Canada Remembers

From the CBC:

“National Day for Truth and Reconciliation marked with song, marches, powwows across Canada”

(Chief Junior Gould, centre, leads a drum circle during the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation ceremony in Charlottetown on Saturday.)

Orange Shirt Day is an opportunity for non-Indigenous people to learn and reflect. Shana Dion from the University of Alberta tells about the meaning of the day, and how it has developed over the years. People throughout Canada attended gatherings on Saturday to mark the third annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, with many turning out in orange shirts to honour Indigenous students forced to attend residential schools — including those who never made it home.

The day officially honours residential school survivors and Indigenous cultures as steps toward reconciliation.The federal government designated Sept. 30 a federal holiday in 2021 as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended in its 94 calls to action. It's also known as Orange Shirt Day.  As a national commemorative gathering began on Parliament Hill on Saturday afternoon, Algonquin Anishnaabe Elder Claudette Commanda urged a crowd awash in orange to remember children affected by residential schooling. "Without love, there's no healing," she told the crowd, her voice breaking. "Let us show that love to the survivors."

Phyllis Webstad, a survivor whose orange shirt was taken from her on her first day at St. Joseph's Mission Residential School near Williams Lake, B.C., started a grassroots campaign to raise awareness about residential schools and spread the message that every child matters. The orange shirt campaign is now in its 10th year. Events are happening from coast to coast to coast on Saturday. In Hamilton, Ont., people gathered in Gage Park on Friday and Saturday. "I'm proud that we're able to speak for the ones who aren't here, tell their stories and honour them," Ashley Masters, who works with the Hamilton Regional Indian Centre (HRIC), told CBC Hamilton on Friday. "It's gonna be a good day and good medicine."

(People take part in a march on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Montreal.)

In Montreal, hundreds of people in dressed in orange gathered near George-Étienne Monument in Mount-Royal Park for a march. Ann Deer, a board member with Resilience Montreal, a day shelter located in downtown Montreal, urged the city to "step up" and provide additional support for Indigenous communities.  She described National Truth and Reconciliation Day as "one of those few days that all Indigenous people get to be seen as human."

In Winnipeg, hundreds of people participated in a healing walk from The Forks to Canada Life Centre before a powwow. The events were hosted by the Wa-Say Healing Centre. 

'We don't want it to become just another day off'

(Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek pauses after her speech during the Truth and Reconciliation Day ceremonies in Calgary on Saturday.)

"In order to be able to move forward with truth and reconciliation and healing our country we need to be able to acknowledge what has happened in the past, heal from it and be able to move forward with open hearts and lots of love for each other," said participant Laura Pott. The City of Calgary announced Saturday that it will collaborate with the Fort Calgary Preservation Society to establish a permanent Indian Residential School Memorial at Fort Calgary to honour children who attended residential schools. "As we move along a path that includes both truth and reconciliation, our actions must come from the heart and reflect a commitment to do better into the future," said Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek. "This permanent memorial will be a space to honour residential school survivors, their families and the thousands of children who never returned. It will be a reflective space to mourn individually and collectively, and ensure that our shared history, no matter how painful, is not forgotten."

In Edmonton, the Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society is hosting in-person events, along a virtual panel discussion about allyship. Executive director Cheryl Whiskeyjack told CBC Edmonton that many people want to participate in reconciliation but don't know where to start. "We don't want it to become just another day off or another long weekend or anything like that," Whiskeyjack said.  "The risk we run if we just take that day off is some people will use it for that reflection, but if there's nothing to reflect on, it then just becomes another long weekend for folks." This is the first year the day is being recognized as a statutory holiday in British Columbia.  

Ginger Gosnell-Myers, a decolonization and urban Indigenous planning fellow at Simon Fraser University, said for Indigenous people, Sept. 30 can be a day for healing, connecting to culture and honouring loved ones. "[We need] to ensure that we do get this day right, that we are hearing from Indigenous Peoples what Indigenous Peoples need," she told Jodie Martinson, guest host of CBC's The Early Edition. For those who aren't Indigenous, Gosnell-Myers said the day could be spent learning about Indigenous cultures and histories.

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available to provide support for survivors and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour service at 1-866-925-4419.

Mental health counselling and crisis support is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat.

^ It’s important to honor and remember the good with the bad. ^

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-truth-reconciliation-indigenous-orange-shirt-1.6983656

Illegal Anniversary

 From Moscow Times:

“In Photos: Russia Celebrates Anniversary of Unrecognized Annexations”

Russian authorities on Friday held celebrations marking one year since Moscow claimed to have annexed four regions of Ukraine. On Sept. 30, 2022, amid its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia moved to annex Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions following widely disputed referendums. To this day, Russian forces do not fully control any of the regions Moscow claims are its own. President Vladimir Putin signed a decree this week creating a new holiday, Reunification Day, to be celebrated every year on Sept. 30.

(A street sign in the Ukrainian city of Melitopol reads "One country, one family, one Russia.")

(In Moscow, a concert was held on Red Square to mark the holiday.)

(The concert was titled "One Country, One Family, One Russia!")

(The stage at the concert on Red Square reads "Russia / Donbas - Novorossiya," referring to the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine and Novorossiya, the imperial-era name for southern Ukraine.)

^ The Nazi Russian Zs held their Rally in Red Square today  - Putin didn't attend. ^

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/09/30/in-photos-russia-celebrates-anniversary-of-unrecognized-annexations-a82604

Venting

Sorry, but I need to vent!!!!

I experienced the worst customer service the other day at a store in town. I don't want to mention the name of the store because I'm not sure how I'm going to proceed.

Wednesday evening I bought something from this store. I paid cash for it. I took it home and found out it didn't work. So yesterday, less than 24 hours later, I took it back to the store and asked if I could get a refund. The girl in the store told me NO even though I still had the receipt. I asked if I could get a replacement instead then.

Again this person told me "NO." I asked to talk to a manager, as I'm really not happy, and I explained that I had just bought the item, got it home and it didn't work. The manager just smiled and told me to my face that I was "OUT OF LUCK." No refund. No FREE replacement.

Nothing...

I'll tell you what...I am NEVER buying another Lottery Ticket from there again!!

^ Bazinga! ^

Elie Wiesel

Today (September 30, 1928) would have been Elie Wiesel’s 95^th Birthday.

Elie was born in Sighet, Romania (today Sighetu Marmației, Romania.)

He was the third of four Children and the only Son of Shlomo and Sarah Wiesel. Shlomo owned a Grocery Store in town and was well respected in the community. In addition to Yiddish, the family spoke German, Romanian, and Hungarian at home.

(Buchenwald Concentration Camp, photo taken April 16, 1945, five days after Liberation of the Camp. 16 year old Elie Wiesel is in the second row from the bottom, seventh from the left, next to the bunk post.)

His childhood, like that of so many other Jewish Children, was cut short by the war. In 1940, Sighet came under Hungarian control and he lost his Romanian Citizenship and automatically became a Hungarian Citizen.

However, in 1944, Germany occupied its former ally. Shortly thereafter, Hungarian Authorities working with the Germans began the Deportation of Jews from Hungary.

In May 1944, 15-year-old Elie and his Family were deported to Auschwitz. The night they arrived at the infamous camp was the last time Elie would ever see his Mother and younger Sister, Tzipora – they were both gassed to death and their bodies burned upon arrival.

“In the camp there were no Friends to remind me of my childhood,” remembered Elie. “In the Camp I had no more childhood. I had only my f=Father, my best friend, my only friend.”

Elie and his Father were later transferred to the Buchenwald Concentration Camp in Germany, where Shlomo died shortly after their arrival.

“If only I could recapture my Father’s wisdom, my Mother’s serenity, my little Sister’s innocent grace,” Elie lamented in his memoir. “If only I could hold my memory open, drive it beyond the horizon, keep it alive even after my death.”

16 year old Elie was liberated by the Americans in Buchenwald on April 11, 1945. All his Family had been murdered.

(Ellie Wiesel in 1985.)

He moved to France and was Stateless from 1945-1963.

He authored 57 Books (including “Night.”) He also helped establish the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC.

He became a US Citizen in 1963.

He married Marion Erster Rose (originally from Austria) in 1969 and had a Child, Shlomo Elisha Wiesel (named after his Father.)

He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986

He was awarded the US’ Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992.

Elie Wiesel died on July 2, 2016 in New York City.

I once met Elie Wiesel when I worked at the USHMM in DC. He spoke to me for about 2 minutes,  signed a book for me and shook my hand. It was an amazing moment.

Orange Day

 Today (September 30th) is Orange Shirt Day in Canada.

Also known as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Day in Canada.

It remembers the Indian-Forced Boarding Schools, those Children Abused (Verbally, Physically and Sexually) and those Children who died under Mysterious Circumstances and were buried in either Mass Graves or Unmarked Graves on the School Grounds.

There were 140 Federally and Religiously-Run (Protestant Churches and the Catholic Church) Indian Residential Schools in Canada between 1831 and 1998.

Schools operated in every Province and Territory with the exception of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

150,000 Indigenous Children were separated from their Families and forced to attend these Boarding Schools to “beat the Indian out of them.”

An estimated 30,000 Indigenous Children died under Mysterious Circumstances and were buried in Mass Graves or Unmarked Graves on the School Grounds.

From 2008-2015 the Canadian Government funded the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate the crimes. The findings were that it was Cultural Genocide.

In 1994, the Presbyterian Church of Canada apologized for their Church’s role in the Residential Schools and the abuses committed there.

In 2004, the Canadian Royal Mounted Police apologized for their role in the Residential Schools and the abuses committed there.

In 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized for the Canadian Government’s role in the Residential Schools and the abuses committed there.

In May 2022, Justin Wellby, the Bishop of Canterbury for the Anglican Church, apologized for their Church’s role in the Residential Schools and the abuses committed there.

In July 2022, while visiting Canada, Pope Francis apologized for the Catholic Church’s role in the Residential Schools and the abuses committed at them.

The British Monarch, the British Government and the Canadian Monarch have not apologized for their roles in the Residential Schools or the abuses committed there.

Since 2021, 59 Unmarked and Mass Graves have been discovered at these Residential Schools across Canada with more being discovered as more work is done at the sites.

Former Residential School Students can call 1-866-925-4419 for emotional crisis referral services and information on other health supports from the Government of Canada. Indigenous peoples across Canada can also go to The Hope for Wellness Help Line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for counselling and crisis intervention. Call the toll-free Help Line at 1-855-242-3310 or connect to the online chat.

 

Aujourd'hui (30 septembre) est la Journée du chandail orange au Canada.

Également connue sous le nom de Journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation au Canada.

Il se souvient des pensionnats indiens forcés, de ces enfants maltraités (verbalement, physiquement et sexuellement) et de ces enfants qui sont morts dans des circonstances mystérieuses et ont été enterrés dans des fosses communes ou des tombes anonymes sur le terrain de l'école.

Entre 1831 et 1998, il y avait 140 pensionnats indiens fédéraux et religieux (églises protestantes et catholiques) au Canada.

Des écoles fonctionnaient dans chaque province et territoire à l'exception du Nouveau-Brunswick et de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard.

150 000 enfants autochtones ont été séparés de leurs familles et forcés de fréquenter ces internats pour « les chasser des Indiens ».

Environ 30 000 enfants autochtones sont morts dans des circonstances mystérieuses et ont été enterrés dans des fosses communes ou des tombes anonymes sur le terrain de l'école.

De 2008 à 2015, le gouvernement canadien a financé la Commission de vérité et réconciliation pour enquêter sur les crimes. Les conclusions étaient qu'il s'agissait d'un génocide culturel.

En 1994, l'Église presbytérienne du Canada a présenté ses excuses pour le rôle de son Église dans les pensionnats et les abus qui y avaient été commis.

En 2004, la Gendarmerie royale du Canada s'est excusée pour son rôle dans les pensionnats et les abus qui y ont été commis.

En 2008, le premier ministre Stephen Harper a présenté ses excuses pour le rôle du gouvernement canadien dans les pensionnats et les abus qui y ont été commis.

En mai 2022, Justin Wellby, l'évêque de Canterbury pour l'Église anglicane, s'est excusé pour le rôle de leur Église dans les pensionnats et les abus qui y ont été commis.

En juillet 2022, lors d'une visite au Canada, le pape François a présenté ses excuses pour le rôle de l'Église catholique dans les pensionnats et les abus qui y ont été commis.

Le monarque britannique, le gouvernement britannique et le monarque canadien ne se sont pas excusés pour leur rôle dans les pensionnats ni pour les abus qui y ont été commis.

Depuis 2021, 59 fosses communes et non marquées ont été découvertes dans ces pensionnats à travers le Canada et d'autres sont découvertes au fur et à mesure que des travaux sont effectués sur les sites.

Les anciens élèves des pensionnats indiens peuvent appeler le 1-866-925-4419 pour des services d'aiguillage en cas de crise émotionnelle et des informations sur d'autres soutiens de santé du gouvernement du Canada. Les peuples autochtones de partout au Canada peuvent également s'adresser à la ligne d'assistance de Hope for Wellness 24 heures sur 24, 7 jours sur 7 pour obtenir des conseils et une intervention en cas de crise. Appelez la ligne d'assistance sans frais au 1-855-242-3310 ou connectez-vous au chat en ligne.

NDRUSIBS

 

Today (September 30th) is National Day of Remembrance for US Indian Residential Schools.

There were 367 Indian Forced Boarding Schools inside the US (run by the US Federal Government, 29 US States and US Territories, different Protestant Churches and the Catholic Church) from 1819 to 1998 to “beat the Indian out of them.”

There were an unknown number of Indian Forced Assimilation Day Schools across the Country as well.

An estimated 250,000 Students were forced into these Indian Residential Schools inside the US.

There were an estimated 50,000 mysterious Children’s deaths at these Residential Schools with the Children simply being buried in Mass Graves or in Unmarked Graves on the School Property with no explanation or justice for their Parents.

There were unknown numbers of Verbal, Physical and Sexual Abuse at both the Residential and Day Schools well into the 1990s.

The US Government only started looking at these Abuse and Mysterious Deaths Claims in 2021 – called the “2021 Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative” - after several Unmarked and Mass Graves were found on Former Indian Boarding Sites in Canada and the United States.

The Federal Government, the State Governments, the Protestant Churches or the Catholic Church – which ran these Residential and Day Schools where these abuses were committed, have ever apologized for their role.  

93,000 Flee

93,000 Armenians have fled Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia since September 24, 2023 when Azerbaijan launched an attack and took full control of the Territory.

(Armenians fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023.)

All 130,000 Armenian Residents of Nagorno-Karabakh are trying to flee to Armenia before Azerbaijan ethnically-cleanses the Territory and bans the Armenian Language, Armenian Orthodox Christian Religion and the Armenian Culture as the Azeris did in the rest of Azerbaijan in the 1990s.

There has been an Armenian presence in Nagorno-Karabakh since the 7^th Century BC and that will cease to exist soon just like the Armenian presence in Azerbaijan did (there used to be Millions of ethnic Armenians living in Azerbaijan until the Azeris carried out Pogroms to murder them and force them to flee to Armenia in the 1990s.)

The Journey from Nagorno-Karabakh, which usually takes 2 hours, is taking days because of all the Azeri Checkpoints and the Azeri Military – who not only stop every Man, Woman and Child trying to flee, but also arrest many of them.

House Republicans

The House Republicans couldn't even agree on their own Spending Bill to avoid a Government Shutdown so this Sunday it looks like the Federal Government will Shutdown.

This time it will be the fault of the Republicans in the House.

It will affect over 4 Million Americans - including 2 Million American Soldiers; 20,000 US Border Patrol Officers and 16,000 US Immigration Officers.

Nothing says "Thank you for protecting our Country and keeping us all safe" like forcing Soldiers and Officers to continue to protect us without being paid and unable to buy food for their own Families.

82: Babi Yar

82 years ago today (September 29, 1941) the German Nazis and their Collaborators murdered 33,771 Men, Women and Children at Babi Yar (Бабин Яр in Ukrainian) in Kyiv, Ukraine.

(Babi Yar, Ukraine - 1941)

The name Babi Yar refers to an old woman (Baba) selling the ravine (Yar) to a Monastery in 1401.

A notice (in German, Ukrainian and Russian) was posted telling all Jews in Kyiv to meet at a certain time and place – with all their Documents and luggage -  so they could be resettled following a series of explosions throughout the city (caused by undercover Soviet NKVD Secret Police.) The notice also said that any Jews left in Kyiv afterwards would be shot on sight.

 The Germans expected around 6,000 people to show up, but instead over 33,700 came to the meeting point.

The Men, Women and Children were walked several miles to the Babi Yar Ravine (then outside the city), made to undress and run naked through a column of Ukrainian Para-Military Collaborators to an open pit where the Germans shot them – children under 3 and babies were simply thrown in alive to be buried by the other bodies.

Only 29 people are known to have survived the massacre (by being shot and wounded then falling into the pit and hiding under the thousands of dead bodies until they could climb out in the darkness.)

Babi Yar is the single largest Massacre of the Holocaust. 33,771 Men, Women and Children were murdered on September 29-30, 1941.

(Babi Yar Memorial to the Children murdered by the Germans in Kyiv, Ukraine – I took in November 2007.)

A total of 150,000 People (Jews, Gypsies, Communists, Soviet Prisoners of War, Catholic Priests, Orthodox Priests and Partisans, etc.) murdered at the same spot until Kyiv was liberated in November 1943.

Paul Blobel (the German who organized and executed the Babi Yar Massacre as well as other Massacres resulting in the deaths of 1 Million Men, Women and Children) was found guilty by a US Military Court in West Germany and hanged in 1951.

2022/2023 =1941

82 years ago today (September 29, 1941) the German Nazis and their Collaborators murdered 33,771 Men, Women and Children at Babi Yar (Бабин Яр in Ukrainian) in Kyiv, Ukraine.

(Exhumation of Izium Victims murdered by the Russians in Izium, Ukraine – 2022.)

A total of 150,000 People (Jews, Catholic Priests and Orthodox Priests, etc.) murdered at the same spot until Kyiv was liberated in November Sadly, 1943.

I visited the Babi Yar Memorial when I went to Kyiv, Ukraine in November 2007.

Sadly, 82 years later and the Ukrainians continue to deal with Nazis and their Massacres – this time the Russians.

(Bucha Massacre - 2022)

Bucha Massacre where 422 Ukrainian Men, Women and Children were tortured, raped and then massacred by the Russians in Bucha, Ukraine between March 3-April 1, 2022.

Izium Massacre where 414 Ukrainians - 194 Men, 215 Women and 5 were tortured and then murdered by the Russians in Izium, Ukraine from March-September 2022.

The true number of Ukrainian Victims won’t be know until the Russian Nazis are defeated.

Nazi Germany committed Genocide in Ukraine from 1941-1943 and Nazi Russia has committed Genocide in Ukraine since 2022.

US Visa-Free Travel

As of yesterday (September 27, 2023) Israel was added to the US Visa Waiver Program and it will begin on November 30, 2023.

(This is a picture I took in Jerusalem, Israel in October 2017.)

The VWP allows citizens from certain countries to enter the United States (all 50 States, DC and the 5 Territories) for up to 90 days for Tourism, Business or Transit. They do have to register online for the  Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), pay $21 before coming to the US and have their biometrics taken (US-VISIT) after arriving to the US.

As of September 28, 2023 there are 40 countries in the VWP: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom (only for British Citizens and not Nationals or Subjects)

Note: Israel will join on November 30, 2023.

Not included with the VWP the following Countries and Territories can also enter the US without a Visa:

Canada: for 6 months and doesn’t need ESTA or US-VISIT.

The Compact of Free Association: Palau, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia: can live, work and study in the US with no Visa and no ESTA  for 1 year (renewable.)

The Bahamas: Can travel to the US Visa Free for 6 months with no ESTA if they use one of 2 US Preclearance Airports (Nassau or Freeport.)

Bermuda: If using a Bermuda Territorial Passport: 6 months with no ESTA; if using a British Passport: 90 days, ESTA and US-VISIT.

The British Virgin Islands: If using a British Virgin Islands Territorial Passport: 6 months with no ESTA; if they travel to the US Virgin Islands first and then can go to the rest of the US; if using a British Passport: 90 days, ESTA and US-VISIT.

The Cayman Islands: If using a Cayman Islands Territorial Passport: 6 months with no ESTA; if using a British Passport: 90 days, ESTA and US-VISIT.

Turks and Caicos Islands: If using a Turks and Caicos Islands Territorial Passport: 6 months with no ESTA; if using a British Passport: 90 days, ESTA, and US-Visit.

Russia: Residents of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug who are members of the Indigenous Population do not need a Visa to visit Alaska for 90 days if they have relatives (blood relatives, members of the same tribe, native people who have similar language and cultural heritage) in Alaska. They have to be officially invited by their Alaskan relatives, notify Alaskan officials 10 days before arriving and can only enter through Gambell and Nome (they aren’t allowed to travel outside of Alaska.)

Some US Territories also allow other nationalities to visit without a visa, but they can’t then travel to the rest of the US without first getting a visa:

Guam and the Marshall Islands: Malaysia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea can visit for 45 days with no ESTA.

American Samoa: Israel can already visit for 45 days with no ESTA.

Israel In VWP

From Reuters:

“US admits Israel into visa waiver program”

The U.S. government announced on Wednesday it is admitting Israel into a program that will allow visa-free entry by Israeli citizens starting Nov. 30. Admission to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which Israel's Foreign Ministry said was expected, is a win for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a time when relations between his religious-nationalist government and Washington have been strained over its judiciary overhaul plan and policies toward Palestinians.

Some Palestinians have protested against Israel's entry into the program, saying Israel for decades has discriminated against Arab Americans and harassed them at its borders. Four Democratic U.S. senators including Chris Van Hollen said Wednesday Israel has failed to meet requirements to treat all American travelers equally.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the announcement further "strengthens the security, economic and people-to-people ties between the United States and Israel." Palestinian-Americans living in the West Bank or living in the United States now can enter Israel visa free, and fly in and out of Ben Gurion airport, reducing barriers to travel for these Americans, the U.S. said. Netanyahu praised the decision as a "significant and joyous moment for all Israeli citizens."

For admission to the program allowing visitors to stay up to 90 days without a visa, Washington requires countries to meet requirements on issues such as counterterrorism, law enforcement, immigration enforcement, document security, and border management. They also must treat all U.S. travelers equally, so Israel must allow free passage for Palestinian Americans at Ben Gurion airport. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry urged the United States to guarantee equal treatment for Palestinians. "At a time when the American administration has repeatedly said that its goal is to provide the same opportunities for freedom, equality, prosperity, and security for both Palestinians and Israelis, we expect this administration to work to implement what it says," the ministry said in a statement.

In a pilot period since July 20, Israel has eased access for Palestinian Americans through its borders and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. According to Israel's Interior Ministry, more than 130,000 Americans entered Israel since the pilot began, including 6,070 Palestinian Americans. Between 45,000 and 60,000 Palestinian Americans live in the West Bank, a U.S. official estimated. An Israeli official put the figure lower, at 15,000 to 20,000. There were previously 40 countries in the VWP, with nations added infrequently. Croatia was the most recent in 2021.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the announcement "will enhance freedom of movement for U.S. citizens, including those living in the Palestinian Territories or traveling to and from them." On Tuesday, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee filed suit seeking to block Israel's entry to the program. A U.S. judge in Detroit denied an emergency motion, saying the Homeland Security Department had not received proper notice of the lawsuit.

^ Finally! This was long over-due. ^

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-admit-israel-into-visa-waiver-program-2023-09-27/

Senior Dogs

 

Current Genocides

I have a studied Genocide Studies and with that Historical knowledge - the Armenian Genocide, the Greek Genocide, the Holodomor in Ukraine, the Holocaust, the Bangladeshi Genocide, the Cambodian Genocide, the Rwandan Genocide, the Bosnian Genocide, etc. – I know the signs of a Genocide when it is currently taking place.

(Ukrainian Women with her Disabled Relative trying to flee Russian Bombs after the Russian destroyed the Kakhovka Dam and flooded huge parts of Ukraine in June 2023.)

A Russian Genocide against Ukrainians is currently taking place (and has been since February 2022.) Putin and his Russian Nazi Zs are making it a point to wipe out everything and anything Ukrainian. The Russians are getting help and support from China, North Korea and Iran.

The Russians burn Ukrainian Books, they destroy Ukrainian Hospitals and Schools, they Rape Ukrainian Men, Women and Children, they Massacre Ukrainian Men, Women and Children, they deport Ukrainian Adults to Special Infiltration Camps inside Russia where they are tortured and killed, they kidnap Ukrainian Children – even ripping them from the hands of their Parents – and send them to Special Reeducation Camps where the Ukrainian is beaten out of them or they die.

An Azeri Genocide against Armenians is currently taking place in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Azeri President, Ilham Aliyev - who has been in power since 2003 when he took over from his Father, Heydar Aliyev, who was President from 1993-2003 – started this latest unprovoked attacked with the help and support of Russia and Turkey.

(An Armenian Family fleeing the Azeri Bombs in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023.)

Azeris have taken complete control over the Armenian Enclave and are searching all 130,000 Armenian Men, Women and Children there as they work to ethnically-cleanse Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh as they did the rest of Azerbaijan in the 1990s.

The Azeris are destroying Centuries-Old Armenian Christian Churches and Monasteries and anything they find with any kind of Armenian influence on it. Armenians have been in Nagorno-Karabakh since the 7^th Century BC.

We can’t do anything about the Genocides of the past (except learn about them and remember them) but we can do something about these current Genocides taking place.

Anyone who does nothing is part of the Murder of innocent Men, Women and Children just as the person who pulls the trigger and kills them is.  

You may have Ukraine Fatigue. You may not want to hear about anymore suffering from people across the World, but think about what you would do if you and your Family faced a similar situation and no one else cared enough to help you.

40: Mama's Family

 

40 years ago (1983) “Mama’s Family” premiered.

It ran for 6 Seasons and 130 Episodes.

For the first two Seasons it centered around: Buzz, Vinton, Naomi, Ed, Ellen, Fran, Sonja, and Thelma.

After being cancelled and revamped it centered around: Iola, Bubba, Vinton, Naomi, and Thelma.

Ken Berry played Vinton Harper, Dorothy Lyman played Naomi Oates Harper, Eric Brown played Vinton Buzz Harper, Karin Argoud played Sonja Harper, Betty White played Ellen Harper Jackson, Carol Burnett played Eunice Harper Higgins, Allan Kayser played Bubba Higgins, Rue McClanahan played Fran Crowley, Beverly Archer played Iola Boylen and Vicki Lawrence played Thelma Harper.

Ken Berry died in 2018. Rue McClanahan died in 2010. Betty White died in 2021.

It was a very funny show that I enjoyed watching on VHS Tapes sent from my Grandparents in New York to West Germany where I was living.

Travis King Deported

From the BBC:

“Travis King in US custody after North Korea expulsion”

US soldier Travis King, who fled from South to North Korea in July, is in American custody after being expelled by Pyongyang, officials say. Pvt King was transferred into US custody in China before being flown to a US military installation. The 23-year-old reconnaissance specialist illegally crossed into North Korea in July. North Korean media said he had fled because of "inhuman treatment" and racism within the US military.

 A senior administration official said on Wednesday that after months of "intense diplomacy" Pvt King had been returned to US hands and had spoken to his family. "We can confirm Pvt King is very happy to be on his way home, and he is very much looking forward to reuniting with his family," the official said. "We are going to guide him through a re-integration process that will address any medical and emotional concerns and ensure we get him in a good place to reunite with his family." The official added that the US made no concessions to secure his release.

Earlier on Wednesday, North Korea's state-run news agency said the country had decided to remove Pvt King, without offering further details. "The relevant body in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has decided to deport US soldier Travis King, who illegally entered the territory of the republic, in accordance with the laws of the republic," it said. Pvt King has been in the army since January 2021 and was in South Korea as part of a unit rotation. Before entering North Korea, he had served two months in detention in South Korea on charges that he assaulted two people and kicked a police car. He was released from custody on 10 July. He had been due to return to the US for disciplinary proceedings, but managed to leave the airport and join a guided tour of the border village of Panmunjom on the heavily guarded Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) between the two countries. Pte King crossed into North Korea while on the tour. The senior administration official said that the immediate focus will be on getting him medically evaluated before any potential disciplinary and administrative actions.

According to the senior administration official, the US learned earlier this month that North Korea intended to release Pvt King. Swedish officials travelled to North Korea and brought Pte King to its border with China, where he was handed over to US officials. China played a "constructive role" but "did not mediate", the official added. "All these pieces had to come together quickly," the US official said.

As the US and North Korea have no diplomatic relations, Sweden's embassy in Pyongyang has traditionally negotiated on behalf of the US. A Swedish embassy spokesman confirmed that the country had acted "within its role as a protective power" for the US in North Korea during the King case. Jonathan Franks, a spokesman for Pvt King's mother, Claudine Gates, said in a statement that she will "forever be grateful" to the US Army and its partners "for a job well done". The statement added that Pvt King's family does not intend to give any interviews "for the foreseeable future". His relatives have previously told US media that he had experienced discrimination while serving in the US military. They have said his mental health suffered during his time in South Korean custody. In an interview with the Associated Press news agency last month, Ms Gates said her son had "so many reasons to come home". "I just can't see him ever wanting to just stay in Korea when he has family in America," she said.

Frank Aum, a North Korea expert at the Washington DC-based US Institute of Peace, said that Pvt King's 71-day detention was "fairly typical" in cases of US citizens held in the country who "are not perceived to have committed a major crime". Some analysts had speculated Pyongyang might have opted to use the US soldier as a diplomatic bargaining chip. In previous instances, North Korea has insisted a senior US representative travel to the country to negotiate any American detainee's release, though there is so far no indication that happened in this case. "They [North Korea] have believed that may be some way to help re-start talks," said Mr Aum, who was previously a senior adviser on North Korea at the office of the US secretary of defence. "But it didn't seem like North Korea was interested in doing that this time. That may be a reflection of the fact that North Korea is not interested in engaging with the US at the moment." Mr Aum added that North Korean officials were also no doubt keen to avoid "reinforcing an international perception" that they are a major human rights violator making arbitrary detentions.

Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defence and CIA paramilitary officer, told the BBC it is a "good thing" that Pvt King was being returned to US custody, although he "is a young man that made some mistakes". "He is a US soldier and it was important that we did everything we could to bring him home," Mr Mulroy added.

^ You know there’s something wrong with you when even North Korea doesn’t want you. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66939470

30,000 So Far

From the BBC:

“Nagorno-Karabakh: Almost 30,000 refugees have fled to Armenia”

Nearly 30,000 ethnic Armenians have fled Nagorno-Karabakh - a quarter of the population of the enclave which Azerbaijan seized last week. Hundreds of cars are backed up on the one road leading into Armenia, the destination of those leaving. Azerbaijan says residents will be safe, but Armenia's prime minister says "ethnic cleansing" has started. Nagorno-Karabakh - recognised as part of Azerbaijan - had been run by ethnic Armenians for three decades. The mountainous region in the South Caucasus has been supported by Armenia - but also by its ally, Russia.

At least 200 ethnic Armenians and dozens of Azerbaijani soldiers were killed as Azerbaijan's army swept in. As part of a ceasefire deal, separatists have agreed to surrender their weapons. The Azeris have said they want to treat ethnic Armenians as "equal citizens" but a limited amount of aid has been allowed through and many residents are fleeing. On Monday, a massive fuel blast killed at least 68 people attempting to leave. Nearly 300 more were injured and 105 are missing. It is not yet clear what caused the explosion on Monday evening near the main city of Khankendi, known as Stepanakert by Armenians, but many were refilling their cars.

As they crossed the border on Tuesday, thousands of ethnic Armenians were subject to rigorous checks from Azerbaijani border control. Azerbaijani authorities claimed to be looking for "war crimes" suspects, and one government source told Agence France Presse news agency that the country intended to apply an "amnesty to Armenian fighters who laid down their arms in Karabakh". "But those who committed war crimes during the Karabakh wars must be handed over to us," they said. Hundreds of cars and buses are trying to reach the town of Goris across the border.

(Malina says she and her grandchildren fled to seek safety)

A BBC team saw families crammed into cars, boots overflowing and roof-racks piled high with belongings. Convinced they are leaving their homes for good, people are squeezing as much of their lives as possible into their vehicles. Inside Goris, a small town that is the same dusty brown as the jagged mountains that surround it, the narrow streets are filled with more cars and more families. One has arrived in a car held together with little more than sticking tape, its side badly dented and dotted with shrapnel holes, and windows smashed. The owner tells the BBC it was hit by mortar fire when Azerbaijan launched a lightning assault to take control of the region last week. "But it still got us here," he smiles, surrounded by small children.

On the main town square, people mill around, unsure what to do next. Volunteers hand out some basic food and blankets. Evacuees are registered and there is the occasional bus to move people on to another town or village. But few seem to have a plan, beyond getting this far. For two days last week, Malina and her family all huddled in their cellar as their village was under fire. After the Karabakh forces surrendered, Malina says the local authorities told everyone to leave for Armenia, for safety. Their village in the Martakert region of Nagorno-Karabakh is now empty. Malina says her family left because - whatever the assurances - they would not feel safe under Azerbaijani rule. That sentiment is echoed by many others watching the situation unfold.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of state Antony Blinken urged Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev to provide "unconditional protections and freedom of movement for civilians", and called for "unhindered humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh". UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also called for both sides to respect human rights. So far, only one aid delivery of 70 tonnes of food has been allowed through since separatists accepted a ceasefire and agreed to disarm. Azerbaijan announced that another aid convoy, with 40 tonnes of flour and badly-needed hygiene products, was on its way to the enclave.

Ethnic Armenian leaders say thousands are without food or shelter and sleeping in basements, school buildings or outside. The Armenian health ministry said it was sending helicopters to evacuate patients from the region's strained hospitals. Azerbaijan also said it had sent medical supplies. On Tuesday, envoys from Armenia and Azerbaijan met in Brussels for European Union-backed talks. It was the first time diplomatic negotiations have been held between the two countries since Azerbaijan seized the enclave last week. Azerbaijan has also started separate negotiations with Karabakh's ethnic Armenian authorities about the region's future.

^ 30,000 Armenians have fled Nagorno-Karabakh after it was completely occupied by Azerbaijan on September 23, 2023.

It is believed that all 120,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh plan on fleeing to Armenia because Azerbaijan wants to ethnically cleanse the territory and make it 100% Azeri (as they did the rest of Azerbaijan in the 1990s.)

Right now the Azeris aren’t letting the EU, the UN or any International Group in to Nagorno-Karabakh to make sure there are no Human Rights abuses and the Armenians fleeing to Armenia have to pass many Azeri Military Checkpoints(where they and their belongings are searched and the people questioned) going through the Lachin Corridor to Armenia

The Azeri President is even consulting with the Turkish President (who went to Azerbaijan) about invading the main part of Armenia  - along the border with Iran - to ethnically-cleanse the Armenians living there and make a permanent land connection between the main part of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan.

There have been 1,920 Russian Peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh since the last fighting in 2020 and of course we all know have poorly trained, poorly equipped and poorly motivated the Russians are at fighting so the Azeris took advantage of that and attacked Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023.

The Russians did nothing even when the Azeris killed 5 Russian Peacekeepers – that’s how much Russia values a Russian Life.

Armenians have lived in Nagorno-Karabakh since the 7^th Century and there are many Ancient Christian Churches and Monasteries there – most of which have been or are being destroyed or ruined by the Azeris.

The crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh is not on the news and most people have never even heard of it. Sadly, World Governments are also placing a blind-eye to what is going on there and the suffering and death of innocent Men, Women and Children. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66931178

Fleeing Pictures

Fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh – September 2023:

(Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh walk along the road from Nagorno-Karabakh to Kornidzor in the Syunik region of Armenia.)

(Hundreds of vehicles were heading to Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday.)

(Refugees from the Nagorno-Karabakh region ride in the back of a truck as they arrive in the border village of Kornidzor, Armenia)

(A child sleeps on a bag containing clothes and other belongings as ethnic Armenians gather in the centre of Stepanakert - also known as Khankendi - in hopes of leaving the Nagorno-Karabakh region for Armenia.)

(An ethnic Armenian man from Nagorno-Karabakh embraces his child as he arrives to receive humanitarian aid at a temporary camp in Goris in the Syunik region of Armenia.)

Shutdown Impacts

The US Congress has until September 30, 2023 (this Saturday) to fund the Federal Government otherwise the Government will Shutdown.

It is now unlikely that a Funding Bill will pass due to the In-Fighting between the Republicans (7 Republican Congressmen/women vowing to shut the Government down for no reason) and then the funding differences between the Republicans and the Democrats.

During a US Federal Government Shutdown:

Members of Congress will continue to be paid.

President Biden will continue to be paid.

Congressional and Presidential Staff would not be paid – some will be furloughed while others would be forced to work without pay.

The 2 Million Active-Duty Soldiers, Sailors and Marines would continue to protect us across the United States and around the World, but would not be paid.

400,000 of the Civilian Defense Employees would be furloughed and not paid with the other 400,000 forced to work without pay.

Federal Agents of the FBI, CIA, DEA, Federal Prisons, etc. would continue to work, but not be paid.

US Border Patrol would continue to work apprehending and processing over 2,000 Illegal Immigrants every day, but would not be paid.

Federal Courts would stay open until October 13, 2023.

US Embassies and Consulates would continue to work, but at reduced operations.

US Passports would continue to be issued as would Visas to the US since they fund themselves.

The Smithsonian, National Zoo and other Federal Museums and Properties would close and their Employees furloughed without pay.

17,000 of the 18,300 Employees of NASA would be furloughed without pay and the other 1,3000 would be forced to work without pay.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) would operate as normal, and all 83,000 Employees would be paid.

The Small Business Administration would not be able to issue any new loans.

The National Institutes of Health would furlough most of its staff and delay new clinical trials for medical treatments.

Most inspections of hazardous waste sites and drinking water and chemical facilities would stop.

Food-Safety Inspections by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would be delayed.

Healthcare Services for Military Veterans and Native Americans would continue, but with many delays.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would furlough roughly 90% of its 4,600 Employees with the remaining working without pay.

The TSA and Air Traffic Controllers would continue to work, but without pay.

Medicare and Social Security Payments would continue, but could be delayed.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would risk running out of funds for Disaster Relief and Long-Term Recovery Projects.

It is unclear whether National Parks would remain open. If they are open then Employees of the National Parks Service wouldn’t be paid.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would continue to operate locks, dams and flood control facilities, but not be paid.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) would be unaffected as it does not depend on Congress for funding.

US States and Territories would not receive any new Federal Money – which would affect Millions of State and Territory Employees as well as Million of Residents receiving certain Benefits funded by both the State/Territory and the Federal Government.

Even those Federal Employees deemed “Essential” would be forced to work without pay many would either call-out sick or do a Work Slowdown as happened in other Shutdowns (especially with the TSA.)

Even though all Federal Government Employees (including those in the Military) would eventually be paid once a Shutdown ends that doesn’t mean much when you are living Paycheck-to-Paycheck and can’t pay your Rent, your Bills, buy Medicines or buy Groceries.

It is estimated that the United States would lose $1 Billion US Dollars every day of a Government Shutdown.