andrew emett

Protect Children from Escalating Sexual Abuse

Originally published on August 4, 2014, at ForceChange.com

Target: Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India

Goal: Stop the rampant child sexual abuse and rape that is taking place in India

In the midst of India’s horrendous rape crisis, sexual abuse against children is rapidly spreading throughout the country. Although India’s government wrote into law the 2012 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, local authorities have been extremely lax in enforcing its provisions. Preferring to ignore the issue, the authorities have exposed these children to increasing acts of rape, torture, and murder.

Recently, an Indian teacher was arrested for raping a 6-year-old student. The school had failed to verify a background check on the accused teacher, who had been fired from another school for inappropriately touching his female students. The school’s chairman was arrested for attempting to destroy evidence, while two of the police officers who mocked the victim’s parents were transferred to another district.

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CIA Director Caught Lying and Hacking Senate Computers

Originally published on August 3, 2014, at NationofChange.org

U.S. Senators are calling for the resignation of CIA Director John Brennan after the Inspector General reported the CIA hacked computers belonging to members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. After hacking into classified files regarding their Rendition, Detention, and Interrogation (RDI) program, CIA Director Brennan denied his agents committed the cyber attack while accusing the Senate Intelligence Committee of breaching CIA firewalls.

In 2009, former CIA Director Leon Panetta authorized access to millions of documents to the intelligence committee’s chairwoman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Documenting the RDI program between the years 2001—2006, the reports gave a damning account of kidnapping, torture, and murder committed by CIA operatives. At the same time, Panetta ordered the CIA to conduct its own investigation into the documents, now referred to as the Panetta Review.

The documents reveal CIA officials had lied to intelligence committees regarding the effectiveness of using enhanced interrogation techniques to extract valuable information. CIA operatives and contractors had exceeded their authority in numerous instances by torturing detainees to death.

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Repair Failing Water Infrastructure

Originally published on August 2, 2014, at ForceChange.com

Target: United States Senate

Goal: Repair the U.S. water infrastructure before the rapidly deteriorating pipes cause a catastrophe

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, approximately 240,000 water main breaks occur each year across the United States. With our pipes growing too old and not being replaced, broken water mains have been responsible for numerous mudslides, floods, and droughts. Engineers believe the number of broken water mains will only increase with each year until we improve our rapidly deteriorating system.

With most of California’s reservoirs less than half full, the state cannot afford to lose any more water. The increasing risk of broken water mains places states like California on the precarious edge of a drought. Failing pipes have caused mudslides in California, sinkholes in Florida, and multiple floods across the U.S.

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Six Cops Arrested for Corruption in Philadelphia

Originally published on August 2, 2014, at NationofChange.org

The FBI arrested 6 Philadelphia narcotics officers on charges of extortion, racketeering, kidnapping, conspiracy, robbery, and drug dealing. The indictment includes over 20 separate incidents in which the narcotics unit broke the law. Abusing their authority, these police officers allegedly beat suspects, falsified reports, and stole over $500,000 worth of cash, drugs, and merchandise.

The 6 accused officers, Thomas Liciardello, Perry Betts, Michael Spicer, Brian Reynolds, John Speiser, and Linwood Norman, came under investigation after the FBI arrested Philadelphia narcotics officer Jeffrey Walker in May 2013. Officer Walker asked a confidential informant to help him rip off a drug dealer. Instead, the informant tipped off the FBI and participated in the sting against Walker.

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Stop Sexual Assault in the Military

Originally published on August 1, 2014, at ForceChange.com

Target: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

Goal: Reform the military’s broken system of punishing sexual assault victims for reporting heinous crimes

Sexual assault victims within the military are speaking out against the abusive treatment they have received immediately after reporting their rape. Many of their attackers receive light sentences or honorable discharges without a criminal record of the offense. Victims also accuse superior officers of interfering with investigations in order to lower their sexual assault statistics.

The military’s chain of command has failed to implement congressional and statutory mandates designed to reduce sexual assault. After reporting the assault, many victims receive verbal abuse and further unwanted sexual advances. Their attackers are often convicted for adultery instead of rape.

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Liberia Closes Borders as 3rd American is Infected with Ebola

Originally published on July 31, 2014, at NationofChange.org

In a desperate attempt to reduce the spread of Ebola, Liberia has closed its borders, declared public gatherings illegal, and placed entire communities under quarantine. While the death toll escalates across West Africa, an increasing number of medical workers have also contracted the highly contagious virus including 2 Americans. A third American died of the disease in Nigeria last week.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has closed all but 3 of her country’s borders to halt the outbreak from spreading to other countries. Border crossings into Guinea and Sierra Leone remain open. The first reports of the West Africa Ebola outbreak appeared in Guinea back in February before spreading to Liberia and Sierra Leone. Guinea’s neighbor, Senegal immediately closed its land border to protect its people from the contagion.

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Save Critically Endangered Amur Leopards

Originally published on July 28, 2014, at ForceChange.com

Target: Vladimir Putin, President of Russia; Xi Jinping, President of China

Goal: Stop the poaching and logging practices that are driving Amur leopards into extinction

Only a couple dozen Amur leopards survive in the wildernesses of China and Russia. Illegal poaching and forest logging are threatening to kill the last remaining Amur leopards. Without help from the Chinese and Russian governments, these rare and beautiful creatures will rapidly become extinct.

Poachers primarily hunt Amur leopards for their spotted pelts. They also poach animals that the leopards need to hunt as prey. By killing off their food supply, the Amur leopards will eventually starve to death.

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NSA Colluding with Abusive Saudi Arabian Secret Police

Originally published on July 27, 2014, at NationofChange.org

While the U.S. State Department denounces human rights abuse in Saudi Arabia, the NSA is secretly helping the oppressive state police to capture and torture political activists. A 2013 NSA memo exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden reveals the NSA has been providing surveillance assistance to the Saudi Ministry of Interior (MOI) in exchange for signals intelligence on terrorists and “Maritime Force targets of mutual interest.”

According to the NSA memo, relations between the US and Saudi intelligence communities had become strained after the first Gulf War in 1991. The NSA experienced years of stagnation while attempting to work with the Saudi Ministry of Defense, Radio Reconnaissance Department. But in December 2012, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper authorized sharing SIGINT with MOI’s Technical Affairs Directorate.

Influenced by the CIA’s successful relationship with the MOI’s General Directorate for Investigations, Mabahith (equivalent to the FBI), Clapper strengthened the NSA’s faltering relations with the Saudi state police. By providing technical assistance and decryption tools to the MOI, Clapper gave the Saudi government the ability to improve their surveillance systems and spyware against political dissidents, bloggers, and human rights activists.

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UK Announces Public Inquiry into Russian Spy’s Poisoning

Originally published on July 25, 2014, at NationofChange.org

Blaming Russia for the deaths of the 298 passengers aboard Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, including 10 passengers from the UK, the British government has announced a public inquiry into poisoned former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko. Seeking justice for her husband’s murder, Marina Litvinenko has met resistance from the British government until recent actions in the Ukraine and deteriorating diplomatic relations with Russia.

While investigating the assassination of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, former FSB agent Litvinenko met with three former KGB officers at the Millennium Hotel in London on November 1, 2006. Forensic evidence has revealed Litvinenko’s teacup had been poisoned with the radioactive isotope, polonium-210. Enduring intense agony, Litvinenko entered a hospital and eventually died of heart failure 22 days later.

Before his death, Litvinenko revealed the names of his killers: Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, the former KGB officers who had tea with him, and Vladimir Putin, the man who had ordered his execution.

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Demand Samsung Stop Worker Abuse and Child Labor

Originally published on July 25, 2014, at ForceChange.com

Target: Boo-Keun Yoon, CEO of Samsung Group

Goal: Provide Samsung employees in China and Korea with safe work environments and put an end to illegal child labor practices

To keep costs down, Samsung regularly commits worker abuse in its cell phone factories. Exposed to harmful chemicals without the required safety equipment, hundreds of employees have developed serious medical conditions. Children illegally working in the plants are forced to work 11 hours a day, six days a week while earning less than their older counterparts.

Workers often do not receive protective gear, such as masks or gloves, when operating unsafe equipment or coming into contact with toxic chemicals. Samsung does not even provide safety training for their employees in Korea, China, and around the world.

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