Can you dispute any of these ten points as basic human rights?

May 16, 2017May 16, 2017 ~ jlpagano

1. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE FREE.
2. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE HEALTHY.
3. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE BRILLIANT.
4. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE SAFE.
5. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE LOVED.
6. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE COURAGEOUS.
7. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE ALIVE.
8. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE TRUSTED.
9. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE EDUCATED.
10. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.

What is your reaction to those ten points?

Is it something like – “Yes, they all make sense.”
Or is it something like – “No, that’s bullshit.”
Or is it something like – “Hmmm….tell me what the source is first?”

If it is the second one, fine. Off you go. You’re welcome to this site, but you probably won’t find anything you want here.

If it’s the third one, fine – here’s the source.

Now you know the source, is your answer 1 or 2?

Just a thought for the day. Hat-tip to The Edge of Sports podcast.

Sorry we haven’t been posting much lately. We hope to get back to it soon. JLP

#IANWAE

Marches planned across the US pressuring Trump to release his tax returns #TaxMarch

April 15, 2017 ~ jlpagano

April 15 is traditionally income tax filing day in the US. When it falls on a Saturday, you actully have until the following Monday, but Americans across the country are using the weekend date to voice their concerns over the President’s failure to release his returns.

Throughout the campaign he switched between promising he would release his returns and stating he couldn’t because they were “under audit”. Well this new filing can’t be audited yet so he surely has an opportunity to prove all the doubters wrong by simply showing us what he has been hiding all this time.

When we didn’t see Obama’s birth certificate, he took that to mean that he was born outside the US. When we didn’t see Hillary Clinton’s deleted emails, he took that to mean she was engaged in criminal activity. So using his own logic, what are we to take from his refusal to do what every presidential candiate has done for the last 40 years?

Here’s what the organisers of the “Tax March” have to say :

The Tax March is a movement gaining momentum around the country to demand transparency and fairness from our Commander-in-Chief. Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump told the American people he would release his tax returns. Despite intense public pressure, President Trump has not yet done so – breaking with 40 years of precedent in the process. His administration’s excuse? “People don’t care.”

We do care. Without seeing his tax returns, we have no idea what he’s hiding – shady business deals? Financial ties to foreign countries? Conflicts of interest? – or who his policies are really benefitting.

On April 15, we’re marching on Washington and in communities across the country to send a clear message to Donald Trump: You work for us, and we demand answers.

It will be interesting to see how the marches are covered by the mainstream media, if at all.

#IANWAE

And so #Trumpcare is born…let’s be sure and call it that

March 8, 2017 ~ jlpagano

“Nobody knew healthcare could be so complicated”

Of course the President was referring to the “royal nobody” when he made that incredible statement!

What say we at least agree with him, since we all know it to be true. My knowledge of a healthcare system is even more limited than his.

However, that does not mean I can’t have an opinion on the general aims of a health service. And mine is that it our government should do all it can to ensure that it is accessible to all citizens.

When it comes to the nitty gritty of the new plan, I’m happy to let sources like Time magazine break it down for me, like in this article titled “5 Things to Know Now About the GOP’s Obamacare Replacement Plan” :

The bill drastically cuts tax credits for the oldest and poorest Americans, while giving the upper class a major tax break. It also rolls back the Medicaid expansion and nixes the individual mandate, which requires everyone to buy health insurance. Crucially, it has not been scored by the Congressional Budget Office, so overall impacts are tough to gauge at this early point.

But even before we delve too deeply into all of that, can we make sure one thing happens. We need to stop referring to this as an “Obamacare replacement”.

Both Donald Trump personally and the Republicans generally have done nothing but attack The Affordable Care Act since its inception. In fact, they were responsible for some of the tweaks to the original legislation that brought about it’s current flaws.

Now, after six years of whinging and moaning and calling it a ‘disaster’, they have to be given ownership of this new plan. And I don’t even think the GOP Congressfolk will have too many problems with my suggestion of a new name : #Trumpcare.

(note – I’m not saying I’m the first to think of it, I’m merely suggesting we all start using it!)

Let me be clear…I WANT it to work!!! The only thing is…my definition of “work” doesn’t mean sustained or increased profits for insurance and pharmaceutical companies, rather it means, like I said previously, affordable care for as many citizens as possible.

But as we assess whether or not it will work, let us at least be sure to call it something that signifies who now owns it.

Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda (could be useful in Ireland too)

January 29, 2017January 29, 2017 ~ jlpagano

Naturally there are a lot of things about the Trump presidency I find worrying, but here’s one you won’t hear much about.

I’m worried that when he eventually stops being President (that IS definitely going to happen, right?) many people who have been drawn to following politics will presume order has been restored and think all is right with the world again. Sure if someone’s not as bad as Trump, their policies have to be ok, right? As the man himself would say…WRONG!

Some former congressional staffers have put together a handy guide for organizing community political campaigns and putting pressure on your local public representative to resist the Trump agenda, using the Tea Party movement as an example of how it can succeed when done right. It is very detailed and The Best of the Left podcast this week featured it in audiobook form

Here’s how it starts…

Donald Trump is the biggest popular-vote loser in history to ever call himself President-Elect. In spite of the fact that he has no mandate, he will attempt to use his congressional majority to reshape America in his own racist, authoritarian, and corrupt image. If progressives are going to stop this, we must stand indivisibly opposed to Trump and the Members of Congress (MoCs) who would do his bidding. Together, we have the power to resist — and we have the power to win.

The thing is…I believe this guide can be used for more issues than just the Trump agenda.

Here in Ireland we have been seen a duopoly of pro-business parties running the country since the formation of the State. Sure, the regimes led by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael aren’t exactly in Trump territory, but acknowledging that can be a dangerous thing. There is a great deal of fixable income equality in this country, and neither party has done much about it over the years.

So I reckon that if you take this guide and make a few substitutions, like “Member of Oireachtas” for “Member of Congress” and “Civil War Parties” for “Trump”, it can help communities up and down the country who have similar views on issues like income equality, housing, water charges & repealing the 8th amendment co-ordinate their action towards pressuring TDs and councillors.

More people should be more interested in their government no matter who is in the White House. Personally I wouldn’t mind if “Indivisible” was made into a school textbook. JLP

#IANWAE

Website “Human Rights In Ireland” produces form letter for contacting your local TD objecting to US Muslim ban

January 29, 2017January 29, 2017 ~ jlpagano

The below is directly copy/pasted from the website Human Rights In Ireland…

We suggest below a draft letter that people concerned with the application of the Executive Order in US pre clearance in Irish airports might find useful should they wish to write to TDs in relation to it. Of course, people should adjust it to reflect their preferred language and approach to the issue, but we hope it might be useful.

Dear

I am writing to you [as a constituent [and] citizen] to express my deep concern about the continued operation of the Aviation (Preclearance) Act 2009 and associated agreements in Irish airports during the administration of President Donald J. Trump.

In the first week and a half of his presidency we have already seen Trump attempt to subvert the Immigration and Nationality Act 1965 in order to apply discrimination in immigration and undermine international refugee law through Executive Order. As a result of the preclearance agreement between Ireland and the USA, this Order is being applied on Irish soil and in Irish airports. As you will be aware, Article II(1) of that agreement makes it clear that Irish law continues to apply in those preclearance areas. The application of this Order may result in, for example, EU Citizens with dual citizenship with a listed country experiencing nationality based discrimination, facilitated by Irish law, in clear contravention of the TFEU. I remind you also that it is not possible effectively to renounce citizenship in Iran, Syria, Libya and Yemen.

I remind you that under the 2009 Act, those turned away at preclearance are at the frontiers of the state and must be treated in accordance with the Immigration Act 2004. The Irish state also has obligations of non-refoulement which may arise. Furthermore, any Irish officials including Gardaí who may be involved in any way in policing the preclearance area are obliged as always to act in full compliance with the Constitution and with the ECHR.

Even if Congress supports President Trump’s policies through legislation, thus amending the 1965 Act inasmuch as that is constitutionally permissible, Ireland must ensure that rights under the Irish Constitution continue to be protected in these preclearance areas, and that violations of international law are not facilitated through the application of the agreement.

Bearing all of the above in mind, I would be grateful if you could please seek from the Taoiseach and appropriate minister, and provide me with, details of the following:

A. Measures that are being taken to ensure that unlawful discrimination is not being undertaken or facilitated at Irish airports through the application of Trump policy in preclearance areas.
B. Measures that the Irish government is taking to ensure that international refugee law is not subverted through the application of Trump policy in preclearance areas.
C. Mechanisms in place to ensure Ireland’s obligations under the TFEU, the ECHR and other applicable international law are fully complied with in preclearance areas.
D. Procedures for withdrawal from the preclearance agreement and bases upon which withdrawal would be contemplated by the Irish government

All over the United States this weekend lawyers and others have protested against this unlawful, cruel, Islamophobic and xenophobic attempt to undermine the rule of law. I ask the Oireachtas and the Irish government, in my name, to stand with them. I also ask you to ensure that Ireland provides protection to people seeking asylum from Syria, in particular, who President Trump seeks to preclude from receiving refugee status in the United States.

Given the evident urgency of the matter, I look forward to your swift response.

Yours sincerely,

Scots roll out the Finnish “baby box” – a good idea?

January 4, 2017January 4, 2017 ~ jlpagano

From the Scottish government’s Facebook page on New Year’s Day…

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has delivered Scotland’s first Baby Boxes to new mums in Clackmannanshire. The Scottish Government is gifting every newborn baby a Box of essential items, such as clothes, nappies and books, to help ensure they get the best start in life. Following the hugely successful Finnish model, the Box is also suitable for babies to sleep in. The three-month pilot begins today in Clackmannanshire and Orkney, and the Baby Box will be rolled out to all newborns by the summer of 2017.

Seeing how it’s a government handout, you can be sure the “right” is against this idea. But I have also seen opposition from the “Left” as well. Shouldn’t be given to rich parents. Doesn’t contain the right things. That sort of thing.

My opinion, as a concept, it is definitely a good thing, and sometimes I wonder if people appreciate just what it takes as a politician to get something done. The dream you articulate to your staffers as rarely going to be exactly the reality that ends up getting rolled out (ask Barack Obama re Affordable Care). But if you abandoned a project because you can’t meet all of your original plans then nothing would ever get done.

This Baby box is a way of welcoming every new person into the world as an equal. That is the overall message as far as I am concerned. Sure, we can debate what goes IN the box down the line, and discussion is very important.

But for now, let’s get the box out there as soon as possible. It’s meant to be a help. Yes, both rich and poor benefit, but they also do from traffic lights. Emergency services. And who knows, maybe a lot of conscientious rich people will offer to give theirs back – also a good thing.

We’re giving it a thumbs up for now until we hear anything negative.

#IANWAE