Death toll from Maui wildfire reaches 93 [people burned
alive], making it the deadliest in the US in more than 100
years: Live updates
USA TODAY JEANINE SANTUCCI, N'DEA YANCEY-BRAGG AND CLAIRE THORNTON,
USA TODAY
August 12, 2023 at 10:48 PM
LAHAINA, Hawaii - A fire that swept through a
picturesque town in Maui this week has killed at least 89
people, authorities said Saturday, making it the deadliest
U.S. wildfire of the past century.
The newly released figure surpassed the toll of the 2018
Camp Fire in northern California, which left 85 dead. A
century earlier, the 1918 Cloquet Fire broke out in
drought-stricken northern Minnesota and raced through a
number of rural communities, destroying thousands of homes
and killing hundreds.
At least two other fires have been burning in Maui, with no
fatalities reported thus far: in south Maui's Kihei area and
in the mountainous, inland communities known as Upcountry. A
fourth broke out Friday evening in Kaanapali, a coastal
community in West Maui north of Lahaina, but crews were able
to extinguish it, authorities said.
In Maui, a desperate search for the missing; Lahaina warned
of 'toxic' ash
KIHEI, Hawaii − Fire crews battled blazes still
burning Saturday from wildfires that ravaged parts of Maui
as teams with cadaver dogs combed through the rubble in an
intensifying search for the missing.
Firefighters were making progress, but three main wildfires
that ignited Tuesday and left 80 people dead and thousands
of buildings torched were still not extinguished: The
Lahaina fire was 85% contained, the Pulehu/Kihei fire 80%,
and the Upcountry Maui fire 50% as of late Friday.
Another fire that prompted evacuations in the Kaanapali area
of West Maui on Friday evening was 100% contained within a
few hours and evacuation orders were canceled, officials
said.
As the sun rose in Kihei on Saturday, the sky was filled
with the smell of smoke. On the highway into Lahaina, a
historic town decimated by the fires, cars, trucks and buses
laden with supplies ignored signs to keep off the median as
they tried to bypass the traffic jam ahead of a road
blockade.
Residents who were allowed to return to Lahaina on Friday
were met with charred remains, demolished homes and
businesses and a changed landscape, including the loss of
dozens of their neighbors. But police on Saturday were once
again restricting access into West Maui, warning people to
stay out of the area because of hazards, including toxic
particles from smoldering areas.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has warned the death toll could climb
even hig
War News
Ukraine
al-Jazeera
Russian advances are reported from Kharkiv area, a strategic
part of the eastern Ukraine front. Heavy Ukrainian
losses.
Syria [From Morning Star, Lebanon]
Explosions are reported from Damascus. Details not
known.
Syria has also seen a recent surge in violent attacks by
Isis, with the group committing one of its deadliest attacks
this year on Friday night.
Isis claimed responsibility over the weekend for the ambush
in eastern Syria that killed at least 33 soldiers and
wounded others.
"Our jihad is going on until doomsday," it said in a
statement.
Sudan
Fighting continues between army and alternate military,
Bodies piling up in the streets.
Pakistan
Two successful army attacks on mujahideen groups killing
reportedly 13.
One Pakistani soldier killed.
News Within the U.S.
Evil
Man Followed 9-Year-Old Girl On Her Scooter And Killed Her
In Front Of Her Dad, Prosecutors Say
A GoFundMe was launched to help Serabi Medina's family with
funeral and related expenses and has raised over $6,000 so
far.
GoFundMe.com/f/serabi-medina
Ariel Parrella-Aureli
3:46 PM CDT on Aug 8, 2023
Serabi Medina, 9, was fatally shot Aug. 5 outside her
Portage Park home. A memorial is seen Aug. 7 where she was
killed by a neighbor, police said.Facebook; Ariel
Parrella-Aureli/Block Club Chicago
Credibility:
Original Reporting
On the Ground
Sources Cited
PORTAGE PARK — A man accused of killing his 9-year-old
neighbor followed the girl to her front door and
intentionally shot her as her dad rushed to intervene,
prosecutors said.
Michael Goodman, 43, of the 3500 block of North Long Avenue,
was charged Monday with one felony count of first-degree
murder in the Saturday night killing of Serabi Medina, who
lived with her family across the street.
Goodman, who was shot during a struggle with Serabi's dad
after the killing, appeared in Cook County bond court
Tuesday, wearing green shorts, a black T-shirt and yellow
socks. His left eye was badly injured, and his long hair
covered his face as he silently stood in front of the
judge.
The shooting happened around 9:20 p.m. Saturday, prosecutors
said.
Serabi and her 52-year-old father were outside their home
with three friends that night, Cook County Assistant State's
Attorney Anne McCord said.
Credit: Facebook; Ariel Parrella-Aureli/Block Club
ChicagoSerabi Medina, 9, was fatally shot Aug. 5 outside her
Portage Park home. A memorial is seen Aug. 7 where she was
killed by a neighbor, police said.
As Serabi was riding around on her scooter, one of her
father's friends gave her money for a nearby ice cream
truck. She brought back two treats, giving one to her
father, prosecutors said.
A few moments later, the group heard a gunshot in the area
and Serabi's father told the girl to go inside their house
with her scooter, McCord said.
As Serabi was heading back to her apartment building,
Goodman came out of his building holding a gun, McCord
said.
The friends in the car and Serabi's father saw Goodman
walking across the street toward Serabi, and the father
shouted at him to ask what he was doing, McCord said.
Goodman ignored the father and followed Serabi to the
vestibule of her building, McCord said.
Serabi's father ran toward her, at which point Goodman
raised the gun, pointed it at Serabi and shot her in her
head, McCord said.
The father tackled Goodman in the vestibule and the gun went
off as they they both fell to the ground, hitting Goodman in
the eye, prosecutors said.
Serabi was rushed to the hospital, where she died a short
time later, authorities said. Police arrested Goodman and
took him to a local hospital, McCord said.
Prosecutors did not discuss a motive for the attack, but
neighbors previously told local media that Goodman had
complained about Serabi being loud before shooting her and
complained about other children being loud in the past.
"Just little kids playing, he would come out just yelling
about the noise. It just didn't make sense, none of it made
sense," neighbor and family friend Megan Kelley told the
Sun-Times. "Everybody in the community would just tell him
they are just kids having fun playing, just let them
be."
Blood could still be seen on the stoop Monday afternoon.
A 9mm Canik firearm was recovered from the scene,
prosecutors said.
Credit: FacebookFamily, friends and neighbors attend a
balloon release and vigil for Serabi Media on Aug. 7 in
front of her Portage Park home, where she was fatally shot
Aug. 5 by her neighbor, police said.
Detectives later searched Goodman's apartment and found a
gunshot casing stuck in the wall, an ammunition box and a
receipt inside a gun box for the firearm with his name on
it, which matched the gun recovered from the incident,
prosecutors said.
Three bullet casings were found at the scene, which matches
the amount of gunshots fired from the gun, prosecutors
said.
Goodman has a FOID card, which was also found inside his
home.
Rocio Armendariz, Goodman's attorney, said he has no
criminal background and has worked as a computer programmer
for the past 20 years. He is from the suburbs, has lived in
Chicago since 2009, and graduated from Glenbrook North High
School.
Judge Kelly Marie McCarthy ordered Goodman held with no bail
and he can't have contact with any of the witnesses. Goodman
is due in court next Aug. 23.
Credit: Ariel Parrella-Aureli/Block Club ChicagoThe front of
the apartment building on the 3500 block of North Long
Avenue still has blood stains and a growing memorial for
9-year-old Serabi Medina.
Goodman was a stranger to Serabi's father, according to
prosecutors and Andrew Holmes, a community activist working
with the family.
Holmes said Serabi's mother previously was shot and killed,
and the father was raising Serabi on his own after his wife
died. Kelley told the Sun-Times that Serabi's mother was
fatally shot in Austin in 2018.
"The father is going through an emotional moment," Holmes
previously told Block Club.
A GoFundMe was launched to help Serabi's family with funeral
and other expenses. About $6,200 was raised as of Tuesday
afternoon.
"She was only 9 years old, she had her whole life ahead of
her," the family wrote on the fundraiser. "We thank
everything for all the [outpouring] of love and support we
have received over the last few days. This has been a hard
time for my family but we are leaning on each other for
strength."
Serabi attended Reinberg Public School close by, Holmes
said. He plans to work with the school to offer grief
counseling to Serabi's classmates.
"It's a child and it hurts ... [the father] is in pain. He
needs a lot of healing," Holmes said.
A memorial outside the family's home has grown since the
shooting, with friends and neighbors stopping to add
candles, flowers and signs to remember Serabi and express
their shock at the tragedy.
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3),
journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting
from Chicago's neighborhoods.
Please support Block Club with a tax-deductible
donation.
News
Courtesy CODOH
"Stalin's War: A New History of World War II"
May 7, 2022, 3:09 p.m. | by John Wear
Sean McMeekin is a professor of history at Bard College in
upstate New York. Stalin's War: A New History of World War
II is McMeekin's latest book that focuses on Josef Stalin's
involvement in World War II.
This well-researched and well-written book uses new research
in Soviet, European and American archives to prove that
World War II was a war that Stalin had wanted—not
Adolf Hitler.
A remarkable feature of Stalin's War is McMeekin's
documentation showing the extensive aid given by the United
States and Great Britain to support Soviet Communism during
the war.
This article focuses on the lend-lease and other aid given
to the Soviet Union during World War II which enabled Stalin
to conquer most of Eurasia, from Berlin to Beijing, for
Communism
Invitation to Think
Critique of some of the language used in New Trend and in
other Publications
Sis. 'Aisha
Jamaat al-Muslimeen New York City
I think that when we discuss evil-doers we should address
their harmful behavior and any criticism or attack should be
personally directed toward them. They should not get any
consideration just because they are from a particular ethnic
group or race.
There is nothing wrong with mentioning if people of a
particular group tend to think a certain way on certain
issues. That was never my issue with the article: Black is
Not Always Beautiful. The truth is the truth. I never had an
issue with the truth.
Supremacist ideologies (Zionism, racism, ageism, sexism,
Hinduism, etc.) and people who conform to them should be
criticized and attacked.
But, we have to be careful not to cast a net over everybody
from a particular ethnic group when we are criticizing one
or a few wrong-doers from that ethnic group.
For instance, the Nation of Islam (NOI) referred to White
people as devils and in spite of the explanation for
applying such a term - White oppression, organized efforts
to control the world's resources, psychological warfare,
etc. - there are still White Muslims and Christians who may
still be offended by the use of the term. Now, other Black
Muslims, who are not NOI members, may use the term for
kuffar mischief-making White people.
But, how are practicing White Muslims and peaceful
non-Muslim White people to know this?
Their offense to the word could be based on the fact that
the NOI believes that ALL White people are devils with no
redeeming qualities. Or, that in spite of the fact that
white supremacy is a worldwide phenomenon that has had a
damaging effect on all of humanity, these practicing White
Muslims/peaceful Whites still feel a connectedness to the
kuffar Whites responsible for such a destructive ideology.
If it's the latter, their faith in Allah is very weak.
Another example of a personal act that offended a large
group of people, was Whoopie Goldberg's 1993 Friar's Roast
debacle. When actors Whoopie Goldberg and Ted Danson were an
item, Danson attended Whoopie's Friar's Club roast dressed
in blackface. This caused an uproar. Whoopie defended Danson
by claiming it was comedy directed at her but, blackface
performances are considered offensive to ALL people of
African descent.
She could not claim her black skin to be unique only to her
and expect everyone else to overlook Ted Danson's faux pas
because it was intended ONLY for her.
Salaam.
Guidance by Sis. Yasmin
'And whatever the PROPHET gives you,
ACCEPT IT and whatever he forbids you,
ABSTAIN from it '
{ Source~'Qur'an'~Surat Al 'Hashr~59 {The Exile} A # 7 }
*******************************************************************
'And Obey Allah and the Messenger
that you may obtain Mercy'.
Inline image
3:132
Transliteration:
WaateeAAoo Allaha warrasoolala
AAallakum Turhamoon.
Translation:
And obey Allah and the Messenger
that you may obtain Mercy.
[Source~ 'Qur'an' ~Surat 'Āli 'Imrān (Family of
Imran) 3 : A # 132]
In the Light of the Sahih Hadith, related Ibn 'Umar
(Radhiallaahu Ánhu )
wore a gold ring and then people followed him
and they wore gold rings too...{!}
Then the Prophet Inline image said---
'I had this golden ring made for myself.'
he then threw it away and said...
' I shall never put it on.'
Thereupon the people also threw their rings away.
[Source ~ Sahih Al-Bukhari~ Volume 9~ Book 92~ Hadith #
401]
*******************************************************************
Ibn 'Umar (Radhiallaahu 'Ánhu) said that the
Prophet Inline image said,
' Whoso resembles a people in appearance,
he is one of them '.
[Source...Abu Dawud and Imaam Ahmad Bin Hanbal ~]
(Allah have mercy on them)
Prophet Mohammad Inline image, said---
"Whoever gives life to one of my 'Sunnah's'
which was eliminated after my time will receive the reward
of all those who practice it without their reward being
diminished."
[Source ~ Abu Dawud & Imaam Ahmad Bin Hanbal ]
(Allah have mercy on them)
~A Little Note...'Alhamdullilah'
Look at how strict the Sahaba (Radhiallaahu Án) were in
following
the 'Sunnah' of Prophet Mohammad ~ (Sallallaahu 'Álayhi
Wasallam)~
what ever he did they followed him.
{'Alhamdullilah'}
~ My 'Salaams' to all ~
~ Y a s m i n ~
*****************************************
"All that is on earth will Perish. But will abide
{Forever}
the Face of thy LORD, full of Majesty, Bounty and Honor"
{'Qur'an'- Surah Al-Rahman-55.26-27 }.
Inline image
Courtesy: This beneficial mail was shared by Sister
Yasmin.
May Allah Bless & reward her generously (Ameen)(Ameen)
(Ameen)
'Aameen' Wa Iyyak Brother Usman ~' Jazak Allah Khair !
The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam)
said,
"When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him
the understanding of the Deen." [Bukhari]
Brother-in-faith Mohammad Usman ( Jeddah-Saudi Arabia )
Source of Hadith
'Whoso resembles a people in appearance, he is one of
them'.
(Also narrated by Ibn Abi Shayba in his Musannaf (5:313),
Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari 10:274 [Dar al-Fikr ed.], and Ibn
Kathir in his Tafsir (8:53). 'Iraqi said its chain is sound
(sahih). al-Bazzar also relates it through Hudhayfa and Abu
Hurayra, Abu Nu'aym through Anas, and al-Quda'i relates it
through Tawus, a chain which Ibn Hibban declared sahih. Ibn
Taymiyya in his Iqtida' al-siratal- mustaqim (p. 82) calls
Abu Dawud's and Ahmad's chain "a good chain." )
Tirmidhi (hasan), Book of knowledge; al-Baghawi, Sharh
al-sunna 1:233
[Source ~ Abu Dawud & Imaam Ahmad Bin Hanbal ]
Hadith of the Week
Narrated Al-Bara, r.a:
The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered us to do seven (things) and
forbade us from seven (other things): He ordered us to pay a
visit to the sick, to follow funeral possessions, to say:
May Allah be merciful to you to a sneezer, - if he says:
Praise be to Allah, to accept invitation (invitation to a
wedding banquet), to return greetings, to help the
oppressed, and to help others to fulfill their oaths
(provided it was not sinful). And he forbade us from seven
(things): to wear golden rings or golden bangles, to wear
silk (cloth), Dibaj, Sundus and Mayathir.
THESE ARE THEIR RABBIS.
From Wafa
RAMALLAH, Sunday, August 13, 2023 (WAFA)
Rabbi Tzvi Kostiner, the head of the Israeli Midbara K'Eden
Yeshiva, has called for the release of an extremist Israeli
terrorist convicted in the murder of three members of the
Palestinian family of Dawabsha in an arson attack on July
31, 2015, according to Israeli news reports.
The murderer, Amiram Ben Uliel, is serving three life
sentences plus 20 years for the deadly arson attack in the
village of Douma, southeast of Nablus, in which Reham and
Sa'ad Dawabsha were killed along with their 18-month-old
son, Ali Sa'ad.
Only the couple's eldest son, Ahmad, survived the terror
attack, with terrible burns.
Rabbi Tzvi Kostiner was filmed last Thursday claiming that
Ben Uliel's treatment by the courts was "one of the greatest
injustices" by the Israeli judiciary.
"Ben Uliel "didn't do anything, but even if he did —
come on, accept him," Kostiner said in the video.
Kostiner further said that Ben Uliel should be released and
vindicated, and that he at least be transferred to a special
jail ward for religious Jews with better prison
conditions.
In 2016, Israeli prosecutors charged Ben Uliel with murder
and a second suspect with being an accessory to murder.
The terrorist arson attack of the Dawabsha family is
considered one of the most heinous acts of Israeli Jewish
terrorism in recent years.
Sa'ad, Reham and their children were asleep when masked
Israeli terrorists threw a firebomb through their bedroom
window and sprayed walls with slogans in Hebrew, including
the word "revenge".
Ali died during the ensuing blaze, while his parents
succumbed to their wounds later in hospital. Ahmad spent
months in hospital undergoing treatment for burns
[With thanks to Miami Herald]
Poet Tahir Hamut Izgil left the Chinese region of Xinjiang
amid a government crackdown on the Uyghur people. He writes
about that in his book, Waiting to be Arrested at Night.
From the time that I was a little kid, I always had a
natural inclination for poetry. Poems always seemed really
beautiful to me. When I was in high school, I started
writing poetry and in 1986 my first poem was published in
the Kashgar Gazette, which was an unforgettable day for me.
And from that time, poetry has just been a really important
part of my life. It's consistently been something I've been
involved in.
{IN YOUR MEMOIR, YOU WRITE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE GROWING UP
IN XINJIANG AND THE REPRESSION THAT UYGHURS SUCH AS YOURSELF
AND OTHER ETHNIC MINORITIES IN CHINA EXPERIENCE, CULMINATING
IN YOUR IMPRISONMENT AT THE AGE OF 26. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT
THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT LED TO YOUR ARREST AND WHAT THAT
EXPERIENCE WAS LIKE?]
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the
Chinese Communist Party has used "reform through labor" and
"re-education" to attempt to "reform" people. In 1996, as I
was attempting to leave for Turkey to pursue Master's
studies there, I was arrested at China's border with
Kyrgyzstan on account of a few books I was carrying, with
the accusation being that I was carrying confidential and
illegal materials out of the country. And with that began a
very dark period of my life. I was held for a year and a
half at a detention center where I was interrogated at
length and went through great difficulty, both physically
and spiritually. Usually, people would be transferred out of
a detention center after one to three months. But because I
was there on spurious charges of espionage, I was held there
for a year and a half, much longer than a person typically
would be in this merciless environment. When they were
unable to produce any evidence against me despite lengthy
interrogations, a decision was taken that I would spend
three years performing forced labor. This decision was taken
without going through any sort of legal process. In China,
police can make a decision like this entirely on their own.
So after the decision was made that I should serve a total
of three years, I was sent to a reform through labor camp in
Kashgar, where I spent the remaining one and a half of that
three years. [
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT REFERS TO ITS INTERNMENT CAMPS IN
XINJIANG AS "RE-EDUCATION CAMPS," AND IN THE BOOK, YOU NOTE
THAT UYGHURS HAVE EVEN TAKEN TO REFERRING TO THOSE WHO HAVE
BEEN INTERNED AS HAVING GONE "TO STUDY." WHY DO YOU THINK
THE GOVERNMENT CHOOSES TO CHARACTERIZE THE CAMPS IN THIS
SANITIZED WAY, AND WHO DO YOU THINK THAT NARRATIVE IS AIMED
AT?]
The Chinese Communist Party hopes that people will accept
its ideology and accept its policies; the government fears
the idea that people could have thoughts that oppose them.
And the government fears even more that those thoughts might
turn into actions. They don't want people to think
independently. What they want is for people simply to accept
their ideology. If people were to hear some of the reasons
why political prisoners had been sent to the labor camp that
I was confined in, they wouldn't believe them. For example,
some people were sent to the camp due to having exercised
too much. The government said that they were exercising
toward some nefarious purpose. Others were arrested for
having taught dogs to follow commands, with the accusation
being that they were planning to carry out some sort of
anti-government activity with this dog.
Top Indigenous Leaders Press Biden On Why He Hasn't Freed
Leonard Peltier
"You've become complicit in this injustice for Indian
Country," charged Fawn Sharp, president of the National
Congress of American Indians.
By Jennifer Bendery, Aug 9, 2023, 08:00 PM EDT
Two prominent Indigenous leaders this week separately
pressed President Joe Biden on why he hasn't released
Leonard Peltier from prison ― and signaled that tribal
leaders and Native rights advocates plan to make this a
priority issue in the 2024 presidential election.
Fawn Sharp, the president of the National Congress of
American Indians, said in a Monday letter to Biden that he
regularly talks about his commitment to strengthening the
federal government's relationship with Native communities.
But lost in that commitment is doing anything about Peltier,
the Indigenous rights activist the U.S. government put in
prison nearly 50 years ago after a trial riddled with
misconduct and lies.
"Enough is enough, Mr. President," said Sharp. "After nearly
five decades of imprisonment, this is now a matter of not
only justice but mercy as well. We urge you to immediately
commute the sentence for Leonard Peltier or support his
petition for compassionate release."
In a Wednesday interview with HuffPost, Sharp, whose
organization is the largest Indigenous rights group in the
country and serves as a unified voice of all tribal nations,
took a sharper tone than the more diplomatic one conveyed in
her letter.
"It is a choice," Sharp said flatly of Biden singularly
having the power to free Peltier. "Being silent on this
issue, given all the facts, given all the advocacy, given
all the issues raised by Indian Country, when it is your
choice and you're the top person and you choose to ignore
it, you've become complicit in this injustice for Indian
Country."
In another letter sent to Biden on Wednesday, Suzan Harjo, a
longtime Indigenous rights advocate and 2014 Presidential
Medal of Freedom recipient, traced her professional history
with the president from the 1970s through 2014. She praised
him for being a strong supporter of restoring Native
peoples' rights, from his work on the Indian Child Welfare
Act to the American Indian Religious Freedom Act to the
Violence Against Women Act.
"Mr. President, I have long admired your commitment to
fighting injustice and to restorative justice," Harjo said.
"As you weigh the pleas of justice for Mr. Peltier, I call
on your compassionate core and spirited record of fighting
against injustice and for democratic institutions. Each and
every person in this country deserves a fair trial and
rectification if the institutions meant to protect them do
not do so. Leonard Peltier deserves that."
The letters mark the first time that both leaders are
publicly calling on Biden to free Peltier. HuffPost obtained
copies of both letters, which you can read here and
here.
Peltier, a member of the Indigenous rights activist group
American Indian Movement, has been in prison since 1977 and
is easily America's longest-serving political prisoner.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office made Peltier their fall
guy when they couldn't figure out who killed two FBI agents
during a 1975 shootout on Pine Ridge Reservation in South
Dakota. The government never had evidence that Peltier
killed anyone, and his trial was outrageous: Prosecutors hid
exculpatory evidence. The FBI threatened and coerced
witnesses into lying. Peltier was separated from his
co-defendants, all of whom were acquitted on the grounds of
self-defense. A juror admitted she was racist against Native
Americans on the second day of the trial but was allowed to
stay on. Nonetheless, Peltier was convicted and sentenced to
prison for two consecutive life terms.
Peltier, now 78, has maintained his innocence for all of
these years, even as it has almost certainly prevented him
from being paroled. His decades-long parole process has been
so problematic that United Nations legal experts last year
made the unusual decision to revisit his case. Last summer,
they called on Biden to release Peltier immediately.
"Mr. Peltier continues to be detained because he is Native
American," they concluded in their damning 17-page legal
opinion.
Peltier remains in a Florida maximum security prison despite
all of these problems; despite pleas for his freedom by
international human rights leaders including Pope Francis,
Nelson Mandela and Coretta Scott King; despite nearly 50
years of concerts and letter-writing campaigns and petitions
circulated by thousands of supporters, politicians,
Indigenous leaders and celebrities. He uses a walker to get
around now. He is blind in one eye from a partial stroke. He
has serious health concerns related to diabetes and an
aortic aneurysm.
Sharp told HuffPost that Peltier has become a symbol of
something much bigger and more personal for many Indigenous
people: The entirety of injustices that Native people have
endured, for centuries, by the U.S. government. That's why
Peltier's freedom has only become a bigger priority over
time, she said, and why her organization is "absolutely"
planning to ramp up pressure on Biden to release him as he
eyes reelection.
"When I'm talking to tribal leaders ... whether it's about
freeing Leonard Peltier or addressing the crisis of missing
and murdered Indigenous people or the legacy of boarding
schools, there's a lens of justice that is very, very
prominent in Indian Country," Sharp said.
"If ever there was a time going into an election [to free
Peltier], the time is now."
Indigenous voters certainly delivered for Biden in 2020, and
the president is clearly proud of all he's done to lift up
Native communities and tribes since taking office. (He
should be, it's a lot.) But his silence on Peltier, now more
than two and a half years into his presidency, is a glaring
contradiction to his vows to restore justice to Native
communities.
From a purely political perspective, Biden's action (or
inaction) on Peltier could be a real factor in driving
Native voters to the polls in 2024, said one prominent
Indigenous rights lobbyist who requested anonymity in order
to speak freely.
"Where there are any soft spots in Indian Country, where
people may not agree with President Biden, this will be
something that will unilaterally motivate Indian Country,"
said this lobbyist. "Everyone simply says, 'It's time. It's
time.' I don't know that there's anything more that might
motivate folks to turn out, you know? 'What, you finally
freed Leonard?' Yes, this would be a motivator."
This lobbyist added that Native rights advocates are
"absolutely teeing up events to coincide with the election"
to demand Peltier's freedom.
It's unclear if Biden has even considered granting clemency
to Peltier ― something HuffPost has been pressing the
White House on for nearly two years and gotten nowhere.
A White House spokesman did not respond to a request for
comment about whether the president is weighing clemency or
has seen the new letters about Peltier.
Time is running out for Peltier, added Sharp, before noting
it is entirely on Biden to decide whether to free an
innocent man before it's too late.
She said, "It's simply a choice we fully expect him to
make."
After Juma salat, a Jamaat al-Muslimeen document was given
to 84 Muslims.
Most of them were immigrants from west Africa, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The contents of the documents, taken from New Trend were as
follows.
Sinead O'Connor/Shuhada' Davitt, Ireland's greatest singer, condemned
Christianity before she embraced Islam and passed away. (Br.
Richard. )
YouTu.be/VkMyGzg7NQI
5:11
Remembering Prof. Shabbir Akhtar's great wisdom & opposition
to Shaitan Rushdie.
At 8:15 am on August 6, 1945, the US dropped a nuclear bomb
on the city of Hiroshima. Three days later, the US dropped
another nuclear bomb on Nagasaki. Well over 200,000 people
died from the immediate and longer-term effects, the exact
numbers unknown. In addition to the many Japanese civilians
killed were thousands of Korean slave laborers.
If you don't know much about this, I urge you to see the
1953 Japanese film Hiroshima (on YouTube for free), or read
John Hersey's 1946 reporting for The New Yorker magazine
(free here:
NewYorker.com/magazine/1946/08/31/hiroshima
), or find something else that tells the unvarnished truth.
The accounts of many survivors are available.
What the recent Oppenheimer film has done by not showing any
of the unspeakable suffering is not okay, and it's more
important than ever for people to understand what happened
and to oppose nuclear weapons.
There were scientists and others in 1945 who opposed the use
of these monstrous weapons against Japan, but Oppenheimer
was not one of them.:
Africa is the richest continent in the world and the
poorest.
