This blog is no stranger to positive, uplifting stories. It has, however, been a while since I have written on something uplifting, so I decided today was the day to do so. The focus of today's blog is an overseas charity that addresses a serious problem in many parts of the world, homelessness. The charity is called Action Hunger and bills itself as "a charity with a new approach to combating homelessness". Based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, its first project is a series of vending machines strictly for the homeless to provide necessities 24/7.
The idea is that homeless individuals must check in with a local homeless shelter once a week in order to qualify for a keycard to access the vending machine. In other words, homeless shelters are not giving out the keycards willy-nilly. My understanding is, if a homeless person does not continue to check in with a participating homeless shelter, his/her keycard will be deactivated, thus halting access to the vending machine's items. This way, the vending machines, which are not intended to replace the work of shelters and other organizations, are merely a supplement to them. The weekly check-in keeps those who are homeless with access to other programs and any available means to get back on their feet again via those shelters. The use of the keycards also provides information on which items are needed more than others or less than others, which can help to refine the program.
The first Action Hunger vending machine was installed in Nottingham at the Broadmarsh shopping center last December.
It had its supporters and detractors. The Nottingham city council was one of those entities that was not enthused with the machine, calling it "ill-informed" and "misguided" and an over-simplified addressing of the complex issue of homelessness which encouraged people to remain living on the streets. Those involved with the installing and the stocking of the machine said it was not intended to address all aspects of the homelessness issue. The Broadmarsh shopping center's general manager said they had agreed to a trial of the machine to get it off the ground, but not to having it as a permanent fixture there. In April, the city council voted to have the Action Hunger vending machine removed, and it was. Undaunted, Action Hunger has set its sights on installing its vending machines in other cities, including Manchester, Birmingham, and London, as well as throughout Europe ... and even here in the U.S., including New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.
To this blogger, the work of Action Hunger is not, as some have suggested, a vanity project and not a means of replacing homeless shelters, food banks, church-run food pantries, and various other organizations that assist the homeless in both short-term and long-term ways. It is good work.
If you are in the United Kingdom and want to donate food, contact the organization FareShare. Here in the United States, food donations may be made by contacting the organization Rescuing Leftover Cuisine. If you would like to donate to Action Hunger and/or find out more about it, check out its website.
The President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, is a traitor. He is now among the likes of the U.S. Revolutionary War's Benedict Arnold, World War II's Tokyo Rose, and the Cold War's Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and is the first president to do so. He also joins the ranks of perhaps lesser known traitors, such as CIA operative Aldrich Ames, Navy communications officer, John Walker, Jr., and former FBI agent Robert Hanssen. You may be surprised to know that, while a traitor president has never happened before, such behavior did reach up to the vice-presidency. Thomas Jefferson's first vice-president, Aaron Burr -- the same Aaron Burr who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel -- tried to militarily bring about the annexation of Spanish territories in Louisiana and Mexico, with the intent of forming a republic separate from the Union. (He was not indicted at a first court appearance, but fled the country when asked to return for a second appearance.) The legal definition of treason includes someone "owing allegiance" to this country who: a) levies war against this country [which Trump is allowing, but has not done himself]; b) "adhering to [our] enemies" [which Trump has clearly done time and time again], and/or c) providing our enemies with "aid or comfort" whether here in the U.S. or outside the U.S. [which Trump has also clearly done both here and abroad]. The list of punishments for treason in the legal code include a minimum prison sentence of five years, a fine of at least $10,000, being disqualified to hold any office in the United States ... and even the death penalty. (The legal definition is narrow -- which is why Aaron Burr was not convicted -- and any punishments would, if pursued, likely be tangled up in the courts for a long time, and likely not put into effect if approved.) President Trump has displayed behavior that clearly shows his admiration of, and possible desire to emulate in his presidency, authoritarian and despotic regimes. He has been showing U.S. allies indifference, dismissiveness, and disdain -- take last month's G7 summit and last week's NATO summit as examples -- while showing such dictators nothing but respect, praise, and comradery. And in the case of Russian President Vladimir Putin at the recent disastrous "summit" in Helsinki, Finland, sharing who knows what.
To begin with, Trump has a private meeting with Putin, just the two men and their interpretors. With no one from Trump's cabinet present, there is no one else with knowledge of what was said ... or what Trump gave away to Putin, as he did with halting military exercises with South Korea as a gift to North Korea's Kim Jung Un. He has displayed this shifty behavior for some time now, including hosting Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Oval Office in May of last year with no American press allowed. Even the U.S. National Intelligence Chief Dan Coats knew nothing about that meeting ... and he knew nothing about Trump asking National Security Advisor John Bolton to invite Vladimir Putin to the White House in the Fall, which was announced today. Trump claims he told Putin no more meddling during that one-on-one alone time, but who knows? His level of trustworthiness outside of his base is anything but stellar. At their joint press conference, the world watched to see if the U.S. president, whose country was cyber-attacked during the 2016 election, would publicly condemn the attacking country's leader, Vladimir Putin, standing directly to his left. He did not. Instead, he blamed the United States for its lousy relations with Russia and said he believed Putin's words of denial of interference over all of his own country's Intelligence agencies' findings to the contrary. His reading of a prepared statement two days ago trying to say he really meant to condemn Russia -- he meant "why it wouldn't be Russia" instead of "why it would be Russia" -- was disingenuous and visibly forced, with his own unscripted rote addition of "it could be others, too" added in for further deflection. I have been saying among my friends for several months that I think Putin has something on Trump, some sort of dirt on him, that is keeping Trump in line. After Helsinki, political pundits are asking the same, including many of them and their guests saying Trump is acting like he is compromised by Russia in some way. Even some national security experts are not saying that Trump is a spy for Russia, but that he is acting like a "controlled spy". Putin denied any dirt on Trump at their joint press conference, but he did admit he wanted Trump to win over Hillary Clinton. At a campaign speech just eight days before the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton made the case against Trump regarding his connections to Russia. (Her comment about Trump being Putin's puppet at the third and final presidential debate has been played far more than the video below.) Three days prior to this speech by her, then-FBI Director James Comey reopened the E-mail investigation into Clinton, so this speech was overshadowed in the news, since Trump received more television coverage than Clinton overall and Clinton's saying this after Comey's reopening of the E-mail case might have been seen as nothing more than a desperate move by her to counter bad press, anyway. Turns out, she was right after all.
With just 8 days left, this can’t wait. RT if you agree Trump should immediately disclose all of his ties and connections to Russia. pic.twitter.com/IqmC2wIDq4
To their credit, many leaders in the POT (Party of Trump) and commentators on the POT-loving Fox News (and even some on the Fox Business Channel) have condemned Trump's behavior in Helsinki. It is the most speaking out against the president they have done the entire time of Trump's presidency. However, what actions will they take to counter Trump's obsession with turning the U.S. into a rogue state, beholden to Putin, just as he is. One has to ask here: without knowing what was said in the private one-on-one session, what specifically would they be countering? Just as you cannot fix what you do not know is broken, so, too, you cannot counter what you do not know has taken place. Talking on the floors of the Senate and House of Representatives so that it goes into the Congressional record, and talking in front of cameras so that it spills into the homes of the American public, are just words. Appropriate words, yes, but just words. Just two days ago, members of the House POT blocked a measure by Democrats to simply condemn Trump's comments in Helsinki. If the POT will not even allow a condemnation, what more can they be expected to do to serve the country and uphold the Constitution? The actions in government in general are also suspect. The Treasury Department announced on Monday that non-profit organizations will no longer be required to disclose donations of any donors who contribute $5,000 or more. Included among those affected by this ruling is the National Rifle Association, which is now embroiled in controversy with the arrest of Russian operative Mariia Butina. (The NRA did recently admit to accepting monies from nearly two dozen donors with ties to Russia.) Mr. Trump has not only shown a bastardized view of the world and of the U.S. presidency, as well as an unfitness for the highest office in the land, but he has shown himself to truly be a puppet of Vladimir Putin after all, a worshiper of demogogues, and a traitor of the United States of America. Terry
A short film was released by the U.S. War Department (which would later become what we know as the Department of Defense) that oddly and sadly has relevance again seventy-five after its release. In 1943, during the height of the second World War, the U.S. War Department produced a short film about how political and social propaganda was being used to recruit Nazi sympathizers ... not just in Germany, but also here in the United States. The title of the film is 'Don't Be a Sucker', and many elements in this film are sadly being seen again. I invite you to watch this film. (Running time is approximately twenty-three minutes.)
