But though I blame Donald for a sluggish start, I am also aware that this goes beyond Donald. The blame also includes Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Jacob Crosse (WSWS) reports:
With deaths from the coronavirus pandemic surpassing 41,000 in the US, apologists for the capitalist system have sought to pin the anarchic and criminally inadequate response of the government and health care system on the singular sociopathic figure of President Donald Trump.
The Trump’s administration handling of the preventable pandemic has been reprehensible, but a review of the record of the Obama-Biden administration in dealing with deadly viruses such as H1N1, Ebola and Zika makes clear that the political responsibility for the death and suffering growing by leaps and bounds today is shared by both big business parties.
In a recent Politico article, health officials from the previous two administrations, those of Obama and George W. Bush, detailed the reluctance of the government to sufficiently prepare for and develop the necessary infrastructure to combat the viruses and potential pandemics present in a modern globalized society.
Upon assuming the presidency in 2001, Bush blazed a trail that Obama and Trump would follow by abolishing the White House Health and Security Office previously established by Bill Clinton. Following the events of September 11, 2001, however, the Bush administration reversed course.
Through the newly created Department of Homeland Security (DHS), it established a new Office of Public Health and Emergency Preparedness, whose main purpose was to create biosecurity plans in the event of a terrorist attack.
Vice President Dick Cheney advocated a vast expansion of the DHS, including a nationwide smallpox vaccination program to protect against a biological terrorist attack. This was resisted by top health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, and Cheney’s plan for mandatory smallpox vaccination was eventually discarded.
Even though the flu claimed over 62,000 Americans in 2001, it wasn’t until 2005 that Bush administration officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and his deputy, lawyer Alex Azar, were tasked by the White House with implementing a “pandemic flu plan.”
The 381-page plan developed by Leavitt, Azar and other officials was released in November 2005. It outlined tactics and plans and presented models and analyses that “eerily resemble” the current administration’s response, according to Politico.
However, one prescient scenario described a “respiratory disease” originating in a rural Asian town and quickly spreading throughout the world, causing as many as 1.9 million deaths in the US. That section was excised from the final report. Staff who worked on the report could not recall for Politico why the Asian flu scenario was not included.
Soon after assuming office in 2009, Obama, who had promised an administration guided by science, abolished the Office of Public Health and Emergency Preparedness that had been established by Bush. This left his administration unprepared when the H1N1 virus, or “swine flu,” emerged in the US in April of that year.
Within days, scientists at the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) identified the potential danger of the virus and the urgent need for a vaccine. The Obama administration turned to the “free market” to provide the much-needed vaccine.
Months passed after the virus was identified, and while the first clinical trials began in July, it wasn’t until September that the Food and Drug Administration approved four 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines—three injectable vaccines developed by CSL Limited, Novartis, and Sanofi Pasteur, and a nasal spray vaccine made by MedImmune. It took another month for these companies to ramp up production in order to distribute the first doses of the vaccine in October.
This delay, which led to thousands of preventable deaths, forced CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden to admit in an October 23, 2009 press conference:
There's plenty of blame to go around and let's not forget to include Nancy Pelosi who is Speaker of the House and not leading Congress. She's too busy snacking on pricey ice cream in her freezer to do her job.
I'm a nurse. I am an essential worker right now. I realize that. But explain to me how Nancy's not an essential worker -- how she and the Congress can abdicate their responsibility? Each day, five to six days a week right now, I'm at work. I'm doing my part. Why isn't Nancy Pelosi?
Again, please read Ava and C.I.'s "MEDIA: The blame pie has many slices -- does it have enough to go around?" about how Tara Reade is being attacked by so many while supposed watchdogs stay silent. I got my idea for the title of this post from their article.
This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for Tuesday:
Tuesday, April 21, 2020. How many women has Joe Biden assaulted? Tara
Reade asserts he assaulted her. Another woman has come forward to say
he assaulted her. All that and more.
Victor Pickard (JACOBIAN) wants you to know that you can save the news industry. Why would you bother?
Three weeks? And on Easter Sunday? That's when THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST and AP did their acknowledgement of Tara Reade's assertion that Joe Biden raped her? And these stories existed not in a world of impartial and objective but in a world of shame and blame the woman who stepped forward.
Victor sounds as ridiculous as Meryl Streep at an awards show talking how great the press is -- the same press that sold an illegal war on Iraq and never, ever took the accountability for that.
Victor Pickard wants you to know that you can give money and save the industry that wants to kill you, the industry that works overtime to sell wars, the industry that works overtime to destroy any candidate that calls for Medicare For All, the . . .
Let it die. Let those losers lose their jobs and see if they can then reflect on how their whoring harmed the people.
The media Victor wants you to save can't even note that Joe Biden's papers are locked away. A Tweet can note what the press in the US won't:
Joe Biden's papers were set to be released Dec. 31,2019 but his campaign rushed to successfully seal them up again because Joe Biden is hiding A LOT in those papers, including his correspondences with southern segregationists and the Tara Reade files #ReleaseTaraFiles
Sivi Lukic Tweets:
It's time for us to see what Joe Biden's senate papers say about Tara Reade. Exposing sexual predators is not a partisan issue. Don't make this political, make this just.
NPR attacked Tara on Sunday with a 'reporter' whom NPR friends say practices a very conservative strain of her religion and is known for saying women who were raped deserved it due to their immodest attire. NPR lets a woman like that even near this story? At any rate, NPR was happy to note that they are seeking a copy of the police report Tara filed but NPR never notes Joe's locked away papers and they certainly aren't pressing him to release them.
This media needs saving? I don't think so.
Professor Anthony Zenkus Tweets:
Tara Reade said she filed a harassment complaint against
@JoeBiden
in 1993, but the papers remain sealed at
@UDelaware
. Biden refuses to order them unsealed. What's he hiding? #ReleaseTaraFiles
Shanna Persin Tweets:
Tara Reade filed a sexual harassment complaint against
@JoeBiden
to his Senate office in 1993. He sent his Senate papers to
@UDelaware
where they are under seal. These papers should be immediately released in the interest of full transparency. #ReleaseTaraFiles #IBelieveTaraReade
Katie Halper speaks with CURRENT AFFAIRS' Nathan Robinson about the way the media is working overtime to smear Tara.
At THEOLOGY CORNER, a writer notes the way Tara has been smeared and attacked and the writers states:
On top of all of this vilification, a popular figure in the entertainment world (who has used the #MeToo movement to boost her own profile) suggested that the allegations were not credible because the media was not reporting on it widely, as if the veracity of these claims were dependent upon the media taking them seriously. And then, when the national media finally reported on the story — reporting which uncovered evidence that (1) Tara told a friend about the assault at the time; (2) Tara was abruptly and without explanation removed from oversight of office interns at the time in which the assault allegedly took place; and (3) there was evidence that Biden had a pattern of consistently engaging in inappropriate kissing and touching — these same stories primarily sought to cast doubt on Reade herself.
Appallingly, the New York Times even deleted, at the request of the Biden campaign, the fact that they had discovered a pattern of Biden engaging in inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature, while the Washington Post misrepresented the publicly available police report which Reade filed.
We have even arrived at the point where Amy Klobuchar, Gretchen Whitmer, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Bernie Sanders have been asked about the alleged assault by reporters, but Joe Biden has not. One would think, after a month of dozens of interviews on live television, that a reporter would directly ask Biden about Tara Reade’s claims, including the fact that she was abruptly demoted after expressing concerns about Biden’s behavior to her superiors. Combined with the way that Reade has been treated, the fact that the media has failed to engage in this most basic act of inquiry into the alleged assault is a clear statement to fellow victims of Joe Biden: Don’t come forward; we won’t believe you.
That message strikes to my core, because I, too, was sexually assaulted by Joe Biden. But if I go public, will I be called a liar? Will I be accused of being a Russian agent? Will my family and friends be attacked for corroborating my story? Will the media ignore me for weeks, followed by Alyssa Milano going on a podcast to suggest that that is a reason not to believe that it is true? Will the national media attempt to cast doubt upon my credibility? Will those on the short-list to become Biden’s vice-presidential nominee remain quiet and hope this blows over? Will half the country brush me aside and claim that at least my assaulter isn’t as bad as the current assaulter-in-chief?
Victor Pickard (JACOBIAN) wants you to know that you can save the news industry. Why would you bother?
Three weeks? And on Easter Sunday? That's when THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST and AP did their acknowledgement of Tara Reade's assertion that Joe Biden raped her? And these stories existed not in a world of impartial and objective but in a world of shame and blame the woman who stepped forward.
Victor sounds as ridiculous as Meryl Streep at an awards show talking how great the press is -- the same press that sold an illegal war on Iraq and never, ever took the accountability for that.
Victor Pickard wants you to know that you can give money and save the industry that wants to kill you, the industry that works overtime to sell wars, the industry that works overtime to destroy any candidate that calls for Medicare For All, the . . .
Let it die. Let those losers lose their jobs and see if they can then reflect on how their whoring harmed the people.
The media Victor wants you to save can't even note that Joe Biden's papers are locked away. A Tweet can note what the press in the US won't:
Joe Biden's papers were set to be released Dec. 31,2019 but his campaign rushed to successfully seal them up again because Joe Biden is hiding A LOT in those papers, including his correspondences with southern segregationists and the Tara Reade files #ReleaseTaraFiles
Sivi Lukic Tweets:
It's time for us to see what Joe Biden's senate papers say about Tara Reade. Exposing sexual predators is not a partisan issue. Don't make this political, make this just.
NPR attacked Tara on Sunday with a 'reporter' whom NPR friends say practices a very conservative strain of her religion and is known for saying women who were raped deserved it due to their immodest attire. NPR lets a woman like that even near this story? At any rate, NPR was happy to note that they are seeking a copy of the police report Tara filed but NPR never notes Joe's locked away papers and they certainly aren't pressing him to release them.
This media needs saving? I don't think so.
Professor Anthony Zenkus Tweets:
Tara Reade said she filed a harassment complaint against
@JoeBiden
@UDelaware
Shanna Persin Tweets:
Tara Reade filed a sexual harassment complaint against
@JoeBiden
@UDelaware
Katie Halper speaks with CURRENT AFFAIRS' Nathan Robinson about the way the media is working overtime to smear Tara.
At THEOLOGY CORNER, a writer notes the way Tara has been smeared and attacked and the writers states:
On top of all of this vilification, a popular figure in the entertainment world (who has used the #MeToo movement to boost her own profile) suggested that the allegations were not credible because the media was not reporting on it widely, as if the veracity of these claims were dependent upon the media taking them seriously. And then, when the national media finally reported on the story — reporting which uncovered evidence that (1) Tara told a friend about the assault at the time; (2) Tara was abruptly and without explanation removed from oversight of office interns at the time in which the assault allegedly took place; and (3) there was evidence that Biden had a pattern of consistently engaging in inappropriate kissing and touching — these same stories primarily sought to cast doubt on Reade herself.
Appallingly, the New York Times even deleted, at the request of the Biden campaign, the fact that they had discovered a pattern of Biden engaging in inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature, while the Washington Post misrepresented the publicly available police report which Reade filed.
We have even arrived at the point where Amy Klobuchar, Gretchen Whitmer, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Bernie Sanders have been asked about the alleged assault by reporters, but Joe Biden has not. One would think, after a month of dozens of interviews on live television, that a reporter would directly ask Biden about Tara Reade’s claims, including the fact that she was abruptly demoted after expressing concerns about Biden’s behavior to her superiors. Combined with the way that Reade has been treated, the fact that the media has failed to engage in this most basic act of inquiry into the alleged assault is a clear statement to fellow victims of Joe Biden: Don’t come forward; we won’t believe you.
That message strikes to my core, because I, too, was sexually assaulted by Joe Biden. But if I go public, will I be called a liar? Will I be accused of being a Russian agent? Will my family and friends be attacked for corroborating my story? Will the media ignore me for weeks, followed by Alyssa Milano going on a podcast to suggest that that is a reason not to believe that it is true? Will the national media attempt to cast doubt upon my credibility? Will those on the short-list to become Biden’s vice-presidential nominee remain quiet and hope this blows over? Will half the country brush me aside and claim that at least my assaulter isn’t as bad as the current assaulter-in-chief?
So far as I can see, there is absolutely no incentive to come
forward. It appears that the Democratic Party and the national media
will go out of its way to discredit me as a person and defend Joe Biden,
even in the face of two credible allegations of sexual assault. And if
so, then (God help us!) my coming forward would only “weaken” the
Democratic nominee, helping improve Donald Trump’s chances of being
re-elected — a scenario which must be avoided for the sake of humanity.
So I guess my question is, do I have to remain silent and vote for a rapist because I live in a swing state?
In Iraq, they are struggling a third time to install a new prime minister. As Kevin Zeller (MNN) observes, "Iraq has burned through two prime ministers in two months, and the third has the massive task of uniting a fragmented country during a pandemic." Sami Moubayed (GULF NEWS) offers:
The formation of a new government in Iraq has dragged on for nearly five months now. After two candidates failed to do the job — Mohammad Tawfik Allawi (former communications minister) and Adnan Al Zurfi (ex-Najaf governor), Iraqis seem optimistic that a third candidate, Mustapha Al Kadhimi, will finally succeed.
For starters, Kadhimi, a former director of Iraqi National Security, has managed to receive backing of all major parliamentary blocs, running across Iraq’s ethnic and sectarian spectrum.
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani thinks fondly of him and so does President Barham Salih. The Kurds like him for his long-time opposition to Saddam Hussein.
Iran and the United States have expressed support for his nomination. Both countries had previously worked with Kadhimi on counterterrorism during his four-year stint at Iraqi intelligence.
So I guess my question is, do I have to remain silent and vote for a rapist because I live in a swing state?
In Iraq, they are struggling a third time to install a new prime minister. As Kevin Zeller (MNN) observes, "Iraq has burned through two prime ministers in two months, and the third has the massive task of uniting a fragmented country during a pandemic." Sami Moubayed (GULF NEWS) offers:
The formation of a new government in Iraq has dragged on for nearly five months now. After two candidates failed to do the job — Mohammad Tawfik Allawi (former communications minister) and Adnan Al Zurfi (ex-Najaf governor), Iraqis seem optimistic that a third candidate, Mustapha Al Kadhimi, will finally succeed.
For starters, Kadhimi, a former director of Iraqi National Security, has managed to receive backing of all major parliamentary blocs, running across Iraq’s ethnic and sectarian spectrum.
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani thinks fondly of him and so does President Barham Salih. The Kurds like him for his long-time opposition to Saddam Hussein.
Iran and the United States have expressed support for his nomination. Both countries had previously worked with Kadhimi on counterterrorism during his four-year stint at Iraqi intelligence.
His first predecessor, Mohammad Tawfik Allawi, had failed to form a
government because he tried to sideline major political parties, saying
that he wanted ministers chosen for their professional merit, rather
than political affiliation. That works in a country like Switzerland —
but not in Iraq.
Then came Adnan Al Zurfi who failed because political parties could not agree on seats in his government. Previously, Adel Abdul Mehdi had fallen from grace because he allowed his security services to fire at the unarmed street demonstrators, coming across as too pro-Iranian.
Iraq has no real prime minister currently. It does have a president -- Barham Salih. Sadly, the post is a ceremonial post. The Asia Society speaks with Barham below.
Meanwhile Holly Johnston (RUDAW) reports:
Executions in Iraq skyrocketed in 2019, according to a new report published Tuesday by rights group Amnesty International.
Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia combined were responsible for 81 percent of global executions last year, the report found.
Executions in Iraq increased by 92 percent in 2019, the rights group said, with 100 confirmed death sentences carried out.
The spike in capital punishment is mainly attributed to the prosecution of suspected members of the Islamic State group (ISIS).
Human rights organizations have expressed concern at Iraq’s handling of legal proceedings against ISIS militants, labelled as “seriously flawed” by the United Nations.
“Throughout the year the mandatory death penalty was used under anti-terrorism laws for a wide range of acts that do not meet the ‘most serious crimes’ threshold required under international law,” Amnesty’s report said.
The report notes:
A significant increase in executions in Iraq and Saudi Arabia was largely responsible for the rise in executions in the region. Recorded executions went up by 92% in Iraq, from 52 in 2018 to 100 in 2019; and by 23% in Saudi Arabia from 149 in 2018 to 184 in 2019. Seven countries – Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen – were known to have carried out executions during the year. Bahrain resumed executions after not carrying out any in 2018. Amnesty International was able to corroborate information that executions occurred in Syria in 2019 but had insufficient information to provide a credible minimum figure. Iran – where recorded executions reduced by two in 2019 compared to 2018 – remained the top executioner in the region with 251 executions recorded; the country was followed by Saudi Arabia and Iraq, with 184 and 100 recorded executions respectively. These three countries carried out 92% of recorded executions in the region.
BBC NEWS notes, "Worldwide, 106 countries have abolished the death penalty in law for all crimes and 142 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice."
The following sites updated:
Then came Adnan Al Zurfi who failed because political parties could not agree on seats in his government. Previously, Adel Abdul Mehdi had fallen from grace because he allowed his security services to fire at the unarmed street demonstrators, coming across as too pro-Iranian.
Iraq has no real prime minister currently. It does have a president -- Barham Salih. Sadly, the post is a ceremonial post. The Asia Society speaks with Barham below.
Meanwhile Holly Johnston (RUDAW) reports:
Executions in Iraq skyrocketed in 2019, according to a new report published Tuesday by rights group Amnesty International.
Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia combined were responsible for 81 percent of global executions last year, the report found.
Executions in Iraq increased by 92 percent in 2019, the rights group said, with 100 confirmed death sentences carried out.
The spike in capital punishment is mainly attributed to the prosecution of suspected members of the Islamic State group (ISIS).
Human rights organizations have expressed concern at Iraq’s handling of legal proceedings against ISIS militants, labelled as “seriously flawed” by the United Nations.
“Throughout the year the mandatory death penalty was used under anti-terrorism laws for a wide range of acts that do not meet the ‘most serious crimes’ threshold required under international law,” Amnesty’s report said.
The report notes:
A significant increase in executions in Iraq and Saudi Arabia was largely responsible for the rise in executions in the region. Recorded executions went up by 92% in Iraq, from 52 in 2018 to 100 in 2019; and by 23% in Saudi Arabia from 149 in 2018 to 184 in 2019. Seven countries – Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen – were known to have carried out executions during the year. Bahrain resumed executions after not carrying out any in 2018. Amnesty International was able to corroborate information that executions occurred in Syria in 2019 but had insufficient information to provide a credible minimum figure. Iran – where recorded executions reduced by two in 2019 compared to 2018 – remained the top executioner in the region with 251 executions recorded; the country was followed by Saudi Arabia and Iraq, with 184 and 100 recorded executions respectively. These three countries carried out 92% of recorded executions in the region.
BBC NEWS notes, "Worldwide, 106 countries have abolished the death penalty in law for all crimes and 142 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice."
The following sites updated:
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Joe keeps hiding7 hours ago
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Fiona8 hours ago
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Fools for Biden9 hours ago
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The disgusting Joe Biden9 hours ago
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Michael Parenti and reading9 hours ago
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