Metadata, what can the government not do with it?

In light of recent revelations by Edward Snowden we now have concrete proof that the American government is monitoring the internet usage and phone conversations of its citizenry.  The government has recently tried to sidestep the critics by saying that these program implemented by the NSA are simply collecting metadata.  They then asked the question what can we do with metadata?

In my opinion this is an absolutely absurd question to ask.  Therefore, I will answer this question with another.  Why are you spending so much money and time on collecting metadata if this metadata is completely useless?  It’s a shame that many of America’s citizens are so naive that they will buy any excuse the government hands them.

Furthermore, a German newspaper took the metadata from a German politicians phone and this link shows what they were able to do.

http://www.zeit.de/datenschutz/malte-spitz-data-retention/

Scary stuff…

Al Qaeda 2.0: Arming rebels in Syria

In 1988 The United States of America began supplying the Afghan Mujahedin with Stinger missiles, better enabling them to ward off the Soviet occupation forces.  In the American press the Mujahedin was hailed as a group of freedom fighters, taking up arms against communist oppression.  On September 11, 2001 the Mujahedin flew two commercial airliners into The World Trade Centers in New York City.  Of course, America did not call them the Mujahedin on September 11th.  You see, Mujahedin means those who struggle while the origins of the term Al Qaeda seem to be elusive.  According to Osama Bin Laden “The name ‘al-Qaeda’ was established a long time ago by mere chance. The late Abu Ebeida El-Banashiri established the training camps for our mujahedin against Russia’s terrorism. We used to call the training camp al-Qaeda. The name stayed.”  The same soldiers that America armed in an attempt to stave off the expansion of the Soviet Union into the middle east have now turned their weapons on America.  America believes that by arming a group of rebels, or freedom fighters, you have bought their allegiance.  However, as the Mujahedin showed us, this is not the case.

President Barack Obama began supplying rebel groups in Syria with weapons after evidence surfaced showing that Assad had used chemical weapons against the Syrian rebels.  This, is a bad idea.  Time and time again America has tried to buy the loyalty of splinter groups and, at times, entire governments.  On occasion, it appears that these attempts at buying loyalty has been successful.  However, the only place in the middle east that such tactics have been successful is in Israel.

I am sympathetic to the cause of the Syrian rebels and I do believe that they have the right to overthrow Assad if that is their desire.  However, I believe America should encourage each side to negotiate a peace through diplomacy, not violence.

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin has began arming Assad’s regime, President Obama and President Putin found it convenient to  discuss the Syrian issue at length during the annual G8 Summit.  Both leaders agreed that diplomacy is the best option, however, both leaders are not going to relent in supplying the two opposing Syrian parties with weapons.  Does this sound familiar?  The United States and Russia fighting a proxy war in the middle east is nothing new.  It happened, on a different scale of course, in Afghanistan when America armed the Mujahedin.

The problem with arming Syrian rebels is simply the lack of accountability.  Some of the rebel groups are connected to Al Qaeda and, even if you were to take this out of the equation, we simply have no way of controlling where these weapons go, who uses them, and who they’re used against.  However, I think it is safe to assume that in the near future the vast majority of these weapons will be used by the Syrian rebels against Assad.  But what happens after this war is over?  Do these same rebel groups attack America as was the case with the Mujahedin?  Or do these weapons end up in the hands of Al Qaeda and ultimately cause the death of American soldiers?  There is simply no way to tell.

It seems that America has the notion that it is their job to be a part of every war that takes place in the middle east.  Well, I have news for you, it’s not.  Sometimes it is best to let things run their natural course without America coming in and attempting to dictate everything that happens in the world.  And maybe Putin has a point in arming Assad.  Maybe, in this case, the old adage is correct in saying “better the enemy we know than the one we don’t.”

Manal al-Sharif: A Saudi woman who dared to drive

The attached video is a very inspirational story of a woman who stood up to her society despite the consequences.  Here is a woman who decided that the cause she was fighting for was much bigger than herself.  I hope you enjoy…

Israel and Palestine: A critical approach

“And by the way, a piece of news, Israel is the one country in which everyone is pro-American, opposition and coalition alike. And I represent the entire people of Israel who say, ‘Thank you, America.” And we’re friends of America, and we’re the only reliable allies of America in the Middle East.”

– Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

For centuries blood has been shed in an effort to conquer, or reconquer, what has been dubbed The Holy Land.  This fight still resonates today.  If you follow international news and politics you know that barely a day goes by without a headline alluding to the tension and outright conflict that exists between the Palestinians and Israel.  Many leaders have attempted to quell the violence in this region and offer an effective solution to the “Palestinian Issue” however, all of these leaders have failed.

Although the friction between Israel and Palestine dates back as far as 1878 with the establishment of the first moshava, or colony, for the purposes of this blog our story will begin in 1947.  In the wake of the mass destruction brought about by World War Two and the Holocaust the newly founded United Nations issued a mandate which divided the British Mandate of Palestine into two separate states which included an international regime which would govern the city of Jerusalem under the supervision of the UN.  This was an attempt by the European powers to provide a nation for Jews and, at the same time, allow the Palestinians who resided in this area with a state of their own as well.  This plan was destined to fail.

Neither the Israelis or Palestinians were satisfied being that the Israelis desired complete control of Jerusalem and the Palestinians resented being forced out of a land they viewed as theirs.  In 1967 Egypt, Syria and Jordan invaded Israel based on the premise that the Israelis had no right to exist as a nation.  Israel won.  In the wake of this war Israel began settling Palestinian territory, including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and part of the Syrian held Golan Heights in an effort to create a buffer zone against future Arab attacks.  However, after years of UN resolutions and numerous compromising demanding that Israel return a portion of these occupied territories to the Palestinians Israel continues to colonize these areas to this day.

The question is why?  Is this simply a political move with religious undertones as suggested by Walter Russel Meade in his article “Change They Can Believe In?”  Or is this a religious act?  You see, the Jews view themselves as God’s chosen people, a sentiment held by many Christians as well.  The Jews also believe that Palestine is God’s gift to them and to surrender this land to another people would be, in effect, sinful.  But is this the reason the Israelis refuse to give up Palestine?  Or is this simply an undertone that ignores the political reasons for colonization?

The Israeli state continues to maintain that their occupation of Palestinian areas is a matter of self-defense.  The Israelis claim that this colonization is necessary in order to stave off attacks from neighboring Muslim nations.  However, is this simply an excuse?  Furthermore, does the Israeli presence in Palestine trigger terrorist attacks at synagogues or missile strikes aimed at Jerusalem?  There are also numerous claims of many civil rights violations by the Israelis.  Including the use of bulldozers to destroy Palestinian homes and other structures in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  Couldn’t this also be a fuel for terrorist cells which target Israel?

I guess the thought I would like us all to consider is this, does Israel cause the majority of their problems or does Israel simply react to problems that are already in existence?  This is not an easy question to answer and I do not wish to imply that the Palestinians are innocent in this matter.  However, I have noticed that American media tends to shy away from casting a negative light on Israel due to its position as a major political ally of America in the middle east.  However, does this mean that Israel does no wrong?  Is America willing to turn a blind eye to the injustices enacted by the Israelis simply because Israel is our ally?  I believe the answer to this is yes.

Many of the Americans reading this may be saying that “America just wouldn’t do that.”  Let me remind you that America propped up Saddam Hussein, Sadat, Gadaffi, and numerous other dictators around the world.  Yes, we later disposed of some of them but this was simply because they had outlived their purpose or refused to remain American puppets.  Let us not be naive.

Censoring Firearms: Gun laws and censorship clashing in the world of 3-D printing

What if you could log onto the internet and download a gun?  In the new age of three-dimensional printing this scenario is not far from a becoming reality.  Cody Wilson is a 24-year-old entrepreneur who is currently working on developing computer-aided design files that will allow a person with access to a 3D printer and internet connection to download gun.

In the aftermath of 2012, a year that has been termed “The Year of the Gun” due to the occurrence of 16 mass shootings in 15 different states, President Obama signed numerous executive orders regulating the sale and distribution of firearms throughout the United States.  However, legislation regulating the private manufacture of firearms for personal use is virtually non-existent.  This “loophole” has led Wilson to develop the capability to print high-capacity magazines and other essential parts of the infamous AR-15 on a 3D printer.  Wilson then takes this data and uploads it to the internet allowing anyone in the world with a 3D printer to manufacture these items themselves.  Ironically enough, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has approved Wilson’s application for a firearm dealer license.

The possible implications of this developing technology are surreal.  From children having unlimited access to firearms to arming entire paramilitary organizations such as Al-Qaeda there are serious ethical questions that arise.  Furthermore, these downloadable weapons will not be registered and will therefore be virtually impossible to trace. This is a murderer’s dream come true.  Not only could you download firearms that are illegal for sale in the United States you could do this all at a relatively low price.

Of course, you cannot deny that some of these downloadable firearms could be used simply for target practice and cause absolutely no loss of life or injury but undoubtedly many of these firearms will fall into the hands of irresponsible and/or violent individuals who will use these firearms to take numerous lives.  Being that this is the case should the government take action and censor this information?  Should the government be allowed to say what can and cannot be published on the internet?  You decide….

I’m Different: Transgender, gender variant, and gender nonconformity in American society

According to an Associated Press report by Martha Irvine the American Psychiatric Association removed “gender identity disorder” from its list of mental health ailments in 2012.  The fact that “gender identity disorder” was ever considered a legitimate mental ailment speaks volumes about America’s fear and misunderstanding of transgender persons and other gender deviant individuals.  American society has taken notable strides in protecting the rights of homosexuals in the last couple of decades, however, sexual orientation and gender are two different things and legislation protecting the rights of one group do not necessarily protect the rights of the other.  According to Merriam-Webster’s medical dictionary gender is “the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex” while sexual orientation is “the inclination of an individual with respect to heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual behavior.”  In other words gender is whether you view yourself as a male or female irrespective of your biological makeup and sexual orientation is whether you prefer to have homosexual, heterosexual, or bisexual romantic relations.

It is hard for me to accept that even in an “enlightened” and educated society such as America we still fail to protect the fundamental and inalienable rights of persons that we deem different or deviant from the norm.  In a study conducted by the Transgender Law Center it was shown that 47% of the LBGT community in America reside in states where there is little to no equality ensured by the state’s legal codes.  Furthermore, 52% of the LBGT community live in states where there are no laws prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.  Even more shocking is that 66% of the LBGT community are located in states which have no hate crime laws that cover gender identity.

Many religious zealots profess that transgender individuals are immoral and are simply rebelling against social norms.  However, I find this entirely illogical and misinformed.  If gender identity was always consistent with an individual’s biological makeup then why are we discovering that children are exhibiting signs of gender nonconformity?  According to a survey conducted by the San Francisco Unified School District 1.6% of high school students and 1% of middle school students identify as transgender or gender variant.  Even though elementary students were not included in this survey Kevin Gogin, the program manager for school health programs in the district, affirms that they are beginning to see higher numbers of transgender and gender variant students at the elementary level as well.  Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that gender nonconformity has been detected in children as young as 2 years of age.  I do not see how a 2 year old child can be guilty of rebelling against societal norms in terms of gender identity.

Further studies within the San Francisco Unified School District show that younger children do not seem to mind the fact that one of their peers is transgender.  However, in the older children gender nonconformists are often bullied and retaliated against.  This seems to show that hatred and fear of transgenders and gender variants is a learned behavior much like racism and other discriminatory ideologies.  This seems to refute the claims of many religious fundamentalists who claim that gender variance goes against nature and is simply understood to be immoral.

Even if gender variance is immoral I see no reason to discriminate against these individuals.  Many people would claim that alcohol, pre-marital sex, and numerous other actions are immoral but I do not see anyone refusing to hire a person or accept them as a member of society because they partake in these acts.  Therefore, in the words of the hip-hop artist Macklemore “It’s human rights for everyone, damn right I support.”

Vanishing Act: Disappearances and violence in Mexico

Imagine coming home from your daily routine, be it work, school, or simply running errands, and finding that one of your family members have simply disappeared.  There is no note saying that they will return and no sign of a struggle in the house.  The person simply vanished.  So you wait to see if they will return.  They never do.  So, as any concerned family member would do, you go to the local authorities.  However, once you get there you are told that the police are not going to investigate the disappearance.

Sadly, this is the fate of thousands of Mexican citizens each year.  Recently Amnesty International has published a report saying that the sheer number of disappearances in Mexico warrants a national crisis.  However, disappearances are not the only problem plaguing Mexico.  These disappearances are coupled with a sharp increase in violent crimes and human rights violations that persist throughout the nation. According to Amnesty International’s report, since December 2006 more than 65,000 individuals have been killed in violent crimes in addition to the 26,000 or more individuals who have simply vanished.  Of the 26,000 disappearances 40% of the cases have never been investigated by the authorities.  What makes this even more appalling is that in 2012 2,126 of these disappearances were under investigation as being enforced disappearances.  In other words 2,126 of these people may have disappeared with the government’s consent.

One of the primary functions of government is to provide security to its citizens.  Mexico is failing to do so.  However, one must ask what can be done?  How can we end the corruption that allows much of this illegal activity to persist despite international condemnation?

One place America can help in the healing process is to further secure the border shared with Mexico.  The amount of drugs that come into America from Mexico is horrendous in and of itself but there is something even worse going on.  Firearms are being smuggled into Mexico from America which are then being used to enact violence on the population by the various drug cartels.  The rest of the world can further help Mexico by supporting the Mexican government and providing consultants who advise the President there how to put an end to the corruption.  Also, police advisors could be utilized to teach the Mexican authorities how to properly deal with crime and how to hamper illegal activities throughout the nation.

One thing is for sure, something has to be done.  However much the rest of the world wishes to ignore Mexico and the problems in that area it cannot be ignored forever.  America is seeing this today as it is forced to battle hardened drug cartels that are crossing the border in the American southwest.  The rest of the world will be forced to deal with it when these cartels turn into pseudo-military groups, which is already occurring in many of these cartels, and decide to flex their muscles around the globe.  Furthermore, reducing the violence and corruption in Mexico that allow these drug cartels to exist will also reduce the presence of drug farms in South America because the middle men, which are the cartels, will be partially disabled.  You see, this is not just a Mexican problem.  This is a problem with international implications that has been ignored for far too long.

Talking Crap

You have probably been solicited by numerous organizations in your community which ask you to donate money or time to improving medical research and/or awareness.  Now think back and ask yourself what diseases they were trying to prevent?  Was it AIDS?  Cancer?  Sickle Cell Anemia?  Tuberculosis?  Now would you be surprised if I told you that feces kills more children each year than all of these?  Well it’s true.

According to acclaimed author and journalist Rose George “The flush toilet was voted the best medical advance of the last 200 years by the readers of the British Medical Journal — and they were choosing over the Pill, anesthesia, and surgery.” You see, the toilet has done wonders for human health.  However George also states that she grew up “thinking that a [sanitary toilet] was my right, when in fact it’s a privilege — 2.5 billion people worldwide have no adequate toilet.” People are often forced to resort to open defecation in which they relieve themselves in plain sight of the public, and often in very public areas.

In a study conducted by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation it was discovered that poor sanitation contributes to 1.5 million deaths each year.  While forty percent of the world, approximately 2.5 billion people do not have access to a toilet, many of us who live in modernized societies use toilets connected to septic tanks that are not drained properly; 2.1 million of us to be exact.  I think Matt Damon summed it up nicely when he stated that more people have access to a cell phone than proper sanitation.

George advocates talking about the dire need for toilets when she states that “[The flush toilet is] a wonderful waste disposal device. But I think that it’s so good — it doesn’t smell, we can put it in our house, we can lock it behind a door — and I think we’ve locked it out of conversation too.”  You see, many of us take this basic commodity for granted when we should really view it as a privilege.  Maybe are time would be better spent if we decided to put more money into providing proper toilets to impoverished areas.  Especially when you consider that not having a toilet means that you are contaminating your water supply and all of the food that you consume.  George further states that “The humble latrine, or flush toilet, reduces disease by twice as much as just putting in clean water.”  This is truly something we, as citizens of the world, should consider.

Faith Killings: How fundamentalist groups are a threat to society

According to an article by the Associated Press entitled “No bail for Pa. parents in faith-healing death” two religious fundamentalists by the names of Herbert and Catherine Schaible have been brought up on third-degree murder charges for the death of their 8-month-old child.  In 2009 the Schaible’s were tried in a manslaughter/child endangerment case for the death of their 2-year-old son who died of untreated pneumonia.  In this case the Schaible family promised to never let another sick child go without medical care.  However, the 8-month-old child died because the Schaible family refused to get medical treatment for it.  Religiosity strikes again.

Shawn Francis Peters, a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin and author of “When Prayer Fails: Faith Healing, Children and the Law” estimates that approximately 12 children die each year from common ailments that remain untreated because their parents opt to utilize “faith healing.”

According to Pleas Judge Carolyn Engel Temin “religious freedom is trumped by the safety of a child.” However, numerous fundamentalist Christian groups throughout the world resort to “faith healing” despite the impending legal implications if harm befalls the child.  Nelson Clark, the pastor of the First Century Gospel Church, of which the Schaible family are members, claims that harm befalling children who are not cured by these “faith healing” attempts is due to a “spiritual lack” in their lives.  Furthermore, he claims that his congregation will continue to refuse medical care even if it endangers the life of another child.  Clark also holds the belief that our current medical system is “flawed” and is responsible for 100,000 deaths a year.

According to Peters people who are brought up in these fundamentalist Christian sects have their beliefs reinforced daily by their perspective religious communities.  Furthermore, Peters claims that these individuals are not trained, or allowed, to question doctrines advocating this kind of behavior. In addition Peters says that legal action is useless in deterring these individuals because they only care about the afterlife and any trials facing them here, in this world, are irrelevant and oftentimes simply perceived as religious persecution.

It is obvious, as Peters claims, that these families do not wish to harm their children.  However, we know that the best of intentions can lead to horrendous results.  This behavior brings to mind scenes of witch-hunts and other well-intending endeavors that have caused countless atrocities across the globe.

This rampant religious fundamentalism is, in my opinion, detrimental to society.  Whenever someone blindly accepts a religious idea or doctrine that ignores proven scientific fact their faith has become ill-founded.  These faiths are then adamantly defended against all attacks with a complete lack of reasoning.  Basically, these individuals believe because they desire to believe, not because of any empirical evidence supporting their faith.

In many instances these people find comfort in this blind acceptance.  According to Dr. Carol Apt, professor of sociology as South Carolina State University, the kinds of people who are usually attracted to these fundamentalist  groups are “not highly educated, do not have professional jobs, and therefore feel more comfortable when somebody or something gives them all the answers.”  Dr. Apt also states that these individuals often exist on the “fringes of dominant society.”  Therefore, they often feel as if they are “on the outside looking in” encouraging a sense of anomie.  Dr. Apt further explains that these people are oftentimes insecure and horrified by decision-making.  This then fuels their desire for a religion that provides them with all of the answers.

In addition to providing answers, fundamentalist religions offer acceptance.  However, according to Apt there is a trade-off that occurs in order to gain acceptance.  This trade-off is the stripping “away of independence and the ability to think independently.”  Instead of attempting to answer questions rationally these fundamentalists are taught to “ask God” for all of the answers to virtually every question they could possibly have.

This desire for an all-knowing entity allows the leaders of these fundamentalist groups to “ascend to a position of extreme power simply by passing the buck” according to Dr. Apt.  These leaders often say that consequences for radical actions, such as refusing medical treatment for your ailing child, are simply “God’s will.”  These leaders, especially the ones involved in such things as faith healing, then act as intermediaries between the group and God.  According to Dr. Apt this “further separates them (the leaders) and gives the pastor more power.”  Then, as any middle man eventually does, they either “charge more or change their message to suit their (the leaders) needs.”

This kind of manipulation then creates an external locus of control among the members of the group.  When this occurs the fundamentalist begins to believe that he is no longer responsible for what happens to him/her.  Instead, everything is in the hands of a higher power.  This then, according to Dr. Apt, “absolves human beings of responsibility.”  This is why people such as the Schaible family are able to ignore reason and continue relying on these “faith healing” practices despite their past failure.  The Schaible family does not view these deaths as their fault, instead they believe that the death of their two innocent children is simply the will of God.

Dr. Apt is persuaded that these fundamentalist “are the scariest kinds of people because they do not think for themselves.”  Whenever a person refuses to find an answer for themselves and instead relies on the opinions, doctrines, and beliefs of others you can convince them to do anything.  We see this behavior repeated time and time again in not only fundamentalist Christianity but also other religions.  For example, radical Islam teaches that martyrdom (i.e. suicide bombings) are the surest course to heaven, Nazi Germany taught that the genocide of the Jews was for the betterment of the human condition, and numerous other atrocities around the world speak to the same effect.

It is necessary for us as citizens of the world to think for ourselves and discover what it truly means to love one another instead of relying on the ideas of someone else or the doctrine of a book written two-thousand years ago.

• Information compiled in part from article written by The Associated Press.

Two Hangmen

This song by Mason Proffit is exceptionally moving. It teaches that us as humans should not stand idle when we see injustice even if our involvement means that we suffer consequences ourselves. This, my friend is a great song.  It is rumored that this song was censored by the United States government and radio stations were afraid to play it because doing so could result in losing their permission to broadcast from the FCC.   It may not be your favorite genre but I think if you listen to the words you cannot help but respect the message.
Enjoy…