All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

www.german-foreign-policy.com – Portugal still not safe yet!

It is still unclear how this will develop in Portugal. On November 10, a vote of no-confidence by the center-left parliamentary majority defeated Passos Coelho’s second attempt to form a government. The plan to maintain Passos Coelho in power – with the help of renegade PS parliamentarians – has failed. In accordance with democratic traditions, Cavaco Silva would have at least handed government power over to the left majority by now, which he persistently refusing to do. If he continues to persist, Passos Coelho will remain in office until new elections can be held, which, according to Portuguese law, can take place in June 2016, at the earliest. Passos Coelho could therefore continue governing without democratic legitimacy, for more than six months, in spite of a functional democratic parliamentary majority.No Room for DemocracyWithin the EU, over the past few years, democratic majorities have repeatedly been nullified, if they would not guarantee the implementation of a German-dictated austerity policy imposed on the entire Eurozone. In Italy for example, Mario Monti’s “cabinet of experts” ruled from November 16, 2011 until April 28, 2013. Prime Minister Monti did not rise to power through democratic elections. He was installed under pressure from Brussels. The “Troika” comprised of representatives of the EU, ECB and IMF – without democratic legitimacy – decides varying degrees of national policies in Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Greece and Cyprus. Last July – under German pressure – the EU even disregarded the Greek population’s clear rejection of a continuation of the austerity policy, imposed by Berlin and Brussels. A three-fifths majority had voted “No” in a referendum on the question. Greece was then punished with the imposition of even harsher austerity measures.[4] A leading German daily considered the de facto suspension of democracy in indebted countries to be an appropriate measure, by seeking to apply private law conditions to interstate relations, which are entirely different. “There are a few things in the world, where there is no room for democracy,” the daily wrote, “for example, debts.”[5]The Only WayIn Portugal, Cavaco Silva has repeatedly reiterated over the past few days that he will take his time in deciding on the next government. At the beginning of the week, he ostentatiously made a two day visit to Madeira for business talks, in spite of considerable indignation in Lisbon. Today, he will discuss the situation with board members of several Portuguese banks. Carlos Costa, head of the Central Bank, has already stated his opposition to a possible center-left government, warning that the country will have to “pay for all the mistakes made today,” meaning the sovereign decisions taken by an elected government.[6] The results of Cavaco Silva’s talks today with leading Portuguese bankers will also depend on the concessions the PS candidate for prime minister, António Costa, has made to leading bankers, with whom he negotiated on Monday.[7] Relinquishing all positions critical of the EU and its German-inspired austerity policy is usually the only way to win the acceptance by the EU-oriented establishment.

Source: www.german-foreign-policy.com

As a Judge Sentences Miller to Death, He Still Spews Hate | Southern Poverty Law Center

Even as he formally was sentenced to death this week for three murders, Frazier Glenn Miller Jr. continued spewing hate.“I thrive on hate,” the 74-year-old former Ku Klux Klan leader said in a Johnson County courtroom in Olathe, Kan. “If I didn’t thrive on hate, I would go crazy.”It was his hatred of Jews and a fervent idolization of Adolf Hitler, Miller told a jury this past summer, that drove him to kill three people in April 2014 outside two Jewish facilities in the Kansas community. The jury convicted him of three capital murders charges and took an 90 additional minutes to decide he should get the death penalty.

Source: As a Judge Sentences Miller to Death, He Still Spews Hate | Southern Poverty Law Center

House passes bill to tighten flow of Syrian refugees over Obama’s objections – The Washington Post {The vote – 289 anti-American cowards to 137.

The House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed legislation aimed at tightening controls on refugees from Syria and Iraq, in what Republican leaders say is a swift and strong response to last week’s terror attacks in Paris.The vote was 289 to 137.

Source: House passes bill to tighten flow of Syrian refugees over Obama’s objections – The Washington Post

Guest Blog from Ian Hepburn. Defending Nature: the UK battle is far from over

a new nature blog

With a conference to review the effectiveness of the EU Nature Directives (Birds and Habitats) – the Fitness Check process, taking place in Brussels today, I’m thrilled to publish a timely guest blog from Ian Hepburn. Ian has had a long association with the EU nature directives spanning the last 35 years. He currently leads on conservation policy for the Sussex Wildlife Trust.

The European Commission’s on-line public consultation earlier this year seeking views on whether the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive – the backbone of EU wildlife policy – are ‘fit for purpose’ was met with a virtual avalanche of comments from individuals and organisations. An unprecedented half a million responses from across the 28 Member States are not easy to ignore. And then in late in October, a joint letter from nine EU environment ministers –with Germany in the lead– urged the European Commission not to weaken…

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Syrian ceasefire would be announced ′in the coming hours′ | News | DW.COM | 19.11.2015

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday a 15-day ceasefire between Syrian rebels and government forces in Eastern Ghouta, an area near Syria’s capital Damascus, would be announced “in the coming hours.”If agreed, the ceasefire would take place early on Thursday as a “test period” and could be extended if further agreements are made, the British-based Observatory said.However, no agreement was made for the precise time for the start of the ceasefire, and an agreement has yet to be finalized, the Observatory said.Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told the French news agency AFP, if an agreement is reached “a ceasefire in Eastern Ghouta would begin at 6:00 a.m. (0400 UTC) Thursday and will last 15 days.”Abdel Rahman added that the most powerful rebel group in Eastern Ghouta, Jaish al-Islam, was the main negotiator on the rebel side. However, a spokesperson for the rebel group could not be reached for comment.

Source: Syrian ceasefire would be announced ′in the coming hours′ | News | DW.COM | 19.11.2015

Early Winter Weather Across North America : Image of the Day

Parts of Canada and the western United States were doused with wintery weather in mid-November 2015. Some of the precipitation fell as snow and some as cold rain. Whether it is the beginning of a wet El Niño winter or a break in persistent drought remains to be seen.

Source: Early Winter Weather Across North America : Image of the Day

Video: Israeli soldiers arrest young child | The Electronic Intifada

“If you get one step closer to me I’ll detain you,” a soldier shouts at Amirah in Hebrew, and yanks the boy backwards. The soldiers then attack Amirah while continuing to detain the child.Ajarma said that the boy’s mother, father and grandfather came to the scene.The soldiers ordered the mother and father to go and tell local youths to stop throwing stones if they wanted their son to be released, Ajarma said.They arrested Amirah and let the boy go after holding him for several hours.Ajarma said that he visited the family on Wednesday morning and that Abdallah was traumatized by the experience.Ajarma said that the Israeli soldiers looked little older than teenagers.“You’re young, but you must have a family. What you’re doing to a young child isn’t right,” Ajarma recalled telling one of the gunmen holding the child.“I feel that if this soldier was a father, he wouldn’t be able to carry on this way,” Ajarma told The Electronic Intifada.“The one thing that made the army act in a slightly less violent way is that I was filming everything,” Ajarma said.

Source: Video: Israeli soldiers arrest young child | The Electronic Intifada