Donald Trump is not qualified to lead the American pandemic response

COLUMN: Trump is a dangerously bad source on coronavirus
Echo opinion published in the Waterloo, Iowa newspaper The Courier written by Steve Corbin*

"Don't take medical advice from Trump."- reported in BBCNews.

At a dangerous time when COVID-19, a deadly virus just like the swine flu, is spreading coast to coast and border to border, Americans should be able to rely on the advice of Donald Trump.

Or, should we listen to scientists instead of our commander in chief?

According to the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, 86 percent of Americans are confident scientists act in the best interest of the public. Today, 64 percent have expressed “no confidence” in President Donald Trump.

In October 2009, right wing Rush Limbaugh declared “screw you” during his radio program, in reaction to Obama administration’s recommendation for people to get a vaccination against the swine flu. On the right wing propaganda Fox News, Glenn Beck urged voters to do “the exact opposite” of scientific advisers’ recommendation. Donald Trump called into Fox News, dismissed concern about the swine flu and told host Neil Cavuto that “it’s going to go away” and “the vaccines can be very dangerous.”

As a result of lemmings following the advice of Limbaugh, Beck and Trump, research by Dr. Matthew Baum of Harvard University found Republicans were much less likely to get vaccinated. Predominantly, Republican states had higher death rates than predominantly Democratic states. Sadly, 12,469 Americans died due to the swine flu (The Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 2011).

As Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times reported March 7, “This is a case where toxic right-wing bluster was not only corrosive but also apparently lethal — but only to true believers.”

Based on that information, I think it’s safe to say it’s dangerous to listen to ideologues rather than scientists.

Trump’s dislike of science is quite evident: Climate change is a Chinese hoax, vaccines are dangerous and wind turbines cause cancer. He prohibited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials from using words like “evidence-based” and “science-based” in official documents. He’s cut funding to CDC and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) while dissing the World Health Organization (WHO).

With COVID-19, who do we now need for advice, guidance and counsel? Indeed, it's CDC, NIH and WHO. What goes around, comes around.

According to a March 8, New Yorker article, “Physicians and public health officials are dispirited by the president’s public pronouncements, saying that he has added to the danger of the crisis by minimizing its scale and the need for rigorous precautions.”

The New York Times reports “the White House instructed one of the nation’s top infectious disease experts, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, not to say anything else without White House clearance.” Heretofore, with the SARS and Ebola outbreaks, federal scientists communicated directly with the public.

Dr. Michael Mina, epidemiologist at Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health, notes, “We need the president to put the well-being of the American people before his re-election. And that requires open discussion and accurate information.”

David Remmick of The New Yorker writes, “Has there ever been a less serious president?”

Trump’s “poisoning the well” attitude hasn’t helped. Guess who, on Feb. 24, jumped in to support Trump? Rush Limbaugh told his listeners, “I want to tell you the truth about the coronavirus. Yeah, I’m dead right on this. The coronavirus is the common cold, folks.”

Charlie Sykes, a staunch Republican and founder of Bulwark, a conservative news site, tweeted about Limbaugh: “stunningly reckless.”

The time is long overdue for Trump to stop playing politics with COVID-19 and put scientists back in charge without them seeking White House approval as to what to apprise Americans about the epidemic. I’m confident obtaining national and Iowa-based scientific information about COVID-19 at www.cdc.gov and www.idph.iowa.gov is more advisable than following the unscientific musings of Limbaugh, Beck and Trump.

*Check out Steve Corbin on Facebook at this site here.

Coronavirus denial - Donald Trump creates dangerous conspiracy theories

Ignorance and coronavirus- echo opinion editorial published by The Dallas Morning News editorial board:

World Health Organization warns against conspiracy theories  and trolls- a report published in the BBCNews

DALLAS Texas- We have often said that skepticism is a good policy when dealing with unsourced spewing on the Internet. After all, we can’t begin to count the mindless conspiracy theories on any number of subjects that get passed around social media as truth.

As many have said with slightly different versions of the quote, “A lie gets halfway around the world before truth puts on its boots.” And that was said before the Internet and the cottage industry of fake news struck an unholy alliance.

Truth often takes a backseat to rumor, and while sophisticated bias can be hard to detect, some rumors are so outlandish as to make us wonder who these folks who’ve lost the ability to discern are. Yet, while most of us are learning about the coronavirus as concerned citizens, conspiracy theories are making the rounds faster than medical assessments.

No, coronavirus is not a bioweapon gone awry in China. No, it wasn’t patented in the U.K. in 2015. Nor is it a plot hatched somewhere — pick one, say, China or the CIA — to exterminate a portion of China’s population. And no, no, no: Spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body will not stop the coronavirus. (Using alcohol-based hand sanitizer will help contain the spread, but you can’t make hand sanitizer out of Tito’s Vodka!)

The internet is constantly serving up the rumor du jour, prompting the World Health Organization to put together a mythbuster website.

Public health experts are still learning about the virus that is now spreading around the world. The difference is that public health officials search for data, cause and effect, as well as ways to contain or reverse infections.

In the wave of natural fear around an epidemic, conspiracies and half-baked medical advice take on lives of their own. And sometimes conspiracies can be downright xenophobic.

At moments like these we draw wisdom from Seinfeld’s George Costanza, who said: “Jerry, just remember. It’s not a lie ... if you believe it.”

And that is the problem. Coronavirus conspiracies are lies, and sadly, too many of us believe them.

(P.S. Where are the Coronavirus tests?)

Myeshia Johnson: Widow of dead soldier hits out at Trump- BBC encore

Mike Pacheco is overcome with emotion as he attends the viewing for U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson at the Christ the Rock Community Church on October 20, 2017 in Cooper City, Florida.~ Miami Herald

Funeral of Sgt.LaDavid Johnson

It's absolutely pathetic and stupid of #realDonaldTrump to make an international incident out of the tragic death of Sgt. LaDavid Johnson, who was killed with three of his Special Forces comrades during operations in the African nation of Niger.

BBCNews- The widow of a dead US soldier says Donald Trump could not remember her husband's name when he phoned to offer condolences, said Meyeshia Johnson.

Myeshia Johnson is the widow of Sgt La David Johnson, killed in the African nation of Niger. She told ABC News the president's "stumbling" had "hurt her the most".

But President Trump said that he had used Sgt Johnson's name "without hesitation" and described the conversation as "very respectful". (#realDonaldTrump should have apologized because his defensiveness is increasing the grief this family is experiencing.)

Sgt Johnson was killed in Niger by Islamist militants this month.

Myeshia Johnson confirmed the statement by Rep. Frederica Wilson's account, that Mr Trump had told her, her husband had known "what he had signed up for" when joining the military.

"The president said that he knew what he signed up for, but it hurts anyways... It made me cry because I was very angry at the tone of his voice and how he said it," she said.

"He had my husband's report in front of him, and that's when he actually said La David. I heard him stumbling on trying to remember my husband's name."

International urgent help needed more than ever in Falluja Iraq

Fallujah is the story of the world while news media is obsesssed with Trump and Brexit.

Evil ISIS conflict: Falluja 'humanitarian disaster' warning
"One newly opened camp, Amriyat al-Falluja, has only one latrine for 1,800 women, the NRC (Norwegian Refugee Council) said."

How will the history of the world evaluate our international paralysis when we are asked to be accountable for this horrific human carnage? BBCNews report

World history will evalute our inept international response to the humanitarian crises, our paralysis to deal with evil while the innocent victims list grows by the tens of thousands.  

What is wrong with our human condition?  We are helpless! Obviously, we learned virtually nothing from the experiences of recorded history.  

We cannot let evil ISIS  continue. It was once a movement that was wrongly pereceived  too small to notice, or an offstoot from the Taliban.  In fact, the evil ISIS hardly made a blip on our political radar screens, but now terrorizes the entire world by acts of terror and by causes carnage among millions of innocent victims.  

Evil groups are  a small blot for a only a little while, but their influence is insidious and they eventually cause humanitarian carnage. This is what we're witnessing now, like the audiences who attended the ancient Roman Colosseum gladiator events, and obviously, as bystanders we've chosen not to act when evil prevails.  We need a universal thumbs down on the evil roots or terrorism and elimination of puppet leaders who garner zealots, jus"tt because they can.

BBC reports- A humanitarian disaster is unfolding in Falluja (Iraq) following a civilian exodus from the Iraqi city, aid workers warn.

Some 80,000 people have fled during a four-week government offensive to drive back so-called Islamic State fighters, says the UN. A further 25,000 civilians are likely on the move, the organisation adds.

Aid workers are struggling to provide food, water and medicine to people who are sleeping in the open in hopelessly overcrowded camps outside the city.

"The overwhelming number of people that have come out of Falluja has actually overwhelmed our ability to respond to the people in need," said Nasr Muflahi from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

"We implore the Iraqi government to take charge of this humanitarian disaster unfolding on our watch," he added.

Iraqi government forces have succeeded in retaking most of Falluja, but fighting continues in some parts of the city, which is just 50km (30 miles) west of Baghdad.

We drove into Falluja on a road that snaked through what was once a wealthy suburb but is now deserted. Many homes have been destroyed.

By the side of the road, unexploded shells showed how dangerous these streets remain for civilians if they are allowed to return.

Many tell harrowing escape stories. Some have been caught in crossfire, others drowned in the Euphrates as they tried to swim to safety.

We heard the sound of artillery and gunfire wherever we went.

Many of those who fleeing the fighting have been forced to sleep in the open, and spend their days under the sun in temperatures set to reach 47C (117F) in the next few days.

Aid supplies are running dangerously low in overcrowded conditions. One newly opened camp, Amriyat al-Falluja, has only one latrine for 1,800 women, the NRC said.

The government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is already struggling to meet the needs of more than 3.4 million people across the country who have been displaced by conflict.

The IS group's self-styled Amaq news agency reported on Sunday that about 50 Iraqi troops had been killed and four army vehicles destroyed in "fierce fighting" with IS fighters near Falluja General Hospital in the north-east of the city.

Several civilians have been killed by militants while attempting to escape, including, on Monday, a two-year-old boy who was being carried by his mother.

Some residents were reportedly used as human shields by evil ISIS to slow the advance of government forces, who are being backed by air strikes from the US-led coalition.

Moreover, evil ISIS militants had captured the northern city in January 2014, and held it for longer than any other city in Iraq or Syria - before the Iraqi army launched an operation to retake it.

Switzerland's social experiment in income equality

Under the Switzerland's plan, each citizen would receive an equal monthly payment, regardless of their circumstances.

Income equality social experiment

(My question isn't about how much money people receive with this proposal but, rather, the extent of influence government would have in our lives, health care and deaths when tax payers are footing all of our living expenses.)

A referendum on this humanitarian experiment will raise the bar on the government's role in people's lives.  It doesn't matter if this initiative passes in referendum, or if it doesn't pass, because the effort alone puts the concept of egalitarian universal human rights into the forefront of public policy discussion.

BBCNews reports:

Switzerland is voting on whether to introduce a guaranteed basic income for every citizen, becoming the first country to hold such a vote.

The proposal calls for adults to be paid an unconditional monthly income, whether they work or not.

Supporters of the idea say 21st Century work is increasingly automated, with fewer jobs available for workers.

But polls suggest that only about one quarter of Swiss voters back the idea. (IMO, this is still an important vote regardless of the outcome because it brings up many ethical and public policy issues worthy of discussion.)

No figure has been set, but those behind the proposal have suggested a monthly income of 2,500 Swiss francs (£1,755; $2,555) for adults and SFr625 for each child, reflecting the high cost of living in Switzerland. 

It is not clear how it would affect people on higher salaries.

The Guardian Reports
Switzerland is poised to hold a referendum on introducing the concept, and Finnish and Dutch pilots are set for 2017

To its acolytes, it is the revolutionary policy idea whose arrival is as urgently needed as it is inevitable. 

In a future in which robots decimate the jobs but not necessarily the wealth of nations, they argue, states should be able to afford to pay all their citizens a basic income unconditional of needs or requirements.

Universal basic income has a rare appeal across the political spectrum. For those on the left, it promises to eliminate poverty and liberate people stuck in dead-end workfare jobs. Small-state libertarians believe it could slash bureaucracy and create a leaner, more self-sufficient welfare system.

Pay everybody regardless of their circumstances

Should we scrap benefits and pay everyone £100 a week?

In an increasingly digital economy, it would also provide a necessary injection of cash so people can afford to buy the apps and gadgets produced by the new robot workforce.

Crucially, it is also an idea that seems to resonate across the wider public. A recent poll by Dalia Research found that 68% of people across all 28 EU member states said they would definitely or probably vote for a universal basic income initiative. Finland and the Netherlands have pilot projects in the pipeline.

This weekend the concept faces its first proper test of public opinion, as Switzerland votes on a proposal to introduce a national basic income.

The model on which Swiss citizens will vote on 5 June sits at the left-liberal end of the spectrum. The wording on the ballot paper is vague – it calls for the country’s constitution to be changed to “guarantee the introduction of an unconditional basic income” that guarantees “a humane existence and participation in public life for the whole population” – but the proposed scale is ambitious.

The referendum’s initiators suggest a basic monthly income of 2,500 Swiss francs (£1,750) for adults and 625 Swiss francs for children as a “working example”. Given the high cost of living in Switzerland, the initiative’s co-founder Daniel Straub says this would be the rough equivalent of giving people living in centralEurope between €1,000 and €1,500 a month, or between £900 and £1,300 in the UK.

In a book published ahead of the Swiss referendum, Straub and his co-authors argue that a basic income pegged at such a level would not only free people up to do important work that is currently not incentivised by markets, such as care and climate change research, but also lead to higher wages for unloved and low-paid “dirty work”.

“If these jobs are really indispensable, then they have a social value and should be appreciated more,” he says. “If no one else wants to do them, they should be more highly paid. Work conditions would have to be improved so that people do these jobs.”

Set at such a level, a universal basic income would require an increase in Switzerland’s current social welfare budget. Even if it were to replace some benefit payments altogether, the country’s federal assembly has calculated an annual funding shortfall of 25bn Swiss francs, which it suggests would have to be bridged by tax increases. Some basic income activists have proposed a financial transaction tax.

Straub rejects some of the federal assembly’s calculations, but acknowledges that introducing a unconditional basic income would cost around a third of the country’s GDP. Switzerland currently spends 19.4% of its GDP on welfare, less than the OECD average.

Latest polls suggest that more than 60% of Swiss voters are likely to reject the proposal, but Straub is optimistic that the initiative has already achieved some of its aims. “Five years ago, only about a hundred people in Switzerland had heard the term ‘universal basic income’. 

Now, everyone is debating it, and acceptance levels are rising,” he says.

Unlike the Swiss initiative, Finland’s basic income experiment enjoys the political support of the government, a coalition of conservatives, liberals and the populist rightwing Finns party.

The framing of the Finnish initiative is also markedly different. The prime minister, Juha Sipilä, formerly a successful IT businessman, has commissioned the country’s social insurance body, Kela, to carry out experiments to establish whether a basic income could “make the system more participatory and strengthen work incentives, reduce bureaucracy, and simplify the now complicated benefit system in a way that ensures the sustainability of public finances”.

A preliminary report published at the end of March suggests the government is already scaling the initiative back from a full basic income model, which its authors note would be “quite expensive”, to a partial one. 

According to Roope Mokka, the founder of the Nordic thinktank Demos Helsinki, the Finnish experiment, which will take place in 2017, is likely to involve a maximum of 180,000 Finns being paid a basic income of €500 to €700 a month – considerably less than the average Finnish income of €2,700.

Even in Finland, universal basic income is too good to be true

Given that Finland’s welfare state is comparable to that of other Scandinavian economies, introducing a universal basic income model similar to that used in Kela’s experiment would involve shrinking the country’s social security spending, which currently stands at about 31% of GDP.

Basic income experiments also scheduled to start in the Netherlands in 2017, and lie somewhere between the Swiss and Finnish models. 

According to Rutger Bregman, the author of Utopia for Realist: The Case for a Universal Basic Income, the appetite for such initiatives in cities such as Utrecht has grown mainly out of frustration with workfare programmes that turned out to be “hugely expensive and humiliating for those involved”.

In the Utrecht experiment, which will start on 1 January 2017, one group of benefit recipients will remain on the old workfare regime, under which people who live alone get €972.70 and couples €1,389.57. Another group will receive the same benefits unconditionally, without sanctions or obligations.

A third group will also receive the same benefits unconditionally, plus an extra monthly bonus of €125 if they choose to do volunteering work. A fourth group will be obliged to do volunteering work. If they fail to do so, they will lose their €125 bonus. A fifth group will receive unconditional benefits without the bonus, while being allowed earn additional income from other jobs.

Similar experiments will be conducted in other Dutch cities such as Wageningen, Tilburg, Groningen and Nijmegen, most of them with the aim of finding ways to get rid of the sanctions and the obligation to apply for jobs.

The fact that political intentions behind Europe’s basic income movements vary so wildly should not discredit the basic idea, Mokka says. He likens the idea to the space race during the cold war. “Moonshot was never about getting to the moon. There was nothing in the moon. Kennedy and his administration knew that. The point is that each generation must have their mission, something that encapsulates their vision.

“Unconditional basic income is best seen as a platform on which several different political views can come together to deliberate beyond tweaking of old systems and to create something entirely new.”

Beautiful Royals - spreading beauty wherever they go

Although I can't imagine myself feeding an elephant while dressed for a Vogue magazine layout, there's no doubt how Her Royal Highness Kate Middleton makes it all look completely right. In fact, Prince William and Princess Kate are just extraordinary humanitarian leaders and wonderful role models for the world, at a time when we desperately need to believe in goodness.  In their visit to India, the Royal couple have spread beauty in a land where the population density is imploding the nation's ability to feed itself.  Indeed, the Royals played cricket (Kate with wedge heel shoes on) and they kept their extraordinary cool in spite of what, I'm sure, can be a dusty and hot  environment.

My goodness- archery in heels? Now, that's precision fashion!

Kudos to the British Royals.They brought attentiont to the plight of endangered animals, particularly the elephants. Also, they visited the wretchedly poor in places where, I'm sure, many middle class people would avoid going, rather than embrace.  

While sad Syrian refugees are struggling to escape tyranny, war and the loss of their homes.  While terrorists spread fear with the mere threat of violence.  While poverty and disease continue to prevent people from aspiring to succeed.  In the face of global risks of war and pandemic diseases like Zika virus and Ebola.....in spite of all this....we see Princess Kate and Prince William spreading beauty wherever they go.  

Royals feed baby elephants and discuss the sadness of poaching in India 13 April 2016 Last updated at 20:12 BST= reports BBCNews
Nicholas Witchell reports.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been on safari in India, as their tour of South Asia continues. The royal couple are visiting Kaziranga National Park, a world heritage site, in Assam.

They are hoping to draw attention to the plight of endangered animals, including the park's population of rare one-horned rhinos.

While Princess Kate tried to accomplish archery, it was her high heels that were obviously more stunning than her aim.  But, she spread beauty wherever she went, and her infectious smile was a beacon of hope for the people who will always remember- and tell their own children about, the day when the young Royals visited them in India.

Good Friday slaughter in Kenya - unfortunately the Christians are martyrs

As the Christians of the world are mourning the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Kenyan people are embroiled in the aftermath of a terror attack on a college in Garissa. In the planned "surprise" deadly attack, the Chrisians were targeted by the killers.

BBCNews reports - Locals question why security was not heightened, with only two guards on duty at the time of the attack.

In my opinion, the Kenya killing attacks were calculated to coincide with the Christian remembrance of Good Friday, because the murderers were reported to have spared the Muslim students.  

Clearly, the Christians are martyrs, while the murderers are criminal evil doers. In the words attributed to the Apostle Matthew 24:26  "But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."

Kenya al-Shabab attack: Security questions as Garissa dead mourned - BBCNews

Kenya is mourning 148 people killed in Thursday's al-Shabab attack on Garissa university campus, amid questions over why warnings were ignored.

Kenyan newspapers say there was intelligence information of an imminent attack on a school or university.

Locals question why security was not heightened, with only two guards on duty at the time of the attack.

Four more people have been found alive on the campus, but two are suspects and have been arrested, sources say.

One is said to be a Tanzanian national with no known links to the university.

Kenya's interior minister declared the recovery operation over.

Joseph Nkaiserry identified the victims as 142 students, three police officers and three soldiers.

"We have called off the operation after combing the whole university, all the bodies have been removed from the scene and brought to Nairobi," he said after arriving back in the capital.

Police in neighbouring Uganda say they have received information suggesting a similar attack is being planned there. Attack warning

Security services appear to have had some information that an attack on an institution of higher learning was in the offing and appear to have warned institutions to be careful, the Daily Nation newspaper reports.

It says the university of Nairobi warned its students on 25 March that it had received intelligence information about a possible attack on a university and asked them to be vigilant.

Please pray for Tim and Cheri Hoke in Uganda....God protect them and their students from harm.

Great Britain's Prince Charles is opening up a discussion about the radicalization of youth

This is a socialogical discussion raised by Prince Charles, about what he calls "radicalization" of youths.  

In fact, it's an alarming question.

Prince Charles suggested "....when he becomes king, he may still be sworn in as Defender of the (Christian) Faith. There had been speculation that the title could be changed to encompass all faiths."

Why is it we're reading and seeing startling imagery of our world's youths being rallied to fundamentalism and Islamic extremism? 

Moreover, others among our world's youths who are trying to expose the evils caused by extremists. Both sides are exposing themselves to extraordinary dangers and death.

Honestly, I doubt the world's youth would respond to nations where leaders were commanding them to take up banners in support of seditious extremists groups.  Obviously, there'll always be fringe elements that seem to find their voice in extremism. Yet, radical terrorism movements have found their stride in recruiting young people, while reasonable voices have had little, if any, impact on curbing the flow of sympathizers who take up sedition, especially those who kill while screaming the name of the Prophet Mohammed.

Sadly, there's something innate in the psyche of the young that drives them towards seeking out risk taking behaviors. 

Prince Charles calls for an awareness about "radicalization" of Great Britain's youth.  Yet, his Royal awareness should also put the world on notice.  Obviously, the "radicalization" Prince Charles speaks about isn't exclusive to Great Britain.

8 February 2015 Last updated at 09:11 ET

Prince Charles says radicalisation of young people 'alarming'

The Prince of Wales has described the extent to which young people are becoming radicalised as "alarming" and one of the "greatest worries".

In an interview with Radio 2's The Sunday Hour, Prince Charles spoke of his hopes to "build bridges" between different faiths.

He also spoke of his "deep concern" for the suffering of Christian churches in the Middle East.

He is currently in Jordan on a six-day tour of the region.

The prince arrived in the capital Amman on Saturday night and held talks with King Abdullah II on Sunday.

After a visit to a refugee camp, the prince congratulated the Jordanians on being "wonderfully kind and hospitable" for putting so many Syrian refugees up in their country.

He visited the Za'atri camp, near the Jordanian border with war-torn Syria, and toured a supermarket and a children's centre.

The camp is home to 85,000 people and the prince spoke to families and students. He also spoke to former British police officers who have been training Jordanian officers in community policing.'Constructive paths'

On the radicalisation of young people, Prince Charles says: "Well, of course, this is one of the greatest worries, I think, and the extent to which this is happening is the alarming part.

"And particularly in a country, like ours, where you know the values we hold dear."

"You think that the people who have come here, [are] born here, go to school here, would imbibe those values and outlooks."

"The frightening part is that people can be so radicalised either through contact with somebody else or through the internet, and the extraordinary amount of crazy stuff which is on the internet."

He told the BBC programme he believed part of the reason some young people are radicalised is a "search for adventure and excitement at a particular age".

The prince also discussed the work of his charity The Prince's Trust in combating radicalisation.

He said: "What I have been trying to do all these years with the Prince's Trust, is to find alternatives for adolescents and people at a young age, for constructive paths for them to channel their enthusiasm, their energy, that sense of wanting to take risks and adventure and aggression and all these things.

"But you have to channel them into constructive paths."

The Radio 2 programme covers visits by the prince to Armenian, Roman Catholic Chaldean and Syrian Orthodox churches in the UK, and contains accounts from members of these denominations who have had to flee persecution in Syria and Iraq.

He said: "I particularly wanted to show solidarity really, deep concern for what so many of the Eastern Christian churches are going through in the Middle East.'Protector of faiths'

"Christianity was founded in the Middle East which we often forget. From a morale point I hope it showed they were not forgotten. I wish I could do more. Many of us do wish we could do more.

"I think what doesn't bear thinking about is people of one faith, a believer, could kill another believer. That's the totally bewildering aspect in our day and age."

He suggested that when he becomes king, he may still be sworn in as Defender of the (Christian) Faith. There had been speculation that the title could be changed to encompass all faiths.

However, he said he believed an important part of the role was to be a "protector of faiths", defending every religion in multicultural Britain.

During the interview, the prince also considered how different communities could live alongside each other.

He told the programme: "I think the secret is that we have to work harder to build bridges and we have to remember that our Lord taught us to love our neighbour, to do to others as you would do to you and just to go on despite the setbacks and despite the discouragement to try and build bridges and to show justice and kindness to people."'Activist prince'

The broadcast comes after a new book claiming the prince wants to redefine the monarchy was published.

The book's author, Catherine Mayer, said he has an "extraordinary relationship in the Gulf."

She added: "It's partly just because he's a prince. Also he gave a speech on Islam in 1993 in which he talked about Islam not having a monopoly on extremism and he talked about the Christian crusades, and he talked about the good things in Islam."

But anti-monarchy group Republic said the prince's views must be subject to scrutiny.

Graham Smith, Republic's CEO, said: "MPs in particular need to face up to the new reality of an activist prince and must be free to openly challenge what Charles says."

• The Sunday Hour was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on 8 February.

American human rights violations - Eric Garner and a litany of others

News media have reported about six unarmed Black men as ethnic martyrs resulting from law enforcement brutality. Yet, the truth be told, it's probable that dozens of victims of police-race violence are going unreported in the news.  Now, it appears as though the litany of these murders, committed against young Black men, are being evaluated by the United Nations as human rights violations.

A series of horrible racist incidents are alarming, but Americans must also realize how our nation's increasingly skewed election processes are also concerning. Gerrymandering and daunting voter identification processes, promulgated by Republican lawmakers, should raise international concern. Due to right wing American extremism led by the nation's Republicans are driving our nation backwards. Other international news media are covering US news.

BBCNews reports (although I haven't seen this on any US main stream media news....especially not on NBCNews, where coverage of the live performance of Peter Pan still makes the cut...go figure...)... here's real news coverage about our nation's racial embarrassment in spite of "liberty and justice for all":

United Nations human rights experts have expressed "legitimate concerns" about US juries failing to charge policemen involved in the deaths of two black civilians.

It is part of a broader "pattern of impunity" concerning minority victims, the UN said in a statement.

Thousands of people took to the streets in protest over the deaths of two black men at the hands of white police officers in recent months. Grand juries in Missouri and New York failed to charge either officer.

"I am concerned by the grand juries' decisions and the apparent conflicting evidence that exists relating to both incidents," UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsak, said in a statement.

A trial process would ensure the evidence is considered in detail, she said.

"The decisions leave many with legitimate concerns relating to a pattern of impunity when the victims of excessive use of force come from African-American or other minority communities."
 

Human rights expert Mireille Fanon-Mendes-France, who currently heads the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, said the cases add to existing concerns.

She pointed to "longstanding prevalence of racial discrimination faced by African-Americans, particularly in relation to access to justice and discriminatory police practices".

The UN findings come amid ongoing protests over the death of Eric Garner, a black man held in an apparent choke-hold by a white New York police officer on Staten Island, New York.

Collaterall damage from timing of the Ferguson Missouri Grand Jury ruling still unresolved

To say the timing of the reading of the Ferguson, Missouri Grand Jury ruling by prosecutor Robert McCulloch was a mistake is a classic "no brainer".  

While the international media and the public waited....and waited, the St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch was, no doubt, practicing how to read the 20 minute script he prepared, whereby the Grand Jury's ruling was finally made public.  In other words, McCulloch's curious timing turned this tragedy into a catastrophe.

At this point, the Grand Jury's ruling not to prosecute (no probable cause) was anti-climactic. It's probably not a surprise to learn from the Grand Jury that they did not find sufficient evidence to rule there was probable cause to indict police officer Darren Wilson for the killing of the Black man Michael Brown in Ferguson Missouri in August 2014.  

What's mystifying, however, is how the prosecutor was allowed to control the Grand Jury without benefit of cross examination of Police Officer Wilson. Worse, why did McCulloch wait until late into the evening to make a grandstanding oration about the ruling?

Here's what BBCNews in Great Britian is reporting by Anthony Zurcher:

The announcement that a St Louis County grand jury would not indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown came a little after 20:00 (9 o'clock) - St. Louis, local time, under the cover of darkness.

What followed next was something protestors and law enforcement officials had assured the public they were dedicated to avoiding. Riot-gear-clad police officers and armoured vehicles cleared the streets with tear gas and smoke canisters, as looters smashed store windows and cars burned - a night of chaos and violence.

The outcome was tragic - but did the timing of the announcement contribute to the conflagration? The grand jury reportedly had reached their decision by early afternoon.

No official explanation has been given - Governor Jay Nixon threw up his hands when asked in a press conference, as if to say it was out of his control. One official in St Louis mentioned to reporters that rush hour played a part in the delay, the implication being that it would give people time to get home safely from work or school. 

But on the streets of Ferguson, some residents were concerned that the verdict was coming after nightfall - they would have preferred a morning announcement. 


According to the Washington Post's Wesley Lowery, the timing of the announcement wouldn't have made a difference.  "Protesters were going to protest, day or night." But, as dawn broke on a shattered town the morning after, many didn't see it that way.

"Irresponsible" and "unnecessarily provocative", said activist Al Sharpton.

"Foolish and dangerous", said legal analyst Jeffery Toobin.

"Here's the thing about that time of night: it's dark.  Anyone - anyone! - should have known that the decision in the Brown case would have been controversial. A decision not to indict, which was always possible, even likely, would have been sure to attract protests, even violence. Crowd control is always more difficult in the dark," said Toobin.

Everything about the announcement - the timing, the condescending tone, the weeks of militarised vehicles patrolling the roads - seemed designed to inflame and incite the region” Sarah Kendzior Politico Magazine

The decision on when to reveal the non-indictment was "inscrutable" and only likely to increase the possibility of violence, said The New Yorker's Jelani Cobb. 




But, he adds, that it was all part of a larger lack of preparation on the part of law enforcement.

"Despite the sizable police presence, few officers were positioned on the stretch of W Florissant Road where Brown was killed," he writes. "The result was that damage to the area around the police station was sporadic and short-lived, but Brown's neighbourhood burned. This was either bad strategy or further confirmation of the unimportance of that community in the eyes of Ferguson's authorities."

St Louis-based freelancer Sarah Kendzior agrees.

"Everything about the announcement - the timing, the condescending tone, the weeks of militarised vehicles patrolling the roads - seemed designed to inflame and incite the region," she wrote for Politico Magazine. "And it did."

Joe Scarborough, on MSNBC's Morning Joe show, said it was "mind-boggling" that authorities continued to mishandle public relations in the case.

A daylight announcement would (in my opinion "could" is more accurate) have encouraged peaceful protests, he said.

Ebola- preventing the virus spread with facts rather than emotional reactions

BBCNews published a helpful article about the Ebola virus. Rather than fuel public panic, the article provides important information to counter the hysterical response many media have created to this West Africa epidemic.  

Although the BBCNews information is not comforting, it's at least based on facts, rather than fearful hype.


Ebola outbreak: Six surprising numbers

1. To stop the Ebola spread, people in the field and remote areas need access to mobile telephones so real time data can be shared.  Information about Ebola is too often retrospective, but needs to be responded to much faster so that isolation and prevention measures can respond in real time. 5,060 cell telephones are needed
The medical teams now being sent to the affected countries need mobile phones to pass on vital information about how the disease is spreading, especially in remote areas.

2. Health care workers are particularly vulnerable to the Ebola virus because they are often exposed to the infectious  bodily fluids of those who have the disease. In fact, 1 in 50 health care workers who care for Ebola victims, unfortunately, develop the disease because of a breakdown in protective procedures. Ebola is transmitted through patients' body fluids, leaving health workers particularly vulnerable to the disease. Where medics have lacked adequate protection, their rate of infection has been higher. The suit must be worn by medical personnel to protect against infection. It includes a protective mask, goggles, apron, gloves and rubber boots. Figure from Medecins Sans Frontieres or Physicians without borders. (Unfortunately, protective the suits don't provide much opportunity for ventilation; therefore, they cause discomfort for the wearers. Nevertheless, the alternative is the risk of exposure.)

3.  Having sexual relations with survivors appears to spread the disease. Prevention of spread includes 90 days without sex for survivors of Ebola. The Ebola virus can remain present in semen for a long time. Experts say it is best for men who are recovering from the disease to avoid sex altogether - or make sure they use a condom - for 90 days. Figure from Peter Piot, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who discovered Ebola in 1976

4.  Every person who becomes ill with Ebola has the potential to infect up to 7 others. This is referred to as 1:7.  In Dallas Texas, at the hospital where Ebola patient Mr. Duncan died, the exposure infected 2 nurses so this ratio was diminished probably because protective equipment was used and anything exposed to the patient was likely destroyed.1:7 people infected by each Ebola sufferer in Liberia. 

The figure of 1.7 means that, on average, every 10 people infected with Ebola in Liberia will have passed the disease on to 17 others. This figure is known as a basic reproduction number. It is used to measure the rate at which an epidemic spreads through a susceptible population. The number fluctuates as scientists keep monitoring new cases.

By comparison, measles - a highly contagious disease - can have a reproduction number of between 12 and 17. Figure from European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

5.  19,980 burial kits needed.

The bodies of Ebola victims remain infectious after death. Safe burials are key to checking the spread of the disease. Figure from UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) 

In summary, to stop Ebola from spreading, the grass roots work must include real time exchange of information about the occurrence of the virus. Most important, public health initiatives must support the integrity of the workers who are trying to stop this disease, at the place it where it infects and when it occurs.     

ISIS exists because of the US led Iraq invasion under false pretenses

Pundits are second guessing America's resolve to destroy ISIS, but have short term memory loss about how the world wound up in this turmoil. 

This evil mess is the result of the failed invasion of Iraq.

After the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the crash of United Airlines flight 63 in Pennsylvania, the sympathy of the international community was our nation's to loose. And so, we invaded Iraq, a nation with no ties to the terrorists who assaulted us.  In fact, all the terrorists who flew the suicidal airplanes on September 11, 2001 had Saudi Arabian passports.  Nevertheless, under the banner of "Iraqi freedom!", America invaded Iraq. As a result, we're stuck with the consequences of engaging in a war we couldn't afford, didn't have to fight in the first place and was launched on the false premise of searching out weapons of mass destruction, that didn't exist. Meanwhile, terrorists continued to recruit and train fighters to defeat and kill all westerners, especially Americans. 

ISIS, an acronym that sort of means "Islamic State", isn't Islamic nor a state. Rather, it's an evil movement of sadistic extremists intent on murder for any reason.  ISIS or "IS" exists because Iraq has no government capable of defending it's own people against this evil terrorist group.  

Consequently, America is still trying desperately to fix the mistaken and wrong minded invasion of Iraq. Now, Secretary of State Kerry is seeking out Arab partners to control the growing ISIS threat.

BBCNews reports:

Egypt has a key role to play in countering Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on a visit to Cairo.

He met Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi and Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi as part of his campaign to form a broad coalition to tackle IS militants.

He has already enlisted the support of 10 Arab states so far but he has ruled out Iran joining the US-led coalition.

On Friday, the CIA said IS has as many as 30,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.

IS controls large parts of both countries and its fighters have become notorious for their brutality, but in recent weeks they have been targeted by US air strikes.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama unveiled plans for an expansion of the US campaign against IS.

Shia militias have joined forces with the Iraqi army and Kurdish fighters to try to fight back against IS

The 10 Arab countries to have signed up to the coalition are: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Egypt is "on the frontline of the fight against terrorism, particularly when it comes to fighting extremist groups in Sinai," Mr Kerry said, after talks with Mr Arabi and President Sisi in the latest leg of his Middle East tour.

He acknowledged Egypt's reputation as "an intellectual and cultural capital of the Muslim world," saying it had a "critical role to play in publicly renouncing the ideology that IS disseminates".

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri, speaking at the same news conference, said that ties existed between IS and other militant groups operating in the region, who must also be dealt with.

He had earlier signalled a desire for the campaign against IS to be broadened to militants active in the Sinai who have expressed support for IS, says the BBC's Barbara Plett-Usher in Cairo.

Foreign fighters cross through the Sinai en route to Syria, with some offering expertise and training to local militants there, a senior state department official has said.

But US officials say they need to keep the focus on IS as the biggest danger because it crosses borders and would expand if not stopped, our correspondent adds.

Mr Kerry says military and intelligence experts will spend the coming days working out how each state will contribute.

But speaking in Turkey on Friday, he said it would be "inappropriate" for Iran to join the group because of its "engagement in Syria and elsewhere".

Thirteen years after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, our nation is still at war because our retaliation was wrong minded.

Our response was not succinct but, rather, too broad. Now, we're engaged in preventing even more evil, but without the resources

to target the enemies we've allowed to be home grown, as a result of our failed invasion of Iraq.

Aging World - Where are the Young?

Although the world is aging there will no doubt be some groups with younger populations.

Of course, I'm not an expert on world demographics but my suspicion is that the Middle Eastern and growing Asian populations will outnumber western populations. 

Aging and decline in population numbers in western populations is a trend that I assume will continue.

BBCNews reports:

How an ageing population will change the world

The number of people across the world over 65 years old will triple by 2050, drastically altering some countries' demographic make-up, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center. 

Perceptions of this shift vary widely across the globe, the report says.

While 87% of Japanese believe the ageing population poses a problem to the country, only 26% of Americans agree.

The survey of 21 countries found that most people believe governments should be responsible for the care of their older populations.

These demographic shifts may adversely affect economies, as more elderly people depend on working-age men and women.

Produced by the BBC's David Botti

Additional images: Thinkstock and Getty Images

My own observation about this age shift is to ask about how it will impact on world politics? If Middle Eastern and Asian populations grow while Western populations decline, this will cause a shift in world religions from Christianity to Eastern beliefs like Buddhism, Hinduism and Arabic religions.  

These demographic and religious shifts will undoubtedly cause political repercussions as well. 

Hopefully world leaders will be able to respond to these changes and rise to meet the challenges.

The world can only hope and pray for leaders who will be ready to create world peace and understanding.