April 20, 2017


News and Views


THIS ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR BY ARTILES SEEMS TO ME TO BE A LAPSE IN PERSONAL JUDGEMENT AKIN TO AN EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN, OR THE EFFECT OF TOO MUCH TO DRINK. IT’S TOO TOTALLY UNWISE, IN ADDITION TO BEING AGAINST BASIC DECENCY. MOST PEOPLE WILL ONLY DO THIS KIND OF THING WHEN THEY THINK THEY ARE SAFE FROM REAL CONSEQUENCES. HE WILL VERY LIKELY BE EXPELLED, NOW.

http://ktla.com/2017/04/19/florida-state-senator-asked-to-resign-after-reports-of-racist-tirade/
Florida State Senator Asked to Resign After Reports of Racist Tirade
POSTED 1:03 PM, APRIL 19, 2017, BY CNN WIRE

Photograph -- Florida Sen. Frank Artiles is shown in a file photo. (Credit: CNN)

A Florida state Senator is facing mounting pressure to resign after unleashing a racist tirade during a private conversation with his African American colleagues.

Troubles for Republican Sen. Frank Artiles began after reports surfaced that he had used the n-word and cursed at a fellow senator.

Artiles was having drinks at the Governors Club with fellow Senators Audrey Gibson and Perry Thurston, when he told the pair that Senate President Joe Negron had only risen to his position of power because “six [n-word]” in the Republican caucus elected him, The Miami Herald reported. Gibson and Perry Thurston are both black.

Thurston confirmed the exchange to CNN.

On Wednesday, Artiles apologized on the senate floor for his offensive remark.

“I extend a heartfelt apology to my colleagues and to all those I have offended,” Artiles said in his prepared remarks.

He also apologized to Gibson for calling her a “bitch” during his tirade.

But the contrition may be too little too late for the embattled senator.

The Florida Democratic Party is demanding his immediate resignation.

“His use of horrific racist and sexist slurs towards his colleagues is disgusting, unacceptable and has no place in our democracy or our society.:

The Senate President Joe Negron called Artiles remarks appalling.

“Racial slurs and profane, sexist insults have no place in conversation between Senators and will not be tolerated while I am serving as Senate President.”



MUSIC IS IMMORAL? THAT’S ONE LIKELY REASON FOR A HARSH AND OFTEN SADISTIC SOCIETY, I SUSPECT. AN ALL WOMAN ORCHESTRA SOUNDS FASCINATING TO ME.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghanistan-only-all-female-orchestra-zohra-plays-despite-death-threats/
By AHMAD MUKHTAR, HALEY JOELLE OTT
CBS NEWS April 20, 2017, 10:23 AM
All-female Afghan orchestra plays on despite death threats

Even death threats can’t stop Afghanistan’s only all-female orchestra from challenging the status quo in their country, where many see music as immoral -- especially for women.

Under Taliban rule in the late 1990s, music was banned in the deeply conservative nation and today, many traditionalists still disapprove of the art.

“It’s very bad in Islam,” Nazira, a 17-year-old cellist in the Zohra orchestra, tells CBS News. “Music is haram (forbidden under Islamic law).”

Made up of students from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, Zohra -- which gets its name from a goddess of music in Persian literature -- has toured internationally, performing in multiple European countries and at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Malala Yousafzai on Trump's travel ban, college plans
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Malala Yousafzai on Trump's travel ban, college plans

But when Nazira returns home to visit her family, she sometimes hides her face, so that the other villagers don’t know she is there.

“They told my father that, if you don’t take your daughter out of school, then we will kill (her). We will not let you come to our village,” she says.

Nazira, like many of the students at the institute, left her family home in order to study in Kabul, either by choice or by necessity. Many other students had been living in orphanages or on the streets of the capital city before they started learning to play their instruments.

Negin left her village to gain access to an education. She ended up in a Kabul orphanage, where the director told her about a nearby music school. She enrolled and started playing the piano, and went on to beome [sic] one of the founders of Zohra.

Four American soldiers dead in suicide bombing
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Four American soldiers dead in suicide bombing

“The people in our province, they’re always saying that whenever we see you, we will kill you,” Negin tells CBS News. “But I’m not scared. I will continue my studies, because if we stay in the home, the new generation will also stay in the home. If we open the door for other generations, it will be good.”

Negin wants to become a professional conductor, but for some young women, music has been a path to other goals.

Zarifa,18, plays the viola, and leads the orchestra with Negin. For her, university has become the priority, after she spent a summer studying law and political science at Yale in the United States.

“One day, I was just playing my viola and I realized that, Zarifa, you can do more than being a viola teacher at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music,” she says. “You can be a lawyer, you can study music business in the future, and you can work, not just for music, but for all the artists in your country.”

She says it was music that gave her the vision and discipline to pursue her ambitions.

“For the world,” Zarifa says, “Zohra orchestra is trying to tell them that, if in Afghanistan (the) Taliban exists, ISIS exists, negative things exist, violence against women exists. There are a lot of beautiful things that exist that have been hidden behind all these negatives.”



THIS NEW PARIS ATTACK IS ONE OF THOSE CASES WHICH CALLS FOR RAPID AND DEADLY FORCE BY POLICE, BEYOND A DOUBT, SINCE THE PERIL TO ALL CONCERNED IS CLEAR. THE ARTICLE STATES THAT THE MAN APPARENTLY TARGETED THE OFFICERS DIRECTLY. I HOPE THIS WON’T BE THE TREND OF THE NEAR FUTURE.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39662315#
Policeman and suspected gunman shot dead in Paris gun battle
April 20, 2017 4:50 PM

Video -- "Stay back... the area's dangerous", one police officer told the public

One policeman has been shot dead and two others wounded in central Paris, French police say, with their suspected attacker killed by security forces.

The Champs Elysees, where the shooting occurred, was sealed off. A lone gunman opened fire before being killed as he fled the scene, police say.

It happened as presidential candidates made their last pitches in a TV appearance before Sunday's election.

An anti-terrorist investigation has been launched.

"On the face of it, the officers were deliberately targeted," interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet told France's BFMTV news channel.

Islamist militancy is a major issue in the polls after recent mass attacks claimed by so-called Islamic State, with 238 people killed in jihadist attacks since 2015, according to data from AFP news agency.

Because of its worldwide renown and its large number of visitors, the Champs Elysees has long been seen as a potential target, the BBC's Hugh Schofield reports from the French capital.

President Francois Hollande is due to speak after holding a crisis meeting with Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and Interior minister Matthias Fekl.

State of emergency 'to protect election'

'Telegram message'

A car pulled up alongside a police bus just before 21:00 (19:00 GMT) and a man got out, opening fire with an automatic weapon at the bus, Mr Brandet said.

After killing an officer, he attempted to run away while shooting at other officers, two of whom he injured, the spokesman added.

He was then shot dead by security forces.

According to BFMTV's sources, the killer was known to the security services and had talked of wanting to kill police officers on the Telegram messaging service.

The whole of the Champs Elysees has been evacuated and police vehicles are lined up near a point half way up the avenue around the George V metro station, our correspondent says.

Shots were heard in or near the Marks & Spencer store, provoking a panicked rush away from the scene by tourists and passers-by.
French candidates take EU to task



WHY IS THIS ARTICLE ON MARK GREEN HERE? BECAUSE HE IS HIGHLY CONSERVATIVE ON LEGAL BACKING FOR HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS, AND TRUMP HAS APPOINTED HIM TO BE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY, WHERE LGBT RIGHTS ARE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT. HE FACES CONFIRMATION HEARING SOON.

http://www.dnj.com/story/news/politics/2017/04/16/muslims-lgbt-advocates-prepare-fight-mark-greens-nomination-army-secretary/100422102/
Muslims, LGBT advocates prepare to fight Mark Green's nomination as Army secretary
Michael Collins , USA TODAY NETWORK –
Tennessee Published 9:04 a.m. CT April 16, 2017 | Updated 1 hour ago

Photograph -- Tennessee Sen. Mark Green is President Trump's nominee to become Army secretary. Ayrika Whitney/USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

WASHINGTON — State Sen. Mark Green is facing more opposition over his nomination to become Army secretary.

A Muslim advocacy group announced last week it will oppose Green’s nomination because of past statements he made that the organization considers derogatory toward the Islamic faith and its followers.

“His Islamophobic, anti-Muslim comments demonstrate he is not able to lead a diverse, modern Army that includes Muslim soldiers, as well as maintain good relations with allied Muslim countries fighting the war on terrorism,” said Robert McCaw, government affairs director for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations.

A prominent civil rights coalition also raised concerns about Green’s nomination.

“There are aspects of his record that we find highly troubling,” said Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president for policy for the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “We look forward to full scrutiny of his qualifications and views by the Senate.”

Several gay rights organizations have said they would fight Green’s confirmation, calling him “a social issues warrior” who has worked to undermine LGBT rights at every turn.

One of the groups, GLAAD, released audio on Thursday from a radio program in which Green said his responsibility as a state senator was to “crush evil” – and suggested that transgender people fit that definition.

LGBT advocates bridle at Trump's choice to lead Army

President Trump nominates Tennessee state Sen. Mark Green for Army secretary

Mark Green defends bill called 'thin veneer' for discrimination

Green’s remarks, which came during an on-air conversation last July with the hosts of the Hotwash with CJ and Alex* program, concerned Green’s sponsorship of a bill that would require students to use bathrooms corresponding with the sex listed on their birth certificate.

“The government exists to honor those people who live honorably, who do good things – to reward people who behave well and to crush evil,” Green said. “So that means as a state senator, my responsibility very clearly in Romans 13 is to create an environment where people who do right are rewarded and people who do wrong are crushed. Evil is crushed.

“So I’m going to protect women in their bathrooms, and I’m going to protect our state against potential infiltration of the Syrian ISIS people through our refugee program. And whoever wants to stand up and take me on on that, I’m ready to fight.”

At this point, it’s hard to say whether the opposition poses any real threat to Green’s confirmation. But Green will almost certainly be asked to account for his past statements and positions during his confirmation hearing, which is expected later this spring.

Green did not return a phone call requesting comment.

President Donald Trump nominated Green, a former Army officer, a little more than a week ago to become Army secretary to replace Eric Fanning, the first openly gay man to lead a branch of the military.

Green’s military credentials are not in question. He’s a West Point grad who was deployed three times overseas and served as an Army medic for a special operations team that captured Saddam Hussein.

Green also is a Republican state senator from Clarksville whose conservative philosophy lines up closely with the tea party.

It’s his political views that are the source of opposition to his nomination as Army secretary. His appearance at a Chattanooga Tea Party event in September has given his opponents lots of ammunition.

At that event, Green said he would not tolerate students learning about Muslim beliefs and religious practices and claimed erroneously that Muslims don’t believe Jesus “was born from a virgin.”

In the same address, Green called transgender men and women “guys or gals with question marks,” suggested Tennessee should not issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and insinuated that permissive attitudes that legalized same-sex marriage could eventually open the door to using taxpayer dollars for infanticide.

“Mark Green is a perfect nominee for people around President Trump who want to start a culture war in the United States military and who would bring back ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ ”said Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center, a San Francisco-based think tank that successfully worked to overturn the ban on gays and lesbians serving in the military.

“The priorities Green has made a career on in Tennessee directly contradict the core military value of treating everyone according to the same standard,” Belkin said in a statement. “They have the potential of sowing confusion and undermining good order and discipline.”

CAIR, the Muslim advocacy group, is hoping to mobilize the public against Green’s nomination through rallies, action alerts “and good old-fashioned phone calls and meetings on Capitol Hill,” McCaw said.

The group also plans to reach out to the Senate Armed Services Committee, which will conduct Green’s confirmation hearing, and to other groups, such as those that represent Muslims in the armed services, McCaw said.

“We have a diverse, modern military, and we need leaders that can guide all soldiers, not just some,” McCaw said.

Michael Collins is the Washington correspondent for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee. His weekly Tennessee in D.C. column highlights Volunteer State lawmakers, causes and connections. Reach him at mcollins2@gannett.com or 703-854-8927 and on Twitter at @mcollinsNEWS.



PW, BELOW, MENTIONS THE THIN VENEER OF CIVILITY, AND HIS TEACHING OF ART AND PSYCHOLOGY IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. THE FACT THAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN ELIMINATING ART AND MUSIC TO SAVE MONEY, BESIDES THE FACT THAT IT REMOVES ONE OF OUR MOST BASIC SOURCES OF JOY AS HUMANS, BUT THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF SELF-EXAMINATION SKILLS THAT WE MUST BE TAUGHT. IT ALSO “OPENS THE HEART,” WHICH IS, IN MY OPINION, ONE OF THE FEW THINGS THAT PRODUCES THAT NECESSARY SEED OF CIVILIZATION WITHIN US.

I DISAGREE WITH PW THAT CIVILITY IS ALMOST TOTALLY BASED ON STRONG LAWS TO CURB HUMAN FLAWS. THAT’S VERY IMPORTANT, BUT CREATING IN EACH CHILD A WELL DEVELOPED CONSCIENCE IS AT LEAST AS IMPORTANT. MUCH OF WHAT PW, BELOW, SAYS IS VERY MUCH ALONG THE SAME LINES AS WHAT I’VE OBSERVED, THOUGH.

I WOULD ADD THAT THE NATURE OF A SOCIETY IS A COMPILATION OF THE NATURE OF THE INDIVIDUALS WITHIN IT. IT IS POSSIBLE TO PRODUCE HONEST AND GENTLE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WILL HOPEFULLY MATURE IN THE SAME MANNER. I BELIEVE IT IS THE ROLE OF THE PARENTS AND THE SCHOOLS DO THAT, AND IF THE RELIGIOUS TRAINING IS GENEROUS RATHER THAN BEING MERELY AIMED TOWARD PRODUCING A CONFORMING AND OBEDIENT CHILD, THEN THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT. I WANT TO SEE CHILDREN WHO CAN THINK AND FEEL, RATHER THAN MERELY MEMORIZING. AS FOR TRUMP OPENING THE PANDORA’S BOX, YES, I THINK THAT IS TRUE, BUT I HAVE SOME HOPE THAT THE COURTS WILL BACK UP THINGS LIKE CIVIL RIGHTS SOON NOW. I ALSO THINK IT IS POSSIBLE THAT TRUMP WILL BE IMPEACHED. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME EFFORTS IN THAT DIRECTION SINCE THE TRUMP INAUGURATION.

https://pwiinholt.wordpress.com/2017/03/13/the-thin-veneer-of-civility/
THE THIN VENEER OF CIVILITY
Posted: March 13, 2017 in Personal Whining

Eventually I want to get to the subject of the surge in vandalism and hate crimes against Muslims, Jews and many other sectors of society. But first…

Traveling gives you a deep understanding and respect for the fact that civilization is often based on a thin veneer of civility. By that I mean that for many, human nature hasn’t changed that much over time and from area to area. When walking through the ruin streets of Pompeii I considered how superficial many aspects of our so called “progress” actually were. Stripped of laws and institutions, what we normally regard as civilized or even progressive societies could easily revert to an egocentric and warrior like state.

When the civil rights revolution took place in the southern U.S. at the end of the 60s and through the 70s, there was a radical difference in the way that black people were treated. It wasn’t a perfect situation and there was a lot of residual discrimination and racism. Obviously, there still is. But, by and large, a lot of it was submerged and the overall state improved dramatically. Not because people changed, but because the standards and expectations along with many of the actual rules shifted strongly in the direction of civil rights. And so it has remained, with racist, pre civil rights sentiments, percolating quietly below the surface, unfortunately still manifesting from time to time, still being addressed in law enforcement, incarceration and many other areas. But one cannot say that there hasn’t been significant improvement, to the point that a current debate is whether discrimination and inequality still exist, or whether “white privilege” exists.

We see that thin veneer in other areas as well. Several years ago, here in Canada, riots broke out in Vancouver that surprised everyone. It was in response to a sports event. For one strange night the rule of law was suspended and people let loose with their more primitive, violent selves. This is not unusual, and one can’t help but wonder what the results would be if our society lost the ability to enforce the consequences to the rules and laws that define our society. What would happen in a natural disaster or an epidemic where police and other emergency resources were unavailable? Would our better natures take over or would the primitive self lash out in self preservation. People concerned with survival in such situations are not overly optimistic, claiming that 10% of the population would have little hesitation to stealing your supplies and around 1% might be willing to kill you in order to eat … you.

It’s an old question, often told in literature and films. My feeling is that a rather large percentage of society is constrained by a very delicate and easily broken veneer of civility, held in check by fear of consequences. They secretly harbour a world view that places them at the top of the priority heap.

[For clarity, let me explain that I do not hold all people in such regard. When I’m talking about “human nature” here, I’m thinking about the more primitive, irrational aspects of it. I’m not even talking about people with a conservative or traditional world view, as it is plain that hatred comes from all parts of a political spectrum. Our society is progressing and evolving, and there are many who don’t fall into this category. Unfortunately there are also many who do.]

Herein lays, in my opinion, the basis for the current shift in vandalism we’re witnessing. Many uncivil people, normally are constrained by the standards of society by which they’re surrounded by rules, examples and expectations. When you have a prominent person like the President of the United States purposefully taking a sledge hammer to that veneer of civility, many people see it as permission. They are emboldened by these brash and uncivil expressions of anger and hate, misogyny and racial profiling exhibited by a person who is a powerful symbol and icon of what the social standards should be. The President’s status in such matters cannot be overemphasized.

Donald Trump has seriously damaged our society, not just in the U.S. but all over the world, by trashing civility and empowering Neanderthal behaviour. Many things such has his comments about women and encouraging violence and intolerance at his campaign rallies (among so many other things) have set a new standard. Now nothing keeps in check the base attitudes and opinions which were previously closeted by people because social standards were opposed to them. Those social standards are no longer in control.

In this light it is easy to understand the bomb threats and vandalism of Jewish gravestones. It is not reasonable to believe that hatred will be directed only in the limited direction that the U.S. administration chooses. Hatred is a primitive thing. Once unleashed it will find its own way into the heart of all people who have been harboring frustrations and prejudices, whether it be against Muslims, people of colour, Jews, gays or whatever is at hand that provides an opportunity to lash out against someone different.

Jews seem surprised at this recent violence and persecution. I’m not. It may easily spread to other groups. Once you open Pandora’s Box, the consequences are out of your control. Trump did, and it is. And it will take a long time to reverse.



THIS ARTICLE POINTS UP THE DESPERATE NEED FOR TEACHING HUMANISTIC VALUES, ART, HISTORY, PSYCHOLOGY, SO THAT CITIZENS CAN REACH OUT AND EMBRACE THEM, BUILDING AN INNER SELF WHO CARES ABOUT PEOPLE AND THE WORLD.

https://pwiinholt.wordpress.com/about-pw/
PW'S RANTS
Thoughts on just about anything that crosses my mind.
About PW

Peter W. (that’s me) is a retired teacher who taught Intermediate grades (-that’s Middle School, for U.S. friends-) for about 30 years before stepping back in June 2010. During that time I also put a lot of energy into leading a variety of youth groups centred around Native American Culture, Nature Awareness and Wilderness Survival. I’ve had a life long interest in psychology, pedagogy, awareness and the nature of consciousness, and I think that has always been my prime motivation as a teacher and youth leader. About 20 years ago I discovered the Tracker School, run by Tom Brown Jr., which added a lot of very important tools to my leadership repertoire. More recently, the writings and ideas of Ken Wilber, relating to Integral Psychology, have become an important world view perspective.

One of the things that I taught in my later years as a teacher was Art, and in my retirement I’m trying to find my way into better and new methods of creativity. In Visual Arts, since I don’t seem to have much patience or ability in drawing, I’ve spending a lot of my time improving my photography. In time, I’m hoping to display some of my better efforts in ongoing posts on this Blog and also on my web site. I’m also aspiring to water colour painting and learning a musical instrument, -but those things seem to be in limbo at the moment. …I’ll keep you posted.

Writing is also a passion. I’m currently writing a Philosophical Autobiography. I’ll link it from here and put a post up about it as it materializes. This autobiography would trace the development of an extremely rationalist, right wing teenager into the more centralist, post-rationalist and spiritual person that I find myself now. This would be of interest to my many rationalist friends who can’t imagine anything outside of empirical evidence backed up by a double blind science experiment. There’s more to life than scientific method.

Pictures and other stuff can be found on my web site,
http://www.pwiin.org