Hillary Clinton must not become president. But a Trump nomination enables her victory. The audio and video of the infamous Tapper-Trump exchange on the Ku Klux Klan will play a hundred thousand times on cable and who knows how many million times on social media.

I’m glad the Republican establishment knows that Trump stands no real chance in the general election against a vetted careerist like Clinton. When Romney ran, I supported and voted for Obama, but given the present political circus, a Romney candidacy would be a welcome sanity.

The reason that the current crop of candidates besides Trump are so weak is that they’re playing his game, on his terms. No one can “out Donald the Donald”, because he’s been slinging insults and schmoozing audiences his whole life. Even with Romney’s speech, all it takes for The Donald to deflect it is to say something to the effect of, “Who? Romney? What that loser is telling me how to win?”

The Republican establishment has fallen prey to Rule 19 of the Internet:

The more you hate it, the stronger it gets.