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All smoke and mirrors

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US President Trump addresses the joint session of Congress on February 28, Reuters/UNI

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A look at the key points of President Donald Trump’s first speech to the United States Congress and some meditations as to their merit

By Sujit Bhar

US President Donald Trump, in his first address to the Congress on the last day of February, made some specific points. Most still reflected his somewhat strange political beliefs, while some need reflection in a plane mirror. 

Here are our retorts to the highlights of the speech.

– “Recent threats targeting Jewish cemeteries as well as last week’s shooting at Kansas remind us that we are a nation that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms.”
Good, but Mr Trump quietly forgot to add that this should include even race-hate related crimes committed by White Supremacists as happened in the Kansas shooting of two Indians (as well as an American). The problem, Mr Trump, is that these hate criminals have risen through their belief in your exhortations. Would you have the courage to tackle the source?

– “We’ve defended the borders of other nations, while leaving our own borders wide open, for anyone to cross.”
Agreed. There are too many armies of people walking into the US and attacking locals, taking away their jobs and creating mayhem in the US. But wait a second… anybody and everybody crossing into the US? It used to happen in places like the Republic of Congo and Angola when white armies were marching in. It happens in the US now? And, for the record, exactly which country’s borders does the US defend?

– “America must put its own citizens first. Because only then, can we truly MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
Again, agreed that Americans were so great they put the citizens of all other countries first. Remember the delay in joining the war against one Adolf Hitler? And, then, remember how Americans were putting the citizens of Vietnam and Cuba and Guatemala first? They were ignoring poor Americans every time. This is payback time.

– “Dying industries will come roaring back to life. Heroic veterans will get the care they so desperately need.”
Let me see if I’m getting this right. American industries—steel mills, and sugar mills and cotton yarn mills and motor car factories and computer hardware factories will all be back, hire only Americans, at American wage rates, sell to Americans only (at those prices nobody else will be able to afford them) and it will be La La Land, all over again. Right?

– “Our neglected inner cities will see a rebirth of hope, safety, and opportunity.”
Agreed, again. This town in Kansas, Olathe, means “beautiful” in Shawnee. Neglected? Hear this: In 2008 the US Census Bureau ranked the city as the 24th fastest-growing in all of US. And CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked it No. 11 on its list of the “100 Best Cities to Live in the United States.” None talked about predatory White Supremacist ex-military personnel living there, ready to shoot down “foreigners” especially if they looked like “Iranians”. So what if they are highly educated Indians instead? Has this anything to do with your aversion to H1B visa holders?

– “The stock market has gained almost three trillion dollars in value since the election on November 8th, a record.”
This is great. Way to go, Mr Trump. Your new economic and social policies… wait a second. What economic and social policies? You have some? And I thought all the industries that make the tech-heavy indices move have all voted against you. Haven’t they? So which industries have moved? Well, okay, you have appointed Rex Tillerson as your Secretary of State. Yes, that’s the reason. Yeah.

– “We have placed a hiring freeze on non-military and non-essential Federal workers.”
Great, weren’t you supposed to generate more employment? Wasn’t that your campaign speech rhetoric? We thought job creation was going at a pretty fast clip in the late Barack Obama administration.

– “We have begun to drain the swamp of government corruption by imposing a 5-year ban on lobbying by executive branch officials.”
Great. There will be no lobbying any more. In India we, too, have no lobbying. It is bad karma. Some say your top appointees were the greatest lobbyists and political influencers in the US. We understand there aren’t any more left. Good for you.

– “We have cleared the way for the construction of the Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines.”
Of course. America needs the oil it deserves, and to hell with the environment. And remember, there are billions of gallons more in Alaska.

– “We have withdrawn the United States from the job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership.”
That’s good. But job-killing? The partnership had not even laid out formal plans, nothing had started, nobody had been hired, and already jobs were being lost? That was bad.

– “To protect our citizens, I have directed the Justice Department to form a Task Force on Reducing Violent Crime.”
That task force is expected to comprise Whites only? Homogeneity is a good thing.

– “We will stop the drugs from pouring into our country and poisoning our youth.”
Yes, that’s why you are building that wall. The simple, hardworking, family-minded White youths of America were being poisoned by all those “foreigners”. No wonder Adam Purinton shot down Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Olathe. If you aren’t White, you are either a terrorist or a drug dealer.

– “We will soon begin the construction of a great, great wall along our southern border.”
Finally, the wall. Let’s give you a tip. In India we have this project called MNREGA, where people dig trenches for nothing and get paid for it. Make your people rig the walls, then pay them good salaries and benefits. You will suddenly find a great number of walks to build, a great many years of huge employment.

– “We are also taking strong measures to protect our nation from Radical Islamic Terrorism… It is not compassionate, but reckless, to allow uncontrolled entry from places where proper vetting cannot occur… Those given the high honor of admission to the United States should support this country and love its people and its values… We cannot allow our nation to become a sanctuary for extremists.”
Well, you have already tried the Travel Ban. We hear you are dropping Iraq in the new, improved Ban coming up. In India our Honourable Prime Minister Naredra Modi is saying the same things. Within the walls of the country, however, hate crimes are growing. We need to love our country more. We love Hindus in India, you love Whites in the US. So what’s the problem?

– “As promised, I directed the Department of Defence to develop a plan to demolish and destroy ISIS.”
Err… Mr Trump, we thought you had said you already HAD a secret plan? Why not share that with the Department of Defence?

– “In the last 8 years, the past Administration has put on more new debt than nearly all other Presidents combined.”
Finally, you are right. Even when the government had no funds – it stopped, remember? – Obama had to spend. This is one point you really got right.

– “Our trade deficit in goods with the world last year was nearly $800 billion.”
Yes, yes, the Chinese, remember? Dump your inexpensive products in China now. Let them suffer. Oh, sorry, you cannot produce in bulk, inexpensively.

– “Right now, American companies are taxed at one of the highest rates anywhere in the world.”
That’s why they have offices in places like Ireland, where they hardly tax you. The US has been okay with this for a long time.

– “Harley Davidson told me it’s hard to do business with others because other nations tax their motorcycles at 100 per cent. They didn’t ask for a change but I AM!”
The world deserves Harleys at cheap prices. I agree. These are necessities. Like you export high-priced cancer drugs.

The rest were repetitions of the same, in different words – as per reality TV lingo, they then become different subjects. But we should stop somewhere.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Magnitude 7 earthquake strikes Tibet after floods

A magnitude 7 earthquake struck northern Tibet on Thursday, October 22. The tremor came weeks after deadly flash floods and landslides hit the mountainous region near the Nepal-China border. Initial reports did not confirm casualties or damage from the earthquake.

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earthquake-tremors

A powerful earthquake measuring magnitude 7 struck northern Tibet on Thursday, October 22, weeks after deadly flash floods and landslides devastated parts of the mountainous region near the Nepal-China border.

The earthquake struck the Nagqu region of Tibet, according to initial reports from earthquake monitoring agencies. The tremor occurred at around 10:33 pm local time in China, with the epicentre located in a county in northern Tibet.

The earthquake was reported at a depth of around 10 kilometres by China’s Earthquake Networks Center. The United States Geological Survey also reported the magnitude 7 tremor, placing its depth at approximately 18 kilometres.

There were no immediate confirmed reports of casualties or property damage following the earthquake, according to initial information available after the tremor.

Earthquake strikes northern Tibet

The earthquake occurred in the Nagqu region, approximately 400 kilometres from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.

The tremor was recorded on Thursday evening, with monitoring agencies reporting slightly different estimates of its depth. China’s Earthquake Networks Center placed the epicentre at a depth of 10 kilometres, while the US Geological Survey reported a depth of 18 kilometres.

Further information about the earthquake’s impact was awaited at the time of the initial reports.

Tibet earthquake follows deadly flash floods

The earthquake struck weeks after devastating flash floods and landslides affected the mountainous region along the Nepal-China border in late August.

The earlier disaster followed an ice-and-rock avalanche near the border on August 26, triggering flash floods that swept through downstream areas. Homes, roads, bridges and power infrastructure were among the structures affected, while rescue and recovery operations continued in the aftermath.

The floods caused extensive destruction and left thousands of people dead or missing across the affected region, according to reports published after the disaster.

The latest earthquake is a separate event from the earlier avalanche and flooding disaster. An assessment of its effects was not immediately available.

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Macron rejects Trump’s immigration claims over France riots

French President Emmanuel Macron criticised Donald Trump and other foreign leaders over their comments on France’s recent unrest. Macron rejected claims that the country was being overrun by migrants and Islamists, calling such assertions false.

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French President Emmanuel Macron has criticised US President Donald Trump and other foreign leaders for their remarks about the recent unrest in France, accusing them of using the situation to advance their political agendas.

Speaking to reporters in Doha on Wednesday, October 21, Macron said foreign manipulation of information following the violence and looting had led to comments he described as “unacceptable” and “stupid”.

When asked whether he was referring to Trump, Macron replied, “Among others.”

The remarks came after Trump attributed the unrest in France to immigration and urged European countries to tighten their borders. Macron rejected claims that France had been overrun by migrants and Islamists, describing them as false.

Macron rejects claims linking unrest to immigration

Trump had argued that immigration was responsible for the violence in France, dismissing other explanations related to education and social concerns. He also urged Macron to close France’s borders, warning that the country faced serious consequences if it failed to act.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump claimed that immigration had damaged France and called on the country to regain control of its borders.

Macron pushed back against this narrative, saying that some foreign leaders were repeating misleading claims about the situation. He also highlighted the circulation of artificial intelligence-generated images that depicted events he said had never taken place in France.

The French president said claims that the country had been invaded by large numbers of migrants and Islamists were “completely false”.

Macron argued that some politicians were using France’s domestic situation to support their own political campaigns, particularly as elections approach in their respective countries.

French minister offers to counter misinformation

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said his office could provide clarification to countries concerned about the situation.

He said the aim was to help prevent the spread or amplification of false information and unsupported claims on social media.

Macron also criticised those speaking negatively about France during the unrest, saying that foreign leaders should not exploit the country’s difficulties for political purposes.

Protests driven by rising living costs

The unrest followed demonstrations over rising living costs, inflation and concerns about public services. The protests initially involved students demanding more teachers and better school conditions before expanding to include trade unions and others concerned about economic pressures.

Violence and looting subsequently affected Paris and other French cities.

The French interior ministry estimated that 550,000 people took part in the nationwide demonstrations, while the CGT trade union put attendance at 800,000. The demands reported in connection with the demonstrations centred on living costs and public services rather than immigration.

The French government has faced pressure to prevent further violence, with additional demonstrations planned in the coming days.

Macron said France had the means to maintain order and indicated that a state of emergency was not necessary at that stage.

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Marco Rubio says India and US share extraordinary alignment on key issues

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said India and the United States share an extraordinary alignment on core issues, even though disagreements between the two countries may arise.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the relationship between India and the United States as one marked by an “extraordinary alignment” on important national interests, while acknowledging that the two countries may disagree on certain matters.

Speaking at a ‘Freedom 250’ reception in Mumbai on Tuesday during his visit to India, Rubio said the partnership between the two countries could play a significant role in shaping the 21st century. He emphasised the importance of cooperation between the two nations on issues that affect their respective national interests.

Rubio highlights shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific

Rubio identified the need for a free and open Indo-Pacific as a key area of common ground between New Delhi and Washington. He said both countries had an interest in ensuring that no nation claimed dominance over international shipping routes.

He acknowledged that disagreements between countries were inevitable but said the alignment between India and the US on core issues remained significant, particularly given the size and influence of both nations.

Rubio also described India as a powerful, influential and advanced country, calling it a strong geopolitical partner for the United States.

India-US relationship could shape the 21st century

Rubio said the partnership between the two countries could help shape the course of the coming decades. He pointed to shared values, including individual dignity, democratic principles and the rule of law, as common ground between the two nations.

He also noted that decisions being taken today on geopolitics, economics, trade and commerce would have consequences for future generations.

The US Secretary of State said he believed the relationship between India and the United States could positively influence what the 21st century looks like.

Trade ties remain an important part of the relationship

Rubio’s remarks come amid ongoing discussions between India and the United States over trade and other bilateral issues.

Earlier on Tuesday, he said the two countries were very close to signing a bilateral trade agreement, with a small number of outstanding points still to be resolved.

Trade relations have faced challenges over tariffs, India’s purchases of Russian oil and US immigration policies. Despite these differences, Rubio’s comments underscored Washington’s emphasis on the broader strategic partnership with New Delhi.

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