California Goes Broke, Halts $3.5 Billion in Payments

February 4, 2009 at 7:26 am (Uncategorized)
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California, the eighth largest economy in the world, is broke.

“People are going to be hurt starting today,” said Hallye Jordan, speaking on behalf of the state Controller. “There’s no money.”

Since state legislators failed to meet an end of January deadline on an agreement to make up for California’s $40 billion budget gap, residents won’t be getting their state tax rebates, scholarships to Cal Grant college will go unpaid, vendors invoices will remain uncollected and county social services will cease.

At least, temporarily. Services and payments will resume once state legislators come to an agreement on the budget.

“This time, there are real-world consequences,” said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the California Department of Finance, in a report by KCRA in Sacramento. “Because we have not been able to get to a budget agreement, payments aren’t going to be made.”

“This is an issue of fairness,” said Assemblyman Ted Gaines, R-Roseville, in the KCRA report. “It hurts hardworking families the most. Refunds, in fact, will stimulate the economy, and taxpayers need their money.”

“Included are $515 million in payments to the state’s vendors and $280 million to help people with developmental disabilities. Other public assistance agencies will be left waiting for hundreds of millions of dollars,” reports CNN. “Other public assistance agencies will be left waiting for hundreds of millions of dollars.”

“I see the will during the negotiations even though these are very, very tough things that we talk about, where we go into areas that we have never, ever dreamt of going into and trying to solve,” said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “So you will be very surprised when the whole thing is done. We’re still not there yet. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done but we are moving slowly forward with this process.”

“If there is no deal by Friday, state government workers will take their first furlough day,” reports the San Diego Union Tribune. “Schwarzenegger has ordered state employees to take two days off a month without pay through June 2010 to save about $1.4 billion.

“‘We’re really hoping we can work out a compromise that helps the governor achieve the savings he wants while minimizing the disruption to state services and to the lives of the employees who provide the services,’ said Jim Zamora, spokesman for the Service Employees International Union, Local 1000, which represents the state’s largest employee union with 90,000 workers.”

“Some 46 states face budget shortfalls, forcing them to slash funding for many services,” reported CNN. “But California, the largest state in the union by population, faces a deficit that totals more than 35% of its general fund.”

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LOCAL COMMUNITY LEADER MOST RECENT VICTIM OF U.S. WAR ON TERROR POLICIES

October 7, 2008 at 8:04 am (Uncategorized)
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Civil Liberties Defense Initiative (student-led initiative at UCLA School of Law)

LOS ANGELES – In a gross miscarriage of justice, a leader in Southern California’s Iranian American community faces denaturalization and up to 9 years in prison. On April 24, 2008, Seyed Mousavi — father of two UCLA students — was convicted of filing false tax returns, omitting group membership on naturalization forms, and violating the U.S.’s economic embargo against Iran.

His sentencing hearing is on Monday, October 6. Substantial evidence has been uncovered supporting a motion for retrial.

To that end, at Monday’s sentencing hearing Mousavi will present evidence of his innocence. From community members to concerned law students, there has been an outpouring of community support for Mousavi in what has become an extremely politicized trial.

For the last 20 years, Mousavi has been a major contributor to the well-being of the Muslim community in Southern California.

He is the founder of Al-Nabi Mosque in West Covina and a non-profit organization that has built bridges across religious divides. Under Mousavi’s leadership, Al-Nabi Mosque has been groundbreaking in developing English curriculum for recent immigrants, recognizing the unique issues facing American-Muslim youth, and preaching the virtue of inclusion and acceptance.

In addition to teaching in the school, Mousavi serves as a mentor for youth. More than 100 community members have written letters in Mousavi’s defense. Those who have known him as a friend, colleague, and mentor describe him as having changed their lives.

Though not charged with or convicted of acts of terrorism, the prosecution has painted Mousavi with the broad brush of “terrorist.” The government claims that Mousavi broke the embargo with Iran, and is demanding a sentence of up to 9 years primarily because of this charge.

Mousavi is alleged to have engaged in a consulting contract with a Kuwaiti company to bring cellular telephone networks to Iran. However, the sentence recommended by the government far exceeds what they have uniformly agreed to even for corporations which provided overtly military related products.

As a result, this is a case of selective prosecution. The U.S. government invoked unsubstantiated assertions, xenophobia and “secret evidence” of terrorism early-on in the case. The government also claims Mousavi was a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, though both the government of Iran and several experts deny this.

full article: www.insight-info.com

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Petition of Support for Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi

June 18, 2008 at 5:09 am (Uncategorized)
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There is a petition to sign in favor of Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi who is one of Southern California’s Islamic leaders. He was arrested and convicted of crimes that he did not commit and this petition is directed to the judge for the purpose of leincy in sentencing. Here is a link to the petition:

http://seyedmousavi.com/index.php

supreme court

Here is a little bit about his life:

Seyed Mahmood Mousavi is a U.S. citizen originally from the country of Iran.  Mr. Mousavi is a family man, and a tireless servant of the Muslim community in Southern California, where he has dedicated himself to the well-being and advancement of all.

Mr. Mousavi was one of the founders of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, established in 1995.  This organization’s goals are to promote communication, understanding, cooperation, and coordination among the Muslim communities in Southern California.  The organization works toward the unity of all Muslims. 

In the year 2000, Mr. Mousavi founded the Hejrat Foundation – a religious, educational, and charitable organization – in Southern California.  The mission of this organization is to educate and aid people: to educate Muslims and non-Muslims about Islam and issues that affect their lives and the world in which they live; to encourage positive social progress; to build unity between all people; and to fill the needs of Muslims and non-Muslims in Southern California.  

Under the Hejrat Foundation, Mr. Mousavi currently administrates several organizations.  One of these is the Al-Nabi Mosque, which is in West Covina, California.  There, regular programs are held to educate the community in religious, cultural, humanitarian, legal, national, and international issues. There, a wide range of speakers from many different backgrounds are invited to speak on the various topics of interest and need.  Mr. Mousavi also administrates the Islamic cemetery and burial facilities in Adelanto, California.

His family is academically oriented.  Both he and his wife attained higher degrees, and instilled the love of learning in their children.  The oldest child is married and living overseas with his new family.  There, he is pursuing further studies.  The second child has attended top universities on scholarships that she was awarded for her scholastic excellence.  She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Electrical Engineering.  The third child is graduating this year with her Bachelor’s degree.  She is an active volunteer in such worthy causes as hospitals and a camp for young cancer patients.  She hopes to attend Medical School.  The youngest child is graduating from High School this year, and will be attending a well-respected university.  He has been active in debate clubs and founded a robotics club at this school.  Last year, during summer vacation, he conducted research with a professor of a high-ranking university.  He spends his spare time tutoring other students. 

And here is what happened in his case:

http://seyedmousavi.com/page.php?id=20

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U.S. veterans struggle with war stress

May 28, 2008 at 4:43 am (Uncategorized)
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The latest and most comprehensive study of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has concluded that nearly 1 in every 5 veterans is suffering from depression or stress disorders and that
many are not getting adequate care.

war veteran

The study shows that mental disorders are more prevalent and lasting than previously known, surfacing belatedly and lingering after troops have been discharged.

Rand Study: Nearly one in five of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer depression or stress

An estimated 300,000 veterans among the nearly 1.7 million who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are battling depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. More than half of these people,
according to the study conducted by the Rand Corp., are slipping through the cracks in the bureaucratic system, going without necessary treatment.

The Rand study underscores one of the lessons of modern counterinsurgency conflicts: Such wars may kill fewer troops than traditional fighting but can leave deeper psychological scars.

Screening techniques for stress disorders are vastly improved from previous wars, making comparisons with Vietnam, Korea or World War II difficult. But a chief difference is that in Iraq and Afghanistan all service members, not just combat infantry, are exposed to roadside bombs and civilian deaths. That distinction subjects a much wider swath of military personnel to the stresses of war.

“We call it ‘360-365’ combat,” said Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense. “What that means is veterans are completely surrounded by combat for one year. Nearly all of our
soldiers are under fire, or being subjected to mortar rounds or roadside bombs, or witnessing the deaths of civilians or fellow soldiers.”

Military officials praised the Rand study, saying that its findings were consistent with their own studies, and said it would reinforce efforts to try to improve mental health care. Veterans Affairs
officials, while questioning the study’s methodology, said their department had intensified efforts to find discharged service members suffering from mental disorders.

The Rand Study was undertaken for the California Community Foundation, which also has funded other programs for returning veterans. Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the Army surgeon general, said the study would help draw the nation’s attention.

“They are making this a national debate,” Schoomaker said.

The Army previously has said that an estimated 1 in 6 service members suffered from a form of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, a slightly lower rate than the Rand study found. In addition to current PTSD rates, the Rand study found that 19.5% of people who had served in Iraq or Afghanistan suffered a concussion or other traumatic brain injury during their combat tour, a number similar to Army estimates.

Taken together, the study shows that 31% of those who have served in combat have suffered from brain injury, stress disorder, or both.

Combat-related mental ailments and stress can lead to suicide, homelessness and physical health problems. But more mundane disorders can have long-term social consequences.

Full article

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