Saturday, 30 December 2023

From this week’s news on: society generally, and broader issues

From this weeks news on society generally, and broader issues (note: I may continue to add links for a few days, possibly up to a week, after these are published):


My links for activism post may aid any activism  you may decide to do on any/all of these

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

  • this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

  • there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  • I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

 

 

From this week’s news on: the climate crisis, environmental issues, and nuclear threats/issues [Note: Content Warning - links to distressing reports on this topic. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as mental health support - <your nation>(which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good items are shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple groups.


From this weeks news on the climate crisis, environmental issues, and nuclear threats/issues (note: I may continue to add links for a few days, possibly up to a week, after these are published), noting that at least some issues will not have made it into the news that I see


 

My links for activism post may aid any activism  you may decide to do on any/all of these.

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

  • this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

  • there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  • I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

 

 

From this week’s news on: human rights and humanitarian aid [Note: Content Warning - links to distressing reports on this topic. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as mental health support - <your nation>(which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good items are shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple groups.


From this weeks news on human rights (note: I may continue to add links for a few days, possibly up to a week, after these are published), noting that many issues have probably not made it into the news that I see: 

 

 


  • a local councillor with a long history of standing up for trans rights has been found guilty of breaching their local government  councils code of conduct for calling out a transphobe’s transphobia and attendance at an event which also had - predictably, in this instance, given the speaker - neo-n___s ... No sanctions have been imposed, however, raising hopes that MAYBE the decision is a little like the verdict in the novel QB VII ...   See   “No Sanctions Against Cr T___ B_____ Over M____ D______ Tweet”   https://www.starobserver.com.au/news/national-news/victoria-news/no-sanctions-against-cr-tony-briffa-over-moira-deeming-tweet/227695   Rainbow Local Government, which campaigns to increase LGBTQI representation in local Victorian councils, said that councillors who stand with the community and marginalised groups should be applauded.   “Councillors should be encouraged and supported to stand up for trans people and other marginalised groups and to call out those who seek to demean or diminish the rights of trans community members,” the organisation said in a statement.”   Whilst I understand the need to avoid partisanship/restricted political views and enable debate, hate speech is NOT a political view - it is a human rights crime. The code of conduct needs to be updated (even though it refers already to the state government’s Charter of Human Rights ... ) ... It is particularly offensive that the complainants included misgendering when transphobes do that and thereby put lives at risk. I think I feel an activism email coming on ...   




  • “Should Disabled People Be Forced To Work?”   https://youtu.be/hpb_1aYtGds?si=n_1ROVM7j0RkRKjJ   This is excellent, and rebuts the myths, sloppy thinking, and unethical points f view behind those who resent most, if not all, forms of social security  



My links for activism post may aid any activism  you may decide to do on any/all of these

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

  • this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

  • there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  • I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

 

From the news on: the war in West Asia [Content Warning - links to reports on bigotry/hate, violence including SA & CSA/abuse/war, genocide, language. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as mental health support - <your nation>(which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good items are shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple groups.

Reporting on recent and currently ongoing tragic events in West Asia, in Israel, Gaza, and adjoining nations, includes the following: 

 

When I look at what Israel is doing in Gaza, and the ineffective response of the world as a whole, I think Israel and _____ could not have more thoroughly destroyed a workable, constructive world order if they had actively collaborated (which, to be clear, they have not)

I also consider Israel’s actions in the last few months in Gaza have put that nation and Jewish people everywhere at risk - and I fear the massive increase in antisemitic attacks is just a start ... In my opinion, this creation of elevated risk for Jewish people - combined with racism against Jewish people of colour - creates doubt as to whether Israel’s foundational reason for existence is being met - and that reason is: to ensure that the world has a safe place of refuge for Jewish people ... 

In addition, the clear continuance of abuses of hostages - including of children - by _____  is something that should be drawing world concern, sympathy, and caring, but Israel’s actions and apparent limited care for the hostages means that is being lost.

On that, anyone who thinks that Israel driving all Palestinians out of Gaza (which is allegedly one of the covert goals of this operation) would mean an end to conflict in that region is incompetent and/or blinded by bias/anything-goes-loyalty and/or amathia - after all, remember that expulsion (see here, here, here, here, and especially here but also here, as fault could be argued to exist on both sides) failed to bring peace back in the 1940s ... 

Another point to keep in mind here is that Israel’s unquestioned past military supremacy (albeit with US help) has been changing. This site now ranks Israel’s military strength at 18th, which is below that of Egypt (14th) and Iran (17th), and makes US military support even more critical. If political support in the USA for Israel declines too far, that military support could be put at risk - already, in my opinion, Israel’s loss of support exceeds the loss of support for Palestinians that _____ caused on 7th October ...  

 

  

on peace/ceasefires:   

on human rights and human suffering (on both sides) aspects:   

on military aspects:    

regionally:    

internationally

 

 

Note: as with other mass murderers/serial killers/and the like, violent extremists crave publicity, so I refuse to give that to them - I will avoid using their names (which is a policy adopted by good law enforcement and media for other mass murderers), and I will not give them the satisfaction of being described with the T word. 

Note also that the genocidal intent of the VEs I refuse to name is clear, according to this from experts in that topic.

My links for activism post may aid any activism  you may decide to do on any/all of these.

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

  • this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

  • there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  • I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.