#international federation for victory over communism
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The Unification Church Blames the Japanese Communist Party for Recent Criticisms
Text from @nowwarmom's twitter:
In advance of the nationwide local election, the Victory over Communism (VOC), a political organization of the Unification Church, has embarked on a nationwide anti-Japanese Communist Party (JCP) campaign distributing leaflets.
VOC executives are imprinting on UC followers that social criticism of the Unification Church is a conspiracy promoted by the Japanese Communist Party (JCP).
At an internal meeting, the vice president of the VOC was witnessed to have said the following.
“Hak Ja Han said that behind the criticism is the machinations of the communists and the JCP and that we need to clarify our mindset in order to stop this."
Gingrich, one of the best friends of Hak Ja Han, has been helping the anti-JCP campaign throughout, as if he was reminiscent of the dark ages of McCarthyism. He probably does not know that JCP has consistently criticized China, Russia, and North Korea, nor that 2nd-gen former members have been at the core of the movement criticizing the UC.
JCP’s article: https://www.jcp.or.jp/akahata/aik22/2023-03-27/2023032711_01_0.html
#japanese communist party#communist party#communism#anti-communism#japanese politics#victory over communism#international federation for victory over communism#IFVOC#unification church in japan#japan#ex-members#former members#hak ja han#newt gingrich
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The Tumblr Files
Tumblr has a habit of disappearing blogs that it seems to find objectionable. Alas, if only they were full of reactionary content they'd probably have been allowed to stay, but instead they're Leftists of various stripes, which makes them uncomfortable for the owners of Tumblr at best and dangerous at worst.
Regardless of what you think of Musk's purchase of Twitter, one good thing that came out of it was the release of the Twitter Files. Therein we learned of just how closely social media companies like Facebook and Twitter have integrated with the US government and its spying agencies.
Does the FBI have a direct line to TumblrHQ? I can't say for certain. I haven't seen any evidence of it yet, but Tumblr is a massive platform with a lot of reach. Its size alone makes it a prime target for surveillance if only because were the community left to its own devices it might start to develop its own ideas about how the world worked contrary to the bourgeois narrative, or what the US government currently calls "misinformation."
Some things to consider:
First, in the wake of the Democrats' 2016 presidential loss, the Professional-Managerial Class which make up its primary constituencies freaked out. The development of Russiagate was the response. This wasn't just about Trump winning the presidency though. The source of bourgeois terror was that the internet was an unregulated source of information, and people were starting to get the "wrong" ideas, as evidenced by Bernie Sanders immense popularity at the time, and Trump's victory.
Second, Russiagate triggered a concerted spy agency response to root out basically nonexistent "Russian influence" on social media "promoting misinformation." Pressure was put onto SM companies to "do something about Russian election meddling." Twitter's internal research found that there was basically nothing of the kind. This was the wrong answer, so Twitter was compelled by propaganda outlets and the threat of expensive legislation to "do something," and that something was to basically turn over its moderation process to US spy agencies.
30.“REPORTERS NOW KNOW THIS IS A MODEL THAT WORKS”
This cycle – threatened legislation, wedded to scare headlines pushed by congressional/intel sources, followed by Twitter caving to moderation asks – would later be formalized in partnerships with federal law enforcement.
31.Twitter soon settled on its future posture.
In public, it removed content “at our sole discretion.”
Privately, they would “off-board” anything “identified by the U.S.. intelligence community as a state-sponsored entity conducting cyber-operations.”
32.Twitter let the “USIC” into its moderation process. It would not leave.
Wrote Crowell, in an email to the company’s leaders:
“We will not be reverting to the status quo.”
Why is this relevant to Tumblr? Because it has a large, influential community, which alone would necessitate its surveillance if not control, but especially because Tumblr is hemorrhaging money and is failing to gain ground against its competitors.
TechCrunch reported that CEO Matt Mullenweg spilled the beans during the Q&A, which was cohosted by COO Zandy Ring and attended by a meager 800 users, despite being plastered across every Tumblr account’s dashboard. According to Mullenweg, the platform is spending $30 million more than it’s making as it tries to desperately cling to relevance in its fight against Instagram and TikTok. Moreover, COO Ring explained that the platform is not seeing much of an increase in its userbase.
“People have this impression that we have massive growth right now, and we really don’t,” Ring said during the Q&A.
None of this necessarily means that it's Langley that's getting Leftist users booted off the platform. It could merely be personal biases on the part of the staff, against transsexuals, against pro-Palestinian activists. It does seem arbitrary and capricious enough. If the goal was, say, combating antisemitism by banning pro-Palestinian users, would there be so many fascists and outright Nazis on tumblr? Why does it seem like the majority of those that get banned just happen to be on the side which opposes imperialist Western narratives?
In any case, this markedly underscores that if the Western Left wants any hope of surviving on the web, it can't rely on corporate resources to do so.
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The Basis for my Ukraine War Series - The Reasons Why Ukraine is Fighting Back
My ongoing Ukrainian War fanfic series here on Tumblr is an AU based on real events - a what if of the war had American volunteers fought in like manner as the Lafayette Squadron of the First World War and the volunteer flyers of WW2 - early on in the invasion of Ukraine and in support of the young International Legion of Ukraine, in the person of the real life national sports athletes, amateur and pro alike, of the nation's pro leagues and the national federations of the USOPC based in Colorado Springs, alongside their companions in Canada and the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Commitees.
The reasons why I've done this is in order that the fanfic writing community here know that there's a conflict occuring far away from their homes, wherein for over the past two years Ukrainians and the foreign volunteers of the ILTD and others have been fighting Russians and foreign volunteer allies under her banner all across the frontline, resulting in great victories and tragic defeats and the heroic sacrifices of thousands upon thousands who fought for the freedom and independence of the free world against the might of Russia funded and now armed increasingly by her BRICS allies.
This is also inspired by the novels of the late Tom Clancy and W.E.B. Griffin, the latter of which I began to read and thus have inspired my writing style here on Tumblr since 2022, as well as the AU fanfics featuring sportspersons on Archive of Our Own.
This work is also in a way raising awareness of the need to help arm the people of Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia especiallly among the Americans and Canadians whose fan fiction and original writings have inspired millions around the world. I strongly urge them now more than ever to do their part to help fund and support Ukraine materially and financially so that it can continue its struggle that began in 2014.
May this work be a big contributor to not just the ongoing struggle of the Ukrainian people, but also to the total victory we ought thus to prepare to take part against Russia and its allies around the world.
Glory to Ukraine!
John
@lukeexplorer
(I was inspired by Luke's explainer on his on Substack to make this one.)
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Radio of Free Asia, sometimes called Radio Free Asia, was an anti-Communist radio station created by the Korean Cultural and Freedom Foundation which broadcast from Seoul into North Korea, China, and Vietnam.[1][2][3] In a congressional hearing, General Coulter, then President of the Korean Cultural and Freedom Foundation, declared Radio of Free Asia the principal project of the foundation.[4] It operated from 1966 to early 1970s.
The Korean Cultural and Freedom Foundation (KFF) was first organized in Washington, D.C. in 1964 with the goal of "containing communism" in Asia.[1] The Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) put pressure on the KFF to support a project to broadcast anti-communist propaganda into nearby Asian communist states. The intention was to raise money for the project from the US. [5]
Radio of Free Asia (ROFA), as the radio station became known, began broadcasting from Seoul on 15 August 1966.[1][5] The first broadcast featured a taped message from Soong Mei-ling [wife of Chiang Kai-Shek].[3]
ROFA formally had an American chief but it's two directors of operations were KCIA operatives who worked under Kim Jong-Pil. The station was given free access to South Korean government facilities with broadcasts monitored by the KCIA's psychological warfare unit.[5] The US Justice Department later suggested the station was “acting under the direction of and control of the Korean Government”.[6]
Although mainly funded through private donations, it had the financial support of several elected officials before and after broadcasts began, including Senator Bob Dole and Presidents Truman and Eisenhower.[7] South Korean President Park Chung-Hee sent letters to 60,000 prominent Americans asking for contributions to the project.[6] Millions of dollars were raised for Radio of Free Asia through direct mail requests to American citizens, soliciting funds both by claiming they would finance the broadcasts and that they would aid starving children in Asia.[7]
In 1971, US government agencies, including the Justice Department, began investigating the station for alleged violation of the Foreign Agent Registration Act.[8][6] The broadcaster's status as a foreign private foundation was called into question due to the free air time provided by the South Korean government on its national network. Bo Hi Pak secured the services of former CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence Robert Amory Jr. for legal assistance to defend against these charges. At the time Amory was employed by the Thomas Corcoran law firm and was a legal counsellor to the CIA. The investigation was terminated in 1972 and soon after the station stopped broadcasting from Seoul.[6][8]
A newly disclosed Justice Department investigatior into organizations and persons connecter with the controversial Rev, Shn Myung Moon has raised the possibility that American citizens are illegally working on behalf of the South Korean Government.[...]
The Federal officials familiar with the inquiry were careful to assert that Mr. Moon himself and his Unification Church were not being investigated, because Constitutional questions of freedom of religion might be raised. Instead, the inquiry is focusing on organizations associated with the church.[...]
The Federal sources indicated that among the organizations under scrutiny were the Korean Cultural and Freedom Foundation, the Freedom Leadership Foundation, headed by Neil A. Salonen, the International Federation for Victory Over Communism, and the Little Angels of Korea, a children's singing group that tours overseas.[...]
This investigation is one element in broad inquiry that includes allegations that Park Tong Sun, a Korean businessman, and others bribed Congressmen and tried illegally to influence American policy. it also includes an investigation of whether officers of the K.C.1.A. coerced and violated the civil rights of Koreans living in America and Korean‐American citizens.
The South Korean Government, according to both Korean and American officials, has long been eager to improve the image of President Park Chung Hee and his administration. South Korea's economic development, and therefore some of its political stability, depends heavily on trade and financial help from the United States.[...]
Among the earliest missions with that objective was that of the Korean Cultural and Freedom Foundation, founded in 1964. Its head, Pak Bo Hi, joined it in early 1965, shortly after he resigned from the South Korean Arm”.[...]
Korean intelligence sources said that Mr. Pak is the K.C.1.A.'s channel to Mr. Moon, A Korean with access to K.C.I.A. reports said that “Pak Bo Hi is a very important man because he made Sun Myung Moon famous. It's all his idea.”
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Interview with Rami Aman - a Palestinian peace activist from Gaza. In 2015, he founded a series of regular chats, Skype With Your Enemy, in which hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians from the Gaza Strip communicated with each other. In 2020, Hamas arrested Rami Aman for organizing these chats. The activist was tortured. After an international campaign involving 70 public organizations, as well as UN representatives, Aman was convicted and immediately released from prison. Two years ago, he managed to leave Gaza for Egypt:
- After two months of war, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a truce and an exchange of hostages - 50 Israeli women and children for 150 Palestinian prisoners (convicted for terrorism). The truce even lasted several days. Can this be considered the result of an Israeli military operation?
- Hamas has been offering just such a deal since the early days of its attack. Now look what it asks in exchange for hostages. No withdrawal of Israeli tanks from Gaza, no return of the million Palestinians displaced from southern Gaza, no peace. No! They are only interested in the exchange of hostages for prisoners and humanitarian aid. They are interested in keeping people in UN schools in the south, not bringing them home. Hamas doesn't care about the Palestinians in Gaza, it uses them for its propaganda.
Hostages are Hamas's last cards. Therefore, now it will play for time, stretch out the truce, release the hostages gradually, “find” them here and there. Pretend that they are negotiating with Islamic Jihad, which allegedly holds some of the hostages. Although, in fact, this is a lie - Hamas controls them all. It's a game.
Hamas does everything to influence public opinion. During the October 7 attack, it claimed in its press releases that it had made a giant breakthrough, with the militants almost on their way to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Naturally, ordinary people living on the border of the sector rushed after the militants to Israel. For those whose relatives were killed or injured during clashes along the fence on the border of the sector, a burnt Israeli tank or tractor is already a victory. What emotions do these people evoke now when they are seen on video in Israel and around the world?
Then Hamas took advantage of the Palestinians when Israel began bombing the sector. They started shouting about the victims of the bombing. In fact, Hamas leaders don't care how many Palestinians die. Palestinian lives are worthless to it. Just like the Israeli ones. Hamas is not interested in the Palestinian population of Gaza. Qatar is not interested in it either. How many millions of dollars in aid has Hamas received from Qatar? Not a single factory was built in Gaza with this money. They simply gave out money as alms.
- Is there any hope that after the end of the war, power in Gaza can be transferred to the Palestinian Authority administration?
No. But that's not even the problem. The Palestinian Authority, Fatah, Hamas, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) do not represent the Palestinians. They all care only about themselves because they make a lot of money by continuing the conflict. We haven't had elections since 2006. We need to elect new leaders who represent our communities and who care about their real needs. We need to start all over again.
Nobody cares about the Palestinians. Hamas doesn't care about them. They don't care about Qatar. Israel wants them to go somewhere on their own. Israeli peace activists care more about the fate of the Palestinians than Hamas.
- But will Hamas return to power in this case? Many people say that the population of Gaza is indoctrinated by Hamas...
- Those who say this have forgotten how Hamas came to power in Gaza. It simply started with repressions. First, they killed several thousand people and mutilated several thousand more - you know, when they shoot you in the knees as punishment. And they continued to rule through repressions. Every year, they killed several hundred people for political reasons. Hamas security came to see me every year, and every year, they demanded that I confess that I was an Israeli spy.
For example, in 2006, there were five thousand Christian Arabs living in Gaza, and now there are about a thousand left. It was only in the 2010s that Hamas stopped pressuring Christians to show that they were not ISIS. But thousands of Christians left.
In 2019, there were mass protests in Gaza against Hamas rule. They were suppressed by force, and a thousand people were arrested. There were protests before the attack. Hamas felt it could lose control of Gaza. And those who say that all Gazans are indoctrinated by Hamas should note that thousands of Gazan businessmen interacted peacefully with the Israelis every day. Thousands of people went to Israel to work.
Hamas controls the media, and with their help makes everyone believe that Gaza is Hamas. But that's a lie. People in Gaza hate Hamas now. But they have nowhere to go.
.
Let me remind you that the main sponsor of HAMAS is... the terrorist state, the russian federation itself. Iranian regime and all this shit gets money from russia. HAMAS has a headquarters in moscow. HAMAS uses the same exact tactics as russian occupiers.
All the problems will disappear if we PARTITION RUSSIA, if we cut russia on pieces so it's unable to sponsor grief all around the world.
#israel palestine war#hamas attack#stop russian aggression#russia is a terrorist state#russia is a nazi state#russia's partition
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5/23/23
Talks about the debt ceiling continue with little progress, and a default is looming come June. With Republicans holding the House, they want to use their position to reign in spending and are demanding a cap on future budgets. Another sticking point is requiring work for benefits (medicaid, food stamps, financial aid, etc.). There are other smaller issues, like releasing money sequestered for COVID, defense spending, and more oil drilling.
Russia and the Ukraine have been fighting for the city of Bakhmut for a long time, and Russia has claimed victory, although the Ukraine says they're still in and the Wagner mercenary group hasn't agreed with the win. Two Russian groups fighting for the Ukraine pushed into the Belgorod region of Russia to attack. It hasn't seemed to do much damage and Russia claims it has repelled it.
Fighting also continues in Sudan. After long standing leader Omar al-Bashir was ousted in 2019, power was shared between two individuals, Lt. Gen. Abdel al-Burhan and Lt. Gen. Mohamed Dagalo. who control two completely different armies, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Facing internal and international pressure to return to civilian rule, tensions between al-Burhan and Dagalo grew as they had to determine things like who who would subordinate to whom in the new power structure. Last April, suddenly the RSF attacked several SAF bases and since then it's been a mess with hundreds of civilians dying and hundreds of thousands fleeing, especially since a lot of the fighting is taking place in the capital, Khartoum. Attempted ceasefires have been brokered, but neither side is paying particular attention to them.
Trump appeared virtually in court over his trial for the Stormy Daniels payout, so the judge could issue a protective order on evidence, i.e. Trump or his lawyers cannot discuss evidence that isn't already public knowledge. Judges are known to put in such orders, but in this case it was prevent witness intimidation. Both the judge and the DA have received death threats already.
AZ, CA, and NV made a historic deal over the Colorado River. To put it quite simply, the river is drying up and will probably run out if nothing changed. Considering it nourishes over 40M people and provides irrigation for some of the US' most fertile land, this is a massive problem. The three agreed to decrease their intake by 13% in exchange for $1.2B in federal funds. This isn't enough to stop the problem however, but it's a move in the right direction.
E. Jean Carroll is seeking an additional $10M against Trump in her defamation case. Carroll sued Trump over her claim that he raped her back in the 90s. (It was too late for a criminal trial, but NYS briefly allowed civil sexual assault trials to proceed.) Two weeks ago the jury agreed with the sexual battery claim and awarded her $5M, and the defamation case is continuing. Forgive me, I am about to geek out because defamation lawsuits fascinate me. Although we recently have had two high profile verdicts (Alex Jones, FOX/Dominion), they are very hard to win, particularly if the plaintiff is a public figure because they need to fulfill the "actual malice" standard: i.e., the defendant said the statements knowing they were false or with "reckless disregard" with the truth. So for example, I write these posts and I may make a false statement. I don't mean to, sometimes I do poor editing, or I didn't understand the issue properly, or the source I got the information from may have been incorrect. It's unlikely anyone would win defamation against me since everything I write is researched and in good faith. In the FOX/Dominion case, it was pretty obvious after sifting through FOX's internal communications that they didn't care whether Dominion voting machines were rigged or not, they wanted to boost their ratings against OAN and Newsmax, and so brought on contributors who made baseless claims against the company. As for Carroll, I think she has a decent shot given that she won the civil lawsuit over the assault itself, so now Trump's ad hominem attacks on her would make him more liable. Of course this is all going to appeal, so we'll be hearing about it for a while.
1) BBC, The Hill 2) NYT, Al Jazeera 3) WSJ 4) Washington Post 5) Reuters 6) Politico
Thank you for your kind words while I was on break. I can’t cover everything I missed, but I’ll try to provide context for the latest news.
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Despite being failed over and over again by their federations, players are expected to compete against top teams around the globe, at the height of international competition. Players are being asked to perform at the absolute highest level when they do not have the highest level of care or resources from their federations.
For some teams, that might be a lack of preparation; Haiti plays a fraction of the number of games the USWNT does and still qualified for the World Cup. Or it might be a lack of funding; Canadian players asking for their wages to be paid while their federation claims they have no money. Or a lack of resources; France, a top program in women’s football both professionally and internationally, has a national team with only 3 full-time staff; whereas our CBA with U.S. Soccer requires 22 to 24 “professional support positions” dedicated to the WNT — and that doesn’t even include communications staff, security, and so on…
In many cases, there’s simply a fundamental lack of respect for the women’s game. Worse, sometimes it’s all of the above.
My experience with FIFPro this year has given me a whole new perspective on our progress in the global game. Yes, the USWNT enjoyed our recent victories on equal pay and working conditions. But our blueprint can’t be copied directly by other nations, not yet, even if there are a few parts that might work. Teams can learn from our approach, especially in how we used the World Cup platform, created bylaws for our union, hired an executive director and legal representation and identified problem areas to prioritize in bargaining. While these are good first steps to take, many teams and their players are starting in a different place than we did, left exposed by a lack of protections, lack of resources, lack of interest and varying levels of systemic sexism.
So I’m making a call to action — even for myself. Taking a breath is fine, but putting down the torch is unacceptable. We need to continue to support players who are advocating for themselves within their federations, confederations, and FIFA.
We cannot let the spotlight of the World Cup be the only thing to highlight these disparities and injustices — the desire to create change must shed its own light even after the tournament has ended. We have to keep having these conversations after the confetti has been swept away, the stadiums have emptied and we build once again for 2027.
We have to follow the lead of these players and teams when they ask for help. When you see a team release a coordinated statement, share it. If there’s a direct way to support, help out if you can. Public support and scrutiny all help keep the pressure on federations and organizations to do the right thing, all the way up to FIFA.
Every team’s path will be different, but the end goal remains the same. All players want the same thing: the opportunity to play at our absolute best and to show the world the beautiful game on its biggest stage.
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2. Freedom of the Press in Japan – Unification Church style
The Washington Post September 16, 1984
extract: “… At a later meeting in June 1983 on Korea’s Cheju Island, Moon told a church group that four things were necessary for world consolidation: ideology, economy, science and technology, and journalism.
“With journalism, we have now reached success by establishing The Washington Times,” Moon said, according to Yoshikazu Soejima. “We now have a direct influence on Reagan through The Washington Times.”
By Soejima’s account, his break with the church followed a dispute over editorial independence. As editor of Sekai Nippo, Soejima said, he was attempting to transform the paper from a church organ into a respected journal with general appeal. At the end of last September, however, he said, he began to hear rumors that Moon had ordered his firing.
On the first of October [1983], about 100 people – including about 30 in special karate training groups – barged into the paper’s office. They were led by members of Shokyo Rengo, an anticommunist political group affiliated with the [Unification] church, Soejima said. They broke into desks, stole papers and beat up some of the employees, he said. Soejima, Inoue and a policeman that Soejima had previously summoned took shelter in an office when they arrived. “The church members kicked in the door but stopped when they saw a policeman inside,” he said.
Sekai Nippo vice president Naohiro Nada said the church fired Soejima because he was trying to seize full control of the newspaper and make himself president. Soejima filed papers at the company registry to accomplish this, Nada said. Soejima says he did so to protect his position after learning Moon planned to fire him.
On June 2 1984, Soejima was attacked outside his home in Tokyo and stabbed repeatedly, according to police reports. When the attack occurred, he was preparing an article「これが『統一教会』の秘部だ」critical of Moon that was later published in the Japanese magazine Bungeishunju, he said.
During an interview, Soejima unbuttoned his shirt to show scars on his left bicep, neck and chest, which he says he got in the attack. No one has been arrested in the case.”
__________________________________
Moon’s Japanese Profits Bolster Efforts in U.S.
By John Burgess and Michael Isikoff
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, September 16, 1984; Page A01
extract: “The Japanese branch of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church has transferred at least $800 million over the past nine years into the United States to finance the church’s political activities and business operations, including The Washington Times newspaper, according to two former high-ranking church officials.
This money is generated in Japan, primarily through a Tokyo-based business operation that uses church members to sell marble vases, miniature treasure pagodas and other religious icons that are represented as having supernatural powers, the former officials said.
The sale of these items has been the principal source of capital for an international network of Unification Church operations, said the former officials, Yoshikazu Soejima and Hiroaki Inoue. …”
The above two extracts are a small part of a significant report.
Shigehiko Togo of the Washington Post Tokyo Bureau and special correspondent Martin Anderson in Montevideo, Uruguary, contributed to this report.
Full Washington Post report here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/cult/unification/profit.htm
________________________________________
The case of a mysterious death at a CARP training session in Japan. The 18 year-old student had been beaten.
The incident of the strange death at the training session, which I wrote about in Chapter 1 of this book, was reported in the Weekly Asahi 週刊朝日. This article provides a glimpse into the Unification Movement’s training sessions, so it is included here as a reference for readers.
日本の狂気―勝共連合と原理運動 (1971年) Link to the Japanese
Frenzy in Japan – The Federation [for Victory over Communism] and the Unification Church (1971)
by Arai Arao 荒井 荒雄
________________________________________
1. Freedom of the Press in Korea – Unification Church style
Moon’s followers poured a pot of urine and feces on the head of a Seoul University Professor of Religion.
Tahk Myeong-hwan was offered a bribe of $450,000 to discontinue research into the Unification Church
The Korean regime imprisoned former Unification Church members who revealed the inner workings of the UC
In 1975 Korean Unification Church members physically attacked many Christian pastors
“In Korea, one even senses a fear, like one induced by the Mafia, among the opposition, and … outspoken opponents speak of death threats.” Prof. Sontag, 1976
Prime Minister Kishi of Japan, organised crime and the Moon involvement in Japanese politics gained protection for the UC
1a. The LDP’s Tangled Ties to the Unification Church (2022)
1b. NNLASS press conference held in Tokyo on FFWPU/UC “spiritual sales” (2022)
2. Richard J. Samuels – Kishi and Corruption: An Anatomy of the 1955 System (2001)
3. John Roberts – Earth-conquering Moonies (1978)
4. Kishi wrote a letter to President Reagan to get Moon sprung from jail. (1984)
This is the hidden side of the ‘Unification Church’ Soejima Yoshikazu
これが 『統一教会』 の秘部だ
世界日報事件で『追放』された側の告発
『文藝春秋』 1984年7月号
副島嘉和 編集局長
そえじま よしかず
(「インフォメーション」編集発行人)
井上博明 営業局長
いのうえ ひろあき
(「インフォメーション」営業担当)
暴カをふるって占拠
なぜ訣別したのか
「愛のマグロ釣り研修」とは
日本語版から削除された個所
敬礼式の奇怪な儀式
金集めに狂奔
「ハッピ一ワ一ルド」社とは？
脱税の手ロ
セ一ルスマン用の手引書
米国における脱税裁判
#Unification Church#violence in the Moon church#violence#Family Federation for World Peace and Unification#Sun Myung Moon#Hak Ja Han#Sekai Nippo#これが 『統一教会』 の秘部だ#副島嘉和#井上博明
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Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the ruling. (Photo: Reuters - Piroschka van de Wouw)
Pro-Israel activists gathered near the International Court of Justice, as the hearing occurred. (Photo: AP - Patrick Post)
The judgement by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was not a knockout victory for either side.
South Africa brought an accusation of genocide against Israel.
Israel knew it needed to do everything in its power to ensure there was no finding of genocide.
South Africa came to The Hague with two aims: to have a finding of genocide made against Israel and, as a result, for the ICJ to order an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Neither of these things happened.
By global affairs editor John Lyons
ABC News - 27 January 2024
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Rawan Arraf said Australia should actively review its economic, trade and military ties with Israel in light of the ruling.
(Photo: ABC News - Adam Griffiths, file)
Human rights groups say Australian government must act after ICJ ruling on allegation against Israel
The Australian government has been "put on notice" by several human rights organisations following the top UN court ruling that South Africa's accusation Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people is "plausible".
By political reporter Chantelle Al-Khouri
ABC News - 27 January 2024
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YouTube video >> Starvation as a Weapon of War: Human Rights Watch Denounces Israel for Denying Gaza Access to Food (Democracy Now! video production) [Released 23 December 2023 / 10mins.+46secs.]:
youtube
Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman interviews Human Rights Watch’s Omar Shakir
Israel is deliberately blocking the delivery of water, food and fuel in Gaza, prompting Human Rights Watch to accuse the occupation of utilizing starvation as a weapon of war. Human Rights Watch's Israel and Palestine director, Omar Shakir, says 97% of the groundwater in Gaza is unfit for human consumption after the destruction of pipelines and treatment sources, the rejection of humanitarian aid and the collapse of the medical system under incessant bombing, leading to mass dehydration and contagious disease. Shakir calls on the international community to condemn Israel's actions and to increase pressure on U.S. support in particular. "The United States and Israel are isolated in the international community," Shakir says. "The use of double standards in Israel and Palestine harms civilians all over the world."
Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday.
Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET.
Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe
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Instagram video >> Human Rights Watch - The Israeli government is using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war in Gaza. This is a war crime. [Released December 19, 2023 / 1 min.]:
instagram
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#Middle East#Israeli-Palestinian conflict#Israel-Hamas war#Humanitarian crisis in Gaza#International calls for restraint#War crimes#Appeals to U.N. for response to war crimes#ICJ - International Court of Justice#Crimes against humanity#Human rights#Social justice#Ethics#Truth-telling#Israeli-Palestinian peace process#Chappatte cartoon in Le Temps Geneva#Human Rights Watch#Democracy Now!#Youtube#Instagram
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Tuesday, January 16, 2024
Another day of frigid wind chills and brutal cold across much of the U.S.
(AP) Brutally cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills stayed put across much of the U.S. Monday, promising the coldest temperatures ever for Iowa’s presidential nominating contest, holding up travelers, and testing the mettle of NFL fans in Buffalo for a playoff game that was delayed a day by wind-whipped snow. About 150 million Americans were under a wind chill warning or advisory for dangerous cold and wind, said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland, as an Arctic air mass spilled south and eastward across the U.S. Sunday morning saw temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 6.7 degree Celsius) to minus 40 F in northern and northeast Montana. Saco, Montana, dropped to minus 51 F (minus 26 C). Subzero lows reached as far south as Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and parts of Indiana, Taylor said.
Migrant deaths in Rio Grande intensify tensions between Texas, Biden administration over crossings
(AP) After Texas fenced off a park along the U.S.-Mexico border and began turning away Border Patrol agents, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott explained why at a campaign stop near Houston. “We are not allowing Border Patrol on that property anymore,” Abbott said Friday, drawing applause from supporters. He relayed frustration over migrants illegally entering the U.S. through the border city of Eagle Pass and federal agents loading them onto buses. “We said, ‘We’ve had it. We’re not going to let this happen anymore,’” Abbott said. Later that night, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said three migrants, including two children, drowned near the park after Texas officials “physically barred” Border Patrol agents from entering. Mexican authorities pulled the bodies, each of them wearing jackets, from the water on the other side of the Rio Grande.
Guatemala’s New President Is Sworn In, Despite Efforts to Stop Him
(NYT) Despite staunch resistance from his opponents in the government, the anticorruption crusader Bernardo Arévalo was inaugurated early Monday morning as Guatemala’s president, a turning point in a country where tensions have been simmering over widespread graft and impunity. His inauguration had been scheduled for Sunday, but members of Congress delayed it, and concerns persisted about whether it would happen at all. But after an international outcry and pressure from protesters, Mr. Arévalo was sworn in shortly after midnight, becoming Guatemala’s most progressive head of state since democracy was re-established in the 1980s. His rise to power—six months after his victory at the polls delivered a stunning rebuke to Guatemala’s conservative political establishment—amounts to a sea change in Central America’s most populous country. His landslide election reflected broad support for his proposals to curb graft and revive a teetering democracy. But as Mr. Arévalo prepares to govern, he must assert control while facing off against an alliance of conservative prosecutors, members of Congress and other political figures who have gutted Guatemala’s governing institutions in recent years.
Columns of tractors gather in Berlin for the climax of a week of protests by farmers
(AP) Columns of tractors rolled into Berlin on Monday as farmers gathered for the climax of a week of demonstrations against a plan to scrap tax breaks on the diesel they use, a protest that has tapped into wider discontent with Germany’s government. Over the past week, farmers have blocked highway entrances and slowed down traffic across Germany with their protests, intent on pushing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government to abandon the planned cuts entirely. The farmers’ protests come at a time of deep general discontent with the center-left Scholz’s government, which has become notorious for frequent public squabbles and lengthy wrangling over sometimes poorly communicated decisions. Scholz acknowledged concerns that go well beyond farming subsidies, saying that crises, conflicts and worries about the future are unsettling people.
Lava from Icelandic volcano eruption engulfs homes, roads
(Washington Post) A volcano that erupted in southwestern Iceland over the weekend sent lava pouring into a nearby fishing town, swallowing up roads and setting at least three houses alight, footage shared by national broadcaster RUV showed. The volcano erupted around 8 a.m. local time Sunday after a series of earthquakes, the country’s meteorological office said. Molten rock from two nearby fissures streamed into the town of Grindavik, the agency said. “Lava is flowing into Grindavik, a thriving town where people have built their lives,” Icelandic President Gudni Thorlacius Johannesson said in an address to the nation Sunday evening, describing “tremendous forces of nature” at play. It was the first time in more than 50 years that lava had flowed over Icelandic homes, he said.
United Nations seeks $4.2 billion to help people in Ukraine and refugees this year
(AP) The United Nations appealed on Monday for $4.2 billion to help people in Ukraine and displaced outside the country this year, saying that people on the front lines have “exhausted their meager resources” and many refugees also are vulnerable. About three-quarters of the total, $3.1 billion, is meant to support some 8.5 million people inside Ukraine. The remaining $1.1 billion is sought for refugees and host communities outside Ukraine. A recent wave of attacks “underscores the devastating civilian cost of the war” and a bitter winter is increasing the need for humanitarian aid, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement from Geneva.
War or No War, Many Older Ukrainians Want to Stay Put
(NYT) They sit in ones and twos in half-destroyed homes. They shelter in musty basements marked in chalk with “people underground”—a message to whichever troops happen to be fighting that day. They venture out to visit cemeteries and reminisce about any time other than now. Ukraine’s elderly are often the only people who remain along the country’s hundreds of miles of front line. Some waited their entire lives to enjoy their twilight years, only to have been left in a purgatory of loneliness. Homes built with their own hands are now crumbling walls and blown-out windows, with framed photographs of loved ones living far away. Some people have already buried their children, and their only wish is to stay close so they can be buried next to them. Almost two years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with war at their doorsteps, older people who have stayed behind offer varying reasons for their decisions. Some simply prefer to be at home, whatever the dangers, rather than to struggle in an unfamiliar place among strangers. Others do not have the financial means to leave and start over.
After attempts to meddle in Taiwan’s elections fail, China takes stock
(Washington Post) Taiwanese voters have made it clear—for the third time in a row—that they don’t want a leader who will kowtow to China. The democratic island on Saturday elected as president Lai Ching-te, the current vice president and former independence advocate whom Beijing views as a dangerous “separatist.” Now, Beijing must craft a response. For Beijing, Lai’s victory is a loss that deepens anxiety about its ability to bring Taiwan under its control, a long-held goal of the ruling Communist Party and a key part of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s legacy. The result gives Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which Beijing refuses to engage with, an unprecedented third term. “A Lai win will mean that Xi loses face,” said Chen Fang-Yu, assistant professor of political science at Soochow University in Taipei. “It means his Taiwan policy has failed. So now he must do something to show his muscle.” China’s initial response to Lai’s victory was predictable: Officials issued the usual strongly worded statements on Sunday, and Beijing’s embassies in countries that congratulated Lai condemned them for “interfering in China’s internal affairs.”
Australia celebrates Australian-born queen of Denmark
(AP) A day after an Australian became queen of Denmark. her native land on Monday celebrated the unlikely fairy tale with cocktails, picnics and a “Danish Fiesta.” Mary Donaldson’s journey from Tasmania to the world’s first Australian-born queen has captivated both Danes and Australians. People gathered to mark the occasion across Australia, including Queen Mary’s hometown of Hobart, the capital of the southern island state of Tasmania. “It’s not something that happens every day that you have an Australian becoming queen. I don’t know if it will ever happen again,” Danish Club Vice President Lykka Borup told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Mary’s husband, Crown Prince Frederik, was proclaimed king of the European nation on Sunday, two weeks after his 83-year-old mother, Queen Margrethe II, announced she would be the first Danish royal to abdicate in about 900 years.
Grief and vengeance: 100 days of war in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank
(Washington Post) It’s been three months since Hamas fighters attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostage. In response, the Israeli military unleashed a level of force unprecedented in Gaza, killing more than 23,900 people. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers have stepped up attacks on rural Palestinian communities, accelerating Arab displacement as the war and large-scale arrests fan a new generation of Palestinian militancy in the cities. Israel today is a nation heavy with shock, looking for answers and often also for vengeance. The streets are slowly coming back to life, but they feel anything but normal. Young reservists must take their weapons as they go about their business. The faces of the Israeli hostages are reproduced in shop windows and on government buildings alongside three words that are now a rallying cry: “Bring them home.” Newsstands and television screens show over and over the scenes of Hamas’s crimes. They show the Israeli army in Gaza. But they rarely show what is happening to civilians. Palestinians there are frantic and bone-tired. The pace of death is so fast, the possibility of famine so close, that residents say they have little time to mourn or to process their losses. Fear—how to survive the night, how to find a little food—is a more pressing constant. With more than two-thirds of homes now destroyed, much of Gaza is effectively gone.
Houthi rebels strike a U.S.-owned ship off the coast of Yemen
(AP) Houthi rebels fired a missile, striking a U.S.-owned ship Monday just off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, less than a day after they launched an anti-ship cruise missile toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea. The attack on the Gibraltar Eagle, later claimed by the Houthis, further escalates tensions gripping the Red Sea after American-led strikes on the rebels. The Houthis’ attacks have roiled global shipping, amid Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, targeting a crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal onward to Europe. “The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey,” the U.S. Central Command said.
Cyclone causes heavy flooding, 1 death in Mauritius after also battering French island of Reunion
(AP) A tropical cyclone caused heavy flooding and at least one death in Mauritius on Monday as cars were washed away by surges of water in the Indian Ocean island’s capital city and elsewhere. A motorcyclist died in an accident caused by the flooding, the government said and imposed a curfew. The government issued an order that everyone except emergency and health workers, members of the security services and those requiring medical treatment must return home and remain there. Some people were also being evacuated as the floodwaters caused by Tropical Cyclone Belal threatened houses and other buildings. Schools were closed and hospitals were told to only keep their emergency departments open.
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By Ruth Marks Eglash
October 5, 2021
October could be a fateful month for the organized Jewish community as the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), the quasi-governmental organization with a budget of nearly $400 million that makes funding decisions on some of the thorniest issues in Jewish life, is slated to select its next executive chairperson. The politically charged race for the sensitive post of bridge-builder between Judaism’s often warring religious and political factions is already heating up.
The previous head, Isaac Herzog, stepped down last July to become Israel’s 11th president, and the battle for his replacement is fierce, with a crowded and competitive field of nine candidates currently in the running. Jewish Insider spoke to each candidate about their vision and why they want to head the 91-year-old agency (see their comments below).
“The head of the Jewish Agency for Israel is basically the prime minister of the Jewish world,” Michael Jankelowitz, a commentator on world Jewish affairs and JAFI’s former international media spokesman, told JI. “It is the most prestigious position after being president or prime minister of the State of Israel.”
It might also be just as much of a political battle.
Deciding who will lead the agency, which was founded in 1929 with the aim of assisting and encouraging Jews worldwide to help develop and settle Israel, and take on the biggest challenges facing world Jewry today, is a 10-member selection committee representing the three factions that make up JAFI – the World Zionist Organization (WZO), the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and Keren Heyesod.
Headed by Yaakov Hagoel, chairman of the World Zionist Organization and the acting chairman of the Jewish Agency, the committee also includes Harvey Blitz, chairman of the World Mizrachi Movement; WZO’s Racheli Baratz Rix; Helena Glazer, chair of the Zionist General Council and past chair of World WIZO; and Rabbi Meir Azari, executive director of Beit Daniel, a congregation in Tel Aviv affiliated with the Israel Movement of Progressive Judaism (IMPJ); as well as JFNA’s Michael Siegel, Mark Wilf, Jeffrey Schoenfeld; and Steven Lowy and David Koschitzky from Keren Hayesod.
To claim victory, the winning candidate must have the backing of nine out of 10 committee members, who will then make a recommendation to the Jewish Agency’s Board of Trustees at the end of this month when the board is scheduled to hold its annual meeting. If there is no consensus among committee members, the process will roll over into next year. The committee is expected to hold meetings with each contender in the coming weeks.
In the past, the individual backed by the Israeli prime minister stood the best chance of winning the committee’s support, but that changed during the last selection, when Herzog was favored over then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pick, former government minister Yuval Steinitz.
“This is Jewish politics of the highest order,” observed Jankelowitz. “The Jewish Agency has changed a lot since its inception. It is no longer just about aliyah, but about recognition and acceptance of all the streams of Judaism, as well as unity of the Jewish people in every corner of the globe.”
The post is also about being an effective fundraiser and manager of an often bureaucratic and bloated organization as it addresses the most potent challenges facing world Jewry. Whoever becomes the chairperson will be responsible for a core budget of some $365 million, including vast assets in Israel and abroad, as well as additional sums from the Israeli government for various targeted projects run jointly.
Backed by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Israeli Minister of Intelligence Maj. Gen. (res) Elazar Stern is said to have the best chance of garnering the nine-vote quota, though reports have emerged of some resistance from certain members of the committee, most notably Hagoel. The acting chairman hails from the opposition Likud party and is said to be loyal to another candidate: Israel’s former U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon, who is now chairman of World Likud.
Also considered a top candidate, according to analysts closely watching the race, is Jerusalem’s Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan Nahum, who has worked hard to boost the city’s image and is known as an effective fundraiser. Former Minister of Diaspora Affairs Omer Yankelevitch, also vying for the position, has the backing of Blue and White party head and Defense Minister Benny Gantz. Former Knesset member and Israel National Security Advisor Maj. Gen. (res) Uzi Dayan, who flew to the U.S. last week to campaign, is supported by Netanyahu.
Non-political candidates include Irina Nevzlin, chair of the board of directors of ANU – The Museum of the Jewish People, formerly known as Beit Hatfutsot; Israel’s former ambassador to the United States Michael Oren; Michal Cotler-Wunsh, another former Blue and White Knesset member; and Bar-Ilan University law professor Yaffa Zilbershats, chairwoman of the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education.
In interviews, several candidates stressed the necessity of reaching out to “the next generation,” amid increasingly fraying ties between Israel and the Diaspora community, and especially among younger Jews.
What follows are the candidates, in their own words, discussing their visions for the Jewish world’s top post. (The list is in alphabetical order.)
“The Jewish Agency is the singular most important platform connecting Jews in Israel and throughout the world,” said Cotler-Wunsh, an expert in international law and human rights. “That was what it was founded to be, and remains its mission. Implementing, enhancing and advancing existing plans and programs, it has the ability and responsibility to bridge growing gaps and heal deepening rifts, uniting Jews worldwide.”
“At this tumultuous time, marking nearly a century of leadership, the Jewish Agency’s continued stability is an important asset, enabling it to transcend real or perceived divides — of politics, geography or denomination; to listen to all communities; and to represent their voices in Israel, ensuring the nation-state of the Jewish people, its leaders and general public, recognize and prioritize this relationship.”
“I am honored that my name is being considered for this position. I got to know the Jewish Agency very well when I was an emissary for JAFI in North America and also in my position as chairman of the Committee on Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs in the Knesset,” said Danon, who previously served as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations and as a minister in the Israeli government.
“I believe the agency has a significant role in tackling the challenges facing the Jewish people, mainly in connecting the younger generation to Israel and Jewish life. We care a lot about promoting aliyah; at the same time we have to make sure that we bring the next generation of Jews who, according to recent polls and reports, are distancing themselves from Israel and their Jewish identity, into the Jewish life.”
“The Jewish Agency is vital for the survival of the Jewish people, and we must work to preserve the Jewish people at this very problematic time. Jewish education should be the main focus [as well as] Jewish identity, which serves as the basis of the unity and cohesion of the Jewish people,” said Dayan, a former chairman of Israel’s National Lottery and founder and chairman of the Sderot Socio-Economic Conference.
“It is important to do this work in Israel, as well as abroad, to bring the different communities around the world together with Israel and to let Israel take a leading role in promoting Jewish cohesion and unity.”
“I don’t differentiate between Israel and the Diaspora because we are all one family. Once we start with that premise, any disagreement is easier to solve.”
Hassan Nahoum, who made aliyah from Gibraltar and this year co-founded the UAE-Israel Business Council and the Gulf-Israel Women’s Forum, added: “As a former Diaspora Jew and new immigrant, I have a unique perspective. I understand what Diaspora Jews are looking for and what the challenges are for new immigrants to Israel. I am dedicated to helping improve the experience for both, building bridges and improving communication.”
Nevzlin, who immigrated as a child from the Former Soviet Union and authored a book on Jewish identity, said: “Being Jewish is a gift. We share the same roots and there is so much that unites us. I am a product of JAFI’s work, and I see this role as an opportunity to make sure that the Jewish people are united, and together, we can look forward to a shared future.”
“The most important work for anyone who becomes the chair of the executive is to engage the younger generation of Jews, to make sure they feel proud of being Jewish and to make sure they are connected to Israel. I know from my projects in the museum that this is possible to do.”
“The Jewish people are at a crisis point and we stand to lose a large segment of the Jewish people. There is no other organization that has the scope, staff and means to tackle this crisis,” said Oren, an author, historian and former deputy minister in the Israeli government who made aliyah from the United States.
“It is time to reexamine the ways we reach out to Jews in the diaspora with a Zionist message, particularly young Jews. We also need to reinforce the appreciation for aliyah among Israelis, this is a sensitive point and a huge challenge.”
“The Jewish Agency needs to look at the challenges of the Jewish world and needs the synergy to bring them together – this is essential. It is important to think outside the box and to do things that were not thought possible in the past,” said Stern, who headed the IDF’s Manpower Directorate, served as a commander of the IDF Officers Training School, and chief education officer.
“I want people to be proud of their Jewish identity. It is important, in this role, to be a bridge builder between different sectors in Israeli society, and also between Israeli society and the Diaspora,” said Stern, who initiated the army’s Nativ conversion project to assist immigrants from the FSU to convert to Judaism while serving.
“The Jewish Agency plays a critical key role in the alliance between the Jewish state and the Jewish people in the Diaspora,” said Yankelevitch, a lawyer by training who lived in the FSU as a child while her parents served there as emissaries for the State of Israel.
“For me, the issue of world Jewry is my mission, and this was reflected in my tenure at the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and in the initiatives I led there. I was very involved in the connection between the different populations and communities, in Israel and in the Diaspora, and I think it is very important,” said the former minister, who has been deeply involved in the nonprofit world advocating for marginalized populations, particularly the Haredi sector.
“I think the Jewish Agency has an important role to connect all segments of Jewish people and connect the Jewish people in Israel and to Jews around the world,” said Zilbershats, formerly dean of the Faculty of Law at Bar-Ilan University and deputy president of the university.
“I believe that the Jewish people are one, and the State of Israel is a place not only for the Jewish people that live here but for all Jews,” she said.
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Out-of-print publications in South Korea that are now appearing online show that Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, regarded himself as a kingmaker and even savior in Japanese politics.
Over about 53 years, a South Korean publishing company compiled Moon’s sayings into 615 volumes until his death in 2012. The sayings are regarded as gospel among church followers.
Although the veracity of Moon’s comments in the online posts cannot be confirmed, a church official said legal action was being considered about the suspected illegal copying of the original volumes.
The church is now officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.
One comment attributed to Moon in November 1987 complained that Shintaro Abe did not become prime minister.
The previous month, Abe, Noboru Takeshita and Kiichi Miyazawa vied to succeed Yasuhiro Nakasone as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
But before a party vote, Nakasone intervened and named Takeshita as his successor.
“Abe should have become prime minister,” Moon was quoted as saying on Nov. 1, 1987.
“Nakasone is also someone who was helped by me. The result was flipped over the course of one hour. It was common knowledge that Abe was to become prime minister.”
On Nov. 15, 1987, Moon said: “Anyone who wants to become prime minister in Japan needs my support. Abe should have become prime minister. Shintaro Abe. A written pledge. With whom? That is a secret.”
It is not known what Moon meant by written pledge.
Abe died in 1991, never becoming prime minister.
His son, Shinzo, twice served as Japan’s prime minister. Shinzo Abe’s grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, was also prime minister.
Moon boasted of his close ties to them as well.
BUILDING CHURCH IN DIET
Moon spoke frequently about strengthening ties with Japanese lawmakers.
On July 4, 1989, he said, “We will build a church in the Diet and teach our principles, making everything possible.”
Moon mentioned Osami Kuboki, the Unification Church’s first chairman in Japan.
“We must increase the number of Diet members, centered on the Abe faction of the LDP, but extending to other parties, based on work led by Kuboki,” Moon said.
He also touched upon the need to increase members elected to local assemblies.
CLOSE TIES TO SHINZO ABE
On Oct. 3, 2006, a week after Shinzo Abe took the office of prime minister for the first time, Moon said, “I understand that Abe became prime minister.”
On Nov. 23, 2006, Moon said: “Shinzo Abe is the prime minister, isn’t he? He is close to me. Shintaro Abe promised to visit South Korea if I made him prime minister.”
Moon’s interest in Japanese politicians dates back to Kishi.
The Unification Church set up its headquarters next door to Kishi’s home in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward in November 1964. Moon also had close ties with Ryoichi Sasakawa, a well-known right-wing figure.
Moon said he would have Kishi and Sasakawa work together to push forward the Unification Church’s plans in Japan.
FIGHTING JAPANESE BACKLASH
In 1967, parents of university students in Japan who were recruited to join the Unification Church expressed their opposition to what the church was doing.
Twenty years later, lawyers established a national organization to take legal action against the so-called spiritual sales tactics of the Unification Church, which encouraged members to pay exorbitant fees for pots and other religious items.
On Feb. 18, 1988, Moon said: “I knew a typhoon called spiritual sales would hit Japan. We must engage in an international fight. The five major newspapers, including Asahi, Yomiuri and Akahata (the Japanese Communist Party daily), ran special pages.
“Parties from the LDP to JCP and Japan Socialist Party are trying to remove the Unification Church. I fought a battle against such forces by myself.”
HELPED LDP WIN ELECTIONS
Moon often boasted about single-handedly giving the LDP huge victories in national elections.
A Lower and Upper house election was held on the same day in July 1986, and the LDP won in a landslide, picking up 304 seats in the Lower House.
On Feb. 18, 1988, Moon reflected on that result and said: “I was the one who increased the number of Diet members from 261 to 304. There are 180 LDP members who belong to the International Federation for Victory over Communism, (a church-related group).”
He went further about spending 6 billion yen ($45 million at current exchange rates) in the 1986 election and called Unification Church members “well-trained special forces” who go door-to-door to win votes.
Moon kept up the boasts in a comment made on Sept. 16, 2004. “I became involved from the time of Prime Minister Kishi. When Nakasone was prime minister, I helped elect 130 Diet members.”
SAVED KANEMARU FROM ASSASSIN
Moon also referred to his tight ties with another influential LDP politician, Shin Kanemaru, a close associate of Takeshita.
Moon visited Japan on March 26, 1992, and met Kanemaru on March 31.
Moon had served an 18-month prison sentence in the United States for tax evasion.
Ordinarily, people with criminal convictions cannot enter Japan. But the justice minister at the time made an exception for Moon.
Kanemaru told The Asahi Shimbun in April 1992 that he lobbied Justice Ministry officials to allow Moon to enter the nation.
On March 20, 1992, Kanemaru was giving a speech in Tochigi Prefecture when a member of a right-wing group fired three shots at him from close range.
None of the bullets hit Kanemaru.
On April 3, two days after returning to South Korea, Moon said: “Kanemaru invited me to Japan. None of the three bullets fired from 5 meters even hit his body but went somewhere. He was protected by God. I let him live because it would not do to have accidents between Japan and Asia if I did not meet with him.”
KOREA REUNIFICATION PLAN
Masaki Nakamasa, a professor of the history of political philosophy at Kanazawa University, was at one time a member of the Unification Church.
He said he had heard about Moon’s expectations to have Shintaro Abe become prime minister and how he felt betrayed by Nakasone.
Nakamasa said high-ranking church officials in Japan who heard sermons by Moon would pass on those teachings to Japanese members after adjusting discrepancies and toning down radical expressions.
He added that church members were instructed to never take notes about what Moon said or to pass on those comments to outsiders.
“Moon sought to strengthen ties with conservative Japanese politicians to improve the church’s political influence within South Korea so the church could play a leading role in bringing about unification of the two Koreas," Nakamasa said.
#sun myung moon#japanese politics#politics#unification church#unification church in south korea#unification church in japan#kanemaru#Shin Kanemaru#liberal democratic party#1992#ifvoc#international federation for victory over communism#world anti-communist league#right-wing politics#shintaro abe#kishi family#abe family#ffwpu#family federation for world peace and unification
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Calacus Monthly Hit & Miss – The Spanish Women’s National Team and the RFEF
Every month we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the last few weeks.
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup saw the Spanish national team deservedly lift the trophy for the first time after defeating England’s Lionesses by a single goal in the final at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
The end of the tournament also offered a moment, at last, to pause and reflect on a breathless month of raw emotions, technical brilliance and numerous shattered records.
Despite all of the quality, though, there still remained something of a sour taste in the mouth given the adversity to which so many of the women’s players were subjected.
In the face of this, the players repeatedly proved that they were unafraid to stand up for what they believe is right.
This was typified months before the tournament had even begun, when a player-led campaign successfully removed Visit Saudi as a sponsor for the 2023 World Cup.
During the tournament, we saw the struggles of the Nigerian team, who were one of a number of competing nations that were locked in a pay dispute with their own federation.
Former England striker Ian Wright weighed in on Twitter to show his total support for the Nigerian players after their superb and surprise victory over co-hosts Australia.
Meanwhile, England goalkeeper Mary Earps regularly criticised Nike’s decision not to sell her jersey, despite her being one of the stars of the World Cup.
There were also rumblings of discontent about the reported pay disparity between Lionesses coach Sarina Wiegman and her male counterpart, Gareth Southgate, even though Wiegman has had a far better record in the role.
All of this came in the context of a vast gap in prize money offered by FIFA between this Women’s World Cup and the men’s 2022 edition in Qatar.
Tactics, performances and professionalism had clearly taken great strides forward. At the same time, in the fight for equal conditions, it still felt like there is a long way to go.
The plight of the women’s players was summarised aptly by iconic USWNT star Megan Rapinoe in an interview with The Atlantic. She explained that female players are constantly “playing two games at the same time” – off the pitch as well as on the pitch.
Never could this have been more apparent than in the case of the eventual champions Spain.
The Spanish team came into the tournament already under a cloud.
At the back end of 2022, a group of 15 first-team players had sent identical emails to the Spanish football federation (RFEF) requesting the removal of Jorge Vilda as manager.
The exact reasons have still not been specified, although it is understood that the players had issues with Vilda in terms of his personal behaviour as well as his tactical shortcomings.
In response, the RFEF doubled down and backed their man, declaring that the 15 players had been “poorly advised” and threatened bans of up to five years.
The mutinous players, dubbed “Las 15,” were cast aside and Vilda was given the ultimate vote of confidence to continue in his work.
Prior to the World Cup, Vilda recalled just three of the 15: Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey and Ona Batlle.
"The RFEF has always been open to dialogue. The conflict is practically resolved, a few details would remain. We would be delighted if that were the case, but we look at the players who are committed and have shown their commitment," Vilda said after confirming his World Cup squad.
The rest of the 15, including many FC Barcelona Femení stars who had just won the UEFA Women’s Champions League, were excluded.
Accordingly, the ignored rebels treated the tournament in a similar manner, going through their individual summers with absolutely zero acknowledgement of any international football event which might be taking place.
Whether it is considered petty and disrespectful or brave and honourable, what this stance certainly has done is exemplify the glaring political divide within Spanish women’s football.
In spite of this internal turmoil, the selected Spanish players displayed miraculous resolve to concentrate on the sport during the World Cup.
There were glimpses of the bitterness between the players and Vilda throughout their run to the final; most notably when two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas blatantly blanked Vilda as she was substituted in the semi-final against Sweden.
When Spain arrived to face England in the final, the capacity crowd in Sydney showed whose side they were on as a chorus of boos greeted the announcement of Vilda’s name.
In the final itself, Spain were fabulous and a superbly-taken goal from captain Olga Carmona was enough to win the game. After the match had ended, Carmona discovered that her father had passed away earlier that same day.
Nonetheless, the 23-year-old captain still appeared at the homecoming party in Madrid only days later to greet the rapturous crowd and deliver a beautifully touching speech describing her incredible range of emotions.
Back in Australia, the separate groups of celebrations at the full-time whistle illustrated the distinct dissociation between players and staff.
For the trophy presentation, the RFEF president, Luis Rubiales, ensured that he was going to be front and centre.
Whereas earlier in the year, the FC Barcelona Femení players had to collect their own medals after winning the Spanish Super Cup, this time the RFEF leader piggybacked onto the success of the women’s team to put himself firmly in the headlines.
Firstly, Rubiales was caught on camera making an obscene gesture with his groin in the stands right beside Queen Letizia of Spain and her 16-year-old daughter.
On the podium, Rubiales, having already unnecessarily hugged, touched the face and kissed the cheek of various English and Spanish players, abused his position of power one time too many as he planted a kiss on the lips of Spanish attacker Jenni Hermoso.
Suddenly, even in their crowning moment, a time that should have been nothing but euphoria for each and every member of the squad, the achievement of the players had become overshadowed by the ugly actions of this man.
Rather than swiftly dealing with their president, the RFEF was busy not reading the room and tweeting “Vilda In,” a tweet that was met with a mix of anger and despondency – described politely as a disheartening statement, and candidly as a disgrace.
When it was finally time for Rubiales to face the music, he vociferously swatted away any criticism of his actions. Speaking to Spanish broadcaster COPE, he referred to the people who were unhappy with his actions as “idiots” and “stupid people.”
“It was a kiss between two friends celebrating something,” Rubiales said dismissively. “Let’s ignore them [the critics] and enjoy the good things.”
Within a day, however, Rubiales had performed a sudden volte-face and was releasing a video online with a half-baked apology.
In a short address to camera, Rubiales stated: “I was surely wrong, I have to admit it, because at a moment of maximum effusiveness, without any bad intentions, without any bad faith, well, what happened happened.
“We didn’t understand [the controversy] because we saw it as something natural, normal,” he added. “But outside it seems that a commotion has formed, and of course if there are people who have felt damaged by this, I have to apologise, I have no other choice.”
It was evident from his words that Rubiales couldn’t see what he had done wrong.
Shortly afterwards, despite saying “I didn’t like it [the kiss], but what do I do?” in an Instagram live video from the changing room after the incident, it seemed that Hermoso had also performed a U-turn when a statement attributed to her was released.
"It was a mutual gesture, totally spontaneous because of the immense joy that comes from winning a World Cup," read the statement provided by the RFEF.
“The president and I have a great relationship, his behaviour with all of us has been top notch,” it continued. “A gesture of friendship and gratitude cannot be given any more thought. We have won a World Cup and we are not going to deviate from what is important.”
Astonishingly, it subsequently emerged that the ‘Hermoso statement’ had been fabricated by the RFEF.
Rubiales was alleged to have unsuccessfully pleaded with Hermoso to defend him in a joint statement. Vilda then approached her family on three occasions, desperate for Hermoso to appear alongside Rubiales in the apology video.
Having remained silent for as long as she could, Hermoso finally spoke out four days after the final and two days after the false statement had been released, as she released her own joint statement with FUTPRO.
Hermoso said: "We express our firm and resounding condemnation of conduct that violates the dignity of women.
"From our association, we ask the Royal Spanish Football Federation to implement the necessary protocols, ensure the rights of our players and adopt exemplary measures.
"It is essential that our national team, current world champion, is always represented by figures that project values of equality and respect in all areas.”
If Rubiales’ position didn’t already appear untenable, the statement from Hermoso triggered numerous senior voices, in the world of both sport and politics, to call for his resignation.
Beatriz Álvarez Mesa, the president of Liga F (the top tier of Spanish women’s football), wrote an open letter to the government attacking Rubiales. Her comment that "the person that many of us know in private has been unveiled publicly" was utterly damning.
The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, described Rubiales’ gesture as “unacceptable” and said that his “apologies are not enough.” At the same time, the Minister for Equality, Irene Montero, labelled the actions as “a form of sexual violence that women suffer on a daily basis.”
Tamara Ramos, a former employee of the Spanish players’ association and colleague of Rubiales, then spoke out about past humiliating treatment at the hands of the president.
In response to Ramos, the RFEF condemned the allegations and announced that they would sue her for the false allegations.
The stubborn, defensive approach of the federation was then superseded by Rubiales when a press conference was called for the following Friday morning, where it was widely expected that he would announce his resignation.
However, in a turn of events that was as jaw-dropping as it was depressing, Rubiales took to the stage to defiantly repeat that he would not resign. He went on to describe “false feminism” as “one of the scourges of this country” and placed himself as the victim of a witch hunt.
Worryingly, his comments received an outburst of applause by much of the audience, including from Vilda and Luis de la Fuente, the Spanish men’s team manager.
Immediately after this speech, a catalogue of prominent women’s players condemned Rubiales and spoke out in support of Hermoso.
Amongst others, Leah Williamson and Beth Mead nailed the Lionesses’ colours to the mast. Alex Morgan followed suit for the USWNT.
“This is unacceptable. It's over. With you partner @Jennihermoso” was the simple but powerful message posted by Putellas.
Bonmatí similarly tweeted: “There are limits that cannot be crossed and we cannot tolerate this. We are with you mate.”
The situation was perhaps best summed up by Dutch player, Merel van Dongen, who used the president of FIFA’s recent words against him.
Her post read: “Like the great great Infantino once said: ‘Women pick the right fights!’ Oooohh how the Spanish women are picking this fight. Proud to see how women, men, media and politics in Spain finally unite to change something that hasn’t been right for years. Se acabó. It’s time for justice.”
Although van Dongen mentioned men, there was a conspicuously smaller number of male players who publicly backed Hermoso.
Borja Iglesias ruled himself out of national team selection, Hector Bellerin vented his frustration via his Instagram story, and Barcelona captain Sergi Roberto quoted Putellas on Twitter to show support. Legendary Spanish goalkeepers David de Gea and Iker Casillas also denounced the “embarrassment” of Rubiales.
Unfortunately though, the majority of men’s players, both past and present, have remained silent on the issue, suggesting a significant sociopolitical divide between male and female players.
Top Spanish clubs then united behind the calls for Rubiales’ resignation, starting with Cadiz, then Getafe, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid, who hopped onboard the bandwagon, before eventually both Real Madrid and Barcelona joined them.
Hermoso herself responded to the press conference, confirming via her Twitter that the kiss was not “consensual”.
Her teammates then launched a boycott of the national team. A total of 81 players – including the entire World Cup winning squad – co-signed a letter saying they will not be available for international selection until the “federation leadership is removed.”
The weekend that followed the explosive press conference provided almost non-stop new developments.
Many journalists attributed Rubiales’ attitude as being symptomatic of a long-standing issue within the system of Spanish football governance.
This idea was further enforced when details of complaints against Rubiales going back as far as 2016 surfaced, as well as a disturbing video of disgraced former national team manager, Ignacio Quereda, intimidating and physically assaulting Spanish players.
Wary of the unprecedented damage that this drama was doing to their national reputation, the Spanish government opened up proceedings against Rubiales to get him forcibly removed from his post via tribunal.
Rubiales was then provisionally suspended from all football activity by FIFA.
Yet still, the RFEF circled around their man and threatened to take legal action against Hermoso for her “lies”, releasing their own breakdown of the kiss, claiming that Hermoso had initiated it.
The video evidence of Rubiales picking up numerous other Spanish players before Hermoso strongly opposes this allegation.
In addition, the RFEF general secretary wrote to UEFA to request to withdraw Spanish clubs from European competition due to government involvement breaking UEFA impartiality protocols.
UEFA have chosen not to respond to the RFEF request, nor make any comment on the situation surrounding their vice-president, raising questions about their values and vested interests.
Sometimes, no communication can be just as detrimental as poor communication.
A mass resignation of the Spanish coaching staff then left just Villa still in situ, but his position was hardly stable.
Misa Rodriguez, a member of Vilda’s World Cup winning squad, demanded his removal before the players could consider a return.
As eminent voices in world football, such as Lise Klaveness of Norway, continued to throw their support behind Hermoso, the people of Spain took to the streets in protest against the RFEF president.
The issue went as far as the UN Human Rights office, who said that the public stance on the kiss could be “a turning point” in terms of sexism and misogyny.
Perhaps the most bizarre part of the story came from Rubiales’ hometown of Motril, where his mother, Angeles Bejar, locked herself into a Church saying she would go on hunger strike in an attempt to end the “inhuman, bloodthirsty witch hunt” of her son. Bejar has since been hospitalised and discharged.
Eventually, more than a week after the World Cup final incident, the RFEF released an official statement requesting Rubiales to resign.
As it stands, Rubiales remains in post although how much longer he will stay there is anyone’s guess.
The saga has been widely reported as a ‘Me Too’ moment for Spanish society. The hashtag “#SeAcabó” (“It’s Over”) has trended on social media and has become the slogan for an end to gender inequality across the country.
In this way, weirdly, the actions of Rubiales could prove beneficial.
A textbook response when an individual or organisation does something wrong, either deliberately or by mistake, is to acknowledge what has happened, apologise and then commit to fix it.
On this occasion, even in his bumbled apology video, it was clear that Rubiales did not truly acknowledge what he had done wrong – the actions of the president and his organisation since has confirmed this.
Instead, the lack of self-reflection and understanding has caused this story to become one of the great communications own goals in living memory.
As such, perversely, it may just be the catalyst to push forward a long overdue culture clean-up.
The words and actions of Rubiales have shone a light on a deeply entrenched problem within Spanish football, a problem that former national team member Veró Boquete says players have “been living and suffering for a long time.”
Even though UEFA have attempted to avoid the matter, at their own grand ceremony in Monaco at the end of the month, England boss Wiegman delivered a passionate speech, dedicating her Women’s Coach of the Year award to the Spanish players.
“We all know the issues around the Spanish team,” said Wiegman, stood alongside UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin. “It really hurts me, as a coach, as a mother of two daughters, as a wife and as a human being.
“The game has grown so much, but there’s also still a long way to go in women’s football and in society,” she continued. “This team [Spain] deserves to be celebrated and deserves to be listened to.”
In complete juxtaposition to Rubiales and the RFEF, the communication of Wiegman, the Spanish players, and the many others who have supported them, has been simple, concise and devastatingly effective.
Rubiales appeared to have cemented himself into a position of untouchable authority within Spanish football, but the force of the united messaging by those in opposition to him has completely shattered that misconception.
Now, as the RFEF continue to dig themselves deeper into a crisis by watering down the long overdue statement of the Spanish men’s team, demonstrating yet again that their primary focus is to protect their president rather than the interests of those who they are supposed to represent, it almost matters not whether Rubiales leaves of his own accord, or is fired, as the patriarchy of the Spanish football federation has been exposed – and surely there is no turning back.
As Wiegman, Boquete and so many others have plainly stated: “It’s over.”
#spain#spanish#football#rubiales#hermoso#seacabo#seacabó#womensworldcup#Jorge Vilda#Luis Rubiales#jenni hermoso#Spain#Spanish football#Spanish Federation#RFEF#rfef
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The head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has proposed a plan for “lasting peace” in war-torn Sudan as his rival army chief promised victory and no chance of a deal with “traitors”.
Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, the head of the RSF, late Sunday published a 10-point plan by the paramilitary group that proposes new negotiations to end a war that began in mid-April, a war he claimed the RSF “did not seek, nor initiate”.
“Efforts to end the protracted crisis must be directed toward achieving a lasting ceasefire, coupled with comprehensive political solutions that address the root cause of Sudan’s wars,” his statement said.
Hemedti floated the idea of a “non-symmetrical federal system” that would represent Sudan’s regional, cultural and ethnic diversity after elections to form a civilian government and end “structural violence” against broad segments of Sudanese citizens.
Crucially, he proposed a new, apolitical and unified Sudanese army built from merging existing forces that would have civilian oversight and conform to internationally recognised foundations.
But the general’s proposals, which are titled Sudan Reborn and appear to be in line with international calls for shaping the country’s future, hardly correspond with the realities on the ground as the devastating war enters its 20th week.
For one, war broke out between the RSF and the Sudanese army shortly before the paramilitary force was supposed to be integrated into the army, which is led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, as part of a plan to restore civilian rule.
The two generals had staged a coup in 2021 that pushed civilian politicians out of the government, which itself came two years after they banded together to end the reign of military commander Omar al-Bashir over Sudan.
On the other hand, Hemedti and the RSF have been documented by the United Nations and prominent human rights organisations and activists to have committed ethnic cleansing as well as systemic sexual violence.
In the western region of Darfur, which was the scene of a genocidal war in the early 2000s involving forces that later evolved into the RSF, there have been widespread reports of killing African community members and rape since the start of the war.
The International Criminal Court has also said it is investigating new war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur as the UN has warned that the war “now threatens to consume the entire country”.
More than 4.6 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the start of the war, according to UN figures that say more than one million have fled to neighbouring countries, including Chad and Egypt.
Al-Burhan denounces RSF
In a speech on Monday, al-Burhan denounced the RSF as “traitors” and promised a decisive victory in a speech to soldiers, rejecting calls for a ceasefire.
“We do not make deals with traitors, we do not make deals with anyone who has betrayed the Sudanese people,” al-Burhan told cheering soldiers at the Flamingo Base in Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
Al-Burhan has embarked on a tour of bases in army-controlled regions and is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, prompting some to speculate that a deal was imminent.
“We are dedicating all our time to this war … to ending this rebellion,” al-Burhan said, promising a quick and decisive victory, echoing previous statements from the military leadership.
The RSF “are completely exhausted – just a little effort and they will be finished,” he said.
On Thursday, he had made an appearance outside the army’s general command centre in the capital, Khartoum, for the first time since the war began.
On Sunday, he appeared in Port Sudan, to the northeast of the country, which has been spared the worst of the fighting.
Many ceasefires in Sudan have been repeatedly violated, often immediately after coming into effect, with the two sides blaming each other for undermining the ceasefires.
Riyadh and Washington have for now stopped their mediation efforts as the two sides continue to grapple for military dominance before seriously committing to a long-term peace plan.
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Blog 7- CMS/PL 348
The propaganda war for Ukraine and Nuclear Cyberwar
The first argument is the video of The propaganda war for Ukraine by DW Documentary. It discusses the war in Ukraine and how it is not only a military conflict but also, for the first time, a conflict covered in real-time by the media. The video centers its point on cyber warfare and how social media and television both play a significant role in propaganda. Today in the 21st century, social media and technology are emerging rapidly to take over the old customs of war. In fact, in the video, we see the war between Russia and Ukraine through the media, and how the media has become the center of the battle. The term used these days for these conflicts in media is called cyberwar or cyber warfare, instead of just warfare.
What is cyberwar?
The definition of cyberwar is a nation-state or international group that attacks another nation by attempting to harm them by using computers or information networks, and provoking violence.
The video continues on examining these wars between the two nations, by how each president addresses their messages to their citizens. On one hand, we have the President of Ukraine, Zelensky uses lateral communication because he always demonstrates himself at the level of the citizens, by showing the evidence that he is doing what he says he is through media. Meanwhile, Russian President Putin uses a vertical strategy of communication, because he uses very serious and direct commands to the citizens. He also demonstrates such by using TV-formatted talk shows, and live-streamed festivities of the Russian Federation, Victory Day, which honors the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany, this format is more of a propaganda method. Both countries are portraying propaganda and political communication. Russian President promotes the “necessary to eliminating Nazism in Ukraine”, then there is president Zelensky that gives hope to the citizens by making them believe that the war will be over or that it can end, by calling for help from European countries. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of Russia, uses the "denazification of Ukraine" as a justification for the country's crimes against humanity.such act should not be justified.
In the context of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, critical media analyst Svitlana Matviyenko discusses nuclear tensions in cyberspace, the imperial roots of nuclear occupations, and nuclear colonialism. She starts by establishing that digital communication systems are the foundation of nuclear weapon command and control, especially in this technologically developing era. Nuclear weapons and cyberwarfare operations can have destructive capabilities, for example, we can recall the drone killing of Osama Bin Laden by the US movement.
Nuclear weapons and cyberwarfare are both impossible without digital communication. Matviyenko, reports that on February 24, 2022, Russian military troops took control of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, and on March 3, 2022, Russian rockets struck Enerhodar, an industrial area and satellite town in Ukraine. Russian forces then surrounded the Zaporizhzhia NPP and shelled at civilian infrastructure and the plant, causing Ukrainian troops to withdraw because they were afraid of a nuclear war. The strategy of nuclear terrorism and cyberwarfare are still being used in Ukraine as part of the war domain where imperialism and some aspects of colonialism rule. Svitla Matviyenkona also argues that the past of Ukraine and Russia is complex and cannot be characterized by the same characteristics of colonialism. Nuclear terrorism frightens populations by spreading fear, using force, and using violence. The danger posed by nuclear terrorism, whose effects could be both global and long-lasting, is perhaps the most severe. Cyberwarfare is only the technology and network information to make the war begin.
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Delta Re-awards Ayakoromo Bridge Contract
*** Oborevwori Assures He Will Deploy His MORE Agenda For Betterment Of Deltans
NEWS UPDATE
On Dec 27, 2022
Delta Governor and Vice-Presidential Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday announced that his administration had re-awarded the Ayakoromo Bridge contract to Setraco Nigeria Limited, assuring that the project would be completed as promised.
Governor Okowa made this known during the party’s campaign at Burutu, headquarters of Burutu Local Government Area of the state.
He recalled that the government had some weeks ago revoked the contract due to poor performance by the former contractor.
He disclosed that Setraco would mobilise to site next week.
The governor expressed gratitude to the people of the area for their consistent support to the PDP over the years.
“My dear people of Burutu Local Government Area, I thank you for all your support for our party candidates over the years.
“We have also reciprocated your support by constructing concrete pavement of all internal roads in Burutu town; another 20.29-kilometre Obotobo 1– Obotobo 11– Sokebolou–Yokri road in Ogulagha Kingdom.
“We constructed modern market and built schools in Burutu Town, Ogulagha and other communities but unfortunately there is one project that you people are not happy about which is the Ayakoromo bridge.
“The contractor has not been doing well and we have recently terminated the contract and re-awarded it to Setraco Nigeria Ltd.
“Next week, we will mobilise them to start and they will finish it because it is a promise I made to you people and I must fulfil it,” he said.
He urged the people to remain committed to the Atiku-Okowa ticket, and assured them that PDP would win the presidency and rescue Nigerians from the hardship caused by the inept APC-led administration.
“Our party has recognised one of your own, my humble self as Vice-Presidential candidate and by the grace of God the Atiku-Okowa ticket will win the election in 2023.
“I appeal to you all to give us your support to enable us turn out more votes for our party; we have done well campaigning in 15 states so far and we are very sure of victory for the party,” he assured.
Deputy Governor of the state, Mr Kingsley Otuaro, while addressing the people said that the impressive turn-out of supporters was an indication that Burutu over time, had been a PDP local government area.
He said the Okowa’s administration had done quite a lot for Burutu town in terms of road construction and charged the people to vote all PDP candidates in the general elections.
The Governorship Candidate of the party and Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, commended the Ijaw people for adopting candidates of the PDP for the 2023 general elections.
He affirmed that Okowa’s administration had provided a lot of infrastructure for Burutu Local Government Area , with over 30-kilometre roads constructed and over 44 schools renovated and constructed.
Rt Hon Oborevwori, who was flanked by his running mate, Chief Monday Onyeme, assured that he would deploy his MORE Agenda for the advancement of the state.
The State Chairman of the party, Chief Kingsley Esiso, said Deltans were happy that the state would for the first time, produce a Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and urged the people to work hard towards realisation of the Atiku-Okowa presidency.
The Director-General of the State Campaign Council, Chief Funkekeme Solomon lauded the Governor for terminating the Ayakoromo bridge project and re-awarding it to a more competent contractor and for transferring the State School of Marine Technology from Ministry of Transport to Higher Education for effective management.
Chief Funkekeme said that riverine communities in the state believes that an Atiku-Okowa Presidency would be very beneficial to them hence they have decided to throw their weight behind them.
Leaders of the party who spoke at the rally include Peter Biakpara; former Governorship aspirant Chief Braduce Angozi; among others.
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