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NEW DELHI: Reaching out to the Opposition on the eve of the monsoon session of Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed some of the concerns of various political parties and spoke out against cow vigilantes who indulge in violence in the name of cow protection and said state governments should take the strictest action in such matters.

Speaking at the all-party meeting convened by the government, the prime minister sought the support of the Opposition in smooth conduct of business in both the Houses. He asserted that all political parties stood united to ensure the nations safety and security.

CPM leader Sitaram Yechury had raised the issue of lynchings in various parts of the country during the meeting, while Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad expressed concern over the situation in Kashmir.

Azad reiterated his charge that the government has closed all doors and windows and this was leading to political suffocation in Jammu and Kashmir. He asked the government to at least open a ventilator so that people could breathe easy.

Alluding to the corruption cases against RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family members, Modi said legal action should be taken against corrupt leaders and gave a call to all parties for action. The PM also thanked all parties for their support to goods and services tax.

Reforms like preponing of budget session of Parliament by a month would lead to a balanced nature of capital expenditure profile in this financial year, he said. Already 30% of total expenditure and 49% expenditure in infrastructure sector has taken place before the monsoon has started, which is a huge achievement and would bring fiscal prudence in capital expenditure in future.

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Preserve democracy, ensure smooth session: PM to opposition - Economic Times

Head of PPP Media Cell

Party will not be over and, in fact, will remain in the saddle if the prime minister is pleased to accord favourable consideration to the Oppositions only demand put forward recently. Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Shah, while addressing the joint press conference on behalf of the Opposition parties in Islamabad, has suggested the viable way out (resignation) to the prime minister to save the country from the probable horrendous aftermaths of the brewing political crisis. It will also ensure the continuity of the democratic system representing all the stakeholders and indeed win win situation. It is a fair demand under the circumstances to pre-empt ugly political turmoil that the country cannot withstand due to multiple challenges it is already confronted with. In case of inaction on his part, the resultant sharp political division -- wrought with dangers to democracy and indeed to the federation -- may not be averted. Unfortunately, the prime minister has decided to dig in heels and vowed not to resign no matter what. It means the stage is set for the long haul containing the potential of collective political redundancy during the unforeseeable future. This must not revisit Pakistans political horizon. The big political minds are expected to exhibit the spirit of statesmanship and stop well short of blundering into a disaster. The people of Pakistan are looking up to them. They must not be frustrated. They had enough of dictatorships and tyrannical rulers in the past those bequeathed nothing but inflicted numerous indignities and humiliations on the nation.

Democratic politics is politics of pluralism in essence. Insistence of imposition of self- righteousness is anathema to its spirit. In democracy and in its best democratic practices, the spirit of accommodation and tolerance are the underpinnings for its development on sustainable basis. It may be pointed out that the combined Opposition parties have convinced the PTI to climb down from its demand for immediate holding of elections. The PTI seemingly also agreed not to insist on the disqualification of host of Sharif family members and other stalwarts of the PML-N including the incumbent finance minister. This flexibility may be appreciated and reciprocated by the PML-N leadership in equal measure. The top leadership may review its decision and consider seriously reaching out to the Opposition parties to find a common ground to more forward positively and objectively. The misplaced concept of invincibility may give space to objectivity and rationality with a tinge of pragmatism.

Opposition leader Syed Khursheed Shah deserves kudos for rallying around the rest of the opposition parties on the stated position of the PPP to deal with the political crisis that had surfaced after the submission of the JIT report in the Supreme Court. The PPP had taken the principled stand opposing the holding of snap elections because the party wanted the incumbent assemblies to complete their constitutional tenure and elections should be held in 2018. The rest of the Opposition parties also deserve appreciation for demonstrating sense of immense responsibility in formulating the collective demand of the resignation of the prime minister and refrain from insisting on other demands. It may be recalled the PPPs leadership had already synchronized its stance before the meeting of Opposition parties on the same lines to ensure the continuity of democratic system as its only top most priority. It made sense because the incumbent prime minister had lost the locus standi after the joint investigation report of the (JIT) because the countrys chief executives constitutional office cannot bear the burden of the persona devoid of the moral and legal authority.

Unfortunately, the overt and covert hype created by the Muslim League-N ministers and leaders against the JIT was indicative of their belief of fighting the lost battle the Party is over, Their tirade against the members of JIT with lot of sound and fury signified nothing but their sheer trepidation anticipating the end of the road. The report submitted probing the allegations of money laundering trail, and the ownership of expensive London property, tax evasion and forgery by the family in particular seemed difficult to rebut in the face of evidences reportedly supported by forensic underpinnings. The loin had been caged in. It may be more dignified and befitting on his part if the writing on the wall is read correctly to face the consequences. He may watch and defend his case with grace in the court room instead of sitting in the Prime Minister House pacing back and forth.

Ironically, he is having the taste of his own medicine. The prime minister may recall his juggernaut in lawyers outfit when he filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the PPP government in Memogate scandal praying for the dismissal of the PPP government led by Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani. His move, notwithstanding his written commitment not to endeavour to destabilise the incumbent government as enshrined in the Charter of Democracy (COD) signed in May 2006, was mind blowing and indeed betrayal. It was his sheer political opportunism. Now, he is in a closed alley. He has to face the emerging situation upfront with requisite courage keeping in view the bitter ground realities those cannot be glossed over by adding more smoke or defiance.

The present state of affairs is not tenable and it has to settle down either way, but may not be in favour of the prime minister. It calls upon the ruling political leadership in particular to take bold political move to deflect the grim political scenario in the offing. His stepping down and replacing with his own Party leader may not affect the continuity of the political system and the state affairs will remain normal. A futuristic and pro-active thinking now on his part may mitigate the degree of umbrage inflicted by Panama Papers. It may also whether the storm without hurting the edifice of democratic dispensation to the utter frustration of those who are sitting on the fence with vengeance to enter in the corridors of power by hook and crook. Make no mistake. PML-N top leaderships procrastination in taking the political initiative may create the space for those who otherwise do not see their prospects of grabbing the reign of the country in the face of nations consensus on democracy.

According to the majority of views and news in the media, JIT report is a clear-cut indictment on the prime minister and his children that cannot be wished away. The prime ministers moral authority has been bitterly bruised as a result, and it is extremely difficult for him to run the affairs of the state with his tarnished image. The other political forces of the country may also facilitate him in taking the right decision in the largest interest of the democracy and the country because the confrontation may draw the situation closer to repeating the chequered political history of the country.

They are supposed to be matured people after going through the bitter experiences in the past. The politicians should prove their worth as the master of knowing the art of possible. God forbid, their failure will be the failure of democracy, and the future of the country will be embroiled in deep trouble. In that grim case, they will also stand nowhere as the ground from beneath their feet may be cut off resultantly for the unforeseeable future.

The PPP will never compromise on democracy. It played a leading role in saving democracy from those who were desperately waiting for the Third Umpire during the sit-in politics to escort them to the corridors of power. PPP spearheaded the campaign to put cold water on their pernicious plans against democracy and the country. For PPP, democracy is everything. PPP is bound to play the role of saving democracy in case of dangers. Its unequivocal commitment to democracy --- stemming from the martyrdoms of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto including its workers -- is non-negotiable. PPP cannot afford to see the other side when dangers to democracy in various forms and manifestations are inching towards with tainted intentions. Its leadership is totally aware of the forces those tend to contemplate to drive from the rear and thus take the control of the driving seat. But, PPP is determined not only to resist and scuttle their perfidious designs but also expose their bare-knuckled world of politics.

Now, PPP considers that the stepping down of the prime minster is in the largest interest of the democracy. The PPP leadership has been urging the prime minister to lie low and nominate his substitute to get the air out of the sails of the anti-democratic forces those are active again to caste long shadow on the political future of the country and the federation. Those party leaders who have been advising the prime minister to hold his grounds no matter what may be loyal but they are surely not wise as they are paving the way to the political hell with good intentions. They are hostage of their poor judgment based on their state of denial of the currents and under-currents of the todays politics. Even, Javed Hashmi, his ardent well-wisher, has given the right advice at the right time urging the prime minister to step aside. He has also suggested couple of names of his possible successor. PML-N has comfortable majority in the House and retaining the Party government will not be problem at all. But, inordinate delay in moving the right direction may prove fatal for the future of democracy in this country.

The Party will be over then without a shred of doubt.

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PPP to never compromise on democracy - The News International

Vietnam.

The name carries with it a revulsion because of the calamity that struck the people who lived there, and the 58,000 American soldiers who died there.

Now, a book has been created by DK Publishing in association with the Smithsonian that provides timelines with a pictorial and text overview of Vietnams tortured existence from colonial days to its final fall into communism.

The elaborate, coffee table-size book titled, The Vietnam War: the Definitive Illustrated History, recently became available at Barnes and Noble Book Sellers.

It deals in a general way with American soldiers, though without individual names, such as Jim Allison of Lubbock who died fighting for what once was the possible liberty of South Vietnam.

And with men like Robert Bernero of Lubbock, who survived while serving faithfully in the military, but came home to no parades.

The United States had been in Vietnam in an attempt to keep communism from engulfing the world in the 1960s and 1970s. The ideology already had Russia and China firmly in its grip. Communism found propaganda more effective than nuclear weapons with which to defeat liberty.

Vietnam conquered

France had conquered Vietnam in the 19th century and continued its colonial rule until World War II, when Japan occupied the country.

Then, at the end of World War II, France became active in the country again, while communists became intent on seizing it. When Vietnam was divided into north and south by the Geneva Accords of 1954, war and suffering ensued for a quarter of a century.

The South had been proclaimed to be the Republic of Vietnam in 1955, and the last French soldier left a year later.

Vietnamese people who were Catholics and living in North Vietnam began fleeing communism by moving in massive numbers into South Vietnam, where they were housed in huge tent cities.

According to The Vietnam War, Catholics in the tent cities survived on emergency aid from the United States.

And the stage was set:

American military advisers began providing assistance and training for the Army of the Republic of South Vietnam.

The Vietnam War includes a quote by Ho Chi Minh, the communist leader of North Vietnam, that must be one of the most ironic statements of all time: Nothing is more precious than independence and liberty.

Conventional weapons

North Vietnam also used conventional weapons, those suggested by Chinas Mao Zedong in his Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun philosophy, and began working through guerrillas inside South Vietnam.

The first American soldier was killed near Saigon on July 8, 1959, by guerrillas.

Nine years later, 495,000 American troops were in-country, and in a single year nearly 17,000 had been killed.

Although enemy forces lost 45,000 men in its Tet offensive in 1968, it was considered a military defeat. At the time, national media coverage in the United States was keeping up a barrage of opposition to the war.

The Vietnam War, in a section on the media and the war, noted that Vietnam was the first war covered extensively on television: The conversion of (Walter) Cronkite and other media gatekeepers from ambivalent onlookers to antiwar advocates was a major blow to the American effort in Vietnam, the book states.

Eventually, a buildup of American troops over the years was reversed in the wake of changed public opinion, and by March 1973, the last combat troops had been removed. By April 30, 1975, the communists tanks rolled into the center of Saigon, and the war was lost.

Suffering continued

Suffering didnt end, though. Vietnam was formally united as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam under hard-line communist rule.

Hundreds of thousands of Boat People left their country over the following two years, with an estimated 50 to 70 percent dying at sea.

According to The Vietnam War, more than two million South Vietnamese that included former military officers, civil servants, capitalists, priests, teachers, intellectuals and others identified with the former regime were sent to re-education or thought reform camps:

An estimated 165,000 people died in the camps from starvation, disease, exhaustion, suicide, and by execution.

Also, the research found, Religious people, especially Christians, were persecuted, as were ethnic minorities, including the significant Chinese population. Many of the Montagnards, the mountain people who resisted the communists, were slaughtered.

Peace now reigns in Vietnam, but not liberty. President Bill Clinton reached out to the new Vietnam for a normalization of relations.

Lubbock soldiers

Jim Allison wasnt able to visit the new Vietnam:

At age five, he would wear a cowboy hat and strap on a holstered toy six-gun. He was a replica of a genuine West Texas cowboy. As an adult, he graduated from Monterey High School and attended Texas Tech before entering the Army as an infantry soldier.

According to a report in the Avalanche-Journal on Sunday, Nov. 3, 1968, he had been killed at age 21, on Oct. 31, 1968, in Vietnam. Genealogical research shows he was the son of Douglas and Marie Allison. Army records indicate he died by small arms fire while serving as a private first class.

He was a member of a Church of Christ congregation.

It was a lifetime that might have been. Still, he did his part in his moment to keep liberty alive in the United States and for the world.

Bob Bernero, who came to Lubbock in 1984 to work at Texas Tech and get a degree in social studies by attending classes at night, calls himself what the 17- and 18-year-olds in Vietnam called him when he was an old man of 22:

A lifer. It referred to his intention to make the Air Force a career.

He has shared his experiences in Vietnam and a bit of measured success with the protesters for next weeks A-J Remembers.

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AJ Remembers: Vietnam was a war too far - LubbockOnline.com

Switzerland's Roger Federer holds aloft the winner's trophy after beating Croatia's Marin Cilic in their men's singles final match, during the presentation on the last day of the 2017 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London. Roger Federer won 6-3, 6-1, 6-4.

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Garbine Muguruza of Spain celebrates victory with the trophy after the Ladies Singles final against Venus Williams of The United States on day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon.

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Two fisherman gather fishing pots from the North sea near Whitley Bay with storm clouds overhead as rain is expected across many parts of the UK.

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Supporters of Charlie Gard hold up placards outside the High Court in central London

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Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves after a visit to Borough Market with Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull (not pictured) in central London

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A Loyalist climbs the Conway street bonfire built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades.

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A firefighter walks towards the scene of a fire at Camden Market in north London

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Buttermere in the Lake District in Cumbria, as the Lake District has been designated as a World Heritage Site, Unesco has said

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Jeremy Corbyn leader of the Labour Party stands in the balcony of the County Hotel as colliery bands pass below during the 133rd Durham Miners Gala

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Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and her husband Philip John May arrive for a concert at the Elbphilharmonie concert hall during the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany

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Spectators react on Henman Hill (Murray Mount) as Britain's Andy Murray wins against Italy's Fabio Fognini on the big screen at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London

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Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Brexit Minister) David Davis (R) meets Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney for talks at no 11, Downing Street

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Revellers brave the heat at Wimbledon

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Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaking after being awarded an honorary degree at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh

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Spectators are led in on day three of the Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club

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Queen Elizabeth II talks with Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during an audience at the Palace of Holyroodhouse

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Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay, with his wife Kati Mackinlay, leave Westminster Magistrates' Court in London where he faced charges over his 2015 general election expenses

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Security staff with dogs before the start of play at Wimbledon

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Competitors take part in the first ever Ironman triathlon to be held in Scotland. Almost 2000 competitors took part in the grueling swim, cycle and road race which ended in Holyrood park. The swimming section was held at Preston Links in Prestonpans.

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People hold placards reading 'Wot A DisMay' and 'Not One Day More' as they take part in an anti-austerity demonstration outside Parliament in London, Britain. Tens of thousands of people took part in a demonstration against British Government and called to end austerity, further cuts and privatisation.

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Campaigners from Avaaz dressed as British Prime Minister Theresa May and Australian media Mogul Rupert Murdoch pose during a photocall outside the Houses of Parliament on Campaigners from Avaaz dressed as British Prime Minister Theresa May and Australian media Mogul Rupert Murdoch pose during a photocall outside the Houses of Parliament on June 29, 2017 in London, England. Culture Secretary Karen Bradley announced that the Competitions and Markets Authority is to conduct a further six-month investigation into Murdochs proposed 11.7bn takeover of Sky.

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Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn addresses revellers from the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm in Somerset during the Glastonbury Festival

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British Prime Minister Theresa May addresses a news conference at the EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, June 23, 2017

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Racegoers cheer on their horse on Ladies Day at the Royal Ascot horse racing meet, in Ascot, west of London

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A reveller walks among the tipi tents at the Glastonbury Festival of Music and Performing Arts on Worthy Farm near the village of Pilton in Somerset, South West England

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The Borough Market bell is seen in Borough Market in central London following its re-opening after the June 3 terror attack

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Mayor of London Sadiq Khan attends the re-opening of Borough market in central London following the June 3 terror attack

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People walk through Borough Market in central London following its re-opening after the June 3 terror attack

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News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch, with one of his daughters, visit Borough Market, which officially re-opened today following the recent attack

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Millwall fan and London Bridge hero Roy Larner on 'Good Morning Britain'

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Richard Arnold, Roy Larner, Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on 'Good Morning Britain'

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Young people like me who question socialism are being silenced - The Independent

Published on July 16th, 2017 | by Guest Contributor

July 16th, 2017 by Guest Contributor

Originally published on Nexus Media. By Molly Taft

Imagine youre packing for a Florida vacation. A swimsuit, shades and a few gallons of sunscreen are probably the first things to go in your bag. If youre driving south from Georgia to Disney World, youll see a big, blue sign when you hit the state line: Welcome to Florida, the Sunshine State.

Apparently, not everyone in Florida has gotten the memo.

The states chief power regulator, Art Graham, told an audience at a 2014hearingon solar power, I think the whole Sunshine State is just a license plate slogan. Grahams not alone. For years, state lawmakers havesaid intermittent cloud cover would make solar unworkable in Florida.

And yet, Florida generatesless solar energythan several far cloudier states, including Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey. When it comes to solar, policy is key. And there, Florida is sorely lacking.

Solar resources available across the United States. Florida ranks among the sunniest states. Source: NREL

Floridas big electric utilities are the major sunblock. The four largest investor-owned utilitiesFlorida Power and Light, Gulf Power Electric, Tampa Electric Company and Duke Energysupply power to around75 percentof Florida ratepayers.

On your drive to Disney World, you might peer out your car window at the Mickey Mouse-shaped solar farm near Epcot. You would guess the array belongs to Disney, but you would be wrong. Disney merely owns the land under the installation. Duke Energy owns and operates the array, and sells the power it generates to the resort.

Effectively, four companies control Floridas power market, dictating how and at what price residents get their energy. Floridians generally dont get to choose which power provider they use to run their homes.

Its like saying only one person gets to sell you coffee for the rest of your life all across the state of Florida, said Tory Perfetti, chairman of the advocacy groupFloridians for Solar Choice. I dont drink coffee, but I think that would be kind of crummy.

Utilities in Florida also earn an unusually high return on power. They want to supply as much electricity as possible to consumers. Rooftop solar threatens their bottom line. [Utilities] dont want to sell less energy any more than McDonalds wants to sell fewer hamburgers, said Susan Glickman, Director of theSouthern Alliance for Clean Energy. Thats just their business model.

Clean energy advocates say Florida utilities wield outsized influence on state politics. Utilities rank among the largest campaign donors in Florida politics. A 2014reportfrom watchdog groupIntegrity Floridafound that the states four utilities spent more than $12 million on lobbying between 2007 and 2013, registering at least one lobbyist for every two legislators each year during that period.

Notably, its Florida ratepayers who are footing the bill for utility lobbying efforts. Everybody lobbies from every side of the aisle, said Perfetti. But utilities are using the money they earn from a noncompetitive market to lobby to keep that market noncompetitive.

This table shows how much money Floridas largest utilities spent lobbying the state legislature between 2007 and 2013. Source: Integrity Florida

This table shows how much money Floridas largest utilities spent lobbying the state legislature between 2007 and 2013. Source: Integrity Florida

Utilities also enjoy an unusually close relationship with the government. The Integrity Florida report details a revolving door between power companies and regulators. And it finds that the Public Service Commission, including regulators like Graham, routinely side with utilities over consumers.

For this reason, solar was practically untouchable in Florida politics until recently. If you were a politician trying to open up solar through the free market you were going to have every door shut in your face legislatively, said Perfetti. If you were going to take a stand at all, you were going to have a pretty tough time.

But the tide is beginning to shift. Utilities now face opposition from an unlikely source. In the spring of 2014, Perfetti and Debbie Dooley recruited Tea Party activists and influential Florida conservatives to join a new pro-solar advocacy group,Floridians for Solar Choice.

Dooley and Perfetti united libertarians and pro-business trade groups with environmental organizations. Last year, they pushed toamend the state constitutionto allow Floridians to sell solar power to their neighbors.

Utilities put forward a competingamendment, known as Amendment 1, that could be used to raise fees on rooftop solar owners and block small solar farms from selling their power to consumers. The companies created an advocacy group, Consumers for Smart Solar, withfundingfrom organizations connected to the Koch Brothers.

Consumers for Smart Solar vastlyoutspentFloridians for Solar Choice, and succeeded in making Amendment 1 the only solar-related option on the November ballot. Its official title, Rights of Electricity Consumers Regarding Solar Energy Choice, led many to believe it would expand access to solar energy. In reality, it would strengthen utilities ironclad grip on the power grid. Those who signed the petition to put Amendment 1 on the ballot later told theMiami Heraldthey felt scammed.

This chart shows which utility and fossil fuel groups funded Consumers for Smart Solar. Source: Energy and Policy Institute

While Floridians for Solar Choice failed to gathered enough signature to get their measure on the ballot, they nonetheless managed to demonstrate the broad support for solar. The success of that effort, which created such noise and attention, put pressure and pushed the legislators towards pro-solar policies, Glickman said.

In response to these efforts, lawmakers created a ballot initiative that wouldamend the state constitutionto waive property taxes on solar panels installed on homes and businesses. Amendment 4, as it was known, passed with73 percentof the vote in August 2016.

Amendment 1 would meet a different fate come November. The measure earned national coverage,most of it critical, and a series of gaffes plagued the campaign in its final weeks. A utility-friendly policy director was caught on tape praising the amendments deceptive language as political jiu-jitsu, while the Florida firefighter union publiclywithdrew its supportfor the amendment days before the vote.

We are engaged in a David vs. Goliath battle, a retired fire captain wrote in a letter to the union chief, and having a phony firefighter on TV ads hoodwinking the public that they should support this fraud is so repulsive to me, words do not suffice.

Florida ultimately rejected the measure at the ballot box. Talk about sending a message, laughed Glickman.

Perfetti said the deceptive tactics of the anti-solar coalition were a wake-up call for voters. I would have people call me up who dont pay attention to normal politics, and they knew what was going on. They knew the utility industry was trying to fix and rig the game for their own profit, said Perfetti. Youre talking about an enshrined industry that had total dominance in a state, that was trying to pass an amendment to give them more dominance.

Despite their resounding defeat at the ballot box, utilities have continued to undermine solar. The legislature recently authored a bill implementing Amendment 4. In the first draft, Rep. Ray Rodrigues (R) snuck in language written by Florida Power and Light. The added text would have saddled solar companies with new financial disclosure requirements, but theMiami Heraldexposedthe move, and legislators cut the offending language from the final version of the bill.

Whats next for solar in Florida? Advocates dont know, but one thing is certain. Utilities wont back down when it comes to blocking the sun. Im sure there will be battles coming up in the future that we cant even predict yet, said Perfetti. We are not going anywhere.

Reprinted with permission.

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Tags: Florida, Florida solar, tea party

Guest Contributor is many, many people. We publish a number of guest posts from experts in a large variety of fields. This is our contributor account for those special people. 😀

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Florida Utilities Try To Stymie Rooftop Solar, While Tea Party Conservatives Try To Save It - CleanTechnica