Mediaboss Marketing

WASHINGTON Top Pentagon officials ordered National Guard helicopters to use what they called persistent presence to disperse protests in the capital this week, according to military officials. The loosely worded order prompted a series of low-altitude maneuvers that human rights organizations quickly criticized as a show of force usually reserved for combat zones.

Ryan D. McCarthy, the Army secretary and one of the officials who authorized part of the planning for the helicopters mission Monday night, said on Friday that the Army had opened an investigation into the episode.

Two Army National Guard helicopters flew low over the protesters, with the downward blast from their rotor blades sending protesters scurrying for cover and ripping signs from the sides of buildings. The pilots of one of the helicopters have been grounded pending the outcome of the inquiry.

The high-profile episode, after days of protests in Washington some of which turned violent was a turning point in the militarys response to unrest in the city. After days of operating on the periphery of the crowds, National Guard forces suddenly became a focus of the controversy over the militarys role in urban law enforcement.

Military officials said that the National Guards aggressive approach to crowd control was prompted by a pointed threat from the Pentagon: If the Guard was unable to handle the situation, then active-duty military units, such as a rapid-reaction unit of the 82nd Airborne Division, would be sent into the city.

Senior Pentagon officials, including Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were trying to persuade President Trump that active-duty troops should not be sent into the streets to impose order, and that law enforcement and National Guard personnel could contain the level of unrest.

On Monday night, both Mr. McCarthy and the Armys chief of staff, Gen. James C. McConville, pressed Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, the commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard, to increase his forces presence in the city, according to a senior Defense Department official.

An Army official declined to comment, saying that the investigation was continuing.

The episode has stirred outrage among lawmakers. What we saw on Monday night was our military using its equipment to threaten and put Americans at risk on American soil, said Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat and former Army Black Hawk pilot.

Documents obtained by The New York Times show that planning for the National Guard mission included oversight by Mr. McCarthy and General McConville. The operation had been reviewed by a judge advocate team military lawyers before aviation units were instructed to apply persistent presence. These types of maneuvers are well known to Mr. McCarthy, who served in the Armys elite Ranger Regiment during the opening operations of the war in Afghanistan.

The episode, which occurred about three hours after a 7 p.m. curfew in the capital went into effect on Monday, began when a Black Hawk helicopter, assigned to the District of Columbia National Guard, began a low and slow pass over a group of roughly 200 peaceful protesters in the Chinatown neighborhood.

The downward force of the helicopters rotor blades snapped a small tree, with debris almost hitting several people. The second helicopter tried a similar maneuver. Roaring overhead, the Lakota, adorned with a red-and-white cross denoting its medical affiliation, hovered over the crowd, staying at rooftop level, blowing debris and sending protesters scattering.

The red cross with white background is a universally recognized symbol of medical aid and is protected under the Geneva Conventions, Human Rights Watch said in a report Friday. Its misuse is prohibited under the conventions and it has no place in a show of force or to forcibly disperse protesters.

The wind speeds created by a low-hovering helicopter can lift objects and cause serious damage, potentially leading to injury or death, the report said. These risks are amplified in congested urban environments, where the consequences would be exceptionally dangerous if something were to go wrong.

On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said that he was told that the helicopters had been asked by law enforcement to look at a checkpoint to see if there were protesters around.

We need to let the Army conduct its inquiry and get back and see what the facts actually are, Mr. Esper told reporters. The District of Columbia National Guard is the only unit of the Guard that reports directly to the president because of the capitals unusual political status it has no governor, who usually commands the units.

A District of Columbia National Guard spokeswoman declined to comment, citing the open investigation.

During the operation Monday night, the helicopters followed the crowd through several well-lit intersections and repeatedly hovered over protesters for close to an hour.

People at the scene expressed their disbelief and fear. One protester, asked by a friend if he wanted to stay out later, responded curtly that he was just trying not to die.

There is no formal training for the type of maneuvers conducted Monday night, said one military official with direct knowledge of the episode, so any guidance about persistent presence is left to the interpretation of the pilots.

The use of a medical evacuation helicopter, the official added, appeared to result from the fact that command levels of the District of Columbia National Guard did not realize that the majority of the Lakota helicopters available for law enforcement missions are deployed to the Texas border for Customs and Border Protection missions there to halt illegal immigration.

While many Army aviation units have the Red Cross symbol in a detachable form, by way of magnets, the District of Columbia National Guard has the cross painted on the airframes of its helicopters since they are so often involved in a patient transfer program that moves people among routine, urgent and critical care facilities in the Washington area, the official added.

The unit responsible for Mondays episode performed a lifesaving transfer mission the next day, transporting a deteriorating patient from Ft. Belvoirs community hospital in Virginia to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., the official said. On Friday, The Washington Post reported that all District of Columbia National Guard helicopter operations had been suspended pending the results of the investigation, although it was unclear if that affects medical patient transfers.

See the original post here:
Pentagon Ordered National Guard Helicopters Aggressive Response in D.C. - The New York Times

Republican state leaders condemned a spate of racist social media posts from members of their own party on Friday. Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

On Friday morning, Texas top Republican officials, including Gov. Greg Abbott, had condemned four GOP chairs for proliferating conspiracy theories on Facebook. The posts, from chairs of some of the largest counties in Texas, suggested George Floyds death was staged to erode black support for President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, a fifth chairperson posted a racist image of a Martin Luther King Jr. quote next to a banana.

On Friday afternoon, The Texas Tribune identified similar posts from seven more GOP chairs across the state. Some of these posts suggested people who have been protesting Floyds death across the state and the country were being paid by Jewish billionaire George Soros an oft-used anti-Semitic trope.

GOP county chairs are elected leaders of the Republican Party who help oversee local elections and head up county-level meetings and events. News circulating about the first five chairs posts sparked concern both internal and external about the Texas GOP.

This is a disgusting level of ignorance thats hard to hear from anyone, much less an elected official, State Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, said in an email to the Tribune. Im glad to see Republican state leaders finally start to push back against this nonsense and look forward to a day when we can actually debate fact-based policy instead of constantly refuting conspiracies.

Charles Blain, the president of Urban Reform, a conservative public policy nonprofit based in Houston, used Twitter to call for reflection within the party: Ill say more on this later but the fact that in one day 4 Texas GOP chairs have come under condemnation for racist remarks including MY county should make it CLEAR AS DAY that we have a problem in this party and yall need to talk to more black people.

The original five chairs Cynthia Brehm in Bexar County, Sue Piner from Comal County, Jim Kaelin of Nueces County and Lee Lester from Harrison County, as well as Harris County GOP chairperson-elect Keith Nielsen faced backlash from Democrats and Republicans alike over their social media posts.

But many of the GOP officials who criticized Brehms social media posts as inexcusable did not return calls from the Tribune seeking comment about the more recently identified posts from the seven other chairs across the state. Nor did they comment about Facebook posts by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller that included calls to start the race war.

Doug Sanford, the chairperson of Freestone County, Russell Hayter, the chairperson of Hays County and Jaime Durham, the chairperson of Foard County, each shared this week a fake advertisement reading Get Paid to be a Professional Anarchist, with a note claiming Soros would pay people $200 for taking action.

Sanford and Hayter did not respond to requests for comment, and Durham only confirmed to the Tribune that she shared the image, noting that it was posted on her personal account and declining to elaborate further.

Lynne Teinert, the GOP chairperson for Shackelford County, shared on Saturday a picture of Soros with the text, The pandemic isnt working. Start the racial wars.

The suggestion that Soros is puppeteering political happenings behind the scenes has routinely been put forth by conservatives. Soros, who has spent billions of dollars supporting liberal and pro-democracy causes around the world, has long been a target of conspiracy theorists on the ideological right. Some of these theories use his Jewish heritage to invoke anti-Semitic tropes.

It was mostly a joke, like the murder hornets, Teinert explained. You know, the pandemic didn't work so the murder hornets were next. It's just one thing after another, and it was just a joke.

However, Teinert said she believes the riots are the result of a coordinated, nationwide effort, echoing Republicans all the way up to the White House who have blamed the demonstrations on organizations or outside agitators.

I do think there are organizations behind [the unrest], she said. It's very organized. I don't understand where they came from, smashing windows, and burning buildings, and stealing purses and, you know, I just don't understand why that's necessary. There's so much of it, and all at once at the same time. I just think it's odd.

Cindy Weatherby, the GOP chairperson of Reagan County, shared a post with a series of 21 puzzling questions about Floyds death, including Can someone really not breathe when someone kneels on his neck and is the victim really able to speak for considerable periods of time if he cant breathe? and Why did the kneeling officer appear completely cool and calm, as if he was posing for the camera?

Though she said she doesnt believe Floyds murder was staged, Weatherby told the Tribune that if humans dont question, theres something wrong with us. Weatherby added she thinks some protesters are being paid, and she said the comments reflect her personal beliefs, not her role as the GOP chairperson.

Shawn Tully, GOP chairperson of Red River County, shared an image Tuesday of the 1992 Los Angeles riots when, after four white police officers were acquitted on almost all charges for severely beating a black man, people turned to violent protest. The post Tully shared features a crashed truck and a person lying on the ground, bleeding from the head. It reads, This is why you dont brake for protesters. Tully did not respond to a request for comment.

LaDonna Olivier, GOP chairperson from Reeves County, shared a post on Monday saying people are trying to turn George [Floyd] into a saint but he was a brutal criminal.

Im too old, set in my ways, Olivier said about Republican leaders in Texas asking other GOP chairs to step down over their own posts about Floyd. She added that shes not afraid of being reprimanded since her term ends in August.

If they want me to step down I'd be glad to, Olivier said. My husband would be so happy.

Olivier said she is aware that some of the theories she shares may be untrue.

I do sort of want to persuade people but I tried to get the truth out, too. If they have a different opinion or they want to post their facts or, you know, straighten me out, I'll be glad to apologize, Teinert said. I have no problem with that. Like I said, I make a lot of mistakes. I say a lot of stupid things. I'm not a good public speaker. But it's a job nobody else wanted.

Asked on Friday about the conspiracy theories and racist speculation in the posts by the initial five chairs, Abbott said the problem is narrow.

"Listen, the only point is not a broad point, but it's a narrow point, and the narrow point is this, and that is the death of George Floyd is a travesty and it's a result of a criminal act, he told reporters at a press conference. It should not be the subject of any of these conspiracy theories, and it's irresponsible for anyone to promote some conspiracy theories of what is otherwise a brutal act of police violence.

As of Friday evening, none of the four GOP chairs called on to resign by party members had offered to step aside, and at least two said they intended to stay. Abbott did not respond to requests for comment about whether he would also call for the resignations of the other GOP chairs.

Blain, the conservative nonprofit president, told the Tribune that the state Republican Party needs to change its bylaws to allow the partys executive committee to remove county chairs in situations like this when chairs refuse to resign.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who also chastised Brehm and Nielsen, responded to questions from the Tribune with a press release saying the party needs to call out racism.

Going forward, we know that some Democrats and their allies in the media will continue to throw out charges of racism anytime they disagree with us on any issue, the statement reads. Without taking that bait, we should continue to unequivocally condemn racism where we see it in our party and in their party.

Patrick has previously faced criticism for referring to undocumented immigrants as an illegal invasion and boycotting a prayer led by a Muslim cleric on the floor of the Senate.

James Dickey, chair of the Republican Party of Texas, issued a statement Friday afternoon calling for all five chairs originally identified to resign, saying their social media posts do not reflect the partys history or values.

Gerald Horne, a history and African American studies professor at the University of Houston, said he wasnt surprised by the posts. The Republican Party, he said, has to cater to far-right hardline fringe voters to win elections in a polarized political arena. He added that even if the county chairs resigned, they'd likely be replaced by people who shared similar beliefs.

Abhi Rahman, a spokesperson for the Texas Democratic Party, said the posts reflect the Republican Party Abbott and Patrick have built.

This is what theyve done for years, Rahman said. Now, people are starting to see what kind of conspiracy theories they engage in, they see how repulsive and disgusting they are.

Last August, the Texas Democratic Party criticized Abbott for sending fundraising mailings calling to DEFEND the Texas border against illegal immigration. The mailings were dated a day before a deadly shooting in El Paso which targeted Hispanics. Abbott later said mistakes were made in his choice of rhetoric.

Peniel Joseph, a public affairs professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said Abbott and Patrick dont set the agenda as much as they reflect the beliefs and feelings of constituents who voted them into office.

Citizens are looking for their champions and for people articulating what they feel is their world view, Joseph said. That's what the lieutenant governor and governor represent.

But Blain cautioned against jumping to conclusions that the entire Republican Party is racially insensitive, he said, stopping short of viewing the dozen posts as a party-wide problem.

I dont believe that Keith Nielsen is racist, Blain said. This was just a really bad post that did have very, very strong racial undertones.

Sami Sparber and Miguel Gutierrez contributed to this report.

Disclosure: University of Houston, University of Texas at Austin and The Foundation to Promote Open Society, founded by George Soros have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

Read the rest here:
Conspiracy theories and racist memes: How a dozen Texas GOP county chairs caused turmoil within the party - KSAT San Antonio

Historically, the vast majority of migrants in small boats have been adult males from Iran and Iraq, but recently there has been a rise in the number of Africans and children, as more traditional smuggling routes - in lorries and cars - have slowed down because of coronavirus.

Last month, a record 741 people made the dangerous crossing, while 559 did the same in April. Some 1,562people have arrived since lockdown on March 23. The previous record for the most people crossing in one day was 145 on May 8.

Critics including Nigel Farage have accused the government of not addressing the problem quickly, and warned that the numbers will only grow.

If the UK does not act there will be an invasion of people this summer, and there are likely to be many casualties, he told the Telegraph.

In order to deter people, there is only one thing the government can do. There needs to be a clear message that anyone who comes by this route will not be allowed to stay.

This week, Australias former Prime Minister Tony Abbott wrote in the Telegraph: As long as to arrive is to remain, people smugglers will have a business model and those countries that lack the will to say no are at risk of peaceful invasion.

This is the prospect that faces Britain, if swift action is not taken to stop people coming illegally by boat.

He faced a similar situation when Prime Minister in 2013, and took a hardline stance against illegal immigration, turning boats around and leaving them with just enough fuel to make it back to Indonesia.

Read more:
More migrants have crossed the Channel illegally this year than the whole of 2019, as a record 166 arrive on nine boats - Telegraph.co.uk

Text Size:A- A+

New Delhi: Kuppahalli Sitaramayya Sudarshan, the fifth Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), will always be remembered in the Sangh fraternity for laying ideological foundations of at least three key issues whose journey ultimately culminated decades later in the form of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) and renewed focus on the Northeast by the Narendra Modi government ever since it came to power in 2014.

On his 119th anniversary, which falls on 6 June, it is interesting to take a look at his legacy as it seems to be getting manifested in many crucial decisions of the current government at the Centre. (Although Sudarshan was born on 18 June, 1931, according to the Gregorian calendar, the RSS adheres to the Bharatiya calendar, according to which his birth anniversary falls on 6 June this year.)

It was during Sudrashans stint first as the sarkaryavah (general Secretary) from 1990 onwards and then as the sarsanghchalak from 2000-2012 that the RSS-backed Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) often hit the headlines for challenging successive governments over key economic decisions such as allowing Foreign Direct Investment in non-priority areas and succumbing to pressures of World Trade Organisation, especially on the issue of reducing subsidies for agriculture, and facing pressure from a more stringent patent regime.

Along with senior RSS pracharak Dattopant Thengadi, a co-founder of the SJM, it was Sudarshan who clearly put forward the swadeshi model of economics that favoured a self-reliant India, which is being reflected today in Modi governments ambitious plan of making India atmanirbhar.

Sudarshan was a strong opponent of the western model of economic development and favoured a self-reliant India.

He had said, The root cause of poverty and unemployment in India is this specific Western model of development as it is centralised, high energy-consuming, urban-centric, capital-intensive, promoting unemployment and destroying nature. We need to replace this model with an economy, which is decentralised and based on rural India.

Instead of walking into the trap of globalisation and foreign debt, it would be better if we promote rural development with the resources we have at our disposal. It should consume least energy and it should be less capital-intensive while creating more jobs and conserving the environment, he had stressed.

According to Devendra Swaroop, an RSS ideologue who worked very closely with Sudarshan since 1950s, When Rajju Bhayya (the fourth sarsanghchalak) handed over the charge of the sarsanghchalak to Sudarshanji because of the formers frail health, the latter himself studied swadeshi science and technology very closely in every part of the country. He used to explain them with very minute details.

Also read: Hindu Samrajya Diwas why and how RSS is reviving a forgotten chapter of history

During his tenure in the Northeast as an RSS pracharak, which began in 1977, Sudarshan played an important role in identifying several key issues such as illegal migration from Bangladesh and mass conversion of tribals into Christianity.

The current government has passed the Citizenship Amendment Act and taken up the development of Northeastern states as top priority since 2014, spelling it out openly.

The BJP, an ideological mentee of the RSS, has also become a strong force to reckon with in the Northeast as it has scored significant electoral victories there.

The bugle for the need of many of these initiatives, which are being initiated by the Modi government, was first sounded by Sudarshan who spent considerable time in the Northeast as a pracharak.

Former national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and ex-Union minister Murli Manohar Joshi puts it aptly: I was in-charge of the Northeast when Sudarshanji was working there. I was deeply impressed by his in-depth study and thought process At that time, we prepared several programmes, which were executed in future. The agitation on illegal migrants was one such issue. Sudarshanji had prepared an intellectual and emotional ground for this agitation much before it was launched.

Within the RSS also, Sudarshan was one of the first ones to flag the issue of illegal migration of Bangladeshi Muslims to Northeast, specially Assam. He considered illegal migration to be an attack from across the border. He travelled extensively to states like Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, among others, to study the issue of illegal immigration and its impact. He prepared a detailed plan to counter this influx and resolve the issue.

Ashok Singhal, another senior RSS pracharak, who passed away in 2015 and was a key figure in the Ram Temple movement, had worked and interacted closely with Sudarshan.

He remembered Sudarshan fondly in one of his articles.

As a pracharak (whole-timer) in the Northeast, first he learned Bengali and Assamese. He could deliver lectures fluently in both these languages. He studied in-depth the activities of the Church and exposed them Later, he sent a number of pracharaks from all over the country to work there in view of the gravity of the problem.

Singhal further added: He studied the tribes in the Northeast in detail He suggested ways and means to protect tribes from the influence of Christian Missionaries. Several schools and hostels for students were set up. The Bangladeshi Muslims were migrating illegally to Assam, West Bengal and Bihar in a planned way; simultaneously, the Hindus from Bangladesh, unable to protect themselves, were also migrating.

At that time, it was Sudarshanji who told the countrymen and especially the Assamese people, that while the Muslims coming from Bangladesh were illegal immigrants, the Hindus coming from there were refugees. So, the latter should be sheltered by the Hindus in the rest of India. Meanwhile, the illegal Muslim immigrants who have settled in West Bengal, Bihar and Assam should be deported back to Bangladesh. The six Northeastern states gradually understood his argument, Singhal said.

Kolkata-based senior journalist Asim Kumar Mitra, who attended the third year training camp of the RSS at Nagpur in 1959 along with Sudarshan, had the opportunity to watch him from close quarters when the latter was given the responsibility of Purvanchal region in late 1970s.

Under the Sanghs organisational structure, Purvanchal was quite a big region covering Northeast as well as Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha. Prior to him, RSS stalwarts like Rajju Bhayya and Bhaurao Deoras had been appointed at this position.

It was a region that faced many complex socio-economic issues and it was a formidable challenge to spread the RSS work there.

Mitra underlined the fact that Sudarshan played a key role in ensuring that the movement started by Asom Gana Parishad against illegal immigrants from Bangladesh did not turn against Bengali Hindus.

The Muslims in Assam tried to make it an anti-Bengali agitation but Sudarshan could not only see through this conspiracy, he also realised the long-term adverse impact of an anti-Bengali movement. This would have affected Hindus severely while skirting the real problem, he added.

Also read: Gandhi admired Hindutva icon Savarkar as lover of truth, addressed him as bhai

Born in Raipur, (now in Chhattisgarh), Sudarshan had his early studies in Raipur, Damoh and Mandla.

In 1953, Sudarshan finished his four-year degree course in telecom engineering. One of the long-lasting influences on him was of senior RSS pracharak Eknath Ranade, who was a regular visitor to his hostel during his intermediate days.

He inspired Sudarshan to take up RSS work full-time. After taking his final examination of the engineering course, he finished his four-month practical training and instead of picking up a coveted and well-paid job, chose to become an RSS pracharak. He was formally appointed as an RSS pracharak on 23 June, 1954 in Raigarh district as a tehsil pracharak looking after three tehsils Champa, Janjgir and Bilaspur.

He worked there for a little less than two years and was then appointed as the Nagar (town/city) Pracharak in-charge of Sagar in 1956. He was elevated to the post of Zila (district) Pracharak. From 1957-64, he looked after Vindhya Vibhag as a Vibhag Pracharak. He was given the responsibility of Prant Pracharak of Madhya Prant in 1964 and was based in Indore.

He played an instrumental role in the launch of daily newspaper Swadesh in which he wrote extensively. While he was the Prant Pracharak of Madhya Prant, he was also given the responsibility of Akhil Bharatiya Sharirik Pramukh (All-India in-charge of the physical activities in the RSS).

When former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared emergency in June 1975, Sudarshan was arrested and he was in Indore jail for 19 months.

After the emergency was lifted and he came out of jail, Sudarshan was made the in-charge of Purvanchal (East India). Thus, apart from Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil and English, he also developed fluency in Assamese, Bengali and Odia.

While holding the charge of Purvanchal, he was given the additional responsibility of Akhil Bharatiya Bauddhik Pramukh (All India in-charge of the intellectual activities of the RSS).

In 1990, he was given the responsibility of Sahsarkaryawah and in 2000, he donned the mantle of the RSS Sarsanghchalak.

It was Sudarshan himself who handed over the mantle to the current RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, nine years later. He passed away in Raipur on 15 September 2012.

(All the quotes used in the article have been taken from the book Hamare Sudarshan ji edited by Baldev Bhai Sharma.)

The writer is CEO of Indraprastha Vishwa Samvad Kendra, an RSS affiliate, and author of two books on the RSS.

Also read: Pro-Hindutva groups see larger conspiracy in Palghar killings, want CBI probe

ThePrint is now on Telegram. For the best reports & opinion on politics, governance and more, subscribe to ThePrint on Telegram.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

See original here:
CAA, Atmanirbhar Bharat, focus on Northeast were first propagated by this former RSS chief - ThePrint

New York City officials and law enforcement will no longer be able to use the terms "alien" and "illegal immigrant" to refer to undocumented immigrants.

The NYC Council voted Thursday to ban the "dehumanizing and offensive" words in local laws, rules and documents, said Speaker Corey Johnson. The term that officials will use going forward will be "noncitizen."

These words are outdated and loaded words used to dehumanize the people they describe. Its time to retire them," Council Member Francisco Moya said ahead of the vote. "Words matter. The language we choose to use has power and consequences."

Last year, the city's Commission on Human Rights issued a guidance that made it illegal to use the terms illegal alien" or "illegals" with "intent to demean, humiliate or harass a person."

The guidance also made it illegal to harass or discriminate against "someone for their use of another language or their limited English proficiency, andthreatening to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on a person based on a discriminatory motive.

Original post:
NYC Council Votes to Ban the Terms Alien and Illegal Immigrant on Official Docs - NBC New York