xD.

Firstly, the attorney-general of Okla. has, with the consent of both parties in litigation over the bill, delayed the coming into force of HB2780 by forty-five days.

Secondly, the Center for Reproductive Rights is challenging the constitutionality of HB2780. Evidently, a similar provision was struck down last year after two years in the courts. The only problem I have with the legal challenge is the provision under which it falls (and I recognise that this is a question of legal expediency):

The Center argues that the ultrasound requirement profoundly intrudes upon a patient’s privacy and is the most extreme ultrasound law in the country.

I don’t think it’s so much as invasion of privacy as an invasion of body: making access to one’s rights dependent on having a vaginal ultrasound is tantamount to rape.

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xD.

I can understand why the situation might be different for current or recent atrocities, where the denunciation of a crime as a genocide might spur the action, say, of something like ICT-Y or ICT-R, but I do not see the advantage at all in raking over history. We have quite enough of the nightmarish weight of history fouling the relations between states. If this resolution passes, would it not be logical to expect similar condemnations of the Holodomor, or the killing of Native Americans, or every other entry in the long catalogue of human brutality.

House Resolution 252 (of the 111th Congress) has been passed 23-22 by the Foreign Affairs Committee. Introduced by Rep Schiff, a Democrat from California, its title is “Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution”. It has soured relations between the US and Turkey and has led to the Turkish ambassador to the US being recalled for consultations.

Just over two years ago, I wrote about House Resolution 106 (of the 110th Congress), titled “Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution“.

Similar resolutions were introduced in the 106th and 109th Congresses, both by Rep. George Radanovich, a GOPer from California’s 19th district.

It was introduced by the same Rep. Schiff. The resolution was passed by the Foreign Affairs Committee 27-21 to the House, where no action was taken. It did have some effects, though; as my interlocutor Ewan Watt pointed out, it soured relations between Turkey and the US, leading to the Turkish ambassador to the US being recalled for ‘a week or ten days of consultations’.

I reiterate the points made at the time made by myself and an interlocutor, Ewan Watt, at the time: this resolution is the result of special interest lobbying, damaging to relations between the US and Turkey and, most of all, I do not feel that is the role of the government to be an official arbiter of history.

The texts of the two resolutions are identical. The first resolution was not debated on the floor of the House, as I understand it, because of pressure from George W. Bush. I can only presume that the reintroduction of HR.106 is with the intention of having it debate and passed on the floor of the House. Rep. Schiff believes he has as many as eighty thousand constituents of Armenian descent in his district. Why so many other representatives support the resolution, I don’t know, but I wonder if the primacy in the White House’s mind of the healthcare debate means it will be unwilling to spend political capital on stopping this motion.

I see this resolution as unnecessary and irresponsible; I hope it does not reach the floor of the House.

xD.

They are, with my comments underneath each one:

1. Abolition of private property and the application of all rents of land to public purposes.
Americans do these with actions such as the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (1868), and various zoning, school & property taxes. Also the Bureau of Land Management (Zoning laws are the first step to government property ownership)

This seems to be a failure in the perception of reality. The doctrine of eminent domain does exist in the US, but it is not being used to take control of all the land of the US in the hands of the government. Nor has private property been abolished – tax is not abolition – and while there are land taxes, they are not the same as all rents of land (all the profit it produces, as I understand it) going to the government.

I’m not sure what the Fourteenth Amendment has to do with this, as it deals with electoral apportionment and debts during Reconstruction.

2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
Americans know this as misapplication of the 16th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, 1913, The Social Security Act of 1936.; Joint House Resolution 192 of 1933; and various State “income” taxes. We call it “paying your fair share”.

There are six brackets for US income tax, so you could describe it as graduated. Given that the highest of these kicks in at US$373,000, it can’t really be called progressive. Given that the highest rate is 35%, it can’t really be called heavy.

3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.
Americans call it Federal & State estate Tax (1916); or reformed Probate Laws, and limited inheritance via arbitrary inheritance tax statutes.

There seems to be an ongoing confusion between the potential for something to happen and something actually happening. As people do actually inherit things in the US at the moment, this falls.

4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
Americans call it government seizures, tax liens, Public “law” 99-570 (1986); Executive order 11490, sections 1205, 2002 which gives private land to the Department of Urban Development; the imprisonment of “terrorists” and those who speak out or write against the “government” (1997 Crime/Terrorist Bill); or the IRS confiscation of property without due process. Asset forfeiture laws are used by DEA, IRS, ATF etc…).

This would have been to stop capital flight, which is not what it is used for today. I am prepared to accept that there are problems in existing legislation, but insisting on paying tax is not the same as confiscation as property, IMHO.

5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.
Americans call it the Federal Reserve which is a privately-owned credit/debt system allowed by the Federal Reserve act of 1913. All local banks are members of the Fed system, and are regulated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) another privately-owned corporation. The Federal Reserve Banks issue Fiat Paper Money and practice economically destructive fractional reserve banking.

Given that there is no exclusive monopoly on credit or a national bank or centralised credit, this fails. That doesn’t mean there aren’t problems with the Fed; just that it’s not Narodny Bank.

6. Centralization of the means of communications and transportation in the hands of the State.
Americans call it the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Department of Transportation (DOT) mandated through the ICC act of 1887, the Commissions Act of 1934, The Interstate Commerce Commission established in 1938, The Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Communications Commission, and Executive orders 11490, 10999, as well as State mandated driver’s licenses and Department of Transportation regulations.

No, that’s regulation, not the means of communications or transportation. Regulation isn’t the same as ownership.

7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state, the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
Americans call it corporate capacity, The Desert Entry Act and The Department of Agriculture… Thus read “controlled or subsidized” rather than “owned”… This is easily seen in these as well as the Department of Commerce and Labor, Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Mines, National Park Service, and the IRS control of business through corporate regulations.

As the original comment says, controlled or subsidised, which are different from ownership; there are not large, state-owned industries in the USA.

8. Equal liability of all to labor. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
Americans call it Minimum Wage and slave labor like dealing with our Most Favored Nation trade partner; i.e. Communist China. We see it in practice via the Social Security Administration and The Department of Labor. The National debt and inflation caused by the communal bank has caused the need for a two “income” family. Woman in the workplace since the 1920′s, the 19th amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, assorted Socialist Unions, affirmative action, the Federal Public Works Program and of course Executive order 11000.

Equal liability of labor would be everyone having to work, not everyone who works having certain legal guarantees.

9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries, gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equitable distribution of population over the country.
Americans call it the Planning Reorganization act of 1949 , zoning (Title 17 1910-1990) and Super Corporate Farms, as well as Executive orders 11647, 11731 (ten regions) and Public “law” 89-136. These provide for forced relocations and forced sterilization programs, like in China.

Just doesn’t resemble the USA of today where there is, I’d venture, a major distinction between the great cities and small town America.

10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children’s factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production.
Americans are being taxed to support what we call ‘public’ schools, but are actually “government force-tax-funded schools ” Even private schools are government regulated. The purpose is to train the young to work for the communal debt system. We also call it the Department of Education, the NEA and Outcome Based “Education” . These are used so that all children can be indoctrinated and inculcated with the government propaganda, like “majority rules”, and “pay your fair share”. WHERE are the words “fair share” in the Constitution, Bill of Rights or the Internal Revenue Code (Title 26)?? NO WHERE is “fair share” even suggested !! The philosophical concept of “fair share” comes from the Communist maxim, “From each according to their ability, to each according to their need! This concept is pure socialism. … America was made the greatest society by its private initiative WORK ETHIC … Teaching ourselves and others how to “fish” to be self sufficient and produce plenty of EXTRA commodities to if so desired could be shared with others who might be “needy”… Americans have always voluntarily been the MOST generous and charitable society on the planet.

Well if free education and the abolition of child labour is communist, sign me up. The third I would say has happened to some extent with the rise of vocational training, but this doesn’t count as socialistic when the industries remain in private hands.

A lot of this is based on the notion that any taxation is theft; as this seems to be the sine qua non of communism, this would make the vast majority of the world communist. Saudi Arabia, which doesn’t tax its citizens, wouldn’t be. I submit that this viewpoint is of minimal use.

xD.

I am entirely sure that the great majority of people in the US are going to be outraged at the action. I am, though, going to make a couple of points. Firstly, there’s been a lot of complaining about people on Twitter apparently saying that they wished Rush Limbaugh would die when recently admitted to hospital with chest pains. I regard that as equally unpleasant and hope that everyone would condemn both. I’m sure that every last person who complained about people wishing ill to Limbaugh will complain about those who wish ill to the President.

Secondly, although AP has picked it up, neither Fox nor CNN nor MSNBC have run the story on their websites so far as I can tell.

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Most of all, I know that this decision asks even more of you — a military that, along with your families, has already borne the heaviest of all burdens. As President, I have signed a letter of condolence to the family of each American who gives their life in these wars. I have read the letters from the parents and spouses of those who deployed. I visited our courageous wounded warriors at Walter Reed. I’ve traveled to Dover to meet the flag-draped caskets of 18 Americans returning home to their final resting place. I see firsthand the terrible wages of war. If I did not think that the security of the United States and the safety of the American people were at stake in Afghanistan, I would gladly order every single one of our troops home tomorrow.

I know things are different in the USA – not least, the President is head of state and head of the armed forces – but I can’t help but feel that this would have been seen as inappropriate had Gordon Brown advertised that he was sending letters to the bereaved. Don’t get me wrong – I think it’s right and proper that it be done – but it is something that I wouldn’t want to see politicised.

xD.

They base this, as I understand it, on three ideas. Firstly, the changes passed at Vatican II, particularly the removal of the doctrine of Extra ecclesiam nulla salus (nothing saved outside the Church, or two fingers to ecumenism) as this means the Church no longer has a unique mission. Secondly, new procedures and practices, such as the Paul VI Mass, are held to be in conflict with established Catholic practice. Thirdly, they regard Paul VI as a heretic and therefore unable to be Pope, even if he appears to be in the role, and consider his successors – John Paul I, John Paul II and the current Benedict XVI – to be antipopes. They therefore consider the Chair of St Peter to be empty; sede vacante – empty chair – is the term used by the Catholic Church for the period between the death of one Pope and the coronation of the next.

All this stems from Vatican II (1962-65). Despite their irrelevance to contemporary debates within Catholicism, the presence of traditionalist Catholics within the Church and poor understanding of history, they carry on promulgating their beliefs that the Catholic Church is not Catholic and that the Pope is a fraud.

Compare and contrast with the birther movement in the USA. Wikipedia has a rather nice definition of birther from Rachel Maddow:

a specific new breed of American conspiracy theorists who believe that the real problem with Barack Obama being president is that he can’t possibly have been born in the United States. He’s not eligible to be president. The birth certificate is a fake. He’s a foreigner. Once this has been exposed, I guess, he will be run out of the White House and exposed for the alien, communist, Muslim, gay, drug dealer, al-Qaeda member that he is

I do wonder if in years to come, we will see something like sedevacantism over Obama. It is easy enough to make the transposition; Vatican II is replaced with the 2008 election (doubtless vitiated by the liberal media), Paul VI is replaced with Obama and all subsequent decisions are illegitimate, as Obama does not have the capacity (in birthers’ eyes) to be President and any officials, including Supreme Court Justice, appointed by him do not ‘really’ hold their posts. While they retain their love for America, they see its administration as illegitimate and the line of constitutional authority, rather than the line of papal succession, as broken and America loses its unique mission.

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Saturday, anti-immigration Tea Parties were held in cities across the country to protest the upcoming comprehensive immigration reform bill. In Minnesota, Tea Partiers were punked by one speaker who got the crowd cheering about evicting European immigrants who “stole” this country.

Robert Erickson (reportedly an alias) used language similar to that of nativists, starting his speech by saying:

In Minneapolis where I’m from, we have a huge immigrant population that has been causing a number of problems. With the economy in recession and so many people laid off and unable to find work, immigrants should not be competing for the few jobs that are open. It’s just not fair to the folks who have a claim to this country and have a right to be here.

The crowd cheered as Erickson went on to demand that America “protect the sovereignty” of this nation by “sending these European immigrants back where they came from,” saying several times in his speech that European immigrants “stole this land through genocide and ethnic cleansing.”

He ended his speech by chanting, “Columbus go home! Columbus go home!”

Do watch the clip to the end.

xD.