I was going to open this post with a statement that I don’t tend to get too political on this site, but then I laughed internally, for I actually do get quite political on this site. I guess, perhaps, the framework of how and why is a little different this time. I’ll be cross-posting this on The Coalition of the Brave for good measure (check out that site, and you’ll see that this post is actually quite well-suited to that site, but I’m doing so here too, to capture the widest possible audience).

Trump Green-lights an Invasion

Of course, Trump will suggest he did no such thing, but at the same time (in almost the same breath), he admitted the actions of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not surprise him. What are Erdogan’s actions? Turkish forces have pushed into northern Syria to take over Kurdish territory in the war-torn country. The Kurds were allies of the US in the fight against IS, but Trump has abandoned them, destabilising the region in the process. IS prisoners have escaped prisons in the area, as Kurdish guards have been forced to flee. Didn’t Trump promise to defeat IS, yet here he is, blindly ignoring a problem he has created, that could allow them to thrive once more?

So why is Trump doing this? Is it about bringing US troops home? Or is it more sinister? Russia, a long-standing ally of Syria, might get more involved, though it’s hard to see why this would benefit Turkey, though dealing with the Kurds would possibly benefit Syria too. The Trump family might benefit via their long-standing business interests in Turkey, and Trump has sought to ease or prevent sanctions upon Turkey for weapon purchases – from Russia – in the past. In effect, it certainly looks like Trump is following the money, selling out allies in the process, and enabling ethnic cleansing.

Uganda’s ‘Kill the Gays’ law

You read the title correctly. This is more or less what a piece of legislation looks like, that the Ugandan government is discussing – it was nearly passed in 2014, and now there is another attempt to get the law passed, which is expected to succeed.

I often get into discussions that bemoan LGBT rights and question why things like Pride marches happen. Well, this is why. There are parts of the world where being gay can cost you your job. There are parts of the world where it can cost you your life. To those who say it’s a choice, why would anyone choose to be LGBT in a country that has the death penalty on its books?

That this kind of mentality can still exist in 2019 is shameful, and damming, and should not go unchallenged.

China is Islamophobic

Obviously not every Chinese person will be Islamophobic. In fact, the average Chinese person probably doesn’t even know what’s going on in regard to the Uighur Muslims living in China. The Chinese government maintains a heavy hand upon the entire nation, a hand now extended to utilising concentration camps and the persecution of Muslims, because China simply isn’t fond of any ideology that isn’t Communism. This policy has even led to burial sites being destroyed, about as demeaning and low a move as can be.

The world is curiously silent on this issue. It’s not a shock to anyone who follows either site that I am no lover of organised religion, but this doesn’t mean I support persecution and ethnic cleansing, which is exactly what’s going on in China. This is a serious problem that needs to be shouted about.