CC Newsletter 25 Jan - How the US and NATO Could Settle Dispute Over Ukraine Without War

 

Dear Friend,

This has been a totally unnecessary crisis, fueled in large measure by U.S. insistence on maintaining NATO’s “open door” policy, when the reality is that there is no way that France or Germany will agree to Ukraine becoming a NATO member state. Resolution of the crisis could be hastened were Biden or Blinken to state the obvious: “We understand there are deep insecurities on all sides. Given that our allies are in no hurry to welcome Ukraine into NATO, we propose a moratorium on new NATO memberships. Beyond that, we look forward to a range of constructive negotiations to establish an enduring Eurasian security framework for the 21st century.”

If you think the contents of this newsletter are critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our newsletter here

http://www.countercurrents.org/news-letter/.

In Solidarity

Binu Mathew

Editor

Countercurrents.org

How the US and NATO Could Settle Dispute Over Ukraine Without War

by Joseph Gerson

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/how-the-us-and-nato-could-settle-dispute-over-ukraine-without-war/

This has been a totally unnecessary crisis, fueled in large measure by U.S. insistence on maintaining NATO’s “open door” policy, when the reality is that there is no way that France or Germany will agree to Ukraine becoming a NATO member state. Resolution of the crisis could be hastened were Biden or Blinken to state the obvious: “We understand there are deep insecurities on all sides. Given that our allies are in no hurry to welcome Ukraine into NATO, we propose a moratorium on new NATO memberships. Beyond that, we look forward to a range of constructive negotiations to establish an enduring Eurasian security framework for the 21st century.”

Dangerous Heat Across the Globe

by Robert

Hunziker

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/dangerous-heat-across-the-globe/

Too much heat brings unanticipated problems of unexpected scale, putting decades of legacy infrastructure at risk of malfunctioning and/or total collapse. Nobody expected so much trouble to start so soon. Nobody anticipated such massive record-breaking back-to-back heat, north and south, to hit so soon on the heels of only 1.2C above estimated baseline for global warming.

Republic Day, January 26, 1950: An Epic Journey of India’s  greatest generation 

by George Abraham

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/republic-day-january-26-1950-an-epic-journey-of-indias-greatest-generation/

As India is about to celebrate its 72nd Republic Day with pomp, pride, and parades, it is also time to rethink whether the country is living up to its constitution. India became a constitutional republic on January 26, 1950, replacing the colonial government act of India of 1935. It was a memorable day for all Indians

who transformed their lives from subjects to citizens and from oppression to liberty. Indeed, this changeover has instilled a sense of national pride in the heart of every Indian regardless of where he/she resides.

‘Monika My Darling’  on Republic Day!

by Samuel Dhar

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/monika-my-darling-on-republic-day/

A GoI twitter release has a video of the Navy band playing, (With the ratings dancing to), the old hit movie tune, “Monika My Darling”, at the R-Day rehearsals. OMG!!! Why did I, a Veteran, not die before seeing this horrendous spectacle !!!

Fables And Fantasies

by Hiren Gohain

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/fables-and-fantasies/

The efforts of the Hindutva gang to replace Mahatma Gandhi with some ideal figure armed with a sword or a gun heroically overturning British rule is just childish fanatasy and fable.

Communalism has overtaken the Constitution!

by Dr Prem Singh

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/communalism-has-overtaken-the-constitution/

Most spheres of Indian politics have been tainted by communalism. Looking at the current political scene of the country, it seems that just as there is a consensus on neoliberalism among the political and intellectual elite of India, similarly a consensus has been made on communal politics or political communalism. Political parties, which are called secular, resort to communalism in competition to communal BJP, so it is rightly said that they cannot defeat BJP on the pitch of communalism

Save Lives, Socialize Big Pharma

by Joseph Grosso

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/save-lives-socialize-big-pharma/

Faced with such obvious market failure, the solution presents itself: A nationalized pharmaceutical industry fully under public control. Under such a system, money from profitable drugs could simply be channeled to less profitable things like vaccines, antibiotics, and neglected tropical diseases.

What Solidarity Journalism Reveals to Us

by Anita Varma

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/what-solidarity-journalism-reveals-to-us/

Solidarity reporting calls on journalists to push beyond reporting the easy soundbite from an official press release in order to do the work of representing people experiencing injustice.

History: An Ocean without Shores

by Dr Abdul Ahad

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/history-an-ocean-without-shores/

Is history an ocean of knowledge without shores? Is it a seamless fusion of interdisciplinary knowledge? How does it reach us and help us develop our perspectives of lived and living lifestyles? Why does it motivate us to integrate for common good?

Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 – Monetising that which sustains life

by Radha Gopalan

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/biological-diversity-amendment-bill-2021-monetising-that-which-sustains-life/

Since monetising the life sustaining systems is the premise on which these

amendments are constructed, it is not surprising that they demonstrate an emphasis on a centralised rather than a federated, decentralised approach in developing plans and strategies for biodiversity conservation and regeneration. With this approach how will the stated objectives of the Act “conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits”  be achieved?

Channi is dishonest and Kejriwal an honest man?

by Dr Prem Singh

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/channi-is-dishonest-and-kejriwal-an-honest-man/

On 20 January, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi a dishonest man, and emphasized that Channi should not be viewed as a common man. That is, the patent of the common man lies with Kejriwal alone, and in this respect, honesty as well. Kejriwal made this statement in a quick response to the ED’s raid on Channi’s nephew’s house. Since then, a series of

allegations and counter-allegations have been going on between the two leaders, which may continue till the last day of the Punjab Assembly elections

Drug mafia & role of private ports

by Dr Madabhushi Sridhar

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/drug-mafia-role-of-private-ports/

The statement of APSEZ(Adani Ports) that it will not deal with the containers from Iran Pakistan, and Afghanistan inadvertently confirms the earlier transactions and raises suspicion that huge quantum of drugs might have gained surreptitious entry into our nation. At first instance Adani Ports said that it has no policing power, later it says that it does not want to deal with containers of these three nations.

Urgent Need to Raise Budget Allocations for Health Sector

by Bharat Dogra

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/urgent-need-to-raise-budget-allocations-for-health-sector/

Even in Pandemic Times, Health Allocations Have Been Far Short of Real Needs

POLITICO NIGHTLY: POLITICO at 15

 

BY JOHN F. HARRIS Presented by AT&T NEXT YEAR, POLITICO GETS ITS DRIVER’S LICENSE — In the old days of establishment newspapers, reporters were generally expected to subordinate the distinctive elements of their personality, interests, and voice to the imperatives of the institution. Many of the conventions — such as the detached, oracular voice-of-God tone to most stories — were designed to project an air of authority, but this was often an illusion. POLITICO’s notion from the outset was to recognize that the best reporters had their own distinctive signatures — and to build a new publication around these. We assembled a group of past and present POLITICO journalists for a conversation about the changes in media over the past 15 years, and likely further disruptions in the years ahead. Each of them are all emphatic examples of this type of reporter. While quite different in age and background, these journalists have some things in common. All saw their careers and public profiles boosted powerfully during their time at POLITICO. All have reported or commented on presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden in penetrating ways. Lastly, all have keen insights, flowing from direct experience, in the altered power dynamics of the modern media arena, in which legacy news organizations like the New York Times vie with newcomers like POLITICO for relevance and impact with an audience that is saturated in content like no other time in history. You’ll want to read the conversation in full when it’s published in POLITICO Magazine this Sunday. It’s part of a package of stories we’re running to observe and celebrate POLITICO’s 15th birthday. (I wrote one of those stories, which we published this morning.) But for Nightly readers who want tomorrow’s news tonight, here is an advance look at a few highlights from each of the participants: Matt Wuerker, POLITICO’s staff cartoonist: I do miss the gatekeepers in some ways — not the stodgy white guys from the Acela corridor, but the idea that journalism has some responsibility to put out truths and slap down on lies. Ben Smith, starting a new media venture after writing a New York Times column and editing BuzzFeed: I’ve gradually gained respect for these old institutions. But also, all of the flaws that we took advantage of in launching POLITICO are mostly still manifest and totally unfixed. Maggie Haberman, political reporter at the New York Times: I hate saying that, but it’s just not fun the way that it was. And maybe that’s a good thing, right? Because the stakes are actually really high, and maybe the idea that this was fun for a group of us was probably somewhat disconnected from reality. Eugene Daniels, POLITICO White House correspondent and Playbook co-author: I used to have this idea that it’s really, really important for me to hear from readers, that it’s really, really important for journalists not to close ourselves off to criticism. I really held true to that for a while. I’m starting to see that isn’t really what’s happening on Twitter. Seung Min Kim, White House reporter at the Washington Post: I don’t know of any good political reporter who isn’t always busy, maybe slightly overwhelmed, and constantly working to beat our competition and get the best story out there. I think POLITICO is not unique in that. Matt Wuerker: And to answer the question about what I would do in the future or suggest that POLITICO do in the next 15 years, it’s use more cartoons. The secret is more cartoons, always. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author on Twitter at @harrispolitico.   A message from AT&T: Accessible, affordable broadband helps communities reach their American Dream. That’s why we’re making a $2 billion, 3-year commitment toward helping close the digital divide, so more low-income families have the ability to succeed. Learn more.   WHAT'D I MISS? — Read the never-issued Trump order that would have seized voting machines: Among the records that Trump’s lawyers tried to shield from Jan. 6 investigators are a draft executive order that would have directed the defense secretary to seize voting machines and a document titled “Remarks on National Healing.” The executive order — which also would have appointed a special counsel to probe the 2020 election — was never issued, and the remarks were never delivered. Together, the two documents point to the wildly divergent perspectives of White House advisers and allies during Trump’s frenetic final weeks in office. — Trump appointee blocks Biden vaccine mandate for federal workers: A U.S. judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction today barring the federal government from enforcing Biden’s requirement that federal workers without qualifying medical or religious exemptions be vaccinated for Covid-19 . Judge Jeffrey Brown, who was appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas by Trump, ruled that opponents of Biden’s vaccination mandate for federal employees were likely to succeed at trial and blocked the government from enforcing the requirement.   JOIN NEXT FRIDAY TO HEAR FROM GOVERNORS ACROSS AMERICA : As we head into the third year of the pandemic, state governors are taking varying approaches to public health measures including vaccine and mask mandates. "The Fifty: America's Governors" is a series of live conversations featuring various governors on the unique challenges they face as they take the lead and command the national spotlight in historic ways. Learn what is working and what is not from the governors on the front lines, REGISTER HERE.     — Texas man arrested for year-old death threats against Georgia election officials: The Justice Department has charged a Texas man with making death threats against Georgia officials and state and federal judges when the state’s election practices were at the center of controversy over the 2020 presidential election. Chad Christopher Stark was arrested in Travis County, Texas, on an indictment returned earlier this week by a federal grand jury in Atlanta, Justice Department officials said. — Biden nominates former Stacey Abrams lawyer for campaign finance watchdog: Biden is nominating a new commissioner to the Federal Election Commission, the nation’s chief campaign finance watchdog. The White House announced today that Biden was putting forward Dara Lindenbaum, a campaign finance attorney, to join the six-member board governing the agency, which is charged with enforcing campaign finance laws and issuing opinions guiding federal officeseekers.   A message from AT&T:     FROM THE HEALTH DESK THE EQUITY EQUATION — Nightly contributor and Commonwealth Fund journalist-in-residence at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Joanne Kenen emails Nightly: Even before the pandemic, the health care world had begun to focus on “social determinants” or “social drivers” of health, ways in which poverty, health, and often race, collided. The pandemic elevated that conversation. But paying attention to something, even paying a lot of attention to something, isn’t the same thing as doing something. This week, the National Quality Forum, which advises Medicare, took the first step toward making measuring and addressing social drivers a routine part of Medicare. Medicare has dozens — actually, a few hundred — of quality metrics and incentives that shape how doctors and hospitals are paid. Not one of them pertains to social determinants. The National Quality Forum endorsed two measures this week that would change that. One would require doctors and hospitals to screen patient needs in five areas: food, housing, transportation, utilities, and domestic or interpersonal violence. The other would measure and report how many patients “test positive” once screened. Neither measure would require a doctor to, say, call a food pantry or a housing agency. But before plans to address social needs can be mandated, those needs have to be measured and understood. (Some doctors and health systems are already screening for these measures, and a subset do then connect patients to social services.) Neither measure would go into effect right away; the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has to make decisions and go through a bunch of rule-making. Some industry groups will push back or try to soften any new requirements. But at the NQF meeting, which was public, I heard a sense of urgency. “We need to address the reality of our patients’ lives beyond the four walls of our health system,” said Allison Bryant, senior medical director for health equity at Mass General Brigham in Boston. Patrick Conway, who led the Medicare innovation center in the Obama administration and is now an executive at the Optum health company, said, “I think it will drive change.”   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     AROUND THE WORLD Ukrainian soldiers stand in a trench near the front line in the village of New York, formerly known as Novhorodske, Ukraine. | Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images BALTICS RUSH TO AID UKRAINE — Latvia and Lithuania confirmed they will send Stinger ground-to-air missiles to Ukraine, adding a major new capability to Kyiv’s ability to defend itself against a possible Russian incursion, Paul McLeary writes. The two countries were joined by fellow NATO member Estonia, who confirmed they would send Javelin anti-armor missiles to Ukraine in the coming days. The three countries — all former Soviet satellite states — showed a united front today, releasing a joint statement declaring they “stand united in their commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in face of continued Russian aggression.” The upcoming shipments of Stingers will give the Ukrainian military the ability to shoot down helicopters with accuracy. The impending shipments were first reported by POLITICO this week when the State Department quietly signed off on the transfers of the U.S.-made Stinger and Javelin missiles to Ukraine. NIGHTLY NUMBER More than $20 million The amount Facebook, now renamed Meta, spent on lobbying in 2021. Facebook’s owner spent more money than ever on lobbying last year , amid a growing pile of political and legal problems, according to its latest disclosure filing. PUNCHLINES THE BIG 1-5 — In the latest Weekend Wrap, Matt Wuerker isn’t finished celebrating POLITICO’s 15th anniversary, with some archival footage of former presidents cracking jokes about the burgeoning publication, and some of the usual political satire and cartoons of the week. PARTING WORDS California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference after meeting with students. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images WHAT 2022 ELECTION? Five months after California Gov. Gavin Newsom crushed the recall, the GOP field for a 2022 rematch is frozen in suspended animation . Republican candidates and donors still reeling from Newsom’s 24-point blowout are assessing whether they have the will for another round. So far, the answer is a resounding no. “I haven’t even paid much attention to it,” perennial California Republican donor Susan Groff said. “Actually, I haven’t paid any attention to it.” Recall momentum last year came out of nowhere in this bluest of blue states — and vanished just as quickly, Jeremy B. White writes. Two months from the candidate filing deadline for the 2022 gubernatorial race, no major Republican has launched a campaign to deny Newsom a second term. The pandemic anger that fueled the recall signature drive has gradually subsided since the economy reopened last summer. Students are back in classrooms, even during the Omicron surge.   A message from AT&T: Jenee Washington saw tech as the gateway to a brighter future for herself and her family. Growing up, financial hardship caused Jenee to leave school and accept dead-end jobs just to make ends meet. But with the help of accessible and affordable broadband, she discovered her passion for tech and secured a coding scholarship. Now, she's thriving as a QA analyst, pursuing the career of her dreams. That’s why AT&T is dedicated to helping close the digital divide with a $2 billion, 3-year commitment, so more low-income families like Jenee's can achieve their American Dream. Learn more.     Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

CC Newsletter 01 Jan - Five Ex-Armed Forces Chiefs Write To President, PM On Haridwar Hate Speeches

 

Dear Friend,

Five former chiefs of staff of the armed forces and over a hundred other people including veterans, bureaucrats, and prominent citizens have written to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding “open call of the genocide of Indian Muslims” at various events, most recently in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar and Delhi. The letter also mentions targeting of other minorities like Christians, Dalits, and Sikhs.

Since our annual fundraising appeal went out three weeks ago, we've raised about 70% of the funds needed to continue our operations for another year. However, we've a long way to go to meet our target. We need a lot more people to come forward to support our work. Kindly support CC. You can do so here https://countercurrents.org/subscription/

If you think the contents of this news letter are critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time

for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our news letter here http://www.countercurrents.org/news-letter/.

In Solidarity

Binu Mathew

Editor

Countercurrents.org

Five Ex-Armed Forces Chiefs Write To President, PM On Haridwar Hate Speeches

by Countercurrents Collective

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/five-ex-armed-forces-chiefs-write-to-president-pm-on-haridwar-hate-speeches/

Five former chiefs of staff of the armed forces and over a hundred other people including veterans, bureaucrats, and prominent citizens have written to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding “open call of the genocide of Indian Muslims” at various events, most recently in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar and Delhi. The letter also mentions targeting of other minorities like Christians, Dalits, and Sikhs.

Letter to PM: Concern at the recent reports emanating from Haridwar in Uttarakhand

by K.R. Venugopal & E.A.S. Sarma

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/letter-to-pm-concern-at-the-recent-reports-emanating-from-haridwar-in-uttarakhand/

Two former senior government of India officers write to PM Modi on Haridwar hate speeches

From abusing Gandhi to advocating genocide

by Alishan Jafri , Neel Madhav and Apoorvanand

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/from-abusing-gandhi-to-advocating-genocide/

It’s been over 12 days since the explicit calls for mass killing of the Muslim community were made at the ‘Dharma’ Sansad in Haridwar by prominent religious clerics of the Hindu faith. As of now, the police and state look helpless to make arrests. The police are seen laughing with the perpetrators and the state’s CM is seen touching their feet.

In 2022, Looking for Hope in A Troubled World

by Bharat Dogra

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/in-2022-looking-for-hope-in-a-troubled-world/

  It will require a strong sense of optimism to look for hope at the begininning of 2022. Nevertheless try we

must to seek and summon hope from whichever nook or corner we can find it.

A Happy New 2022? Perhaps!

by Irwin Jerome

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/a-happy-new-2022-perhaps/

A Happy New 2022 to All that, hopefully, PERHAPS, will be a far better one than the butt-ugly year that was 2021.

Bhima Koregaon is a battle of self esteem and social change ….

by Vikas Parashram Meshram

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/bhima-koregaon-is-a-battle-of-self-esteem-and-social-change/

The Peshwas could not stand against the brave army of the Mahar Regiment and the Peshwas were defeated in this battle. The Peshwa Empire came to an end. A victory pillar was erected on the banks of the river Bhima to commemorate the unprecedented feats of the Mahar Regiment. On which the names of those Mahar knights were written, we should all realize that the Maratha Empire had already ended. Ever since the Peshwas conquered the Maratha Empire, it has been said that the battle was fought between

the Marathas and the British or between the Marathas and the Mahars.

Journalism in Existential Crisis

by Hiren Gohain 

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/journalism-in-existential-crisis/

What can news be in this situation shorn of ideology,which the upright CJI seems to regard as the bane of current Indian journalism? On the other hand we have a plethora of post-truth in the form of outright lies and distortions, reporting laced with communal poison and implicit violence,and on the other hand some courageous and factually correct stories that do not fail to imply the threats to secular democracy upheld by the constitution

Politics of language: Why Hindi surpassed Bengali

by BZ Khasru

https://countercurrents.org/2022/01/politics-of-language-why-hindi-surpassed-bengali/

When the British ordered the exclusive use of the Nagari script in school in 1880 to meet a Hindu demand in the state of Bihar, the Muslims howled. The Hindi-Urdu duel in the end exploded into Hindu-Muslim

war. In free India, Hindi gained the national stature as a symbol of Hindu pride and spread nationwide like wildfire, partly thanks to Bombay movies.