Human Rights Day …

Posted on December 10, 2022 by jilldennison under Global Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary, Tributes

Today is Human Rights Day, marking the 74^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt played a key role as chairperson of the drafting committee of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and I initially considered using her speech before the United Nations as the basis for this post. However, the speech is long … over 4,000 words … and I decided instead to listen to some of the voices from the past, including Eleanor Roosevelt, speaking of human rights. This post is an updated reprisal of my 2019 post on this date. The theme for Human Rights Day in 2022 is apt for the times, I think: “Dignity, Freedom and Justice For All”.

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it—always.” – Mahatma Ghandi

“Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” – Nelson Mandela

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King

“I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.” – Desmond Tutu

“Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore. We have seen the future, and the future is ours.” – Cesar Chavez

These are but a few of the thousands of people who have worked tirelessly to bring about equality and fairness for everyone, not just for a select few. Let us hope that today and into the future, there are many more like them.

A Day In Honour Of Indigenous Peoples

Posted on October 10, 2022 by jilldennison under Global Issues, Holidays, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary, Tributes

This is a partial reprise of a post I did in 2019, but with some revisions/additions/updates.

Last Friday, 7 October 2022, President Biden issued the 2nd Presidential Proclamation on Indigenous Peoples’ Day. There has been a growing movement to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day and at least ten states have already done so. Ten other states officially observe the day, though they have not replaced Columbus Day as yet. In addition, more than 100 cities have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day, including Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston, Denver, Phoenix and San Francisco.

Many students learn the phrase, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue”. But Columbus was not the first foreign explorer to land in the Americas. Neither he nor those that came before him discovered America—because Indigenous Peoples have populated the Western Hemisphere for tens of thousands of years. European contact resulted in devastating loss of life, disruption of tradition, and enormous loss of lands for Indigenous Peoples in the Americas. It is estimated that in the 130 years following first contact, Native America lost 95 percent of its population.

Over the past few decades there has been a growing movement to alter the holiday to honour those who first occupied the country. So … how did this all start?

In 1977, the International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas, sponsored by the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, began to discuss replacing Columbus Day in the United States with a celebration to be known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

1992 would mark the 500^th anniversary of the voyage of Columbus, and there was a “Quincentennial Jubilee” planned to mark the date. In San Francisco, the day was to include replicas of Columbus’ ships sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge and reenacting their “discovery” of America. It was then that the Bay Area Indian Alliance was formed, and they created the “Resistance 500” task force, promoting the idea that Columbus’ “discovery” of inhabited lands and subsequent European colonization of these areas had resulted in the genocide of indigenous peoples by decisions of colonial and national governments.

The group convinced the city council of Berkeley, California, to declare October 12 as a “Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People” and 1992 the “Year of Indigenous People”. The city implemented related programs in schools, libraries, and museums. The city symbolically renamed Columbus Day as “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” beginning in 1992 to protest the historical conquest of North America by Europeans, and to call attention to the losses suffered by the Native American peoples and their cultures through diseases, warfare, massacres, and forced assimilation.

In the current socio-political culture whereby many states and localities are attempting to whitewash the history of this nation, to pretend that European settlers, white people, were some shining stars without fault, I think it is more important than ever that we remember our past, recognize the horrific wrongs that were done to Indigenous Peoples as well as Blacks, Hispanics and others, in order to ensure that future generations will will never repeat these terrible tragedies.In the years following Berkeley’s action, other local governments and institutions have either renamed or canceled Columbus Day, either to celebrate Native American history and cultures, to avoid celebrating Columbus and the European colonization of the Americas, or due to raised controversy over the legacy of Columbus.

Let’s take a look at just a few of the many contributions indigenous people have made to our world:

Constitution & Bill of Rights: According to Benjamin Franklin, the “concept” for the federal government was influenced by the Constitution of the Iroquois League of Nations.
Sign Language: Today, hand signals are used to communicate with those who are deaf and/or mute. A similar system was originated to facilitate trade between Native Americans and early trappers/traders.
Products: Native Americans are credited with introducing such diverse products as snowshoes, moccasins, toboggans, buckskin jackets, Kayaks, cradle boards, tomahawks, rubber, cotton, quinine, tobacco, cigars, and pipe smoking, among others.
Military Service: The participation rate of Native Americans in military service is higher than for any other ethnic group in the U.S. Members from many Indian nations have served with distinction and in a way that helped the U.S. win World Wars I and II… through the use of their various Native languages.
Conservation: The Native Americans have always held a deep respect for the land and for our connection to this planet known as “Mother Earth.” They have always striven to live in harmony with the seasons and the land, to take only what was needed, and to thank every plant, animal, or thing that was used.
Art/Design: The traditional and contemporary music of Native Americans have become integrated in many other cultures and musical styles. Indian artwork such as paintings, beadwork, totem poles, turquoise jewelry, and silversmithing, all remain beautiful and unmatched in this society.

And of course, a wide variety of foods, including potatoes, beans, corn, peanuts, pumpkins, tomatoes, squash, peppers, nuts, melons, and sunflower seeds.

We can never make up to the indigenous people in the Americas for what was done to their ancestors, but we can resolve to do better, and we can honour them in this way, by setting aside a special day of remembrance for all that they went through, and for all that they have given.

Note to Readers: I am closing comments on this post, for the comments have gotten out of hand. Sorry, folks.

77 Years Ago – 6 August 1945

Posted on August 6, 2022 by jilldennison under Global Issues, History, Political commentary

Today, 06 August 2022, marks the 77^th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima by the United States. This post is partly a repost of the one I did two years ago, but I have updated it and added just a bit. I know many disagree with me, but in my opinion, the bombing of Hiroshima, and three days later Nagasaki, were nothing short of war crimes, of crimes against humanity. Approximately 210,000 people died as a direct result of those two bombings.. These people were not the military brass who were leading the Japanese army and navy in attacks against the allies, nor were they even the soldiers who were following orders. They were innocents — senior citizens, women, children, civil servants — people who were only going about their lives until suddenly … BOOM … they no longer had lives to go about. I will always believe that the use of nuclear weaponry is wrong. Period.

In 2016, then-President Barack Obama attended the annual ceremony of the observance of the anniversary at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, attended by some 50,000 people representing 80 nations. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for global cooperation to end nuclear weapons.

“For us to truly realize a world without nuclear weapons, the participation of both nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states is necessary.”

In July of that year, the United Nations reached its first agreement to ban nuclear weapons. But Japan, along with the nine nuclear-armed nations, including the United States, refused to take part in the negotiations and the vote, saying it does nothing to counter the “grave threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear program.”

Japan already adheres to a policy of not possessing, producing or allowing nuclear weapons on its territory. It is the only country to have ever come under nuclear attack. So far.

U.N. Secretary General António Guterres issued a message calling for the United States and other nuclear-armed countries to do more to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

“Our dream of a world free of nuclear weapons remains far from reality. The states possessing nuclear weapons have a special responsibility to undertake concrete and irreversible steps in nuclear disarmament.”

Every president since 1945 has worked toward test bans and global reduction of nuclear weapons … until the Trump administration who seriously considered resuming nuclear testing. Trump withdrew the United States from arms treaties including the landmark INF agreement and the Iran nuclear deal. Today, there are more than 13,000 nuclear warheads worldwide according the Arms Control Association, most of them held by the United States and Russia.

Given Russia’s war on Ukraine and the potential fallout of support for Ukraine by the United States and many European nations, the tension is higher than it once was, the threat of a nuclear war has increased, especially with a man at the helm in Russia who lacks a conscience, who cares not one whit about human lives, even those in his own nation. It is more important than ever that we find a way of disarmament … but I’m spitting in the wind as our late friend Hugh used to tell me often.

Contrary to the “dream of a world free of nuclear weapons”, in February 2017 Donald Trump told Reuters that “if countries are going to have nukes, we’re going to be at the top of the pack.” Trump, in fact, has said some chilling things along those lines:

Trump said he might use nuclear weapons and questioned why we would make them if we wouldn’t use them. – March 2016
“Europe is a big place. I’m not going to take cards off the table.” (Answering a question whether he would ever ‘nuke’ Europe) – March 2016
Trump said that “you want to be unpredictable” with nuclear weapons – January 2016
Trump reiterated that it was important to be “unpredictable” with nuclear weapons – March 2016
Trump said he’d be OK with a nuclear arms race in Asia – May 2016

Now, ordinarily I would have taken Trump’s comments out of this updated post, for he is gone, he is history … but there is a chance that he will re-occupy the Oval Office if the U.S. Department of Justice does not do a proper job of charging and convicting him of his crimes in office, so I think it remains important to realize his views on nuclear war.

In my opinion, the absolute worst invention in the world … ever … was the invention of nuclear weapons that are capable of killing hundreds of thousands of people in a matter of seconds. This is not a toy, not something funny to play around with, and it is damn sure not something that should be used to threaten other nations.

When I originally published this post two years ago, our friend Ellen provided a quote by John Steinbeck from his 1958 book “Once There Was A War”:

“All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.”

Truer words were never spoken. Today, let us simply remember the atrocities, the horrors, of August 6^th and August 9^th, 1945. And let us hope that somehow, someday, we can have a world free of the nuclear threat.

In Memory …

testing of atomic bomb over ocean with mushroom clouds – red destroy

Related post: On President Obama’s Visit to Hiroshima

Happy World Bee Day!!! 🐝

Posted on May 20, 2022 by jilldennison under animals, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Social commentary

In the midst of so much happening in the world, I almost missed World Bee Day!!! I was reminded when I saw a post by my friend Bee Halton — thank you, Sweet Bee! This is a re-post of the one I wrote two years ago for World Bee Day, but some of you haven’t yet seen it, others may have forgotten it, and it says everything I would say if I wrote a whole new post. Today is World Bee Day and I cannot think of another species that deserves its own day of celebration more than bees! Quite literally, our lives depend on bees, and the bee population has been in serious decline for years now. Be kind … plant some bee-friendly flowers this week as a special treat for these fuzzy little guys, k? And PLEASE … keep the chemicals out of the garden, the yard, and anywhere else you might be tempted to use them.

While every critter, every plant has its place in the ecosystem on planet earth, there is perhaps none more important than the bee. Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities. Pollination is, however, a fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems. Nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or at least in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops and 35% of global agricultural land.

To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, the United Nations designated May 20^th as World Bee Day. The goal is to strengthen measures aimed at protecting bees and other pollinators, which would significantly contribute to solving problems related to the global food supply and eliminate hunger in developing countries.

Boštjan Noč

As it was told to me by a dear friend, a Slovenian beekeeper by the name of Boštjan Noč was driving home one day, listening to a program about “World Days” and their meanings, and he wondered why bees did not have their own day. After all, as important as they are, surely they deserved a day as much as any. As President of the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association, Noč was in a position to rally the others and launch the World Bee Day Initiative.

The initiative was supported by the Slovenian Government, which strove to make it happen. It took some time … three years, to be exact, but finally on November 17^th 2017, the resolution was unanimously backed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, thus designating May 20^th as World Bee Day. The initiative was supported by all UN states, while 115 countries also acted as co-sponsors, including major countries such as the U.S., Canada, China, Russia, India, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, and all EU Member States.

Why May 20^th? Because May 20^th is the birth date of Anton Janša (1734–1773), a Slovenian beekeeper, the pioneer of modern beekeeping and one of the greatest authorities on the subject of bees. The Austrian Empress Maria Theresa appointed him to the post of permanent teacher of apiculture at the new School of Beekeeping in Vienna. He became well known even before his death in 1773. After 1775, all state beekeeping teachers had to teach the subject in accordance with his teachings and methods.

So, now that you know the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ behind World Bee Day, what can we do to help the bees? For one thing, we can plant bee-friendly flowers in our gardens, and … don’t mow down those dandelions and clover … bees love those, and frankly, I think they are just as beautiful as any hothouse-bred flowers! Another is we can help force companies like Monsanto, Dow, Bayer and others to stop using bee-killing pesticides on their crops. How? First, stop buying their products. I’m not a fan of buying organic produce, for it is over-priced and doesn’t keep as long, but … if that’s what it takes, then so bee it. You’ll find some other ideas and suggestions on the World Bee Day website … be sure to check it out, for there is a wealth of information there, including lists of bee-friendly (honey) flowers and much more.

I don’t know about other countries, but in Slovenia some beekeepers decorate their bee hives with some fun artwork …

And speaking of coincidence, as I began writing this, I reached for my coffee cup and realized I was drinking out of one of my favourites … no comments about the overflowing ashtray, please!I think the words of Mr. Noč speak as well as any I can offer ….

“I believe that we all agree that every human being on this planet deserves food every day. We have to produce more food every day, and every day more food is dependent on pollinators – with honey bees in the lead. Talking about reducing global hunger without ensuring the conditions for the survival of bees and other pollinators would simply be like throwing sand in people’s eyes!

It is time for everyone to listen to bees, in particular, leaders and decision-makers. From today on, 20 May will be a worldwide celebration of bees and beekeepers. I believe that – with the proclamation of World Bee Day – the world will begin to think more broadly about bees, in particular in the context of ensuring conditions for their survival, and thus for the survival of the human race.” – Boštjan Noč

And, I thought a cute bee video might bee just the thing to wrap up this post!

Happy World Bee Day!!!

Happy World Bee Day!!! 🐝

Posted on May 20, 2021 by jilldennison under animals, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Social commentary

This is a re-post of the one I wrote last year for World Bee Day, but some of you haven’t yet seen it, others may have forgotten it, and it says everything I would say if I wrote a whole new post. Today is World Bee Day and I cannot think of another species that deserves its own day of celebration more than bees! Quite literally, our lives depend on bees, and the bee population has been in serious decline for years now. Be kind … plant some bee-friendly flowers this week as a special treat for these fuzzy little guys, k? And PLEASE … keep the chemicals out of the garden, the yard, and anywhere else you might be tempted to use them.

Boštjan Noč

I don’t know about other countries, but in Slovenia some beekeepers decorate their bee hives with some fun artwork …

And, I thought a cute bee video might bee just the thing to wrap up this post!

Happy World Bee Day!!!

Pardon Me??? — Part I

Posted on January 1, 2021 by jilldennison under Global Issues, History, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry

Meet Stephanie Mohr …

In the middle of the night on Sept. 21, 1995, a local Prince George’s County police burglary stakeout unit found two homeless men on the empty roof of a business, eating food they had found in the trash in Takoma Park, Md. Ordered down from the roof, Ricardo Mendez and his friend willingly climbed down. Lit by a police helicopter above and facing a brick wall, the two men were surrounded by police officers, some with guns drawn, and Mohr holding her German shepherd on a leash. Both men obeyed commands and stood facing the wall with their hands up.

It should have been over. It wasn’t.

A police sergeant later testified that he was approached by Mohr’s supervising officer who said, “Hey Sarge, we got a new dog. Mind if it gets a bite?” The sergeant gave consent, and Mohr set her dog to attack Mendez, an undocumented immigrant whose only crime was seeking a safe place to eat and sleep. Mohr testified that she was doing her job as trained, and the victim needed “only 10 stitches.”

Think about that: only 10 stitches. Mohr disregarded her training to give her dog a taste of flesh and blood.

This was no accident or split-second mistake. It was a willful and deliberate act of police brutality. It was also not Mohr’s first — and there was a pattern to the violence. Evidence at trial showed that Mohr had previously released her dog on a Black teenager sleeping in a hammock in his own backyard. She had threatened the relatives of a fugitive that she would let her dog attack their “black ass” if they did not tell her where he was. There were other incidents that the jury did not even learn about, including one in which Mohr put her dog into a trash dumpster to attack a man who had fled from police.

At trial, in addition to the police sergeant at the scene who pleaded guilty and went to jail for his role, numerous police officer witnesses testified about the incident. The jury convicted Mohr and the presiding judge gave her a significant prison sentence. A unanimous panel of judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, one of the most conservative appellate courts in the country, affirmed her conviction. Mohr was released after serving a 10-year sentence.

On December 23^rd, Donald Trump pardoned Ms. Mohr. This is but one of many unconscionable pardons issued by Trump last month, and not by far the most horrendous. Throughout his tenure, Trump has issued pardons for those charged, and in most cases convicted, of crimes from something as simple as drug possession all the way up to and including premeditated murder.

Throughout history, presidents have used their pardon pen to pardon the unpardonable, but none have abused it in the ways that Donald Trump has. It is time to take away the presidential pardon pen. Why should one man be able to undo sentences handed down by judges and juries? Why should it be possible for one person, with the stroke of a pen, to release killers back into our ranks? And why should the person elected by the people of this nation not be held to account by those people?

Trump’s very first pardon, in August 2017, was the notorious Joe Arpaio, former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, who had a history of racism and human rights violations, failure to comply with federal laws, and basically thumbing his nose at humanity. On July 31, 2017, Arpaio was found guilty of criminal contempt of court. Less than a month later, on August 25^th, Trump pardoned him. The pardon covers Arpaio’s conviction and “any other offenses that might arise or be charged.” Trump announced his decision on Twitter, declaring that Arpaio is an “American patriot” who had “kept Arizona safe.” Safe for whom? Certainly not for the Latino population, many of whom Arpaio had jailed simply for the crime of existing.

On December 22 – 23, Trump issued some 41 pardons by my count. The ones you’ve heard the most about, George Papadopoulos, Paul Manafort, Duncan Hunter and his wife Margaret, while shameful, are far from the worst of the lot. The worst was Trump’s pardon of four men convicted of killing innocent civilians, including children. The pardoning of four Blackwater guards – Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Nicholas Slatten and Paul Slough – may well have been a violation of international law, and is most definitely, as United Nations experts have said, “an affront to justice”.

Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Paul Slough, Nicholas Slatten

FILE – This combination made from file photo shows Blackwater guards, from left, Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Nicholas Slatten and Paul Slough. On Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, President Donald Trump pardoned 15 people, including Heard, Liberty, Slatten and Slough, the four former government contractors convicted in a 2007 massacre in Baghdad that left more a dozen Iraqi civilians dead and caused an international uproar over the use of private security guards in a war zone. (AP Photo/File)

In the next day or two, I plan to delve a bit deeper into Trump’s pardons, particularly those, like the Blackwater guards, whose crimes truly are ‘unpardonable’. Why did Trump pardon the ones he did? What was in it for him? As we all know by now, Trump does nothing without expecting something in return. Can any of these pardons be reversed once Trump leaves office? And lastly, is it time to take away the presidential pardon pen? I believe that, like the Electoral College, it may well be a law that has outlived its usefulness and is now the subject of much abuse.

Stay tuned …

75 Years Ago – 6 August 1945

Posted on August 6, 2020 by jilldennison under Global Issues, Political commentary

Today, 06 August 2020, marks the 75^th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima by the United States. I know many disagree with me, but in my opinion, the bombing of Hiroshima, and three days later Nagasaki, were nothing short of war crimes, of crimes against humanity. Approximately 210,000 people died as a result of those two bombings.. These people were not the military brass who were leading the Japanese army and navy in attacks against the allies, nor were they even the soldiers who were following orders. They were innocents — senior citizens, women, children, civil servants — people who were only going about their lives until suddenly … BOOM … they no longer had lives to go about. I will always believe that the use of nuclear weaponry is wrong. Period.

Three years ago at the observance of the anniversary, Japan held their annual ceremony at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, attended by some 50,000 people representing 80 nations. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for global cooperation to end nuclear weapons.

“For us to truly realize a world without nuclear weapons, the participation of both nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states is necessary.”

Japan already adheres to a policy of not possessing, producing or allowing nuclear weapons on its territory. It is the only country to have ever come under nuclear attack. So far.

U.N. Secretary General António Guterres issued a message calling for the United States and other nuclear-armed countries to do more to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

“Our dream of a world free of nuclear weapons remains far from reality. The states possessing nuclear weapons have a special responsibility to undertake concrete and irreversible steps in nuclear disarmament.”

Every president since 1945 has worked toward test bans and global reduction of nuclear weapons … until the current administration who, we learned in May, is considering resuming nuclear testing. Trump has withdrawn the United States from arms treaties including the landmark INF agreement and the Iran nuclear deal. Additionally, he has failed to extend the New START accord, which expires early next year. If it expires without renewal or a replacement, then we will have no treaty in place controlling the two largest nuclear arsenals. There will be no trust, no verification. Today, there are about 14,000 nuclear weapons worldwide according the Arms Control Association, most of them held by the United States and Russia.

Contrary to the “dream of a world free of nuclear weapons”, in February 2017 Trump told Reuters that “if countries are going to have nukes, we’re going to be at the top of the pack.” Trump, in fact, has said some chilling things along those lines:

Trump said he might use nuclear weapons and questioned why we would make them if we wouldn’t use them. – March 2016
“Europe is a big place. I’m not going to take cards off the table.” (Answering a question whether he would ever ‘nuke’ Europe) – March 2016
Trump said that “you want to be unpredictable” with nuclear weapons – January 2016
Trump reiterated that it was important to be “unpredictable” with nuclear weapons – March 2016
Trump said he’d be OK with a nuclear arms race in Asia – May 2016

He has made other, similar comments, and I won’t go into detail here, but suffice it to say that he does not, apparently, realize what the use of nuclear weapons by any country on the globe would mean for the future of mankind. Or perhaps he does …

Today, let us simply remember the atrocities, the horrors, of August 6^th and August 9^th, 1945. And let us hope that somehow, someday, we can have a world free of the nuclear threat.

In Memory …

testing of atomic bomb over ocean with mushroom clouds – red destroy

A Serious Conversation

Abandoning The World …

Posted on May 30, 2020 by jilldennison under Election 2020, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary

On Friday, Donald Trump announced that he would be pulling the United States out of the World Health Organization (WHO), effective immediately. The thing is, Donald Trump is not a member of WHO … the United States is a member of WHO. The United States is comprised of some 330 million people. As one of those 330 million people, I reject his decision, made solely in his own head with no consultation by knowledgeable experts or the people of this country. It is not right and proper for one ‘man’, a ‘man’ with substandard knowledge and substandard intellect, to make such a decision entirely on his own. It is dangerous … extremely dangerous. It is unfair to the people of not only this nation, but of the world.

Let me tell you a little bit about WHO. The United Nations body was founded in 1948 with a mission to promote health around the world. The organization took on a swath of responsibilities, including managing the response to major global health priorities such as tuberculosis and malaria, as well as helping with access to health care around the world. In its more than 70-year history, the WHO has tackled some of the world’s most pressing health issues, including emergencies. It helped eliminate smallpox and all but eliminate polio. It supports the administration of measles vaccines worldwide. More recently it played a role in the 2003 SARS outbreak, the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak and the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Granted, WHO has its difficulties and has been accused of not responding quickly enough to the current pandemic, as well as others in the past. But, to simply walk away, to pull $400 million per year away from the organization, is a classic case of ‘throwing out the baby with the bathwater’. It is like the couple with three children who are having some difficulties, and rather than work through the problems, one partner says, “I’m done, I’m divorcing you and I’m not paying child support!” It is, in a word, unconscionable. The problems within WHO could be worked through and resolved, but it takes effort, it takes cooperation among nations, and it takes willingness to compromise.

Other world leaders have been quick to state that they have no plans to follow Trump’s example, but the reality is that the U.S. is the biggest financial contributor to WHO and without that funding, what they can accomplish will be severely limited. Donald Trump, in pulling out of WHO, is putting the entire world at risk, and for only one reason that I can see. He failed miserably at being a leader when the pandemic hit the U.S., and his failures have significantly reduced his approval rating … just a few short months before the November election. As is Trump’s way, he must find someone else to blame, and in this case it is WHO. He has turned the health and well-being of every person on the planet into a political tool to save his own carcass. Senator Chris Murphy says it well …

“It was never about reforming the WHO. That was all lies. It was always about distraction and scapegoating. Leaving castrates our ability to stop future pandemics and elevates China as the world’s go-to power on global health. What a nightmare.”

I am deeply disturbed by the number of international agreements Trump has pulled out of. First, the Paris Climate Accords that are attempting to find ways to save the environment from the ravages caused by the industrialized nations of the world, of which the U.S. is the largest per capita ravager. Then he pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal … an agreement that, by all accounts, was working well in keeping Iran from developing nuclear weapons. He pulled out of the United Nations Human Rights Council, an organization tasked with protecting human rights around the globe. In all, he has pulled this nation out of more than a dozen international agreements, leaving not only the U.S. vulnerable, but the rest of the world as well. There was a time that the U.S. was called the “leader of the free world”, but today, I’m not sure we are even a part of the free world, thanks to Donald Trump and his megalomania. It seems as if Trump wishes us to be so isolated that we are not even a part of the larger world … this is a frightening scenario. It is my hope that next January, we will quickly re-join these international groups that are trying to keep the world safe, that we will once again become part of the world.

I would urge Congress to stand up, do their job, and stop Trump’s utter madness, but … as we all know, the republicans in Congress are no longer our representatives, but rather Trump’s yes-men, thereby rendering Congress ineffective. I would urge the people in this country, the ones who still care about people, to write letters to their representatives and senators protesting this unconscionable move by Trump, but again … our letters would be put through the shredders on Capitol Hill. In short, we have lost our voices and will only have one last chance to exercise our will … on November 3^rd.

Happy World Bee Day!!! 🐝

Posted on May 20, 2020 by jilldennison under animals, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Social commentary

Never fear, my friends, my good people post is only on delay for a short time, for this morning there is another special day that I have promised a special young man I would celebrate in fashion! Good People will be published later this afternoon!

Boštjan Noč

As it was told to me by dear friend Ellen, a Slovenian beekeeper by the name of Boštjan Noč was driving home one day, listening to a program about “World Days” and their meanings, and he wondered why bees did not have their own day. After all, as important as they are, surely they deserved a day as much as any. As President of the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association, Noč was in a position to rally the others and launch the World Bee Day Initiative.

The initiative was supported by the Slovenian Government, which strove to make it happen. It took some time … three years, to be exact, but finally on November 17^th 2017, the resolution was unanimously backed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, thus designating May 20^th as World Bee Day. The initiative was supported by all UN states, while 115 countries also acted as co-sponsors, including major countries such as the USA, Canada, China, Russia, India, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, and all EU Member States.

I don’t know about other countries, but in Slovenia some beekeepers decorate their bee hives with some fun artwork …

And speaking of coincidence, as I began writing this, I reached for my coffee cup and realized I was drinking out of one of my favourites …I think the words of Mr. Noč speak as well as any I can offer ….

And, I thought a cute bee video might bee just the thing to wrap up this post!

Happy World Bee Day!!!

Trump vs W.H.O. … And Other Tidbits

Posted on April 15, 2020 by jilldennison under cartoons, Election 2020, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

For over three years, Donald Trump has seemed intent on turning against our allies, while pandering to those who are our adversaries. At first, he only tarnished our reputation abroad and we were the laughingstock of the western world. But then, he began doing things such as pulling out of treaties and agreements that were working to keep the world safer, touting his ridiculous “America First” policy, and the world stopped laughing. This week, he may have driven a final nail in the coffin when, in the middle of a global pandemic with thousands of people dying every day, he cut off U.S. funding to the World Health Organization.

Why??? Because he f*cked up so badly in his own response to the coronavirus that he now needs someone else to blame. It’s called CYA, or Cover Your Ass. It’s also called stupid. It’s rather like shooting your surgeon in the middle of your heart surgery, or burning down your house in the middle of a blizzard.

“Now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences, not the time to reduce the resources for the operations of the World Health Organization or any other humanitarian organization in the fight against the virus.” – United Nations Secretary General António Guterres

“Cutting funding to the WHO — rather than focusing on solutions — is a dangerous move at a precarious moment for the world. The AMA is deeply concerned by this decision and its wide-ranging ramifications, and we strongly urge the President to reconsider.” – Statement by the American Medical Association (AMA)

And numerous world leaders spoke out against the foolish move, as well. The ultimate irony here is that Trump claims to be cutting off funding because he says WHO’s “severely mismanaging and covering up”, when it is Trump’s own mismanaging and covering up, his bungling response for the first two months, that has led to unnecessary loss of life. And even today, he is putting profit ahead of people by threatening to ‘re-open’ the country by May 1^st, come hell or high water, even threatening and bullying states’ governors who are planning to proceed with caution, despite Trump’s wishes.

This was another foolish move by a ‘man’ who does not understand much of anything outside his own bank account, nor does he care about much other than his own profit & pleasure. One example … at yesterday’s ‘press briefing’, in defense of his desire to reopen the nation quickly, he said …

“We have to get our sports back. I’m tired of watching baseball games that are 14 years old. But I haven’t actually had too much time to watch. I would say maybe I watch one batter then I get back to work.”

Awww … pobrecito!

Nicholas Kristof’s column today, titled Trump’s Deadly Search For A Scapegoat, provides further enlightenment … please take a minute to check it out!

Meanwhile … in other news

This was the scene this morning in Chicago …Portions of a Chicago expressway left icy by a wintry blast that brought overnight snowfall led to a pileup involving of dozens of vehicles early Wednesday, sending 14 people to hospitals, officials said.About 50 vehicles were involved in the 5 a.m. pileup along the Kennedy Expressway, the Chicago Fire Department said. The crash prompted Illinois State Police to close all of the expressway’s southbound lanes near Chicago’s North Avenue for about three hours, and multiple northbound lanes also were closed temporarily.

Chicago fire officials said 14 people were transported to area hospitals and 32 others were evaluated at the scene.Makes it a bit hard to believe it’s mid-April, doesn’t it?

Remember I mentioned in one or the other of my snarky snippets last week that Trump was insisting his name be the signatory on the stimulus checks that will be going out to individuals? Well, the egomaniac got his way – sort of. According to The Washington Post …

The Treasury Department has ordered President Trump’s name printed on stimulus checks the Internal Revenue Service is rushing to send to tens of millions of Americans, a process that could slow their delivery by a few days, senior IRS officials said.

The unprecedented decision, finalized late Monday, means that when recipients open the $1,200 paper checks the IRS is scheduled to begin sending to 70 million Americans in coming days, “President Donald J. Trump” will appear on the left side of the payment.

Turns out that Trump is not legally authorized to sign for legal disbursements by the U.S. Treasury, so he had to settle for his name on the left-hand side of the checks. It is a marketing ploy, in hopes that people will remember his name on the check come November 3^rd, but surely the people of this nation are smart enough to realize it is their own money they are receiving? Aren’t they? Please?

Let’s wrap up with a bit of humour …