Good morning, For Christians Today commemorates The Passion – the biblical story of the crucifixion of Jesus at Calvary – before his resurrection is celebrated on Easter Sunday.
And For Jews, this is the middle of Passover which is a celebration of the story of Exodus. During Passover, Jews remember how their ancestors left slavery behind them when they were led out of Egypt by Moses.
Vaccine Passports
The British Government has now said vaccine passports will definitely become part of international travel, despite criticisms they will lead to discrimination and violate basic rights. The passports could also be called for, to enter stadiums, pubs and even restaurants. P.M. Boris Johnson will give more details Monday and opposition parties in Britain have condemned the move.
On Back Story with Dana Lewis we discuss vaccine passports, and also vaccines wars between countries.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1016881/8238649
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56605598
Canada Covid Rules
Canadians were warned this week not to go abroad for a holiday over Easter. In fact the rules are unprecedented because the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who broke Easter travel rules last year and went to a lake, has now threatened anyone who breaks the rules this year with forcible hotel confinement. In a series of tweets he noted the new rules mean any Canadian returning from vacation abroad must take a test before flying home, then another Covid test on landing and spend several days in Government hotels waiting for results. If the Covid test is positive Canadians would be confined in those Government run hotel for two weeks.
The hotel quarantine rules have sparked right wing news rants such as that on Fox News which called the hotels “internment camps”.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-covid-internment-camps-coming-country-near-you
And, The British Daily Mail ran a horror story tabloid piece on how there is a lack of food and an abundance of crime in Canadian Government run hotel stays.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9426691/Guests-revolt-Canadas-2-000-quarantine-hotels-no-food-squalid-rooms-sexual-assaults.html
Britain in fact runs its own mandatory Government run hotel stays, for people coming to The UK from countries on a ‘red list’ because of Covid variants such as Brazil and South Africa. But British citizens can quarantine at home, not locked in a hotel.
Belarus Sanctions
The U.S. has slapped sanctions of ex President Lukashenko’s industries, namely 9 key petrochemical companies from Belarus. Why is it happening?: Since last August’s atrocious election fraud, Lukashenko has ordered the arrests and brutal detentions of anyone speaking up for free speech and democracy. Anyone even caught protesting is jailed but not before they are beaten and some with fatal results.
Lukashenko is an affront to decency and democracy in Europe, and should be isolated and forced into exile by American and European Governments which have been painfully slow to act.
Even these sanctions are on a delayed fuse, not kicking in until next month with a demand Lukashenko release at least 300 political prisoners, but the number of arrests are in the thousands and opposition members have bene forced to flee the country.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-31/u-s-to-snap-sanctions-on-belarus-state-companies-amid-crackdown
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-31/u-s-to-snap-sanctions-on-belarus-state-companies-amid-crackdown
Navalny Hunger Strike/ Russia
Alexei Navalny, Russia’s main opposition leader may be dying in prison and the treatment of him amounts to torture, according to human rights groups.
Navalny barely escaped death last August after being poisoned by Russian FSB Agents (later they admitted it in taped conversation) who had trailed Navalny as he organized opposition support in Siberia. He was given an illegal nerve agent, Novichok, and had to be flown to Germany for emergency treatment.
Putin clearly saw the danger in allowing Navalny to die while the world watched, so he authorized the medivac flight. But does Putin now also see the dire situation he could find himself in if Navalny, who is in Russian prison over what appears to be a trumped up fraud charge, is allowed to die in custody?
Navalny has been refused doctors visits to treat a back problem that is causing numbness in his legs and pain. And he says, he is being tortured with sleep deprivation by prison guards waking him up 8 times a night to prevent him from getting rest. So Navalny has begun a hunger strike as the only means of fighting back.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/04/01/navalny-hunger-strike-a-dangerous-step-after-poisoning-allies-fear-a73442
This from Russia’s former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov who tweeted;
“Alexey Navalny is on hunger strike for the second day. There is still no doctor or medicine. Alexei is killed, but slowly tortured. Shame and horror. Freedom for Navalny!”
Ukraine and Russia
There is growing concern abut a Russian build up of military forces on The border with Ukraine. Armed troop transports with convoys of fuel trucks and even portable hospital units were on the move concerning Ukrainian officials and even The U.S. which warned Russia. Russian forces helped invade eastern Ukraine and annexed The Crimea in 2014.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-troops-ukraine-border-concerning-united-states/
George Floyd - The Trial
It’s been painful to watch, this trial of Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on George Floyds neck for back for 9 minutes, and even after Floyd was unconscious and his heart had stopped. Chauvin’s supervisor, a police Sergeant testified restraint of Floyd should have ended when he stopped resisting.
It’s the basis of policing, proportionate use of force, and over use of force has to be punished. Chauvin showed complete disregard for Floyd who was in his care and needlessly under his knee, becoming lifeless. And anything short of a murder conviction will be viewed as a monstrous miscarriage of justice in American policing.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/01/us/Derek-Chauvin-George-Floyd-supervisor-restraint.html
American Renewal
President Joe Biden’s plan to spend up to 4 trillion dollars on infrastructure lifted the stock market to record highs Thursday and will be used to address racial disparities in The U.S. This a good piece on the spending, and the opposition to it by Republicans who oppose Corporate tax increases.
Please subscribe to this news letter and share the link. The letter is free. Unless you wish to participate in comments, and we then ask for modest subscription.
Have a good Easter weekend!