» US Bond Funds Worried By Puerto Rico's New Debt Restructuring Law - Bidness Etc
07/07/14 15:52 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from puerto rico - Google News. Bidness Etc US Bond Funds Worried By Puerto Rico's New Debt Restructuring Law Bidness Etc A new debt restructuring law passed by the Puerto Rican government has raised concerns a...
07/07/14 15:52 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from puerto rico - Google News. Bidness Etc US Bond Funds Worried By Puerto Rico's New Debt Restructuring Law Bidness Etc A new debt restructuring law passed by the Puerto Rican government has raised concerns a...
» Annexing and island in the empire
07/07/14 15:44 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Illinois Press Blog. On July 7, 1898, President William McKinley signed the Newlands Resolution which annexed the Republic of Hawai’i and created the Territory of Hawai’i. The annexation gave t...
07/07/14 15:44 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Illinois Press Blog. On July 7, 1898, President William McKinley signed the Newlands Resolution which annexed the Republic of Hawai’i and created the Territory of Hawai’i. The annexation gave t...
» Moody’s affirms ratings of PR banks
07/07/14 15:41 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Caribbean Business. Moody’s affirms ratings of PR banks Moody’s Investors Service has affirmed all the ratings of three Puerto Rican ban ... Pierluisi to raise bailout issue on Hill Resident Commissioner P...
07/07/14 15:41 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Caribbean Business. Moody’s affirms ratings of PR banks Moody’s Investors Service has affirmed all the ratings of three Puerto Rican ban ... Pierluisi to raise bailout issue on Hill Resident Commissioner P...
» Children of same-sex couples are happier and healthier than peers, research shows
07/07/14 15:37 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Children of same-sex couples fare better when it comes to physical health and social well-being than children in the general population, according to researchers at the University of Melbourne in Austral...
07/07/14 15:37 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Children of same-sex couples fare better when it comes to physical health and social well-being than children in the general population, according to researchers at the University of Melbourne in Austral...
» (2458) (2458) (1589)The 'perfect Aryan' child used in Nazi propaganda was actually Jewish
07/07/14 15:37 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Search - The Washington Post. (2458) (2458) (1589) The 'perfect Aryan' child used in Nazi propaganda was actually Jewish Children of same-sex couples are happier and healthier than peers, research shows ...
07/07/14 15:37 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Search - The Washington Post. (2458) (2458) (1589) The 'perfect Aryan' child used in Nazi propaganda was actually Jewish Children of same-sex couples are happier and healthier than peers, research shows ...
» Puerto Rico's electric authority gets creditor reprieve to July 31
07/07/14 15:35 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . July 7 Mon Jul 7, 2014 1:51pm EDT July 7 (Reuters) - Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or PREPA, on Monday said the lenders providing it revolving lines of credit have agreed not to exercise their rights ...
07/07/14 15:35 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . July 7 Mon Jul 7, 2014 1:51pm EDT July 7 (Reuters) - Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or PREPA, on Monday said the lenders providing it revolving lines of credit have agreed not to exercise their rights ...
» Puerto Rico's electric authority gets creditor reprieve to July 31 - Reuters
07/07/14 15:35 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from puerto rican community in usa - Google News. Puerto Rico's electric authority gets creditor reprieve to July 31 Reuters July 7 (Reuters) - Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or PREPA, on Monday said the...
07/07/14 15:35 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from puerto rican community in usa - Google News. Puerto Rico's electric authority gets creditor reprieve to July 31 Reuters July 7 (Reuters) - Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or PREPA, on Monday said the...
» Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority Reaches Deal With Lenders
07/07/14 15:28 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . July 7, 2014 2:00 p.m. ET The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority reached agreements with two banks to defer payment on lines of credit that threatened to burden the cash-strapped utility with $671 million i...
07/07/14 15:28 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . July 7, 2014 2:00 p.m. ET The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority reached agreements with two banks to defer payment on lines of credit that threatened to burden the cash-strapped utility with $671 million i...
» Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority Reaches Deal With Lenders - Wall Street Journal
07/07/14 15:27 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from puerto rican community in new york - Google News. Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority Reaches Deal With Lenders Wall Street Journal William Dudley, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York , said...
07/07/14 15:27 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from puerto rican community in new york - Google News. Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority Reaches Deal With Lenders Wall Street Journal William Dudley, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York , said...
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SAN JUAN – El director de la Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica (AEE), Juan Alicea Flores anunció el lunes que los acreedores de sus líneas de crédito, que se utilizan para pagar por la energía comprada, el combustible y otros gastos, han acordado no ejercer los remedios que podrían utilizar a consecuencia de las recientes degradaciones de crédito y otros eventos recientes.
Según Alicea Flores, los acuerdos establecen que la AEE podrá posponer ciertos pagos vencidos hasta el 31 de julio.
“Si bien es cierto que la Autoridad enfrenta hoy ciertos retos financiero, estamos trabajando arduamente para mejorar las operaciones, fortalecer el servicio y modernizar nuestra infraestructura, con el fin de proveer energía más limpia y confiable a nuestros clientes”, expresó Alicea Flores en un comunicado.
El funcionario aseguró que durante las próximas semanas, la AEE continuará las conversaciones con los acreedores y utilizará este periodo para continuar la evaluación de las distintas oportunidades para mejorar su situación financiera. Los acuerdos no afectan las operaciones normales de la AEE. El pago de nómina y a los proveedores continuará con su curso normal.
“Agradecemos a nuestros acreedores su continua cooperación y apoyo mientras trabajamos para transformar la Autoridad y así servir mejor a nuestros clientes”, dijo el director de la AEE.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Monday that most unaccompanied children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border are unlikely to qualify for humanitarian relief that would prevent them from being sent back from their home countries.
The pointed warning came as the White House finalized a spending request to Congress detailing the additional resources President Barack Obama wants in order to hire more immigration judges and open additional detention facilities to deal with the border crisis. White House officials said they planned to send the more than $2 billion request to lawmakers on Tuesday.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that while the administration will allow the immigration review process to take place, officials so far don't expect many of the children arriving at the border to be able to stay in the U.S.
"It's unlikely that most of these kids will qualify for humanitarian relief," Earnest said. "It means they will not have a legal basis for remaining in this country and will be returned."
Still, it's unclear how quickly that process will unfold. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson acknowledged Sunday that such proceedings might be long delayed, and he said that coping with floods of unaccompanied minors crossing the border is a legal and humanitarian dilemma for the United States.
"Our border is not open to illegal migration, and we are taking a number of steps to address it, including turning people around faster," Johnson told NBC's "Meet the Press." At the same time, he said, the administration is "looking at ways to create additional options for dealing with the children in particular, consistent with our laws and our values."
Repeatedly pressed to say whether thousands of Central American children will be deported promptly, Johnson said, "We need to find more efficient, effective ways to turn this tide around generally, and we've already begun to do that."
Most are from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, where spikes in violence and poverty are prompting parents to send their children on difficult and dangerous journeys north.
Their numbers have overwhelmed federal agencies. When 140 would-be immigrants — mostly mothers with children — were flown to southern California to ease an overcrowded Texas facility, angry residents of Murrieta, California, greeted the bus as it pulled into town, complaining that they were being saddled with more than their share.
"This is a failure of diplomacy. It is a failure of leadership from the administration," said Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who sought the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, said the administration "is one step behind" a major dilemma that was foreseeable. The number of children coming from Central America without adults has been rising dramatically for several years.
A George W. Bush-era law to address human trafficking prevents the government from returning these children to their home countries without taking them into custody and eventually through a deportation hearing. Minors from Mexico and Canada, by contrast, can be sent back across the border more easily. The administration says it wants more flexibility under the law.
Johnson said the administration has dramatically sped up the processing of adults who enter the country illegally, and it is opening more detention facilities. He acknowledged that the unaccompanied children from Central America, some 9,700 taken into custody in May alone, pose the most vexing problem.
Unaccompanied Central American children generally are being released to relatives already in the United States. Mothers with their children often are released with a notice to appear later in immigration court.
Meanwhile, word of seemingly successful border crossings reaches their home countries, encouraging others to try.
Johnson said the U.S. government is trying to send the message that all people who enter the country illegally will face deportation proceedings eventually. In Central America, he said, "the criminal smuggling organizations are putting out a lot of disinformation about supposed free passes into this country" that will expire soon. "We're cracking down on the smuggling organizations by surging law enforcement resources," Johnson said.
Johnson and others are warning of the dangers that immigrants, and especially children, face when the try to reach the United States on their own. Johnson is scheduled to meet with Guatemalan officials later this week.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said children entering the country illegally must be sent home. If not, Graham said, "you're going to incentivize people throughout that part of the world to keep sending their children here."
Graham said foreign aid should be cut off to countries that don't do more to discourage illegal immigration to the United States.
Perry appeared on ABC's "This Week"; Cuellar was on CNN's "State of the Union"; Graham was on CBS' "Face the Nation."
___
Follow Charles Babington on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cbabington.
The pointed warning came as the White House finalized a spending request to Congress detailing the additional resources President Barack Obama wants in order to hire more immigration judges and open additional detention facilities to deal with the border crisis. White House officials said they planned to send the more than $2 billion request to lawmakers on Tuesday.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that while the administration will allow the immigration review process to take place, officials so far don't expect many of the children arriving at the border to be able to stay in the U.S.
"It's unlikely that most of these kids will qualify for humanitarian relief," Earnest said. "It means they will not have a legal basis for remaining in this country and will be returned."
Still, it's unclear how quickly that process will unfold. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson acknowledged Sunday that such proceedings might be long delayed, and he said that coping with floods of unaccompanied minors crossing the border is a legal and humanitarian dilemma for the United States.
"Our border is not open to illegal migration, and we are taking a number of steps to address it, including turning people around faster," Johnson told NBC's "Meet the Press." At the same time, he said, the administration is "looking at ways to create additional options for dealing with the children in particular, consistent with our laws and our values."
Repeatedly pressed to say whether thousands of Central American children will be deported promptly, Johnson said, "We need to find more efficient, effective ways to turn this tide around generally, and we've already begun to do that."
Most are from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, where spikes in violence and poverty are prompting parents to send their children on difficult and dangerous journeys north.
Their numbers have overwhelmed federal agencies. When 140 would-be immigrants — mostly mothers with children — were flown to southern California to ease an overcrowded Texas facility, angry residents of Murrieta, California, greeted the bus as it pulled into town, complaining that they were being saddled with more than their share.
"This is a failure of diplomacy. It is a failure of leadership from the administration," said Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who sought the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, said the administration "is one step behind" a major dilemma that was foreseeable. The number of children coming from Central America without adults has been rising dramatically for several years.
A George W. Bush-era law to address human trafficking prevents the government from returning these children to their home countries without taking them into custody and eventually through a deportation hearing. Minors from Mexico and Canada, by contrast, can be sent back across the border more easily. The administration says it wants more flexibility under the law.
Johnson said the administration has dramatically sped up the processing of adults who enter the country illegally, and it is opening more detention facilities. He acknowledged that the unaccompanied children from Central America, some 9,700 taken into custody in May alone, pose the most vexing problem.
Unaccompanied Central American children generally are being released to relatives already in the United States. Mothers with their children often are released with a notice to appear later in immigration court.
Meanwhile, word of seemingly successful border crossings reaches their home countries, encouraging others to try.
Johnson said the U.S. government is trying to send the message that all people who enter the country illegally will face deportation proceedings eventually. In Central America, he said, "the criminal smuggling organizations are putting out a lot of disinformation about supposed free passes into this country" that will expire soon. "We're cracking down on the smuggling organizations by surging law enforcement resources," Johnson said.
Johnson and others are warning of the dangers that immigrants, and especially children, face when the try to reach the United States on their own. Johnson is scheduled to meet with Guatemalan officials later this week.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said children entering the country illegally must be sent home. If not, Graham said, "you're going to incentivize people throughout that part of the world to keep sending their children here."
Graham said foreign aid should be cut off to countries that don't do more to discourage illegal immigration to the United States.
Perry appeared on ABC's "This Week"; Cuellar was on CNN's "State of the Union"; Graham was on CBS' "Face the Nation."
___
Follow Charles Babington on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cbabington.
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· · · ·
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Is Puerto Rico going to default?
CNNMoney In court filings, they revealed that they collectively own more than $1.7 billion in Puerto Ricopower company bonds alone. The Isle of Enchantment's economy has been in rough shape for a while. Its unemployment rate is 13.8%, and the lowest rate its ... |
Puerto Rico's Department of Economic Development and Commerce is in the market for new entertainment options in the Caribbean island. ... Puerto Rico open to adding casinos to boost economy. July 3 ... “Roosevelt Roads promises extraordinary development opportunities that are made attractive by our tax incentives, a pro-business environment, skilled and competitive workforce, political stability and the benefits of a US jurisdiction,” said Malu Blázquez Arsuaga, ...
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4 shot at Houston festival, 2 hurt when leaving
The Southern HOUSTON (AP) — A man opened fire on an arena floor at a Caribbean music festival, wounding at least four people, police said, and two women were injured as the crowd rushed to flee the shooting. ... AP PHOTOS: China gives rare glimpse at naval ships ... and more » |
Navy Admiral on new era of warfare by CNNInternational
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Four-star Admiral Michelle Howard on the situation in Iraq and the Navy's possible role.
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Yields on Puerto Rico Bonds Jump, Prices Plummet - Fox Business Yields on Puert... by Puerto Rico Business News
Yields on Puerto Rico Bonds Jump, Prices Plummet - Fox Business
Yields on Puerto Rico Bonds Jump, Prices Plummet
Fox Business
After Puerto Rico's governor signed a law declaring a fiscal emergency, yields on the territory's junk bonds issued in …
Yields on Puerto Rico Bonds Jump, Prices Plummet - Fox Business
Yields on Puerto Rico Bonds Jump, Prices Plummet
Fox Business
After Puerto Rico's governor signed a law declaring a fiscal emergency, yields on the territory's junk bonds issued in …
Yields on Puerto Rico Bonds Jump, Prices Plummet - Fox Business
- Women head Puerto Rico’s public sector workforce http://t.co/uAbjnhq7MOhttp://t.co/Obqr7ISZuB
- Anguilla plans new int’l airport to lure direct flights http://t.co/okli6xy8y8http://t.co/iGeLG1mVop
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While improved security must certainly be part of any new strategy to combat drug trafficking, the policies of the U.S.-led “War on Drugs” have failed, and in many instances have only exacerbated violence levels. ... includes seven clauses of data and statistics that describe the growing rates of violence (70,000 killed in Mexico in the last seven years) in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the high number of drug users (close to 24 million people) in the United States.
By: Michael Lohmuller, Patrick Burchat, and Ryan Eustace
“We cannot continue to bury our head in the sand”, said Congressman Matt Salmon (R – AZ) on June 25 in regards to U.S. Drug Policy in the Western Hemisphere. During an event hosted by the Inter-American Dialogue and Organization of American States (OAS), Salmon, as well as Congressman Eliot Engel (D – NY) and Paul Simons—former Ambassador to Chile and the current Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD)—discussed a range of topics relating to violence and drug trafficking in Latin America. The most prominent amongst them was the need to establish accountability for U.S drug policy. To this end, the Congressmen have introduced Bill H.R. 4640, “The Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission Act”, calling for the creation of a commission to evaluate U.S. counter-narcotics spending in the hemisphere. The panel also held up Colombia as a model of success for fighting organized crime, calling it the “Shining Star” of the region and going on to say how it should be used as a surrogate to demonstrate to other Latin American countries what works. This, however, implies a continuance of current U.S. drug war policies given that Colombia has engaged in a lengthy process of militarization of its internal security. Indeed, Congressman Salmon suggested how he would like to see Mexico more engaged with improving security along its borders, and how the United States should bolster the security capacities of Central American nations. While improved security must certainly be part of any new strategy to combat drug trafficking, the policies of the U.S.-led “War on Drugs” have failed, and in many instances have only exacerbated violence levels. Latin American heads-of-state have increasingly acknowledged this and have called for a shift in strategy; most notably demonstrated in Uruguay with the recent legalization of marijuana. The conversation over drug policy is evolving, but U.S. policymakers are not keeping pace and continue to call for the evaluation and analysis of a broken strategy. While the Congressmen seemed certain about the effectiveness of their Bill and the merits of using Colombia as a model of success in Latin America, the realities of the narcotics trade in the Western Hemisphere are not as clear cut.
It’s Not Over Until We Say It Is
The U.S. spending to combat narcotics trafficking in the Western Hemisphere can be traced back to the Nixon administration in 1971; when the phrase “War on Drugs” was originally coined. In 2009, the head of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Gil Kerlikowske, urged the end of the use of “War on Drugs” and for the pursuit of drugs as a matter of public health.[1] These calls came as the result of the increase in Mexican cartel militancy as well as levels of violence in Central America; casting doubt on the effectiveness of Washington’s almost 40 year-old counter-narcotics efforts.[2]
This approach signaled a shift in U.S. drug policy and a slight concession that the War on Drugs, at least domestically, is a failure. Legalization of marijuana in states like Colorado and Washington is indicative of a growing recognition amongst the American public that policies need to change.[3] In 2013, 145 regional and global non-governmental agencies and human rights organizations, joined by various Latin American head of states, sent an open letter to President Obama criticizing Washington’s security policy towards the region. The letter declared that U.S. policies have only served to “promote militarization to address organized crime,” which have resulted in a “dramatic surge in violent crime, often reportedly perpetrated by security forces themselves.” [4] This letter is one of the many international voices that have joined the chorus of opposition to Washington’s current counter-narcotic efforts.[5]
Congressmen Engel and Salmon went on, unsurprisingly, to praise the recent House Bill, H.R. 4640, which they have been working on for how it addresses the “War on Drugs.” However, when evaluating the discussion surrounding H.R. 4640, “The Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission Act”, it is clear that opposition voices, no matter how loud and ubiquitous, have fallen on deaf ears. Congressmen Engel and Salmon both stressed, in the Bill and in the discussion, the need for further evaluation of the effectiveness of the $15.7 billion USD that the United States has already spent on the “War on Drugs.” A reading of Bill H.R. 4640 demonstrates that an evaluation of U.S. efforts in the “War on Drugs” is the only quasi-solution it proposes.[6]The exact procedure for this evaluation is best summarized in clause (4) subsection (a) of Section 4 titled Duties: “An evaluation of whether the proper indicators of success are being used to evaluate United States international illicit drug control policy.”[7] While the Act outlines evaluation protocols and timelines, there is no actual mention of concrete policy changes or even specific metrics for the measure of effectiveness. To oversee this evaluation, the Bill outlines the structure and creation of the Western Hemisphere Drug Commission.[8] This Commission would receive $2 million USD of the $15 million USD currently asked to be allocated for U.S. military aid to Pakistan. In other words the Bill proposes spending $2 million USD on a commission with a vague mandate and even vaguer metrics of measuring its effectiveness. While disappointing in its lackluster response to the impending issue of narcotic trafficking, the bill does, however, provide useful information. Section 2, titled Findings, includes seven clauses of data and statistics that describe the growing rates of violence (70,000 killed in Mexico in the last seven years) in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the high number of drug users (close to 24 million people) in the United States.[9]
These statistics are part of the endless evidence that indicates the failure of current U.S. drug policy. Despite the alarming statistics, this bill is one of few offered by U.S. policymakers that seeks to directly address the issue of drug trafficking. Congressman Engels reminded the crowd that gathered in the Rayburn Building on June 25 that this very same bill failed in 2009 because the Senate ignored it. He assured the audience, though, that this time around he was confident it would pass because of its priority as viewed by the Senate and bipartisanship when it comes to drug trafficking. However, Govtrack.us, a service that tracks bills in Congress, gives the Bill, as of July 2, a 38 percent chance of being enacted.[10] The Bill has currently passed sub-committee and committee markup in the House and is waiting to be passed by the House and Senate this summer. Even if this bill does make it through Congress this session, it hardly matters because it does not offer any sort of new or creative solution to an increasingly pressing issue.
Colombia: The Region’s “Shining Star”?
Besides their proposed evaluation, Congressmen Salmon and Engels offered another tellingly outdated insight into what members of Congress who deal with the Western Hemisphere envision as the best path forward for the region. Colombia was hailed as “the shining star in the region” and Congressman Engels implored Congress to increase their efforts to “support [President] Santos in every way possible.” By arguing that Colombia should be the model for the region, the Congressmen appeared to tacitly endorse the ongoing militarization Colombia is experiencing in order to ensure stability and stem the narcotics trade. However, increased militarization has proven to have brought on tremendous negative consequences for Colombia.
For the last 14 years Colombia has been the largest recipient of U.S. aid in the region under “Plan Colombia” in order to combat drug cartels and left-wing insurgents. Colombia’s internal strife, which has lasted five decades already, has displaced approximately 5.7 million people and left some 215,000 Colombians dead.[11] Yet the U.S. experience in Colombia demonstrates that the increasing militarization of policing functions in order to maintain internal security can also result in a plethora of civil and human rights abuses. It also incurs the temptation to use enhanced military capabilities for private goals. For example, former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe (2002-2010) was notorious for inciting espionage and smear campaigns against the country’s Supreme Court justices, political opponents, and civil society groups by U.S. funded and trained Colombian Intelligence operatives.[12] According to a 2012 Human Rights Watch report, both the military and the right-wing paramilitaries, such as the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), have been implicated in a long list of abuses. One of the most infamous was the “false positive” scandal where more than 3,000 civilians were killed by the military and later claimed to be “combatants killed in action”. The incident was largely attributed to pressure from the United States to produce empirical results to validate success. Colombia’s military has been affiliated with right-wing paramilitaries, who are accused of abetting human rights abuses, encompassing rape, murder, and torture.[13]
Most disheartening about Latin America’s “Shining Star” is that increased security efforts in Colombia have done nothing more than displace the illicit drug trade. The price and purity of drugs on U.S. streets has remained relatively stable, largely due to the fact that Colombian drug production, which has dominated the market in the 1990s, was displaced to other countries such as Peru, Bolivia, and parts of Central America.[14] This “balloon effect” has not eliminated the problem; it has merely moved its origin. As a result, the apparent success of Salmon’s “Shining Star”, Colombia, and “Plan Colombia” should not merely be questioned, but the horrible outcomes brought about by these efforts (i.e. fatalities, human rights abuses, etc.) should be considered when U.S. aid to the country is being contemplated.
A law passed in 1997 known as the Leahy Amendment bans U.S. funding of foreign military units that do not conform to international human rights standards[15]. Yet due to loopholes in its implementation, and elements of the Colombian military that exploited them, the Leahy Amendment has clearly failed in its mission to protect the innocent and defenseless[16]. With the Colombian armed forces and its affiliated right-wing paramilitaries accused of many human rights abuses, the U.S. government, which publicly condemns other regimes for similar abuses, must question the validity of holding Colombia up as a model for the rest of Latin America.
This is to say U.S. drug policy is not only regressive, but is currently divorced from reality, even dysfunctional, and that the debate surrounding it needs to involve more progressive solutions.
Conclusions
Many former and current Latin American heads of state, even some with conservative platforms, most notably Guatemala’s Otto Pérez Molina, have publicly advocated a move away from U.S. solutions based on militarization. First and foremost, the United States should listen to what its Latin American partners are suggesting, since they have to deal with the drug problem firsthand. While, during the event, Congressmen Engel did mention reform briefly, it is imperative that the U.S. look at meaningful reform. Before we can see a change in the status quo in regards to rates of drug use, drug trafficking, and the drug-related violence that goes with it, there needs to be a change in way policymakers think about the issue. While the future of Latin America was left very uncertain after the discussion on June 25, one thing was very apparent; when it comes to U.S. Drug Policy in the Western Hemisphere, U.S. policymakers still have their heads buried deep in the sand.
Michael Lohmuller, Patrick Burchat, and Ryan Eustace are Research Associates at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs.
Please accept this article as a free contribution from COHA, but if re-posting, please afford authorial and institutional attribution. Exclusive rights can be negotiated. For additional news and analysis on Latin America, please go to: <a href="http://LatinNews.com" rel="nofollow">LatinNews.com</a> and Rights Action.
Refrences
[1] Fields, Gary, “White House Czar Calls for End to “War on Drugs”,” The Wall Street Journal, May 14, 2009, http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB124225891527617397?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB124225891527617397.html
[2] Ibid.
[3] Shane, Scott, “Why Colorado and Washington Were Wise to Legalize Pot,” Entrepreneur, January 20, 2014, http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230942
[4] Main, Alex, “Obama and the Militarization of the “Drug War” in Mexico and Central America,” The Center for Economic Policy Research, May 7, 2013, http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/the-americas-blog/obama-and-the-militarization-of-the-drug-war-in-mexico-and-central-america
[5] “U.S. Facing Bold New Calls for “War on Drugs” Alternatives,” Council on Hemispheric Affairs, April 2, 2012, http://www.coha.org/u-s-facing-bold-new-calls-on-drug-war-alternatives/
[6] The United States House of Representatives, “H.R. 4640: The Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission Act,” (May 9, 2014), 113th Congress, 2nd Session,https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr4640/text
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] “H.R. 4640: Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission Act 2014,” Govtrack.us, May 9, 2014,https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr4640
[11]Arsesault, Chris. “Did Colombia’s war on drugs succeed?.” – Features. <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/05/did-colombia-war-drugs-succeed-201452264737690753.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/05/did-colombia-war-drugs-succeed-201452264737690753.html</a> (accessed June 30, 2014).
[12]Deyoung, Karen, and Claudia Duque. “U.S. aid implicated in abuses of power in Colombia.” Washington Post. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/national/national-security/us-aid-implicated-in-abuses-of-power-in-colombia/2011/06/21/gIQABrZpSJ_story.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/national/national-security/us-aid-implicated-in-abuses-of-power-in-colombia/2011/06/21/gIQABrZpSJ_story.html</a> (accessed June 30, 2014).
[13]Columbia -Country Summary.” Human Rights Watch: 1-7. <a href="http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/colombia_2012_0.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/colombia_2012_0.pdf</a> (accessed June 30, 2014).
[14]Arsesault, Chris. “Did Colombia’s war on drugs succeed?.”
[15]Kovalik, Dan. “U.S. Fueling Human Rights Abuses in Colombia in Violation of Its Own Laws.” The Huffington Post. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-kovalik/colombia-human-rights_b_1228349.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-kovalik/colombia-human-rights_b_1228349.html</a> (accessed June 30, 2014).
[16]Stokes, Doug. “The Weaknesses of U.S. Human Rights Monitoring in Colombia,” Colombia Journal, <a href="http://colombiajournal.org/the-weaknesses-of-u-s-human-rights-monitoring-in-colombia.htm" rel="nofollow">http://colombiajournal.org/the-weaknesses-of-u-s-human-rights-monitoring-in-colombia.htm</a> (accessed June 30, 2014).
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US Bond Funds Worried By Puerto Rico's New Debt Restructuring Law
Bidness Etc A new debt restructuring law passed by the Puerto Rican government has raised concerns among US bondholders and resulted in the stock prices of Municipal Bond Insurance Assoc. and Assured Guaranty Ltd. declining 10.44% and 9.12%. Click ticker to ... Radian investors mull Puerto Rico exposure (RDN)Seeking Alpha Will This Price Target Decrease Hurt Assured Guaranty (AGO) Stock Today?TheStreet.com all 3 news articles » |
On July 7, 1898, President William McKinley signed the Newlands Resolution which annexed the Republic of Hawai’i and created the Territory of Hawai’i. The annexation gave the U.S. use of Hawai’i as a military base during The Spanish-American War.
In her book Islanders in the Empire, Joanna Poblete writes:
Wanting total legal control in the islands, an imperial complex of U.S. military, government, and business leaders overthrew Queen Lili’uokalani in 1893 and supported the annexation of Hawai’i in 1898. Anglo-American efforts to completely overtake and transform the previous way of life in Hawai’i were completed when the islands became a U.S. Territory in 1900. Territorial status turned more than forty thousand Native Hawaiians into U.S. citizens without their consent. With the importation of laborers and investors for the growing sugar industry, Native Hawaiians quickly became a minority percentage of the population with little control over the politics and economics of their islands, a status which continues today. The sugar industry and the recruitment of non-Hawaiian laborers to the islands furthered the colonization of Native Hawaiians, denying their rights to self-determination and dispossessing these native peoples of their land. (11)
That same year, The Treaty of Paris gave congress control over Puerto Rico and the Philippines as well. While Hawai’i eventually became a state in 1959, Puerto Rico and the Philippines remain U.S. Territories with ambiguous political-legal status.
Poblete’s book examines the interconnected experiences of Filipino and Puerto Rican laborers in Hawai’i, their differing political-legal statuses, and interaction with Hawai’ian government structures to gain a greater understanding of U.S. imperialism.
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Moody’s affirms ratings of PR banks
Moody’s Investors Service has affirmed all the ratings of three Puerto Rican ban ...
 Pierluisi to raise bailout issue on Hill
Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi said he will raise the issue of a bailout ...
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Children of same-sex couples fare better when it comes to physical health and social well-being than children in the general population, according to researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia.
“It’s often suggested that children with same-sex parents have poorer outcomes because they’re missing a parent of a particular sex. But research my colleagues and I published in the journal BMC Public Health shows this isn’t the case,” lead researcher Simon Crouch wrote on the Conversation.
Crouch and his team surveyed 315 same-sex parents with a total of 500 children across Australia. About 80 percent of the kids had female parents and about 18 percent had male parents, the study states.
Children from same-sex families scored about 6 percent higher on general health and family cohesion, even when controlling for socio-demographic factors such as parents’ education and household income, Crouch wrote. However, on most health measures, including emotional behavior and physical functioning, there was no difference compared with children from the general population.
Crouch suggested the greater social cohesion among same-sex families comes from an equal distribution of work. He said same-sex couples are likely to share responsibilities more equally than heterosexual ones.
“It is liberating for parents to take on roles that suit their skills rather than defaulting to gender stereotypes, where mum is the primary care giver and dad the primary breadwinner,” he said.
But Benjamin Siegel, professor of pediatrics at the Boston University School of Medicine, said there are limits with such research. He told BU Today last year that none of the studies has been a randomized, controlled trial and that all studies on same-sex parenting are small since there aren’t as many same-sex parents.
The University of Melbourne study also pointed out a problem facing same-sex families: stigma.
According to the study, about two-thirds of children with same-sex parents experienced some form of stigma because of their parents’ sexual orientation. Despite these kids’ higher marks in physical health and social well-being, the stigma associated with their family structure was linked to lower scores on a number of scales. Crouch said stigmas ranged from subtle issues such as sending letters home from school addressed to a “Mr.” and “Mrs.” to more harmful problems such as bullying at school. The greater the stigma a same-sex family faces, the greater the impact on a child’s social and emotional well-being, Crouch said.
However, according to a report published by the American Academy of Pediatrics last year that analyzed three decades of data, children raised by gay and lesbian parents showed resilience “with regard to social, psychological and sexual health despite economic and legal disparities and social stigma.”
“Many studies have demonstrated that children’s well-being is affected much more by their relationships with their parents, their parents’ sense of competence and security, and the presence of social and economic support for the family than by the gender or the sexual orientation of their parents,” said Siegel, co-author of the American Academy of Pediatrics report.
Amid the last year’s Supreme Court arguments over same-sex marriage, researchers found that the quality of parenting and families’ economic well-being was more important than sexual orientation.
“I can tell you we’re never going to get the perfect science, but what you have right now is good-enough science,” Siegel said. “The data we have right now are good enough to know what’s good for kids.”
Lindsey Bever covers national news for Morning Mix, The Post's overnight news blog.
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July 7 Mon Jul 7, 2014 1:51pm EDT
July 7 (Reuters) - Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or PREPA, on Monday said the lenders providing it revolving lines of credit have agreed not to exercise their rights to seek certain remedies following a series of ratings downgrades and other recent events that have raised concern about PREPA's financial condition.
Under the agreement with the creditors, PREPA is permitted to delay certain payments currently due until July 31.
PREPA said it will use that period to continue talks with creditors and evaluate alternatives to improve its financial condition. During that period, all payments owed to employees and suppliers will continue as normal.
Prices on PREPA's 5.25 percent bonds due July 2040 <74526QVX7=MSRB > weakened to less than 37 cents on the dollar from Thursday's closing price of 40 cents on the dollar. (Reporting By Dan Burns)
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