Community Affairs Consultants

United States (US) President Joe Biden will arrive in the United Kingdom (UK) today, June 9, 2021, on the initial-leg of his one-week first overseas trip as President - a visit, which among other elements, will re-affirm America's commitment to its European allies, while cautioning Vladimir Putin about numerous Russian agitations.

President Biden's arrival in Cornwall, England, will add a much needed sigh of relief to allies, who suffered four-years of confusion under former one-term President Donald Trump, who repeatedly quarreled with allies, instigated trade feuds with some of them and even appeared to put the welfare of Russia and Putin ahead of historically loyal and trusted European friends.

Ahead of an in-person G7 Summit on June 11 and 12, Biden will meet with his British counterpart, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on Thursday. The President and First Lady Jill Biden will be received by British Monarch Queen Elizabeth II, on Sunday before he attends the first NATO Summit since 2018, in Brussels, Belgium, next Monday. President Biden will also sit at the first United States - European Union (EU) Summit next Tuesday, the first such event since 2014.

President Biden will meet Putin in Geneva, Switzerland, next Wednesday, when the US leader is expected to caution Putin on Russia's many agitations.

With the trip of President Biden to Europe, four-years of American unsurety in foreign policy toward the continent, is thereby reversed into a sound re-affirmation of US commitment to allies including the UK, NATO and the EU.

Many Americans readily boast of the right to free speech as allotted to citizens under the social contract of the First Admendment to the Constitution of the United States (US).

Ranging from not wearing facial masks in the midst of a deadly pandemic to the spewing of inflammatory words and actions aimed at insurrection, some callous Americans have elected to place their personal fallible political controversy theories ahead of the sound well being and reputable, international and influential sphere of the Republic. 

Spearheaded by a sore-loser and one-term former president, a minority number of Americans continue to raise false damning rumors about the course of the Republic's leadership and government that on their faces, in any other jurisdiction, would amount to high treason at the very least. Yet, this ill-led group continues to function in the US because they believe their right to free speech is non fathomable even if matched against the national security of the Republic. The January 6, 2021 insurrection upon the US Capitol is an example of violent non measurable free speech with no regard whatsoever for national security.

But free speech is not limitless. There are boundaries to free speech and especailly when the security of any nation stands threatened by such speech. Therefore, with the precedent of the event of January 6, 2021, as a deliberate and real attack upon American national security, US intelligence agencies as well as defense and justice departments are directed by law to protect the national security of the American Republic. National security trumps free speech.

The gut-wrenching recent discovery in Canada of the remains of 215 Indigenous children in a mass grave, at a site of a former state-ran residential school for the forced assimiliation of First Nation children, is damning proof as to why the spirit of humanity could never find peace while historical wrongs against innocents - both people, and nations, remain non atoned.

I offer it as a speculation that the reason humanity remains troubled even in the face of many beneficial events and deeds, is because of the too many historical wrongs, especially those committed by colonial powers, which have never been atoned. 

With regards to the recent grim discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children found in a mass grave in British Columbia, the event serves as yet another painful reminder of sufferings of Indigenous people at the hands of religion, independent governments and colonial powers. In Canada, from the 1870s to 1997, thousands of First Nations children were forced into residential schools by authorities in a willful plan at the cultural genocide of the Indigenous people. 

Some 6,000 Indigenous children in Canada died in these schools from abuse by priests, nuns and teachers. The recent sad discovery of 215 remains of children raises the likelihood that there may be more dead children than officially tallied. While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government appear genuinely sorry about this horrible aspect of Canada's past, the official Catholic Church, which played a major role in the operation and management of these schools of cultural genocide, is yet to atone for all the wrongs.

Canada is not alone in the historical notoriety of having committed crimes against innocents. Belgium, Australia, the British Empire, France, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Germany and others are very guilty. And until such a time that most historical wrongs are atoned, humanity will continue to be bothered by a restless spirit - a spirit of all the historical innocent victims of the acts of empire, nation and religion.

One-term former United States (US) President Donald Trump, who oversaw the greatest division since the Civil War within the American Republic and marked by his absurd lies to supporters about the legitimate Joe Biden-Kamala Harris victory in the 2020 Presidential Election, his blatant fallible attacks upon the American voting system, his connection and responsibility to and for the violent and deadly insurrection at the Capitol, January 6, 2021, and exacerbated by his mere polarizing presence and continuing agitations, stands as a real major threat to democracy in America - a system, still reeling from the wounds he inflicted upon a historically respected and trusted Repuiblic with a sound track racord of being faithful to allies and friends.

While the election, present and continuing Executive leadership of President Joe Biden has brought welcoming measures of stability, hope, normalcy, respect, trust and rationality back to the American Republic, persisting agitations from Trump, his supporters and surrogates, including those in the US Senate, House of Representatives and State governments, continue to pose a significant threats to the well being of democracy in America. Careless lies among the Trump camp falsely suggesting he could return as president in August 2021 is a prime example of one of the troubles being forced onto a bruised and shaken democracy in America.

That a country once hailed as the epitome of democracy would seek to restrict and to impede ease of voting to its citizens is current testimony of yet another danger posed to freedom by Trump and his accomplices against full democratic voting rights in the US. Voter restricting drives by Republicans across the many US States stand to tarnish democracy in America.

Therefore, protectors and stalwarts of democracy must stand to end all agitations against democracy by Trump and his gang across the US in order to ensure the continuity of the United States as a world leader of freedom, opportunity, equality and the rule of law.

Cyber crimes appear to becoming mega sized and more prevalent, thus more threatening to the national security and sovereignty of targeted nation states. Therefore, any such criminal and malicious acts upon the privacy of citizens, governments, banking, energy, retail, other areas and now, most recently, on the food industry, should be construed as acts of war on victimized nations. Ransomware attacks and other cyber crimes targeting the secure function and operation of a nation should be met with the same response a nation state would give to a 'hot war'.

In the past decade, cyber crimes, perpetrated by apparent unidentified actors operating under, or not under the sponsorship of some rogue state, have moved from credit card swipes and government eavesdropping to now include ransomware attacks on sectors ranging from health, to energy and now to food. Such attacks are acts against a country's national security and its sovereignty.

The energy sector in the past couple of weeks, according to media reports, paid some $4.4 million to cyber hijackers after their gained control of a large gas pipeline in the Southeast United States (US). And as reported today by media outlets, the world's largest meat supplier has now become the latest victim of ransomware hijackers, thus putting in jeopardy the livelihood of thousands of workers in the US, Canada and Australia, while threatening the meat supply equation amid a risk of higher meat prices.

The time has arrived for intelligence communities to identify these cyber criminals and for governments to exact just punishment upon at least one guilty group in order to deter others from attacking the national security and sovereignty of nations via this modern criminality.

[NB: Hello again. it's been a self-decided two months since my last writing, but my bestwishes for your prosperity and that of your loved ones, have always remained a high hope each and every day.]

Meteorlogical Summer dawned in the Northern Hemisphere, today, June 1, and ahead of the actual Summer Solstice 2021 at 11:32 p.m. EDT, June 20. Yet, with a risen new season, events past and present, events good and events bad and their considerations have remained very evident in experiments and effects toward defining modern humanity.

Among the many foci demanding action from humanity will be the stark option of self-destruction or to elect the employment of progressive activities aimed at fostering the continuity of the human species. War, apathy, division, inequality, agitation, non mitigated health issues and failure to protect the environment are evidential of a road leading to the collapse of humankind. On the other hand, peace, unity, empathy, equality, environment protection and international cooperation on a myriad of concerns spell the healthy continuity of humanity.

Recent events, especially on January 6, 2021, in the United States (US)  along with a host of others in the past four-years; a military coup in Myanmar; events in Belarus; the tragedy of Gaza and of the Palestinian people; ongoing suffering of children and innocent civilians in Yemen, Syria and in other places across the globe; the human toll of the COVID-19 pandemic; all against a background of sadly too wide an acceptance of lies and political tales, have combined to translate into the fragility of the human moment. 

However, a new President in the US, justice for George Floyd illegally killed by American police, a ceasefire in Gaza, the availability and use of COVID-19 vaccines as well as a renewed world effort now also involving the US, to address Climate Change, all offer sound hope toward the continuity of the human species over grimm divisions toward self-destruction.

Many events are present and coming toward defining modern humanity. And as democracy and world health both have been severely tested over the past many months, yet emerging very resoluite and poised to defeating foreign and domestic enemies, as well as an invisible pathogen, the newly dawned Summer 2021 and beyond stand to bring but just trials to humanity along the path to human continuity.

The month of April, 2021, has dawned upon humankind carrying the said load of struggles for humanity that were evidential last month and across many of the prior months -  ultimately, underscoring that the affairs of the human species are inherently laced with perpetual struggles. 

The COVID-19 pandemic, despite the introduction of new cutting-edge high technology driven vaccines, remains a clear and present danger to global communities as international health services race to innoculate millions of people in order to out pace new and more contagious variants of the deadly, persistent and still spreading Novel Coronavirus disease. Worldwide infections of COVID-19 have supassed 129 million people according to data by Johns Hopkins University with deaths sadly numbering over 2.8 million. In the United States (US), where the disease was allowed to run virtually unchecked under the defeated Donald Trump administration, infections have climbed above 30.4 million with a stark 552,140 American deaths. In Brazil, infections have gone above 12.7 million with over 320,000 deaths. In India infections are counted as 12.2 million with 163,000 deaths. In Mexico, COVID-19 infections stand at 2,238,887 cases, but with a rising 203,210 deaths. In Russis, infections have been given as 4,503,291 people and deaths at 97,594. In the United Kingdom (UK) infections are 4,359,985 with 126,955 deaths. In France, which recently announced a new round of lockdowns because of rising cases of the disease, infections are at 4.7 million with 95,802 deaths. In Italy infections stand at 3.6 million with over 109,000 deaths. And elsewhere, in other jurisdictions from Papau New Guinea, across Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia, COVID-19 still dominates the daily narratives of societal lives.

With a new President Joe Biden, and a new administration fully installed at the helm in the US, hope remains high to reining in COVID-19 and putting America back on track as the global leader following a democratic crisis instigated by Donald Trump after his flawed four-year-term in the White House. On the other hand, since February, the world community has witnessed a democratic process stolen from the people of Myanmar by its military, which daily sheds the blood of innocent Burmese people and establishing another struggle for humanity.

Thousands of unaccompanied migrant children at the US-Mexico border have forced attention onto the new Biden-Harris administration to live up to America's implied pledge to be a beacon of opportunity and solace to the world's trodden and oppressed peoples. 

Disastrous impacts of Climate Change and natural disasters remain real. War, conflict, death and suffering continue to plague the people of Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, as well as regions of South Sudan, Ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria and Niger. A changed political landscape in Hong Kong has left thousands of democratic activists exposed to prison sentences as some nations raise greater concerns over human rights issues in far western China. In Europe, questions abound as to the practices of the governments of Hungary and Poland in keeping up with the ideals of the European Union (EU). And in the US, concerns are renewed over the deliberate actions by Republicans to restrict voting.

Amid all these events, the economic variable and necessity of trade, especially between the world's two largest economies, continues to demand talks, though at times with some heated language exchanged by the US and China, in efforts to reaching agreements toward the vital and unblocked continuity of global trade. 

While some or all of the afore mentioned events could be satisfied this April, the coming month of May, as well as the approaching other months, all hold varying difficulties for humankind, thus affirming that struggles are perpetual to the experience of human beings.

In my household here in Washington, DC, we have marked March 13, 2020, as the official start of the impact of COVID-19 upon our lives. It was on that fateful Friday back in 2020, and soon after the World Health Organization (WHO), on March 11, had declared the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic, that my two younger school-aged children - one at High School, the other at Middle School, were dismissed from their classes by District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) because of the pandemic. My older College Grad sons continued to tough it out in the world in their careers in New York and in Florida.

As of today, March 12, 2021, my sons are yet to actually sit in their respective 10th Grade and 8th Grade classes since being upended from their 9th and 7th Grade classes a-year-ago. School has been all virtual for a year and I'm glad to report that my sons have successfully adapted to the new norms of education as demonstrated by their continued As on their class subjects. Moreover, their tutoring of other students in both Math and Chinese have helped them cope with the needed changes both socially and emotionally.

We have been very fortunate and healthy that no relative thus far has become infected with COVID-19, thanks to our ability to stay and to work at home and to the following of scientific health guidelines meant to protect against and to limit the spread of the very deadly pathogen. In addition to an airline cancelled trip back to China, which we had planned for Summer 2020, my family has not been too terribly affectedz by COVID-19.

Yet, we emphatize with the over 118.7 million people worldwide infected by COVID-19 thus far, including our fellow 29.3 million Americans, and tragically, we weep for those killed by COVID-19 - 2.6 million globally, including a stark and sad 531,000 Americans. Back on March 13, 2020, global COVID-19 cases numbered 135,000 with 4,900 deaths. In the United States (US), infections stood at 1,700 and deaths at 40.

It has been a year of hell and suffering for too many people. Government mixed-messaging from the defeated Donald Trump administration from objections to wearing facial masks, to lockdowns and to objections of science - all, played a role in prolonging the COVID-19 disease and deaths across the US, while vaccines were fast tracked.

Today, now with a rational President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris at the helm of American hope and government, optimism is rising  that even amid new and more contagious variants of COVID-19, that the pandemic could finally be successfully mitigated in 2021. In other words, an end to living under COVID-19 could now be envisioned.

Very sadly, the recorded deaths from COVID-19 in the United States (US) have now surpassed half-a-million victims. We grieve and we remember the victims for each and everyone of them was a person, a life - someone's parent, spouse, child, grandparent, relative, friend, partner, associate and acquaintance, all taken too soon.

As global infections from SARS-CoV-2 total more than 12.3 million people and with deaths at 2.5 million, humanity places great hope in the developed and circulating vaccines to help mitigate the pesky invisible killer. In the US, a new recognition of the graveness of the disease from a new administration under President Joe Biden, has pushed hopes very high that in spite of the grim milestone in number of victims, much is finally being done to rein in the highly contagious COVID-19.

Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, DC, earlier today, respectfully issued a Proclamation to Proclaim February 24, 2021 as "A Day Of Remembrance For Lives Lost To COVID-19" and she called "on all Washingtonians to pause and remember more than 1,000 neighbors, family, and friends whose lives were lost to the virus."

Hence, we pause, we grieve and we remember all the victims of COVID-19 worldwide. May they all travel well.

Too often, good governments, following their election by the people with a clear mandate to act upon immediate pressing issues, become mired in time-wasting back-and-forths with opposition parties in futile attempts to attain bi-partisianship, something that seldom happens. Useful time lapses, support wanes and new governments that stay such a path for too long praying for conciliatory nods, soon start to encounter the wrath of the people who voted for them, while not gaining any allies among those who stand in opposition.

President Joe Biden's new administration in Washington, DC, in my opinion, stands in such a predicament.

Biden's sincere election hope for wanting to promote bi-partianship with the defeated Donald Trump's party now threatens to impede America's immediate thrust out of the doldrums both at home and internationally. The attitudes of too many Republicans in Congress continue to be the same as the defeated Trump as have been bourne by the outcome of Trump's Senate impeachment trial and negotiations of a proposed $1.9 trillion economic stimulus legislation. Many Republicans have not budged from their Trump-era stances of self and party over Republic and international influence.

Democrats and President Biden should immediately proceed to demonstarte that America is back as a leader and as a stalwart of democracy at home and abroad. Although rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement has indicated a strong American intent back to global leaderrship, it is not sufficient.

Therefore, two needed actions to resoundingly announce the return of the rational might and power of the United States (US) are: first; domestically pass the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus that many state and local governments, small businesses and people are anticipating to ease the impact of COVID-19; second; internationally lead an immediate strong effort to return democracy to the people of Myanmar.