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Ladakh is highlighted in red.
Victory Monument in
Bangkok on 16, 17 and 18 October, 2021 Democracy Square in Bangkok
on 16, 17 and 18 October, 2021 Mass protests and demonstrations in Bangkok in mid-October.
The biggest in six years, since 2014. King Vajiralongkon
of Thailand, the tenth king of the 239-year-old Chakri Dynasty, inherited the throne in 2016. With $30 billion, the king is probably the richest monarch in the
world. Amid prolonged political turmoil, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, commander of the army, declared martial
law, ousted the elected government and took over the prime ministership in 2014. The
protesters demand: - Prayut's resignation
- the restoration of democracy - new elections - constitutional amendments
or a new constitution Demonstrators
wore facemasks but, of course, there was no social distancing.
Thus far, there have been no reports of Coronavirus infections. The mass protests continued daily throughout the rest
of 2020 and were continued into the new year. Behind
the protesters are nouveau-riche billionaires - political parvenus with populist programmes
- ready to roll. Thaksin
Shinawatra, a billionaire, prime minister from 2001 to 2006, toppled by an army coup d'etat in 2006. Thailand experienced true democracy
in pure from only once in its history, from 2000 to 2006. Thaksin led thoroughly professional political campaigns. His party swept general elections in 2000
and again in 2005. Thaksin had a good thing going. Too good for some. Too good to last. In exile since 2006 and 2008,
Thaksin ran the government through proxies in 2008 and from 2011 to 2014. Thaksin's party and proxies won every general
election since 2000, except one from which it was barred. In another election, the system was contrived to take votes
from his parties. Thaksin could be bankrolling the current protests. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, a billionaire, popular leader of the
opposition. He has many followers. Many of them are young. He is fielding all enquiries and criticism. Many Thais prefer a military
junta to loud and upstart nouveau-riche. Protesters march on the
German Embassy in Bangkok on 26 October 2020. One of the student leaders, 15-year-old
Benjamaporn (Ploy) Nivas. The King and Queen and the People BBC (3 min.) 1
Nov. 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=R6s-HOgk4rE Protesters
march on Government House (Prime Minister's office) and Parliament in Bangkok on 17 November. Police fire water cannons and tear gas. The first incidents
of physical injury since the protests began in July occurred on 17 November 2020. More than forty demonstrators were injured, six by gunfire, outside Parliament. The big inflatable rubber duck was the symbol of the protesters. The protesters went home in December 2020 and returned to
Bangkok in January 2021. The Trumps ?
'Careful,
Batman.' Trump was blamed for Covid-19 and the resultant
faltering economy. Not one negative remark anywhere
in the press about Trump's opponents. They couldn't believe their luck. They blamed him for Covid-19. Most Admired Man in 2020 Since 2008, the
annual Gallup Poll surveys came up with a former president as the most admired man in world.
In 2019, Donald Trump tied for the top spot in the survey. According
to the 2020 Gallup survey, taken from 1 to 15 December, Trump, despite his loss in the election, is the most admired
man in the world! This time, the top honour went to Trump only. Among the top ten of the Gallup Poll's list of most admired men in 2020 are the Dalai Lama and
Pope Francis. Vesel božič Merry
Christmas Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année -------------- The general consensus is that Biden will be one of the worst American presidents in history, if not the worst, and
Harris will be the worst vice-president. The vice-president presides over the senate. In
the case of a tie vote, the vice-president can cast the tie-breaking and deciding vote. Will the White House become a cheap Asia motel? -------------
THE SACK OF THE SENATE 6 JANUARY 2021
As Congress counted the votes of
the electoral college . . . Trump supporters rallied in the capital.
President Trump addresses
a rally in front of the White House. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTK1lm1jk60 The
march on the Capitol Building. The
marchers surged past the police guard . . . . . . and stormed the Capitol Building. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4B8FYQq6rM The New Yorker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=270F8s5TEKY A man of many words. A man of action. A bad-ass dude! Caesar La prise de la Bastille, la Cocarde tricolore, les
révolutionnaires ------------- A word to the wise: Thou shalt not bear false witness. The Speaker
of the House, Pelosi, accused the President of inciting a riot. The House, controlled
by Democrats, voted to impeach the President. The accusation was sent to the Senate, which
is to hold a trial. At no point in his address to the rally in
Washington on 6 January did President Trump incite the crowd to take over the Capitol Building. President
Trump's Address 6 January 2021 Except (01:12:43): '.
. . So we’re going to - we’re going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue
- I love Pennsylvania Avenue - and we’re going to the Capitol and
we’re going to try and give - The Democrats are hopeless. They’re never
voting for anything, not even one vote. But
we’re going to try and give our Republicans - the weak ones, because the strong
ones don’t need any of our help - we’re going to try and give them the
kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country. So let’s walk down Pennsylvania Avenue. I want to thank you all.
God
bless you and God bless America. Thank you all for being here. This
is incredible. Thank you very much. Thank you.' There should be a penalty for making a false accusation. Only three presidents have been impeached. Vice-President Andrew Johnson succeeded Abraham
Lincoln as president when Lincoln was assassinated in 1865. Johnson was impeached by the House of Representatives in
1868. The charge, in so many words, was dismissing an official unfairly. He was acquitted by the Senate by
just one vote. President Nixon was caught in a big scandal involving
many of his men that erupted in 1i972. In 1974, Nixon was about to be impeached but resigned. To get out of a White House sex scandal, Bill Clinton lied. He admitted
it. In 1998, the House of Representatives impeached him. The Senate acquitted him. Trump was the only president impeached twice, in 2019, for abuse of power
and obstructing Congress, and in 2020, for inciting insurrection. Both times, the Senate acquitted him. --------------- ----------- So, in the end,
Trump lost and gave up the White House to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Biden Joseph and Jill Biden of Wilmington, Delaware and Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Emhoff Douglas and Kamala Emhoff of San Francisco, California ----------- Two great men Benjamin Franklin
Lafayette They contributed much to America. Franklin is a Founding Father. Lafayette's
help in defeating the British was indispensable. Franklin was from Boston and Philadelphia and spent much of his life representing
America in England and France. The Marquis de Lafayette was a hero of the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolution. Presidents to remember Mount
Rushmore in South Dakota, carved from 1927 to 1941. Four American presents, left to right: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Washington and Jefferson were Founding Fathers. - Washington (1732 - 1799) is considered
the Father of the Country. He was from Virginia. He commanded the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War or
War of Independence against the British (1775 - 1783). He was the country's first president (1789 - 1797). - Jefferson (1743 - 1826) wrote the Declaration
of Independence (1776). He was the country's third president (1801 - 1809). He purchased Louisiana, a vast territory, from
Napoleon Bonaparte (1803). - Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865) was
an Abolitionist. His election in 1860 provoked the secession of the slave states in the South from the union -
the United States - and led to war, the Civil War (War Between the States) (1861 - 1865). He prevailed
and ensured the Union (of states) survived. He signed the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), which led to the abolishment of
slavery. Lincoln stood 6 ft. 4 in. tall. He was the tallest president. There
were other great presidents in the 19th century - John Adams, from Massachusetts, a Founding
Father, the second president (1797 - 1801) - after Washington and before Jefferson; Adams has
more living descendants than any other president. James Madison, from Virginia,
a Founding Father, fourth president (1809 - 1817); James Monroe, of Virginia, fifth president
(1817 - 1825), remembered for the 'Monroe Doctrine' (1823), which limited European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere; first Scottish president; Andrew Jackson,
seventh president (1829 - 1837), remembered for his victory over the British in the last battle of the War of 1812
- the Battle of New Orleans - in 1815; the first Ulster-Scot or Scots-Irish president; Ulysses Simpson Grant, commander of the
victorious Union Army in the Civil War; president from 1869 - 1877. Often remembered for his gentlemanly and gracious
acceptance of the surrender of Robert E. Lee, commander of rebel Confederate forces, and the generous terms he offered
Lee at Appomattox in 1865. 'Speak softly and carry a big stick.' - Theodore Roosevelt was at the
forefront of American Imperialism in the era of European colonial expansion in Africa, Asia, South America and
the Pacific. He sought to spread American influence in Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. He pushed the Panama Canal. He is considered the first modern
American president. He sought to curb the excesses of big business. He introduced direct federal
taxation and labour reforms. He
was an environmentalist and conservationist and established many national parks. With the End of Empire and the anti-imperialist
era after the Second World War, Theodore Roosevelt was quietly relegated to history. Woodrow Wilson (1913 - 1921) and Franklin D. Roosevelt
(1933 - 1945) also were considered great presidents. Wilson
was president during the Great War (World War I) (1914 - 1918). Franklin D. Roosevelt was president during the Great Depression (1929 - 1939) and World War II (1939 - 1945). Since the end of the World War II, there have been
thirteen American
presidents. The most memorable are: Harry S. Truman (1945 - 1953), Dwight D. Eisenhower ('Ike') (1953 - 1961), Richard M. Nixon
(1969 - 1974), Ronald Reagan (1981 - 1989) and George H. W. Bush ('Bush Sr.') (1989 - 1993). Truman dropped the atom
bomb on Japan and ended the war (1945). Eisenhower
commanded the victorious Allied forces in Europe (1942 - 1945). Nixon opened
relations with Red China and started rapprochement with the Soviet Union (1972). He ended the Vietnam War (1973). Reagan was ever-popular. He brought Hollywood to Washington. Bush Sr. was a model president. He saw the Cold War through to its end (1991). George Washington,
Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight Eisenhower were very popular before they became presidents. All three were army generals. All three commanded armies in America's biggest and most important
wars. Washington was the hero of the American Revolutionary
War (1775 - 1783). Grant was the hero of the American
Civil War (1861 - 1865). Eisenhower was the hero of
World War Two (1941 - 1945). People wanted them to
be their president. ----------------- Trump in Perspective How will American historians rate Donald Trump? Probably with his immediate
predecessors Bill Clinton (1993 - 2001), George W. Bush ('Bush Jr.') (2001 - 2009) and Barack Obama (2009 - 2017) and immediate successor, Joe Biden (2021 - ). At 6' 3", Trump was the third tallest president
in history, after Abraham Lincoln (6' 4") and Lyndon Johnson (6' 3 1/2"). Trump was slightly taller than Thomas Jefferson (6' 2 1/2"), George
Washington (6' 2"), Franklin D. Roosevelt (6' 2") and George Bush Sr. (6' 2"). What did Trump do as president? For starters . . . The Middle East . . . Trump's
best friend. Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank. The settlements are actually illegal. Trump was all for them. The Israeli-Palestinian wall. Built to redefine the border, gobble land and keep the Palestinians
out. Trump was all for it.
Trump moved the US embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem
- the first country to do so. Initially,
Trump wanted to spend $1 billion in refurbishing the building. $50,000 would have been enough! Many wonder if Trump was a Jew. Mexico . . . The border wall along the Mexican border.
Erected to keep Mexicans out. The Mexican senoritas are too pretty and too charming to keep out. Trump's
construction contracts are to be investigated. Ah, ha! The wall was a cover for illicit payments. Money laundering. A wall is really needed along Canada's border with the U. S., to keep the crazy gringos out
of Canada. Cuba At the Pope's urging, Obama met Raúl Castro and visited Cuba. Together, they opened a new
era for the US and Cuba. Diplomatic relations, cut in 1960, were restored. Travel and trade increased. It seemed a good thing. 'No soap! Get me Vesco!' Trump would have
none of it. He stopped everything. Alaska . . . Drilling for oil in a national park, the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska. Approved
by Trump. Trump sold leases to park land to oil companies for
drilling. Stopped by Biden. But only for a while. Biden had his hand out. If
you think Trump was bad, take a look at that crook Biden! On 26 January 2021, Biden approved a big
Trump deal to allow drilling near an Arctic community in Alaska. China . .
. Chang Kai-shek, left. and
Mao Tse-tung in August 1945. Taiwan . . . Map of East Asia Restoring relations with Taiwan. The
Ching (Manchu) Dynasty considered the island of Formosa (Taiwan) a part of China. In 1895, the Japanese defeated the Chinese in a war - later called the First Sino-Japanese
War - and claimed the island and annexed it to the Empire of Japan. Revolution in China in 1911 swept away the Ching Dynasty and established
the Republic of China (ROC) under Sun Yat-Sen. The
ROC claimed Taiwan and supported insurrections on the island against the Japanese. After their defeat in the Second World War in 1945, the Japanese handed the island back to the Chinese - the ROC
headed by Chiang
Kai-Shek and the Nationalist Chinese (Kuo Min Tang) (KMT). In 1949, Mao Tse-tung and the Communist Chinese defeated Chiang and the Nationalists and forced their retreat
to Formosa. The island redoubt was all
that was left of the Republic of China (ROC) by 1950. From 1950 to 1971, Chiang Kai-shek's China - Taiwan, Formosa, the
Republic of China (ROC), Nationalist China, Free China - enjoyed full diplomatic relations with the
U. S. and also had its full military support. Taiwan was backed by most nations. Taiwan had a seat in the United Nations General
Assembly. Mao's China did not. In 1971, the
US opened relations with Mao Tse-tung - Red China, People's Republic of China (PRC), Mainland
China, Mao's China, Communist China - and downgraded the status of its relations with Taiwan.
All contact with Taiwan became unofficial.
Also in 1971, Taiwan was booted out of the
U. N. and the PRC was handed its seat. The PRC claims Taiwan as part of China. Taiwan
maintains its independence. Before leaving office in January 2021, Trump restored official
status to US relations with Taiwan. So, there might be problems . . . The US will
have to stick by its decision. That
could lead to a showdown in the China Sea. That could mean dogfights over Taiwan. The Chinese are big slobs. They are prone to big fatal mistakes. Peking
could be crazy enough to start a (nuclear) war. So the Americans and Russians will have to keep a close eye on things. Hong
Kong From 1842 to 1997, Hong Kong was a British
colony. Hong Kong was on land ceded and leased to the
British by the Ching (Manchu) Empire. The British governed
the colony with the local Chinese inhabitants. When the lease
expired, in 1997, China, now under a communist dictatorship, got Hong Kong back. Many in Hong Kong would have preferred to remain a British colony. Many would have liked an independent, democratic and self-governing Hong Kong. Many in Hong Kong do not like interference in their affairs from Peking. So, there are problems . . . The Uighur The Han are the
majority population of China. During the Cultural Revolution in
the 1960s, many Han Chinese were troublesome Red Guards and exiled to Sinkiang. It was China's Siberia. Many had to stay
there a couple of decades. Some remained. The Han and the Uighurs are different people. They can get along. But the Han are now the
majority of the population in Sinkiang. The Han believe they
are superior and tend to look down on other people, the 'minorities' - Uighurs, Mongols, Tibetans,
Manchu . . . So, there are problems
. . . Tibet The Potala in Lhasa A similar story here. Tibetan Buddhism is the soul of Chinese Buddhism. The Dalai Lama with President George H. W. Bush (Bush Sr.)
in 1991. With President Bill Clinton. With President George W. Bush (Bush,
Jr.) and First Lady Laura Bush. With President Barack Obama. Every American president since George H. W. Bush (Bush, Sr.) (1989 - 1993) invited the Dalai Lama, the
spiritual leader of Tibet, to the White House - except Donald Trump. No explanation. Trump was different. He was the odd man out. The Dalai Lama met George Bush, Sr.; Bill Clinton; George Bush, Jr.; and Barack Obama. Trump's successor as president,
Joe Biden, has met the Dalai Lama. Biden wants to meet the Dalai
Lama again in the White House and impose sanctions on the Chinese who have been responsible for human rights abuses in
Tibet. This view is more in keeping with the times. --------------- --------- By March 2021, Trump, the deposed president, had reclaimed the front page.
Biden
was the forgotten head clerk of Washington. Trump turns to pro wrestling for a new
career ----------------- Eleanor Roosevelt Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 - 1962) was a niece of President Theodore
Roosevelt and the wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Portrait. Pearl Harbor broadcast, 7 December 1941. With Madame Chiang at the White House. At the United Nations. With Nehru in India. Eleanor Roosevelt was the most prominent
First Lady in American history. She remained the most respected and most influential woman in the world until her death. According to the 2020 Gallup Poll, Ocasio-Cortez is one of the ten most admired women in the world.
Ocasio-Cortez,
a Democrat, represents New York's 14th Congressional District, which encompasses part of the Bronx and part of Queens.
Half
the district's 712,000 residents are Latino/Hispanic (generally, the descendants of Spanish settlers
and the Indians native to the Caribbean). The rest are Caucasians (of European parentage and
ancestry) (about 18%), Asians (about 16%) and blacks
(Africans and descendants of Africans) (11%). One third of the Latinos in the 14th District are
from the South American continent. Twenty-one
per cent are from Puerto Rico. Nineteen
per cent are from Mexico. Eighteen per cent are from Ecuador. Seventeen per cent are from the Dominican Republic.
Nine per cent are from Columbia. The rest are from Peru, Salvador, Cuba, Honduras, Guatemala, Argentina,
other points in Latin America - and Spain. The
14th Congressional District became the epicentre of Coronavirus epidemic in 2020. The counties of the Bronx
and Queens, along with Kings, were hit the hardest in the U. S. The
14th Congressional District of New York is indicated in green on the above maps. Aerial views of New York's
14th Congressional District. The press calls Ocasio-Cortez
by her initials 'AOC'. ----------- Ocasio-Cortez is an environmentalist. Ocasio-Cortez is concerned about climate change.
A few days after her re-election,
Ocasio-Cortez joined a group of young protesters in storming and occupying the office of the leader of the Democratic
Party in the US House of Representatives, Pelosi. They demanded change in US policies to better protect the environment. AOC left before the police arrived and
arrested the protesters. AOC is for
the creation of a federal programme to save the environment, to be implemented by federal agencies that are staffed by
employees who are paid reasonable salaries. ------------- As President Trump arrived in Florida on his last day in office, AOC championed the rights of
striking Teamsters in the Bronx. The workers demanded a $1.00 per hour raise. ------------- 'The American Spirit' AOC in Texas. Raises millions for storm relief. Packs food for storm victims. Houston, 20 Feb. 2021 ------------- AOC pushes for US$15.00 per hour minimum wage 1 March 2021 ------------------- Ocasio-Cortez sits on two U. S.
House committees and four sub-committees: - Committee on Financial Services This
committee oversees financial services regulators such as the Federal
Reserve (FED), the Treasury Department, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). - Subcommittee on Investor Protection,
Entrepreneurship and Capital Markets - Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions - Subcommittee on Civil Rights and
Civil Liberties
- Subcommittee on Environment ------------- Ocasio-Cortez is a graduate of Boston University. The
changes are reflected in the US Congress. There are more and more
congressmen of African, Latin American and Asian backgrounds in Congress. There are more and more speakers of Spanish. There are more social
and economic reformers. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United
States with a population of 3.2 million. All are American citizens. Puerto
Ricans are descendants of the indigenous Taino. Cristóbal Colón Columbus landed on the island during
his second voyage to the New World, on 19 November 1493, and claimed it for the King of Spain, Ferdinand.
The ‘Landing of Columbus’ on Puerto Rico in 1493 (1842 - 1847) by the
American painter John Vanderlyn (1755 - 1852). The natives called the island Borinquen.
Commemorative stamp in 1893. Commemorative
stamp in 1993. The second voyage of Columbus, 1493 - 1496 The port city of San Juan, named San Juan Bautista after Saint John the Baptist
by Columbus, is the capital of the island of Puerto Rico. Marble column and statue of Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus) in the Plaza de Colon
in San Juan. Spain lost its colonies of Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam to the U. S. in the
Spanish-American War (1898). Like Guam and the Philippines, Puerto
Rico was governed from Washington, D. C. through an appointed American governor,
in its capital city, San Juan. In 1948, Puerto Ricans elected the
governor themselves. The Puerto Ricans approved commonwealth status in 1952.
There have been numerous referendums in Puerto Rico to determine its commonwealth status and possible options
of independence and statehood with the U. S. Puerto Rico is
bigger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware. Puerto Rico
is about the size of Connecticut. In 1952, Puerto
Rican nationalists failed in an attempt to assassinate US President Harry Truman in London. In
1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire on members of the House of Representatives in session, wounding
five. Puerto Ricans voted for the sixth time on statehood
in a referendum on 3 November 2020: 'Should Puerto
Rico be admitted immediately into the Union as a State? 'Yes or No?' Scrap the SEC ! Replace
it with something that works. Corruption
in Congress e. g. U. S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services This committee oversees
(it is supposed to) financial services regulators - the Federal Reserve (FED), the Treasury
Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) et al. Many brokers are dishonest and think nothing of stealing an elderly
widow's life savings. The brokerage firm covers for the dirty broker. The
police do nothing. The local prosecutor is forever unavailable or talks nonsense or is in the broker's
pay or works only for the Mafia. A lawyer costs too much. Many lawyers cannot be trusted. The state financial regulators have
a deal with the brokerage firm. They insist nothing is wrong and offer the run-around. The federal
financial regulators are supposed to go after the embezzling broker. But the SEC and the NYSE do nothing. They defer to an NGO. The NGO has a deal with the broker or
takes bribes from the broker. That leaves Congress - the congressional committees
that supervise the federal financial regulators. The US House Committee on Financial Services has done very
little all these years. It is staffed by many people from the fifth dimension who do no real work. This committee does not even have an email address. (It has one single
partisan email address that never acknowledges receipt. Its members cannot be contacted by email.) This committee should offer an email address and monitor it. It should respond to
inquiries and complaints. This committee could (and
should) compel the SEC to shut down its notorious NGO front, FINRA, which is an obvious fraud and a racket run with dishonest brokers to cheat investors. Otherwise, FINRA must accept the FOIA and provide long-needed transparency in its shady dealings
with brokerage firms (and perhaps dispel suspicions that it is used in making illicit payments and money-laundering).
This
committee could (should) order the NYSE and SEC to stop referring complainants to FINRA. FINRA is staffed by mentally retarded persons
who consider their work meaningless community service and their pay a form of welfare. This committee could (and
should) compel FINRA to triple the educational level required of its employees, which is abominably
low - much lower than that of white-collar government workers in Africa, particularly in literacy
- and learn common and decent manners. Some
FINRA employees should never have been hired. They are very bizarre and have ties to people who are even more bizarre. This committee should compel the SEC to replace
its current employees. Send them back to primary school. Send them to a charm school too. Indeed, there have long been rumours
- and the press has implied - that employment by the SEC and FINRA is a cover for
prostitution. The
SEC OIG is a sick joke. Ask the
SEC a question or make an enquiry and the reply is usually 'That's not my department.' The
SEC began all wrong. Its first head, in 1934, was a pro-Hitler anti-British Irish Catholic gangster from Boston. (Al
Capone was in prison and could not be offered the post.) The
FINRA chairman is hiding or on the run. The SEC and FINRA each
have an ombudsman. FINRA has also a deputy ombudsman. None are capable or competent. 'No can do.' The caller got the cleaning
woman. All three and their offices are an insult to the public. This committee could
compel the FED to clean up its PR, with its many double meanings, and stop issuing contradictory
information. The CFPB is utterly
useless. The FRB should be ordered to cease referring complainants to it. This committee should order government agencies, like the CFPB, to terminate their deals with Internet companies, which they cherish more than anything
else, in the use of cryptic email programs designed to steal information from complaining investors and to give
the run around. |
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