Day: July 10, 2020

Closing Thought–10Jul20

The Supreme Court has just made a ruling that should get all those racist little shits up in arms….both literally and physically……

It appears that half of the state of Oklahoma is “Indian Territory”……

Indigenous leaders on Thursday hailed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in McGirt vs. Oklahoma as a victory for tribal sovereignty for affirming that the U.S. government’s treaty with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation must still be recognized by Congress and that nearly half of what is known as the U.S. state of Oklahoma is actually Native American land. 

In the 5-4 decision, Justice Neil Gorsuch sided with the liberal-leaning justices and wrote the majority opinion, ruling that since Congress has not stated otherwise, the land promised to tribes in the 19th century remains a reservation for the purposes of federal criminal law.

“On the far end of the Trail of Tears was a promise,” Gorsuch wrote. “Forced to leave their ancestral homes in Georgia and Alabama, the Creek Nation received assurances that their new lands in the West would be secure forever…  Because Congress has not said otherwise, we hold the government to its word.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/07/09/holding-us-government-its-treaty-promises-once-supreme-court-rules-nearly-half

I know that NAs have been trying to get the US to live up to its obligations and promises made with the nations to guarantee peace….and so far most of these treaties have been ignored….so is this SCOTUS doing them right thing or a knee jerk reaction to BLM?

Is SCOTUS doing this to set a wrong right or is it just a way to smooth their consciences?

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Way Down South

This pandemic has shone a spotlight on the those morons in the Deep South that never believe science.

I read a couple of these idiots and their views about the virus and the wearing of masks…..

First in Alabama an elected official had this to say…..(Maybe Kim, https://cadburypom.wordpress.com/ can give us the rest of them story)……..

Alabama Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh suggested that he wanted more people to get coronavirus — because he thinks America would develop “herd immunity” and reduce the spread enough to protect more vulnerable populations.

“I’m not as concerned so much as the number of cases. In fact, quite honestly, I want to see more people, because we start reaching an immunity the more people have it and get through it,” said Marsh. “I don’t want any deaths, as few as possible, say, I get it, but those people who are susceptible to the disease, especially more serious pre-existing conditions, elderly population, those folks, we need to, you know, do all we can to protect them. But I’m not concerned, I want to make sure that everybody can receive care.”

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/07/alabama-republican-i-want-to-see-more-people-get-coronavirus/

Then a few hundred miles West to Louisiana…..

A Republican lawmaker in Louisiana has launched a strange new kind of attack ad in which he fights a piece of paper and a mask. 

In a video released on Facebook, state Rep. Danny McCormick crumples a piece of paper with a mask mandate on it and hits it with a stick. Then, he battles a mask with a blowtorch and a chainsaw to show his opposition to mandates requiring face coverings to stop the spread of the coronavirus. 

“Masks aren’t bad,” McCormick said as he attacked the masks. “Mandates are.”

He also compared those who support mask mandates to Nazis.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/louisiana-mask-chainsaw-guy_n_5f0688e5c5b63a72c33cfb6f

These are people of authority, I use that term loosely, and as such should not go on with the charade that they care about the people they represent.

The more they babble the more they prove the old saying….”Can’t fix stupid”.

Be Well…..Be Safe…..

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Real Robert E. Lee

These days of turmoil around the statues of Confederate generals and their “monuments” have lots to talk but few actual accounts of the perpetrators of treason.

This post is about the general of the Confederate Army, Robt. E. Lee……and for all those that think they know all there is to know about the war and the people…..

Robert E. Lee is one of the most revered, beloved generals in modern history. Many are taught that this son of a Revolutionary War hero helped lead a revolution of his own, and although it was ultimately unsuccessful, his legacy and defiant spirit have inspired millions. For a few short years during the American Civil War, Lee thwarted Union armies twice his size with bold attacks and brilliant strategy. He took the fight to the enemy and very nearly won the war for the South, all by himself. After the war, he pushed peace and humble reconciliation, earning the respect of his former foes.

Or, so goes the story, anyway. The reality is, as usual, a bit more complex than the popular version. And in Lee’s case, it’s uglier, too. What were Lee’s actual thoughts on slavery? What about racial equality after the war? How good a general was he really? This is the real, complex, often ugly, untold truth of Robert E. Lee.

There’s no shortage of misconceptions floating around regarding what, exactly, Robert E. Lee’s personal feelings towards the institution of slavery actually were. Proponents of the myth that the war was fought over “state’s rights” often claim that Lee himself was opposed to the practice of owning human beings. They might even cite a letter to his wife in which he calls slavery a “moral and political evil.” Later in the same letter, though, Lee goes on to support the subjugation of slaves at length and claims that only God can free them.

Read More: https://www.grunge.com/223599/the-untold-truth-of-robert-e-lee/

There is another post coming about the president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis……according to family tales was a cousin of my maternal grandmother….her name was Bessie Mae Davis….more on that later.

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

NAFTA 2.0?

Back in the day globalization took off big time in the 1990s and the presidency of Clinton….when it was signed into law I said then that it was a bad idea for workers not just here but around the world.

I was a supporter of the Trump’s idea to trash the deal and come forth with a new more inclusive deal.

But after 3 and half years and lots of talk and tariff stuff we have a new “NAFTA”…..

President Trump has touted the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as the worst trade deal ever negotiated—and vowed to replace it. Today, it has been replaced by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and, unbeknownst to him, this agreement should hold that unsavory title. While the USMCA makes some modest improvements (largely by borrowing from the Trans Pacific Partnership, which Trump withdrew from), it also includes some protectionist elements and veiled industrial policy. Furthermore, while the administration has been rushing to implement the deal in order to score political points on the campaign trail, businesses are left to sort out the new rules and paperwork that they will have to start following as of today. USMCA was pitched as a way to reduce uncertainty among the three trading partners in the face of threats of withdrawal from NAFTA that Trump made regularly. But at the end of the day, much uncertainty still remains.

The first area where we are likely to see some challenge in implementation was exactly the issue that received an inordinate amount of attention during negotiations: autos. The rules that determine whether a product can cross duty free across the border—rules of origin—were tightened for the auto sector. In NAFTA, passenger vehicles were required to have 62.5% North American content, and in the USMCA that has been increased to 75%. This means that auto producers will need to source more components from the region, in addition to ensuring that 70% of the steel and aluminum used in production also comes from Canada, Mexico or the United States. On top of this—a first ever in a trade agreement—a new labor value content requirement was added that requires auto makers to have 40–45% of their auto content made by workers making at least $16 an hour. This is clearly aimed at moving production out of Mexico, which has been an important link in the North American auto supply chain. For automakers these rules will raise some challenges in implementation, not least because auto production is so fragmented, and that every producer up and down the supply chain must abide by the new content rules. Coordinating this is no easy feat. Canada has yet to pass the regulations that will bring the auto rules into force, and with today being a holiday in Canada, that process will undoubtedly be delayed. In the United States, guidance on the regulations has been shared, but the interim final rules on uniform regulations and labor value content were just published today.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/trump-signed-worst-trade-deal-ever-and-it-just-went-effect-164021

I do not see how this would benefit the workers or make their lives more enriched…..once again the words of Trump have proven to be total crap.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Will There Be An “Asian Century”?

I have seen this question asked on several occasions…..first it was the rise of Japan and their buying up America….and now the same question only more about China…..

From time to time I get to see some amazing research completed by grad students from around the world…..

this one is especially interesting especially to anyone that is worried about the “World Order”…..

Asia has been increasing its influence in the world, largely, because of China’s exceptional economic growth. A creative study of the global economy’s center of gravity, which indicates the average location of economic activity across geographies, showcases that though, in 1980, that center of gravity was the mid-Atlantic, by 2008, it had moved to the east of Helsinki, and, by 2050, it is predicted to be located between India and China (Quah, 2011). This favorable economic prediction, combined with the arguable decline of the West, is propelling quite a few international relations scholars into advancing the argument that we are entering an “Asian Century”. Some of them go so far as to contend that China will rule the world. However, a strong economy is just one of the requisites for the “Century.” Luce (1941), who coined the term “American Century,” laid out the important factors needed to realize the American Century: the American economy, American ideals, and responsibility for leading the entire world. In addition to those three factors, most importantly, structural advantages within the US-led liberal international order enabled the American Century. Even if China had a preponderance of the total economic size over the US in the future, China could not create a China-led international order in which China and other states enjoy economic, political, and social prosperity due to China’s intrinsic political issues and external factors.

Are We Entering an “Asian Century?”: The Possibility of a New International Order

We can bitch about the things that China is doing….but we need to understand the policies behind the movement……without understanding then basically all you are doing is bitching for the sake of bitching.

For instance….china’s expansion into the African continent…….why is it important?

For a generation, China has expanded its economic outreach to the Middle East but has largely remained diplomatically neutral and militarily absent. Beijing, for example, maintains cordial diplomatic relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. It often abstained on contentious UN Security Council resolution. And while Chinese Navy ships do make occasional port calls in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, but China’s non-combatant evacuation operation from Libya at the beginning of that country’s civil war was far less coordinated and effective than Chinese authorities claimed.

President Xi Jingping’s assertiveness may not be limited to China’ periphery, in Hong Kong, the South China Sea, and Ladakh. China, for example, not only established a military base in Djibouti within miles of the U.S. presence, but also has begun to interfere with U.S. pilots in the region.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/chinas-next-military-move-base-persian-gulf-164184

Is this a hostile move?  Or could it be a defensive one to protect their assets in Africa?

Any thoughts?

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”