Friday, June 12, 2020
Rebellion against the tyranny of America’s white supremacy
By Seddiq Hussainy
America has become a crucible of civil unrest over the past few weeks. Demonstrations against police brutality have erupted across the United States following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis after he was placed in a chokehold by police. The US is in turmoil over Floyd's killing, exposing the reality of America's abject racism and its predominant culture of white supremacy.
The epidemic of systemic racism and discrimination against people of color has long poisoned the US political atmosphere under the patronage of white supremacists and with their tacit connivance. They have perpetuated discriminatory laws and legitimized racial segregation by giving immunity to convicted police officers. An African American is far more likely to be arrested or killed by police than a white man in the United States. This rings terrifying alarm bells of a deep-seated hate. America has been in chaos for decades. From Martin Luther King to Eric Garner and George Floyd, racist killings are an echo of the past. The pattern of racial discrimination is chiseled into its political creed and laws. Police in the US intentionally use lethal force such as chokeholds when arresting black people - much of it is based on the incorrect assumptions that come from the same racist patterns. As police brutality is rarely subjected to scrutiny, racial violence continues to abound.
Racial discrimination and subjugation are the antithesis of all that humanity stands for, and now, millions of the oppressed are countering that racist rhetoric in America . The fight for racial and social equality is interwoven in recent American history. George Floyd is the latest of a string of victims of racial violence. In 2018, another black man, Stephon Clark, was shot 20 times by police in Sacramento, igniting a wave of protests all over the country. Incidents of murder perpetrated by police and the ensuing unrest before and after such incidents create a tragic vicious cycle.
The US administration’s response to civil unrest has been terrifyingly chaotic and utterly totalitarian. Donald Trump has responded to demonstrations against police brutality with more brutality. There have also been assaults against journalists, with dozens arrested and some even having projectiles and tear gas shot at them by police in the ongoing protests. These are clear violations of human rights.
This wave of anti-government feeling seems insurmountable. The chaos on US streets is the outcome of a crippling anxiety over the senseless tragedies and violations of civil rights that continue to happen, and which need to be rectified, not abetted and exacerbated. Tens of millions of people who live under the curse of injustice are now frustrated and upset at the tyranny of the police and the country’s leadership.
But xenophobic alienation and racial discrimination in the US goes beyond police brutality. Segregation has its roots in history. American leaders have continuously turned a blind eye to racism and partly fuelled it by allowing rampant segregation in the legal, economic and social systems to thrive. The entire system subjugates Americans of African descent. The legal system is plagued by racial injustice. The healthcare system is rigged against African-Americans. The state-regimented economic system marginalizes minorities, and deliberately hinders upward social mobility. Once again, the sanctimonious guardians of human rights have destroyed the tenets of civil liberty and freedom.
Americans want justice, just like any 21st century human being who is living under the tentacles of the United States' intrusion, deadly expansionism, proxy wars and cold wars that have unleashed destruction upon millions.
US governments have seldom been reticent in giving condescending advice to other governments on how to deal with dissidents. The Trump administration, and the entire American political apparatus, have been the agitators of terrible conflicts in the Middle East, Latin America, South Asia and many other tumultuous regions for decades. Their destructive interference all over the world has bred misery and death to an unfathomable degree. All the countries that have been at the receiving end of the US’s atrociously pompous homilies about democracy and freedom are suffering under their imperialist and expansionist whims - which have caused wars and conflicts. The turmoil in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China was a result of the direct interference of the United States. Unrest in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Libya and other countries is happening only because of US interference and its pursuit of global hegemony.
American leaders seldom remember the principles of human rights in dealing with lawful demonstrations on their own soil. They are committing similar atrocities by trying to deprive millions of their right to seek social equality. Indignant protests and civil unrest are creating a revolution that has embedded itself in America’s narrative. This all signals an urgent need for structural administrative and police reforms. US policymakers should quickly end the pattern of police violence and unconstitutional acts by reforming laws and bringing an end to police impunity. Legal justice is needed as desperately as economic justice. Long overdue economic and health reforms are also needed to raise up minorities. Racial inequalities should be rectified. Violent police behavior should be outlawed. This must be an era of change and action for civil rights, and of an end to America’s interventions overseas.
US Intel complains foreign adversaries are criticising ‘hypocritical’ America over George Floyd. Duh! So are its foreign friends!
Simon Rite
This time around, the sucker comes in the form of ABC News, which not only read the report, but then implausibly deemed it worthy of writing about.
Among the string of hard-hitting scoops is the line “China, Russia, and Iran have criticized the United States as hypocritical.” That little gem was deemed good enough to be the main subheading, so you know you’re in for a treat from the journalistic school of stating the bloody obvious.
After that little scene setter, let’s look at some of the text itself: “America's foreign adversaries have flooded social media with content meant to sow division and discord in the wake of George Floyd's death, according to a U.S. government intelligence bulletin obtained by ABC News.”
Well firstly, soz America, but your foreign friends are doing it as well, because it’s hard to ignore the shit show that is going on over there. Oh, and so are many of your own citizens.
To decode some of ABC’s language here, “flooded” just means “posted,” and to “sow division and discord” is another way of saying that other countries are reporting things Washington would rather they didn’t.
I’m not saying tweets won’t bring down a nation (Trump seems to be experimenting with that one), but I think police officers crushing people to death under their knees is more likely to blame.
The ABC report goes on: “These ‘malign actors’ also appear intent on drawing attention to alleged hypocrisy in the Trump administration's handling of protesters.”
Well, that’s called journalism – you guys should try it some time.
All this tweeting by those “malign actors,” ABC reports, is “part of an ongoing effort to weaken Washington's image on the international stage.” Er, not sure any outside help is needed on that front.
The report goes on: “These actors criticize the United States as hypocritical, corrupt, undemocratic, racist, guilty of human rights abuses and on the verge of collapsing.”
Maybe that’s because the US has shown definite signs of actually being hypocritical, corrupt, undemocratic, racist and guilty of human rights abuses. On the verge of collapse? I think that’s going too far, personally. Too many people have too much money at stake to let that happen.
The Homeland Security bods have been keeping up the click counts on RT (thanks guys) and included in their report that “Russian state-run media outlets Ruptly, RT France and Going Underground on RT ... [are] applauding Americans for being ‘justified in rioting against the 'corrupt American capitalist system.’” It’s just an opinion, but I reckon some of them do feel pretty justified.
And also: "Russian state-media-affiliated social media accounts shared imagery of police responses to the protests, the use of tear gas by the National Guard and called the protests a ‘revolt’ that 'has reached the front door of the US empire.’” They were reporting the story!! If a country the US likes does this, it’s called journalism, but when anyone else does it, then it’s trying to bring down the White House.
So to sum up, the intelligence service checks Twitter, leaks it to ABC News, who report it, and people apparently get scared by something other than their trigger happy police force. It’s not these so-called “malign actors” I would be worried about if I was in America.
Bilawal Zardari disappointed with PTI Govt's second budget
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, while reacting to today’s announcement of budget 2020-21, has said that Pakistan People’s Party rejects it completely. He said that the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf (PTI)’s government has presented a very disappointing budget.
The statement issued by Bilawal Zardari said that these days, Pakistan is facing challenges of historic proportions. Every Pakistani’s life is in danger due to the coronavirus pandemic and on top of that, the biggest locust attack on the country in 25 years is a major threat to our agriculture, food security and economy.
The PPP chairman said that the PTI’s budget, calling it an anti-people ‘PTIMF’ budget, did not give any importance to the challenges facing the country and instead presented a traditional budget.
He said that no relief has been given to the common man, all of it has gone to the rich class. He also criticized the absence of any salary and pension increase in the budget for government employees.
He said that in these dangerous times of the coronavirus outbreak, we do not want our senior citizens leaving their homes and exposing themselves, the government should have given relief to them by increasing their pensions.
Bilawal Bhutto said that special announcements should have been made in the federal budget for the medical personnel fighting at the front lines but unfortunately, there was no such relief in the budget. We had also hoped that a special health package would be announced for each province to combat the corona virus, he added.
He said that every Pakistani should reject this budget and announced that PPP along with other opposition parties of the country, will soon hold an APC in this regard.
#BudgetPakistan - #PPP and JI reject the PTI anti-labour budget
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari talking to Siraj ul Haq said that we were expecting that the government will prepare the budget keeping in mind the crisis of Covid-19. He said that this anti-people budget will be exposed at every forum. He also said that the absence of any clear policy to protect our crops from locust attacks is also a matter of concern. He said that last year speaking on budget, President Zardari had warned about the issue of locusts but the government remained unmoved. Chairman Bilawal said that due to the government’s irresponsible attitude towards the locust issue, it could become a greater crisis than Covid-19.
The Ameer of JI, Siraj ul Haq said that it is very disappointing that the budget is silent over employment for youth. He said that JI rejects the PTI government’s budget.
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the budget instead of giving relief to the common people has given subsidy to pharmaceutical companies. At the same time, the construction sector has been given a package but no relief is given to the laborers. The people of Pakistan reject this anti-labor budget and PPP will also not accept any budget which does not give relief to the common people.
The Ameer of Jamat-e-Islami enquired about President Zardari’s health and also prayed for his recovery.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/2020/06/12/ppp-and-ji-reject-the-pti-anti-labour-budget/
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari suggests APC on Covid-19 and locust issues
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari telephoned former speaker national assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and enquired about his health.
Ayaz Sadiq was tested positive of Covid-19. Talking to Ayaz Sadiq on the telephone, Chairman Bilawal said that he hopes and prays for his early recovery. Chairman PPP suggested Sardar Ayaz Sadiq that the opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif should call an all parties’ conference regarding the Budget, Covid-19 and locusts because the virus has threatened human lives and locusts are a threat to the country’s agriculture.
Ayaz Sadiq assured Chairman PPP that he will convey the suggestion to Shahbaz Sharif.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/2020/06/12/chairman-ppp-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-suggests-apc-on-covid-19-and-locust-issues/
Ayaz Sadiq was tested positive of Covid-19. Talking to Ayaz Sadiq on the telephone, Chairman Bilawal said that he hopes and prays for his early recovery. Chairman PPP suggested Sardar Ayaz Sadiq that the opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif should call an all parties’ conference regarding the Budget, Covid-19 and locusts because the virus has threatened human lives and locusts are a threat to the country’s agriculture.
Ayaz Sadiq assured Chairman PPP that he will convey the suggestion to Shahbaz Sharif.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/2020/06/12/chairman-ppp-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-suggests-apc-on-covid-19-and-locust-issues/
Imran Khan tweets a swipe at India, hits mute on Pak economy. Here is why
Prime Minister Imran Khan is facing challenges on multiple fronts including from the army, which has driven much of Pakistan’s response to Covid-19Just a little over two hours after Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted an acerbic offer to India, his government put out a status check of Pakistan’s economy. PM Khan’s adviser on finance and revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh released the economic survey that estimates Pakistan’s debt will rise to 88% of the GDP and the economy will shrink for the first time in 68 years by 0.4%. And that is an optimistic picture. The IMF and World Bank have projected that Pakistan, which closes its financial year this month-end, will contract by up to 2.6%.
Dr Shaikh apportioned much of the blame for the state of the economy between Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistani Muslim League-N governments that had been in power from 2013 to 2018 before Imran Khan came to power with his promise of a ‘Naya Pakistan’, and the coronavirus pandemic.
Imran Khan, who has been active on social media hurling barbs at India, hasn’t tweeted on his government’s report card on the economy.
“PM Imran Khan is finding himself boxed in… by his political detractors, the army that is closing in, the economy and the Kashmir agenda,” a Pakistan watcher in New Delhi said.
In just two years, PM Khan’s influence within and without the government has dropped sharply. That includes the army too, Pakistan’s most powerful institution whose backing was credited to have helped PM Khan mobilise support from smaller coalition partners.
A Bloomberg report published this week underscored that the army has tightened its grip on PM Khan’s government, placing more than a dozen former and serving military officials in prominent roles.
Like former retired Lt General Asim Saleem Bajwa, who was already chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority, was given a second job. From April this year, Lt Gen Bajwa who headed ISPR - the military’s propaganda department between 2012 and 2016 - was appointed PM Khan’s communication adviser.
There have been indications that the Pakistan army, which had embedded itself in the civilian structure, hasn’t been on the same page as PM Khan.
That Imran Khan had been sidelined was clearly visible in March when the army declared that the army would oversee a shutdown to halt the spread of infection, less than 24 hours after Prime Minister Khan told the country in a televised address that he didn’t support a lockdown since it would put millions out of work and hurt the poor. The army went ahead to deploy troops and enforce the lockdown.
Indian intelligence agencies believe that the army is increasingly looking at foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for a bigger role in the government.
There is some disappointment over Imran Khan’s not-so-successful attempts to put the focus on Kashmir, in Pakistan and globally, one Indian official said. “Kashmir has long been used by Pakistan to distract people from the domestic upheavals, political, economic or otherwise. But this hasn’t happened over the last year or so despite several attempts,” the official said.Because of pressure from multilateral bodies such as the terror funding watchdog FATF where it faces the risk of being placed in the blacklist, the Imran Khan government has been unable to go all out to openly support Kashmir.
Besides, the 2016 Uri surgical strike and the 2019 Balakote air strikes have sent a message that New Delhi’s response to a terror strike would be unpredictable and could lead to a counter strike.
The bleak outlook for the economy makes PM Khan’s troubles so much bigger. Thursday’s economic survey, news agency Reuters reported, reveals that PM Khan’s government had missed almost all economic targets by a wide margin even before the global new coronavirus pandemic. At least 10 million people are expected to slip below the poverty line due to the coronavirus pandemic, pushing the total number of people struggling to survive to 60 million.
Apart from the human cost, the troubled economy could seal any chances of the army getting a substantive hike to give soldiers and officers a 20 percent raise that they had asked for. For now, Dr Shaikh, according to Pakistan newspaper Dawn, said there would be a free on current expenditure and the defence budget. He credited PM Khan as well as Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa for this decision.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/imran-khan-tweets-a-swipe-at-india-hits-mute-on-pak-economy-here-is-why/story-3H1Ts0tLLkYQ4wGm0xEHHP.html
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