Sanctions a Cowards Declaration of War and Insincere Approach to Diplomacy

Should the USA supply arms to the Ukraine government in addition to sanctions already applied against Russia, which is itself a form of a declaration of war, could lead not only Europe but the US itself into a nuclear WW3.

The U.S. has imposed sanctions, unilaterally or with other nations, far more frequently than any other nation in the world, or any multinational body in the world, including the United Nations.

Economic sanctions violate Just War principles and do not affect a country's military power but rather directly affect a nation's citizens.

Sanctions do NOT protect the innocent lives of civilians or preserve conditions necessary for decent human existence and definitely do not secure the basic human rights of a nation's people.

Further, on the basis of proportionality, the damage inflicted by sanctions is far greater to the populace of a nation than questionable offences being avenged. And in no way do sanctions present any probability of success when the outcome of sanctions not being known shall be futile.

The EU by joining following the Americas and British sanctions against Russia have in effect declared an economic war against Russia.

Sanctions as a means of peacekeeping and international governance, effectively escape ethical analysis as we do not judge them by the same standards we judge other kinds of harm done to innocents.

Yet, concretely, the hunger, sickness, and poverty which are ostensibly inflicted for benign purposes affect individuals no differently than hunger, sickness, and poverty inflicted out of malevolence.

Using or describing sanctions as a means of "peacekeeping" or "enforcing human rights" is an ideological move, which, from the perspective of concrete national experiences throughout history is simply counterfactual.

Sanctions are, at bottom, a bureaucratized, internationally organized form of siege warfare, and should be seen, and judged, as such.

The EU and indeed the Americans perhaps have awakened the Russian sleeping bear and the world not just Europe this time is in grave danger of an all-out nuclear war, thanks to sanctions and the arming of Ukraine with USA weapons.

Additional Info 

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201415/ldselect/ldeucom/115/11502.htm

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201415/ldselect/ldeucom/115/115.pdf

The Germans should reflect on their own history concerning Greeks odious debt.

As in the aftermath of World War II, the Allies, remembering the disastrous consequences of German reparations after the First World War, did not insist on their pound of flesh as Germany and the EU does now with Greece. 

The entire Nazi public debt, amounting to over 600 per cent of German GDP, was written off.

Further the German Federal Republic itself, after 1989, did not condemn former East Germany to austerity as a remedy for its fictitious communist economy. Instead, Chancellor Helmut Kohl allowed the eastern states to exchange their nearly worthless Ostmarks for Deutsch Marks at the inflated rate of 1 to 1, and then poured the equivalent of more than a trillion Euros into the reconstruction of the eastern economy.

Germany lived well beyond its means during the Nazi era, plundering the rest of Europe as well. If Germany had practised what they are now preaching for Greece, Germany today would be a much poorer country.

So now let’s couple Greek budget and tax reform with a large infusion of funds for economic modernization and public improvements in the spirit of the Marshall Plan and how it helped Germany after WW2?

Not with more funds but by writing down the Greeks EU debit by half so today and in the future Greeks young and old, instead of looking at 40 per cent unemployment, could gain productive jobs. 

And the entire Greek economy would gain a big macro-economic boost and a path to greater competitiveness within the EU. 

Similar to how Germany handled the East Germany unification bailouts and relief.

Most importantly, the EU would gain the moral authority to work with Greeks on politically awkward reforms. It’s one thing to grudgingly tolerate technocrats who are bleeding you dry in order to satisfy bankers—quite another to work with development specialists who come to Greece bearing gifts.

As has been said the EU and the ECB could call it the Merkel plan, so that Chancellor Angela Merkel might be remembered not as the jackbooted German who destroyed Greece but as the wise European leader who tempered austerity with sensible mercy.

The time is here for the IMF, World Bank and ECB to immediately recognize and understand that Greece, like other poor countries or developing ones, that have enormous unsustainable odious debts, has very little capacity to repay such a debt.

Further, it is morally and economically appropriate for Greek to refuse and question or recognize the legitimacy of this odious debt forced upon the Greek people and their economy.

Greece its government and citizens must not be held in this position of having to borrow more just to service debt, and no longer be asked to service such a debt when it has little to no trade surpluses.

The one way to keep Greece and the EU economically and financially together and for Greece to get out from under its debt is similar to that of how Germany got out of its debts after World War 2.

The current Greek repayable amount must be reduced by 50% and stretched out over 35 years. Also, such a new agreement must state that repayments on this reduced loan are due only when Greece has a trade surplus and that repayments be limited to 5% of export earnings.

This would give the E U countries, the Euro Zone central bank and all creditors a powerful incentive to import Greek goods and thus greatly assisting Greece's new reconstruction. 

 http://www.neweconomics.org/blog/entry/the-ecbs-quantitative-easing-programme

The Greek Peoples Odious, Enormous and Unsustainable Debt.

The IMF, World Bank and ECB must immediately recognize and understand that Greece, like other poor countries or developing ones that have enormous unsustainable odious debts have very little capacity to repay such a debt.

Further it is morally and economically appropriate for Greece to refuse and question or recognize the legitimacy of this odious debt forced upon the Greek people and their economy.

Greece its government and citizens must not be held in this position of having to borrow more just to service debt. And no longer be asked to service such a debt when it has little to no trade surpluses on an annual basis.

The only way for Greece to get out from under its debt is similar to that of how Germany got out of its debts after World War 2

The current Greek repayable amount must be reduced by 50% and stretched out over 35 years. Also, such a new agreement must state that repayments on this reduced loan are due only when Greece has a trade surplus and that repayments be limited to 5% of export earnings.  

This would give the E U countries, the EU central bank and all creditors a powerful incentive to import Greek goods and thus greatly assisting Greece's new reconstruction. 

Article

http://www.euractiv.com/sections/euro-finance/germany-presses-new-greek-leaders-maintain-reforms-311572

Radical Imams Preaching Extremism and Religious Hatred Do Not Represent Islam.

They are criminal jihadists misfits and thugs or self-professed radical extremist Imams and guilty of Islamic blasphemy equal to or greater than their followers of barbaric radical and criminal jihads.

Today around the globe, represents one of the major problems facing all civilized societies, democracies and religions throughout the universe.

They are just as radical and barbaric as their jihads criminal killers of men women and children. They are the ones who daily propagandize their own warped and criminal interpretation of Islam.

By preaching racial and religious hatred toward all civil societies and calling for or supporting the cowardly barbaric assignations, killings, terror, beheadings and suicide bombings in the name of Islam against men, women and children be they Muslim or non-Muslim.

Such extremist radical Imams ignore the basic penal laws of Islam and criminally misinterpret the writings of Islam. Islamic law and teachings forbid terrorism. Terrorism is above all murder. 

Murder is strictly forbidden in the Qur’an. Qur’an 6:151 says, “and do not kill a soul that God has made sacrosanct, save lawfully.” (i.e. murder is forbidden but the death penalty imposed by the state for a crime is permitted 5:53).

If the motive for terrorism is religious, it is impermissible under Islamic law. It is forbidden to attempt to impose Islam on other people. The Qur’an says, “There is no compulsion in religion. The right way has become distinct from error.”

In the Islamic law of war, not just any civil engineer (Imam) can declare or launch a war. It is the prerogative of the duly constituted leader of the Muslim community that engage in the war. Nowadays that would be the president or prime minister or the elected head of state, as advised by the mufti or national experts (judges) of law. Not an Imam.

A true Muslim believer and follower of Islam is moderate, not an extremist, truthful, not dishonest, humble, not arrogant, dignified and decent not graceless. Where are these Imams and Muslims today?   

The vast majority of the so-called moderate Muslims who daily attend mosque are closing their eyes and not dealing with these imams and the radicalization happening right in front of them daily. It is not enough that these so-called moderate Muslims express regret while complaining about racial profiling by law enforcement.

Who is monitoring these radical Imams in North America, Europe, and the Middle East or throughout the world? Not Muslim communities or a majority of any of the so-called moderate Muslims often mentioned by the press.

Why it is that law enforcement is barred from investigating in mosques to prevent this radicalization by extremist Imams before it goes too far?

One of the Problems for All Civilized Societies Today is...........

The barbaric jihadist criminal interpretation of Islam by self-professed extremist radical Imams!

The number one problem that must be confronted openly, decisively and rapidly by all civilized societies around the globe have become abundantly clear.

It is the barbaric jihadist criminality and their interpretation of Islam. These Muslim misfits and thugs are the number one problem that must be confronted openly, decisively and rapidly by all civilized societies around the globe. 

There cowardly and barbaric assassinations, beheadings, suicide bombings of men, women and children around the world represent is a clear cut assault on individual freedoms of choice thought, speech and religious tolerances within democratic civil societies.

The barbaric assassination of 12 individuals recently in Paris that included two Muslims, one a policeman and the other a cartoonist, highlights to all civilized societies and peaceful religions the absurdity and contradictions of Islam as interpreted by these barbaric criminal Muslim jihadists and their propagandized interpretation of Islam that represents and call for the oppression and collective totalitarianism of all free peoples and civilized societies throughout the world. 

A sleeping world has been awakened, by the barbaric radical criminal jihadist gunmen in Paris, to the fact that fascist radical Imams and their followers are against the most fundamental freedoms of all democratic and civilizes societies, the freedoms of right to life, liberty, the security of person, free speech, choice and religious believes without persecution.

These self-professed spiritual Imam leaders of these barbaric radical jihads are just as radical and barbaric as their jihads criminal killers of men women and children as they are the ones who daily propagandize their own warped and criminal interpretation of Islam and preach hatred toward all civil societies and call for supporting killings and terror against men, women and children.

Such extremist radical Imams ignore the basic penal laws of Islam and criminally misinterpret the writings of Islam.

Who is monitoring these radical Imams in North America, Europe and the Middle East?

As the vast majority of the so called moderate Muslims who daily attend mosque are closing their eyes and not dealing with these imams and the radicalization happening right in front of them on a daily basis. It is not enough that these so called moderate Muslims express regret and while complaining about racial profiling by law enforcement.

Why it is that law enforcement is barred from investigating in mosques in order to prevent this radicalization before it goes too far?

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/charlie-hebdo-cartoon-i-knew-i-had-to-express-defiance-because-i-wanted-to-be-true-to-the-spirit-of-the-magazine-9965467.html

Are provincial governments with their political party politics really necessary?

Perhaps another idea rather than the entry of the divisiveness of partisan party politics at the municipal level would be to move in another direction completely.

Consider eliminating provincial governments and having the federal government take over education, healthcare, and other public welfare benefits and goods that citizens consider to be entitlements from birth to grave.

With the administrative duties transferred to the municipal levels of government, this would further reduce repetitive representative and political overlap and the never-ending divisiveness of party politics. 

Provincial taxes could be eliminated and replaced with slightly increased federal tax rates with the added efficiency of removing the provincial level of government and if handled correctly would translate into overall savings for taxpayers.

Provinces already exist financially because of our current system of transfer payments from the federal government paying for the greatest portion of education, healthcare, debt payments, and other entitlement programs, as our federal government largely gets to set the mandate under which they are delivered anyway, no matter what provincial leaders advocate, on the behalf of their citizens, ultimately the national interest usually gets the final say.

Political food for thought!

1.  @   http://www.fraserinstitute.org/uploadedFiles/fraser-ca/Content/research-news/research/publications/canadian-government-debt-2014.pdf

2. @  http://www.torontosun.com/2014/04/11/all-levels-of-canadian-government-debt-total-41-trillion

The Art of Double Dipping by Career Politicians

It has become apparent that recently retiring 30-year federal and provincial elected representative of specific political parties i.e. liberal, conservative or NDP have come up with their own definition of new revenue sources for personal use.

The greed for power or supplementing their overly generous government pensions after representing a political party’s loyal members at either the federal or provincial government levels is becoming the new form of political double-dipping in Ontario and Canadian politics.

I am referring to the recent retirement or quitting from federal politics by one Jim Karygiannis after having represented the liberal political party and its local constituent supporters at the federal level for more than 30 years of continued elected service.

This career politician and parliamentarian recently thanked all his fellow members of the liberal federal political party and now starts to collect his annual pension and benefits which he earned from representing his party’s taxpaying supporters.

The problem is this political party member now wants to represent these same political party constituent supporters at the municipal government level on the City Council, which unlike federal and provincial levels of government currently does not have an open system of party politics for campaign funding, advertising and worker support.

For decades Canadian citizens at the Toronto and municipal government election levels have and overwhelmingly continue to prefer that their local councillors be independent and represent their constituents rather than representing party politics at the municipal levels of government.

As there is already an abundance of party politics at the provincial or federal level. Further, it is grossly unfair and unethical for a retired MPP or MP of 30 years to then seek political office at the municipal level and be backed financially or otherwise by their political party affiliations while receiving a taxpayer-funded pension for having served these same party supporters at the federal or provincial levels of government.

Such political parties condoned or supported pork barrelling and double-dipping by this or other elected parliamentarians upon retiring is unethical and shows no respect for voters within our One City Community of Toronto.

Toronto City Council, in my perhaps biased opinion, does not at this time or any time in the near future require the introduction of political party politics and the divisiveness it encourages within communities, cities and municipalities.

It is the time leaders of the Liberal, Conservative and NDP political parties all immediately establish a no-double-dipping rule. 

This rule would clearly prohibit all previously elected and retiring political party parliamentarians who have served their party constituents, and supporters, for 30 years or longer from seeking another position of elected office at the municipal government level for up to ten years from the date of retirement from either their federal or provincial elected government service.

What is needed to stop such double-dipping is a Five-Year Post-Employment Ban for Designated Public Office Holders & retiring or quitting MPs or MPPs.

The five-year period would start from the time the member (MP or MPP) ceases to carry out his or her functions with the political party he/she was elected to represent or the time the member resigned or quit as an MP or MPP. Those who contravene this provision would be committing an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $150,000.

The prohibition would apply equally to all elected members of the federal parliament and or a provincial legislature.   

More food for thought: 
Are provincial governments with their political party politics really necessary?

Perhaps another idea rather than the entry of the divisiveness of party politics at the municipal level would be to move in another direction.

Consider eliminating the provincial governments and having the federal government take over education, healthcare, and other public welfare benefits and goods that citizens consider to be entitlements from birth to grave.

Administrative duties being transferred to municipal levels of government which would further reduce representative and political overlap. 

Provincial taxes could be eliminated and replaced with slightly increased federal tax rates with the added efficiency of removing a level of government if handled correctly would translate into an overall saving for taxpayers.

Provinces already exist financially because of our current system of transfer payments from the federal government paying for the greatest portion of education, healthcare, debt payments, and other entitlement programs, as our federal government largely gets to set the mandate under which they are delivered anyway, no matter what provincial leaders advocate, on the behalf of their citizens, ultimately the national interest usually gets the final say.

Source:

http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2014/04/04/crackdown_on_bad_political_behaviour_will_be_shortlived.html

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/04/01/veteran_scarborough_liberal_mp_jim_karygiannis_steps_down.html