Where is the liberal left outrage?
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia refuses to take any Syrian refugees, even though the KSA is much closer to the war stricken area than Europe or the United States.
Moving refugees to Saudi Arabia would be far less dangerous than risking death in overcrowded boats on the Mediterranean towards the shores of Italy or Greece.
Refugee is a song that speaks to the plight of millions of desperate people forced from their homes, cities or countries as a result of endless conflict, most of which is sponsored in whole or in part by external forces. Whether from Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, or Yemen, these people flee in mass (primarily to the “West”) where most face continuing hardship and hostility from their hosts.
— One Earth
Many people claimed that Donald Trump’s proposals for so-called ‘safe zones’ in Syria for internally displaced people, would drive an insurmountable wedge between the US and Russia on Syria.
The idea of setting up special areas, effective ‘quarantine zones’ for the displaced, needn’t imply a no-fly zone nor the bifurcation of Syrian territory. If it did – the proposals would not only be an impossibility, but would be very dangerous if someone tried to implement them. But as it were, Trump seems not to be clutching at those dangerous straws.
The diary of this particular US administration is bound to be heavy with incident. Executive orders are now coming out of the Trump administration at pace, and the question of whether they will compel obedience or not looms. In many parts of the US, the answers have already been determined in advance. As ever, it is the US legal system that has stepped in, with flocks of legal eagles ready to add their bit to the unfolding chaos.
The last time I drank a Coke (or Pepsi) I was barely 20; it was in 1970. There was no social media then (aside from postcards) and international telephone calls were way too expensive for someone like me. So, while I was making my way by land across the world I depended on letters from home for news.
The mindlessness is unbearable. Amnesty International tells us that we must “fight the Muslim ban” because Trump’s bigotry is wrecking lives. Anthony Dimaggio at CounterPunch says Trump should be impeached because his Islamophobia is a threat to the Constitution. This is not to single out these two as the mindlessness is everywhere among those whose worldview is defined by Identity Politics.
I have decided – due to requests from several people – to stop writing negative things about Donald Trump or the Steve Bannon administration that has just come into the White House. Even though I have serious misgivings about this new administration and its outlook (along with some more positive views on some specific ideas), I […]
Throughout his Christmas message and in keeping with the hymn of the time, Pope Francis repeatedly called for Peace in our World. “Not merely the word, but a real and concrete peace” brought about by changing those attitudes, patterns of behavior and socio-economic systems that bring about conflict. Peace not simply in relationship to armed conflict, but peace for all people in a range of situations.
