Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities--

 

I recall in the aftermath of 9/11, one of my concerns was for the potential of people seeking vengeance for the tragedy and wreaking havoc on innocent people who had done nothing at all but were just nearby and brown.  Your basic American bigot just wants a reason to start the fuckery. Just like people had conspiracy theories, blamed Muslims, and fucked around post-OKC (even though that was a white supremacist, Christian ID-associated attack), after 9/11, innocent immigrant citizens got profiled, and sometimes experienced tragic racist violence. 

Laura Loomer is an Islamophobe and 9/11 truther and was a guest of Donald Trump at a 9/11 remembrance ceremony. She posted the above racist stupidity targeting VP Kamala Harris as a person of South Asian descent. That was three days ago. The Trump campaign was unaware of this? To her credit--a thing you won't hear me say often--she got called out for her racism by Marjorie Taylor Greene. 

And think what that says about the Trump campaign association with Loomer (IMHO, as dangerous for them as an association with Nicholas Fuentes). Did they not know she said this about people of South Asian descent? When the Trump campaign needs the support of people like Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, and Usha Vance?  Isn't attacking Harris on the basis of her heritage so obviously wrong the campaign should step back from her? 

Blessed are the Peacemakers

WATCH: President Trump says that he could win the 18-year Afghan War in 10 days, because he has plans that could wipe Afghanistan off the face of the Earth and kill 10,000,000 people, but "I don't want to go that route." pic.twitter.com/IftsRmBjpG

— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 22, 2019

A lot of people would tend to doubt the diplomatic chops of someone who suggested they've given thought to ending a war by glassing 10 million people, but then decided it wasn't fair, and this is probably why India's government wasted no time in responding to the idea floated by Trump that he could mediate a resolution between that country and Pakistan regarding Kashmir to say, albeit more diplomatically, "like hell he will."

Which is really just as well. There are definite reasons to doubt his understanding of the political, geographic, and religious considerations involved in a meaningful dialogue, in addition to his undiplomatic personal tendencies. Even if he does think he might rather like a Nobel Prize someday.

Climate Sunday: The Big Freaking Deal

I couldn't address a Climate Sunday post this weekend without taking a look at the COP21 Paris agreement, considered the best chance at saving the planet. You can consider me, personally, on board with the idea of all nations being responsible for reducing their carbon emissions and for any assistance wealthier nations can provide to get, and keep, a working array of renewable resources for the energy needs of poorer nations. I'm well-persuaded that the science of anthropogenic climate change is sound, and I recognize that good change does not come about for free. If anything of value is to be achieved, it will have costs. And everyone ought to recognize that not understanding the importance of climate change and the necessity of paying those costs, now, will mean having a higher price to pay in the future.

I like to look long-term. This is because, in temperament if not politics, I am basically conservative. I don't believe in letting bad bets ride. So when someone like Karl Rove scoffs at the COP21 deal, because in 2080 we'll all be dead--I don't know who he is trying to persuade. Rove might be dead by then, but I'll only be 108 years old, and still quite interested in seeing a healthy planet for those babies born in 2016, and their children born in the 2040's and 50's, and their grandkids of the 2070's and so on. Who in the world thinks nothing will matter after 2080?

But then again, we have a lot of short-term thinkers around, and this isn't new. Sen. Jim Inhofe, whose grandbabies once laughed at Al Gore while building igloos (and are probably wearing shorts this fine December weekend), made a statement that reminds us that the US Senate never ratified Kyoto. And even if all other participatory nations to that agreement signed on, besides the US, the emissions of the top economies cancelled out any of the benefits of an other nation's goodwill carbon-sparing.

Free Speech Update: Bangladesh, India and Iran

I'm not sure how regular a feature this will become, but I do want to pay attention to the issue of free speech globally as a measure of human rights being recognized. Where journalists, cartoonist, authors, are silenced, we have a government in fear that people will understand what they are about through that disallowed speech, who in effect, find secrecy their security. That's why I find governments that act to dampen free speech--and also those who don't support those that might be SLAPPED or silenced through more violent means, because it indicates a sympathy with silence.

First, I mean to offer my congratulation to the writers and their supporters who had a Freedom of Speech rally in Bangladesh. They are standing up against extremism in the face of very real attacks, and I wish them all well.

MM Kalburgi Murdered at his Residence

I have posted regarding the brutal slayings of freethinking bloggers in Bangladesh, but it was not until reading about the slaying of MM Kalburgi that I understood that something very similar was happening in India. India has also had the loss of  Dr. Narendra Dabholkar  and Govind Pansare. (Contrary to Bhuvinth Shetty, UR Ananthamurthy seems to have died from illness and old age, not anything some would-be terrorist planned for him. ) 

It doesn't matter to me whether the war on free speech, free thought, scholarship, and democracy, comes from Muslims, Hindus, Christians, or any other creed. It is always wrong, and a sign of people who grasp at faith ignorantly and without any concern for truth or morality. There seem to be Hindu extremists who have a list, like the Muslims in Bangladesh have a list.

I have a list of people I might like to light up, myself, but I would not ever use anything more dangerous than my blog to do it (I think). And since these extremists think so much of the danger of bloggers and scholars, maybe that is enough for me. Since words alone drive them to barbarism and murder. Maybe words alone can drive them into the daylight, and out of a society that protects them.