Good day, today is Earth Day.
Climate
After years of preposterous climate warming denial by former Pres. Trump, the Biden admin has recommitted America to reducing global warming and lowering emissions by half by the end of the decade.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/22/us-emissions-climate-crisis-2030-biden
Afghanistan
On my Back Story podcast one of the most interesting interview of my career with former Major General Jeff Schloesser who commanded American forces in Afghanistan.
Highlights:
-Afghanistan will become a failed state
-within a generation it will be used to launch renewed terror against the west
-he regrets a decision to close Wanat base where 9 Americans were killed in an ambush by the Taliban and says he ended his military career over the loss
Podcast link:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1016881/8376339
Columbus Ohio Shooting
More disturbing police body cam footage and a tragic death to be discussed and reflected on. Ma'Khia Bryant was only 16, and her life was ended by a police officer responding to calls of girls threatening others with a knife “get here now”.
Clearly the officer is put in a split second impossible situation, where one girl lunges at another with a knife. If he didn’t act that girl may be dead from knife wounds, and he carried out his training by firing 4 shots at the knife wielding teen.
If you were the mother you would condemn police for using lethal force, but if you were facing that knife you would beg for police to remove the threat from your life.
Proportionate force means if confronted with life threatening weapons, police must use their firearms because tasers are not reliable and until we can invent a new kind of weapon for police to use, we have to support their use of firearms when it’s called for, or disarm all police which would be unthinkable. This case is not a George Floyd incident. If you see police drawing weapons and ordering you to stop, the obvious call is for the person to freeze, drop their knife and comply or face lethal consequences. Tragic end to a life but what was the alternative in this case and the police office had little choice and no time to make a different decision.
https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/columbus-ohio-police-shooting-teenager-04-04-21/index.html
Putin And The West
Russia’s President feels picked on. He made the point in his annual state of the nation address warning Western Nations not to “cross redlines”.
What planet is Putin on? This is a leader who has massed 120 thousand troops on Ukraines border threatening invasion after he already annexed The Crimea. This is a leader whose security forces have carried out poisonings in Salisbury England, launched apparent explosions in The Czech republic, hacked American Government computer systems and tampered with elections.
And, this is a leader who has subverted his own constitution for elections once every 5 years and now paved the road to remain in power until 2036 stifling democracy and freedom in Russia, jailing and attacking his political opposition while stuffing his pockets and his friends with billions of dollars.
So he has warned the world of his new nuclear weapons and hypersonic rockets and boasted of Russia’s strength, and complained the world has in turn “made a sport” out of attacking Russia.
Is President Putin so isolated now, that his briefings by his intelligence community are clouded ? Or is he just lying to cover his malign interference from Syria to Libya to Ukraine and beyond?
The good news today is that the Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu has announced troops will now begin to withdraw for the Ukraine border.
Meantime thousands rallied yesterday across Russia demanding Putin release Alexei Navalny from Prison, or at the minimum allow his doctors to see him as his health is said to be deteriorating.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/04/22/russia-to-withdraw-troops-from-ukraine-border-a73705
India Covid
India has set a ghastly world record of having the highest number of covid cases in a day and the death toll is climbing fast. India officially recorded 314,835 cases in one day with now over 184,657 deaths. A court has ordered oxygen by diverted from industrial use to hospitals that have shortages and can’t treat the tidal wave of admissions.
More covid cases, more mutations so now a particular concern is the impact B1617 India variant and what effect it may have on vaccine efficacy. The vast majority of vaccines developed against the coronavirus are based on targeting the spike protein. As the protein is on the outer surface of the virus, this is what your immune system will predominantly ‘see’ during an infection and therefore make effective antibodies against. If mutations change the spike protein’s shape, then these antibodies may become less effective.
India is short of vaccines and has had huge manufacturing difficulties in rolling out its own Covid vaccines.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/india-sets-record-for-new-coronavirus-cases-in-a-single-day-b931141.html?itm_source=Internal&itm_channel=section_banner&itm_campaign=breaking-news-ticker&itm_content=5
Have a good day everyone.