Columns

From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Burundi?

I recently printed out a map of the planet and set about highlighting all the countries on Earth that are currently "hosting" US forces. The source data includes foreign deployments ranging from less than 20 soldiers to more than 2,000 troops. (There currently are 225,000 US soldiers stationed in other people's countries, with 12,000 of them stuck in Afghanistan.)

But counting the number of "Pentagonized" countries turned out to be too large a chore. Instead, I opted to seek out only those nations that did NOT have US forces embedded on their soil. That job went much faster: It turned out there were only 11.

Here is a list of the less-than-a-dozen nations where no one is saluting a US flag: Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Eritrea, French Guiana, Gambia, Iran, Lesotho, North Korea, South Sudan, and Western Sahara.

This list may soon become even shorter given US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's February 1 visit to Belarus. Pompeo has offered the traditionally Russia-aligned nation a bounty of American-sourced energy—as Pompeo put it: "100% of the oil you need at competitive prices.”

Find the Dinosaur

A juvenile brontosaurus was recently spotted in the bushes near a corner home in West Berkeley. If you'd like to track it down, here are some clues as to its location:

(1) "Yes, ___, There is a Santa Claus."

(2) "Ode to Joy" is found in Beethoven's _____ Symphony.

 

Why Must Soldiers and Their Families Have to Resort to Charity? 

A new TV spot now airing features Mark Wahlberg soliciting funds to help the families of soldiers killed in America's Global War on Terror. Donations to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation (TTF) are designed to raise $250 million to acquire 1,000 secure homes for "Gold Star Families." 

As CEO Frank Siller says in a TTF video: "This is our contract with our military: that when you go to serve our country . . . and you do not come home, we are going to give [your family] a mortgage-free home." 

The TV spot asks viewers to send $11 per month to support families of dead veterans—a tidy total of $132 a year. 

This is a worthy charitable goal but here's my question. Where is the Pentagon? Where's the US government? When it comes to housing the families of dead soldiers, the US is "missing in action." 

Why, in the self-styled "richest nation on Earth," must vets and Gold Star families have to rely on charitable organizations like the TTP or the Wounded Warriors Project (whose top executives were fired after a "lavish spending scandal" involving "parties, hotels and travel")? 

Instead of prattling about the US being "the home of the brave," politicians might wish to take action to provide homes for the brave. While dead soldiers have their names inscribed on walls, surviving soldiers often find themselves abandoned on city sidewalks, dressed in rags. 

Once Upon a Time, Victors Were Spoiled 

From the earliest days of the Republic, the US (like the Roman Empire before it) had a practice of rewarding military service with gifts of land (much of it stolen from Indigenous inhabitants). For nearly a century—from 1775 to 1855—the US government handed out "Bounty Land Warrants" to soldiers who fought in and survived the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the "Indian Wars," and "other military actions." (Some states also granted ex-soldiers an exemption from paying taxes.) 

Perhaps it's time for Congress to consider a bill to provide "Bounty Home Warrants" to today's veterans and their survivors. That could help put an end to the embarrassing spectacle of America's abandoned "sidewalk soldiers." 

Another way to end the growing scourge of homeless vets—end Washington's endless wars. 

How Smartphones Are Warping Human Anatomy 

Researchers in Australia and elsewhere are reporting a freaky new disorder: X-rays reveal that people engaged in obsessive smartphone use are growing "horn-like structures" inside their skulls. The younger the subject, the larger the growths. 

According to the journal Scientific Reports, an examination of around 400 adults, ages 18 to 86, revealed a proliferation of “prominent exostosis … emanating from the external occipital proturbance.” The disorder is also referred to as "enthesophytes" or increased external occipital protuberance (EEOP). 

Or, to render it in trending English: "bone spurs in the brain." 

Scientists believe these boney hooks (also called "Dowagers' hump") are the result of repetitive motions and sustained poor posture—specifically, the familiar, prolonged, downward gazing head-tilt of smartphone users. A BBC article also expressed concerns that new technologies are transforming the human skeleton in unexpected and harmful ways. 

 

Beyond War: Seeing One Another as Family 

An inspiring new initiative is being launched by a group called Humanizing Our Neighbors. HON takes its mission from a quote attributed to Pablo Casals: "The love of one's country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the border?" 

As HON explains: "It is very hard to go to war against your neighbors if you see them as real humans. The point of this project is to put that barrier of humane acknowledgment ("Now, I see you!") in the way of any more war." 

It's a simple concept. People around the world are invited to step into the HON website and leave behind photos, poems, brief greetings and short (10-15 second) videos of themselves, their friends, children, and extended families. (There is a "translate" option to enable universal communication.) 

HON is a project of Women Against Military Madness and Tackling Torture at the Top. Here's one of the posted videos: 

Trump Could Lose Election by 5 Million Votes & Still Win a Second Term 

We don't live in a democracy. Hilary Clinton beat Donald Trump by 3 million ballots in the popular vote but Trump was declared the winner in the Electoral College. Looking ahead to the next presidential contest, election pundits are predicting that the Democratic candidate can rake in 5 million votes more than Trump in 2020 but Trump can still claim a second term. Thanks to the Electoral College. 

Save Democracy: Support the National Popular Vote 

It's time for our country to graduate from the Electoral College. It's time for us to become—if not a real democracy, at least a Representative Republic. And it won't take a Constitutional Amendment to do it. 

On January 13, 2012, the Department of Justice approved the National Popular Vote (NPV) bill under the Voting Rights Act. The NPV will take effect when enacted into law by states possessing 270 electoral votes (a majority of the 538 electoral votes). To date, the NPV has been enacted into law in 16 jurisdictions possessing 196 electoral votes and will take effect when enacted by states possessing an additional 74 electoral votes.  

The National Popular Vote bill has now passed a total of 41 state legislative chambers in 24 states. The National Popular Vote bill has been introduced in all 50 states. To see what we can do in California, click here. 

Give PR and DC the Vote! 

Puerto Rico has been part of the US for nearly 120 years but its 3.6 million American citizens are not allowed to vote in US federal elections. Similarly, in the District of Colombia, 712,000 Americans—living in the nation's capitol!—are not allowed to vote. 

Neither DC nor PR is allowed political representation—no senators, no representatives. Puerto Ricans pay for social security programs that they are not allowed to use because PR lacks statehood! That's taxation without representation. In 2012, 61% of Puerto Ricans voted for statehood over other alternatives. On October 30, 2019, Jenniffer González-Colón (Puerto Rico’s sole non-voting member of Congress) introduced a bill to create a path for the US territory to become the 51st state. (That's unlikely to happen under Sen. Mitch McConnell's watch.) 

Meanwhile, the residents of the nation's capital are represented by a single, non-voting House Delegate. Ironically, DC was granted full congressional representation in the 1790’s, but it lost the right to vote for representatives in 1801. The continuing campaign to win the District's right to vote is being headed by FairVote.org and DC Vote. 

Another Reason to Kick 'Doomsday Donald' Out of Office 

On August 2, 2019—mere days before the 74^th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima—Donald Trump withdrew the US from the historic Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia, leading many to fear the "swift demise" of nuclear weapons abolition efforts. 

In response to Trump's actions, The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists' "Doomsday Clock" was moved closer to Midnight than ever before—a mere "100 seconds to midnight." 

Today, while the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (aka "New START") remains in force, it also remains a target of Trump's belligerence. Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to extend the treaty immediately. Trump has not responded to the offer. New START (which "limits" the number of US and Russian nuclear weapons to 1,550) remains in force until 2021. If the Electoral College allows Trump to steal a second term, the chances of global nuclear annihilation will skyrocket. 

Standing Up for Peace and Planet 

On April 27, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference will convene at the United Nations headquarters in New York. On April 24-25, thousands of representatives from dozens of US and international anti-nuclear and peace organizations—including more than 800 survivors of the US atomic war on Japanese civilians—will gather in New York's Riverside Church (site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s, historic "Beyond Vietnam" speech) to convene a World Conference for Nuclear Disarmament, Climate, Justice and Peace. On Sunday, April 26, activists from Asia, Europe, North America, and the Global South will gather at Union Square for a march to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza across from the UN Building. For a complete list of speakers and activities, click here. 

An Airport Connection: Waiting in Vein 

If you ever find yourself in Panama City's Tocumen International Airport awaiting a connecting flight, prepare for a surprise when attempting to connect to the air terminal's wifi network. 

In order to access the network, you will be invited to "click on one of our banners." On the day of my visit, there were three options. Two were identical ads for Digicel but it was the third that surprised me: It was an invitation to donate blood! 

The ad advised: "You can be a blood donor if you are between 18 and 65 years old, weigh more than 50 kilos and enjoy good health." Presumably there was a conveniently located blood-donation station nearby. (I wasn't ready to go supine to get online so I stashed my laptop and opted for a cup of Juan Valdez espresso instead.) 

;