Category: Human Rights

Donald Trump signs Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act into law – ANCA salutes the measure

 

YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, ARMENPRESS.

President Donald Trump signed the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act, a ground-breaking genocide prevention law on January 15, overwhelmingly adopted by the Senate and House, which codifies earlier measures, including those implemented by the Obama Administration, and puts in place a set of clear policies and processes to prevent new atrocities, ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the Armenian National Committee of America.

“The ANCA welcomes the President’s signature on the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act, and thanks all the legislators who spearheaded and supported this landmark bipartisan genocide prevention measure,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “As Armenian Americans – descendants of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide – we are particularly gratified to see a measure signed into law that speaks to transitional justice, criminal accountability, and the moral imperative to apply the lessons of past genocides in seeking to prevent new atrocities.”

The genocide prevention measure was spearheaded by Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Todd Young (R-IN), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) in the Senate and by Representatives Ann Wagner (R-MO) and Joe Crowley (D-NY) in the House during the previous Congress and received broad bipartisan support. It enjoyed broad-based support from genocide and atrocities prevention organizations with the Friends Committee on National Legislation at the forefront along with over 70 grassroots groups, including the ANCA and In Defense of Christians.

CONTINUE READING HERE. 

Michael Wesley Collins, who took his life recently, gives a beautiful perspective on being homeless.

 

editor victoria’s comment ~ this is an issue i have been passionate about for over 20 years.  my thoughts have remained the same.  housing is a right.  no one should be homeless unless he/she makes the full conscious choice to do so.  there are plenty of vacant homes and buildings in our area alone that could easily be provided for the homeless.  ridiculous “regulations” (power over games) and immature interactions of city officials who lack the ability to compromise keep new buildings (including tiny homes) from being built. deny people love and all that goes along with love long enough and they can turn violent – on others or on themselves.  period.  and yes the shelters are not adequate.  people NEED space – and quiet – peace.  dignity.  enough of this “well at least they have a roof over their heads from the elements”.  the needs of the human are much deeper and complex than that.   and having had experience with social services, where the majority of the people who work at these agencies are very well meaning, i KNOW the rules in place and the $$ allocations are NOT designed to lift people out of poverty.  it’s intentional, my feel, to keep people stuck and dependent upon the system.  it’s sick.  THAT is the disease – not the victims who seek help through them.

please share this one so his story and words won’t be in vain.  thank you.

******

R.I.P Michael Wesley Collins, he took his own life Wednesday, this is what he wrote about homelessness at the end of November 2018.

Homelessness is no joke. Taking a journey through being homeless and penniless has given me a new perspective on what hardships homeless people endure. Once you’re in it, it’s very, very difficult to escape. You run into chicken-egg problems again and again and it leads to an inevitable downward spiral. For example, you can’t get a job because you’re homeless and you’re homeless because you can’t get a job. Imagine having no car, being filthy and trying to show up to a job interview. It’s impossible, and you come into a hopeless downward spiral. The homeless shelters are awful places where they pack people in like sardines in bunk beds, and everyone there is in a dark state of hopelessness.

The social services in the USA are a joke and they don’t provide enough support to even live, let alone give you an opportunity to dig yourself out of a hopeless hole. Welfare amounts to almost nothing, not even enough to buy food, let alone establish an apartment or residence, and it’s quite difficult to get as well, and the system is unforgiving for missed appointments, which can happen quite easily when you don’t have a home or money for transportation. Again, it’s part of the vicious cycle.

Often there is a waiting list to even get into a homeless shelter. In San Diego for example, the wait list is 1 month, so you must sleep on the street for a month before being considered to sleep in a crowded room. To receive government-assisted housing, the wait list is 2 years! If you become homeless in the richest country in the world, you would wait 2 years for relief!

People are immensely cruel to the homeless as well, many of whom suffer from a psychiatric condition that they cannot help. Often families reject people with psychiatric conditions with the misunderstanding that they could be dangerous in some way, but most often they are sensitive souls who also often connect with higher spiritual energies. In old days, these people would be seen as prophets, medicine men, and spiritual leaders, but today they are derided as mentally ill and very often wind up homeless. They are most often victims of human cruelty and miscomprehension, rather than a threat.

I am still homeless, though I’m continuing to fight my way out, but thankfully I still have some generous friends and haven’t yet sunk so low that I cannot escape, though I remain on the precipice. I will say that I will kill myself before I fall into that level of despair, and I fight daily to keep myself from this fate, but often I must choose between difficult options. I have also endured an immense amount to trauma during this experience, and the idea of taking time for healing is ridiculous considering that I must navigate getting basic needs met like food and shelter with the onset of winter coming.

Please keep me and all other homeless in your prayers, but action is needed even more than prayer. If you see homeless, or know of someone on the brink of homelessness, please have compassion for them and give to them generously. You have no idea of the circumstances that led to their condition, as this world can be a cruel and unforgiving place.

I have a master’s degree, high intelligence, and a variety of high-value skills, but I still wound up homeless and if you understood the story and reasons why, it would make perfect sense, and you would also understand that I had no control of the events that led to this place. It was a complex series of events that caused it, and it can truly happen to anyone.

Have compassion for those who have fallen into this horrible state of despair.

https://buffalonews.com/2019/01/13/collins-michael-wesley/…

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling
SOURCED FROM HERE:

TSA Workers Are Now Quitting Because of the Government Shutdown, Union Says

 

editor victoria’s comment ~ i would say this is part of the plan.  many stopped flying because of the draconian policies.  we don’t need TSA…although those grandma’s with their dove shampoo bottles and mama’s carrying bottles with breast milk could still pose a threat…

******

Some Transportation Security Administration employees are quitting their jobs as the partial government shutdown continues through its third week, leaving more than 800,000 federal employees without a paycheck.

The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union of federal employees, representing about 44,000 TSA workers, says some TSA employees have resigned, and others are considering quitting after working one of the busiest air travel periods of the year without pay.

“Every day I’m getting calls from my members about their extreme financial hardship and need for a paycheck,” said Hydrick Thomas, the union’s TSA Council president, in a statement. “Some of them have already quit and many are considering quitting the federal workforce because of the shutdown.”

It’s unclear exactly how many TSA employees have left their jobs since the partial shutdown began on Dec. 22. But a number of workers have described the financial burden the shutdown has thrust upon them as many depend on each paycheck to make ends meet. TSA employees are some of the lowest paid federal workers, and, in interviews with MONEY last week, current employees said they are delaying car and insurance payments, and worried about paying rent and childcare during this shutdown. Employees also said morale among co-workers has hit a new low.

CONTINUE READING HERE.

In Pictures: The Largest Strike in History Is Happening in India Right Now

 

By Ben Cowles
Global Research, January 09, 2019
Morning Star 8 January 2019

Around 150 million people began a two-day general strike in India today against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s anti-Labour and anti-trade union policies in India.

Workers from both the public and private sectors were joined by teachers and students from across the country, forming possibly largest strike in history.

Below are a selection of AP photographs from today’s general strike.

Mumbai: Trade union activists demonstrate, march and wave communist flags on the first day of a two-day general strike.

CONTINUE HERE 

‘Officials’ worst nightmare’: Yellow Vests hope to trigger bank run with financial protest

 

editor victoria’s comment ~ a protest or exercising their right to withdraw their own money?  for years i have seen this act as a very useful tool….

******

Published time: 10 Jan, 2019 00:32

Edited time: 10 Jan, 2019 15:48

Yellow Vest protesters are hoping to trigger a bank run with a nationwide coordinated cash withdrawal. By threatening the French financial system, protesters say, they want to peacefully force the government to pass their reforms.

“If the banks weaken, the state weakens immediately,” said Yellow Vest “sympathizer” Tahz San on Facebook. “It’s elected officials’ worst nightmare.”

Protesters plan to empty their bank accounts on Saturday, withdrawing as much money as possible in a bid to undermine the French banks – if not the euro itself. The plan is to “scare the state legally and without violence,” forcing the government to adopt the movement’s Citizens’ Referendum Initiative, which would allow citizens to propose and vote on new laws.

“We are going to get our bread back…you’re making money with our dough, and we’re fed up,” said protester Maxime Nicolle in a video message shared on YouTube.

A well-coordinated financial action has the potential to bring the French banking system – and by extension the euro – to its knees, as banks always hold only a fraction of the funds the country’s citizens have in their accounts. However, most banks limit ATM withdrawals to a relatively low amount, meaning protesters would have to line up inside the banks to withdraw the rest of their money, giving the state plenty of time to place restrictions on withdrawals – though this would, no doubt, spark further protest.

CONTINUE READING HERE.

Trump Proclaims January as Month Committed to Abolition of Human Trafficking

 

editor victoria’s comment ~ quite horrifying (but not surprising given what we know now) human trafficking increased over 800% during the years of 2010 and 2015.  smack dab in obama-land presidency.  

******

January 1, 2019 13:22, Last Updated: January 1, 2019 20:14

In a lengthy proclamation issued on Dec. 31, Trump said that it’s not enough to merely denounce such horrific assaults, instead, we must “actively work to prevent and end this barbaric exploitation of innocent victims.”

“Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery,” the proclamation stated. “We are morally obligated to confront and defeat the abhorrent practice of human trafficking, and I am keeping my pledge to take aggressive action.”

Such crimes are often described as an everyday problem hidden in plain sight. Data from a landmark Global Slavery Index report in July last year found that 1 in 800 people in the United States lives in modern slavery. The phrase is a broad term used to describe victims of forced labor, sexual exploitation or servitude, and forced marriages, among other abuses.

Trump has made combating human trafficking a focal point of his administration over the past two years. In February 2018, he signed an executive order to dismantle transnational criminal organizations that traffic and exploit people. In January 2018, Trump signed a similar declaration for the month.

Continue reading here.

Handcuffed for Homeschooling? Paperwork Dispute Gets Ugly

 

SOURCED FROM HERE.

By Jennifer Lade – December 26, 2018

A school system in Massachusetts is proving to be malicious, incompetent, or maybe both.

Of course, we suspected that already. But the latest example comes from a lawsuit from a woman who pulled her 8-year-old son from Worcester Public Schools to homeschool him last January.

Josilyn Goodall is suing the Worcester School Committee, Superintendent Maureen Binienda, and the state Department of Children and Families after police entered her home, handcuffed her, and arrested her over what amounted to a paperwork dispute.

According to the lawsuit, Goodall is seeking unspecified compensatory damages for the violation of her Constitutional rights and for the “mental pain and suffering” inflicted upon her and her son.

The lawsuit details Goodall’s multiple attempts to contact the Superintendent after filing paperwork in January saying she was going to homeschool her son. She said she never got a response to any of her phone calls or emails.

In Massachusetts, parents who wish to homeschool their children must submit an education plan to the superintendent of the local school system for approval. However, according to Care and Protection of Charles (1987), the court case upon which homeschool legal precedent was established, the burden of proof is on the school to show that the homeschool program is insufficient.

The lawsuit further alleges that the Worcester School Committee’s homeschool policy is unlawful, in that it requires students to continue attending public school until the education plan is approved. Charles allows for homeschooling to begin as soon as the plan has been submitted.

To most rational people, Charles makes sense. If parents are to have any right to educate their children at home, they must be able to begin homeschooling before receiving approval from the schools. Otherwise, a school could conveniently hold hostage the education plan and never approve it, essentially forcing the child to stay in the public school.

But instead of following the state law or even their own policy, Worcester school administrators ignored Goodall’s education plan and her attempts to contact them, continued marking her son absent, and never reached out to Goodall to discuss their concerns.

It would be hard to tell if the school was being passive-aggressive or just plain incompetent, unable to send or receive emails and phone calls. Except that they had no problem contacting the Department of Children and Families to report Goodall for “educational neglect.”

DCF officials apparently took the school’s word for it, never asking for attendance records for Goodall’s son before showing up at her door on March 30. In addition, a DCF investigator believed the superintendent’s secretary, who told her there was a new law that required homeschooled students to continue attending school until their education plan was approved.

Yes, a state department took legal advice from a superintendent’s secretary.

Then, police escalated the situation, to the surprise of absolutely no one. The lawsuit states that officers pounded on Goodall’s door and threatened to forcibly open it. When Goodall was intimidated into letting them in, an officer laid hands on Goodall, handcuffed her, ordered her into a chair and yelled in her face — while her son watched and cried.

Additional officers arrived and started searching the home, while the DCF investigator questioned the son. Goodall was arrested and brought to the police station and was booked, though no charges were filed. She paid bail and finally made it back home after a 7-hour ordeal.

The legal battle continued with DCF filing a complaint of educational neglect that was eventually dropped by the court. Goodall submitted another education plan to the Superintendent on April 10.

You would think school officials would jump right on it this time around, but they dragged their feet yet again. Goodall left another voicemail and sent an email before finally hearing from the secretary on April 25. Her plan was not officially approved until May 9, after Goodall’s legal counsel wrote a letter essentially asking the Superintendent’s Office to piss or get off the pot.

Goodall’s ordeal is just the most extreme of many examples of harassment and intimidation the Worcester School District is doling out to homeschoolers.

According to the Worcester Telegram, many homeschooling families were waiting on District approval of their education plans months after submitting them. To add to the stress, many were receiving letters that said they could face truancy charges if their children were not in school and they had not received approval.

The hypocrisy of the District is astounding. Rather than sending approval letters—or even rejection letters— in a timely fashion, they sent letters threatening parents, as though it was the parents’ fault that their plan might not be approved “in time.”

While it is bad news that school administrators seem intent on harassing homeschoolers and escalating disputes, there is a silver lining to this whole issue.

We’re not going to take it.

Homeschoolers routinely show up in large numbers to protect their right to homeschool their children. The Homeschool Legal Defense Association hosted an informational forum on Aug. 15 in Worcester to discuss the concerns of local homeschooling families and to clarify the state’s laws.

As a Massachusetts homeschooler myself, I attended the meeting. There were upwards of 100 people in attendance from Worcester and surrounding towns. The group shared advice, made plans to turn out en masse to School Committee meetings, and made sure they were educated on what is and is not legally required in state homeschool law.

Public schools are in the business of teaching conformity and unquestioning obedience of authority. Meanwhile, homeschoolers are by definition educational non-conformists. They also tend to have a healthy skepticism of authority figures and government in general.

They show up to fight stupid policies. They protest. They write letters. They politely decline unlawful demands from school systems.

They file lawsuits.

And since homeschoolers are in the business of educating their children, it seems likely that these ideals will transfer to the next generation.

And that is why I expect an education revolution in my lifetime, one in which consent and freedom dominate children’s learning.

Public schools, with their policies of intimidation and coercion for children and adults alike, have at least one lesson to offer homeschooled kids: everyone deserves better.

Woman speaking about the Flynn trial suddenly hit by black woman..while cutting a video defending @GenFlynn

 

editor victoria’s comment ~ this is horrible.  i heard the woman who committed the assault say “you shouldn’t be saying that (bleep).”  programming right there.  until this incident she shares some good info/insight on the Flynn hearing today including how the Judge later retracted his statements on referring to Flynn’s actions as “treasonous”.  which of course we won’t be hearing that from the media outlets.  

******