Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
January 6 Committee Issues First Subpoenas -- The House committee investigating the attempted overthrow of the American government on January 6 has issued its first subpoenas. The committee has summoned former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, his deputy Dan Scavino, former acting Chief of Staff at Defense Kash Patel and Steve Bannon (of Mr. Trump's inner circle). Each must testify in mid-October. While the subpoenas may be resisted, there is only one outcome. They will have to obey. [24 September]
Police Reform Negotiations Collapse -- The negotiations over police reform between Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, Democratic Congresswoman Karen Bass of California and Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina fell apart officially yesterday. The need to revolutionize the way policing is done in America is clear. All too often, the guardians of the community act like and are seen to be an occupying army. When a sizable portion of the population fears a traffic stop because it could end in death, there is a problem. The negotiators, however, could not find enough common ground to move forward. [23 September]
China to Cease Funding Coal Power Plants Abroad -- The People's Republic of China is the largest source of carbon emissions in the world, accounting for about 28% of the global total. In a step forward to attacking the problem of more carbon in the air, the ChiComs have vowed to end funding for coal-fired power plants outside the PRC. President Xi himself said so in a video speech to the United Nations General Assembly, "China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy, and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad." It is a start. [22 September]
Canada Re-Elects Trudeau Without Commons Majority-- Justin Trudeau called a snap election, holding a vote 2 years early. He had hoped to convince Canadians that he needed a solid mandate to tackle the corona virus and rebuild the economy. They were not buying it. After 36 days of campaigning and C$600 million spent on the election, the next House of Commons is going to look a lot like the one that was just dissolved. Still, it represents a third election win for Mr. Trudeau, just one short of his father's record. This parliament will sit for up to 5 years, and only a fool would wager against Mr. Trudeau leading the Liberal Party in the next electiont. [21 September]
Putin's Party Wins Shady Russian Election -- The United Russia Party is the faction of Vladimir Putin. In this weekend's election, it won a majority of the seats in the Duma. This is no surprise. The media environment, the state's repression of dissent, and fraudulent votes all weighed heavily against this being a free and fair election. United Russia took almost a majority of the popular vote, which will translate into more than 2/3 of the 450 seats. The Communists came second, and despite supporting Mr. Putin's agenda, they are alleging widespread cheating including ballot-box stuffing. No foreign observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe were present, the first time sine 1993. Russia will stumble forward unchanged. [20 September]
© Copyright 2021 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
Volume XIX, Number 210
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