No More Near Misses

The U.S. should reach an agreement with China before there’s an accident in the Taiwan Strait and before it further emboldens Taiwan separatists into thinking the U.S. will send its citizens to fight and die in support of Taiwan independence. To put it simply, if the Chinese Navy doesn’t sail their ships into the territorial seas controlled by Taiwan or take any other unprovoked military actions against Taiwan then the U.S. navy should not sail their ships through the Taiwan Strait as doing so is an unnecessary provocation that serves no positive purpose.

If an agreement like this was enacted China would not be as pressed into feeling an increased sense of urgency to retake Taiwan and voters in Taiwan would be less likely to press their luck by supporting politicians and political parties that increasingly and irresponsibly flirt with the idea of Taiwan independence. Moreover this gesture of respect, show of support for the One China policy, and meaningful attempt to reduce tensions will not diminish the U.S. capability or resolve to come to the aid of Taiwan in the event of an unprovoked invasion from the mainland.

Peace and Prosperity in the Taiwan Strait

As a supporter of Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China, I oppose any high level meetings between the U.S. government and Taiwan’s President, moreover as a U.S. citizen I particularly oppose U.S. officials meeting with any Taiwan officials that are advocating for or flirting with the idea of Taiwan independence. Meetings like these, e.g. Pelosi and Tsai in Taiwan and McCarthy and Tsai in California, only serve to provoke China and threaten peace and stability in Taiwan, the region, and the world.

The best option for Taiwan is to maintain the status quo while the mainland catches up in terms of social, political, and economic development and until there are suitable conditions for a peaceful reunification. The mainland, regardless of how militarily powerful it gets, should also seek suitable conditions before attempting to reunify because trying to govern Taiwan while taking freedom and democracy away from people who have grown up with it may turn out to be as difficult as any military invasion.

In the meantime the U.S. needs to start speaking out as strongly against moves towards Taiwan independence as it does against reunification by force and make it clear that if the residents of Taiwan do decide they want to move towards independence and elect pro-independence parties and politicians then that is a fight they will fight on their own without any kind of economic, political, or military assistance from the U.S.. The U.S. needs to make it crystal clear that if Taiwan starts moving in that direction it will cease all arms sales to the island because those arms are meant for defense against an unprovoked invasion and should not be used as protection to test the patience of the mainland.

Peace Talks Now

After 9 years of armed conflict, which includes the past 53 weeks of death and destruction, there needs to be immediate peace talks. These talks should be held by the U.N. and in these talks Ukraine and Russia need to state their case and tell the world what they want in order to immediately end this war and remain good neighbors in perpetuity. If an agreement can’t be reached then after hearing both sides all U.N. member states, particularly those responsible for directly or indirectly fueling this conflict, need to decide which side is being reasonable and which is not, and drop their support whether it be economic, military, or moral for the country they feel is responsible for perpetuating this conflict and gambling with the fate of humanity.

2022 Midterms

It’s already been two weeks since my vote and all the other votes were counted but I still feel I should thank and congratulate the U.S. voters who rejected many of the Trump-endorsed election-denying crazies who were endorsed by Trump not because they were the best choice for the country but because they were the best choice for him. It seems more Republican voters are waking up to the fact that with Trump it was never “America First” it was “Trump First” and it will always be “Trump First” and the sooner the rest of Republican voters wake up to this reality and start supporting candidates who are for democracy, against dictatorship, and put the country before their own narrow and narcissistic interests the better.

Congratulations Brazil!

Thank you for sparing us another four years of Bolsonaro and we look forward to a return to responsible environmental stewardship of the Amazon rainforest.

Every vote counts and that’s why I went out of my way today to send in my absentee ballot for the U.S. mid-term elections. Stay informed, speak up, and vote!

Iranian Protests

The world is inspired by the brave people protesting injustice in Iran. Governments need to focus on improving people’s lives and not on enforcing what they can or must wear.

Brazilian Elections

Another 4 years of Bolsonaro would be a disaster for Brazil, the Amazon, and the World so Brazilian voters need to vote this dangerous and delusional joke of a president out of office like we did with Trump!

Bipartisan Incompetence

If there was truly no international solution to secure Afghanistan and keep it out of the hands of religious extremists and as a result the U.S. felt it was best to withdraw then a half-competent administration could have at least negotiated and planned for a peaceful and non-dramatic withdrawal which would have at least kept the jail doors locked and the capital secure until all those desperately in need of evacuation were safely screened and flown out of the country. If a formal inquiry into this bipartisan incompetence isn’t conducted and nobody loses their job over this international tragedy and national disgrace it will be an injustice to the country and all those who served in Afghanistan including all those who died in the rush to get out and all those who will die because they were unable to get out.

I agree that the buck stops with Biden but just remember Trump with broad Republican support was the one that failed to negotiate a proper deal and instead gave the Taliban what they wanted like prisoner releases and an exit date while getting virtually nothing in return like a guarantee that they wouldn’t try taking over the country until after the U.S. had left and perhaps some basic human rights assurances that proved the Taliban weren’t the same barbarians who ruled the country before the U.S. and its close allies overthrew them. Maybe if Trump hadn’t been so “America First” he could have negotiated a security agreement with other countries that also have an interest in not seeing Afghanistan descend into chaos that would have at least kept it from becoming the next terrorist safe haven and human rights nightmare.

Update May 2022

Taliban Order All Afghan Women to Wear Burqa

Partisan Shame

There was an attempted coup supported by a sitting president and one party feels that it wasn’t all that bad and that we should just forget about it. I’m sure they’d feel differently if this attempted coup was carried out by muslims or minorities but I guess for them it isn’t as bad since it was primarily carried out by unstable white men similar to much of the Republican Party.

I’m so glad these capitol police officers were given a platform to deliver the testimonies they did. Shame on those that try to rewrite history and downplay what happened on January 6th 2021 which was nothing less than an attempted coup that was encouraged by the lies of a delusional president that should have been held accountable for spreading dangerous lies and banned from ever holding political office.

America, I hope you’ve learned your lesson.

1.) Don’t elect ill-informed and incompetent liars just because they know how to play off of your fears and ignorance and say what you want to hear.

2.) Don’t elect aspiring dictators who openly praise and admire other dictators, and be extra cautious of aspiring dictators that with a little bit of flattery can be so easily manipulated by actual dictators.

3.) Don’t elect delusional and narcissistic people that prefer to surround themselves with sycophants rather than experts, and that think so highly of themselves that they would never admit fault, take responsibility, or learn from their mistakes.

4.) Don’t support politicians and political parties that would so easily cast any and all human decency and democratic principles aside to ride a cult of personality wave in order to further their own narrow self-interests at the peril of social stability, democratic institutions, and the planet itself.

5.) Don’t believe whatever you read on social media, check your sources, check your facts, and check the basic logic behind the crazy shit too many people in America and elsewhere believe. The earth is not flat and it is getting warmer. Climate change is real and it’s really urgent we take steps to mitigate it.

Lame Duck Donald

Words can not express my relief that he wasn’t re-elected and words can hardly express my disbelief that after 4 dishonest years of this seasoned conman/aspiring dictator so many people still voted for him. The sad truth is that if it wasn’t for covid I think we’d be in for another 4 years of his lies, narcissism, and disregard for science and ethics. It is fitting that the severity of this pandemic in the U.S. which in large part is due to his incompetence was the decisive factor in his defeat. Now I sincerely hope people will heed the warnings of health experts and wear a mask, socially distance, and if possible stay home. Let this final month of 2020 welcome the first rays of light belonging to the dawn of a more ethical and enlightened era and hope that people will see this light and start viewing things as right or wrong rather than left or right.

The Social Dilemma : Official Trailer

VOTE!

Please don’t sit this one out, if you haven’t already… VOTE!

Enough lies, enough arrogance, and enough incompetence.

We need sanity, we need science, and we need morality so VOTE!

All his lying and other failings aside, Trump’s denial of climate change and his roll backs of the environmental regulations designed to mitigate it is already enough to disqualify him for a second term. We need climate action now and unlike Trump who prefers to ignore, deny, and choose wishful thinking over science Biden has a plan to put the U.S. back on the path to a healthy, prosperous, and sustainable future.

“Another four years of Donald Trump would be a disaster for America. We must hope Biden wins and wins big” The Guardian

“Coronavirus response shows Donald Trump’s failure of leadership” USA Today

I Voted Early and I Hope You Will Too

Over the past 1,349 days that Trump has been president he has proven he was as unfit for the job as many of us thought he was while campaigning against him in 2016. In addition to nearly going to war with Iran and North Korea and starting a counterproductive cold war with China he has given all the crazies in the U.S. and beyond the confidence they needed to come out of their closets and support dangerous conspiracy theories and spew hatred towards those who aren’t as white or as Christian as they are. He has also repealed many environmental policies that were desperately needed to stave off the worst effects of climate change and he even moved to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord which was and still is humanity’s best hope of mitigating the climate crisis by limiting additional warming and minimizing the biodiversity losses and human suffering such additional warming would bring.

When he showed the world that he was scientifically illiterate with regards to climate change by saying things like it was a Chinese hoax and that he wasn’t a big believer in man-made climate change that should have been enough to disqualify him from office. However it wasn’t and three years later he showed the world how scientifically illiterate he was with regards to pandemics. Trump can not be blamed for Covid-19 however he can be blamed for much of the death and devastation it has caused in the U.S.. Just look at what he was saying early on, things that only an idiot in way over his head who’s key strategy was wishful thinking would say, things like “Looks like by April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away.” and “It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.” and “We’re prepared, and we’re doing a great job with it. And it will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.”.

At the same time he repeatedly gave the impression that face masks were not effective in reducing transmission and could perhaps do as much harm as they do good and like climate change he allowed wearing a face mask and taking Covid-19 seriously to be politicized. Not only did he set a bad example by holding large political rallies and by not encouraging participants to wear face masks he even went so far as to ridicule his political rival for not holding large rallies and for often wearing a face mask in public. Just ask yourself how many lives and how much economic damage did statements like these cause: “Just about everybody has a face mask on. They’ve learned about face masks — the good and the bad, by the way. It’s not a one-sided thing, believe it or not.” and “You know, there was a time when people thought it was worse wearing a mask. I let people make up their own decision.” and “In light of these studies, the CDC is advising the use of nonmedical cloth face covering as an additional voluntary public health measure. So it’s voluntary; you don’t have to do it. They suggested for a period of time. But this is voluntary. I don’t think I’m going to be doing it.”.

What kind of moral decency and presidential leadership is this? Please don’t make the same mistake again. Don’t think you’re making a statement by not voting because Biden wasn’t your first choice and isn’t progressive enough for you; and don’t vote for Trump because he and Fox News has scared you into thinking Biden is too socialist for the good of the country. Regardless of what you think of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris personally or politically the fact is they are infinitely better and more capable people than Donald J. Trump and that is what the U.S. and the rest of the world desperately needs right now, better and more capable people leading and governing countries, especially a country still as influential as the U.S.. So let this election be a Biden landslide and show Brazil and other countries with unfit leaders that these thug-like clowns can be voted out of office just as fast as they were voted in. I hope that the rhetoric that Trump, Bolsonaro, and other arrogant, immoral, and ill-informed leaders like them used to play upon the fears and hatred of the insecure, xenophobic, and easily manipulated among us will be studied and become common curriculum in order to prevent other unqualified narcissistic charlatans from gaining significant popular support and political power.

Trump Must Go

The disaster which this presidency is all started with Trump wanting to ban Muslims from entering the U.S., and now after three and a half years of Trump the Europeans want to ban Americans from entering the E.U.. Many of us knew a Trump presidency would be bad and did what we could to prevent it but nobody could have predicted it’d be this bad.

Trump might have effectively achieved his Muslim ban by making the U.S. so scary of a place that hardly any Muslims would even consider going there while he is president and all of his crazies have been given presidential passes via Twitter to come out of their basements and wave around their guns, confederate flags and other white power paraphernalia.

I’ve been living through the COVID-19 pandemic in a country whose official religion is Islam and as bad as the Malaysian government is it at least managed to properly handle this crisis. Not only do I feel safer in a Muslim majority country I feel safer living amongst Muslims because the vast majority of them aren’t as ignorant and irresponsible as many Americans are when it comes to social distancing and wearing a face mask in public.

During his first run for president Trump liked to talk about how other countries were laughing at us. It seems his solution to this imaginary laughter was to create a situation that is so sad that not even America’s adversaries can smile at these misfortunes. If the Trump administration handled the pandemic as well as Germany did nearly 100,000 lives could have been saved, and even more lives could have been saved if the U.S. had handled the crisis as well as Thailand and Taiwan did.

If all the other things didn’t do it for you, and they should have, then I hope the pandemic did. Even if Trump had handled foreign policy, climate change, and race issues in a decent manner the way he has bungled the handling of this pandemic is grounds for firing him in November. Biden certainly wasn’t my first choice or even my second but it’s obvious that he would be a far better president than Trump, especially during this pandemic and racial tension, so please be sure to register to vote and remind your friends and family that they can not sit this one out!

Bernie or Bust?

I’m not happy about the last two Tuesdays’ results either but if you’re really considering “Bernie or Bust” or writing in Bernie this November provided he is unable to make a comeback and win the Democratic nomination then you should learn more about the climate crisis and ask yourself if it would be moral to not vote blue no matter who in 2020.

This November Trump must lose and science and human decency must win. Biden wasn’t my first or even second choice but unfortunately after the disappointing results in Michigan yesterday it is increasingly looking like he will be my only choice. With that said I still hope Bernie has an amazing debate performance this Sunday and wins two or three states the following Tuesday. If Biden’s campaign can make a come back then so can Bernie’s!

Regardless of how unlikely a come back now is it’s not over until it’s over and the country benefits from hearing Bernie’s ideas and from Bernie leveraging the delegates and the grassroots support he has earned to help shift the Democratic party in the right direction like he did in 2016. So if you haven’t voted yet then don’t give up, your vote counts, even if Bernie doesn’t win you are still making a statement to the political establishment that says enough of politics as usual, we want real progress, we want people before party, we want people before profits, we want a better country, and we want a better world.

Superdelegates

I just contacted my representatives in Congress and the Senate because although Bernie won my home state all three of my representatives are backing Hillary. If you’re from a state which the people said Sanders but the superdelegates are still saying Clinton I urge you to contact them and ask them to stand with the people and switch their support to Bernie because every superdelegate that switches over to Bernie strengthens our momentum going into New York and into the delegate rich Tuesday after that.

Just today Senator Merkley of Oregon switched his support to Senator Sanders and wrote this piece for the New York Times. We’re on the verge of something big! Lets not sit back and let it play out because if we do odds are this rare opportunity will slip through our fingers. You can contact your representatives via the links below.

U.S. Senate     U.S. House of Representatives

Every single Democratic superdelegate, in one chart

Here’s a template based off of what I just sent to my representatives. You are welcome to customize if you don’t want to write an email from scratch:

Dear …,

I am disappointed that as a superdelegate you have not switched your support to Senator Sanders considering he defeated Secretary Clinton in the … Primary/Caucus. I urge you to reconsider and to stand with the majority of … voters by switching your support to Senator Sanders. Polls have repeatedly shown that Senator Sanders is a stronger candidate in the general election and as you know we can’t risk a low voter turnout and losing the White House to a Republican candidate that won’t even acknowledge climate change is a problem let alone take decisive action to curb it. Lets not just keep the White House in sane and progressive hands but also win back the Senate and gain seats in the Congress.

Please support Senator Bernie Sanders and urge other superdelegates from … along with those from other states won by Senator Sanders to do the same.

Sincerely,
…

What We’re Capable Of

Don’t let Hillary Clinton or anyone else tell you what the U.S. and it’s citizens are capable of whether it be providing single-payer healthcare for all or free college tuition particularly when such things have already been successfully done by other developed nations with higher standards of living and higher levels of social mobility.

The U.S./world suffers when people are sick and unproductive therefore it makes sense to ensure that everyone has access to efficient and affordable health care. The U.S./world also suffers when people are ignorant so it makes sense that anyone who is willing to put in the time and effort to further their education are able to do so regardless of their families wealth and without fear of becoming a slave to student debt.

Dear Working Class Republicans and All Other U.S. Voters,

Tomorrow, Tuesday March 15th, is an extremely important voting day. I’ve already explained why I feel Bernie Sanders is a far better presidential candidate than Hillary Clinton, now I’d like to make the case why working class Republican voters, particularly those who may be leaning towards Trump, should seriously consider supporting Sanders. I think that if most Trump supporters, the ones who aren’t racist and weak minded xenophobic nationalists looking for an authoritarian tough guy to lead them, got to know Bernie they’d drop Trump in a second. The Donald may think “his people” are so loyal that he could go out and “shoot someone” and not lose any votes but I think the reason why he has so many “loyal” supporters is because they’ve looked at this year’s Republican Party offerings and over the years have looked at many other Republican and Democratic politicians, and feel there’s no one that represents them and is willing to stand up and fight for their interests because most of these Republicrat politicians are too busy representing the interests of Wall Street and their other big money backers. Continue reading →

Prayer and Politics

In last nights debate when asked “To whom and for whom do you pray?” part of Hillary’s long-winded response was “I pray for the will of god to be known so that we can know it and to the best of our limited ability try to follow it and fulfill it.”. One of humanity’s biggest problems is precisely that too many people are trying to follow and fulfill god’s will. How are we going to solve such a problem and eliminate groups like ISIS and Boko Haram with the same kind of superstitious thinking? We don’t need a president who thinks like a jihadist nor do we need one that also said it was hard to imagine living under the pressure of being in the White House without being able to fall back on prayer and faith, and that she prays on a pretty regular basis during the day because she needs that strength and she needs that support.

I don’t want a president who needs that strength and support, I want one that has their own strength and relies on the support of advisers, experts, and the people; not on supernatural beings who depending on a president’s mood might give them the strength and support to drop bombs on innocent people like the children of ISIS members that Trump said he’d kill and who would inevitably die in one of Cruz’s proposed carpet bombing runs. Speaking of Cruz he just had a very good weekend beating or tying Trump in 3 of 4 states. Remember that Hillary loses to him in most of the polls. Not only do I not want to risk this I don’t even want to risk her running against Trump who polling projects her to beat but not by nearly as much as Bernie who can inspire a larger voter turnout and get votes from people across the political spectrum.