Features

Trump Star prosecution witness in espionage case – against himself

Published

3 years ago

2023/07/2

Thilina Walpola

President Biden – Retire with Great Honors?

by Vijaya Chandrasoma

Joseph Robinette Biden, Jnr., born on November 20 1942, has not led the life of an ordinary octogenarian. It is more a saga of unspeakable tragedy, grief, disease, combined with a character of resilience, courage and tenacity, which has enabled him to overcome the misfortunes of the past and reach the pinnacles of success in his chosen career.

Raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania and educated at the Universities of Delaware and Syracuse Law, New York, Biden married Neilia Hunter in 1966. They had three children. He turned to politics and was elected to the US Senate from Delaware in 1972. A month later, his wife and daughter were killed and his two sons seriously injured in a car accident. He contemplated suspending his political career, but was persuaded to remain in the Senate, the longest-serving Senator from Delaware.

In 1977, Biden married Jill Jacobs, an educator, and they have one daughter. As a Senator, Biden focused on foreign relations, criminal justice and drug control. In 1988, Biden ran for the Democratic presidency, but withdrew for health reasons. He ran again in 2008, but his political campaign never gained momentum. When Obama won the Democratic nomination, he named Biden as his running mate. The Obama-Biden ticket defeated Republicans McCain-Palin in November 2008. They were re-elected for a second term when they defeated Romney-Ryan handily in 2012.

Yet another tragedy struck Biden’s life in 2015, when his eldest son, Beau, died of brain cancer. Losing a wife and one child is the ultimate tragedy any man should have to endure. Losing a second child is unbelievable torture.

Biden was high in the favorability ratings for the presidency in 2016, with his candor, affability and five-decade long experience in politics, including eight years of outstanding service as Vice President in the most successful and scandal-free Obama administration.

However, with his wife, Jill and President Obama at his side in the Rose Garden, Biden said that “the window for a successful campaign has closed”, consequent to the family’s grief on Beau’s death.

In addition to these tragedies, Biden suffered two life-threatening brain aneurysms in 1988. In February, he underwent microsurgical craniotomy at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The chances of surviving the surgery were more than 50%, but “the chances of waking up with serious deficits were even more concerning”.

Biden was kept completely isolated during his recovery. However, he suffered a second brain aneurysm in May. The surgeon said before the operation that his chances of recovering from a second aneurysm were not great.But recover he did. By August, he was pronounced “fully recovered” and was given the OK by his doctors to return to normal life, a return to Congress.

Dr. Neal Kassell, who performed the surgery nearly three decades ago. said that Biden shows no signs of brain damage “either from the hemorrhage or from the operations he had. He is every bit as sharp as he was 31 years ago. I can tell you with absolute certainty that he has no brain damage whatsoever”.

A statement made in 2019, four years ago, before Biden won the presidency.

Biden proved that his brain was indeed as sharp as a needle when he “stole” the 2020 election from Republican incumbent Donald J. Trump. The perfect crime, as he defeated the self-confessed “greatest president in the history of the United States” by the popular vote of seven million votes, and an Electoral College margin of 302/236.

Trump disputed the result and has refused to concede, claiming that he had indisputable evidence of election fraud. The Dominion voting machines had been manipulated with lasers by Jews from outer space to change Trump votes to Biden. Venezuelan friends of long dead President Hugo Chavez had bribed Republican election officials in the swing states. Finally, he had documentary proof that dead people voted for Biden in large numbers in Pennsylvania. Strangely, all these dead voters were Democrats.

His lawyers submitted 60 cases of election fraud, which were all dismissed for lack of a shred of evidence by the Justice System, including the Trump controlled Republican Supreme Court.

Thousands of Trump patriots staged a peaceful protest on January 6, 2021, at the Capitol, to challenge the stolen 2020 election. They implored Vice President Pence to act according to the Constitution and declare the 2020 election null and void. No violence whatsoever, just a bunch of tourists enjoying a picnic at the Capitol grounds. After all, their beloved leader had gained international recognition over the years as the Law and Order President.

This is the version of the worst attack on the nation’s democracy propagated by Trump and his MAGA (Make America Great Again) Republicans. An account against all video evidence of a violent insurrection, with threats to lynch Vice President Pence. An insurrection Trump incited, for which he is now facing imminent indictment and arrest for sedition.

Pence certified the election of President-elect Biden, in defiance of the orders of his leader, at the risk to his life and that of his family. Pence is the unlikely unsung hero who saved the democracy of the country on that fateful day.

The law stipulates that top-secret and classified documents belong to the government and have to be returned to the National Archives when the outgoing president vacates the White House.Trump had stolen boxes of classified and top-secret documents when he left the White House, storing them in insecure locations at his properties in Mar a Lago, Florida and Bedminster, New Jersey. He was requested to return these to the NARA on numerous occasions. When he refused, the FBI raided Mar a Lago, with the authority of a subpoena, and seized most of the stolen boxes of documents stored in insecure locations.

Trump, in his defense, acknowledged that he had taken and retained these top-secret documents, but had declassified all of them, some telepathically. However, he denied that stealing and refusing to return government documents, classified or not, is against the law, claiming that the documents belonged to him in his capacity of president.

He has been charged, indicted and arrested of stealing and refusing to return top-secret documents belonging to the government, on 37 felony counts under the Espionage Act.Special Counsel, Jack Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Garland to investigate the charges, has been gifted with a star witness to the Prosecution: Donald J. Trump, himself.

Last Monday, a Summer 2021 audio recording of a Trump speech at a meeting at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club was released. The attendees did not have security clearance to access classified information. Actually, neither did Trump.

At this meeting, Trump was waving documents which he said gave details of a US plan to attack Iran during his presidency. He acknowledged that he had held on to these classified, top-secret Pentagon documents, undercutting his earlier lies that he had declassified all documents illegally retained by him.

His latest defense against what seems to be a blatant act of espionage is that he was just trying to impress the audience by lying to “show off”, it was “sheer bravado”. He had done nothing wrong, the documents he was waving were just magazine articles, newspaper clippings and personal documents. Lies completely at variance with his statements in the audio.

In spite of these new alleged crimes, added to his past convictions, Trump still leads the polls for the Republican nomination. Polls have always been a snapshot of time. Trump’s currently and seemingly superiority in the numbers have recently been shown signs of plummeting like the Titan submersible. His candidacy will probably implode similarly before long.

It sure looks like Trump’s luck is running out. Last Tuesday, the Supreme Court delivered what has been hailed as one of the most consequential rulings since the framing of the constitution. A ruling that preserves the integrity of future presidential elections, the cornerstone of our democracy, by preventing state legislatures from interfering or playing any role in these elections. This was the loophole Trump used in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election. The strategy he would have tried again in 2024, with even more violence, had he been the Republican candidate who lost that presidency.

After his arrest under the Espionage Act, Trump thundered that “Biden will forever be remembered as the worst president in history, and, even more importantly, together with a band of his closest thugs, misfits and Marxists, tried to destroy American democracy”.

There has never been a better example of classic projection, the insane hallucination that his enemy has committed the exact crimes of which he is guilty.

Biden inherited from the Trump administration an economy teetering on recession, a raging pandemic and a completely polarized nation plagued with racial and religious violence. Predictably, Trump accepted no responsibility for this economic failure, systemic racism and polarization. It was always someone’s else fault, according to Trump.

President Biden has delivered 30 months of productive legislation. The economy is improving. Unemployment figures are at their lowest levels, with over 13 million new jobs being added to date. Inflation is high but under control. The enactment of his American Rescue Plan, Part 1 of his Build Back Better Framework, has already given immediate financial assistance to Americans reeling under the vagaries of the pandemic.

The Act also addresses climate change, income equality and the rebuilding of the country’s crumbling infrastructure. His Build Back Better Framework promises to rebuild the backbone of the country, the middle class, by making the billionaires and corporations pay their fair share for the development of the nation.

However, in the past few weeks, Biden has shown mental and physical deterioration – more verbal gaffes than normal, stumbling (thrice) climbing airline steps, falling over a sandbag; and these are only examples of decay seen when the cameras were on him. My concerns are not entirely about age. They are about the symptoms Biden is showing as a result of the extreme grief of his personal tragedies and long-term after-effects of brain aneurysms, symptoms of cognitive problems, muscle weakness and numbness, imbalance, which may well get worse, come November 2024, still 16 months away.

The problem for Democrats will arise if conservative, non-MAGA Republicans dump Trump and nominate a pre-Trump brand of a conservative Republican. Former Arkansas Governor, Asa Hutchinson, former Texas Congressman, Will Hurd, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, among many others, fit the bill and have already declared their candidatures. More will follow, as Trump’s fortunes keep declining.

So the Democratic choice is clear. We could continue with our historic tendency to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory – as we did in 2000 and 2016. Gore and Hillary Clinton conceded when they should have kept on fighting, while the results of both elections were hardly conclusive. They both won the popular vote by 500,000 and three million, respectively.

Or we could get serious about winning, and come to terms that the odds of Biden remaining capable of handling the exigencies of the toughest job in the world for four more years from 2024, or speaking candidly, even remaining alive till the end of his second term, are zero to nothing.

We should therefore persuade Biden to retire, with great honors, with universal gratitude for his magnificent service to the nation for over a half century, in the face of unspeakable personal tragedy and life-threatening health episodes.

However, if Biden insists on contesting a second term, then we should encourage Democratic candidates from an extremely talented pool – Harris, Newsom, Buttigieg, Whitmer, Klobuchar, Warren, Goldman, and many others – to challenge him in the primaries. According to the polls today, 64% of Democratic voters don’t want Biden to run, but will vote for him if there is no viable alternative.

So let the voters nominate, through the primaries, that viable alternative they seek as the Democratic candidate for 2024. Any one of the Democrats named above will defeat a contender from a Party which came damn close to destroying our democracy in 2020.

A likely series of future progressive Democratic administrations will enable us to continue with the progressive, Woke, if you will, movement initiated by Roosevelt, followed by Clinton, Obama and Biden, never to forget Bernie Sanders.

The movement which will finally ease us into the 21st century, and join all the other developed nations of socialist democracy, whose citizens enjoy a high degree of social justice and economic equality. Which we, as the citizens of the richest and most powerful nation in the world, have been denied for too long.

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Features

Crucial test for religious and ethnic harmony in Bangladesh

Published

12 hours ago

2026/02/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

A political protest that led to governmental change in Bangladesh mid last year. (photograph: imago)

Will the Bangladesh parliamentary election bring into being a government that will ensure ethnic and religious harmony in the country? This is the poser on the lips of peace-loving sections in Bangladesh and a principal concern of those outside who mean the country well.

The apprehensions are mainly on the part of religious and ethnic minorities. The parliamentary poll of February 12th is expected to bring into existence a government headed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamist oriented Jamaat-e-Islami party and this is where the rub is. If these parties win, will it be a case of Bangladesh sliding in the direction of a theocracy or a state where majoritarian chauvinism thrives?

Chief of the Jamaat, Shafiqur Rahman, who was interviewed by sections of the international media recently said that there is no need for minority groups in Bangladesh to have the above fears. He assured, essentially, that the state that will come into being will be equable and inclusive. May it be so, is likely to be the wish of those who cherish a tension-free Bangladesh.

The party that could have posed a challenge to the above parties, the Awami League Party of former Prime Minister Hasina Wased, is out of the running on account of a suspension that was imposed on it by the authorities and the mentioned majoritarian-oriented parties are expected to have it easy at the polls.

A positive that has emerged against the backdrop of the poll is that most ordinary people in Bangladesh, be they Muslim or Hindu, are for communal and religious harmony and it is hoped that this sentiment will strongly prevail, going ahead. Interestingly, most of them were of the view, when interviewed, that it was the politicians who sowed the seeds of discord in the country and this viewpoint is widely shared by publics all over the region in respect of the politicians of their countries.

Some sections of the Jamaat party were of the view that matters with regard to the orientation of governance are best left to the incoming parliament to decide on but such opinions will be cold comfort for minority groups. If the parliamentary majority comes to consist of hard line Islamists, for instance, there is nothing to prevent the country from going in for theocratic governance. Consequently, minority group fears over their safety and protection cannot be prevented from spreading.

Therefore, we come back to the question of just and fair governance and whether Bangladesh’s future rulers could ensure these essential conditions of democratic rule. The latter, it is hoped, will be sufficiently perceptive to ascertain that a Bangladesh rife with religious and ethnic tensions, and therefore unstable, would not be in the interests of Bangladesh and those of the region’s countries.

Unfortunately, politicians region-wide fall for the lure of ethnic, religious and linguistic chauvinism. This happens even in the case of politicians who claim to be democratic in orientation. This fate even befell Bangladesh’s Awami League Party, which claims to be democratic and socialist in general outlook.

We have it on the authority of Taslima Nasrin in her ground-breaking novel, ‘Lajja’, that the Awami Party was not of any substantial help to Bangladesh’s Hindus, for example, when violence was unleashed on them by sections of the majority community. In fact some elements in the Awami Party were found to be siding with the Hindus’ murderous persecutors. Such are the temptations of hard line majoritarianism.

In Sri Lanka’s past numerous have been the occasions when even self-professed Leftists and their parties have conveniently fallen in line with Southern nationalist groups with self-interest in mind. The present NPP government in Sri Lanka has been waxing lyrical about fostering national reconciliation and harmony but it is yet to prove its worthiness on this score in practice. The NPP government remains untested material.

As a first step towards national reconciliation it is hoped that Sri Lanka’s present rulers would learn the Tamil language and address the people of the North and East of the country in Tamil and not Sinhala, which most Tamil-speaking people do not understand. We earnestly await official language reforms which afford to Tamil the dignity it deserves.

An acid test awaits Bangladesh as well on the nation-building front. Not only must all forms of chauvinism be shunned by the incoming rulers but a secular, truly democratic Bangladesh awaits being licked into shape. All identity barriers among people need to be abolished and it is this process that is referred to as nation-building.

On the foreign policy frontier, a task of foremost importance for Bangladesh is the need to build bridges of amity with India. If pragmatism is to rule the roost in foreign policy formulation, Bangladesh would place priority to the overcoming of this challenge. The repatriation to Bangladesh of ex-Prime Minister Hasina could emerge as a steep hurdle to bilateral accord but sagacious diplomacy must be used by Bangladesh to get over the problem.

A reply to N.A. de S. Amaratunga

A response has been penned by N.A. de S. Amaratunga (please see p5 of ‘The Island’ of February 6th) to a previous column by me on ‘ India shaping-up as a Swing State’, published in this newspaper on January 29th , but I remain firmly convinced that India remains a foremost democracy and a Swing State in the making.

If the countries of South Asia are to effectively manage ‘murderous terrorism’, particularly of the separatist kind, then they would do well to adopt to the best of their ability a system of government that provides for power decentralization from the centre to the provinces or periphery, as the case may be. This system has stood India in good stead and ought to prove effective in all other states that have fears of disintegration.

Moreover, power decentralization ensures that all communities within a country enjoy some self-governing rights within an overall unitary governance framework. Such power-sharing is a hallmark of democratic governance.

Features

Celebrating Valentine’s Day …

Published

12 hours ago

2026/02/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating love, romance, and affection, and this is how some of our well-known personalities plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day – 14th February:

Merlina Fernando (Singer)

Yes, it’s a special day for lovers all over the world and it’s even more special to me because 14th February is the birthday of my husband Suresh, who’s the lead guitarist of my band Mission.

We have planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day and his Birthday together and it will be a wonderful night as always.

We will be having our fans and close friends, on that night, with their loved ones at Highso – City Max hotel Dubai, from 9.00 pm onwards.

Lorensz Francke (Elvis Tribute Artiste)

On Valentine’s Day I will be performing a live concert at a Wealthy Senior Home for Men and Women, and their families will be attending, as well.

I will be performing live with romantic, iconic love songs and my song list would include ‘Can’t Help falling in Love’, ‘Love Me Tender’, ‘Burning Love’, ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’, ‘The Wonder of You’ and ‘’It’s Now or Never’ to name a few.

To make Valentine’s Day extra special I will give the Home folks red satin scarfs.

Emma Shanaya (Singer)

I plan on spending the day of love with my girls, especially my best friend. I don’t have a romantic Valentine this year but I am thrilled to spend it with the girl that loves me through and through. I’ll be in Colombo and look forward to go to a cute cafe and spend some quality time with my childhood best friend Zulha.

JAYASRI

Emma-and-Maneeka

This Valentine’s Day the band JAYASRI we will be really busy; in the morning we will be landing in Sri Lanka, after our Oman Tour; then in the afternoon we are invited as Chief Guests at our Maris Stella College Sports Meet, Negombo, and late night we will be with LineOne band live in Karandeniya Open Air Down South. Everywhere we will be sharing LOVE with the mass crowds.

Kay Jay (Singer)

I will stay at home and cook a lovely meal for lunch, watch some movies, together with Sanjaya, and, maybe we go out for dinner and have a lovely time. Come to think of it, every day is Valentine’s Day for me with Sanjaya Alles.

Maneka Liyanage (Beauty Tips)

On this special day, I celebrate love by spending meaningful time with the people I cherish. I prepare food with love and share meals together, because food made with love brings hearts closer. I enjoy my leisure time with them — talking, laughing, sharing stories, understanding each other, and creating beautiful memories. My wish for this Valentine’s Day is a world without fighting — a world where we love one another like our own beloved, where we do not hurt others, even through a single word or action. Let us choose kindness, patience, and understanding in everything we do.

Janaka Palapathwala (Singer)

Janaka

Valentine’s Day should not be the only day we speak about love.

From the moment we are born into this world, we seek love, first through the very drop of our mother’s milk, then through the boundless care of our Mother and Father, and the embrace of family.

Love is everywhere. All living beings, even plants, respond in affection when they are loved.

As we grow, we learn to love, and to be loved. One day, that love inspires us to build a new family of our own.

Love has no beginning and no end. It flows through every stage of life, timeless, endless, and eternal.

Natasha Rathnayake (Singer)

We don’t have any special plans for Valentine’s Day. When you’ve been in love with the same person for over 25 years, you realise that love isn’t a performance reserved for one calendar date. My husband and I have never been big on public displays, or grand gestures, on 14th February. Our love is expressed quietly and consistently, in ordinary, uncelebrated moments.

With time, you learn that love isn’t about proving anything to the world or buying into a commercialised idea of romance—flowers that wilt, sweets that spike blood sugar, and gifts that impress briefly but add little real value. In today’s society, marketing often pushes the idea that love is proven by how much money you spend, and that buying things is treated as a sign of commitment.

Real love doesn’t need reminders or price tags. It lives in showing up every day, choosing each other on unromantic days, and nurturing the relationship intentionally and without an audience.

This isn’t a judgment on those who enjoy celebrating Valentine’s Day. It’s simply a personal choice.

Melloney Dassanayake (Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2024)

I truly believe it’s beautiful to have a day specially dedicated to love. But, for me, Valentine’s Day goes far beyond romantic love alone. It celebrates every form of love we hold close to our hearts: the love for family, friends, and that one special person who makes life brighter. While 14th February gives us a moment to pause and celebrate, I always remind myself that love should never be limited to just one day. Every single day should feel like Valentine’s Day – constant reminder to the people we love that they are never alone, that they are valued, and that they matter.

I’m incredibly blessed because, for me, every day feels like Valentine’s Day. My special person makes sure of that through the smallest gestures, the quiet moments, and the simple reminders that love lives in the details. He shows me that it’s the little things that count, and that love doesn’t need grand stages to feel extraordinary. This Valentine’s Day, perfection would be something intimate and meaningful: a cozy picnic in our home garden, surrounded by nature, laughter, and warmth, followed by an abstract drawing session where we let our creativity flow freely. To me, that’s what love is – simple, soulful, expressive, and deeply personal. When love is real, every ordinary moment becomes magical.

Noshin De Silva (Actress)

Valentine’s Day is one of my favourite holidays! I love the décor, the hearts everywhere, the pinks and reds, heart-shaped chocolates, and roses all around. But honestly, I believe every day can be Valentine’s Day.

It doesn’t have to be just about romantic love. It’s a chance to celebrate love in all its forms with friends, family, or even by taking a little time for yourself.

Whether you’re spending the day with someone special or enjoying your own company, it’s a reminder to appreciate meaningful connections, show kindness, and lead with love every day.

And yes, I’m fully on theme this year with heart nail art and heart mehendi design!

Wishing everyone a very happy Valentine’s Day, but, remember, love yourself first, and don’t forget to treat yourself.

Sending my love to all of you.

Features

Banana and Aloe Vera

Published

12 hours ago

2026/02/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

To create a powerful, natural, and hydrating beauty mask that soothes inflammation, fights acne, and boosts skin radiance, mix a mashed banana with fresh aloe vera gel.

This nutrient-rich blend acts as an antioxidant-packed anti-ageing treatment that also doubles as a nourishing, shiny hair mask.

* Face Masks for Glowing Skin:

Mix 01 ripe banana with 01 tablespoon of fresh aloe vera gel and apply this mixture to the face. Massage for a few minutes, leave for 15-20 minutes, and then rinse off for a glowing complexion.

* Acne and Soothing Mask:

Mix 01 tablespoon of fresh aloe vera gel with 1/2 a mashed banana and 01 teaspoon of honey. Apply this mixture to clean skin to calm inflammation, reduce redness, and hydrate dry, sensitive skin. Leave for 15-20 minutes, and rinse with warm water.

* Hair Treatment for Shine:

Mix 01 fresh ripe banana with 03 tablespoons of fresh aloe vera gel and 01 teaspoon of honey. Apply from scalp to ends, massage for 10-15 minutes and then let it dry for maximum absorption. Rinse thoroughly with cool water for soft, shiny, and frizz-free hair.