Understanding the US - Again

The Strategic Issues & International Relations Forum is a venue to discuss issues pertaining to India's security environment, her strategic outlook on global affairs and as well as the effect of international relations in the Indian Subcontinent. We request members to kindly stay within the mandate of this forum and keep their exchanges of views, on a civilised level, however vehemently any disagreement may be felt. All feedback regarding forum usage may be sent to the moderators using the Feedback Form or by clicking the Report Post Icon in any objectionable post for proper action. Please note that the views expressed by the Members and Moderators on these discussion boards are that of the individuals only and do not reflect the official policy or view of the Bharat-Rakshak.com Website. Copyright Violation is strictly prohibited and may result in revocation of your posting rights - please read the FAQ for full details. Users must also abide by the Forum Guidelines at all times.
Yagnasri
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10388
Joined: 29 May 2007 18:03

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Yagnasri »

Add G Soros funded Prosecutors all over the major cities of the US who are not at all keen to procedure many criminals whose crimes are ideologically acceptable to them. Every crime is now a political issue and police and the judicial system are the evil entities.

Many things can be done to reverse this situation. For example there is a need to crake down on drug related crime at wholesale supply and whole sale distribution level asap. US need to attack the production processing and manufacturing facilities, organizations and top leadership of durg mafia within the US and outside. But that it will not do.
Cyrano
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5461
Joined: 28 Mar 2020 01:07

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Cyrano »

What message does officially letting go petty crimes send, especially to the youth ?

With all their resources, couldn't they have created fast track court to quickly judge petty crimes (with so many security cameras everywhere creating evidence) and use community service as the preferred option for punishing petty crimes instead of just letting them go scot free.

For ex, if you shoplift 100$ worth of stuff, you need to perform community service worth 2x that amount based on hourly minimum wage. If hourly minimum wage is say 10$, you need to do 20 hrs of community service. Repeat offences can have increasing penalties like 3x for second time, 5x for a third offence etc.

Use such man-hours to clean up the cities, maintain outdoor public spaces like playgrounds and parks, etc etc. to reduce some of the city's expenditure. Part of such hours can be offset against taking vocational courses which will help the person lean a useful skill that will hopefully make shoplifting unnecessary.

I thought such systems existed in the US already. Is managing community service programs very onerous and complicated, even more than putting petty criminals in prison?
darshan
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4018
Joined: 28 Jan 2008 04:16

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by darshan »

Any illogically done strict law brings abuse similar to dowry law in India.

In a state with strict shoplifting laws, blue counties will be relaxed or may give you real chance of fighting your case. While in red counties, judges would always rule one-way. Bail industry, expungement lawyers, etc. would be making money.

Many states had left interpretation open about the value of merchandise so it was always MSRP even if one the day of offense it was on clearance for $1. Imagine something showing up in your shopping cart that's small and MSRP at $100. You head out that door unknowingly and next thing you know that you are looking for a bail lawyer to expungement lawyer in many states with strict laws but no due process or separate sets of sentences based on color for similar offences.

Courts in many big cities are backlogged to give any fair judgments. Judges are essentially focused on number of dockets that they are clearing per day. Similar for district attorneys. Some counties may have budgets to prosecute while others may not. Federal govt themselves let go of many due to budget constraints and not having money to prosecute. Some days back I had posted news article about only $500k in a fine by federal govt.

Added later:
Some of these comments are from first hand involvement across Midwest and Texas where many years ago Indian immigrants were being targeted by shoplifting setups. Racism and money making combined. They knew that indian immigrants would dole out money to have their records clean and put up the least resistance.
Cyrano
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5461
Joined: 28 Mar 2020 01:07

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Cyrano »

Perhaps those who formulate public policy would be well served to read Dan Arieley's books like Predictably Irrational for a start.
darshan
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4018
Joined: 28 Jan 2008 04:16

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by darshan »

In a same system, one would see difference based on various factors. Small business being shoplifted vs. big stores where off duty cops or retired cops are working. The color of involved parties, the area, etc. The legal system outcomes are controlled by many many inputs.

Obviously understanding US always requires accounting for the racism.
vijayk
BRF Oldie
Posts: 8760
Joined: 22 Jun 1999 11:31

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by vijayk »

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/3 ... ent-497290
‘Not a healthy environment’: Kamala Harris’ office rife with dissent

There is dysfunction inside the VP’s office, aides and administration officials say. And it’s emanating from the top.
The handling of the border visit was the latest chaotic moment for a staff that’s quickly become mired in them. Harris’ team is experiencing low morale, porous lines of communication and diminished trust among aides and senior officials. Much of the frustration internally is directed at Tina Flournoy, Harris’ chief of staff, a veteran of Democratic politics who began working for her earlier this year.

In interviews, 22 current and former vice presidential aides, administration officials and associates of Harris and Biden described a tense and at times dour office atmosphere. Aides and allies said Flournoy, in an apparent effort to protect Harris, has instead created an insular environment where ideas are ignored or met with harsh dismissals and decisions are dragged out. Often, they said, she refuses to take responsibility for delicate issues and blames staffers for the negative results that ensue.
The morale level for current Harris staffers is “rough” and in many ways similar to the failed presidential campaign and her Senate office, according to the former Senate aide, who is in touch with current Harris staffers.


You can fool some people some time, all people some time but not all people all the time :rotfl:
darshhan
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2937
Joined: 12 Dec 2008 11:52

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by darshhan »

Yesterday we were discussing the predatory nature of Amazon. Today they have written a PR article in TOI on how they are supporting small businesses. Lesson is never underestimate their algorithms.

Encouraging & acknowledging the resilience of lakhs of small businesses, Amazon celebrates Small Business Days 2021
vijayk
BRF Oldie
Posts: 8760
Joined: 22 Jun 1999 11:31

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by vijayk »

https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-o ... ios-2021-7
Biden administration officials privately describe VP Kamala Harris' office as a 's---show,' report says
Administration officials are privately calling Kamala Harris' office "a s---show," Axios reports.
Top Biden officials are circling the wagons around Harris' operation as internal discord boils over.
Recent reports in Politico and CNBC detailed unhappiness from Harris staffers, allies, and donors.
I think she served the purpose of diaper for Dems - Black/Brown/Woman .''
Top White House officials are publicly circling the wagons around Vice President Kamala Harris' operation while privately describing the chaos in her office as a "s---show," Axios reported on Friday.

Long-simmering unhappiness in Harris' office and tensions between her staff and President Joe Biden's boiled over in a recent report from Politico. The outlet spoke with 22 sources, including current and former Harris staffers, who described poor morale and communication breakdowns within the vice president's office.

"People are thrown under the bus from the very top, there are short fuses and it's an abusive environment," one source told Politico. "It's not a healthy environment and people often feel mistreated. It's not a place where people feel supported but a place where people feel treated like s---."

Some key aides and staffers were left in the dark when it came to the planning of Harris' trip to the US-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, Politico reported. Two advance staffers also recently departed from Harris' office.
'
Axios reported that some Democrats within and outside the White House were "increasingly concerned about Harris's handling of high-profile issues and political tone deafness," including her missteps around immigration.

"'Oh, no, our heir apparent is f---ing up, what are we gonna do?' It's more that people think, 'Oh, she's f---ing up, maybe she shouldn't be the heir apparent,'" one Democratic source told Axios.
Yagnasri
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10388
Joined: 29 May 2007 18:03

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Yagnasri »

As you said she ticked lot of boxes and naturally they do not have boxes for the things like capability in the woke world of 2020s. Plus unlike Tulsi, she is also acceptable to the donor class, neo cons and the Wall Street. Anyone who has seen her in the primaries know that she is totally incapable to take care of any serious responsibility. Yet she was given illegal immigration issue in the Mexican border to take care. Who ever came up with that idea is just trying to destroy her for good. I wonder if this is the idea of some Hillary or Obomber gang person.
khatvaanga
BRFite
Posts: 163
Joined: 04 Mar 2019 00:59

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by khatvaanga »

Yagnasri wrote:As you said she ticked lot of boxes and naturally they do not have boxes for the things like capability in the woke world of 2020s. Plus unlike Tulsi, she is also acceptable to the donor class, neo cons and the Wall Street. Anyone who has seen her in the primaries know that she is totally incapable to take care of any serious responsibility. Yet she was given illegal immigration issue in the Mexican border to take care. Who ever came up with that idea is just trying to destroy her for good. I wonder if this is the idea of some Hillary or Obomber gang person.

looks like her usefullness has run its course. hence this... i think these will increase directly proportional to byeden's health.
darshhan
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2937
Joined: 12 Dec 2008 11:52

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by darshhan »

40% of San Francisco residents plan to leave due to quality of life: Poll
Almost half of San Francisco residents are planning on moving out of the city due to rising crime and a deteriorating quality of life, according to a recent poll.
......
California and especially San Francisco committing suicide.
vijayk
BRF Oldie
Posts: 8760
Joined: 22 Jun 1999 11:31

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by vijayk »

darshhan wrote:40% of San Francisco residents plan to leave due to quality of life: Poll
Almost half of San Francisco residents are planning on moving out of the city due to rising crime and a deteriorating quality of life, according to a recent poll.
......
California and especially San Francisco committing suicide.

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/ ... a-decline/

Use this link to spread this info. Washington examiner has conservative bias. Many folks dismiss it.
Pratyush
BRF Oldie
Posts: 12187
Joined: 05 Mar 2010 15:13

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Pratyush »

darshhan wrote:40% of San Francisco residents plan to leave due to quality of life: Poll
Almost half of San Francisco residents are planning on moving out of the city due to rising crime and a deteriorating quality of life, according to a recent poll.
......
California and especially San Francisco committing suicide.
They are dismissing people planning to leave SF as racist. That's the level of wokeism.
Aditya_V
BRF Oldie
Posts: 14331
Joined: 05 Apr 2006 16:25

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Aditya_V »

But given what has been discussed, the people will Leave CA and make Red state Democratic States with Woke values. :wink: :rotfl: They will escape California to bring a California feeling where ever they go.
chetak
BRF Oldie
Posts: 32224
Joined: 16 May 2008 12:00

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by chetak »

from twitter

big burnol time for the racist creeps in the land of the "free" and the home of the "brave"


Left liberals are targeting & mocking NASA interns Pratima Roy & Pooja Roy for their photos with idols of Hindu gods & goddesses.

these corrosive leli talibunnies need to mutate, into a more informed variant.



Image


Image
nandakumar
BRFite
Posts: 1638
Joined: 10 May 2010 13:37

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by nandakumar »

An interesting article on the November US presidential election. He explains why traditional conservative Republicans I'd deeply disenchanted with US establishment.
https://outsidevoices.substack.com/p/au ... -thread-on
chetak
BRF Oldie
Posts: 32224
Joined: 16 May 2008 12:00

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by chetak »

Image
Varoon Shekhar
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2178
Joined: 03 Jan 2010 23:26

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Varoon Shekhar »

Hindu imagery possessed by NASA interns: There is an interesting Netflix series called "Never Have I ever" about the experiences and travails of an Indian American girl in high school. It seems to be quite Hindu friendly, the opening scene had the girl praying to images like the NASA interns have, for good luck in her life. This is very rare on American TV, which is more Moslem friendly. I've seen a few episodes, the Indian characters are all Hindu, again rare in US TV. The narrator of the series is tennis legend John McEnroe. It bears watching to see if the series ever descends into Hindu phobia or anti-Hindutva, or anti-India in general. So far, not bad.
chetak
BRF Oldie
Posts: 32224
Joined: 16 May 2008 12:00

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by chetak »

Varoon Shekhar wrote:Hindu imagery possessed by NASA interns: There is an interesting Netflix series called "Never Have I ever" about the experiences and travails of an Indian American girl in high school. It seems to be quite Hindu friendly, the opening scene had the girl praying to images like the NASA interns have, for good luck in her life. This is very rare on American TV, which is more Moslem friendly. I've seen a few episodes, the Indian characters are all Hindu, again rare in US TV. The narrator of the series is tennis legend John McEnroe. It bears watching to see if the series ever descends into Hindu phobia or anti-Hindutva, or anti-India in general. So far, not bad.
only two seasons, right
vimal
BRFite
Posts: 1902
Joined: 27 Jul 2017 10:32

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by vimal »

Ok it was created by Mindy Kaling
Varoon Shekhar
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2178
Joined: 03 Jan 2010 23:26

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Varoon Shekhar »

chetak wrote:
Varoon Shekhar wrote:
only two seasons, right
Yes, I think the second season has just begun. As surprisingly congenial as the series has been, it would be interesting to see the travails of an Indian American male in high school. The dynamics would be different.
Vayutuvan
BRF Oldie
Posts: 12060
Joined: 20 Jun 2011 04:36

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Vayutuvan »

Select committee hearings today of what happened on Jan 6th, 2021 at the Capitol Hill is a fantastic opportunity to understand a lot about Amreeka.
Shwetank
BRFite
Posts: 117
Joined: 12 Aug 2004 01:28

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Shwetank »

The wokification and bureaucratization of American education continues. Post-secondary is needlessly expensive and bloated and most of it is now useless
Image
The Black Hole of DEI Spending at Public Universities
For decades, universities have worked to be more inclusive. Recently, they have rebranded these efforts under the general heading of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and given those in charge of such initiatives more resources and power. Universities nationwide have added DEI offices without replacing other departments with similar goals, and have promoted such efforts as central to the university mission. To their supporters, DEI initiatives have led the charge toward more inclusion. To their opponents, they are a waste of money at best, and at worst, a force behind the growing intolerance towards dissenting views gripping universities and society more generally.

The figure above shows the increase in bureaucracy in the University of California system between 2000 and 2015 alone.

Regardless of where one stands in this debate, both sides can benefit from more information about these efforts. Just how much taxpayer money is being spent on DEI, and what are the offices doing? In order to find out, I began a research project for CSPI to gather basic budgetary information across a large number of universities. Unfortunately, it failed miserably.

Cutting the project several ways, I first cast a wide net to find budget information for 200 publicly funded universities from all 50 states’ budget officials. While nearly all responded to my “public-information law” requests, I learned that many state fiscal officials don’t maintain any detailed university budget information. They frequently keep only high-level university budget data. Considering that public universities receive about $171 billion in government funding annually, it was frustrating to find out that information about how money was spent was not easily available.

In response, I decided to undertake a less ambitious program. Using a much more modest public university sample, I directly asked seven individual universities’ public information agencies for their budgets on programs and offices regarding every DEI-associated term I could think of (“diversity, equity, inclusion, Title IX, women, African Americans, Latinos/Latinx/Hispanics, Native or Indigenous Americans, LGBT or any derivative thereof, Asian Americans, or migrants or immigrants”). This, too, proved unsuccessful. While two universities provided me with a detailed budget showing at least some of our requested information, an official from another institution stated there was “no search mechanism available that would allow us to identify the offices included in your keyword search.” The official then asked us to read through their “A to Z” office contact list (with 88 listings under the letter “A” alone) to select the relevant offices. She would then “work with our budget officers” to obtain the requested information. Cost: $30 or $75 per hour, depending on whether the specific request involves “database extraction.” Of the final four, one has promised a response by August 3, another has promised a response by some unspecified date, and two have completely ignored the request.

This brief foray into DEI budget searching revealed that, even if we had sufficient resources and time to make the relevant requests, it would be a massive undertaking and no matter what happens we would not be able to obtain comparable information across universities and states, nor any budgetary information at all from many universities. Back to Square One.

To make decisions about the value of DEI initiatives, legislators need to know what is going on in public universities, but as of right now, it does not appear that they can in most places.

In my decades-long career working for two state legislatures, I repeatedly witnessed bureaucracies operating in deeply stacked hierarchies and labyrinthine organizational charts, their activities opaque even to the trained eye. Universities are among the worst offenders. Be assured that – apart from any “greater good” objective – bureaucracy protects itself from anything it views as a threat. Public information laws alone cannot get behind this wall.

Universities have in recent decades been overrun with bureaucracy, much of it of dubious utility. I undertook a project hoping to at least get an accounting of how much money public institutions have been spending on DEI efforts. Despite laws meant to facilitate information being made available to the public, legislators and citizens continue to be in the dark about what exactly universities are doing with their resources.

Given the highly bureaucratic nature of the university, it is probably unrealistic to hope that this will ever change. Legislators have many things to worry about, while university staff can work full time to protect their prerogatives and interests. If it is impossible to find out exactly what the DEI bureaucracy in public universities is doing, the best path forward may be for state governments to make their own decisions about the value of more support staff and make sure that the aggregate budget reflects their choices.
chetak
BRF Oldie
Posts: 32224
Joined: 16 May 2008 12:00

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by chetak »

Image
chetak
BRF Oldie
Posts: 32224
Joined: 16 May 2008 12:00

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by chetak »

lest anyone had doubts


Image
chetak
BRF Oldie
Posts: 32224
Joined: 16 May 2008 12:00

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by chetak »

the age old camel and the tent story with a woke twist, now starring ilhan omar as the camel.


Rep. Omar Wants to Replace July 4th With Muslim Heritage Month



Rep. Omar Wants to Replace July 4th With Muslim Heritage Month


AUG 3, 2021
DANIEL GREENFIELD


Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical Left and Islamic terrorism.

July is when families load up screaming kids into a minivan for a road trip, when water parks overflow with the smells of cotton candy and chlorine, and Chicago shootings reach highs only previously witnessed in minor South American wars. Sprinklers rotate over dying lawns and glorious fireworks rise into the sky over a American million cities, towns and villages.

But Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and a bunch of other leftists would like to turn July into Muslim American Heritage Month.

“As we continue to see an uptick in anti-Muslim hate, it is important we recognize the resiliency and accomplishments of Muslim Americans with a formal resolution,” Rep. Omar claimed.

Except that July was already designated the National French-American Heritage Month.

I’m not clear on what Muslim accomplishment in America took place in July (another month later in the year comes to mind), but we celebrate our revolution on July 4th and the French celebrate theirs on July 14th. The French supported our revolution and we supported theirs (at least until it turned into the orgy of social justice killings and insane decrees that leftist revolutions always degenerate into whether it’s on college campuses or in countries).

“Muslim-Americans have played a major role in shaping our nation for centuries,” Rep. Andre Carson, insists. “Designating July as Muslim-American Heritage Month is a wonderful opportunity to honor the trailblazers who came before us.”

Muslims played little role in America until the 1970s with the embrace of Islam by black nationalist opponents of the United States and the onset of violent terrorist attacks like the Hanafi Siege in D.C. While the next phase of the 1619 Project will no doubt produce its alternative history which will reveal that Alexander Hamilton bowed to Mecca and Dolly Madison wore a burka, there’s little doubt among sane historians that the French were here first.

There are 12 million Americans of French descent and while the last time a congressional resolution on French-American Heritage Month was passed was back in 2002, that’s because Franco-Americans are much less vocal about occupying cultural territory than Omar and Tlaib. The resolution noted that the French had established parts of the United States, that Lafayette had fought for American independence, Tocqueville had explained America, and L’Enfant had laid out Washington D.C. (3 out of 4 ain’t bad). The French were here first.

Though perhaps Rep. Carson can explain more of the “major role” that Muslims played “in shaping our nation for centuries” and how it exceeds that of the role played by the French.

If it weren’t bad enough that Omar, Tlaib, and Carson were spitting in the faces of 12 million French-Americans, they’re also hijacking Disability Pride Month. The Hamas Caucus could try to move Muslim Heritage Month to June, but that’s already Gay Pride Month. And when Islam and gay people meet, the latter tend to get thrown off tall buildings and then stoned to death.

August however is pretty clear aside from being National Immunization Awareness Month.

But, much like the Ground Zero Mosque had to be near the site of the greatest impact Islam has had on shaping American history, Muslim Heritage Month has to take over July.

No other month will do.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib had already introduced a resolution for April as Arab Heritage Month where it displaced Scottish American Heritage Month. (But what contribution have the Scots ever made to America compared to the centuries of Omar and Tlaib’s shaping of the country?)

Does Tlaib really need two months or a sixth of the calendar year? Heritage months are generally ethnic, not religious. But the Hamas Caucus wants two months to start with. Having seized one month from the Scots, they’d like to hijack another one from the French.

One of them has to be about violating the separation of church and state by promoting a religion.

And hating America.

July means fireworks, barbeques, and patriotic songs. But Rep. Rashida Tlaib would like it to be about honoring “the achievements, contributions and sacrifices of Muslim Americans in the face of rising anti-Muslim hate.” Or, according to Tlaib, it will “provide an opportunity to foster religious tolerance nationwide and combat misinformation directed at the Muslim community.”

Like every theme month lately, this seems destined to be another ‘America Sucks’ month. But it will come packaged with an extra share of Dawah or Islamic missionary activity while informing us that Islam has nothing to do with terrorism and anyone who disagrees should be beheaded.

Los Angeles, which rushes wokely where angels fear to tread, is already celebrating Muslim Heritage Month through its libraries with Linda Sarsour’s biography and Rep. Omar’s biography. Don’t just think of Muslim Heritage Month as displacing July 4th when it’s also a great gimmick for selling otherwise unsellable books. And even as the Taliban retake Afghanistan and prepare to put those women who took off their burkas and hijabs in their place, Muslim Heritage Month is being used to promote The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family to small children.

Indeed, the resolution itself promotes the hijab by insisting that “women who wear the hijab, or headscarf” are discriminated against in America. The resolution then goes on to celebrate accused domestic abuser Keith Ellison and then, after appropriating July, tries to also appropriate the ice cream cone. It’s one thing to hijack the Fourth, but ice cream cones too?

“Whereas Syrian immigrant Ernest Hamwi’s invention of the ice cream cone is a practical confection with a near ubiquitous presence in American life,” the resolution falsely claims.

While the ice cream cone is indeed a most ubiquitous and practical confection, the ice cream cone was invented and patented by Italo Marchiony: an Italian-American immigrant.

First, Omar and Tlaib displaced the French and the Scots, and then the Italians.

Ernest Hamwi, a Syrian immigrant, did play a role in the ice cream business, and he patented his own cone decades later in the twenties, but he was Christian, not Muslim. Ernest was one of the many Syrian-Lebanese Christians who fled Muslim persecution and a famine to come to the United States in the beginning of the twentieth century. He married into a local American family and was buried in Valhalla Cemetery. His stepson, Arthur C. McGuffin, took over his company.

As July wanes and Omar and Tlaib try to appropriate the month and even its ice cream, replacing swimsuits with hijabs and the Declaration of Independence with the demonization of America as a racist Islamophobic society that only has two months to celebrate their heritage, instead of twelve, let’s remember the heroic American patriots who fought to keep us free.

The only heritage month we truly need is the heritage of our freedom from all tyrannies.

Including the one American soldiers were fighting from the “shores of Tripoli” in the First Barbary War of 1801 to the one that they are still fighting today against terror in our homeland.
Mort Walker
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10032
Joined: 31 May 2004 11:31
Location: The rings around Uranus.

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Mort Walker »

Somewhere between 18-25% of all migrants at the US southern border are testing positive for Covid-19. Source NBC News.

18 percent of migrant families leaving Border Patrol custody tested positive for Covid, document says
KLNMurthy
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4825
Joined: 17 Aug 2005 13:06

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by KLNMurthy »

vimal wrote:Ok it was created by Mindy Kaling
Season 1 was heavily criticized by some Indians as showcasing brahmins.

Season 2 has a prominent Muslim girl character, maybe as a response to the criticism.
Rudradev
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4226
Joined: 06 Apr 2003 12:31

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Rudradev »

There's one silver lining to a long, bloody, protracted, atrocity-filled campaign by the Taliban. Hindu Americans have the opportunity to illuminate Islamism, and specifically Pakistan, with the glaring spotlight of publicity to an extent unmatched since the 2001-02 period. There are occasions when all the wokeness in the world cannot conceal the true horror of jihad with protestations of Islamophobia-- such as during the Paris attacks of 2015, and the ISIS atrocities that preceded them. The last occasion when Pakistan specifically could be highlighted was after the Mumbai attacks of 26/11/2008.

So here's what's happening with one Dilawar Syed, a Paki who Biden Sarkar has nominated to the Small Business Administration (and who would be the highest-ranking Muslim in the Biden administration if confirmed).

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/1 ... ade-503459


Biden’s highest-ranking Muslim nominee mired in GOP blockade
The row over Dilawar Syed has brought hardball tactics to a lower-profile Senate committee not known for fielding charges about xenophobia and anti-Israel bias.
Accusations of Islamophobia and anti-Israel bias are bogging down the confirmation of an under-the-radar Biden administration nominee who'd be the highest-ranking Muslim in its ranks if he's confirmed.

The White House tapped Dilawar Syed for the No. 2 post at the Small Business Administration in March, but the Senate Small Business Committee has been unable to advance Syed’s nomination as Republicans criticize what they say is the veteran businessman’s association with an “anti-Israel” Muslim American group.

Religious advocacy groups, including several Jewish organizations, are crying foul. Particularly alarming to some Syed supporters is a June email circulated among Republican committee staff by an aide to Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO. The email notes Syed’s Pakistani roots and his membership on the board of EmgageUSA, a Muslim American nonprofit that "has taken very partisan positions" against actions by the Israeli government.


Risch spokesperson Marty Cozza confirmed the authenticity of the email and said the aide who wrote it was vetting Syed's background when she "became aware he was an active board member for an advocacy group that has taken inflammatory positions regarding Israel. As is common in the vetting process, she moved forward on sharing Mr. Syed’s information with with Small Business Committee staff who were also reviewing his nomination."

Religious organizers are denouncing the email — which cites Emgage's support for criticisms of the Israeli government by Muslim American Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) — and other attacks on Syed as xenophobic and Islamophobic. :(( The row has brought hardball partisan tactics to a lower-profile panel normally centered on economic concerns and the wheels of federal bureaucracy — not brawls over foreign policy viewpoints.

...

Farah Brelvi, interim co-executive director of the nonprofit Muslim Advocates, said the circulated GOP email "reeks of the kind of anti-Muslim bigotry that should have no place in our politics or society." :(( :((

Emgage issued a statement for this story decrying "partisan attacks" on Syed and suggesting they were motivated by his faith: "We do not believe in a religious test for leadership." Note the use of the term "religious test"-- Paki/IAMC propaganda in US media routinely defamed CAA as "Modi government introduces a religious test for Indian citizenship".

...

Small Business Committee Chair Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said in a brief interview that he wanted to press forward on Syed’s nomination and said Republicans’ attacks on the nominee were “ridiculous."
Maryland Democrats are among the worst of all offenders when it comes to promoting Islamists, specifically Pakis. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen (D) is a repeat offender in this regard, having consistently promoted anti-India positions on Capitol Hill on issues ranging from CAA to "human rights in Kashmir".
...

Cardin said the Biden administration had reached out to senators in an effort to break the logjam over Syed, but Republicans show no signs of relenting on their blockade or permitting other committee business.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who had led Republicans in opposing Syed, said in a brief interview he was concerned about Syed’s connections to a group the Missouri Republican said had made “antisemitic statements” — an apparent reference to Emgage — and would continue to withhold a quorum from the committee “until we can get some answers.” :D :D You know where to send your contributions!

Hawley and other Republicans have demanded another hearing be held on Syed’s affiliation with the Muslim advocacy group, which ran a multistate engagement effort to turn out Muslim voters in the 2020 election. President Joe Biden spoke to a virtual event hosted by an Emgage political affiliate during his campaign last year.

“Until we can get some answers on that at least, then I'm not gonna vote for — I'm not gonna provide a quorum," Hawley said, adding that "I'm shocked that they haven't withdrawn his nomination. I really am." :mrgreen:

...

Syed, a businessman who is currently the CEO of a health care AI and analytics company, has also served on the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, among other civic leadership roles. At his late-April confirmation hearing, Syed promised lawmakers he would lead the agency “with urgency and purpose” and would draw on his past entrepreneurial and civic experiences as the agency helped pull small businesses out of the pandemic.

Some more background information about the Jihadi group EmgageUSA from Sam Westrop at the Middle East Forum via Twitter:

https://twitter.com/samwestrop/status/1 ... 2274542597

@samwestrop
1/ Emgage, a radical, Islamist-run group tied to Biden campaign, boasts of its work in Washington D.C. to demonize India.

2/ Claims to have sent 5,500 emails to Congress, lead over 60 meetings with Senate and House offices, helped organize two congressional hearings on Kashmir, and lobbied State Dept. and House Foreign Affairs Committee, inter alia.

3/ One of Emgage's board members is Farooq Mitha. https://emgageusa.org/board-member/farooq-mitha/ He's also a senior advisor to the Biden campaign. https://medium.com/muslims-for-joe-bide ... 4dd45fb2e5

4/ In fact, he was brought into to replace a Hindu campaign official after the Islamists organized a campaign against him.
https://t.co/DXuwB8jCcW?amp=1 Referring to Amit Jani, against whom a smear campaign was mounted on the grounds that his family in India are supporters of Fascist Mudi
As usual, the Israeli-American lobby has hit the ground running to oppose the jihadi EmgageUSA nominee for the SBA position.

As usual, Hindu Americans (who have at least as much, if not more to lose from the Paki Dilawar Syed's confirmation) are nowhere to be seen.
Vayutuvan
BRF Oldie
Posts: 12060
Joined: 20 Jun 2011 04:36

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Vayutuvan »

Mr. Dilawar Syed "immigrated" to the US as a college student at the College of Wooster, Ohio. Current Tuition+room+board is 68K USD per annum. Majors offered at the link below.

https://wooster.edu/academics/areas/

It would be interesting to know what was Mr. Syed's major when he "immigrated" to the US.
Rudradev
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4226
Joined: 06 Apr 2003 12:31

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Rudradev »

Inflation is up, and continues rising.

A major war has just been humiliatingly lost.

Domestically, campuses have become hotbeds of left-wing radicalism.

An opioid epidemic continues to kill people and ruin lives, with no end in sight.

Automation promises to destroy whatever few job opportunities the American working-class and lower-middle class had left.

This is the 1970s again. Those wishing to understand the US could get many pointers from books about that period. Then raise everything to the power of internet, social media, and smartphones.

There is one important sociological difference, though. In the 2020 census, for the first time in the history of the United States, white Americans actually *declined* in numbers. (Birth rates of non-white children have exceeded those of white children for a decade-- but now, the white population as a whole as a whole have fallen beneath the replacement rate).
Mort Walker
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10032
Joined: 31 May 2004 11:31
Location: The rings around Uranus.

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Mort Walker »

Rudradev wrote:Inflation is up, and continues rising.

A major war has just been humiliatingly lost.

Domestically, campuses have become hotbeds of left-wing radicalism.

An opioid epidemic continues to kill people and ruin lives, with no end in sight.

Automation promises to destroy whatever few job opportunities the American working-class and lower-middle class had left.

This is the 1970s again. Those wishing to understand the US could get many pointers from books about that period. Then raise everything to the power of internet, social media, and smartphones.

There is one important sociological difference, though. In the 2020 census, for the first time in the history of the United States, white Americans actually *declined* in numbers. (Birth rates of non-white children have exceeded those of white children for a decade-- but now, the white population as a whole as a whole have fallen beneath the replacement rate).
Add to the list:

* Continued increases in cost of housing, health care and education.

* Increased daily mass shootings for 2021.

* Third wave of COVID-19 infections and deaths, despite 50% population fully vaccinated.

* A two-decade high border crisis on the southern border with tens of thousands detained including thousands of unaccompanied children.

* Stimulus spending continuing unabated to keep equity markets afloat for the wealthy and well connected.
Ambar
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3173
Joined: 12 Jun 2010 09:56
Location: Weak meek unkil Sam!

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Ambar »

Rudradev wrote:Inflation is up, and continues rising.

A major war has just been humiliatingly lost.

Domestically, campuses have become hotbeds of left-wing radicalism.



This is the 1970s again. Those wishing to understand the US could get many pointers from books about that period. Then raise everything to the power of internet, social media, and smartphones.
.
So true. It is almost as if the world goes through the same cycle every 50 or 60 yrs (adjusted for technological/industrial advances). The 1920s to 1940s and 1960s to 1980s was a tumultuous period for the world. It feels like we are entering another cycle of 10 to 15yrs of turbulence where the economic, social, political and security pillars of every nation will be challenged and shook.
chetak
BRF Oldie
Posts: 32224
Joined: 16 May 2008 12:00

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by chetak »

Image via@the_lost_girl92
chetak
BRF Oldie
Posts: 32224
Joined: 16 May 2008 12:00

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by chetak »

WTF is happening in the US and what is the USG doing about the nazi like attempt of the toxic and malevolent US academia in "Dismantling Global Hindutva"

what does it even mean and what exactly is our embassy in the US doing about this.

this is a toolkit for derailing Modi's election bid in 2024 as well as derailing a few state elections like UP elections, for starters.

This is scheduled to take place on 9/11 and that is not a coincidence


Tarek Fatah@TarekFatah·Aug 18
"Dismantling Global Hindutva" - Yes, that's the name of the conference, sponsored by Harvard, Stanford and Berkley + 40 others. Look at the speakers - it's a who-is-who of rabid Hindu haters, virulent anti-Indian voices, oblivious to the Taliban terror.



Image


and this is their stated objective.
This rise of militant Hindu groups in India and the corresponding escalation of violence against religious minorities and other marginalized communities is well documented, including by global media. International attention has also been directed at the exclusionary Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019 pushed through by the ruling Hindutva-aligned Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the aggressive crackdown on all forms of democratic dissent, and the intimidation and imprisonment of journalists, human rights groups and activists working to empower marginalized caste and tribal communities. This overall erosion of democratic practices and freedoms in India has been noted by global research networks. There has also been some useful scholarship, journalism and community-based activism on the links between Hindutva and racism and caste-ism. We need now to develop a comprehensive understanding of Hindutva and its global implications through its different iterations in the large Indian Diaspora and its potential for building links with other supremacist ideologies, especially as Hindutva groups expand their influence well beyond India.

The BJP and its various affiliate groups have been adept at building connections with the vast Hindu diaspora, particularly in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. This reach has contributed materially and ideologically to the strengthening of Hindutva in India. Moreover even as such groups have leveraged racialized minority protections in, for instance, the US, they have continued to support caste-discriminatory practices and have found common cause with far right and white supremacist groups in Europe and the US.

It is also important to recognize the economic turmoil unleashed by the authoritarian economic policies and policy-making framework of the BJP government, including the failed demonetization policies and the ill-conceived agricultural reform policies. Such erratic and draconian policy making has led to stalled economic growth, dangerous declines in basic living standards, and loss of protections for the most vulnerable labor and agricultural communities in India.

This conference will convene panels on a variety of interlinked topics that address the threat and power of Hindutva. Scholars, journalists, and activists will examine the historical development of Hindutva, the fascist dimensions of the ideology, its alignment with other supremacist movements and define all that is at stake across a range of political, socio-cultural, and economic issues. We also aim for the conference to be a space for examining the history of dissent and resistance against Hindutva. Dalit and Feminist traditions have long resisted the singular narrative of Hinduism adopted by Hindu Supremacists. A broader coalition of activists from progressive communities have mobilized to enable both material and ideological divestment from Hindutva. Drawing inspiration from such collectivities, we expect to develop resources for anti-Hindutva pedagogy and organizing in educational and cultural institutions everywhere.
ramana
Forum Moderator
Posts: 59773
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by ramana »

Fall of Kabul in 2021 is like Suez crisis was for UK in 1956.
It's crisis of confidence and end of an era.

Blaming Biden doesn't help for so many self inflicted wounds brought US to this stage.
williams
BRFite
Posts: 874
Joined: 21 Jun 2006 20:55

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by williams »

chetak wrote:WTF is happening in the US and what is the USG doing about the nazi like attempt of the toxic and malevolent US academia in "Dismantling Global Hindutva"

what does it even mean and what exactly is our embassy in the US doing about this.
...
Relax. It is closet Commie Jihadist nut jobs like Dr. Audrey Truschke trying to create a counter narrative against the lawsuit filed by HAF. The lawsuit is filed because of some very disparaging remarks made by this lady and others in some articles. GOI or USG should not be involved in this. People like HAF and the huge Indian diaspora will take care of it.
Pratyush
BRF Oldie
Posts: 12187
Joined: 05 Mar 2010 15:13

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Pratyush »

ramana wrote:Fall of Kabul in 2021 is like Suez crisis was for UK in 1956.
It's crisis of confidence and end of an era.

Blaming Biden doesn't help for so many self inflicted wounds brought US to this stage.
Biden had been a part of the process of bringing US down. However, much any one disagree with this. The infiltration of academic institutions by the communists over the last 50 years has to show the results.

US now has millions of indoctrinated activists running around in its Universities, media, entertainment, with Antifa and BLM being the stormtroopers on the ground.

Just because he has corporate backing to rule. Doesn't mean that the corporate backers themselves are not interested in bringing the US and the rules based liberal world order down.

This is all part of the plan. As soon as we accept this. The better off we will be.
Pratyush
BRF Oldie
Posts: 12187
Joined: 05 Mar 2010 15:13

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by Pratyush »

Williams, I am not so sure. This is a country where the 1618 project from NYT has received a Pulitzer. Dozens of people got Pulitzer for reporting on Trump and Russia collusion. The grassroots members of the democratic party leading communist insurrection against their own leaders in cities and states.

Don't dismiss it.
kit
BRF Oldie
Posts: 6278
Joined: 13 Jul 2006 18:16

Re: Understanding the US - Again

Post by kit »

Post Reply