Battles for the Civilized World

Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu said this:

"This is a long war, and we'll need your continuous support," he told Sunak, adding that this is the darkest hour of both Israel and the international community. "This is not merely our battle [with Hamas]; it's the battle of the entire civilized world."

He is correct; the "darkest hour(s)" before us now is with the international community and inside the USA.

What are the causes?

The principal cause of the world's plight and wars is the failure of people, their governments, and their belief systems (religions) to embrace the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That declaration supersedes all forms of governance over humanity as it is independent of political and economic models. The UDHR must be the starting point.

Authoritarianism is the first evil to be addressed. It is out of the bounds of the UDHR and disqualifies any system that coerces humanity.

Examples include:

Russia

China

Iran

Republic of North Korea

Israel

Saudi Arabia

Noted, Israel is among them, as is Saudi Arabia. The USA might be added if the Republican-led insurrection continues.

The arbitrator for intervention in these matters could be the United Nations, except authoritarians would have to recuse from participating in decision-making.

What standards should be for fighting for humanity if not the UDHR?

Intransigence

The intransigence of the majority of Republicans in Congress to continue to embrace Donald Trump and his co-conspirators in the acts of insurrection and undermining the rule of law disqualifies them from positions in government. Not only should they be voted out, they must be prosecuted.

Suppose you are a Republican who continues to align with lies and conspiracies to commit fraud and undermine the US Constitution. In that case, you should worry about the consequences in the future. It is your reputation that is at stake.

Contrition

The only way for Republicans to redeem their integrity is through acts of contrition. The first act is to reject lying as a standard and to embrace the rule of law.

Second, due to the severe danger and harm imposed on our nation, I want every Republican to apologize for their actions and to ask for forgiveness. 

I don't see that happening. We'll have to wait for the bad batch to die out and dry up.

Can you trust a Republican?

The answer is no. Why? Because their foundation is lying and deceit.

It will be wrongful for most people, no matter what they say or try to do.

They are so fraudulent as an institution, political party, and organization that I advocate revoking their license to existence. They should become a do-over.

"Trump averaged about six claims a day in his first year as president, 16 claims per day in his second year, 22 claims a day in this third year — and 39 claims a day in his final year. Put another way, it took him 27 months to reach 10,000 claims and an additional 14 months to reach 20,000. He then exceeded the 30,000 mark less than five months later."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/24/trumps-false-or-misleading-claims-total-30573-over-four-years/

The Washingon Post

Bring Back Earmarks

I am not talking about ear piercings; it is about legislation and the power of the purse of Congressional committee chairpersons.

The supplemental reward for Congressional committee chairpersons was the ability to add earmarks to bills that would direct funding to specific programs executed in their districts and other favorable representatives' districts. The legislated work was legitimate, serving particular needs while rewarding the Chairperson's district with a share of the work and financial benefit. 

Having taken earmarks, aka supplementals and plus-ups, away from the Chair, there is no way for the Chair to bring home the bacon. 

"A committee chair serves as the committee leader, with responsibility for setting the course and direction of the panel for committee members and the House and for managing an extensive professional and paraprofessional staff. The senior committee staff should ensure the Chair's goals are carried out effectively.

Once a committee chair is selected during the postelection transition period, they, often in consultation with others, make a series of decisions and take a series of actions. Some actions complete a committee's duties in Congress just ending. Other actions are taken in anticipation of the new Congress and then in the new Congress. Decisions may be related to the committee's policy calendar; the committee's administrative functions; the Chair's responsibilities during committee sessions; the role of committee members; the relationship with the committee's ranking minority member, other chairs, and party leaders; subcommittee leaders; and other subjects. Many decisions are made with a deadline imposed by House rules.

Precisely, a committee chair controls the selection of committee staff, authorizes expenditures from the committee budget, establishes operational and ethics policies, determines committee travel allocations, decides the content of the committee website, and is responsible for the administration of the committee's rooms, paperwork, and other operations. Most committees entrust the drafting of the budget to the committee chair, although a committee's minority party members seek to ensure that they receive an appropriate allocation of resources. Before the Chair introduces a funding resolution, the committee approves the Chair's draft budget."

https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL34679.html

Image: Investopedia 

Loyalty to Trump, the Criminal

Incredible is how apparent the insipid ignorance, bigotry, misogyny, and brutality of the Republican portion of the American public. The affront to the rule of law, the insurrection, and the unAmerican behavior are wholly unacceptable.

Standing by Trump is a declaration of war against our nation, and I won't accept it. Resist--push back--treat Republicans as the traitors they are. 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/31/media/fox-news-viewers-poll-reliable-sources/index.html?utm_term=1690888268015aae063473f20&utm_source=cnn_Five+Things+for+Tuesday%2C+August+1%2C+2023&utm_medium=email&bt_ee=3i%2B3WDdWOyAgj%2BOI0Ms%2FQmPHsuHUw1RCa7V5lxZkjT9GxOko9hpWU%2BLnvL%2BNGUV4&bt_ts=1690888268018

How to Bolster Russian Pride

There may be better words than bolstering. Russians have a lot of pride. They are famous for literature, ballet, painting, and classical music. Much of that is in the past.

I used to drink Vodka and loved Solichnoya, though it nearly killed me. That may be one reason their life expectancy is lower than in many other developed nations.

The Hermitage is a fantastic art collection. Russia pioneered advancement in space technology and public transportation. So why can't we all get along?

Pride cometh before a fall comes to mind. Maybe the best strategy for the "West" is to trade cultural tourism for peaceful coexistence. We should buy more Russian hats and warm clothing, encouraging Russian designers.

Russia sports cultural diversity, and peaceful nations should help exploit that for a positive advantage. None of us need nuclear weapons and war when there is so much to live for.