Category Archives: Viva!

Merkel Says Migration Could Make or Break the E.U.

Migration could make the EU the new old USA if it can resist ethnic fascists. On the eve of talks with European leaders that could determine her political fate, the German chancellor raised the stakes.

Trump trashed Nato at G7, calling it ‘as bad as Nafta’, officials confirm

wishes Adolph had won!

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President’s remarks were confirmed by European officials, adding to jitters among allies about what will happen at July Nato summit

Donald Trump trashed Nato, saying it was “as bad as Nafta”, the North American free trade agreement the US president openly despises, European officials have confirmed.

Related: Trump is hellbent on destroying the Nato alliance | Martin Kettle

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Donald Trump’s nominee for the supreme court will have to be resisted | Jill Abramson

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The campaign against the president’s zealots will be a major test of strength for civil rights and abortion rights groups. A new Democratic lion is needed

Republican president who is eager to build a clear, conservative majority on the United States supreme court – and too sure of his political ground – overreaches. He picks a rightwing zealot for the open seat created by the retirement of a justice. At stake in the subsequent political battle over his nomination is the constitutional right of American women to have an abortion.

Related: Anthony Kennedy: US supreme court justice to retire

Continue reading…

Freedom with Malak

It feels great to write an article, thinking of a title that is as simple as not dramatic. In a normal Palestinian day, it would be freedom FOR Malak, or PEace to Malak, or Malak the Angel… But today is an inspiring angelic Malak ( Malak in Arabic means Angel).

Malak, a young woman, the age of my daughter and a dear family friend whom I observed growing up, together with my children.

Malak, a Jerusalemite who is trying to shape her Palestinian identity without prejudice and influence, but her own experience and attained knowledge.

In a time when technology allows secure communication and offers information engines with unlimited boundaries, Malak was able to break through her path in life first by successfully applying and accepted to Georgetown University, after writing an impressive essay about her life as a Jerusalemite, that secured her a welcoming entry to the prestigious campus.

Well, it is not a matter of technology and accessibility of course …alone. Malak chose to read, while most people decide to listen to songs, to follow Kardashian and co, and dream to become pop singers or movie stars or regional- national idols. Reading opened gates of possibility to the young lady’s bright mind.

Malak successfully reflects on her personal life as a young woman living in Jerusalem in her blog. She writes brilliantly and thinks in a critical analytic way that can debate with experts and scholars.

Prince William of England announced that he was visiting Palestine. As Palestinian authority in Ramallah was welcoming him in the Capital Bubble introducing falafel and entertaining him with Dabkeh. Malak made this visit worthy of seeing a Palestinian.

Not her mother’s connections, not the abandoning father had any effect in what happened next…

The royal prince meets with the young Palestinian woman… Malak…

Malak decided that she wanted to meet the Royal Prince. To talk about Jerusalem, about her dreams and expectations. About the obstacles and reservations of this place. About being Palestinian… About being educated, knowledgeable… about being a free human being.

She emailed the consulate and put herself on offer… and not surprisingly her message was received with a welcome that provided her with a meeting with the prince.

Malak showed that Cinderella exists, even though all the shoes that were following the prince inside the mysterious land of Ramallah only taught him the stepsisters (PA), whom the stepmother (Israel) tried to influence the Prince in seeing Palestine..

We need a generation with Malak’s mindset towards freedom. An age that is keen to know. An era that turns obstacles into creative solutions, and difficulties into paths.

We need a generation of Palestinians who believe in themselves, and set their own goals and move towards fearlessly, courageously and competitively ….like Malak.

Republicans were so eager to pass the #TaxScam that they didn’t notice they were taxing the churches they depend on

In the rush to vote through Trump’s trillion-dollar-plus tax gift to the super-wealthy, Congressional Republicans voted on unfinished drafts full of notes, erasures, and incoherencies, with no one really sure what they were casting a vote in favor of.

Oops.

The Republicans, it turns out, were so eager to squeeze workers by disallowing tax breaks for parking, meals and other benefits that they ended up imposing a 21% tax on these benefits for workers at tax-exempt religious nonprofits — churches, synagogues, temples, etc.

These organizations will now have to file returns for the first time, creating a double-whammy of being forced to staff up a new record-keeping and tax-filing department and then paying thousands in new taxes.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I think churches and synagogues should be taxed! The point is that Trump and the GOP literally didn’t realize that they were hitting the religious institutions that they rely on to mobilize low-information turkeys to vote for Christmas every year, and now those institutions’ leaders are furious, feeling like they were betrayed, and making noises about sitting out the 2018 elections.

“What we’re talking about is an income tax on the church for providing parking to its employees — that’s what we’re talking about,” said Mike Batts, chairman of the board of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, which is circulating the petition denouncing the tax. “It’s absurd.”

He scoffs at the idea of treating businesses and nonprofits equally.

“The whole idea of tax exemption for nonprofit organizations that are doing charitable, religious and educational work is for them not to be on the same playing field as for-profit businesses when it comes to taxes, in order to incentivize the good work they do to make our society better,” said Batts, who is also managing partner of an accounting firm that specializes in religious nonprofits.

Republican tax law hits churches [Brian Faler/Politico]