Ireland passes law to become world's first country to fully divest from fossil fuels

January 27, 2017

Ethical financing shows global corporations that their tactics are no longer tolerated, says Deputy Pringle

Bill will drop coal, oil and gas investments from Ireland Strategic Investment Fund

Ireland has voted to be the world’s first country to fully divest public money from fossil fuels.

The Irish Parliament passed the historic legislation in a 90 to 53 vote in favour of dropping coal, oil and gas investments from the €8bn (£6.8bn) Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, part of the Republic’s National Treasury Management Agency.

The bill, introduced by Deputy Thomas Pringle, is likely to pass into law in the next few months after it is reviewed by the financial committee.

Ireland has voted to be the world’s first country to fully divest public money from fossil fuels.

The bill, introduced by Deputy Thomas Pringle, is likely to pass into law in the next few months after it is reviewed by the financial committee.

“This principle of ethical financing is a symbol to these global corporations that their continual manipulation of climate science, denial of the existence of climate change and their controversial lobbying practices of politicians around the world is no longer tolerated,” Mr Pringle said.

“We cannot accept their actions while millions of poor people in underdeveloped nations bear the brunt of climate change forces as they experience famine, mass emigration and civil unrest as a result.”

Once enacted, the bill would force the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund to sell its investment in fossil fuel industries over the next five years.

In 2015, Norway’s sovereign pension fund divested from some fossil fuel companies, but not all.

Source: www.independent.co.uk Jan 27 2017

No Comeback for Torture -- It's Never Gone Away

January 27, 2017

by Chris Floyd

Donald Trump used his first nationally televised interview as president to declare his firm belief that "torture works." Of course, as innumerable studies have shown, torture doesn't "work" at all -- if by "work" you mean the gathering of credible information. However, for Trump's purposes, torture will work very well indeed. Thomas Jones, writing in the London Review of Books, points out this apt quote from Why Torture Doesn't Work: The Neuroscience of Interrogation by Professor Shane O'Mara:

"The usual purpose of torture by state actors has not been the extraction of intentionally withheld information in the long-term memory systems of the noncompliant and unwilling. Instead, its purposes have been manifold: the extraction of confessions under duress, the subsequent validation of a suborned legal process by the predeterminedly guilty ('they confessed!'), the spreading of terror, the acquisition and maintenance of power, the denial of epistemic beliefs."

Gosh, it sorta makes you wish there had been some magical way for somebody -- say, the most powerful man on earth -- to have prosecuted American torturers during the last eight years, setting a clear, public example that such blatant evil would never again be tolerated in a civilized society. It's just so unfortunate that the White House and Justice Department were left empty from January 2009 to January 2017, and there was no one around to, you know, actually uphold the law. Darn the luck, eh?

But of course, there WAS someone in the White House during those years -- and he and his minions used torture on an extensive scale. For example, it has been well documented that many thousands of children (and adults) have been psychological scarred by living under the constant threat of drone attack. This has been particularly true in Pakistan, where medical staff tell of children traumatized by the fear of the drones that constantly bombarded remote villages, especially in the earlier years of Obama's presidency. Often the drones would simply sit in the sky above a village for hours on end, coming back for days on end, floating, buzzing, liable to let loose carnage at any moment. It is an exquisite form of torture, the equivalent of tying someone up then walking round and round them day and night while pointing a hair-trigger pistol at their head. And Obama inflicted this on hundreds of thousands of people, day after day, year after year. To what purpose? Why, the "spreading of terror," of course.

It was also done on a smaller scale. Take the case of Chelsea Manning. The use of solitary confinement has been ruled an act of torture. Manning was subjected to this torture repeatedly. (As are thousands of ordinary prisoners across the country every day.) There was no other reason for the use of this torture in the high-profile Manning case than "the spreading of terror": a stark warning to anyone else who might be thinking of revealing American war crimes to the world. Obama's treatment of Manning was repulsive, base and evil -- yet you'll never see Meryl Streep waxing with moral outrage about it.

(And now Trump too has been bashing Manning, labeling her outright as a "traitor," although of course she wasn't charged with or convicted of treason. Trump's words -- the President publicly calling someone a traitor -- could easily lead to Manning's death, as some "patriot" out there takes it upon themselves to carry out the "proper" sentence for a "traitor." She could also face death or maltreatment even before being released -- due to Obama's bizarre decision to delay her release until May, giving her five months under Trump's tender care.)

But let's be clear: whatever he does, Trump will not be bringing torture "back": it's never gone away.

Source: Chris Floyd, opednews.com Jan 26 2017

Put Criminals in chain gangs for hard labour - Inish Times article

January 25, 2017

In bold headings the Inish Times, Buncrana, Co Donegal, printed an article on January 24, 2017, entitled ' Put criminals in chain gangs for hard labour'. The reporter attributed this rather draconian statement to a County Donegal, Fianna F…áil Councillor, Mr Paul Canning, and describes it as a 'Controversial proposal'.

Unfortunately the article does not elaborate on what it termed'controversial'. It does not say where and when the statement was given, whether in private or as part of some meeting, such as the Donegal Joint Policing Committee (JLC).

If it was the DJC, it begs the question what are members discussing becauseit was reported recently that a Sinn Féin member of DJC was called for the return of 'The Birch'. It seems if some had their way we would be policed, beaten and working on chain gangs. No pussyfooting there it seems.

Whether it was said in private or in a meeting, the fact is that anyone should realise that such archaic visibletreatment of a human would be hard to legislate in supposedly and enlightened society. Could such an open call for vile degrading treatment be regarded as 'incitement to violence'? Perhaps! Could those involved, by not speaking out, be aiding and abetting? Perhaps! Could the newspaper, by not elaborating on 'controversy' be just a culpable in spreading propaganda? Perhaps!

Imagine how so called 'Republican' forget Irish history, past and present, that of oppression, internment, torture and chains and ? Imagine how one can forget 'innocent until proven guilty' or 'miscarriages of justice'?

Perhaps it might be more appropriate to think about the conditions that lead to someone committing crimes in the first place such asinequality, deprivation, lack of esteem and oppression. Maybe such a call issymptomatic or themodern phenomenon of 'Trumpism', giving one the right call for repressive measures. However, far from protecting anybody or preventing further crime, such treatment does not prevent but merely perpetuates.

Is it not ironical for a Fianna Fáil member to abdicate responsibility in light of his own Party's role in the state the country at present, the austerity and lack of hope that people have been lead into?

Is it not hypocritical and shameful of all involved whether directly or indirectly, to publicly demand 'chain gangs' and 'hard labour' especially when Inishowen is called 'Amazing Grace County'

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