PadminiArhant.com
SOS – Save the Arctic
September 30, 2009
By Padmini Arhant
Mother Nature has never been more vulnerable than now with the human power in industries and government targeting every available land on planet earth for profits. With the active space exploration for possible inhabitation on Mars and the Moon, earth’s natural resources depleted to the ultimate under the guise of ‘Clean Energy Act,’ by the yet another indomitable force in the corporate world, the ‘Energy Cartel.’
Should they trail behind in the Herculean contest of crushing democracy and the people it represents?
‘Profit’ revered more than the “Prophet” spares none in its sinister cannibalism revealed in the legislative matters concerning health, housing, finance, wars and even the planet they exist. It is no longer the Darwinian ‘survival of the fittest’ with a subtle hope for efforts to survive if not thrive in the sharks-infested waters.
The profit dominant twenty first century is simple as it cut to the chase i.e.
“All for me and none for you.” Where “I live and you die.”
The gargantuan forces ‘supposedly’ caring for the source – the people and the environment savagely attack through massive pollution, dumping industrial wastes particularly in the impoverished regions of the world as life don’t matter over there to them, further empowered by the slogan driven action –
‘Drill baby drill, Drill now and everywhere’ until the mass disappear into the black hole.
The Bush-Cheney doctrine on matters related to life universally known. Among them, the icing on the cake was the free pass to the free market for a free fall and freedom to erode the earth’s surface through drilling in the Arctic, the Pacific…and beyond the horizon.
Such policy allowing the energy industry to drill in the Arctic endangering life eventually debilitating the food pyramid is due for urgent reversal to protect and save the provider, the environment from drilling or any other destructive mechanisms.
The continuation of the former administration’s policy in light of earth shattering ramifications detailed by the concerned scientists and the discerning ecologists deserve immediate action for life sustenance.
According to the experts, the drilling in the Arctic poses not only grave danger for marine life but also potentially disastrous to the ecosystem’s DNA.
——————————————————————————————-
The Experts Opinion:
“Ruining pristine wild lands and oceans – places like Teshekpuk Lake, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas – is not a path toward a clean energy future.
In fact, it’s a major step in the wrong direction.
Climate change is already making survival harder for arctic creatures.
Oil and gas exploration would bring even more devastating impacts: seismic booms, air and water pollution, and roads, airports, gravel mines and pipelines across a vast and pristine wilderness.
Perhaps worst of all, drilling brings with it oil spills for which – in the Arctic’s icy conditions – no clean-up technology exists. In the Chukchi Sea alone, government scientists predict that once the drills start, there would be a 40 percent chance of a large oil spill.
Once it’s destroyed, it’s gone forever. If we don’t act now, the impact to habitats that we are only beginning to understand and to hundreds of species of Arctic wildlife – caribou, grizzly and polar bears, migrating birds, whales, and many more – could be catastrophic!”
——————————————————————————————-
Call for Synergy – By Padmini Arhant
The grievances cannot be more poignant if the industry granted immunity by the White House and Congress today with the extension of the Bush-policy on offshore drilling.
Moreover, as highlighted to the international community on the environmental issue during the G-20 summit in Pittsburg, the United States image as the world leader in the green revolution ahead of the scheduled Copenhagen conference is in jeopardy with the prolonging of the devastating offshore drilling in the Arctic and elsewhere, notwithstanding the hypocritical stance in the worldview.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt phenomenal dedication towards the comprehensive protection of the national environment was the crowning glory among his many other symbolic achievements.
Every President and leaders of the nations have an opportunity to do wonders or otherwise with the power entrusted upon them in a democracy. What’s important to realize is the leadership’s willingness and courage put to test for a reason and that is for them to define their character by rising to the occasion in their national and humanitarian tasks that expands to the future.
Environmental rescue is not exclusive to social dynamics of race and culture or limited to political opinions. The voluntary planet degradation is cataclysmic to humanity as calamity in one part of the world contagiously spreads to the personal domain of every living being on earth.
Transforming desire into action is a challenge. Nevertheless, if policies detrimental to life existence in the health and environmental matter not terminated, it’s just a matter of time for the carcinogens to be deadly.
Saving the Arctic is paramount for the present and future evolution besides being a moral responsibility towards Mother Nature, the only source of life.
Thank you
Padmini Arhant
Afghan War, the Additional Troops Request and the Election – Analysis
September 29, 2009
Analysis: By Padmini Arhant
From the earlier data, it is conclusive that since the inception of the Afghan war, the constant flow of funding and the troops surge has remained the routine build up in the ill-conceived ‘so-called’ war on terror. The long fought war in the past eight years and previously against the Soviets should provide the U.S. defense a concise idea about the Afghan terrains, terrorists’ hideouts and other relevant operational tactics by the Talibans and the Al-Qaida forces.
Considering the earlier Taliban generation were trained as the Mujahedeens by the CIA against the Soviets and instrumental in driving the Soviet Army from the Afghan land, it’s reasonable to ask the question,
When success was then possible with the limited financial and military contingency, why is it not feasible now with the exceptional assets at the defense forces disposal?
The Congressional approval of excess funding via discretionary channel to circumvent the constitutional limitations and the increasing troop deployment at the highest military hierarchy behest with no accountability for the monetary or combat forces investment in the evolved operation raises a serious credibility issue leading to an appropriate investigation.
Oddly, the Afghan situation possesses an uncanny resemblance to the financial sector bailout in the absence of checks and balances against the oligarchs responsible for the world economic crisis.
The irony is, the U.S. and NATO resources are superfluous against the insurgents’ outdated and conventional stockpiles purchased from the tribal warlords in control of the narcotic industry. Despite the United States extensive prior knowledge of the mountainous regions and enhanced weaponry including the state of the art technology, the U.S. and NATO command continue to claim the insurgency by the Taliban and Al-Qaida operatives as ‘uncontainable.’ Somehow, it doesn’t fit in with the rationality.
Then the trio forces represented by Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States declare the combatants, ‘a force to reckon with,’ when Pakistan and Afghanistan must be familiar with the respective demography in the northwestern Pakistan, the eastern Afghanistan apart from the southern provinces of the Kandahar district. Again, the status acknowledged by the U.S. and NATO highest command in a statement that “Talibans are emboldened more than ever and dangerously widespread making Afghanistan a possible failed state.”
Is it a real concern or a proposition for a permanent military base evidenced in the topic’s prequel?
Another poignant matter is Pakistan’s role in aiding and abetting the Talibans following the U.S abandonment and the Soviet departure. During the Bush administration, the Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf received substantial financial aid and arms supply as an “important” ally of the apparent war on terror.
Evidently, the disclosed $10 billion dollars and more was not spent for the desired purpose, instead Pakistan ventured into replenishing stocks targeting the eternal rival and neighbor India.
In spite of the U.S. royal treatment of the former military regime under President Musharraf, the nuclear technology trader A.Q. Khan was protected and the U.S. intelligence forces were denied access to the entity by the regime. Today’s nuclear proliferation among North Korea and Iran stem from A.Q. Khan’s illicit dealings in trading WMD secret programs.
The trend continues with the financial aid being tripled combined with more arsenal supply ‘supposedly’ to extinguish the fire set by the Pakistani ISI and the military in cohort with the Talibans and the Al-Qaida elements in Waziristan and other parts of the north western region up until recently. It’s not a concocted theory when the independent Pakistani and other international journalists reported that the world’s most wanted terror leader Osama Bin Laden received medical treatment in Pakistan during the Musharraf Presidency.
The military agents actively promote the Kashmir issue between the two nuclear neighbors to see the snoring lion turn into a roaring beast. Meanwhile, distracting the world from the compounded problems within Pakistan – the people of Pakistan deprived of the genuine freedom and democracy not to mention the chaos and mayhem caused with frequent suicide bombings and explosions.
In fact, the situation in the two Islamic nations has been perpetually meddled with excessive foreign policy interventions doing more harm than any good until date. The constant turmoil and warfare has crippled the economies leaving the populations at the mercy of the oil rich Saudi Arabia and the Western control.
The bright and the educated middle class to the poorest of the Pakistani population are subject to the dynasty rule disguised as democracy with the Pakistani military having an upper hand in the major governance.
Diverting attention homeward;
The legitimate question for the American taxpayers engaged in the health care battle of the century is –
How do the so-called fiscal conservatives from both sides of the aisle justify the enrage at the hypothetical costs of providing universal health care, while seemingly comfortable with the Fiscal Year 2009, defense spending amount to 4.7% of GDP?
The military industrial complex dominance with strong hawkish representations in the Defense and the State Departments in the current administration is conspicuous with the irrational winning streak calculations in the misguided missions in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The tragic truth revealed in the casualties endured by the families of the U.S. military and the ally forces along with the scores of civilian deaths callously dismissed as the ‘collateral’ damages in the warfare.
Regarding the permanent military base in Afghanistan, the published reports confirm the former Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s complicity to the occupation of his homeland by foreign forces, questioning the President’s loyalty to the nation, he is expected to govern.
Then the subsequent crowning of the controversial ex-President Hamid Karzai amidst election fraud and widely exposed scandals by the secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton and other NATO diplomats clearly indicates the entities following specific directions of the military industrial complex defining the role for the executive members in the sprawling scheme.
Since when the Secretary of State and other NATO foreign ministers overtly assigned the duty to select the head of the foreign government smeared with corruption charges and voter fraud allegations, against the will of the population yearning for real democracy?
Isn’t the role of the U.S. military and NATO in Afghanistan restricted to eliminating terror, and refrain from any intervention in the electoral decisions?
When the U.S and NATO forces indulge in the appointments of the heads of the foreign governments, they not only threaten the democratic opportunities for the subject nations but also undermine the democracy they represent.
The Defense Forces’ high commands testify to the elected representatives in a democracy, the Congress, by repeatedly urging that “the troops and discretionary funding requirement is essential to succeed in the escalating war on terror” with the reality being otherwise.
But not anymore. This time, it’s incumbent on the Pentagon to face the nation and lay the facts as the permanent military base in Afghanistan or elsewhere is an act of treason against the nation, not barring the crime against humanity with the notion to enslave the innocent population trusting the organization to protect and liberate them from the tyranny and oppression.
When the defense budget funds are misappropriated for destructive reasons of the never ending warfare, illegal arms race i.e. both conventional and nuclear arsenal in the open markets, then the military institution loses the trust and respect of the national population. It’s equivalent to the betrayal of the parents declining to protect the children and instead endanger their lives.
If the military institutions confine to the honorable duty to defend the sovereignty of the nation, safeguard the pledge of allegiance to the flag and regard the life of another like their own, then the battle grounds would no longer be the killing fields.
Those who engage in invasion, occupation, pillage, ruin of other nations have engulfed in the self ignited flames, while others eventually come to the realization that in the laws of nature, there is no state of permanence. History witnessed the emperors like Napoleon Bonaparte, Alexander the Great and the likes succumb to the crumbling of their greatness, regarding themselves once as invincible.
The wisdom serves that mortals brought nothing into the world and hence take nothing back with them and no one is a permanent resident on the planet irrespective of status. Life is a journey and travelers leave when their travel ends with their activities evaluated and judged accordingly.
Wars can’t go on forever and must eventually ceasefire.
Thank you.
Padmini Arhant
Afghanistan War, the Additional Troops Request and the Election
September 28, 2009
By Padmini Arhant
There has been additional troops request from the U.S. and NATO Commander, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal accompanied by the endorsements of the other highest commands. The request made with a sense of urgency within the military ranks based on variable assessments and conflicting reports from different sources that if the troops request delayed or denied; “it could perhaps lead to the mission failure” in the prolonged war that had continued to deploy troops on that strategy.
According to reputable news sources, the U.S. force in Afghanistan estimated to reach 68,000 by the year’s end. Now, the fact remains to be carefully examined on the U.S. and NATO defense policy implemented in the Afghanistan war prompting the current administration to inflate the defense budget disproportionately to $651.2 billion excluding the various non-itemized expenditures by the other departments in the nucleus.
The following materials are extremely important in ascertaining the real purpose of the persistent war nearing almost a decade with incessant violence, lawlessness and horrendous loss of lives on all sides that could have been contained considering the interjection of enormous resources in terms of funding and troops supply possibly restoring a democratic rule in Afghanistan conforming with the metaphor –
“Where there is a will, there is a way.”
The sequel with a detailed analysis will follow in due course of time.
Thank you.
Padmini Arhant
————————————————————————————————–
Advisers split over Afghan troop request:
Military divided over force levels required for plan
By Peter Baker and Elisabeth Bumiller – New York Times
Provided through The San Jose Mercury News, Sunday September 27, 2009 – Thank you.
“Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal’s troop request, which was submitted to the Pentagon on Friday, has reignited a longstanding debate within the military about the virtues of the counterinsurgency strategy popularized by Gen. David H. Petraeus in Iraq and embraced by McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan.
McChrystal is expected to ask for as many as 40,000 additional troops for the eight-year old war, a number that has generated concern among top officers like Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the Army chief of staff, who worry about the capacity to provide more soldiers at a time of stress on the force, officials said.
While Obama is hearing from more hawkish voices, including Hillary Rodham Clinton, the secretary of state, and Richard C. Holbrooke, the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, some outside advisers relied on by Obama have voiced doubts.
But other officers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and say they admire McChrystal nonetheless have privately expressed doubt that additional troops will make a difference.
“If a request for more forces comes to the Army, we’ll have to assess what that will do in terms of stress on the force,” said a senior Army officer, who asked not to be identified speaking before McChrystal’s troop request became public.”
Casey, whose institutional role as Army chief is to protect his force, has a stated goal by 2012 to increase a soldier’s time at home from the current one year for every year of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan to two years at home for every year served.”
——————————————————————————————
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_budget_of_the_United_States – Thank you.
U.S. Defense Budget for the Fiscal Year 2009:
For the 2009 fiscal year, the base budget rose to $515.4 billion. Adding emergency discretionary spending and supplemental spending brings the sum to $651.2 billion. Not included in the DoD budget is $23.4 billion to be spent by the Department of Energy to develop and maintain nuclear warheads.
NON DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, DEFENSE RELATED EXPENDITURES
This does not include many military-related items that are outside of the Defense Department budget, such as nuclear weapons research, maintenance, cleanup, and production (about $16.4 billion, which is in the Department of Energy budget), Veterans Affairs (about $53.0 billion), defense spending by the Department of Homeland Security (about $41.4 billion),
Interest on debt incurred in past wars, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (about $83.4 billion in 2009, funded through extra-budgetary supplemental bills), or State Department financing of foreign arms sales (about $5.3 billion) and militarily-related development assistance.
The U.S. Department of Defense budget accounted in fiscal year 2008 for about 21% of the United States federal budgeted expenditures. Including spending for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Homeland Security, and Veteran’s Affairs, defense spending was approximately $800 billion, or 32% of 2008 tax receipts of $2.5 trillion.[5]
Because of constitutional limitations, military funding is appropriated in a discretionary spending account. (Such accounts permit government planners to have more flexibility to change spending each year, as opposed to mandatory spending accounts that mandate spending on programs outside of the budgetary process.) In recent years, discretionary spending as a whole has amounted to about one-third of total federal outlays. Military funding’s share of discretionary funding was 50.5% in 2003, and has risen steadily ever since.
The 2005 U.S. military budget is almost as much as the rest of the world’s defense spending combined and is over eight times larger than the military budget of China (compared at the nominal US dollar / Renminbi rate, not the PPP rate). The United States and its close allies are responsible for about two-thirds of the world’s military spending (of which, in turn, the U.S. is responsible for the majority). In 2007, US military spending was above 1/4 of combined industrial and agricultural production in the USA.
————————————————————————————————–
Focus on the Afghanistan war and the Operational Deficiency:
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%93present)
TOTAL CASUALTIES FOR THE YEAR:
By January 2009, the Taliban claimed that they had killed 5,220 foreign troops, downed 31 aircraft, destroyed 2,818 NATO and Afghan vehicles and killed 7,552 Afghan soldiers and police in 2008 alone. The Associated Press estimated that a total of 286 foreign military personnel were killed in Afghanistan in 2008.[130] Icasualties puts the total number of coalition soldiers killed in 2008 at 294.
——————————————————————————————
2009: U.S. Surge :
Main article: Coalition combat operations in Afghanistan in 2009
JOINT INTELLIGENCE CENTER –
The Khyber Border Coordination Center between the U.S., Pakistan, and Afghanistan, at Torkham on the Afghan side of the Khyber Pass, has been in operation for nine months. But U.S. officials at the Khyber Center say language barriers, border disputes between Pakistani and Afghan field officers, and longstanding mistrust among all three militaries have impeded progress.
In January, about 3,000 U.S. soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division moved into the provinces of Logar and Wardak. The troops were the first wave of an expected surge of reinforcements originally ordered by George W. Bush and increased by Barack Obama.
In mid-February, it was announced that 17,000 additional troops would be deployed to the country in two brigades and additional support troops; the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade of about 3,500 from the 7,000 Marines, and the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, a Stryker Brigade with about 4,000 of the 7,000 US Army soldiers. The U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General McKiernan, had called for as many as 30,000 additional troops, effectively doubling the number of troops currently in the country.
—————————————————————————————–
TALIBAN’S GAINS
On August 10, 2009, Stanley McChrystal, the newly appointed U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said that the Taliban has presently gained the upper hand and that the ISAF is not winning in the 8 year-old war.
————————————————————————————————
Possible long-term U.S. role & military presence:
Many of the thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan are positioned in what experts say are large, permanent bases.
In February 2005, U.S. Senator John McCain called for the establishment of permanent U.S. military bases in Afghanistan, saying such bases would be “for the good of the American people, because of the long-term security interests we have in the region”.
He made the remarks while visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul as part of a five-member, bi-partisan Senate delegation travelling through the region for talks on security issues.
The same delegation also included then-Senator Hillary Clinton, now U.S. Secretary of State.
In mid-March, 2005, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Richard Myers told reporters in Kabul that the U.S. Defense Department was studying the feasibility of such permanent military bases. At the end of March, the U.S. military announced that it was spending $83-million on its two main air bases in Afghanistan, Bagram Air Base north of Kabul and Kandahar Air Field in the south of the country.
A few weeks after this series of U.S. statements, in April 2005, during a surprise visit to Kabul by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Afghan President Hamid Karzai hinted at a possible permanent U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, saying he had also discussed the matter with President Bush. Rumsfeld refused to say whether or not the U.S. wanted permanent American military bases in Afghanistan, saying the final decision would come from the White House.
As of July 2008, hundreds of millions of dollars were being spent on permanent infrastructure for foreign military bases in Afghanistan, including a budget of $780-million to further develop the infrastructure at just the Kandahar Air Field base, described as “a walled, multicultural military city that houses some 13,000 troops from 17 different countries – the kind of place where you can eat at a Dutch chain restaurant alongside soldiers from the Royal Netherlands Army.” The Bagram Air Base, run by the U.S. military, was also expanding according to military officials, with the U.S military buying land from Afghan locals in different places for further expansion of the base.
As of January 2009, the U.S. had begun work on $1.6 billion of new, permanent military installations at Kandahar.
In February 2009, The Times reported that the U.S. will build two huge new military bases in southern Afghanistan. One will be built in Kandahar province near the Helmand border, at Maiwand – a place famous as the site of the destruction of a British army during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The other new U.S. military base will be built in Zabul, a province now largely controlled by the Taliban and criminal gangs.
————————————————————————————————–
AFGHAN RESISTANCE TO PERMANENT U.S. MILITARY BASES
The idea of permanent U.S. military bases vexes many people in Afghanistan, which has a long history of resisting foreign invaders.
In May 2005, riots and protests that had started over a false report in Newsweek of U.S. interrogators desecrating the Koran and turned into the biggest anti-U.S. protests in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion included demands that the Kabul government reject U.S. intentions to create a permanent military presence in Afghanistan.
——————————————————————————————–
Public opinion
Main article: International public opinion on the war in Afghanistan
Although the war was supported by most Americans, most people in the world oppose the war.
In a 47-nation June 2007 survey of global public opinion, the Pew Global Attitudes Project found considerable opposition to war.
In 41 of the 47 countries, pluralities want U.S. and NATO troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible. In 32 out of 47 countries, clear majorities want this war over as soon as possible.
Majorities in 7 out of 12 NATO member countries say troops should be withdrawn as soon as possible.
————————————————————————————————–
Afghan Election:
After Karzai’s alleged win of 54 per cent, which would prevent a run off with his rival, Abdullah Abdullah, over 400,000 votes had to be discounted for Karzai, and many more with hundreds of thousands of votes and polling ballots being accused of fraud.
Making the real turnout of the elections much lower than the official numbers, many nations criticizing the elections as Free but not fair.
Coalition in Afghanistan backs Karzai’s Strategy:
By Karen DeYoung, Washington Post , provided by San Jose Mercury News, Monday September 28, 2009.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other NATO foreign ministers, meeting Friday in New York with their Afghan counterpart, reached “consensus” that Karzai would probably “continue to be president,” whether through a runoff or as the legitimate winner of more than 50 percent of votes cast in disputed Aug.20 elections, an Obama administration official said.”
————————————————————————————————–
Federal Republic of Germany – Bundestag Election
September 28, 2009
By Padmini Arhant
Congratulations! to the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and the FDP leader Guido Westerwelle on the re-election of CDU-CSU (Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union) in grand coalition with the Free Democratic Party in the 17th German Federal election on September 27, 2009.
As a major economic power and the largest exporter as well as the second largest importer of goods, Germany is significant to the global economy and the international progress. The export-oriented nation has been drastically affected from the global economic crisis. It experiences the common woes like the financial market failure leading to the government bailouts; massive job loss in the manufacturing sector especially the automobiles and heavy industrial equipments…having a ripple effect on other sectors in the economy.
However, Germany has contained the crisis from further deterioration due to the various government run programs viz.
The comprehensive system of social security, universal health care established in 1883 – now comprising 77% government funded and 23% privately funded health care system, public or affordable housing in suburban settings providing decent dwelling for the lower income originally created in the early twentieth century by the Social Democrats to curtail visible poverty.
The recent victory by the conservative coalition attributed to the poor voter turnout with the sizable electorate not having confidence in the major or minor political parties, although the ‘Green’ party focused on vigorous environmental policies gained impressive margin against others.
It would be interesting to monitor the measures adopted by the winning coalition in the economic recovery, given the FDP’s economic policy subscribed to the government involvement ‘as extensive as necessary’ and ‘as limited as possible.’ Otherwise, the party embraces the free market structure with privatizations, deregulations, restraining public subsidies – the predominant source of the present global economic meltdown, while maintaining the strong unionized work force and the vast government social infrastructure. Perhaps, the platform contributed to the surprise emergence of the once minority party successfully eliminating the Socialist Democrats that took a severe blow in the latest election.
With the rising unemployment causing much frustration among the population, the coalition has a tough balancing act to leverage the situation in the four-year term offered by the German electorate as a second chance to transform the campaign promise into a reality.
Regarding other issues of national concern, the electorate appears to be less enthusiastic in their country’s involvement as a NATO member in the eight-year old Afghanistan war. This is despite the relatively minimal troops’ presence in the region proving the unpopularity of the Afghanistan war.
Germany like the rest of the world is confronted with the economic, social and environmental issues and the industrialized nation’s rapid revival is crucial for the global economy as a member of OECD, G8 that is appropriately the present G20, besides being the biggest development aid in the world.
I take the opportunity to wish the leaderships and the people of Germany lasting peace and prosperity to share with the rest of the humanity.
Thank you.
Padmini Arhant
The 64th Session of the UN General Assembly and G-20 Summit
September 25, 2009
By Padmini Arhant
Welcome to the forum on the important global gathering of nations to discuss the issues confronting the international community at large.
A humble request to all visitors to the website https://www.padminiarhant.com to take a moment and view the featured videos that speaks volume of the serious humanitarian crisis in hand. As we all know that pictures are worth thousand words and a confirmation of the reality.
Again, the visuals may not be appropriate for all, given the graphic content. The dire situations in these parts of the world beckon the worldwide condemnation and put an end to these atrocities against humanity and bring the perpetrators irrespective of stature to justice as an evidence there is still hope for goodness to prevail in the ever deteriorating immoral world.
Please remember silence is the worst act of crime.
The general debate by the United Nations began early this week with President Barack Obama addressing the General Assembly for the first time since elected to the office of Presidency. The debate continued then onwards with the address by the undemocratically nominated authorities like the Islamic Republic of Iran and The Great Socialist People’s Libya…
The UN Security Council Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty was the highlight of the UN session. The objective of this particular conference was aimed at bringing the States that have not yet agreed to or ratified the treaty for the Non-Proliferation Treaty to come into effect.
Another attention worthy factor is “the Conference effort to bring together representatives of ratifying States, States Signatories, and States that have not yet signed or ratified the Treaty. They will examine how hold-out States can be brought in to sign and ratify the Treaty for it to come into effect.”
What’s also missing in the effort is to have the covert states like the State of Israel, Iran and North Korea to declare their nuclear capability and quantity to determine the dangers of unaccounted nuclear stockpiles by these nations.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapons_testing – Thank you.
• Soviet Union: 715 tests (involving 969 devices) by official count,[3] most at Semipalatinsk Test Site and Novaya Zemlya, and a few more at various sites in Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.
• France: 210 tests by official count (50 atmospheric, 160 underground[4]), 4 atomic atmospheric tests at C.E.S.M. near Reggane, 13 atomic underground tests at C.E.M.O. near In Ekker in the then-French Algerian Sahara, and nuclear atmospheric tests at Fangataufa and nuclear undersea tests Moruroa in French Polynesia. Additional atomic and chemical warfare tests took place in the secret base B2-Namous, near Ben Wenif, other tests involving rockets and missiles at C.I.E.E.S, near Hammaguir, both in the Sahara.
• United Kingdom: 45 tests (21 in Australian territory, including 9 in mainland South Australia at Maralinga and Emu Field, some at Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean, plus many others in the U.S. as part of joint test series)[5]
In 1963, all nuclear and many non-nuclear states signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty, pledging to refrain from testing nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, underwater, or in outer space. The treaty permitted underground nuclear testing. France continued atmospheric testing until 1974, while China continued up until 1980.
The last underground test by the United States was in 1992, the Soviet Union in 1990, the United Kingdom in 1991, and both France and China continued testing until 1996. After adopting the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1996, all of these states have pledged to discontinue all nuclear testing. Non-signatories India and Pakistan last tested nuclear weapons in 1998.
The most recent nuclear test was announced by North Korea on May 25, 2009.
There have been many attempts to limit the number and size of nuclear tests; the most far-reaching was the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty of 1996, which was not ratified by the United States.
Nuclear testing has since become a controversial issue in the United States, with a number of politicians saying that future testing might be necessary to maintain the aging warheads from the Cold War. Because nuclear testing is seen as furthering nuclear arms development, many are also opposed to future testing as an acceleration of the arms race.”
————————————————————————————–
True Perspective: By Padmini Arhant
In light of the real scenario, it is incumbent on the nuclear powers to follow through what they are prescribing for others in the most contentious issue of WMD that is by far the significant threat to global security in the twenty first century.
The irony behind such ambition is the key members enforcing the ban have not either ratified the treaty solemnly or themselves violated the pledge on numerous occasions with the continual nuclear testing by some not necessarily in their own backyard. Further, the meeting agenda was to move towards a nuclear free world, a phenomenal shift from the past that considered such notion to be naïve and a far-fetched principle in the prolific nuclear and conventional arms race era.
It is also important for the states in possession of nuclear arsenal but not admittedly so like the State of Israel to become the signatory and the rattling sabers like Iran and North Korea to abandon their nuclear status.
Such measure is necessary to ensure the credibility of the authorities exclusively focused on cornering the overt nuclear states unwilling to ratify the NPT on these moral grounds. There are clearly double standards by the twentieth century imperial powers in their dealings on most issues not to mention their reluctance to embrace the new world development and requirements.
Naturally, the dominant nuclear powers’ isolated targeting of the confirmed nuclear states to ratify the NPT is perceived by the respective populations as hypocritical to say the least.
Moving on to other matter pertinent to the UN General Assembly meeting is –
The absolute necessity for the expansion of the present Security Council, conspicuously discarded by the members with the exception of France willing to acknowledge the new memberships with a veto power that were listed earlier on such as Brazil, Japan, India, Germany, South Africa and UAE (The United Arab Emirates).
The existing Security Council performance thus far in most global issues have been a dismal failure due to discord among the member nations and mistrust by the international community, especially with the P5 inadequately measuring up to the global decision making essential to resolve complex international issues.
Unless and until a legitimate resolution to expand the Security Council is carried out in this session, any other proposals regardless of its magnitude are irrelevant, as it would signify the P5 resilience to conform to the rapidly changing global environment besides posing a major impediment for any international progress on all issues.
There are many urgent international crisis deserving the assembled world leaders attention and action.
They range from political, economic, energy, education, humanitarian issues related to women, children and exploited labor, global pandemic and epidemic problems, environment to international security.
Although, the heads of the government from different parts of the world command the center stage with speeches that resonates the sentiments of the regions they represent, the nexus of the meeting relies on the earnest commitment towards international peace, progress and prosperity.
Unfortunately, the nations fail to recognize the individual liabilities accumulated on their part towards their own population in denying them democracy, free and fair elections, equal rights to women, trustworthy regional and global trade partnerships, cross border relationships extending to the other international area and last but not the least respect for the humanitarian laws.
The UN General Assembly in the twenty first century should no longer be the diplomatic congregation dedicated to rhetoric and abstinent in concrete actions. The unique opportunity must be utilized to the full potential by all nations to consolidate ideas and strategies in promoting regional and world peace possible upon addressing the few of the many burgeoning crisis.
The first and foremost – Freedom and Democracy in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iran and other parts of the Middle East, Tibet, Mainland and ethnic provinces in China, Burma, North Korea,
Emancipation of ethnic Tamils from the brutal genocide in Sri Lanka, Civil liberties in war ravaged Africa,
Restoration of democratic rule in Honduras and other parts of Latin America and,
Law and order in nuclear Pakistan to list a few as the priorities among the world political crisis.
————————————————————————————————–
The G-20 Summit: BY Padmini Arhant
With respect to the G-20 summit, the selective nations view should encompass the rest of the world dependent on the elitists’ economic policies and environmental decisions interrelated to eliminate poverty in the impoverished regions of Africa, Latin America, Asia, notwithstanding the unemployment plight among the middle and lower income groups in the Western world.
Whether or not the summit involves the global economic challenges including the environmental issues, the consensus should be to provide pragmatic solutions to the entire world through reform and restructuring of the different economic and world agencies such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, WTO, ILO (International Labor Organization) and review of the G-20 role in the economic recovery plan.
In this aspect, the anomalies in the trade surpluses and deficits between economic powers must be effectively resolved for global benefits rather than the personal gains of the premier membership committee.
There is enormous work required to combat the global economic woes having a ripple effect as seen in the finance sector, housing market, international trade, manufacturing demanding desperate regulations to avert catastrophes in the future.
In the environmental front, the universal green revolution is paramount for lasting life sustenance on the planet. The United States energy and environmental policy in leading the G-20 nations is vital to achieve the targeted environmental goals.
Various economic treaties between nations due for a thorough review and evaluation at the summit to improve the labor laws, ethics and industrial obligations essential to expedite the sluggish global economy and contain the environmental degradation.
Finally, the UN General Assembly and the G-20 summit are worthwhile with the global community engaged in harmony rather than acrimony to confront the humanitarian crises at all levels for the universal cause.
On that note, every United Nations and G-20 member visit as well as the non-member nations’ participation is appreciated not barring their interest and contribution to the myriad of international achievements thus far.
Thank you.
Padmini Arhant
P.S. The featured videos contain graphic content that may not be suitable for all.
The Media Hypocrisy
September 22, 2009
By Padmini Arhant
The Sly Fox
Old fables have many animal characters to teach moral lessons to the human species presumed ‘intellectually superior’ than others in the animal kingdom. One of the reasons for such categorization is the apparent ‘discriminative power’ of humans over other living species.
Among many interesting legends, the ‘bushy tail’ Fox has an unparallel reputation to be cunning and conniving in conduct blended with aggression against its targets. The distinctive characteristics is symbolic of the cowardice and malice towards the ‘King of the Jungle,’ the gracious and the Majestic Lion as well as those sharing the general good values.
The Fox portrayed as never affable to the surroundings and constantly engaged in wicked behavior to be the center of the universe.
In most fairy tales, the Fox approaches the jungle inhabitants as the savior or a problem solver, although incapable of being neither due to the innate abhorrence to accept anyone except oneself. Alas, a fox being a fox is unable to stay long in ‘sheep’s’ clothing, revealed despite the convincing act to mesmerize the spectators.
The favorite prey for the Fox is the tiny chickens tripping on the trail while following the mother hen. When the Fox confronted by the intellect of the Rabbit, the Owl or His Majesty, the Lion it retreats to the ‘Bushes’ as it finds the thickets a safe haven for its own survival suggesting,
Birds of a feather flock together.
How does the Fox fair among the characters in the imaginary world?
Awful. Since its mere existence is to ambush the innocent beings in the environment through vicious plots and despicable means carried out with vengeance, only to be later mortified with the exclusive title – the ‘Sly Fox’ proving the end justifies the means.
To shed light on the human superiority complex from the possession of the ‘so-called’ discriminative power, it is conspicuous in none other than politics and certain media focused on the truth assassination. A popular tactic that exploits the ‘discriminative quality’ in self-defense and protest against the inner voice from within called the ‘conscience.’ They usually aim at the truth and the truth seekers as they perform the hatchet job for the groups hiring them.
Nevertheless, the ‘Truth’ like the man’s moustache and the woman’s pregnancy cannot remain an indefinite secret. Although, some have temporarily prevailed in the burial of the immortal ethical element through abusive power and false propaganda in the communications media, the gory findings on the earth’s surface beckon attention and appropriate action.
A specific news media obsession to slander, character defamation and determination to eliminate people and organizations deserve a fair analysis. The selective scapegoats deceitfully projected as the potential threat to the society and vilifying them beyond reparation in the name of journalism more aptly adapting to the fundamentalism of the worst feared organization and networks in the global security.
As for those following the norm in typecasting to signify unanimity while ignoring objectivity, reflect the lack of caliber in the mass media supposedly the essence of democracy.
Lately, the news network renowned to be the epicenter for clichéd controversies unveiled the scandal involving the long darted community organization ACORN. According to the contrived and calculated video release by the disguised agents unethically presenting them as the bait to the organizations’ ill-experienced staff members in few locations created pandemonium, forcing the lawmakers, otherwise the conscientious legislators deeply concerned about morality and justice to withdraw funding to the organization that has primarily dedicated the lifetime service to humanity.
ACORN is not new to the media witch-hunt as it was initially tied to the alleged fraudulent ‘voter registrations’ during the 2008 Presidential election campaign.
The past week highlight was on another incident related to etiquettes in the public arena. The media buzz attracted to the decoy by the attention seeking rapper artist Kanye West in his immature and unprofessional display on stage undermining the special moment of the country musician and star, Taylor Swift, offered the momentous glory to the artist at the center of the entertainment climax.
Again, those who failed to join the national media frenzy on this unfortunate gimmick spotted and branded as a ‘racist’ and ‘biased’ against country musicians. It didn’t end there.
The callousness by the moral ethicists rose to the occasion –
When the event related to the atrocities against foreign students exclusively reported on the website in the absence of any interest by the sprawling news media and networks, it was concluded as the author’s nationalist view associated with ethnicity. Incidentally the majority victims happened to be Indian Nationals allowing the ‘ethnic’ connotation with the website www.padminiarhant.com author, editor and publisher for the desperate critics. Meanwhile forgetting self-hypocrisy in the alienation of the author as an American.
Regardless of the severity of the incident in the nation down under, Australia upheld as the ‘industrialized FIRST WORLD’ order –
Where the people of BROWN and BLACK COLOR in the twenty first century hunted down by the certain hooligan youth population motivated by hate crimes attacking victims traveling by public transport and in the privacy of their homes with petrol bombs and other life threatening arsenals marginalized by the provocative cable network as “BIG DEAL.” Slighting the serious schoolyard bullying and racial harassment in the rebuttal to the Kanye West charade.
When the media hype on issues varies based on commercial ratings, the journalism reaches the lowest ebb.
By the way, the victims have not seen the end of the racial attacks in Australia as it persists until date having permeated to other fields such as medicine. This time reportedly the incident involved a doctor from Mainland China along with the Nigerian Male Nurse invited by the unruly elements mature enough to understand the facts of life but ignorant on humanitarian values, brutally hurt when called on to attend to a fake emergency at a wild house party.
Should the victims’ families dismiss the crime as a ‘NO BIG DEAL’ incident in accordance with the specific cable media professional civic rule?
Somehow, the critics failed to observe that the vigilant website also did not report on the International Bollywood Star Sharukh Khan’s humiliating experience with airport security at the International Airport, Newark, New Jersey during the star’s visit to the United States that was widely covered by the national, international media and the cyberspace.
Does it mean that I do not like Sharukh Khan’s movies or think any less of the internationally acclaimed artist?
Celebrities in politics and the entertainment field have media hovering over them to report on activities pertaining to every moment of their private and public life. However, the unknown average citizen plight is newsworthy dependent on the demography, geography and commercial value.
If the cable network dominant in partisan politics and polarizing views discard the racial atrocity in Australia and the ridicule of the International Super Star, Sharukh Kahn, they are discerning in the coverage omission. The network with subsidiary “Star Plus” raking profits in millions of dollars from the affluent and expanding middle-income Indian population can chose to be discriminatory irrespective of the financial gains from the Indian market.
Nevertheless, it is unacceptable when one of their targets stick with the rare self-imposed ideals to lend a voice to the voiceless. The Indian viewers are surely getting the respect and gratitude for their business by the Parent Company with such hypocrisy.
The irony is, the cable network relentless disparaging remarks against the President of the United States and the endless criticisms to the extent of inciting violence towards individuals standing up against injustice, tyranny and undemocratic principles accepted as a normal media entertainment, while the alternative source such as the website dedicated to humanitarian cause placed on radar for incendiary assaults.
The dangerous intimidation techniques by the network masquerading the past eight years phenomenal humanitarian crimes ominously visible in the list of casualties succumbed to the media instigated action viz.
The tragic shooting of DR. George Tiller repeatedly referred to as ‘DR. Baby Killer’ by the irresponsible news anchor. On May 31, 2009 DR. George Tiller shot dead…WICHITA, Kansas.
Then the resignation by the bright and the articulate Van Jones, the White House appointee for Green Jobs and,
Now the genuine community organization ACORN’s forty years exemplary record in helping the poor and the needy unethically substituted with the isolated inappropriate business practices.
Contrarily, events worse than ACORN scandals were a routine with the private contractors and the major corporations such as Halliburton and KBR hired during the Iraq and Afghanistan war by the previous administration. They are no longer an ethical issue even though the widespread scandals continue to be a national embarrassment until date.
As for the voter registration fraud by ACORN, the media, the networks and the legislators’ amnesia in this respect is prominent when the democratic election in 2000 ended being a proclamation by the highest court on the land demonstrating political favors to the candidate of their choice. Likewise, the 2004 Ohio results manipulated and recalibrated by the then winning party’s political machine owned by DEBOLT, recently acquired by the company’s competitor.
The treatment of ACORN by the venerable network and alliances suggests that what happened then with the stolen elections in the year 2000 and 2004 are a spectacular ingenuity qualifying for the Nobel Prize equivalent in excellence. Simultaneously, the overzealous ACORN volunteers alleged fraudulent voter registration statistics by far negligible in comparison to the undermining of democracy in the previous eight long years, reverberates in the airwaves and talk shows as an epic to remember in the future.
The difference being, ACORN has fired the employees responsible for the scandals and Kanye West apologized three times during his appearance on the late night show hosted by Jay Leno.
Whereas, the nation and the families of the victims of illegal Iraq war, the torture chamber captives held indefinitely with no evidence of crimes and the list continues…are still waiting for an apology and due moral and monetary compensation from the illicit operatives in the past eight years.
Interestingly, the uproar to write off ACORN as a scandalous organization not worthy of taxpayer contribution and Kanye West’ misstep never missed in the monologues or ‘Pinhead’ profiles.
At the same time, the taxpayers bankruptcy from the financial bailouts to AIG and oligarchs preceded by the decorated unscrupulous practices by the Bush administration in the national issues ranging from economic, political to international warfare elegantly forgiven and forgotten for the sake of “One Nation” not under God but ruling demagoguery. This is just a mere sample of the gross injustice in the land of justice.
The above references are a few of the First amendment vehement abuse by the exalted network. Regrettably, the cable network prolific vitriol against other members in the society accepted as the ‘normal entertainment’ confirmed by the network’s hyperbolic ratings in their showdown with the counterparts.
Finally, the website www.padminiarhant.com , is pledged towards local and world events never reported or under reported by the profit oriented commercial media and networks. The website resiliently and proudly remains committed to defend the defenseless on the planet.
Thank you.
Padmini Arhant
International Affairs
September 19, 2009
BY Padmini Arhant
Japan’s General Election
Congratulations! to the DPJ (Democratic Party of Japan) leader, and the recently sworn in Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of Japan.
The DPJ’s landslide victory in the general election held on August 30, 2009 is an auspicious beginning for the land of the rising sun in breaking the long political tradition held with the LDP, the Liberal Democratic Party due to its failure on both the political stability and economic growth.
Japan‘s economic revival is crucial for the global economy and the new administration’s economic policy to stimulate the national economy is yet to be presented. The new government’s effort to address the social-economic issue in the agriculture and manufacturing is progressive. Nevertheless, Japan being one of the largest Capital economy and having suffered major setbacks in the finance sector shares the common economic woes i.e. the economic contraction and a relatively higher unemployment rate.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s political strategy to clean up the familiar bureaucratic ties between the government and the private sector largely responsible for the lack of accountability factor experienced in market economies bolstered the opportunity to win the general election.
The new Prime Minister’s vision for Japan is promising and utilizing the substantial political capital is vital for the expected economic recovery besides being relevant in addressing the universal matters viz. energy, environment and peace.
In terms of the persistent threat from the North Korean leadership, the Japanese population concerns against national security are justified. It leads towards the urgency to expand the United Nations Security Council’s permanent membership as suggested earlier from P5 to P11 during the general debate scheduled later this week at the 64th session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. The measure is prudent to contain the lingering dangers on international security with nuclear proliferation, global terrorism and escalation of wars in the vulnerable regions.
Further, the United Nation Security Council expansion will provide additional leaderships required to confront the global requirements that are not limited to the economy. Such action is a step in the right direction and yields flexibility in resolving multitude international issues presently differed due to the lack of necessary support from within the existing memberships.
On that note, Best Wishes offered to the new Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama for a successful term and even more prosperous Japan.
From: Padmini Arhant
————————————————————————————————–
Re-Election of the European Union President
Congratulations! to the President José Manuel Barroso initially representing the Portuguese Republic on the re-election to the EU Commission.
The appointment of José Manuel Barroso as President of the European Commission for the second five-year term signifies the Commission President’s popularity and confidence in the center-right leadership among the EU members.
Hopefully, the drive to center-right agenda apart from the European political integration will also include accountability, trade partnerships with the other EU members and the outside world, notwithstanding the social, peaceful and democratic policies essential for the invitees’ lateral advancement in the united Europe.
Although, the EU President Barroso welcoming other nations to become EU members is honorable, the eastern bloc countries like the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and others in that region deserve equal attention and opportunity in trade relationships, economic ties, political stability and regional security to ensure each and every nation’s significance in the world performance.
President Barroso’s invitation to nations all over Europe to join the European Union is a magnanimous gesture and a symbolic movement to solidify Europe, an important ally to the rest of the world.
Since the formation of the European Union, the EU progress has been substantial in all major fronts from the regional economy, the environment to the cross border security in the least respect. Given the EU potential in different dynamics, its full-fledged participation for global peace and economic prosperity is pertinent to expedite the positive transformation in the impoverished regions of the world.
The European Union together with the United States and other economic powers in Asia and Latin America can consolidate efforts, work towards the common goal of improving the lives of millions living below the poverty line, and assist the vast population deprived of freedom and basic human rights.
Even though, the NATO involvement in Afghanistan in spite of considerable casualties is praiseworthy, the present disproportionate economic and defense burden on the United States to restore law and order, otherwise normalcy in Afghanistan could be equally shared by all EU members not in a combative format, but rather through logistic support and financial aid to the war ravaged Afghanistan.
However, the EU role in the current controversial Afghan election has been tremendous and the findings reflect the fair and non-partisan decision by the panel conforming to the United Nations and other international political watchdog groups’ report on the election outcome.
The latest report on the Europe’s economic recovery is refreshing despite the gloomy global unemployment forecast rising from 8.6% to a possible 10% in the immediate future. In addition, the strengthening of the Euro currency against the U.S. dollar has exacerbated the problems for export-oriented nations like Germany, France and Italy in the large-scale production of consumer goods and other demands. A robust stimulus economic policy addressing the synonymous issues faced by the United States in the financial, housing and manufacturing sectors should resuscitate the ailing components in the economy.
Finally, Europe’s solidarity shared with the remaining global members would ease the economic costs and increase the viability in meeting the enormous challenges for humanity.
I wish the European Union peace and success in all endeavors to benefit mankind.
Thank you.
Padmini “Arhant
Health Care Resolution – Clarification
September 16, 2009
Ever since the health care debate started, the main objective among the visible opponents has been to fictionalize the various contents of the bill. The principles of the health care bill – costs, quality and affordability extensively discussed per blogpost Health Care Reform July 11, 2009 on this website.
Several testimonials by citizens from all walks of life through various mediums confirmed the urgency for health care reform.
The partisan politics continues to disparage the millions of people deprived of proper health care during the public discourse.
A sensitive national matter turned into a controversial subject by the special interests’ agents. The health care bill described as voluminous, inadequate and far-fetched in reference to the government plan or public option. On the other hand, the noise amazingly disappeared with the White House statement on the possible elimination of the government plan from the competition.
Hence, the overview of the health care funding and the actual role of government plan in the health care legislation vital for true perspective.
How is the government health care funded?
The health care funded through three main categories –
First, by reducing wasteful spending and redundant costs prevalent in the ‘all private run’ system at the moment, a liability transferred on to the Corporations providing insurance, small businesses and individual insurance subscribers by the Health Insurance industry.
Trimmings guaranteed to generate the required savings to a tune of $300-$450 billion, the major portion of it stemming from out-of-court settlements in health care lawsuits, rising costs in malpractice insurance, neglecting preventive care, excessive intervention by the insurance companies with pre-authorization and final authorizations…contributing to a chaotic structure of the huge public system.
Next, streamlining the Health Care industry’s disproportionate costs across the wide spectrum of health care services to fund the program. It’s essential to emphasize that no one is against profit in either private run or hybrid systems. However, profit set to bankrupt the economy and the consumers in the form of businesses and individuals is equivalent to driving blindfolded on a one-way street with a dead end.
Unless and until the health care industry profit margin is reasonable, even the Health Insurance industry objectionable to the government involvement cannot sustain the escalating costs factored with exorbitant mark-ups by the health care complex.
The common problem for both private health insurance and the government plan is the costs incurred in the health care provision – health care professional fees, hospital admissions, treatment, drugs and ancillary services.
In order to keep up with the ever increasing health care industry costs, the health insurance competes with the counterpart by selling unaffordable insurance resulting in the estimated fifty million uninsured as well as cutting corners by denying adequate and quality coverage to the remaining dissatisfied insured population. Even though, the propaganda negates the fact claiming the satisfied insured population at 80%.
The health care and health insurance might appear to be in cohort when they really are at odds against each other in the excessive profit oriented scheme. There has been a rebuttal on this ‘profit’ issue by the health care spokespersons, some even resorting to name-callings as the line of defense. An elaborate explanation was provided via Op-ed, Washington Post, July 2009-
How the reigning in on profit in a free market system would drive the economy to pitfalls.
What was not included in the explanation is the attempt to derive limitless profit at the expense of a vast majority in a sector that would naturally enable the expected returns given the volume based health industry. Similar to the energy sector surviving and thriving in any economy.
Another example for that matter, the world’s manufacturing warehouse, China ending in trade surplus with the rock bottom price due to worldwide mass production.
Regardless of the government plan, the health insurance industry cannot keep its promise to the changes required in the system without the cooperation from the health care industry. In a way, the government plan would ease the burden on the health insurance industry by negotiating with the health care industry via legislation. So, instead of viewing the government or the public option as an obstacle, the health insurance should envisage positive outcome from the hybrid system.
Third, tax increases on the taxpayers with extraordinary income configured in the earlier bill by the House of Congress to supplement health care funding is the prudent path to economic recovery that is excoriating the national revenue from other sectors. It could very well be a short-term pain evolving into long-term healing process.
The emotional outbursts with claims “I want to take my America back form Obama” revolves around the fear and commotion created by the veterans of smear tactics and the infamous ‘swift boat’ campaigners emerging during national elections, illegal wars and all things against national progress.
Ironically, the skepticism and cynicism about public option or a robust government plan for the benefit of the national economy and health in the near future overshadow the crisis in the present health care system.
One might call it a potent weapon by the opponents of the national interests suppressing the anomalies of the exclusive private run enterprise that is proven catastrophic to the overall economy and the general population.
Thus far, in all the town hall meetings organized to address the ‘legitimate’ concerns and queries from the victims of the present health care conglomerate watered down with the negatively charged combative remarks, cleverly pushing the pro-reform legislators on the defense.
Did the opponents gain from the anti-national movement?
Maybe for the time being but only soon to realize that such back alley ambush has its own ramifications that should not be underestimated.
As stated earlier, it’s about time the medical industrial complex and their representatives in the Senate and the House against the public option or the government plan get off the offense and provide believable answers to the simple yet direct questions:
The contentious issue in the health care legislation is the government plan or the public option.
Considering that the contemporary health care system is exclusively private run with the exception of Medicare and Medicaid,
1. Why is the nation left behind with a staggering fifty million population uninsured, if the free market has enough competitors to lower the price?
The correct response: It’s because there is no real or a formidable challenger up to the task of dealing with the monopoly in the system and the non-profit cooperatives will be a fly that would be swatted down by the big players even before it begins to buzz around.
2. Why are the insured population forced to reach out to overseas health care facilities, under the apparently fabulous health care system certified by the paid representatives in the Senate and the House?
Quote – Wall Street Journal – Extensive 2008 editorial and articles – “South Asia, a popular destination for American patients awaiting transplants and various treatment care involving hospitalizations.”
Response: Health care industry’s phenomenal profit driven costs is triggering the health insurance industry to subsidize quality and appropriate treatment necessary but flatly denied to the ailing population. Further, the pre-authorization and final authorization protocols from the private health insurers applicable on healthy and pre-disposed health patients arising from the lack of trust by the insurance industry against the health care industry cause the exodus of the suffering population to foreign locations, not to mention the loss of income to the state and the national economy.
3. Why is the infant mortality and uninsured dependents in the lower income families, elderly care in terms of drug costs to name a few issues, so high under the ‘supposedly’ caring and affordable health care system?
Response: The health insurance and the health care industry policy designed for the healthy and the wealthy minority, rather than the underprivileged and the unfortunate majority.
4. The assertion that government plan dependent upon costs reduction from the health care industry only to be evaded by the health care providers held against the public option entry.
On similar assumption, What is the insurance industry proposal to alleviate the costs to make it affordable for all Americans?
Is the health insurance industry more influential over the health care providers?
In that case, what are they waiting for and why can’t they demonstrate their ability to improve the conditions now, i.e. (if they recognize that there is a systemic problem) to include all in the present system that would benefit the stagnant economy as well.
Alternatively, Does the health insurance possess a unique charm that would mesmerize the health care proponents to agree with the Insurance Industry demands?
One would assume that if it works for one, why it shouldn’t work for another.
Response: Both health care and health insurance industry common goal is to appease their shareholders with handsome returns and will stretch any limits with the consumer as the sacrificial lamb in the expansive, unmitigated health care arena.
5. The Congressmen and Women not in favor of public option, but probably supportive of non-profit cooperative system, is obligatory to their constituents and the entire nation to come forward in a town hall meeting or comparable setting,
To lay out their presumably efficient ‘free market’ operation predicted to create a utopian environment apart from setting precedence for other industrialized nations with hybrid health care systems.
Considering the unanimous consensus that the health care system due for modifications,
It would be fair and justified to call on the health care, the health insurance industry and their representatives in Congress responsible for the stalemate to present the facts and figures to the American consumers and taxpayers in their pledge to clean up the mess in the national health care.
In this context, the activism from the health care professionals seemingly frustrated with the insurance industry dictating terms and conditions in patient care disappointingly missing in action.
The other issue raised by the industry and their agents is – Why is the health care reform a priority and what is the need to rush on the issue?
Response: The economy and the plight of the suffering population speak volume in this regard. Failure to resuscitate the ailing heart would lead to fatality, evidenced in the victims’ real experiences.
In a nutshell, the nation has had enough with the shenanigans from the opponents of the national health care reform who have neither any treatment nor cure to the national epidemic called the health care that is aptly the health nightmare for the sane majority.
To reiterate, Health care is not a privilege or an entitlement but a necessity for survival.
Therefore, targeting higher profit against the market reality directly affecting the economy is not a smart business strategy, besides being beyond the realm of ethics and economics.
The evidence is in the status quo.
If the industries and their agents cannot resolve the matter effectively through cooperation, the obstinacy reflects the national decimation policy.
Finally, health care reform in the absence of universal provision viz. single payer system is cosmetic measure with health industry and political establishment being the real beneficiaries in the lucrative deal.
Thank you.
Padmini Arhant
Health Care Bill from the Senate Finance Committee
September 16, 2009
By Padmini Arhant
Also included is the Response to the Presidential Address to Congress on Health Care Reform.
According to the latest report from the Associated Press:
Health care bill advances without bipartisan deal –
“After months of bipartisan negotiations, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Finance Committee, told associates during the day he intends to unveil a detailed outline of legislation on Wednesday and convene the panel next week to vote on it.
Baucus’ proposal is certain to shun the liberals’ call for the government to sell insurance, and rely instead on co-ops to offer coverage in competition with private industry. His approach includes a requirement for individuals to buy insurance, with financial penalties for those who don’t. Rather than a mandate for larger businesses to provide coverage for employees, they would be required to defray the cost of any government subsidies their employees would qualify for.”
——————————————————————————————–
Analysis: By Padmini Arhant
The public officials’ loyalty to the private industry in the health care bill strongly suggests that these officials are making a mockery of the world’s modern democracy emulated by many young and developing nations up until now.
It is obvious from their openness that they will continue to thumb the electorates’ nose and instead chose to oblige to the whims and fancies of the “Special Interests’ hiring them to deliver the meal in every legislation.
If these officials have great concern for the welfare and the interests of the industries they are associated with, then why are they wasting their time in public service?
They might as well work for the private sector and attain the personal financial gains they are looking for in life and leave the public office to the earnest Americans committed to the service of the people and not the ‘Special Interests’ hiring them for mutual benefits.
There are many qualified, honest and hard working individuals in the American society pledged to serve the people and produce the results in favor of the entire population across the political spectrum.
It’s time for America to wake up from the deep slumber and restore democracy now by directing the legislature to include the government run ‘public option’ rather than accepting the status quo from the elected officials clearly operating under the guidance of the ‘Special Interests.’
Has America become so weak that it can’t defend its own democracy invaded by Capitalism conspicuous in the love-fest between Wall Street and Washington?
Perhaps, the marriage between the Wall Street’s ‘Capital’ and Washington ‘Power’ will be a great model for the marriage counseling.
The inseparable bond is awesome but when it happens to the detriment of their constituents without the people favored ‘public option’ the public officials’ priorities are clear.
Unless and until every constituent struggling to make ends meet along with the nervous citizens confronting the lingering economic uncertainties rise to the occasion and demand Washington to address their needs by declining the ‘Special Interests’ decision pushed through the democratically elected officials, it will be too late to challenge the ogre in the health care battle.
The ‘Special Interests’ investment in media propaganda on the government run ‘public option’ as the bureaucratic meddling in the patient care and the controversial ‘death panel’ is a far-fetched psychodrama displayed at the town hall meetings and the weekend rally in the Capitol.
However, the camouflaged truth behind the so-called health care reform is, the bureaucrats in Washington and Wall Street are already in control of the citizens’ destiny with their verdict to move on without the government run ‘public option.’
Again, the Washington and White House ambivalence in the ‘public option’ of the health care bill, despite the grueling tragic experiences shared by many people across the nation regardless of political factions and socio-economic backgrounds is not only disappointing but also thoroughly unacceptable.
Please don’t forget that all those officials have a guaranteed health care, besides the authority and means to survive during and after their political career regardless of whether they return to power or not. Unfortunately, human nature often motivated to care for self prior to others. It’s prevalent more so now than ever before.
In the Darwinian ‘survival of the fittest’ environment, nothing is available without a robust fight and it is poignant in the health care debate. It’s the democratic right of every citizen to expect the essential requirement particularly in the health matter that has revealed the true colors of the individuals’ with power.
Never mind the campaign promise and the constitutional oath while being elected to the office. The gulf between the elitist and the populist is more prominent in the health care matter with the elected officials’ resignation to diminish the SOS from the people granting them with power in a democracy.
The rebuttal could be that the bill has the mandatory requirement for the private insurers to immediately insure all those ailing patients with pre-existing conditions upon passing the legislation and therefore, declare the issue as resolved.
With the Senate Finance Committee diligently proposing the private citizens to purchase health insurance bringing more business to their favored party, the health industry,
Will the private industry cover the disputed 47- 50 million uninsured regardless of the employment situation?
Who will pay for the citizens who cannot afford the price tag from the private insurers in the absence of the government insurance program?
Obviously, the taxpayers expected to cover through government subsidies or aid like they are footing the bill right now for patient care at the county hospitals and ensuring the health insurance as well as the hospital industry’s prosperity while the expenses added on to the national deficit.
Ironically, the objection raised against the government insurance program claiming it would disproportionately increase the national deficit when the Senate Finance Committee proposes exactly that with the non-profit cooperative society funded by the government instead of the direct government involvement such as Veterans Care, Medicare and Medicaid.
The surreptitious Health Care bill from the Health Care industry via the Senate Finance Committee is a mere fulfillment of the legislative duty because it does not address the real problems of the people classified as the minority later to become the majority without a strong competitor.
The industry response might be that the price will be competitive for those individuals to pay for it. Even if such magical event were to take place, the million dollar question is,
How long is the competitiveness effective for the current uninsured to remain in the system with the compulsory insurance purchase enforced upon them?
Although, the question posed is by no means any concessions towards the elimination of government administered public option, it is absolutely important to determine the timeframe as free market has periodically demonstrated its free will to adjust price to meet the shareholders and the Chief Executives’ extravaganza.
Notably, the finance industry offering the teaser rates as a decoy on credit cards and home loans, only to be discovered later by the victims upon receiving notifications from the banking sector regarding the atrocious interest rates hikes.
Interestingly, the myopic view by many to pass the legislation in order to satisfy the process and claim a historic victory ignoring the tragedies of a significant population is a betrayal of the people’s trust in their representatives and a political suicide for the majority party in the 2010 elections.
It shouldn’t be a surprise when the opposition’s relentless effort to sabotage the health care reform spun around during the mid-term elections as the failure of the ‘hope and change’ Obama care plan resulting in a win-win situation for the obstructionists now and in the immediate future.
In conclusion, the White House, the House and the Senate’s coherence to the health care conglomerates by marginalizing the weak, the sick, the vulnerable population and everyone else in the landmark legislation is a colossal mistake due to the misplaced trust in the private industry essentially responsible for the health care disaster.
Thank you.
Padmini Arhant
P.S. My Response to the President’s Congressional Address on Health Care Reform
From: Padmini Arhant
To: President Barack Obama
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 5:58:59 PM
Subject: Re: Not the first, but the last
Hon. President Barack Obama
Dear Mr. President,
Please refer to attachment for details.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Padmini Arhant
Honorable. President Barack Obama
Dear Mr. President,
Thank you for laying out the Health Care components to clarify the doubts and confusions surrounding the landmark Health Care legislation.
As I consider myself extremely privileged to have known you and your sincere desire to serve the American people representing the stars and stripes of this great country, not recently but from the grueling time on the campaign trail, I’m taking the opportunity to share my honest understanding and legitimate concerns regarding this bill.
I realize the humongous challenges related to the Health Care legislation particularly in dealing with the ‘Special Interests’ force and the worsening partisanship creating a gulf to block the necessary reform, the only hope and salvation for our national economy and the American people , the victims of the heavily politicized and narcissistic Washington culture.
In your speech, you mentioned that the details would follow in the immediate future and that the Health Care address was to familiarize the nation with the framework of the bill. In this context, we cannot ignore the truth that those who are against any reform are always going to detect flaws regardless of the many concessions already in the bill.
The reason for the delay in my response to your message is to review the issue rationally given the public plight on affordability and eligibility in the exclusively privatized industry. You are no stranger to this aspect with your passive experience during your mother’s agonizing battle with the terminal illness in the absence of a guaranteed insurer ideally in the form of a ‘single payer’ or at least the ‘public option’ to save and prolong life. Unfortunately, we all know that it is a common tragedy for the many struggling population in our society.
Obviously, it is a huge mountain to climb with a rugged and slippery slope path. You pledged to the nation last night that you want to be the last President to have aimed at the century old national issue directly affecting every American and emerge successful in the legislation. The consensus among the victims is if the legislation passed to appease those who prioritize their personal interest over the common goal then there was no need to mobilize the nation and raise the hopes of millions during the election campaign and now.
I don’t think it is fair or morally justified to disappoint and deny the people who are the taxpayers, consumers and electorates the means to exist and stay alive through the absolute ‘single payer’ process or in the least a government administered ‘public option’ and not a non-profit cooperative agency. Again, in comparison the former President George W. Bush took the nation to war on false pretences and the ultimatum ‘either you are with us or with the terrorists.’
Apparently, rhetoric of that kind proven to resonate among the ‘Nay’ Sayers on the Special Interests’ payroll. Witnessing the opposition to life saving proposal is no surprise at all but that is not the ‘hope and change’ people voted for last November 2008.
I’m always with you and the great Americans working harder than ever in the legislative matter that promotes equality, fairness and justice for all.
Health Care legislation is a unique moment for your Presidency to do the right by the people and for the people who really matter in a democracy.
Overall, your presentation was very impressive and right on target, although I was hoping for a steadfast commitment towards the majority preferred ‘public option’ that is truly meaningful and paramount to reform the status quo.
I’ll be presenting the brief analysis on your address to the Congress for public view shortly.
Best Wishes
Padmini Arhant
The Noise Pollution
September 14, 2009
By Padmini Arhant
The blogpost on the “Aftermath of 9/11 including the global economy and international security’ rescheduled for publication. Meanwhile, the news media and press coverage with incendiary remarks and vitriolic comments by certain entities against the specific target as the ‘truthers’ and the ‘blogger in anonymity’ urgently required to be placed in true perspective.
It’s obvious from the news articles that the preachers do not necessarily practice their doctrine on morality, equality, civility and decency to say the least. While demanding decorum from the victim of gender, race, religion and ethnicity biased attacks, these oligarchs brandishing the swords not to slain the truth tellers but indeed the truth itself.
The venom spewed in the local and major newspaper articles need dissection, because it is nothing but a concoction of personal theories layered with bizarre and intellectually lacking assumptions suggesting their own poor representations of the topic and personnel. Surprisingly, one among them ruthlessly accusing the ’10 percent vocal minority’ for the unfamiliar and unpopular self owned obscure websites and its miserable failure to attract traffic among the billion surfers on the cyberspace.
The objectionable content from the authors strongly indicate their characteristics and i.e. When things don’t fare well for them, rather than addressing the self-deficiencies they find a scapegoat preferably the diametrically opposite character to camouflage their fictional work. It is no surprise to view the isolation of the individual they aim at and their preposterous justification in demanding the ousting of personalities displaying courage to unveil the public related facts.
It’s time to shed light on the contentious issues highlighted in these articles.
The assertions by one of the leading daily columnist, also a contributor to a major cable news network that specializes in character defamation of the public with different political views, are:
The former administration falsely accused of being responsible for the 9/11 tragedy and framing the subject to have disgracefully ignored the plight of the 9/11 victims and their families. Hence, the author using the prerogative to disdain the accused with distortions of the blog post material regarding –
‘The previous administration taking the nation to war on false pretences’ when the particular reference was to the Iraq war, as globally known in the absence of any Weapons of Mass destruction,.’
What did the author, the news anchor and some talk show hosts of the specific cable news network do on the particular day of posting the blogpost, i.e. Friday September 11, 2009?
They cleverly distracted the American public by connecting the comment to the 9/11 event despite no mention of September 11, 2009 in that statement.
Furthermore, the author makes use of the citation of the Industrial contamination by the multinational companies such as the Union Carbide poisonous gas leakage disaster in Bhopal, India in the blogpost titled ‘Capitalism alias Communism’ and steer in the direction implicating the accused of polarizing the society playing the race card.
Last but not the least; the author proudly classifies the victim of political propaganda in the category of ‘Holocaust Denier” and a nonsympathizer of the September 11, event.
The irony in this instance is ominously revealing…
The author in the grand slandering of the victim blatantly accuses the subject to be the denier of the two most horrific crimes against humanity with no shred of evidence in any material presented thus far on the website.
Simultaneously the author reserves the right to the slight and dismissal of the worst Industrial genocide with irrecoverable consequences in human history that took place in Bhopal, India as an environmental incident in the ‘Third World.’
In addition, the utter disregard for the ‘Holocaust’ taking place by the hour in Sudan, Palestine in the form of oppression and illegal settlements, Iraq through illegal invasion and Afghanistan as the major failure warfare clearly suggests the author’s stance that the loss of lives from these atrocities are just and dispensable. Again conveniently forgetting that the world events affect the United States as it’s not in a parallel universe but instead a part of the planet.
When these entities overwhelmed with arrogance, discriminate between human lives based on race, religion and creed they fail to recognize that their ideology is no different from the terrorists’ fundamentalism.
Some individuals behold themselves above the human category to the extent of being invincible and stretch to any length in the character assassination of the noble souls defiant to any form of undemocratic and unethical oppression in the society.
Interestingly, these demagogues having prevailed in the past with the behavioral pattern remain frozen in time in terms of historic events and the general environment. Their knowledge often insular and limited as they refuse to look beyond their enclave and therefore paralyzed to the pain and suffering endured by the vast inhabitants on the planet stemming from their complicity to humanitarian crimes and criminal conduct.
It’s important for these overzealous defense counsels to realize that the verbal assaults against the genuinely concerned voices would reverberate making their effort futile and counterproductive.
Another noteworthy factor in that article was – the highlighting of the eligibility to the ‘White House’ high profile position, which is not only presumptuous but also elevating thyself as the ‘Supreme authority’ in the universe. Amazingly, these entities flex muscles regardless of them being in power or not.
As for the article written to presumably protecting the ‘Internet from blogger anonymity.’ the suggestions vary from internet censorship to condemnation of the ‘vocal minority’ squarely blamed for the suppression of the ‘apparently’ outstanding 90 percent majority. The article calls the blogger’s position hateful, cowardly…and squarely blames the blogger for the ‘minority’ dominance over the asserted ‘majority.’
Such character defamation is ‘hypocritical.’ By referring to the blogger as a ‘minority’ multiple times, the ignorance combined with the exceeding idiosyncrasy reflected in the article.
First, the blogger being the member of the human race, the term ‘minority’ deflects the reference.
Second, the female gender perceived as the ‘minority’ by the narrow minds voided by the planetary equal gender ratio, an act of Mother Nature to curb the superiority among the human race and lastly,
If the ‘minority’ remark laced with ethnicity or religious denomination, then the second most populous nation on earth India has at least one billion Hindus on the planet, which by no measure is a minority.
With respect to the ‘hateful’ and ‘cowardly’ characterizations, the appropriate response is ‘look within and find yourself.’ In the finger pointing, it’s not uncommon to overlook the remaining fingers’ direction.
A demand to reveal the identity responded to earlier on. Besides, it confirms the authors’ belligerence towards anyone not sharing the contemptuous outlook. That must explain the unpopularity of the complainant’s website.
Since, the birth certificate demanded of the ‘President of the United States,’ other ‘minority’ members in the society are a fair game to the charade.
Sadly, those who voluntarily submit to denigrate the ‘minority’ humanitarians are the ones posing to be the problems instead of being the solutions in the society.
No political threats, maneuvers and manipulations will alter the positions of those who stand firm against injustice, inequalities and irrationality. Humanitarians are never afraid to hold an unpopular position, if that is what is necessary. None other than the history is testimony to this effect.
Truth and Honesty, oxymoron in politics are the prime casualties during the war and election.
The nation that takes pride in the Bill of Rights, denial of the First Amendment to all via internet censorship or other communication media is a direct violation of the constitutional right and justifiably makes the propagandists place themselves as ‘Communists’ or “Militia” advocates by default.
The noise pollution is the least concern of the ‘self-proclaimed’ moralists who flagrantly look for flaws
in those dedicated to cleaning the environment.
Finally, the quote from the genius mind aptly summarize the ‘minority subject’s’ purpose.
FROM THE VENERABLE Albert Einstein –
“Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others…for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day, I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.”
Thank you.
Padmini Arhant
Padmini Arhant – PadminiArhant.online
Padmini Arhant – Gaza War and Rafah Air Strike
Independent Free Palestine – Jan 2024 Speech
Celebration – Bright, Beautiful & Picturesque
Bright, Beautiful & Picturesque
Swastika – The Sacred Symbol – All is Well
Organic Intelligence Erring!
The ones flaunting the so-called organic intelligence with constant jibes at the allegedly artificial intelligence could perhaps seek assistance from the latter in spelling adjectives correctly to make sense of the message. Even basic spell check feature would serve the requirement.
The country is indeed precious not prescious than any individual, entity, political party, institution and organization.
Needless to say, it is applicable all around without exception.
Unlike the trend, smothered in hypocrisy beckoning others to do what is apparently unacceptable to selves to the extent of blasphemy.
Padmini Arhant
Get over the 🤚🏽✋✌🏼✌️✌🏿 🙏🏽🙏🏻🙏🏽🙏🙏🏿 mania!
Get over the mania!
🙏🏽🙏🏻🙏🏽🙏🙏🏿
mania as that is not going to deliver what is aimed at and desired in vain except confirming your asinine indulgence.Besides in politics such as Indian corrupt criminal signature trait is exclusively yours and no monkey see monkey do act can change it for it is attached to you like skin and bone.
Padmini Arhant
Padmini Arhant with Divinity Shiva
Celebration of Lord Krishna
Message to Humanity – Padmini Arhant
Spread peace and engage in non-violence. Speak truth with courage. Heed your conscience. Respect life. Serve your nation and people with honesty and integrity. Espouse human values and exemplify in deeds with care and compassion. Voice concern over injustice. Be part of the solution and not the problem. Love mankind and environment for universal harmony.
Peace is Eternal Bliss.Padmini Arhant
தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு 2022 நல் வாழ்த்துக்கள்! Tamil New Year 2022 Greetings!
Padmini Arhant and Roshni Greeted by the Brilliant Light in the Horizon
Words of Wisdom from Venerable Gautam Buddha
Words of Wisdom from Venerable Gautam Buddha
Tamil OM Symbol & Pranava Manthiram
Absolute Truth
Reunion with Divinity God Shiva at Holy Mt.Kailash 2019
Padmini Arhant interaction with God Shiva during Parikrama of Mt.Kailash
Padmini Arhant Kailash Lake Manasarovar Pilgrimage 2019
Padmini Arhant on Parikrama or Circumambulation of Mt. Kailash
ARHANT Family at Famous Taj Mahal
Gautam Buddha’s Words of Wisdom
Peace Pledge
