Category Archives: Government Oppression

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In an announcement this week, the UN said that Cuba, along with Ecuador and Senegal, will have their records reviewed by theUN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED). The three nations have signed and ratified theInternational Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which requires the UN to check their records. An enforced disappearance is a government abduction of an individual in which their relatives are not provided information as to where they have been apprehended or why. Those disappeared are rarely seen again.

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Thefinal reports on all three nations will be published on March 17.

The last time the UN commission reviewed Cuba was in 2012. That report, written by a multidisciplinary working group made up of many government and/or State ministries and institutions, the National Assembly, NGOs and other relevant organizations, heaped effusive praise on the community autocracy.

The rights to life, liberty and security of person have always been mainstays of the Cuban Revolution, its authorities and society at large, even though Cuba has had to face over 50 years of aggression, terrorism and a harsh economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the Government of the United States of America, the 2012 report reads. There have been no cases of enforced disappearance in Cuba since the revolutionary triumph of 1959.

The report goes on to claim that the concept of holding a detainee or prisoner incommunicado is alien to criminal and procedural practice in Cuba.

All three assertions that Cuba respects the sanctity of life of its prisoners, that no disappearances have occurred in Cuba since 1959, and that Cuba has never held prisoners incommunicado are demonstrably false. There is little reason to believe the 2017 update to this report will contain more believable challenges to the Communist regime, though all such reviews present an opportunity to condemn the authoritarian regime for its crimes.

The case ofHamell Santiago Maz Hernndez, who died in late February, contradicts the claim that Cuba values the life of its people. Maz Hernndez diedafter spending eight months in the notorious Combinado del Este maximum security prison, used to house political dissidents. The government claims cardiac arrest as the cause of death but his dissident organization, the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), reject this assertion and have vowed an investigation.There is no evidence Maz Hernndez received medical care while in the prison. He was facing the charge of desacato, or disrespect a catch-all crime used against anti-communist protesters.

Another former inmate of Combinado del Este, Danilo Maldonado Machado, can testify to being held incommunicado. The artist, known by his pseudonym El Sexto, was transferred to Combinado del Este without his family being alerted. His fiance, he later said, only knew of his transfer because she arrived in time to see the van driving him away, and he was able to shout the name of the new facility to her. Maldonado, who was serving time without being charged following public celebrations of Fidel Castros death, later said he was beaten severely enough to trigger asthma attacks and not provided medical care.

A record also exists of forced disappearances since 1959, contra the UN report. According to Cuba Archives record of human rights crimes under the Castro brothers, at least 23 confirmed disappearances occurred between 1959 and 2014. One hundred other unconfirmed records exist. These numbers are low because, for most of its time in power, the Communist Revolution opted for openly executing its enemies via firing squad. Cuba Archive counts over three thousand firing squad executions and another 1,116 extrajudicial killings.

At the time of Fidel Castros death, the state had executed 5,775, including non-firing squad killings. Another 20,000 Cubans were believed to have died in the straits between Cuba and Florida, drowning in escape attempts from the island. Sixteen Cubans died while on hunger strike in prison; 209 died of health problems upon being denied medical care in prison.

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UN Has Another Opportunity to Condemn Cuba's Oppression with Disappearances Review - Breitbart News

Written by: Kate Westrick

Ive often heard people complain of oppression at the hands of government. Many times, citizens stand by as if they were mere hapless victims subject to whatever their elected officials deem appropriate. This attitude has been on the rise, especially in regard to the 2016 presidential election. There was an air of righteous abstinence; the idea that governmental participation was inherently dirty and deceptive colored many potential voters worldviews as they stayed home from the polls. Unfortunately, no matter how upright this standpoint may appear, it is attitudes like these that lead to the downfall of liberty and prosperity.

Our government was not created to operate outside of the will and participation of the people. This is precisely what the Founders of our nation abhorred about their mother country. To abstain from the political process, to simply wash your hands of it,, is in many ways no more than freedoms death sentence.

All too often, people resort to armchair complaints and Facebook soapboxes to vent their political frustration overlooking their very opportunity to impact real, visible change in their local, state and national government.

Over the past couple months, I was able to work on a local mayoral campaign. The work I did was far from glamorous. It mostly consisted of phone banking, door knocking and planting various signs throughout the greater Chattanooga area. Although it was not entertaining or riveting, it was important work that needed to be done. Furthermore, instead of simply suffering at the hands of government, I made the active choice to become the hands of government. This very idea of every citizen taking on a role and responsibility in government is exactly the reason the United States of America has fostered so much success. Granted, not everyone needs to get involved in a campaign or volunteer for their county commissioner; but citizens should strive for participation albeit, in most cases, small. There are thousands of opportunities in hundreds of organizations and districts throughout the nation. Instead of complaining or abstaining, take action and participate in the nation you are blessed to call home.

Bio

Kate Westrick studies political science, history, and any public policy she can get her hands on. She serves as a political correspondent for the Bryan College Triangle, participates in intercollegiate debate, and occasionally serves on the campus worship team. She can usually be found in the library drinking La Croix and talking about politics, the Myers-Briggs personality test, or her future tiny house.

Category: Features, Opinion

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At the hands of the government - Triangle

March 10, 2017 at 3:16 pm |

With the election of our new president, I hope that this country returns to some degree of normalcy. We still have freedoms worth fighting for and, if need be, dying for. I hope that Americans can realize and appreciate this fact.

I believe that one of our most important freedoms is the right to bear arms. Without this freedom, our government could do anything that it can conceive to us. There are so many countries in the world where people are under enormous oppression by their governments. We would only join their pitiful plight, were it not for our right to bear arms. The first two battles of the American Revolutionary War with the British were over gun rights. The battle of the Alamo was partly due to gun confiscation. Even Jesus, at one point, told his disciples to sell their cloak and buy a sword. I sincerely believe that in telling them this, he was trying to emphasize a point, that point being, that you have a right to protect and defend yourself.

The police can only protect the public at large and the police usually arrive after a crime has been committed. This particular freedom to bear arms is currently being attacked by the UN. I pray that Americans understand that if there is the formation of a one-world government in our future, its inception would begin primarily because we have lost our right to bear arms. We must not lose this freedom to bear arms! Sinowa Cruz, Kalispell

In a divided country, our national parks continue to serve as common ground. Unfortunately, that ground is unsteady under the impacts of a $12 billion infrastructure repair backlog. With the recent confirmation of Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, hope remains that repairing our national parks will become a national priority.

During his recent address to Congress and the American public, President Trump called on Congress to pass an infrastructure bill. There is no better place to start rebuilding our infrastructure than fixing our parks. In Secretary Zinkes confirmation hearing, he stated that addressing the National Park Service backlog was one of his three top priorities. And Sen. Steve Daines, who recently became chairman of the subcommittee on national parks, has echoed the need to address the backlog.

The infrastructure repair backlog affects nearly every national park site. In contrast to the record-setting visitation that Glacier welcomed in 2016, the park faces a repair backlog nearing $180 million. This includes over $120 million in paved road projects and $11 million in trail repair needs.

National Parks Conservation Association calls on President Trump, Interior Secretary Zinke, Sens. Daines and Tester and all of our members of Congress to put their words into action. It is time for national parks to become a national priority again. Sarah Lundstrum, Whitefish

I would like to add to Brenda Andersons letter of thanks in the March 7 edition. Ms. Anderson was thanking the person or persons involved in helping find and rescue the dogs and mini-horses from the Creston area. Thanks should also go the Kalispell Police Departments animal warden, who acted on a tip from a passer-by noticing multiple dogs in a car in Kalispell. That investigation led to a joint effort with Flathead County sheriffs animal control officers. Those officers had to wear breathing apparatuses while they removed the distressed dogs from the horrific house prior to delivering them to the Flathead County Animal Shelter.

The amazing, hard-working care staff at the shelter, along with the countys veterinarian, has been caring for these dogs since their arrival, getting the healthiest few adopted out to loving homes, supported by the fundraising efforts of Flathead Shelter Friends Inc. These heroes deserve recognition as well. But the real heroes are the supportive citizens of Flathead County (and other parts of Montana) who have generously sent donations to be used for the care and rehabilitation of those animals as they make their way back to recovery.

Sometimes we may forget that along with the beautiful scenery that we are graced with in this valley, we are also graced with some of the most beautiful people found anywhere on this planet.

Thank you to all of the area heroes who time and again come together to overcome adversity. Cliff Bennett, Lakeside

I read with great interest Dr. Jason Cohens recent letter to the editor: Discussion Points of the Future of the Affordable Care Act. One of the most damaging forces in the universe is the illusion that expensive things can be had if we just want them bad enough. People often buy college educations, automobiles, and homes that the rational person can see are outside the realm of financial possibility, but the excitement of owning the shiny new thing often short circuits the brain just long enough for a family to destroy its financial future for a generation. That is exactly what we are witnessing with the ironically named Affordable Care Act.

Like the ski boat salesman encouraging an excited family to buy with funds they dont have, Dr. Cohen is selling us a health care policy we cant afford. I concede many of the things the Affordable Care Act intended to accomplish are admirable (unlimited lifetime coverages for everyone, no exclusions for pre-existing conditions, low or no cost to the poor, increased medical coverage in sparsely populated areas, required coverage of health screenings, free birth control, substance abuse counseling); unfortunately, they are not economically possible from a centrally planned bureaucracy.

Good people like Dr. Cohen are claiming the law is a resounding success. They state that millions of people who once were denied health insurance because of pre-existing conditions or expensive premiums now have access to it. What the Affordable Care Acts supporters dont admit is that millions of other Americans are rapidly finding health insurance so unaffordable they and/or their employers are dropping coverages due to its unaffordability. Because of the problem of adverse selection, insurance programs dont survive when unhealthy, expensive people sign up by the millions at the same time millions of healthy, inexpensive people stop paying their premiums.

While it is true the American health care system is in need of a complete overhaul, the Affordable Care Act is not the answer. Due to the immutable economic laws of adverse selection and supply and demand, the Affordable Care Act, is failing financially. When the program does fail, I hope we learn from our mistakes and consider using free market solutions such as those provided by health-care sharing ministries and cash-only surgical clinics that have reduced prices and increased quality and access wherever free markets have been allowed to operate. The private insurance/government partnership model is incapable of delivering on its promises, and it is now time to let the Affordable Care Act die with dignity before it financially cripples us. Joseph D. Coco Jr., Whitefish

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Letters, published on Match 10, 2017 - Daily Inter Lake

To hold a pen is to be at war - Voltaire.

A crisis is unfolding in Zambia where press freedom is under attack. This is according to Dr Fred Mmembe, the founder of The Post newspaper. Mmembe is a multi-award winning journalist who is recognised by various institutions, including the International Press Institute (IPI) for being fearless and outspoken.

As editor-in-chief of Zambia's leading independent daily, Mmembe frequently faces harassment from authorities. The Posts investigations into government corruption and abuses of power have been a thorn in the flesh of the governing party the Patriotic Front (PF). It has resulted in more than 50 lawsuits being filed against him and he has faced more than 100 years in jail over the course of his career. Mmembe says the administration of President Lungu doesn't know that power has limits.

There is an attempt to completely destroy The Post so that it is impossible to reconstruct it. It is a process which started many years ago. There were some restraints in the previous regimes, but this regime has no restraint whatsoever.

It seems Mmembes concerns about Lungus abuse of power are well founded. In September 2015 the Zambian president threatened him while addressing a crowd in Solwezi, in the North Western part of Zambia.

According to the Lusaka Voice, Lungu made the following chilling statement:

I want to tell Fred Mmembe that I have thrown away the lid. The battle lines have been drawn, but the truth is that Fred cannot fight me because I am Head of State. If he wants to fight me, let him fight me. But lets be fair; he has the power of the newspaper, I dont have. But the truth is that Mmembe cannot fight me because I am Head of StateAlefwayafye ukwakufwila (he is looking for death) I will not close your newspaper shamwari (my friend) but I will take you on.

The Lungu administration has also been accused of rigging the 2016 elections. Zambias main opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, of the United Party for National Development (UPND), accused the countrys electoral commission of colluding with the Patriotic Front to rig the outcome of the vote after it delayed in announcing the results.

Shadrack Chiluba* was a senior investigative journalist for The Post. He says media houses are under siege in Zambia. Journalists work in an environment of fear where they are harassed, arrested and their lives threatened.

If you write a news story criticising the manner in which Edgar Lungus PF is managing the situation just know that you will receive threats, youre going to be harassed if they know you, and they are willing to go to any lengths possible to silence any opposing view away from theirs.

In 2014 Transparency International reported that corruption was wreaking havoc with the economy, and the payment of bribes had reached levels of 78% in a country where approximately 60% of the population is illiterate and poor.

Mmembe believes the Zambian government is using state institutions to bully independent media houses like The Post for being outspoken against the government.

The Zambian Revenue Authority (ZRA) placed The Post under liquidation for 53 million kwatcha, (approximately R6 million) for unpaid taxes. But the paper disputed the amount and appealed to the Revenue Appeals Tribunal to reverse the liquidation. The tribunal, which is a specialised court on tax issues, ordered the ZRA to reopen The Post, and to return all the equipment of the paper, including printing machines, and vehicles which had been confiscated. Its a decision that the ZRA has consistently ignored.

Other media houses have also not been spared. Muvi TV, Komboni Radio and Itezhi Itezhi Radio were shut down by the government in August 2016. The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) suspended their broadcasting licenses for unprofessional conduct, claiming they posed a risk to national peace and stability. But they were reopened a few months later. This move has been interpreted as a form of intimidation to force media houses into adopting the party line.

Shadrack says in spite of the conditions in that country, he and other journalists have a duty to keep writing to ensure that the majority of people in Zambia, most of whom are poor, are able to have an independent platform through which critical issues, can be publicised.

The people are looking for hope and I believe that as a journalist we must give people an ear. They need to be listened to, thats what it means to be a voice to the voiceless. If we all lose hope we will crumble.

Another writer Tasilla Lungu* says she has been victimised for carrying out her duties as a journalist. Like her colleagues in that country she too has experienced pressure from those in authority to tone down her reporting.

Im on the right side of history. There is a lot of oppression of independence and I know it is not right and it is not something we should tolerate as a nation. Its not a trend we should accept as journalists. If we dont do anything now it will continue. If it means reporting the truth, I will report the truth and thats what comforts me, Lungu says.

But thats not the end of the story for The Post. Since its closure it has re-emerged with a new name, The Mast, and with a small team of journalists who write and print from a secret location. It is carrying on with the tradition of The Post by positioning itself as a publication that gives a platform to the poor and working class in that country.

Certainly as South Africans, our voices should shout loud and clear. The situation in Zambia is unacceptable. During the darkest days of apartheid, Zambians played a critical role in providing a home base for South Africans fleeing oppression. The Zambian government of that time risked major repercussions from the diabolical South African regime. It hosted the leadership of the ANC, and the SACP as well as other liberation movements. It provided accommodation, military training and other crucial support. The people of Zambia opened their homes and hearts to South Africans in peril.

It is because of this history that the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) cannot ignore the situation facing media workers in that country. As a trade union we will not be silent when basic democratic principles are being violated, and workers are suffering.

Furthermore, as journalists and media workers in this country we have a duty to express solidarity with our comrades in Zambia and on the rest of the continent. If we were unfortunate enough to find ourselves in the same position, who would speak for us? Who would rise to our defence? We have no choice. We must speak out on behalf of the Zambian people. If we truly believe in democratic values, we must be uncompromising in our condemnation of such heinous acts.

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. - Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

*Names have been changed to protect identities.

Phakamile Hlubi is a journalist and spokesperson for Numsa.

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[OPINION] Zambian media and the fight against oppression - EWN - Eyewitness News

CHINESE foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuan may have overstated his case when he said recently that the Dalai Lama is engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion, but the Modi government too needs to tell the Dalai Lama firmly that he must stay apolitical and that while this country would allow him freedom to move around freely in India, he must desist from making statements against China that further sour Indias relations with that country.

The kind of bullying and browbeating that China has been indulging in on the issue of the Tibetan exiled spiritual leader Dalai Lamas proposed visit to Arunachal Pradesh is not unfamiliar to India. But the difference this time from earlier occasions of Chinese intransigence is that Indias foreign policy, shedding its previous diffidence, has acquired an aggressive hue.

Under Prime Minister Modis prime ministership, there is a new assertiveness that China has to learn to cope with. This country showed that it is not shy of taking punitive action against Pakistani terror camps a few months ago when it openly admitted that its troops had crossed over into Pakistani territory to destroy terrorist camps in surgical strikes that eliminated some terrorists from across the border. The action was in retaliation for the killing of 19 Indian soldiers at an army garrison in Uri, Kashmir, on September 18 last year.

The objection to Dalai Lamas proposed visit to Arunachal stems from the fact that the Chinese claim it to be their territory which they want India to vacate as part of a future border settlement. But the Chinese have no business to regulate and decide who visits the Indian state of Arunachal and when. Only a month ago, it had objected to the visit to the State by the American ambassador to India, Richard Verma, on specific Indian government invitation.

What India calls Arunachal is Tawang to the Chinese which is home to the second largest Tibetan monastery in the world. Indeed, Tawang, bordered on Tibet in the north and Bhutan in the northwest, was ceded to India during British times by Tibet through an agreement in 1914. It has sent representatives to Indian Parliament in every election since 1950.

The eastern sector dispute is over territory south of the McMohan Line in Arunachal Pradesh, which included Tawang. The McMohan Line was the result of the 1914 Simla Convention, between British India and Tibet, and was rejected by China.

Significantly, Tawang was the so-called point of entry for the Dalai Lama into India when he fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. It has more so become a prestige issue for China since then and a bone of contention with India. For this country, Chinese control over Arunachal would bring the Chinese at our doorstep and jeopardise Indian security against a country that has fought a war with India in 1962 in which India got a few rude knocks.

When the Dalai Lama took refuge in India from Chinese oppression of Tibetans in 1959, there was a clear stipulation that he would not play politics. However, some of his statements in recent days sound political. His snide remark in an interview with a British-born comedian John Oliver in Dharamshala that Chinese hardliners have parts of their brain missing, even if said in jest, was in poor taste.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuan may have overstated his case when he said recently that the Dalai Lama is engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion, but the Modi government too needs to tell the Dalai Lama firmly that he must stay apolitical and that while this country would allow him freedom to move around freely in India, he must desist from making statements against China that further sour Indias relations with that country.

Meanwhile, Chinese attempts to browbeat India on the Arunachal issue must be resisted and rebuffed with all our force. The Chinese must drop all illusions that they can bully India.

The frank relationship of two equals that the Modi regime has built up with China has not been free of Chinese designs of hitting at Indian interestsbe it in terms of Chinas stand on Pakistan-sponsored terror and Indias bid to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group that Beijing has been blocking. If, in this backdrop, New Delhi wants to express its displeasure by rebuffing Beijings protests against Dalai Lamas visit to Arunachal, so be it.

This year, China has twice blocked Indias bid to get Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar declared a UN-designated terrorist. India holds Azhar responsible for many terrorist acts in India including the December 13, 2001 attack on Parliament as well as the January 2, 2016 attack on the Pathankot air force station. On record, Beijing says it stands against all forms of terrorism, but it has refused to end its technical hold on the ban on Azhar.

A new dimension has been added to the India-China relationship by Dai Bingguo, a former State Councillor and Chinas Special Representative for the boundary talks with India that began in 2003, asserting in an interview with a Beijing-based publication that a final settlement of the boundary question between China and India is within grasp.

If the Indian side takes care of Chinas concerns in the eastern sector of their border, the Chinese side will respond accordingly and address Indias concerns elsewhere (the reference was to Aksai Chin, another bone of contention between the two countries) , said the Chinese negotiator. Apparently, there cannot be smoke without fire. Though Dai Bingguo may well be exaggerating Indias favourable inclination, there may well be some headway on the boundary question.

But with the Opposition in India itching to show the Modi government in bad light, as one compromising the countrys integrity, ceding Arunachal to China could be a hugely disruptive and difficult exercise which could be politically risky for the BJP.

All in all, India and China must move towards a relationship based on mutual trust and understanding. Both countries have to be on an equal footing, conscious of each others sensibilities.

The author is a political commentator and columnist.

He has authored four books

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Aggressive tint in India-China relations - Free Press Journal

Over the past week, there has been a slew of media coverage of the protest and surrounding events that occurred on Thursday, March 2nd in response to Charles Murray [CM] arriving on campus to give a lecture. There are many narratives circulating within campus networks as well as more broadly in the national media. I would like to add a perspective that so far has gone unaddressed by the majority of the coverage. I hope to allow people to think about protest and these specific events on campus by introducing the idea of rhetorical violence and emphasizing the importance of empathy in responding to (rhetorical) violence.

Developing empathy as a practiced skill can help us move forward toward community healing.

In her most recent email, President Patton said that colleges and universities should uphold the right to free speech, even unpopular speech. This is upsetting given the ongoing reality of systemic oppression, consisting of racist immigration policy targeting people from predominantly Muslim countries, attacks on the Affordable Care Act that has increased access to health care, increasingly militarized police forces and government sponsored destruction of native lands for private profit.

These are facts of many peoples daily lives, both on and off campus and are openly supported in the public arena. In contrast to the idea put forth by President Patton that these ideas do not have platforms, these are spread in our daily news and are widely present in our government, especially under our new president. Creating a platform at Middlebury for similar kinds of racism and oppressive ideologies impedes students abilities to be academically successful and generally whole people within our community because it welcomes in rhetorical violence and emotional distress.

We as a community can act differently and find ways to make Middlebury a place of healing for the traumas that have been inflicted by institutional racism, but instead chose, and continue to choose, to deny these legacies of violence. This happens in many ways, one of which is the administrative recognition that student emotions are broader than anger and frustration. There is confusion, hurt, betrayal and a whole host of other emotions that are triggered by the kind of violent rhetoric that Charles Murray published. If we are going to heal, we need to find spaces where these emotions can be validated and accounted for, not just in a cordoned off protest area while dehumanizing rhetoric is spouted from a stage.

In his recent post about the events that took place last Thursday, CM acknowledges that he has been discredited as a white supremacist, racist, sexist, eugenicist and white nationalist at Middlebury and by many prominent scholars. He does nothing to address the fact that these are not labels that are used arbitrarily. They are used to designate someone who perpetuates the ongoing trauma of racism, sexism and eugenics that shape all of our lives in different ways. None of us are free of the histories of violence that have shaped racism and sexism. Some are forced to bear that trauma in daily life in the small slights and large exclusions that people from marginalized backgrounds experience. Others of us are able to bear that trauma in a different way: the privilege to tell others that their pain is not real.

When we think about community healing and a path forward, it is important that we take into account the ways that some members of our community, namely minority students, are told that their experiences are not real. To do so would look like an affirmative statement by the administration, acknowledging the pain that rhetorical violence such as Murrays can trigger, and providing avenues for healing that do not first require members of our community to be retraumatized by having their existence on campus put into question. Additionally, we need to do some work as students to think about the ways in which we have denied each other empathy, particularly for our peers who experience various forms of marginalization. Instead of denial, we can build tools of empathy by learning about our histories of violence and by practicing connecting with, listening to or simply validating the experiences of our peers when they are different from our own experiences.

For all of the reasons above, I stand in support of the protestors from Thursday night as they expressed the communal pain that bringing a speaker like Charles Murray to campus creates. It is not rhetorically resilient for students of color to be forced to experience another example of white supremacy and racism on campus. I stand with students of color on our campus who participated in the protest and also those who did not. I have seen so many students from marginalized backgrounds exhibiting rhetorical resilience in their daily lives, while at the same time seeing that privileged students so often lack the empathy to honestly and openly engage with those they perceive to be different from them.

Examining how we move forward can be a learning opportunity for those of us who do not experience oppression at Middlebury. Empathy is a skill, not an inherent quality, and I would ask that students with various kinds of privilege take some time to think about what empathy truly looks like, and what they might be able to learn about themselves and about other students on campus when they practice empathy.

Jeremy Stratton-Smith 17 writes about the importance of empathy in the aftermath of last weeks protest.

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Toward Community Healing - Middlebury Campus (subscription)

Want to drain the swamp? Expose Barack Obama, who he really is and the damage he has done.

Lets start with President Trumps allegation that the Obama Administration wiretapped the Trump Tower in October of 2016.

In summary, here is what we know:

In June 2016, the Obama Administration, using flimsy evidence of Russian connections to the Trump campaign, made an initial request for electronic surveillance of Trump and his associates under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and its approval body the FISA court.

It should be noted that approval requires a very low standard of evidence. Since its inception, the FISA court has permitted 99.7% of requests. The fact that the initial request was denied, means that the basis upon which the request was made must have been extraordinarily weak or excessively broad or both.

According to a Heat Street article, the FBI sought, and was granted, a FISA court warrant in October [2016], giving counter-intelligence permission to examine the activities of U.S. persons in Donald Trumps campaign with ties to Russia.

In that regard, Breitbart stated: No evidence is found but the wiretaps continue, ostensibly for national security reasons, Andrew McCarthy at National Review later notes. The Obama administration is now monitoring an opposing presidential campaign using the high-tech surveillance powers of the federal intelligence services.

On January 12, 2017, the New York Times reported:

In its final days, the Obama administration has expanded the power of the National Security Agency to share globally intercepted personal communications with the governments 16 other intelligence agencies before applying privacy protections.

The new rules significantly relax longstanding limits on what the N.S.A. may do with the information gathered by its most powerful surveillance operations, which are largely unregulated by American wiretapping laws.

The change means that far more officials will be searching through raw data.

In other words, the Obama Administration intentionally increased, by orders of magnitude, the possibility of leaks of classified information about private U.S. citizens gathered under a FISA warrant.

The Obama Administration has an extensive history of using federal agencies to attack political opponents; the Internal Revenue Services targeting of conservative groups (why is John Koskinen still IRS Commissioner?) and the Department of Justice spying on Fox News reporter James Rosen, to name only two instances.

For Obama, the FISA warrant and the leaks it produced has been a gift that keeps on giving. It perpetuates the false narrative of a substantive Trump-Russian connection. It led to the resignation of National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. It forced Attorney General Jeff Session to recuse himself from the Trump-Russian investigation opening the way for a Special Prosecutor.

President Trump has a window of opportunity to challenge the Deep State, expose the depth of corruption in our political-media culture and pave the way for reform.

The Deep State or permanent political establishment consists of the mutually-supportive Democrat and Republican leadership, the left-wing media outlets, the financiers of both, and an over-populated and over-paid federal bureaucracy all dedicated to maintaining the corrupt status quo.

The survival of the Deep State is now inextricably linked to the legacy of Barack Obama because it facilitated his rise to power and uncritically and shamelessly protected him in office.

Obama and his acolytes have declared war on the Trump Administration, which demands a full-scale counteroffensive directed at Obama himself.

It is certainly true that Obama maliciously abused the power of the Presidency, deliberately weakened national security, undermined our social fabric, debilitated the economy, dramatically expanded government oppression and dangerously increased the national debt.

The issue, however, is not just his performance in office, but that he was in office at all, given the lack of clarity involving his personal history.

The truth would expose the rampant corruption of our political and media elite, reveal their complicity in Obamas violations of Constitution, uncover their willful ignorance of his alleged felonies and confirm their participation in the greatest election fraud and Constitutional crisis in American history.

It is the consolidation of power of the Deep State that engenders corruption, but it is indifference that sustains it.

Lawrence Sellin, Ph.D. is a retired colonel with 29 years of service in the US Army Reserve and a veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq. Colonel Sellin is the author of Restoring the Republic: Arguments for a Second American Revolution . He receives email at lawrence.sellin@gmail.com.

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Obama is the Deep State's Achilles Heel - Sonoran News

The APC National Women Leader, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu has called on all women to stand tall and say no to every form of oppression in order to actualize the real change needed to unify Nigeria.

She stated this at the celebration of the 2017 International Womens Day organized by FAME foundation, aimed at empowering female teachers to realize their ability to enjoy their rights and improve their economical status.

She urged the female teachers to be bold at taking their rights and stand for the #boldforchange campaign launched to mark the 2017 international womens day.

Earlier, the wife of Kebbi state Governor, Hajiya Atiku Bagudu who was represented by Hajiya Saadatu Bello called on the government to improve the welfare of teachers as their impact on the society cannot be overemphasized.

The saying that the reward of teachers are in heaven is true because no matter what you give to a teacher you cannot pay him/her and that why their lives and condition of living should be made comfortable and conducive in this single life that we have She said.

Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh while speaking to the press said children needed to be given sound education, adding that her foundation is taking the lead by enrolling many children in schools.

The Tonto Dikeh foundation is taking as many children as possible back to school and providing everything they need to be educated because I believe the children we are helping today are the future leaders of tomorrow and if we want to change our tomorrow, we have to start from the ones that are not our leaders yet She added.

The founder of FAME foundation, Aderonke Bello noted that the need to empower teachers sprung up because of their mandate to transfer sound knowledge to their students.

She said,We are training the trainee because kids spend more of their time in schools than at home, therefore the knowledge gained in the seminar gets to the kids.

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Int'l Women's Day: Say no to oppression APC women leader - Daily Trust

As a Jewish student, I have to raise an objection to the equation of anti-Semitism with anti-Zionism and attempts to quiet criticism of Israel.

A resolution by Undergraduate Student Government (USG) has recently been put forth to brand anti-Israel and anti-Zionist as speech anti-Semitic, serving as a blatant means of silencing a portion of the population speaking out on issues relating to Palestinian rights. While its expected that the anti-Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) language will be removed, it is troubling that this effort to silence free speech received any legitimacy at all.

The state of Israel is well known for its oppression of the Palestinian people by various means. These include, but are by no means limited to: depriving their communities in the West Bank of natural resources, such as water and land, destroying the homes of innocent people, establishing illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the unlawful detainment of children.

This is what organizations such as Students for Justice in Palestine are fighting against. No other organization on campus is explicitly dedicated to Palestinian rights.

To equate criticism of oppression with the acts of hatred that have occurred at Kent State, such as the painting of a swastika on the Rock on Front Campus, is blatantly ignorant of the nature of the BDS movement as well as the Jewish community as a whole. Over half of Jews under the age of 30 are critical of the politics of Israel, and organizations like the Jewish Voice for Peace are dedicated to raising awareness about the plight faced by Palestinians living in Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

Attempts within our government and our university to silence criticism of Israel by branding it anti-Semitic must be put to a stop.Per the U.S. Department of State, Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

This can occur on and off campus and has but the rhetoric used by the BDS movement and Students for Justice in Palestine does not fit this definition. This is about human rights, not anti-Semitism.

If a government is built for one people and allows for the subjugation of another, it is impossible for an equal society to exist. There are millions of Palestinians that are ultimately under Israeli rule, all without voting rights or representation. Millions of homes are destroyed, cities walled off, and the right to movement restricted by checkpoints and segregated roads.

I am a Jew, and I cannot remain silent on issues of oppression, especially when theyre done by other Jews in my name. I urge Jewish students in particular to not run from discussions of Israel that make them uncomfortable.

While we may be uncomfortable, families are being torn apart and being forced to live in miserable conditions in the name of a Jewish state.

Im Willemina Davidson, and I say, Not in my name.

Willemina Davidson is a guest columnist, contact her at wdavids3@kent.edu.

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Letter to the Editor: Not in my name - Kentwired

The Chinese Foreign Ministry traded a new round of barbs with the Dalai Lama over the Tibetan spiritual leaders interview with U.S.-based comedian John Oliver.

The Dalai Lama said hard-line Chinese officials have parts of their brains missing in an interview with Oliver for his HBO show, Last Week Tonight. The Dalai Lama also reiterated he could be the last Dalai Lama in line, ending the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual succession process that the Chinese government worked to supplant.

In his interview with Oliver, the Dalai Lama said in broken English that Chinas plan is a foolish act shortsighted, without using human brain properly. He added common sense was missing from the brains of Chinese officials. The Chinese hard-liners, in their brain, that part of [the brain] is missing, he told Oliver.

You can watch the full segment of Olivers interview with the Dalai Lama, which aired Sunday, here:

Unsurprisingly, the Chinese government wasnt too thrilled with his remarks. So on Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry fired back. The Dalai Lamas comments in the interview perhaps appeared humorous and funny, but these words are all lies that do not accord with the facts, said foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang.

We often say that the 14th Dalai Lama is a political exile who wears religious clothing to engage in anti-China separatist activities, Geng added. Now it seems he is an actor, who is very good at performing, and very deceptively.

By tradition, the Dalai Lama chooses another religious figure, the Panchen Lama, to select his spiritual successor. Tibetan Buddhists believe the Dalai Lamas soul is reincarnated in the body of a young boy upon his death.

In 1995, the Dalai Lama selected a six-year-old boy to be his Panchen Lama. Three days later, the boy and his family were kidnapped by the Chinese government. The Chinese government then chose another six-year-old as their own replacement, supplanting the Dalai Lamas reincarnation. The boy the Dalai Lama chose hasnt been seen or heard from in the 22 years since his kidnapping.

In 2014, the Dalai Lama suggested he could be the last one, prompting outrage from China, which said ending the reincarnation line betrayed and disrespected Tibetan Buddhism. One Chinese government official said the Dalai Lama was a wolf wrapped in monks robes.

The Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, fled to India in 1959 after a failed Tibetan revolt against Chinese rule. He pushed for full Tibetan independence from China for decades amid harsh crackdowns from Beijing, but has since walked back his stance to autonomy under Chinese rule. Nearly 150 Tibetans have self-immolated to protest heavy-handed Chinese government oppression in the past eight years, according to the International Campaign for Tibet. The spat comes amid an annual meeting of Chinas political elite to hash out new policies and pass legislation. Tibets delegation to the annual meeting is expected to hold a news conference on the Tibet-China dispute this week.

Photo credit:SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images

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Dalai Lama Interview Fuels New Fire in China-Tibet Spat - Foreign Policy (blog)