BY Dr. Paul Kengor | MAY 13, 2015 The man who could redefine marriage A recent profile of Justice Anthony Kennedy begins with this: "The Irish Catholic boy who came of age in Sacramento after World War II is an unlikely candidate to be the author of the Supreme Court's major gay rights rulings. But those who have known Justice Anthony Kennedy for decades and scholars who have studied his work say he has long stressed the importance of valuing people as individuals." Well, like Kennedy, I'm also Catholic, and I likewise value all people as individuals, including gay people--as does my Roman Catholic Church and Pope Francis. But why must we, therefore, reject our faith's millennia-old, traditional-natural-biblical teaching on marriage as between one man and one woman? That's the question, and not just for Catholics but countless non-Catholic Christians. For Catholics faithful to their Church's teachings, the Justice Kennedy scenario is increasingly maddening, if not dismaying. They are looking at the prospect of marriage being redefined in America based on the swing vote of this lifelong Catholic. They're not optimistic, especially given Kennedy's shockingly relativistic views expressed in previous major court decisions. The most notorious was Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), which enshrined Roe v. Wade as the law of the land. There, Kennedy led the majority with this breathtaking proclamation: "At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life." That line was crafted by a Supreme Court majority that included three Reagan-Bush (first Bush) appointees, all of them Christians: Anthony Kennedy (Catholic), Sandra Day O'Connor (Episcopalian), and David Souter (Episcopalian). The authorship is usually attributed to Kennedy. Joining his slim 5-4 majority were John Paul Stevens and Harry Blackmun, who authored the original Roe decision, which he slowly crafted inside the United Methodist Church building next to the Supreme Court. Of course, in truth, this is plainly not the Christian/Catholic understanding of liberty. What Kennedy and allies expressed is a totally non-Christian (arguably anti-Christian) and completely individualistic understanding. If you're looking for a slogan for what both Pope Francis and his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, called the dictatorship of relativism, that statement is it. Kennedy's formulation of liberty is a radical secular progressive's understanding; a progressive would argue that definitions of liberty and everything else are always changing and evolving, and always up to the person or the culture of the moment. If Anthony Kennedy's persists in this damaging misunderstanding of liberty, next using it to justify legalized gay "marriage" on top of legalized abortion, then he could serve as a poster boy for Christian churches' colossal failure in properly teaching the laity. We shall see. On the plus side for faithful Catholics, the four likely votes against gay marriage are all Catholic: Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia, and (perhaps) John Roberts. Tellingly, the four most probable "yes" votes for redefining marriage will come from Sonia Sotomayor--a secular, non-practicing Catholic--and Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Elena Kagan--all of which, to my knowledge, are non-practicing, non-orthodox Jews. Who says religion doesn't matter? The presence or lack thereof, or level of devoutness, is at the heart of where America--from everyday citizens to justices on the high court -- stands on this unprecedented cultural novelty called "gay marriage." Finally, an added insight into Justice Kennedy's role at this crucial historical stage in the life of America: As noted, Kennedy was a Reagan appointee. Also nearly a Reagan appointee was Bill Clark, to whom Reagan quietly offered the Supreme Court vacancy that instead went to Sandra Day O'Connor in July 1981. Clark and Reagan were extremely close. Reagan as governor appointed Clark (his chief of staff in Sacramento) all the way through the California court system in the 1970s, including to the state's supreme court. There in Sacramento, Clark had a close relationship with a fellow Irish Catholic, Anthony Kennedy, who served there on the federal bench. The two had a regular one-on-one lunch together. As Clark's biographer, I was privy to his deep concerns over Kennedy's decisions at the U.S. Supreme Court. He told me often that Kennedy was a man "unusually influenced" by his immediate surroundings. Clark was very humble, but he believed that if he would have accepted Reagan's offer for the seat that went to O'Connor, he could have kept Kennedy on a path of judicial restraint and constitutionalism that (among other things) would have had Kennedy voting for the side of Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey Sr. (a pro-life Democrat) in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Clark himself likely would have authored that majority decision, which could have been a 6-3 decision. Alas, it was not meant to be. Clark instead became Reagan's national security adviser, where, as head of the National Security Council, he and his president laid out a remarkably bold and successful plan to defeat Soviet communism and win the Cold War. No small achievement. For Clark, it was a great regret that he wasn't there on the court to reverse Roe v. Wade in 1992, but, ultimately, he understood that he could only do so much. Clark's calling--what he and Reagan called "The DP," or "The Divine Plan"--was to win a Cold War, not to take on this element of the Culture War. The Culture War, unfortunately, was left to the likes of Anthony Kennedy. Bill Clark died in August 2013. His old friend Anthony Kennedy is very much alive and active. For Clark, his solid Catholic education, both Augustinian and Franciscan, was central to all of his thinking. He would never have been so bold as to redefine liberty as the "right" to define one's own meanings of human life and existence, and Clark certainly would not have rendered unto himself the right to redefine marriage. Will Justice Kennedy do so? Hey, if he has already averred that one has a right to define one's own meanings of human life and existence, then why can't one devise one's own meanings of marriage? All of America watches in anxious anticipation to see how this Irish Catholic boy from Sacramento decides. In many ways, tragically, the future of marriage resides in the hands of this one man. It should not be. Dr. Paul Kengor is professor of political science and executive director of The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College. His latest book is 11 Principles of a Reagan Conservative. His other books include The Communist: Frank Marshall Davis, The Untold Story of Barack Obama's Mentor and Dupes: How America's Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century.

A recent profile of Justice Anthony Kennedy begins with this: "The Irish Catholic boy who came of age in Sacramento after World War II is an unlikely candidate to be the author of the Supreme Court's major gay rights rulings.

Louis C.K. has just addressed claims by 5 women that he either asked to expose himself, masturbated in front of them, or did so over the phone. He acknowledges the women were all telling the truth, and goes on to explain his conduct and the error of his ways. "I want to address the stories told to the New York Times by five women named Abby, Rebecca, Dana, Julia who felt able to name themselves and one who did not. These stories are true. At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my dick without asking first, which is also true. But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your dick isn't a question. It's a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly. I have been remorseful of my actions. And I've tried to learn from them. And run from them. Now I'm aware of the extent of the impact of my actions. I learned yesterday the extent to which I left these women who admired me feeling badly about themselves and cautious around other men who would never have put them in that position. I also took advantage of the fact that I was widely admired in my and their community, which disabled them from sharing their story and brought hardship to them when they tried because people who look up to me didn't want to hear it. I didn't think that I was doing any of that because my position allowed me not to think about it. There is nothing about this that I forgive myself for. And I have to reconcile it with who I am. Which is nothing compared to the task I left them with. I wish I had reacted to their admiration of me by being a good example to them as a man and given them some guidance as a comedian, including because I admired their work. The hardest regret to live with is what you've done to hurt someone else. And I can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt I brought on them. I'd be remiss to exclude the hurt that I've brought on people who I work with and have worked with who's professional and personal lives have been impacted by all of this, including projects currently in production: the cast and crew of Better Things, Baskets, The Cops, One Mississippi, and I Love You Daddy. I deeply regret that this has brought negative attention to my manager Dave Becky who only tried to mediate a situation that I caused. I've brought anguish and hardship to the people at FX who have given me so much The Orchard who took a chance on my movie. and every other entity that has bet on me through the years. I've brought pain to my family, my friends, my children and their mother. I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want. I will now step back and take a long time to listen. Thank you for reading."

Louis C.K. has just addressed claims by 5 women that he either asked to expose himself, masturbated in front of them, or did so over the phone.

By Brad Wilmouth | May 4, 2009 12:18 AM EDT On ABC's World News Saturday, and the same day's CBS Evening News, correspondents suggested that conservative positions on social issues were responsible for the Republican party's recent electoral misfortunes, as the two programs filed stories about an appearance in Arlington by Jeb Bush, Eric Cantor and Mitt Romney as part of an effort to rebuild the party's appeal. ABC cited a recent ABC News / Washington Post poll showing only 21 percent of Americans identify themselves as Republicans, while CBS cited a Pew Research poll finding the number had dropped from 30 percent in 2004 to 23 percent currently. After a soundbite of Jeb Bush explaining that Republicans needed to spend more time "listening," "learning," and "upgrading our message," ABC's Rachel Martin contended that "That means moving hot-button social issues like abortion and gay marriage to the side, and shifting the focus to health care, education and the economy." And, ignoring the fact that a substantial number of moderate House Democrats have taken conservative positions on issues like guns and abortion to win in their own conservative leaning districts, CBS's Kimberly Dozier more directly charged that conservative positions on such issues by Republicans had hurt the party: "The trio notably avoided controversial touch stones like gun rights or abortion, which are blamed for driving away moderates and independents." Notably, 65 House Democrats recently sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder stating their opposition to a new assault weapons ban.

On ABC's World News Saturday, and the same day's CBS Evening News, correspondents suggested that conservative positions on social issues were responsible for the Republican party's recent electoral misfortunes, as the two programs filed stories about an appearance in Arlington by Jeb Bush, Eric Cantor and Mitt Romney as part of an effort to rebuild the party's appeal.

President Bush's departure from office inspired many calls for a public accounting for his contentious interrogation, detention, and spying policies. Accountability's proponents debate the merits of congressional scrutiny , independent blue-ribbon commissions , and old-fashioned criminal prosecutions . They praise these remedies as boons to our international standing and our dedication to the rule of law. But few, if any, acknowledge a need for another kind of reckoning: What are we doing to compensate the people harmed by our overbroad security policies? Shouldn't a national accounting do more than just burnish our nation's standing--and make up to those actually harmed by overzealous counterterrorism policies? Early policy responses to 9/11 were necessarily improvised and implemented with inadequate information. Officials feared fresh attacks. They were willing to sacrifice a good deal to procure information. Many still claim they were right to act quickly and boldly, inadvertently affirming that initial policies were less than deliberate. Whether you think that first wave of counterterrorism responses was responsible or reckless , there is now little debate they were overzealous in scope. In the United States, hundreds of Arabs and South Asians were detained under our immigration laws. Many were deported as a precautionary measure, leaving behind fractured families. No one was charged with terrorism offenses. In Afghanistan, the administration rejected the military's traditional screening process for battlefield detainees, resorting to bounty hunters to stock up on inmates for Guantanamo. Abandoning initial screening mechanisms, the administration reduced the risk of letting the guilty wriggle free but also increased the risk of seizing and detaining innocents. Terrorism imposes two kinds of harm. Some people are hurt directly in an attack. Others are harmed in the government's rush to respond. Any conversation about government accountability for post-9/11 zealousness should address the latter as well as the former. These two kinds of harm are not identical. Few believe that terrorism and counterterrorism are morally equivalent. Terrorism's victims are harmed by unalloyed evil. Even civil liberties advocates concede that the moral calculus of counterterrorism's victims is more complex. But whatever the moral differences, it should not preclude empathy and compassion for both sorts of victim. Both types of victims deserve to be made whole. Yet to this point, the victims of the 9/11 attacks have been compensated while counterterrorism's collateral victims remain unrecognized. Indeed they are told, time and again, that the courthouse doors are closed to them, that while mistakes may be regrettable, they are not grounds for compensation. Eleven days after the attacks, Congress created by statute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. Under Kenneth Feinberg's management, the fund compensated 7,300 victims in exchange for their agreement to waive damages actions. (A handful decided not to accept funds and still pursue remedies in court.) Terrorism's victims are also winning in the courts. Just last December, the 7 th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a $156 million judgment against groups alleged to have funded Hamas based on the death of an American teenager. Counterterrorism's collateral victims have suffered a very different fate. The U.S. government steadfastly refuses to acknowledge that it has detained anyone wrongly at Guantanamo, even after conceding it has no evidence against some of them. It has never apologized to those erroneously " rendered " to other countries for torture. Families broken up by post-9/11 sweeps still wait in vain for official recognition of their pain. Nor do counterterrorism victims find much sympathy in the courts. True, some plaintiffs have prevailed in lower courts. (Former detainee Jose Padilla last week won an important initial ruling from a federal district court in California, enabling his suit against former Department of Justice lawyer John Yoo to proceed.) In its first intervention on the issue, the Supreme Court recently went out of its way to stress that civil actions against national security officials should rarely, if ever, be allowed to go to trial, much less go on to judgment. Seven years after 9/11, not one of the possible and deserving plaintiffs has secured a favorable judgment. Perhaps we should not be surprised when politically attractive (mostly white) terror victims win victories in Congress and the courts while those (mostly nonwhite) tainted by unfounded claims of terrorist association find no place at the compensation table. Tellingly, perhaps, the one case of counterterrorism collateral damage the Department of Justice has agreed to settle involves a white plaintiff, Brandon Mayfield, arrested on the basis of sloppy forensic work in the wake of the March 2004 Madrid train bombing. Whatever differences may exist between terrorism's two kinds of victims, the racialized gulf separating them is unjustified. Indeed, counterterrorism's potential victims are especially compromised because no private insurance market exists for them akin to the terrorism insurance market that businesses use. Compensation must be part of the accountability conversation. It should also be on the legislative agenda, although it will likely take presidential initiative to get there. Redress for counterterrorism's collateral damage will have powerful positive consequences on U.S. security policy. In his Cairo speech , President Obama recognized the urgent need to foster political support and diminish anti-Americanism in the Muslim world. He aims, clearly, to diminish the support for al-Qaida that the prior administration sometimes inflamed. The idea of compensation for the collateral damage of national security policies is hardly new. Nor is the idea that such compensation yields security gains. As Vice President Biden explained in 2007, discussing the ponderous and halfhearted efforts to pay back Afghans harmed by U.S. airstrikes, compensation goes a long way toward tamping down local resentments and builds support for U.S. efforts. And small gestures can have vast repercussions in this arena. The appointment of Egyptian-born Dahlia Mogahed to a White House advisory council reaped fulsome praise in the Arab press. A small gesture is all that is needed. The 1988 legislation apologizing and authorizing reparations for the World War II internment of Japanese-Americans granted only $20,000 a person in damages but made a compelling moral statement. Compared with the $48.5 billion intelligence budget in 2008 (only part of what's spent on national security), this is a drop in the bucket. Compensation brings complicated line-drawing problems. Who is "innocent" enough to warrant reparations? The U.S. government has largely rejected the use of criminal proceedings for terrorism suspects, making it especially hard to sift the innocent from the more culpable. Worse, it continues, implausibly, to deny all wrongdoing. So there is no official tally of erroneous actions. Opponents of compensation will pounce on this to complain that even a minimal risk of funds flowing to a person linked to terrorism is unacceptable. Compensation for counterterrorism's victims would also flush out bias against Muslims and Arabs that may be distorting government's thinking. Say it was possible to introduce a compensation law. Say, like the 1988 legislation responding to the Japanese internment, it neither confirmed nor denied government error. What possible reason would there be to oppose it? The financial impacts would be minimal, the gains to public diplomacy significant. It would be foolish to think that legislators now stand eager to pass this proposal. Rather, it will be up to President Obama to show leadership, just as he did in Cairo. Taking the leap on compensation would wrong-foot those who have criticized his failures on government accountability. And he would build worthwhile allies in both domestic and foreign Muslim communities, where crucial parts of his national security policy will be tested. The president can also lead by example without congressional aid. He can begin by settling now-pending damages cases to show the right course and direct his Justice Department to reopen cases dismissed on procedural grounds. In doing so, he would simply be heeding the wise advice of that other Illinois senator-turned-president. Lincoln once advised: "It is the duty of Government to render prompt justice against itself in favor of its citizens as it is to administer the same between private individuals." In the diverse post-9/11 world, it's past time to extend that privilege to the citizens and noncitizens who became the jetsam of our flawed and overbroad counterterrorism policies.

But few, if any, acknowledge a need for another kind of reckoning: What are we doing to compensate the people harmed by our overbroad security policies?

A black female doctor was greeted with racism as she offered to help a sick passenger on a Delta flight. Tamika Cross, a doctor who is completing her residency at McGovern Medical School at University of Texas-Houston, tried to help a sick passenger on a Delta flight flying to Houston from Detroit, but was told to "sit down" by a stewardess. The condescending Stewardess called Cross "sweetie" and explained that they didn't believe she was a doctor. The stewardess proceeded to ask an older white man for his help instead. Later on, Cross showed her credentials, to which the Stewardess still expressed disbelief. After the situation worsened, the stewardess approached Cross and begged her for her help and offered her free air miles to make up for her insulting behavior. Cross took to Facebook and ripped Delta apart for their blatant racism. Recounting the story, Cross remembered the stewardess dismissing her and saying they needed real doctors. "I raised my hand to grab her attention. She said to me 'oh no sweetie put ur (sic) hand down, we are looking for actual physicians or nurses or some type of medical personnel, we don't have time to talk to you.'" "I tried to inform her that I was a physician but I was continually cut off by condescending remarks," she said. After receiving no help, they requested the help of a physician over the ship's intercom. Cross promptly pressed the button to get the attention of the cabin crew. "She said 'oh wow you're an actual physician?' I reply yes. She said, 'let me see your credentials.'" "'What type of Doctor are you? Where do you work? Why were you in Detroit?' (Please remember this man is still in need of help and she is blocking my row from even standing up while bombarding me with questions)." Around that time, an older white male doctor was selected over Cross. Cross made it clear that this wasn't a situation that could be smoothed over by simple air miles. "I don't want skymiles in exchange for blatant discrimination. Whether this was race, age, gender discrimination, it's not right" she said. Delta issued a statement on Thursday, saying that they were investigating the incident and that "discrimination of any kind is never acceptable."

A black female doctor was greeted with racism as she offered to help a sick passenger on a Delta flight.

A 24-year-old Syrian woman became enslaved in one of the largest sex-trafficking networks ever discovered in neighboring Lebanon. She recounted her story and nine-month ordeal to The Guardian. Rama (not her real name) left war-torn Syria on a promise of a restaurant job in Lebanon, at a wage of $1,000 a month. She was smuggled into Lebanon but then beaten until she surrendered to becoming a prostitute, a tactic apparently used on many women. The Guardian Reports: Rama said she learned from the other women at the shelter that that was how many of them were brought to the house, some living there for four years. Their torture often consisted of being tied to a table that was set up like a crucifix, and beaten with a cable. If they fainted, they were shocked into consciousness with an electric prod. The women, 29 of whom lived in Chez Maurice with the others in a nearby house, were forced to have sex as many as 10 times a day on weekdays. Rama said the number of customers often doubled on weekends. She said women who had not yet lost their virginity when they arrived at the shelter had their hymens broken with a bottle. Those who said no to customer requests, including for unprotected sex, had marks registered under their names by the female guards in the house, and would be punished with beatings. They had to collect at least $50 in tips from customers a day, and that money - as well as the hourly rate the brothel charged -- was all confiscated from the women. Rama said the women told each other in hushed tones the story of two other women who died in the house, and were buried in unmarked graves before she arrived. When [Imad al-] Rihawi, the network's alleged enforcer [and a former interrogator in Syria's feared air force intelligence service], heard them discussing the tale, he beat one of the women 95 times on her legs with a cable, she said. She said the women who got pregnant after having unprotected sex with customers were taken to have abortions, which are illegal in Lebanon, often months into the actual pregnancy. Police officials have arrested the doctor responsible, who operated a clinic in the northern Beirut suburb of Dekwaneh, where investigators say he performed as many as 200 abortions on women enslaved in the network. The women worked in two shifts between 9am and 6am the following day. Many had lost family members in war, or otherwise had nobody to look after them, Rama said. Some of the girls were as young as 18 and the oldest were in their mid-30s. On a day when the brothel was closed for business, Rama and four other women wrestled with one of the guards and escaped. The network that enslaved Rama had run for four years and enslaved 75 Syrian women. The women who came in were sometimes sold for less than $2,000, and one woman was sold by her husband for $4,500. The case has sparked a conversation over Lebanon's penal code on prostitution. There have been no sex-trafficking convictions since late 2011, and the laws in place have not adequately protected women. With over a million refugees already having fled to Lebanon because of the war in Syria, many believe the Lebanese government needs to make a greater effort to stop the country's rise in Syrian child workers, prostitution and sex trafficking. You can read more here . -- Posted by Donald Kaufman.

A 24-year-old Syrian woman became enslaved in one of the largest sex-trafficking networks ever discovered in neighboring Lebanon.

(LifeZette) Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel said that GOP voters overwhelmingly want Congress to support President Donald Trump and the legislative agenda he campaigned on in 2016 during an interview Monday on "The Laura Ingraham Show." Ronna Romney McDaniel/IMAGE: YouTube McDaniel noted mail the RNC receives from Republican voters across the country each day express a high degree of "frustration" with the inability or unwillingness of GOP lawmakers to pass the president's legislative agenda. With the 2018 midterm elections coming around the corner, the RNC chairwoman warned Republican members of Congress who have refused to support Trump's agenda are ripe for an upset. "And I will tell you, it is overwhelmingly 'Congress needs to support this president,'" McDaniel said of the feedback she receives from Republican voters. "And so what I say to people as I travel the country is, 'We were sent President Trump, and voters gave us a Senate and a House so President Trump could accomplish his agenda.' And they want to see Congress working with this president." "And there is a jeopardy in 2018 if we can't accomplish the things that we ran on," McDaniel continued. "How do we make a case to the voters to give us the majority again? So as Party chair, I'm going to be vocal because I'm very concerned about what happens in the midterms if we can't fulfill the promises we ran on in 2016." McDaniel responded to vocal anti-Trump Sen. Jeff Flake's (R-Ariz.) recent criticisms accusing Trump of destroying the Republican Party and blaming the rise of populism for an onslaught against conservatism. Noting that she is from Michigan -- a state that shocked the country on Election Day when it backed Trump -- the RNC chair said Trump "resonated in my state in a way that no other Republican candidate had in my lifetime." "When [Trump] talked about fair trade, when he talked about jobs, when he talked about wages -- and now look how that's translating on the national stage. Unemployment is down, we added a million jobs, we pulled out of bad trade deals that were hurting the American people," McDaniel said. "So, I don't know what Senator Flake is talking about on this front. I think President Trump has grown our Party and I think certainly he's fulfilled those promises to the people of Michigan who voted for him and wanted to see change in Washington." When Ingraham asked McDaniel if the RNC could punish Flake for his attacks on the president by backing a primary opponent against him in 2018, the RNC chair said that it could be done only if "the three national committee people come together and basically create a presumptive nominee for the primaries" using Rule 11. "They need to have another candidate that they supported and our three RNC members would have to agree on that other candidate for Rule 11 to apply. But it is in our bylaws," McDaniel said. "We're going to stay in Arizona no matter who comes out of the primary. We need to be preparing for the general." Even if the RNC chooses not to back a primary challenger of Flake's, McDaniel warned that 2016 offered a dangerous precedent for senators who refused to back Trump or backed him weakly -- particularly in the case of former Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.). "If you look at 2016, the senators that did not sport the president ... they fell short in those Senate races. And so there is a cautionary tale there. Voters want you to support the president and his agenda," McDaniel said. "If we can maintain majorities, we will help the president accomplish his agenda. and it may take the 2018 elections to get the type of Congress in place that will accomplish the president's agenda." McDaniel also addressed the most recent scandal the Democratic National Committee (DNC) fielded when reports surfaced that Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's (D-Fla.) former IT staffer Imran Awan was arrested on bank fraud charges after attempting to flee to Pakistan. Schultz served as DNC chair until she resigned amid other scandals in 2016. "I'd already be behind bars if I did what Debbie Wasserman Schultz has done with Imram Awan," McDaniel said. "We're not hearing about it anywhere on the mainstream media. If this was a Republican, they would be convicted and they would be behind bars already. I mean, it's so ridiculous the way this story has been treated versus how it would be treated if it were a Republican. And it highlights the hypocrisy right now of the mainstream media." Republished with permission from LifeZette via iCopyright license.

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel said that GOP voters overwhelmingly want Congress to support President Donald Trump and the legislative agenda he campaigned on in 2016 during an interview Monday on "The Laura Ingraham Show."

Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), co-chairman of the House Climate Solutions Caucus, blasted President Trump for mocking climate change in a tweet suggesting the U.S. could use "a little bit of that good old Global Warming" to heat up the Northeast, calling Trump's comment "misleading" and dismissive of "dangerous risks" for the environment. "If this isn't a joke it should be," Curbelo tweeted. "Average global temperatures are rising; so are sea levels. That's not good for S. FL. It was a mistake to leave the #ParisAgreement & it's misleading to cite the temperature on any given day to dismiss dangerous risks posed by CO2 emissions." If this isn't a joke it should be. Average global temperatures are rising; so are sea levels. That's not good for S. FL. It was a mistake to leave the #ParisAgreement & it's misleading to cite the temperature on any given day to dismiss dangerous risks posed by CO2 emissions. https://t.co/N9gp545Tea -- Carlos Curbelo (@carloslcurbelo) December 29, 2017 The Hill added : Curbelo represents a left-leaning district that voted for Hillary Clinton by a 16-point margin last November. So far, Curbelo is the lone Republican to criticize the president's Thursday night tweet, which has drawn backlash from a number of Democrats.

Average global temperatures are rising; so are sea levels.

Sleep is an essential part of being human. As each day comes to a close, most of us retire to bed with intentions of resting and recharging for the next day. It may surprise you to know that approximately 33 percent of our lives are spent sleeping, and inevitably, dreaming. So, why is it that some dreams are good, some are nightmares, and all take so long to dream but almost no time at all to explain? Since so much of our lives are dedicated to sleeping and dreaming, it's important that we understand the science behind the stories created by our sleeping minds. 1. Sleep , 2. Brain Scan , 3. Sigmund Freud , 4. Pods , 5. TED Talk , 6. Worldwide , 7. Dream State Caitlin Phillips is a freelance writer spending her summer in Budapest, Hungary.

Since so much of our lives are dedicated to sleeping and dreaming, it's important that we understand the science behind the stories created by our sleeping minds.

One man died but since he was receiving first aid at the site before the vehicle hit, police say it is not clear whether his death was directly linked. The driver of the van, identified only as a 48-year-old white man, was arrested by the police. Worshippers had gathered around a man who had fallen ill outside Welfare House when the van hit the pedestrians. June 19, 2017. ( TRT World and Agencies ) A van ploughed into worshippers outside the Muslim Welfare House near Finsbury mosque in London mosque on Monday. At least 10 people were injured in what the Muslim Council of Britain said was a deliberate act of Islamophobia and the authorities are investigating as a terror attack. One man, who was already being given first aid at the scene before the vehicle was driven into pedestrians, has died but police said it was not clear whether his death was directly linked. Eight others are in the hospital, with two in a very serious condition. The driver of the van, a white man aged 48, was detained by members of the public and then arrested by the police. Attack targeted the ordinary and the innocent: May British Prime Minister Theresa May while addressing the nation said hatred and evil would never succeed. She said police had confirmed the incident was being treated as a potential terrorist attack. "This morning, our country woke to news of another terrorist attack on the streets of our capital city: the second this month and every bit as sickening as those which have come before," she said outside her Downing Street office. "It was an attack that once again targeted the ordinary and the innocent going about their daily lives, this time British Muslims as they left a mosque after prayers." May chaired an emergency response meeting on Monday. The early assessment of police is that the attacker acted alone, she said. She said extra police resources would be deployed to provide reassurance and said Britain had been far too tolerant of all forms of extremism in the past. Meanwhile, Ben Wallace, junior minister for security in the Home Office, or interior ministry told Sky News that the man arrested by the police was not known to the security services in terms of far-right extremism. Cause of death to be determined British police said it was too early to say whether the one death was due to the van attack. "The attack unfolded as a man was already receiving first aid at the scene, sadly that man has died," Neil Basu, senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, said. Police said the arrested van driver would undergo a mental health assessment in due course. The London Ambulance Service said it had taken eight people to the hospital, while two were treated at the scene. Corbyn's constituency The leader of the opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, in whose constituency the attack took place, said he was "totally shocked". I'm totally shocked at the incident at Finsbury Park tonight. pic.twitter.com/1ffKijNs73 -- Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) June 19, 2017 The Muslim Council of Britain, a cross-sect umbrella group, said the incident was the most violent manifestation of Islamophobia in Britain in recent months and called for extra security at places of worship as the end of Ramadan nears. "It appears that a white man in a van intentionally ploughed into a group of worshippers who were already tending to someone who had been taken ill," the Council said in a statement. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said extra police had been deployed to reassure communities, especially those observing Ramadan, describing the attack as "an assault on all our shared values of tolerance, freedom and respect". Emergency services are on the scene and investigating a major incident at Finsbury Park. Follow @Metpoliceuk and @Ldn_ambulance for details. -- Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) June 19, 2017 Police said they were called just after 12:20 am (2320 GMT ) on Sunday to reports of a collision on Seven Sisters Road, which runs through the Finsbury Park area of north London. "From the window, I started hearing a lot of yelling and screeching, a lot of chaos outside ... Everybody was shouting: 'A van's hit people, a van's hit people'," one woman who lives opposite the scene told the BBC . "There was this white van stopped outside Finsbury Park mosque that seemed to have hit people who were coming out after prayers had finished." The incident comes just over two weeks after three attackers drove into pedestrians on London Bridge and stabbed people at nearby restaurants and bars, killing eight. It also comes at a time of political turmoil, as Prime Minister May plunges into divorce talks with the European Union weakened by the loss of her parliamentary majority in the June 8 election. She has faced heavy criticism for her response to a fire in a London tower block on Wednesday which killed at least 58 people, and for her record on security after a series of attacks blamed on extremists in recent months. One witness told CNN it was clear that the attacker at Finsbury Park had deliberately targeted Muslims. "He tried to kill a lot of people so obviously it's a terrorist attack. He targeted Muslims this time," the witness, identified only as Rayan, said. Other witnesses told Sky television that the van had hit at least 10 people. "Deliberately swerved" Miqdaad Versi, the Council's assistant secretary general, said the van had deliberately swerved into a group of people who were helping a man who was ill and had fallen to the ground. "Basically, a van swerved into them deliberately," Versi said. He said the driver had run out of the van but a group of people caught him and held him until police arrived. Britain has been hit by a series of attacks in recent months, including the van-and-knife attack on London Bridge on June 3. Men pray at the site of Finsbury Park attack. Source: Reuters ( TRT World and Agencies ) On March 22, a man drove a rented car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in London and stabbed a policeman to death before being shot dead. His attack killed five people. On May 22, a suicide bomber killed 22 people at a concert by American pop singer Ariana Grande in Manchester in northern England. The attacks were a factor in campaigning ahead of the June 8 election, with May criticised for overseeing a drop of 20,000 in the number of police officers in England and Wales as interior minister from 2010 to 2016. She was also criticised for keeping her distance from victims of the Grenfell Tower blaze during her visit to the charred remains of the 24-storey building. She said on Saturday the response to the fire, in which at least 58 people were killed on Wednesday, had been "not good enough". Source: TRTWorld and agencies

At least 10 people were injured in what the Muslim Council of Britain said was a deliberate act of Islamophobia and the authorities are investigating as a terror attack.

I think the Republican establishment should be thanking Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. Why? Because the real existential danger to the Republican Party is neither Ted Cruz nor Donald Trump, but rather a viable conservative third party rising up from the grassroots. Since 1856 was the last year that a major political party was replaced in the US, many American readers might be forgiven for being skeptical. But as a Canadian conservative, I have seen it happen with my own eyes. I keep returning to the Canadian Federal Election of 1993 because it holds so many lessons for the current American political scene. To understand how, a little history is in order. In the 1984 federal election, Brian Mulroney won the highest majority government in Canadian history. But in 1993, his successor in the Prime Minister's office, the hapless Kim Campbell , proceeded to lose in the biggest landslide in Canadian history after a mere four months in office. In that year, the Canadian Parliament had 295 seats and the Mulroney-led Progressive Conservative (PC) Party held 169 of them. After election night, they were down to two. You read that right; they retained only two seats. So what happened? The short answer is hubris. Mulroney's government took conservative voters for granted, adopting a where-can-they-go-they'll-just-hold-their-nose-and-vote-for-us-at-the-end-of-the-day attitude. Sound familiar? To elaborate, after signing the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement in 1988 , Prime Minister Mulroney did nothing further even remotely conservative. Instead he enacted draconian gun control laws; he instituted a widely despised a value added tax; he ran up huge deficits year after year; and to top it all off, he attempted twice to change Canada's Constitution. With the latter attempt, the Charlottetown Accord , his MO was to buy off every special interest group in sight. As a result, his amendment would have constitutionally enshrined multiculturalism, left-wing labor laws, socialized medicine, and an apartheid regime for our natives. Through absolutely heroic efforts by a small number of opponents (including a young Stephen Harper), the Charlottetown Accord was defeated in a popular referendum in 1992. Seeing the writing on the wall, Mulroney resigned. This led to the rise of the genuinely conservative Reform Party , which led to vote splitting on the right for the next 10 years. But in the end, a decade of Liberal rule was worth it because for the first time in a long time, Canada had a real conservative party. I know my American readers will find what I am about to say hard to believe, but Mulroney's Progressive Conservatives were even worse than today's GOP. That's right, worse . Think of the Republican Party but with no Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, Jeff Sessions, or even Marco Rubio. Nothing but interchangeable John Boehner and Mitch McConnell clones as far as they eye can see. It was that bad. But we got over it, as you will. The new Conservative Party (sans the 'Progressive' in its name) was built largely by Stephen Harper from a merger of the Reform Party and the old Progressive Conservative party (with the old PC's being very much the junior partner in this arrangement). Now one can object that the US political system is quite a bit different from Canada's. True, but the two most relevant details that enabled all of this are the same. The first is that the Mulroney PC establishment was widely hated and despised by the base (and indeed, everybody else). And second, both countries have a first-past-the-post voting system - ideal for vote splitting. The US however has one big advantage. Individual congressmen are much freer with regard to their own domestic and foreign policy. In Canada, party discipline rules. As a result, all PC Members of Parliament appeared fungible to the public, so all were punished equally. In the US, voters can tell the difference between Jeff Sessions and Paul Ryan. All of this is to say that the most important objective for the Republican leadership should be to prevent a right-wing populist third party from arising. Insisting that Donald Trump declare his loyalty to the Republican Party was okay. But when it started to look like Trump might win, the establishment took leave of its senses. The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol promised to leave the GOP and Jeb Bush promised to sit out the election. What fools! If they actually did what they are threatening, they would only be furthering the end of the Republican Party. There were even reports that the RNC might conspire to prevent Trump from getting the nomination. This would be the absolute pinnacle of folly. Nothing would precipitate their demise more than if the party establishment stabbed the voter-selected winner in the back -- and was seen doing so. It would be like Henry Clay's "corrupt bargain" with John Quincy Adams , which propelled Andrew Jackson to the White House four years later (and created the modern Democratic Party). In order to head off this fate, the GOP must run its nomination contest absolutely scrupulously. Any trickery, or even perception of trickery, would be fatal because of the little trust the public has in them. If the Tea Party thinks that the Republican Party refused to give them a fair shake, then it's goodbye, GOP. Another historical analogy would be the 1968 Democratic Convention, which elected Hubert Humphrey even though he had not entered a single primary. As I recall, that didn't end well for the Democrat Party's New Deal establishment . In a recent USA Today column, Glenn Reynolds claimed that the liberals have chosen Donald Trump as their Destructor . For the Republican Establishment, they only have to look in a mirror to see their own Destructor.

Because the real existential danger to the Republican Party is neither Ted Cruz nor Donald Trump, but rather a viable conservative third party rising up from the grassroots.

While THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, seems to cause memory and learning impairment in young mice, surprising new research suggests that it actually reverses cognitive decline in elderly mice. From Scientific American : Researchers led by Andreas Zimmer of the University of Bonn in Germany gave low doses of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, marijuana's main active ingredient, to young, mature and aged mice. As expected, young mice treated with THC performed slightly worse on behavioral tests of memory and learning. For example, after THC young mice took longer to learn where a safe platform was hidden in a water maze, and they had a harder time recognizing another mouse to which they had previously been exposed. Without the drug, mature and aged mice performed worse on the tests than young ones did. But after receiving THC the elderly animals' performances improved to the point that they resembled those of young, untreated mice. "The effects were very robust, very profound," Zimmer says... When the researchers examined the brains of the treated, elderly mice for an explanation, they noticed neurons in the hippocampus--a brain area critical for learning and memory--had sprouted more synaptic spines, the points of contact for communication between neurons. Even more striking, the gene expression pattern in the hippocampi of THC-treated aged mice was radically different from that of untreated elderly mice. "That is something we absolutely did not expect: the old animals [that received] THC looked most similar to the young, untreated control mice," Zimmer says. The findings raise the intriguing possibility THC and other "cannabinoids" might act as anti-aging molecules in the brain. Read the rest Boing Boing pal Jody Radzik designed this incredible infographic of marijuana strains for Berkeley, California's Patient's Care Collective who claim to be "the longest continuously operating medical marijuana dispensary on the planet." Click the images to expand (your mind)! Michael Costuros is an "executive coach" in California's Marin County (birthplace of the hot tub) who every year takes a group of entrepreneurs to South America on a trip within a trip. Each spends $10,000 to hopefully leverage "the healing power of ayahuasca," Costuros says. From Chris Colin's feature in California Sunday: Chris Hunter, co-founder of the company behind the alcoholic energy drink Four Loko, signed on in hopes that it would help him navigate some sticky professional relationships. Jesse Krieger, publisher of Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press, wished for insight into growth strategies. Other participants included the founder of a financial technology company, the scion of a footwear empire, and a firearms executive looking for a pivot. Under the guidance of Costuros and a local shaman, they would participate in a San Pedro ceremony -- San Pedro is another powerful plant-based psychedelic -- followed by two separate ayahuasca ceremonies.... The participants -- all men this year -- spent their first day traveling to the retreat center, getting situated, and enjoying massages. At 8 a.m. the next day, they assembled in a small, open-air structure. Following an initial cleansing ceremony, they drank their first batch of medicine (fermented wheatgrass and dirt is how Krieger described the taste) and lay down on thin mats under a thatched roof. There they'd remain for ten hours. The first 60 minutes of the ayahuasca ceremony felt like two weeks for (AirHelp CEO Henrik) Zillmer. Uncontrollable vomiting and feverish shivering aside, he was unable to move and watched helplessly as his mind departed his body and descended into a vast black hole. Read the rest

While THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, seems to cause memory and learning impairment in young mice, surprising new research suggests that it actually reverses cognitive decline in elderly mice.

Tom Atwood's recent work has focused on portraits of creative personalities, mostly at home. His work exhibits at galleries and museums nationwide. He is also a visiting photography lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles. Before moving to Hollywood, Atwood based his studio at different times in San Francisco, New York, Paris, and Amsterdam. In a past life he also held director and executive positions at two national advertising agencies. Atwood grew up on a dirt road in the woods of Vermont.He has a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and a master's from Cambridge University in England. The Advocate: Why are you a photographer? Tom Atwood: My gravitation toward photography developed out of a confluence of other interests: painting (I've always been a visual person), architecture and urban planning (the settings for most of my photographs), musical theater and psychology (an interest in other people, their personalities, their lives, and how they feel and behave), and a love of all activities social (photography entails interacting with others). Because many of my general interests in life intersect with photography, it ended up being the perfect medium for me. What catches your eye? It's the commonplace, everyday world that fascinates me most -- how an interior is laid out, what's in someone's garbage, how someone uses the products in their bathroom. I've always had an eye for the most arcane of details. These almost obsessive observations remain etched in my mind, and sometimes I think they are trivial, but on some level they do matter because they ultimately inform my photography at one point or another. How do you choose your subjects? Art and photo directors match me with subjects for my commercial and editorial work. For my fine art work, finding individuals has become a psychological addiction of mine. Most subjects come through referrals from friends or friends of friends. Yet some of the most interesting subjects have emerged from some of the most unlikely sources: an elderly woman next to me on a plane, a don from Cambridge University, an Afrikaner management consultant, an L.A. high school student, a magazine editor from a dinner party in Paris, and a government bureaucrat in Amsterdam who had never set foot in America. How do you describe your work? The main thesis of my portraits of individuals at home is that you can tell a lot about someone and their personality from their home and how they live in it. This is reflected in my style in a number of ways. I often seek out homes packed with wall-to-wall belongings, paraphernalia and detail. I attempt to suggest what such spaces reveal about the range of subjects' personalities as well as how complex our personalities can be. Similarly, to illustrate that subjects and environments are a unified fabric, I choose a wide depth of field. Neither subject nor home predominates; my images are an attempt to balance the two. Conventional portraiture, on the other hand, tends to emphasize the person, through backgrounds of streamlined simplicity often with a narrow depth of field. I'm meticulous about composition -- the photos often include both floor and ceiling, embracing as much of the environment as possible. I like to challenge people's eyes by including as much in the frame of the camera as possible while still creating balanced images. To fully create 360-degree portraits, I attempt to photograph people in daily activity -- modern-day tableaux vivants. I seek out whimsical, intimate moments of daily life with subjects unaware of the camera. I strive for photographs that shift between the pictorial and the theatrical and that have elements of both formal portraiture and informal snapshots. What makes a good photograph to you? A photograph can be strong for any of a number of reasons: Raw emotion. Aesthetic beauty. Historical significance. Social value. A great photograph is often one that hits more than one of these or strikes a chord on many levels. Yet based on people's unique life experiences, every individual will have a different reaction to every picture. So what makes one photograph great may be different for different people. Who are your favorite artists? And why? The photographers Gregory Crewdson and Simen Johan are my personal favorites. Gregory is known for his strange portraits of people in odd circumstances, and Simen for his somewhat grotesque portraits of children. I like them because in terms of aesthetics, both are brilliant at lighting and composition. Both also have an idiosyncratic, almost perverse understanding of the human condition.

Tom Atwood's recent work has focused on portraits of creative personalities, mostly at home.

Fans of late-night host and The Daily Show veteran John Oliver 's political humor now have a fourth season of Oliver's Emmy Award-winning show Last Week Tonight to look forward to. Oliver comes off as a little bit of a homunculus in this clip, appearing on the sets of other iconic HBO shows Game of Thrones , Silicon Valley and Curb Your Enthusiasm . Oliver is, indeed, talked down by notorious homunculi Dinesh Chugtai (Kumail Nanjiani) of Silicon Valley and Curb Your Enthusiasm 's Larry David . Chugtai pokes fun at Oliver's vindictive tone, remarking, "At best, you're an acquired taste. Sometimes we don't want a British man yelling about how the world is ending for a whole hour." Still, fans of Oliver's comedy are probably willing to look past his preachiness, and find his depth of commentary both amusing and informative. Humor, indeed, is generally more the hook for Oliver's arguments rather than the purpose of his long-form segments. Season four of Last Week Tonight premieres on Feb. 12 at 11 p.m. EST, and will run on HBO on Sunday nights. Check out some of Paste 's favorite John Oliver segments here , find the new Last Week Tonight season's key art below, and watch the new promo above.

Fans of late-night host and The Daily Show veteran John Oliver 's political humor now have a fourth season of Oliver's Emmy Award-winning show Last Week Tonight to look forward to.

The University of California, Irvine is encouraging students to attend "Safe Zone training" in response to the "offensive language" used to advertise an upcoming appearance by Milo Yiannopoulos. According to The Tab , members of the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) and College Republicans (CR) student groups placed several provocative posters around campus promoting Yiannopoulos' speech, sparking a backlash from classmates on social media and condemnation from the administration. "Let me be clear: Bigotry has no place here or anywhere." The event will be titled "Social Justice is Cancer," alluding to a comment Yiannopoulos made recently at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst that reduced one progressive student to hysterics, a now-viral temper tantrum caught on video by Campus Reform . Playing on Yiannopoulos' theme of antagonizing liberals with humorous references to his own homosexuality (his current speaking tour is called the "Dangerous Faggot" tour), the posters include messages such as "Make America *Gay* Again" and "If you can take a dick, you can take a joke!!!" By Friday, the outcry had become so great that some students began to fear that the university would try to cancel the event, though others said they appreciated the online outrage for making them aware of Yiannopoulos' appearance. Dr. Douglas Haynes, UCI Vice Provost for Academic Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, subsequently sent an email to the campus community Monday night denouncing the "offensive language" used in the posters and recommending that students participate in " Safe Zone training ," which Haynes credits with helping him become an "ally" to the LGBT community. "Homophobia--as well as other forms of bias--contradicts our campus' enduring commitment to inclusive excellence. Let me be clear: Bigotry has no place here or anywhere," Haynes wrote. "This type of incident should be a reminder about what connects us: UCI. Every member of our community has chosen to come to UCI to learn and teach and explore and create in an environment that is supportive and affirmative." The incident is "all the more distressing," he added, because "it occurred a day after the third annual Anteater Equity Games ," which are dedicated to "learning about and appreciating the richness of our campus diversity, including the lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, and queer community." The UCI College Republicans responded to Haynes' email with posts on the Facebook event page for Yiannopoulos' speech , lamenting that the administration felt compelled to condemn the posters and pointing out that there was no such reaction when unnamed students tore down posters advertising an address by David Horowitz last week. "The posters we created to promote the event, I have been told, invaded some 'safe spaces'," CR President Ariana Rowlands told The Tab . "Despite their controversial nature, the posters generated a reaction ... The posters did their job: they created a thought within the minds of students that they would not have otherwise had." The YAL group, however, was more circumspect, issuing a statement acknowledging that some of its members were involved in hanging the "inflammatory" posters, but adamantly denying that the messages had any official sanction, even as the group defended their content. Pointing out that "the statements made on these posters are strictly direct quotes from Milo Yiannopoulos," YAL argues that "anyone who takes issue with use of homophobic slurs ought to note that Milo has titled his speaking tour as 'The Dangerous Faggot Tour' and this is simply a statement of fact, not at all an attempt to be derogatory." The group then goes on to distance itself from the posters, saying "our love of free speech is tempered with the recognition that inflammatory speech for the sake of being inflammatory is largely meritless," and explaining that the goal in bringing Yiannopoulos to campus is merely "to bring an alternate perspective [to] the largely liberal and politically correct culture on our campus." On Sunday night, the CRs announced that the event had been postponed until June 2 due to scheduling conflicts with Yiannopoulos' other tour dates (he had originally been scheduled to appear on May 24), but Rowlands reassured those interested in attending that she had spoken with administrators, who told her the university has "no intention of shutting it down whatsoever." Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @FrickePete

The University of California, Irvine is encouraging students to attend "Safe Zone training" in response to the "offensive language" used to advertise an upcoming appearance by Milo Yiannopoulos.

Contrary to suggestions from the NFL and Malcolm Jenkins' NFL Players Coalition, Colin Kaepernick has not been included in conversations about past and future meetings between players and owners. This is according to Kaepernick's attorney as well as emails obtained by Slate . "We specifically reached out to the [NFL Players Association] and to the Players Coalition [the group led by Jenkins] and we were verbatim told that Colin had no role," Kaepernick's attorney Mark Geragos told Slate when asked about reports that Kaepernick had been invited to attend a player/owner summit that's scheduled for this week. These claims are contradicted by emails between Kaepernick's legal team and officials at the NFL Players Association. (The NFLPA and Jenkins' NFL Players Coalition--a group that consists of 11 players, among them Jenkins and retired wide receiver Anquan Boldin--are separate entities.) The second email, a reply to Kaepernick's attorney from NFLPA general counsel Tom DePaso, acknowledges that the players association has not been involved in scheduling these player/owner meetings and suggests Kaepernick's legal team reach out to Jenkins' NFL Players Coalition. The final email is from Kaepernick's legal team to Jenkins. In it, attorney Ben Meiselas requests that Jenkins put out a statement indicating Kaepernick was never invited to the first meeting. He also requests information about the upcoming meeting--the one Kaepernick has supposedly been invited to. On Oct. 18, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said there could be no rapprochement with the league until the issue of Kaepernick's apparent blackballing had been addressed. "I think the first step to even being able to have a conversation is making sure that Colin Kaepernick gets an opportunity to play in the NFL,'' Bennett said at the time. A spokesperson for the NFL Players Association did not have comment on its role in setting up the player/owner meetings. The NFL and a representative for Malcolm Jenkins did not reply to requests for comment prior to publication. Correction, Oct. 30, 2017, at 2:09 a.m.: Due to an editing error, this post originally misstated that McNair made his "prisoners" comments at a meeting with players. It was reportedly at a follow-up meeting with owners and league officials that same day. Police managed to keep protesters and counter protesters apart and the rallies ended without incident. The only exception seems to be that one man was arrested in Shelbyville after he apparently tried to cross onto the white nationalist side of the protest. Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images If Trump planned to use golf as a negotiating tactic with lawmakers, the strategy isn't quite working. Trump was famously able to build a good rapport with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe while the two played golf, but that "has worked less well in Washington, where the president hasn't been able to leverage his nearby golf club into close relationships on Capitol Hill," reports Politico . Part of the problem is that it's difficult for Trump to find people "who play at his level" within the chambers of Congress. "He doesn't enjoy playing with real amateurs. He likes to move around quick. Someone who isn't great is slower," Chris Ruddy, the CEO of conservative website Newsmax, said. When it comes to current political divisions Americans say things are at least as bad as they were during the Vietnam War, and the older generation that actually lived through that time are more likely to see the current state of affairs in a negative light. Seven in 10 Americans say divisions are at least as big as during the Vietnam War, according to the poll. And of those aged 65 and over, meaning those who were actually adults during that time, 77 percent say divisions are at least as big as during the Vietnam War. Considering all these negative opinions about politicians, it hadrly seems surprising that Americans' views on whether their leaders are ethical and honest reached at least a three-decade low. Only 14 percent of Americans say they have a positive view on the ethics and honesty of politicians, that is down from 25 percent in 1997 and 39 percent in 1987. When it comes to national lawmakers, a whopping 87 percent believe they largely "do whatever is needed to win reelection." All that is adding up to a marked decrease in the pride Americans feel about their democracy. Whereas 18 percent of Americans said they weren't proud of the way the country's democracy was working three years ago, that number has now doubled to 36 percent. The Washington Free Beacon notified the House Intelligence Committee of the hiring on Friday and then published a statement saying it paid Fusion GPS to research "multiple candidates in the Republican presidential primary, just as we retained other firms to assist in our research into Hillary Clinton." The website makes clear it doesn't see anything wrong with the practice, noting that since it was launched in 2012 it "has retained third-party firms to conduct research on many individuals and institutions of interest to us and our readers.'' But the Free Beacon staunchly denied it had anything to do with the dossier that Fusion GPS ultimately wrote up. Fusion GPS and the Washington Free Beacon. A note to our readers. https://t.co/LmhKqWzxgu pic.twitter.com/PxfvWLc8aS -- Matthew Continetti (@continetti) October 27, 2017 This revelation comes on the heels of news that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee had paid Fusion GPS for the research, which Trump characterized as proof that it was all part of a campaign by his political opponents. Now it turns out that the conservative website was the one that got the ball rolling regarding Fusion GPS' research on Trump. After the Free Beacon stopped paying Fusion GPS for the research, the company then turned around and offered to continue digging into Trump for Democrats. President Donald Trump woke up Saturday morning, and, as has become the norm now, started tweeting. But he did not comment on the bombshell news that a federal grand jury had issued the first charges in the investigation into Russia's alleged meddling in the presidential election. Instead, the president did something that is rare for his Saturday morning tweetstorms: praise a Democrat. Trump thanked former President Jimmy Carter for saying the news media have been uncharacteristically harsh on his administration. "Just read the nice remarks by President Jimmy Carter about me and how badly I am treated by the press (Fake News)," Trump wrote on Twitter . "Thank you Mr. President!" Very little reporting about the GREAT GDP numbers announced yesterday (3.0 despite the big hurricane hits). Best consecutive Q's in years! -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 28, 2017 The video above was pulled from Major League Baseball's international field. Twitter users noted that the 33-year-old Gurriel appeared to say "Chinito"--an anti-Asian slur--as he touched his fingers to eyes. Gurriel said he was aware that the word Chinito is offensive. "In Cuba we call everybody who is from Asia 'Chino,'" he said through the interpreter. "We don't call them Japanese. We call them Chino. Plus, I know in Japan that offends them. They don't like that, but I didn't mean to do it." The first criminal charges have been issued in Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the election, CNN reported on Friday. From the network: A federal grand jury in Washington, DC, on Friday approved the first charges in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, according to sources briefed on the matter. The charges are still sealed under orders from a federal judge. Plans were prepared Friday for anyone charged to be taken into custody as soon as Monday, the sources said. It is unclear what the charges are. CNN did not report who was being indicted. The network reported that on Friday the top lawyers leading the probe, "were seen entering the court room at the DC federal court where the grand jury meets to hear testimony in the Russia investigation." On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort was under investigation by the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office for possible money laundering . In July, the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted a pre-dawn raid on his home . Former Trump foreign policy advisor Carter Page spoke with Senate investigators for five hours on Friday, according to NBC News. Last summer, the FBI obtained a FISA warrant to monitor his communications as part of its investigation into Russia. Longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testified before both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees this week. According to NBC, "there was an extended focus on emails he received in 2015 from Felix Sater, a former Trump associate with a criminal past, about a potential deal to open a Trump Tower in the Russian capital." At the time, Sater wrote to Cohen : "Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it. I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process." Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the election as well as "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation." This has reportedly come to include a direct investigation of President Donald Trump for possible obstruction of justice in the Russia affair. Trump fired the previous leader of the investigation, former FBI Director James Comey, using the pretext that Comey had screwed up the Hillary Clinton email case in 2016. Afterwards he said on television that he had fired Comey because of the Russia investigation. Comey, in contemporaneous memos, documented private meetings with Trump in which the former FBI Director claimed he was pressured to drop an investigation into former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Flynn was fired for lying to Vice President Trump Mike Pence about discussions regarding former President Obama's sanctions on Russia in private meetings with the Russian ambassador. He also reportedly misled the FBI about this meeting. Donald Trump Jr. appears to have violated campaign finance law when he sought campaign aid from Russians, one of whom brought talking points to a meeting with Trump Jr. directly from the Kremlin . Senior Trump official and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner has had to file at least three updates to his SF-86 national security questionnaire since he entered the White House after failing to disclose meetings with Russians and Russian officials. Trump has repeatedly attacked the credibility of Mueller's investigation. On Friday he again claimed on Twitter that the various investigations into his campaign's possible collusion with Russia have turned up nothing: It is now commonly agreed, after many months of COSTLY looking, that there was NO collusion between Russia and Trump. Was collusion with HC! -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 27, 2017 Also on Friday, Rep. Trent Franks again called for Mueller's resignation, while Trump ally and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie suggested he should possibly resign . Trump reportedly wanted to fire Mueller this summer and was talked out of it by his staff, though he has publicly said otherwise . So, yes, despite today's Gambia confusion, it's quite possible that some country will recognize Catalonia eventually. Reporter Jacqueline Alemany: "Sarah, obviously sexual harassment has been in the news. At least 16 women have accused the president of sexually harassing them throughout the course of the campaign. Last week during a press conference in the Rose Garden , the president called these accusations fake news. Is the official White House position that all of these women are lying?"

Twitter users noted that the 33-year-old Gurriel appeared to say "Chinito"--an anti-Asian slur--as he touched his fingers to eyes.

Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey, which has a research station at the Halley VI ice base in the Antarctic had to flee the lab as a crack in the floating ice shelf, dubbed the Halloween Crack, extended over the last year. The Halley VI ice base has already been relocated once because of a fracture in the Brunt Ice Shelf. Now, experts have been forced to leave for the Antarctic winter - which runs from March to November - due to the Halloween crack. Authorities say nobody has been hurt, but the evacuation took place because of the unpredictable nature of the region.

Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey, which has a research station at the Halley VI ice base in the Antarctic had to flee the lab as a crack in the floating ice shelf, dubbed the Halloween Crack, extended over the last year.

Malaika's Team Pick: One of the things I've learned and that people have told me about New York is that there are fewer healthy eating options in areas where people of colour are the primary demographic. Neighbourhoods with lower median incomes are high on the Burger Kings but not so much on the Whole Foods . That's why when I read Toi Scott's "Queering Food Justice" in Decolonizing Yoga , I found myself nodding yes, yes, yes to everything, and I'm so excited for all of you to now read this great piece and tell me what you think. Or maybe you don't want to tell me because you're one of Autostraddle's many readers who don't comment? That's fine too! The important thing is that you talk...with your mom, with your friends, and with your OKCupid date about issues of food accessibility, security, and justice. Instead of judging people on whether or not they eat meat and have organic kale with every meal, we should be asking ourselves who has access to healthy food and why. via http://www.decolonizingyoga.com/queering-food-justice/ Scott begins the piece like this: If you're a person of color with a low income it's important for you to know that conversations about your ability to access foods, yes, conversations about your very well-being are happening behind your back. It also goes on to explain how intersectionality and food, well, intersect: Where we sit at the intersections of race, gender, class and sexuality makes us highly vulnerable and subject to the policing of our food and economic system. Our lack of resources, especially TIME, allows for outsiders (and sometimes even well-meaning allies) to come in and make decisions FOR us - maybe even AS us - based on their assumptions and their own personal beliefs about what will make our community better. There are also ideas for what you can do to radicalize your food consumption. However, as Scott points out, it's important to remember that there is no uniform definition of what constitutes radical . Instead, it depends on an infinite number of things, like your economic situation, your race, your home environment, etc. So if being radical for you is as simple as buying more bananas because they're the cheapest fruit you can afford, go you! Don't let anybody make you feel like you're not doing enough. And if being radical means throwing a queer potluck, have fun and maybe ask out the girl next to the homemade veggie chilli, because she's probably me. Once you're finished reading about queering food justice, you should check out the rest of the site! Decolonizing Yoga (Where Spirituality Meets Social Justice) is a great online resource that highlights the voices of "queer people, people of color, disability activists and more in relationship to yoga and countering oppression in general." It was started by transgender writer and activist, Be Scofield, and there's even a Facebook page you could check out after you're finished reading Toi Scott's piece and crushing on the website in general.

One of the things I've learned and that people have told me about New York is that there are fewer healthy eating options in areas where people of colour are the primary demographic.

This summer, we've been telling you about the 'SNAP for Equality' selfie contest created by online travel site Orbitz to celebrate our marriage equality victory at the Supreme Court. Entering the #OrbitzEqualityContest could win you a free first-class trip in the U.S. or Europe. In conjunction with the contest, we decided to take a look back at Orbitz's long history of supporting the LGBT community and highlight 10 things you might not know about Orbitz and LGBT equality. Check them out below: 10. Orbitz Has Been Pro-LGBT Since It Was Founded Orbitz was launched in 2001 during Pride month and used the above image of giraffes in rainbow colors with the slogan, "See the world on your terms", while simultaneously launching a gay travel microsite. 9. Orbitz Won a GLAAD Award for its First LGBT-Inclusive TV Ad In 2003, a year before Massachusetts would become the first state in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage, Orbitz launched its first LGBT-inclusive TV ad that went on to win a GLAAD Award. Remember the puppets? 8. Orbitz Created One of the Gayest Ads Ever The year is 2005. And Orbitz created a TV spot titled "New Boyfriend" that AdWeek declared an "over-the-top gem" and one of the top 50 gayest ads of all time . 7. Orbitz Proved That LGBT Couples Were Way Ahead of the Curve on Online Travel In another game-show-themed ad, the company's first featuring a lesbian couple (and a kiss!), Orbitz showed that gay couples were onto the benefits of booking online travel before many heterosexual travelers. 6. Orbitz Gave Some On-Screen Love to LGBT Advocacy Group The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) In 2009, an ad called "Golfers" debuted featuring one linksman wearing a polo with the logo for HRC embroidered on it. This ad also won the travel site a GLAAD Award. 5. Orbitz Has Scored a Perfect Score on HRC's Equality Index for 8 Years Orbitz has had a perfect score for eight years, and is the only online travel agency with a perfect score. 4. Gay Travel Microsite GayOrbitz.com Celebrated TEN Years in 2012 That's like 30 years in gay years. 3. Orbitz Supported The 'March on Springfield' to Urge Illinois to Pass Marriage Equality That was in 2013. It was a no-brainer for the Chicago-based company. 2. Orbitz Brought Drag Legend Miss Richfield 1981 to the Masses And SCOTUS did the right thing. Don't forget to enter in the Orbitz SNAP for Equality contest . Share a selfie of you celebrating marriage equality and you could win a first class trip to the U.S. or Europe! Click HERE to find out more. And learn more about Orbitz's commitment to fighting for full equality nationwide HERE .

This summer, we've been telling you about the 'SNAP for Equality' selfie contest created by online travel site Orbitz to celebrate our marriage equality victory at the Supreme Court.

EVERYONE'S favourite singleton is back, and PREGNANT - but who's the daddy? The new trailer for the latest Bridget Jones film reveals the hilarious moment our darling Bridget (Renee Zellweger) finds out she's managed to get herself up the duff, yet she has no idea who by. 7 Hurrah! Everyone's favourite singleton is back! To be fair it could be worse. We learn the father is either charming American Jack, played by Patrick Dempsey, or Bridget's brooding ex Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Neither are a gene pool to be sniffed at. 7 The two potential dads vie for Bridget's affection, but who will she choose? In the next chapter of the saga we join Bridget in her forties, five years after breaking up with Mark. Although her 'happily ever after' hasn't quite gone to plan when it comes to her love life, she's managed to bag herself a top job as a news producer. But despite thinking she has everything under control, things quickly start to spiral when a dashing American chap catches her eye at the office. 7 Getting mucky... Bridget starts up a steamy fling with hunky American Jack, played by Patrick Dempsey Related Stories Who's The Daddy? New posters for Bridget Jones' Baby has everyone drooling over Patrick Dempsey and Mr Darcy HIGH STYLE 'Bridget Jones' pants are BACK and famous ladies just can't get enough of huge undies BRIDG OF SIGHS Bridget Jones star Renee Zellweger is baffled by people's obsession with her character's weight Vin the Kingsman Vinnie Jones feels at home in Union Jack slippers on first day of filming Brit spy flick Parents turning Potty Harry Potter films have inspired people to name their kids after JK Rowling's books, says new data The pair enjoy a steamy six-hour session and Bridget seems smitten - until she bumps into former flame Mark at a christening. It seems old habits die hard, as the reminiscing pair quickly fall into bed - literally. Soon after, Bridget finds out she's unexpectedly expecting - but who's baby is it? Fame Flynet 7 Bridget has no idea which man is the father What ensues is a hilarious battle for Bridget's affections - but whether a clumsy brawl on the street is on the cards in this film remains to be seen. The much-anticipated chick flick also stars cake-loving, award-winning Emma Thompson (Saving Mr Banks), while Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones reprise their roles as Bridget's parents. Sally Phillips also returns as Bridget's best mate Shazza - and it looks like she's well and truly settled down as she's got a couple of kids. Fame Flynet 7 Bridget is joined in the new film by a host of familiar faces The film, directed by Sharon Maguire (Bridget Jones's Diary), is the latest instalment in the beloved comedy series, based on creator Helen Fielding's classic novel. How Bridget manages to end up with two handsome men fighting over her AGAIN is a mystery - but who will turn out to be the proud father? Bridget Jones' Baby hits UK cinemas on 16 September this year. Theodora Fashesin <Theodora.Fashesin@waytoblue.com 7 Bridget Jones' Baby hits UK cinemas on 16 September this year

The new trailer for the latest Bridget Jones film reveals the hilarious moment our darling Bridget (Renee Zellweger) finds out she's managed to get herself up the duff, yet she has no idea who by.

The murder of Markeis McGlockton , who was fatally shot by a white man in a Florida parking lot, has sparked national debate about the controversial "Stand Your Ground" law. Besides being in a committed relationship, a son, and a father, 28-year old McGlockton was actually shot and killed in front of his girlfriend and children. Below is a checklist of five things you need to know about the circumstances surrounding McGlockton's tragic death and why many already suspect that justice may once again skip over a grieving Black family. 1. He lost his life over a parking space Surveillance video shows that on July 19, 2018, McGlockton's girlfriend Britany Jacobs was sitting in the parking lot of a convenience store in Clearwater, Florida, waiting for him to come out. 5yo Markeis had to watch his dad, an unarmed black man, die after he was shot by a white man who failed to see him as a human; he saw Markeis as something unworthy of life. Markeis McGlockton is dead & his shooter walks free, what the NRA wanted https://t.co/ONve9ysPOq pic.twitter.com/Heak5jjimN -- Khary Penebaker (@kharyp) July 21, 2018 That's when Michael Drejka , 47, walked over to her to complain about her being illegally parked in a handicap space. When McGlockton found out the older gentleman was yelling at Jacobs, he came outside to defend his partner and children who were also in the vehicle. The argument escalated and McGlockton shoved Drejka to the ground. That's when Drejka, who is white and a legal firearm owner with a concealed carry permit, shot McGlockton even though McGlockton had begun to walk away and was no longer posing a threat. "If you count it, between the time that Drejka goes to the ground, and the time he shoots, it's a count of four seconds. It's a count of four, no more than five. It's a very short amount of time," said Sheriff Bob Gualtieri of Pinellas County at a news conference the next day Under the "Stand Your Ground" law as written, the shooter can get up and walk away after killing someone. Sheriff explains Florida's statute, as amended. What does this look like to you? https://t.co/GLKoB6A2MM https://t.co/GLKoB6A2MM -- Cynthia McKinney PhD (@cynthiamckinney) July 22, 2018 2. The shooter has a history of parking disputes As soon as the shooting happened the store owner was quick to tell news outlets that Drejka has a history of causing trouble and getting into disagreements with his customers. According to ABC Action News , the owner says he has called the police several times because Drejka likes to "find someone to argue with." Rich Kelly, a regular customer of the store, told The Tampa Bay Times that Drejka used racial slurs and threatened to kill him during an earlier encounter. "It's a repeat. It happened to me the first time. The second time it's happening, someone's life got taken," Kelly said "He provoked that." It is also worth noting that in 2012, another driver accused Drejka of pulling a gun during a road rage incident. Drejka denied he showed the gun, and the accuser ultimately declined to press charges. 3. McGlockton children were present during the shooting Jacobs says McGlockton was her high-school sweetheart and the pair had been together since 2009. The family stopped by Circle-A-Food Store on the way home just to grab chips and drinks. Jacobs parked in the handicap spot because the parking lot was busy and they only planned to be inside for a minute. The couple's 4-month-old and 3-year-old children were in the car with their mother when an angry Drejka approached them. Their 5-year-old, named after McGlockton, was in the store with his father. After the shooting , the boy had to go through the traumatizing experience of watching his mother applying pressure to his father's bullet wound with an extra shirt. "He's not too good," Jacobs admitted. "It comes and goes, but he knows he (his father) is dead." Michael Drejka (not a cop) harassed Brittany Jacobs for parking in a handicap spot Her boyfriend & father of her children, Markeis McGlockton defended her Drejka murdered him in front of his 5 yr old son Police defended Drejka & refused to charge him pic.twitter.com/OT3EaphsHF -- Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) July 22, 2018 The 25-year-old mother says she wants justice, and can't emphasize enough that Drejka went up to her while she was quietly sitting in her car with her kids. "He's getting out like he's a police officer or something, and he's approaching me," she said. "I minded my own business ... I didn't do anything wrong." "It's a wrongful death. It's messed up. Markeis is a good man ... He was just protecting us, you know?" Jacons said Friday. "And it hurts so bad." 4. The police refuse to arrest the shooter On Friday, July 20, Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri confirmed during a press conference that the police had no plans to take Drejka into custody. "After being slammed to the ground, he felt he was going to be further attacked," he explained. "The Florida Legislature has created a standard that is a largely subjective standard. The person's subjective determination of the circumstance they were in, the fear that they had, is relevant to the determination of whether they were justified in the use of force . The law in the state of Florida today is that people have the right to stand their ground and have a right to defend themselves when they believe they are in harm," Gualtieri continued. "We're gonna refer this to the state attorney's office. The state attorney's office will review it, and apply the law to the facts, and make a determination as to whether something should be charged." Here's why Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law is racist AF. pic.twitter.com/ZmA06ImIle -- AJ+ (@ajplus) July 25, 2018 5. Al Sharpton, Benjamin Crump and others have called for protests Sunday, Rev. Al Sharpton announced he plans to protest this senseless shooting on August 5th at a Clearwater church. That morning Sharpton tweeted he would attend a "Rally for Markeis McGlockton." Attorney Benjamin Crump -- who previously worked on the case of Trayvon Martin -- called the incident "cold-blooded murder ... by the self-appointed, wannabe cop Michael Drejka." I will be protesting the death of #MarkeisMcGlockton next week with the National Action Network, here is the information if you would like to join us. #PoliticsNation pic.twitter.com/qtq9UK2S8h -- Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) July 29, 2018 A few hours after Sharpton's announcement was made, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, a Democratic candidate for governor, sent out a press release stating he would be speaking at a town hall related to the shooting with Clearwater Police Chief Daniel Slaughter. Later that afternoon Gillum also spoke at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church and charged voters to make the state's "Stand Your Ground" law a make-or-break issue for candidates come November. NAACP leaders, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and several clergy were also inside the packed church along with McGlockton's immediate family sitting in the front row, and 150 members of the audience, who filled the brick building's pews. "We ... know that 'stand your ground' is not colorblind," said Gillum. "Because of the color of my skin, I represent a certain level of threat." "What 'stand your ground' did was, it took castle doctrine and took it into the streets," he said, arguing it allows bigots to pretend everything is threat. "Maybe you speak a little too loud. Maybe your skin is a little too dark." We are going to repeal Stand Your Ground. We are going to repeal Stand Your Ground. We are going to repeal Stand Your Ground. #MarkeisMcGlockton #EnoughIsEnough #NeverAgain pic.twitter.com/0AIqGl6rQc -- Andrew Gillum (@AndrewGillum) July 30, 2018 Gillum received overwhelming applause after he asked the crowd if they were prepared to refuse to vote for candidates who support the law. "This comes down to electing elected officials who understand that their top priority needs to be the repeal of 'Stand Your Ground,'?" Gillum said. NAACP Clearwater/Upper Pinellas Branch President Marva McWhite called McGlockton's death "an act of senseless, and, I believe, preventable violence," and said the group "must ask every candidate running for public office if they will support sensible gun safety and gun control legislation."

The murder of Markeis McGlockton , who was fatally shot by a white man in a Florida parking lot, has sparked national debate about the controversial "Stand Your Ground" law.

Clue , the shining example that all board game movies (if they have to exist at all) should strive to emulate, is getting a remake. The news comes from Tracking Board , with no official word, so take this news with whatever amount of salt that means for you. According to the article, Hasbro and Fox are working together to get the movie made. The last time we heard of this, it was when Universal gave up on making a Clue movie in 2011, with Pirates of the Caribbean 's Gore Verbinski attached to direct. It's more than believable that Hasbro went looking for another partner, since they've made Monopoly and Risk deals and managed to get Battleship made. While it's unlikely a remake will match the highs of the original Clue , at least we can all bet it'll be better than Ouija .

Clue , the shining example that all board game movies (if they have to exist at all) should strive to emulate, is getting a remake.

Millions of Muslims chanted "Death to Israel" in rallies across the globe Friday at which they also burned U.S., U.K., Israeli and Islamic State group flags. The marches marked Al-Quds Day, which was declared by Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and is held on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Opposition to Israel is a touchstone of belief among many in the region, especially the Shia organizations resisting U.S., Israeli and Saudi designs in the Middle East and Asia.

Millions of Muslims chanted "Death to Israel" in rallies across the globe Friday at which they also burned U.S., U.K., Israeli and Islamic State group flags.

Syria Sitrep - Afrin, Idlib and East-Ghouta After a slow start the Turkish and Jihadi attack on the Afrin canton in north-west Syria is making some progress. Despite intimate knowledge of the terrain and years of preparation the local Kurdish forces of the YPK have little chance to withstand. Map by syriancivilwarmap.com - bigger Turkish air and artillery support for the attacking force opponents is overwhelming the Kurds. The ground troops Turkey is using are mostly Islamist Free Syrian Army fighters directed by Turkish officers. A few Turkish special forces are acting as forward observers to call in artillery and airstrikes. Only yesterday the Turkish air force flew more than 30 bombing missions on a rather small front. Today some 36 fighters were killed by Turkish air strikes. Last week the local Kurdish forces were reinforced by other Kurdish forces and Syrian government paramilitaries. Some of the Kurdish groups had split off from the U.S. supported SDF in east Syria, crossed through Syrian government held land and reached Afrin. Kurdish groups in Aleppo city gave control of two of the three districts they held to the Syrian government to join their brethren in Afrin. A contingent of 500 Syrian paramilitary fighters from two Shiite towns near Afrin also joined the fight. The Turkish army tried to interdict the convoys reinforcing Afrin but most of the fighters reached the front lines. The Syrian Red Cross sent a convoy with humanitarian goods for the about one million inhabitants of the canton. The Kurdish YPG forces in control of Afrin have a choice. The Russian and the Syrian government have offered their full support if the Kurds submit to Syrian government control just like any citizen of Syria is supposed to do. If they agree, the Turkish planes will immediately vanish from the skies over Afrin. But the Kurds insist on keeping their own military and police forces as well as their unelected local administration. If they keep doing so the Turkish forces will role them up and all will be lost. It is a simple and obvious choice to make. Idleb governorate and Idleb city are held by various groups aligned with Turkey. The biggest of these groups are al-Qaeda (aka Nusra Front aka HTS), Ahrar al Sham and Zinki. All of these are Islamist extremists but only al-Qaeda/Nusra is designated as an international terrorist group. A Russian-Turkish agreement marks Idleb as a deescalation zone which will no longer be attacked by the Syrian government forces if Turkey can get the groups there under control and if it eliminates the al-Qaeda/HTS terrorists. Regular Turkish troops set up a few observer posts in the area. But Turkey had supported al-Qaeda/HTS all along and the group, if attacked by regular Turkish forces, is likely to hit back within Turkey itself. After much prodding by Russia Turkey finally pressed the other groups it controls to evict al-Qaeda/HTS from the various towns it held. The operation started a week ago. Ahrar al Sham and Zinki united with some smaller groups under the common label JTS. They attacked HTS positions and were able to immediately capture a number of them. HTS simply retreated. For three days it looked as if the Turkish ordered operation would be successful. Some 30 towns and villages fell to JTS. Then came the counterattack. Ahrar al-Sham's main weapon depot, with several tanks and artillery guns, fell to HTS. JTS was attacked from the rear and town after town fell back to HTS. Just a week after the whole operation against HTS started it is in better position than ever before. Map by Tomasz Rolbiecki - bigger HTS has kept control of the city of Idleb. It is now in complete control of the border with Turkey. All Turkish observer posts in Idleb governorate are now surrounded by HTS forces. The Turkish soldiers have become hostages. Will Erdogan have to call on the Syrian government to bail them out? The large Syrian government operation against the east-Ghouta enclave east of the capital Damascus is progressing well. The area is held by various Salafist and Wahabbi groups including an al-Qaeda contingent of several hundred fighters. The defense line of Jaish al-Islam on the eastern border of the 10 square kilometer area have been breached. Wide ditches dug to prevent any Syrian army attack were crossed with the help of military bridges. The area is rural and flat and can be easily captured by a mechanized force. One third of east-Ghouta is already back in government hands. The western side of the enclave is upbuild city terrain and will be much more difficult to take. Map by Peto Lucem - bigger In east-Syria north of the Euphrates and along the Syrian-Iraqi border there is still a significant ISIS enclave with several thousand ISIS fighters which the U.S. supported SDF seems uninterested in. The Syrian and Russian governments believe that the U.S. is protecting these terrorists and will eventually use them against the Syrian government. The Russian defense ministry claims that the U.S. has build some 20 garrisons in north-east Syria for several thousands of its troops. Another U.S. contingent holds the Syrian-Iraqi border station al-Tanf in south-east Syria. It has recently been reinforced with additional U.S. soldiers. Nearby is a large refugee camp controlled by ISIS aligned fighters. This again seems to be an area where the U.S. is coddling ISIS to later reuse it as a "rebel" force against the Syrian government. Posted by b on March 3, 2018 at 01:46 PM | Permalink More fake news from AFP via Yahoo again? It look like AFP's Hasan Mohammed doing an excellent job as mouthpiece for the regime changer. In Feb 28 he prases the "White Halmets" in Ghouta and now... Regime forces advance in Syria's battered Ghouta AFP News Hasan Mohammed AFP NewsMarch 4, 2018 Government forces intensified fighting Saturday inside Syria's Eastern Ghouta, as tens of thousands of civilians in the besieged rebel enclave east of Damascus awaited urgently needed aid. On another front in Syria's seven-year civil war, Turkish air strikes killed 36 pro-regime fighters in a Kurdish enclave near the Turkish border..... "The Observatory says more than 140 civilians have been killed in Turkish bombardment since the start of the assault, but Turkey denies the claim and says it takes the "utmost care" to avoid civilian casualties....." Posted by: OJS | Mar 3, 2018 2:23:27 PM | 1 Nobody wins a ground war but the profiteers. The issues that are proxied on the battlefield will be decided by people in other places. Give the issues at stake, it represents a sick form of genocide, IMO, that shows the ways in which we have not evolved through the Enlightenment period of hundreds of years ago. It is not just a multi-polar world that is being contested but patriarchy and might makes right memes as well.....Weinsteins lawyers are arguing that sex to boost career is not rape...... Thanks for the excellent journalism b Posted by: psychohistorian | Mar 3, 2018 2:45:39 PM | 2 Insane that the people of America continue to accept this murderous behavior on the part of their government, our government, creating and prolonging proxy wars that are monstrous beyond words - Syria, Congo, Ukraine, Yemen - US involvement in proxy wars are EVEN MORE BRUTAL than their direct involvement with wars, because the US public seems to agree to pay no attention. Some few wail "who will stop this madness!" - as if the gasoline poured itself out and lit itself. Posted by: paul | Mar 3, 2018 3:32:37 PM | 3 #3 @paul - In my experience, most Americans have zero awareness/interest for what is going on in Syria. If there is any awareness, it is the professional fake-left type that gets spoon fed stories on how the brutal Asad regime drops barrel bombs on helpless civilians, uses sarin gas, etc. They call for the Syrian government to stop fighting terrorists, fueled by ignorance or a willful disbelief that just because a government is decried by the US it may actually be trying to help its citizens. Posted by: WorldBLee | Mar 3, 2018 3:47:01 PM | 4 We don't accept this in USA. Well actually there are morons who actually do believe we are still out their doing this for demuhcrazy. Yet this is still an essentially illegal armed conflict and we cannot win this. We can drag it out for a time but if 20 or 30 american boys or girls die and depending on how they are killed then the protests will wind up and the SAA will be victorious. Posted by: Fernando Arauxo | Mar 3, 2018 3:53:58 PM | 5 Just when we thought the White Helmets were over and done, they keep coming back via our media. The same is true with the repeats of chem weapons attack stories in the MSM. Shameless. Posted by: Curtis | Mar 3, 2018 4:02:25 PM | 6 The last pitched battle of the WW1 was in Afrin. Mustafa Kemal's, the founder of modern TR, HQ was situated in Raju town which was captured today by TAF+FSA forces. 1908-2018. The Turks have returned to the area exactly 100 years later and raised their flag (meaning they will not leave the territory gained in a battle for at least 30 years and that's if they ever will). Op Olive Branch has so far been a very lucrative incursion for Turks. 1) Raju is the first major urban area which was taken by the TAF+FSA forces and it remains almost intact as opposed to the towns which had to be totally destroyed by the Russian, Syrian and US forces in Ghouta, Allepo, Raqqa, Ayn Al Arab and so on. The Turks had to struggle against the PKK/YPG/SDF's (and mainly their backers) international propaganda which falsely claimed chemical attacks, civilian death tolls and urban destruction caused by the Turkish Army and therefore the TAF showed utmost care not to fall into this trap. Some thought the OpOlive was a fiasco since it was going slow but actually the weather conditions, massive defense networks, a difficult terrain and a huge international propaganda against the Turkish incursion as well as the risk of casualties were the main reasons why TAF had chosen to take their time in enacting their plans. 2) Massive build-up comprising concrete bunkers, kms of concrete tunnels, defense towers, kms of 3-5m trenches against tanks and apcs were discovered in Afrin. a) some defense systems are copies of those made by the ISIS b) The French cement giant Lafarge which has a factory in N. Syria helped PKK build all concrete structures. Mil class engineering was applied in the construction which indicates the PKK/YPG/SDF got help from countries with sophisticated military planning and capabilities. 3) I say PKK/YPG/SDF for a reason. Virtually every village road and building is adorned with the PKK's founder Abdullah Ocalan's portrait. So YPG=PKK? Also the SDF command made a public announcement that many of their soldiers had been killed in Afrin. The US officials quickly denied it. So PKK=YPG=SDF. Vast amount of documents have been recovered in Afrin with details about future political structures, plans, names of people etc. and their links to the other PKK/YPG held areas in Syria. 4) Afrin's concrete defense networks are interesting in that they can only serve 1 purpose, a geopolitical and geostrategic over the top purpose and that is preventing Turkey's access to the ME. Interesting indeed. Some people had that idea in mind even before the Afrin's invasion by the Kurds in 2012. 5) There remains the question of Idleb, south of Afrin. What's going to happen to the Nusra guys? Israel will probably relocate them to Daraa. They need an excuse, a PRS, for their 40km security zone within Syria's territory they have been eyeing up for a long time. Israel's terrorist groups in E. Ghouta kept Assad busy but the determination Assad, Iran, Russia demonstrated caused a major problem (and hence the UN's ceasefire gave the game setters a breathing space). Analysts have been wondering as to why Israel supported 2 sunni groups instead of 1 and now we can see the reason. The US bombed the Russians in DeirEzZor to show their determination about their red lines. The Turks already captured half of Afrin, the next battle will be further south, around Golan Heights and to set up a deconflict zone 40km into the Syrian territory. 6) Putin knows what's going on. He shows off his new toy, Sarmat, and today the US calls Putin's shot with a new supersonic firecracker of their own. The US seems to be very determined to remain in Syria as an invader. Posted by: ConfusedPundit | Mar 3, 2018 4:06:16 PM | 7 Does anybody know more? Posted by: Gesine H. | Mar 3, 2018 4:14:26 PM | 8 At the moment, there is not much of a buffer zone between the jihadist front lines and the rail line running to Aleppo. If Turkey can take control of the jihadists in Idlib, it seems likely the war on that front will wind down to a frozen conflict, same as the Jarabulus enclave. Syria controlling the rail line to Aleppo and Turkey controlling the jihadists in remaining Idlib most likely decided on at Astana? Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Mar 3, 2018 4:47:29 PM | 9 If those ISIS pockets north of the Euphrates river are well-known in terms of location, why doesn't Russia use cruise missiles or long range bombers to "bomb them into the stone age?" Seems that there wouldn't be much the US could do about that. Unless they're well dispersed over a much larger area, and hidden among SDF or US forces, which I suspect is the case. Posted by: Chris | Mar 3, 2018 5:04:29 PM | 10 So Kurds have to just roll over and die in their homes in Afrin because the supposed Christian (Greek Orthodox) superpower (former Communist USSR) leader dear, Vladimir Vladimirovitch Putin now favors the Ottoman autocratic Turkish Islamic leader R.D.Erdogan, thus kurds which are not overly Islamic should just bow down to the will of the Sultan. We in Greece are getting fed the "(Greek Orthodox) Christian Superpower which is Russia under the leadership of V.V.Putin as an supposed Christian orthodox leader B.S. propganda for too long. So what happens in Afrin is just a test scenario for when Turkey will invade Greece killing scores of Christians as they promised us, ISNT'T IT? Posted by: Greece | Mar 3, 2018 5:33:56 PM | 11 Mars, the God and month of War. The pieces are set. The powder keg in place. The match is lit. Will the Old Writings come to pass? Posted by: Lozion | Mar 3, 2018 5:42:25 PM | 12 Why would Putin choose this moment to outline Russian nuclear response capabilities? While one part of me could not but smile as I saw my prediction from 2014 realized, another part of me was left deeply uneasy about the possible reasons for such public posturing. Very un-like Putin. Was it just to clarify their response to the latest version of the US Defence Policy that advocates the use of nuclear weapons not just in a pre-emptive first strike capability, but also as a preventative measure or perhaps even retaliatory measure (against cyber-attack)? Is it a message concerning N.Korea or Ukraine and the use of recently deployed 'suitcase' or tactical nukes? Perhaps the most troubling 'development' recently is the beefing up of US presence in AlTanf. Many commentators here happily predicted a US withdrawal from this site months ago as the harbinger of eventual US 'defeat' in Syria. I doubted the withdrawal then and I continue to doubt the mantra of 'defeat' today. What could be the reason for strengthening such a solitary outpost? This is a bit speculative but it seems that together with outposts in the Golan, Al Tanf can provide the kind of electronic fog that would allow Israeli jets to fly across S. Syria and remain undetected by both Iranian and Russian radar elements (this gives an interesting read on the effectiveness of the Russian equipment). While the Saudi's would quickly facilitate the Israeli overflight, Jordan would not want to be complicit in a tactical nuclear strike on Iran (It will not even allow direct attacks into Syria across its' border). Flying across Syria has become rather risky as the recently downed Israeli jet demonstrated. Al Tanf is needed to provide an electronic screen for an Israeli attack on Iran. Politically Netanyahu desperately needs a distraction - and just in time the MSM has raised a united hue and cry vilifying both Iran and Russia. Which brings us back to Putin and the almost overlooked comment that any attack on Russia "or its' allies" would be met with an immediate nuclear response. Does Iran qualify as an ally? Does China? The ambiguity of those relationships is exactly what Putin seeks to use deter both Israel(against Iran) and the US (against Iran, china, N.Korea, etc). Perhaps the Russian introduction of the SU 57s into Syria for several days was to test their top-line avionics and EW suite against that electronic fog that Israel and the US had set up in S. Syria. There is no other substantive reason that I am aware of to risk such valuable assets in such a hotly contested air space. Finally - again just speculation - Putin also revealed that 'the dagger' is currently deployed in the SOUTHERN military district. Not in position to primarily face Europe and the Black Sea, but rather in position to face down threats in the Gulf region. Posted by: les7 | Mar 3, 2018 7:53:20 PM | 13 No S*T , now Brig Gen Hassan of the Tiger Forces is a warlord according to this magazine The Atlantic ( all those neocons and Israeli firsters . Posted by: Yul | Mar 3, 2018 8:36:44 PM | 14 @b - many thanks. The Kurds. Surely one day a Kurdish author must arise and publish the definitive story of why and how the Kurdish forces failed so badly to understand the reality they were in. The waves of history kept coming at them saying, "come surf me" and they stood, steadfast on the dry sand, and said, "no, we think we have a future here." I have so much sympathy for their aspirations, but you cannot have statehood, so long as you fail to show statecraft. Idleb and Turkey. I was just reading a piece by Ghassan Kadi over at the Saker, which detailed how the US acts as the bully precisely in equal measure to how it's losing its competitive ability. By contrast, here in northern Syria is Turkey, with no such luxury of denial. It must find the ways to deal with its many bargains made with devils, in order to embrace its future. I'm rooting for Turkey to cleanse itself of its devils and move forward. Not predicting. Simply rooting. East Ghouta. Those "wide ditches". I think it was Fort Russ that said that with several years to prepare, all the terrorists could come up with were moats, that the SAA easily bridged. Yes, it was . Is it funny or is it sad, the banality of evil? Or is it on the other hand awe-inspiring, to watch the SAA and see the strength of righteous purpose, that carries all before it? And then there's the area across the Euphrates, where the US neocons build their castles in the sand. Don't they see how perfectly exposed they are for all the world to watch, with no civilians to hide behind, no city to posture over, and nothing but their naked pipeline-envy on display? When the time comes - and perhaps this will even be after Golan, I don't know - when the time comes, the US will slink out of Syria with all the madness of the rout from the roof of the Saigon embassy. And that photograph will be shown on sites across the world too, as it happens. How it happens, and when, I leave to the fates to unfold. Sorry. Just musing. Posted by: Grieved | Mar 3, 2018 9:16:33 PM | 15 paul @ 3 said:"Insane that the people of America continue to accept this murderous behavior on the part of their government." If the 4th estate was really informing the general public, they might not except it. But, as things are now, I doubt most of the masses of the general public neither hear the truth, nor really care to hear it. If the necessary information isn't scrolled on their latest toys, most never hear anything but the incessant propaganda and disinformation, and advertisements... Posted by: ben | Mar 3, 2018 9:38:35 PM | 16 "The Russian and the Syrian government have offered their full support if the Kurds submit to Syrian government control just like any citizen of Syria is supposed to do. If they agree, the Turkish planes will immediately vanish from the skies over Afrin" This is in fact //Erdogan's// demand, relayed by Putin as part of the Putin-Erdogan partition deal - continuing the Euphrates Shield deal which was pendant the resolution of Aleppo. Damascus never consented to it, and what we know of the discussions at Hmeimim Jan 20 show that it is taken by both Damascus and PYD as a fait accompli reached by superior powers. The Hmeimim discussions were Russian-supervised; later under the table discussions without Russia led to the entry of some pro-Assad militias. Assad set up PYD in Afrin and has never had any difficulty with them. Russia, however, is playing a much larger, anti-NATO game (not unreasonably) that involves partition of Syria. Posted by: Michael S | Mar 3, 2018 9:50:27 PM | 17 It takes really only a moment's reflection and common sense to see that Damascus could never have agreed to Turkish annexation of Afrin - no matter how irritating the natives. It adjoins Alexandretta / Hatay! Yet you propound an analysis that commits you to just this view. Posted by: Michael S | Mar 3, 2018 9:54:18 PM | 18 @ Grieved with the well written musing. I like the "... nothing but their naked pipeline-envy on display.." That international crime is repeated all over the globe as resource envy with complete disregard for indigenous peoples/cultures. Of course it violates the coveting your neighbors stuff commandment but is excuses because all but the elite are heathens now. @ paul/ben with the issue of who is responsible. Yes, the 99% of the world should stand up and take their species back from those that control the lifeblood of our economic interactions. It is not just American that are responsible for where we are nor can Americans alone overthrow the global financial elite. Posted by: psychohistorian | Mar 3, 2018 10:07:33 PM | 19 @2 psycho "me too" movement. Trying not to respond...you're making me bite...it hurts so bad to not give my opinion...too...off-topic...must respond...no, I won't. Love you psycho! Posted by: NemesisCalling | Mar 3, 2018 10:51:13 PM | 20 Re: Posted by: Lozion | Mar 3, 2018 5:42:25 PM | 12 Mars, the God and month of War. The pieces are set. The powder keg in place. The match is lit. Will the Old Writings come to pass? Not this March, come back next year, or the year after. Russian Presidential Elections China Oil Yuan Contract Russian FIFA World Cup (June/July) Turkstream (2019) NordStream 2 (2020?) Power of Siberia Pipeline (Russia-China) (2020) Russia will start supplying natural gas to China through a new pipeline by the end of 2019 as part of the two countries' $400 billion energy pact, state gas giant Gazprom said on July 4. Gazprom Chief Executive Aleksei Miller told journalists in Moscow that delivery of gas would start on the so-called Power Of Siberia pipeline on December 20, 2019, and that Beijing and Moscow are now negotiating over a second Far Eastern gas pipeline. Russia needs its ducks in a row before it would ever consider responding to a provocation. Interestingly, 2020 is a US Presidential Election Year so you can imagine a huge ramp up of Trump-Russia hysteria. Huge ramp-up. Posted by: Julian | Mar 3, 2018 10:52:00 PM | 21 Curtis 6 If U are an australian, comments by Dr Marcus Papadopoulos on East Ghouta might interest you..... MUST WATCH: Dr Marcus Papadopoulos on East Ghouta - Sky News Australia Vanessa Beeley . Published on Feb 27, 2018 Posted by: OJS | Mar 3, 2018 11:00:36 PM | 22 thanks b.. your post is edifying.. so many loose strands, left untied... i think the article @8 Gesine Hammerling is more of a continuation of same.. the usa is not interested in leaving.. i guess israel told them they can't, lol... between the usa/uk/israel/ksa and the various western poodles, the war in syria will go on indefinitely..well, as i see it we are on a pathway to ww3... i wish i could see it differently, but i think syria is ground zero... read @7 cp's post for the fanatical ideology emanating from turkey/erdogan at present... thanks cp.. it is also clarifying, reading the historical context and how some in turkey would view this... those friendly HTS, Ahrar al Sham and Zinki headchoppers are useful tools.. why the usa and the west refuse to acknowledge the last 2 as terrorist groups, so turkey must be thankful to the usa for that, if nothing else! @13 les... the timing is due the fact the war is heating up, not going cold... putin decided it would be wise to lay a few cards on the table to show some of his hand... not to worry... nothing will stop the neo con madmen in the west frothing at the mouth to continue on regardless...altanf - just another spot for the usa to have an extended foothold.. jordan prince is bought and paid for.. he will do what he is told.. yes - why doesn't russia just bomb the usa's pocket of isis they are hanging onto east of the euphrates? it's another way to ramp up the war.. maybe they are holding off for the time being, as they aren't quite ready to pull the plug yet? who knows.. @15 grieved.. as we walk towards ww3, it is a nice thought to hold up the idea of the forces of good overcoming the forces of evil... i wish i had the same faith in this as you seem to... i would never underestimate just how powerful the unwanted and uninvited forces that continue to meddle in syria are... in fact, take a look at how long this has gone on and how, in spite of russia-iran-syrias ability, the war shows no sign of letting up.. in fact, it appears to be ramping up as i see it.. it is easy to imagine 1 wrong move setting off a chain of events that are hard to get back.. and yet, i do believe russia-iran and syria are playing their cards the best way they can.. and i do believe that russia in particular is still holding back showing all it's hand and what it is capable of doing.. it continues to try for diplomacy and sanity.. but then asking for that in a room full of jackals is asking a lot and that is how i see it... @lozion - yeah - mars god of war and march... he meets saturn on easter sunday, as the moon moves into tropical scorpio... the aries ingress charts look unhappy given this duo in close conjunction squaring onto the sun.. and yet, i continue to believe 2020 is the watershed year...that is the year when the bigger cycles come due.. and yet, the ww2 had the ominous square of mars to sun in the uk chart as we have for this 2018 aries ingress... it wasn't present in the 1914 chart.. i think 2020 is the critical year still.. Posted by: james | Mar 3, 2018 11:02:52 PM | 23 @23 James and yet, i do believe russia-iran and syria are playing their cards the best way they can.. and i do believe that russia in particular is still holding back showing all it's hand and what it is capable of doing.. it continues to try for diplomacy and sanity.. but then asking for that in a room full of jackals is asking a lot and that is how i see it... I look at Putin and I see a man who was thrown into that position and who is surviving brilliantly through pure merit and self-discipline. I can not think of another world leader, besides the Russian President, in recent history, that embodies the stuff that is needed to bring down Rome. That could bring down Rome. It is obvious to me that the martial arts he has studied, Judo, has been an integral part of his calm-under-pressure. Lavrov is an amazing right-hand, as well, but without Vladamir...well; he even embraces the physical-man image in his public life with aplomb, and I am assuming that this is the other reason why the Russians love him so. On the other side of the world, you have the wildcard Trump, who could stop the MIC if he would just step into the light a bit so we could really see the man. But he continues as a self-serving, shape-shifter survivalist. According to Kierkegaard, the ethical man sacrifices himself to move past the aesthetic stage of the pursuit of pure, sensory enjoyment. He does this out of duty towards his fellows and because that is what is needed for family and raising children. Beyond this is the religious sphere which is of the utmost subjectivity. Clowns like Pat Robertson and the other protestant neocons who whisper into Trump's ear use the type of religiousness that is anathema to true Christianity; and the eschatology that they adhere to is so confused that they probably understand themselves as having already moved into the "religious" sphere. But first you have to understand the peace of the ethical. The peace of love, of marriage, of children. It is so wonderful to move beyond the selfish and self-serving. If they could only understand! But they are hellbent on destroying the natural order that our creator has so lovingly bestowed on us. For them, life is too complicated when individuals have to make personal choices of heroism that pass unseen in the eyes of the public but are lovingly acknowledged in quiet moments of self-reflection. No, for them it is easier to band together in marauding groups of insatiable humanoids and shun personal responsibility. (forgive the lackluster proselytism; all I meant to say was that Putin is aces) Posted by: NemesisCalling | Mar 3, 2018 11:49:48 PM | 24 Great summary and analysis b. The laments in the first few comments are a bit overly pessimistic about the 'clueless Americans' who buy the media lies about the many US imperial cold and hot war actions. The numbers who are infected by official propaganda are I think rapidly dwindling. The belief in official media is nearly dead, especially for most folks under 50. The freedom to view and read more authentically objective sites like WSWS or Moonofalabama on an essentially equal convenience level as govt propaganda sites like ABC or BBC, and the ability to compare and contrast 'opposing' govt propaganda sites, has had an effect. Among those who still care, it produces Bernie Sanders, Jeremy Corbyn, and Brexit. And Trump, unfortunately. All of these 'unfathomable to the neoliberal establishment' political events happened 1 or 2 years ago. Something new and very good is happening. It may be misdirected, perhaps into racialized or identity politics, but then again it may not be. Activism not wailing pessimism is the best response over the next few critical years. Posted by: fairleft | Mar 4, 2018 3:06:51 AM | 25 Thanks b. One can only speculate on the reason YPG is digging heels. First, for as long as USA remains parked accross Eulhrates, they are hoping to get their autonomy / independence st the final negotiarion table. Thus -- they have refused the terms of reincorporating back into Syria. Damascus is in a precarious position , as it cannot condone Turkish offensive, hence sending some voluntary units and humanitarian help. But until Kurds insist on secession, Syria will allow Turkey to squeeze YPG. Kurds that are part of SDF are abandoning many of their posts - / especially from Deir Azzor. This has spooked US forces, getting reinforcements. Kurds are leaving Daqqa, Euphrates valley --- getting back to Hassakah and Kobane region, as well as going to Afrin. In a new twist in Hassakah region US facilitated putting together a 3,000 force of Arabs and others to ptovide the defence AND according to US will provide security freeing Kurds for dealing with ISIS. In fact, it is a compensation, an assurance for Kurds that they can return to their posts and not worry that Turks will attack YPG in Hassakah/Kobane. But this is a sleight of hand. US knows that Kurds are stretched thin -- and now that they have to worry about protecting their own regions -- are focusing on their defence. In the end -- US willl continue to ask for more troups, Nobody is really protecting the area, and in Raqqa Groups are forming to resist Kurd/US occupation. from the fact that large areas are now without even symbolic presence, and HS failed to Posted by: Bianca | Mar 4, 2018 3:30:22 AM | 26 @24 Very well stated and perhaps the most precise and poignant critique of the empire. Posted by: les7 | Mar 4, 2018 4:10:16 AM | 27 Check out the latest posts at SyrianPerspective.com The Douma pocket has collapsed, as much as 75% of it, mostly rural, has been liberated, and there are some reports that the Tigers have entered Douma itself from the east. Nuff Sed. Posted by: Nuff Sed | Mar 4, 2018 4:43:58 AM | 28 Fairleft 25 Don't place World Socialist Web next to Moon of Alabama for quality insight . Two weeks back they were telling us that MAO' perverted Marxism and that the Chinese revolution was a 'nationalist perversion' . No - C I A money and Trotskyist polemics sloshing around there methinks ! Posted by: ashley albanese | Mar 4, 2018 5:21:51 AM | 29 Peter Hitchen of the normally right-wing Sunday Mail had this to say of BBC coverage: "I asked the BBC how they could justify using propaganda footage, allegedly from the Syrian town of Ghouta, on a major news bulletin without any indication that it came from a partial source. They admitted they had done this. They admitted that it was against their rules. But I did not get the impression they were all that bothered, and I would not be surprised to see such stuff again. The BBC 'reports' an awful lot of things from Syria which it has no way of checking, from supposed gas attacks by the Assad state to death tolls and films (generally of wounded children being rushed about the place by unarmed young men). It has completely abandoned any semblance of independence or impartiality. How then can it justify its licence fee, collected on these conditions?" Posted by: Shakesvshav | Mar 4, 2018 5:47:52 AM | 30 "If they keep doing so the Turkish forces will role [sic] them up and all will be lost. It is a simple and obvious choice to make." The Kurds are irredeemably stupid. They always fall for the sympathetic whispers from the AngloZionists, not realizing they are just pawns. Posted by: Anonymous | Mar 4, 2018 5:51:32 AM | 31 This is a must read on MSNBC's coverage of Yemen and Russia gate, and tells everyone all they need to know about propaganda in the US. "An analysis by FAIR has found that the leading liberal cable network did not run a single segment devoted specifically to Yemen in the second half of 2017. And in these latter roughly six months of the year, MSNBC ran nearly 5,000 percent more segments that mentioned Russia than segments that mentioned Yemen." * "Moreover, in all of 2017, MSNBC only aired one broadcast on the U.S.-backed Saudi airstrikes that have killed thousands of Yemeni civilians. And it never mentioned the impoverished nation's colossal cholera epidemic, which infected more than 1 million Yemenis in the largest outbreak in recorded history." https://www.truthdig.com/articles/msnbc-now-dangerous-warmonger-network/ Posted by: harrylaw | Mar 4, 2018 6:48:38 AM | 32 Exposing the fakery job of "saving child" by White Helmet in E. Ghouta: Another faked baby-saving by White Helmet . Watch the video on the same thread posted by Radom Soul, who noticed the fakery, I think ther might be an another possible fakery: Between '12-'13, you'd see a WH man pick up a baby from the rubble hole. As baby is pulled out of the hole to be given to someone stanging above, it seems the baby with light blue top and white bottom/diaper has no legs & no blood whatsoever under his/her white bottom/diaper. Can some eagle-eyed readers here check it? Posted by: mali | Mar 4, 2018 7:05:37 AM | 33 ashley albanese | Mar 4, 2018 5:21:51 AM | 29 No, WSWS wasn't doing that, but I won't further feed you. My point which you've decided to answer with a b.s. diversion is that WSWS is a more objective NEWS source than mainstream propaganda sites like ABC, BBC and so on. Its underlying bias in favor of Trotskyism seems not to bias its reporting, except at times when it reports with premature and sometimes unwarranted cynicism on seemingly authentic left movements and figures like Corbyn ... (But more often than not such cynicism is warranted; perhaps not in the case of Corbyn, but probably so in the case of Bernie Sanders). Other than that fairly straightforward, easy-to-spot-and-account-for bias, I think their NEWS reporting is impressively objective. Posted by: fairleft | Mar 4, 2018 7:35:20 AM | 34 @PH3. I like the opening sentence about the profit prophets. Much more than multi polar and patriarchy are at stake when consensual sex between adults (for any reason)is considered rape. It's possible we need a shared experience to get on the same page as suggested here. http://ownershipeconomy.net/ Posted by: Tannenhouser | Mar 4, 2018 9:07:11 AM | 35 So Kurds have to just roll over and die in their homes in Afrin because the supposed Christian (Greek Orthodox) superpower[...] Putin now favors the Ottoman autocratic Turkish Islamic leader R.D.Erdogan, thus kurds which are not overly Islamic should just bow down to the will of the Sultan. Posted by: Greece | Mar 3, 2018 5:33:56 PM | 11 Clients can count on the protection of the powers that the pledged to. YPG chose to stay with Americans, to the point of participating in some fashion in the slaughter of some Russians. USA is capable of extending a no-fly zone ca. 200 km to cover Afrin, like it currently covers Manjib. Why Russia should spoil relationship with Turkey on behalf of American clients? Realistically, YPG should "split" with the western branch reduced to a legal political party with a militia within NDP (?) framework, i.e. obeying SAA commands with possibility of political appeals, like, say, the Druze. I guess that it is pressure from Americans that delays that outcome. And, of course, USA also values Turkey more too. Posted by: Piotr Berman | Mar 4, 2018 10:37:06 AM | 36 News from East Ghouta pocket: one cannot simply add up all SAA advances, because some were reversed, most of the pocket is still in jihadists hand, about 60? Posted by: Piotr Berman | Mar 4, 2018 10:42:38 AM | 37 @Gesine, 8. Richard Labeviere is a well known F-CH author, commentator, etc. He has written more than 10 books (none of which I have read.) He is respected and imho pretty good, not bad anyway, outside the MSM etc. - though he started his career there. We in CH know him quite well. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Labeviere (in F) Here on an 'alt' TV show, 29 jan. 2018, TV-libertes, you can see him explaining Syria from the Russian pov. In F. If he reports on this confidential comm. I see no reason to disbelieve. (He is rather cautious not given to wild speculation, hype.) Were present: Hugh Cleary - Foreign Office, Jerome Bonnafont - Quai d'Orsay, David Satterfield, USA, Nawaf Tell, Jordan, and Jamal al-Aqeel, KSA. What is reported of course is just what one would expect, nothing startling or different. How R L saw / was informed about this 'cable' idk. Posted by: Noirette | Mar 4, 2018 10:55:47 AM | 38 @38 thanks for the valuable background Posted by: les7 | Mar 4, 2018 11:58:27 AM | 39 The Turks have reservations about the Russians. If the Russians could be a bit sincere, Turkey would announce the end of her contract with the NATO right there and then and for good. Turks have been attacked by NATO members and they are still under attack. For Turks PYD/PKK/YPG/YPJ/KCK/HPG/SDF (there are about 35-40 acronyms) = COCA COLA, canned, bottled, pre-mix, zero, light, classic... And the Gulenists are the PEPSI guys and they are still attacking Turkey daily, hourly, every single second. PEPSI + Coca Cola are bad for Turks. Posted by: ConfusedPundit | Mar 4, 2018 12:09:27 PM | 40 @24 NemesisCalling... thanks for your post.. we see this in a similar way! Posted by: james | Mar 4, 2018 12:57:39 PM | 41 The Douma pocket has collapsed, as much as 75% of it, mostly rural, has been liberated, Even BBC radio news, not very pro-Asad, is saying that a quarter of the pocket has fallen. It'll only be a few days now, I would guess. Time to organise the busses for transporting the jihadis to Idlib. Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 4, 2018 1:08:36 PM | 42 Even BBC radio news, not very pro-Asad, is saying that a quarter of the pocket has fallen. It'll only be a few days now, I would guess. Time to organise the busses for transporting the jihadis to Idlib. Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 4, 2018 1:08:36 PM | 42 I think you are extrapolating from a recently liquidated pocket near Idlib and Aleppo. But the progress depends a lot on the defensive tunnels and trenches, plus the numbers of the defenders. East Ghouta has about 20 times more defenders, and more urban parts are very resistant to the attacks from "old front lines". It is really an open bet how large EG pocket will be a month from now. Posted by: Piotr Berman | Mar 4, 2018 2:43:02 PM | 43 Well the BBC was talking about hundreds of people fleeing - there was more detail later on in the bulletin. Very surprising for the BBC - they've been carrying the line about monstrous Asad bombing for around two weeks now. No, I was not extrapolating from the north. I was telling you about what they were saying. There's no necessary supposition that they're going to fight to the death (negotiations were also mentioned). Asad & Co know how to ease people out. It was all very panicky. No doubt they will calm down later. Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 4, 2018 3:04:55 PM | 44 On this occasion, I must reluctantly disagree with the normally insightful MoA. I don't think there is anything that can save the Kurds in Afrin now. The Russian Federation will not directly confront Turkish forces, and Damascus is more interested in saving what they can of 'useful' Syria, given their own limited resources. Afrin, like Hatay province, will become Turkish territory. Idlib may too, at least the northern part, given all the border posts the Turks have set up along the lines of control between the SAA and the Idlib 'rebels'. Posted by: Ant. | Mar 4, 2018 4:48:41 PM | 45 The surprise coming is that the MOD and Putin have a clear reading on Centcom and Israeli moves. They will do what Russian military always has done, sucker in the attack and swallow it in a boiler. That means the air defenses will nullify most of the attack on Syria, at Iranian bases and Syria airstrips. And the counter move will be the devastation of al Tanf and other bases of consequence by rockets and missiles from Syria and Iran. Meanwhile, the skies will belong to Russian Aerospace. If the Russian airbase at Latakia is hit, the Russians will diminish the US bases in Syria. Thus the need for the nuclear threat from Southern District. They will signal to US (via satellite) they are poised to go. The US needs a beating to leave. I've said it for many months. Body bags changes everything in an election years. McMaster and Centcom (encouraged by Maddog Mattis) want this war. Russia will give them a taste of it. 4600 US troops in sand-bermed bases. Sitting ducks. Putin was highly affected by the pilot Roman Filipov's sacrifice against the surrounding radicals. What is the primary word Putin is using to tell Russians about his own personal life? "I work." That harkens the other Russian hero, in Dagestan. "Work, brothers." His last words before he was executed. Putin is fatalistic. He intends to win. He doesn't want war, not even a shooting incident to even a score. But the US generals and neocons and Russophobes and Khazarians want it. He intends to give it to them. I still expect missiles flying into US bases. The US showed its hand in early February at Deir ez Zor. Putin is going to cover it and sweep the table. By the way, Der Spiegel has a story that seems to get at the truth of the losses of Wagner PMC Russians. Posted by: Red Ryder | Mar 4, 2018 5:14:44 PM | 46 Some rumors about Mcmaster being replaced soon.. Anyone know the scoop? Posted by: Lozion | Mar 4, 2018 5:26:22 PM | 47 Red Ryder "The surprise coming is that the MOD and Putin have a clear reading on Centcom and Israeli moves." I have been thinking on a number of events going back to Crimea rejoining Russia. Russia appears to have good intelligence on US plans, always having a well thought out blocking move for any move the US may make. The US on the other hand seems constantly surprised by Russian moves - reacting with hasty, poorly thought out moves. I would guess Russian intelligence has a good view inside the vaunted US intelligence/military/political machine. Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Mar 4, 2018 5:51:04 PM | 48 Adding to my post @ 48, I recall an interview of Putin. I think he was asked a question along the lines of who he respects the most. He stated it was the intelligence agents abroad, many of whom had left in soviet times and where still working for Russia. He said these people sacrificed their entire lives in service for their country, living far from and completely isolated from family, friends and country for much of, if not all of their working lives. Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Mar 4, 2018 5:59:25 PM | 49 it seems like a game of chess between an offensive player and a defensive one... Posted by: james | Mar 4, 2018 8:51:43 PM | 50 "Syrians close to cutting Ghouta in half" BBC world service, midday European time. Which is continuing to be very negative about the Ghoutans future. Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 5, 2018 6:12:48 AM | 51 Jeremy Bowen, BBC 13.00 GMT: The Syrians advancing fast yesterday. Evidently Masdar doesn't disagree, but I suppose it's not appearing in the US media (I'll leave you lot to tell us. I don't enjoy polluting my mind). Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 5, 2018 8:26:06 AM | 52 The US needs a beating to leave. Red Ryder 46. Without it - or some very clear show of force with quite some impact - the US just continues along the usual path, though I am sure USA-isr are very humiliated and angry. Russia appears to have good intelligence on US plans, always having a well thought out blocking move for any move the US may make. The US on the other hand seems constantly surprised by Russian moves - reacting with hasty, poorly thought out moves. Peter, 48. Yes. Most likely (Peter, 49) some dedicated R foreign agents exist. However, cyber spying is very important. Plus, it is not too difficult even for an outsider -time and dedication needed- to figure out what the US will do / not, from publically available info. 10 ppl 'with languages' with 10 aids who collate, archive, and bring on the coffee, etc., which is super cheap, will go a very long way. As for the NSA / US spies there may even be pertinent info fed into the system (Idk) but with all the fights at the top: CIA - FBI - NSA - HUGE no. of private contractors on the teat, etc. etc., and different pol-corp-camps attempting to dominate one over the other, information becomes a commodity offered as a teaser, or sold to the highest bidder like bath mats. It aims to be pleasing in color and texture, easy to wash, at a competitive price, and to anticipate *future* trends. The result is that no or almost no outside info. is deemed relevant, accepted, and the info is either junked or used as an arm between interior competitors. So, it isn't taken into account. (Besides the fact that if one rules the world. lang experts etc. are a silly expenditure - clout wins over all. Or one might mention arrogance and hubris and the blindness induced by group-think-belonging.) Posted by: Noirette | Mar 5, 2018 10:04:56 AM | 53 Haven't read through all the comments. But I would add that Meyssan (voltaire.net) is reporting that Russian Spetsnaz (sp?) is in Damascus, as part of an arranged plan with the US (I assume this was why the point of the big spy meeting in DC last month) to "push" US forces out of Syria, finally. All agreed upon in advance, and Meyssan was first to report that P had deployed air force to Syria. Posted by: JC | Mar 5, 2018 11:21:50 AM | 54 re 54 I can't see why Spetsnaz would be necessary, as the Syrians are doing fine on their own, with Russian air support. It might be a question of preventing a US/Israeli coup which they've heard about. The Brits did that back in the 70s, sending a warship to the Falklands, to avert an Argentinian invasion. That worked, but then Thatcher withdrew the ship, and the Argies invaded shortly afterwards. Meyssan lives in Damascus, I think. Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 5, 2018 2:37:24 PM | 55 "Russia appears to have good intelligence on US plans, always having a well thought out blocking move for any move the US may make." Peter AU 1 | Mar 4, 2018 5:51:04 PM | 48 To have "good intelligence on US plans" it suffices to study speeches, position papers of American think tanks etc. Technologies, if any, have long time from conception to fruition so they do not require very special means to detect and adapt. As far as "blocking moves", Russia could only make few of them, and only American/Western conceit that they should not be able to make any makes the few successes "amazing". Some of those are unsung: how RF managed to brainwash Crimeans to feel happier in RF than in free, Western oriented Ukraine? (The explanation is, of course, that only small percentage of the peninsular population consists of total idiots, but exploring that direction of analysis is just too depressing for a Western expert.) Posted by: Piotr Berman | Mar 5, 2018 2:43:00 PM | 56 While checking news, I encountered an unknown acronym: VPK. WTF? My high school Russian taught me nothing like that, and only through the miracle of Google search that accepts almost any alphabet I found that this is good old MIC. So now Russian nationalists are gloating that their VPK showed it to American MIC. NYT seems to advance gradually beyond the denial phase, and commenters of the last pieces are full of anger directed at Trump. And while Trump makes a rather poor imitation of an anger, with an orange halo pressed to flatly to his skull, in terms of foreign and military postures he presents rather complete continuity with Obama if you disregard some fleeting initiatives. E.g. Obama championed "settlement freeze" in Israel/Palestine for, like, six months? With zero results. Now we have Trumpian trade war that may take even less time to become another "child that is ugly, hunchbacked and unwanted" so even the parents can't look at it or mention in a conversation. Posted by: Piotr Berman | Mar 5, 2018 3:07:35 PM | 57 Ah! Why there is no option to edit a comment after posting! Trump makes perfect exhibits of angeR, but is imperfect as an angeL. Although he did better in his younger years. Posted by: Piotr Berman | Mar 5, 2018 3:09:37 PM | 58 Peter AU 1 | Mar 4, 2018 5:51:04 PM | 48 "Russia appears to have good intelligence on US plans" The British always hand out spoilers on US plans. No? And now, what do we make of this I wonder: Former Russian spy critically ill in UK 'after exposure to substance' Posted by: ConfusedPundit | Mar 5, 2018 3:15:59 PM | 59 "Insane that the people of America continue to accept this murderous behavior on the part of their government," That acceptance is a fragment of American cultural norm. The most stark example are conditions in American prisons. Another, political success of police chiefs, sherifs etc. that preside over brutal and lethal departments. Citizenry feels safer if they are defended with more zeal. Waste of money and American lives (of "good Americans") may upset some, but brutality per se? Nay. Posted by: Piotr Berman | Mar 5, 2018 3:22:35 PM | 60 ConfusedPundit I have read the article. Convicted in Russia some time ago for passing information to Brits or US and apparently now living in UK. If he has been poisoned, who would have motive to kill him? Russia, because although he has been out of the loop there atr least since his conviction may still pass on state secrets, or the Brits/US because he knows things not to be made public in the west? Also who benefits propaganda wise if he has been poisoned? Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Mar 5, 2018 3:29:30 PM | 61 Piotr Berman 56 Russia had sounded out the Crimeans before the operation. The operation was to ensure the US and others could not prevent or interfere with the referendum and to neutralize the twenty thousand strong Ukraine military contingent present in Crimea. The Russian documentary "Crimea: The Way Home" covers a lot of it. Also there was a commenter at the Saker blog living in Crimea that had more on the Russian operation. The operation to allow the referendum to take place was a major military operation that came off perfectly, with I think only one death although the Ukraine military contingent was 20,000 strong. Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Mar 5, 2018 3:48:06 PM | 62 Having discovered that it was a political Russian who suffered from an unknown substance in Salisbury, there's not much doubt that it's an assassination. So what? The US assassinates its enemies by drone, Russia by Polonium. Not much difference. Rouse enmity, and you're at risk. Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 5, 2018 3:57:39 PM | 63 Dear Peter AU 1 | Mar 5, 2018 3:29:30 PM | 61 "Also who benefits propaganda wise if he has been poisoned?" What would the UK public think about the Russians? Remember the Litvinenko case? It coincided with the Putin vs Russian oligarchs (Khodorkovsky, Berezovsky, Nevzlin) case, Yukoil and the Sakhalin-II expropriation case. Posted by: ConfusedPundit | Mar 5, 2018 4:13:06 PM | 64 Laguerre says: I can't see why Spetsnaz would be necessary,... Meyssan says nothing about Spetsnaz being deployed to Damascus. What he says is... On the morning of 25 February, the Russian land army moved into East Ghouta alongside the Syrian Arab Army ...and that therefore any attack by the crazy coalition is out of the question. Here , read it for yourself. Posted by: john | Mar 5, 2018 4:20:56 PM | 65 Posted by: john | Mar 5, 2018 4:20:56 PM | 65 yes I read Meyssan in the original French. he's not entirely reliable, but lives in Damascus. Russians aren't needed for the reconquest of Ghouta, which progresses well without them. However there is a danger of a US/Israeli coup to decapitate the regime. I should think the Russian troops were put in to avert that. Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 5, 2018 4:48:56 PM | 66 This from John Helmer's latest, 'When Vladimir Putin Coughs...' http://johnhelmer.net/ "Still coughing from the effects of the influenza which has infected most of Europe this winter, President Vladimir Putin has declared that for his last term in office, Russia is at war with the United States. In his Federal Assembly speech on March 1, Putin also made sure that for his succession, he intends the Russian military-industrial complex to prevail over the oligarchs on whom Kremlin rule has depended since 1996..." Let's hope so. Putin also needs to get rid of the media advisors (Peskov?) who weakened and diminished the effect of his right-between-the-eyes, stop-their-water March 1st speech, by sending him into an hour long interrogation with Megyn Kelly on NBC. High time the Kremlin stopped trying too hard to be liked in America. More stick, less carrot works far better. Posted by: John Gilberts | Mar 5, 2018 6:21:39 PM | 67 Regarding Meyssan, I apply Dewey Larson's adage: << Complexity is entertaining; simplicity is not >>.. Posted by: Lozion | Mar 5, 2018 8:37:26 PM | 68 " The US assassinates its enemies by drone, Russia by Polonium. .." This is the Guardian/CIA line. To accept it uncritically is worse than an error. Or do you have any evidence that Litvinenko was assassinated by the Russian state? The judicial enquiry was given none. It took the Judge considerable intellectual exercise of the gymnastic variety to suggest that there might be some. If I may say so, without giving offence, Laguerre this off hand judgement of yours reminds me of your early enthusiasm for Macron in France's presidential election. Posted by: bevin | Mar 5, 2018 9:22:46 PM | 69 @69 bevin.. i agree... that is generally out of sync with many of laguerres intelligent comments.. Posted by: james | Mar 5, 2018 10:01:19 PM | 70 re 69. You may be right, bevin. I don't much care - my point was that everybody does it. i.e. political assassination is not going to be stopped soon, whatever the evils of it. On Macron, I would have thought I've been proved right. After initial scepticism, there's quite a lot of enthusiasm in France for Macron now. Both the far right (Le Pen), and the socialist left (Melenchon) have died. What Macron does is far from ideal, but it's better than the alternatives. Posted by: Laguerre | Mar 6, 2018 5:52:58 AM | 71 Laguerre says: I should think the Russian troops were put in to avert that yeah, that's what Meyssan thinks. i just wanted to remind myself, so that when the yanks, or the joos, send in their hellfire missiles, we'll know, once again, that Meyssan's appraisal was naive. Posted by: john | Mar 6, 2018 5:59:09 AM | 72 @ laguerre / john.. re russian troops.. i see a plane carrying 39 from russia has crashed in the airport in syria - all dead.. so very sad for those who have lost loved ones.. Posted by: james | Mar 6, 2018 12:47:07 PM | 73 A bomb goes off in Jarablus, 1700 SDF fighters with Centcom apcs and weaponary (to be used in their fight against ISIS) relocate from DeirEzZor to 'Afrin', Russian plane crash, Daniel Coats claims 'chlorine gas' is 'WMD'. I think the Pentagon liars should get on with their job and hit Syria. Posted by: ConfusedPundit | Mar 6, 2018 2:17:53 PM | 74 The comments to this entry are closed.

After a slow start the Turkish and Jihadi attack on the Afrin canton in north-west Syria is making some progress.

Over the weekend, NSA author and journalist for The Intercept , Glenn Greenwald posted a tweet in which he claimed the St. Louis County police chief visited Israel "to learn about police tactics from the Israelis." St. Louis County Police Chief, in 2011, on visiting Israel to learn about police tactics from the Israelis https://t.co/aYaqRcud3A -- Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 14, 2014 Greenwald linked to a tweet from Iranian-American activist and author Trita Parsi, who in turn posted a press release from 2011 in which Police Chief Timothy Fitch announced his trip to Israel to study counter-terrorism, not police tactics. Furthermore, police officials from across the nation attended the counter-terrorism seminar, presented by the Anti-Defamation League. Fitch was quoted in the press release describing the St. Louis Terrorism Early Warning Group, which collects information from various levels of law enforcement "with the primary goal of gathering and sharing information concerning homeland security." There's nothing in the press release about "police tactics" related to what we've observed in Ferguson, MO. Furthermore, Fitch retired back in February and was replaced by the current police chief Colonel Jon Belmar, who ostensibly deserves a huge chunk of the blame for the bellicosity of the police in Ferguson. This is yet another example of how Greenwald awkwardly shoehorns events into his well-known agenda. Long before the crisis in Gaza, Greenwald has taken a vocal anti-Israel position and, in this case, clearly thought he could dovetail the awfulness in Ferguson with his posture on Israel. Though I hasten to note that he's not outright "blaming" Ferguson on Israel as other publications have claimed. But he is, in fact, hamfistedly linking the two in order to make an obvious point about Israel. And, naturally, his loyal disciples are eating it up. The tweet has been retweeted 906 times and favorited 295 times. So the ongoing trend of repeating Greenwald's serially misleading blurbs as fact continues unabated. True to form, Greenwald attacked anyone calling out his tone-deaf tweet as being illiterate or an idiot . Bob Cesca is the host of the Bob Cesca Show podcast , a twice weekly political talk show. He's also a contributor to Salon.com. Follow him on Twitter and on Facebook .

Over the weekend, NSA author and journalist for The Intercept , Glenn Greenwald posted a tweet in which he claimed the St. Louis County police chief visited Israel "to learn about police tactics from the Israelis."

The ACLU is organizing grassroots volunteers across the country to resist the Trump administration's attacks on our civil liberties. Help flip state legislatures and governors' seats from red to blue. A simple guide to learn what you can do to affect real change in Congress. MoveOn is a service - a way for busy but concerned citizens to assert their collective power in a system dominated by big money and big media. OFA works to ensure the voices of ordinary Americans are heard in Washington, while training the next generation of grassroots organizers that will keep fighting for change. Connecting communities to actionable information and tools to reject the Trump / GOP agenda in every state and protect communities from harm. Helping recruit and support under-35 year old progressives running for down-ballot office to build a Democratic bench. Let's take back the House. Find your closest Swing District and sign up to support a progressive win there in 2018. Register to vote. Check your registration status. Get your absentee ballot. Fast, free, easy, secure, nonpartisan.

The ACLU is organizing grassroots volunteers across the country to resist the Trump administration's attacks on our civil liberties.

You are not signed in as a Premium user; we rely on Premium users to support our news reporting. Sign in or Sign up today! DETROIT ( ChurchMilitant.com ) - Parents are pulling their kids out of schools in three countries on April 23rd to protest graphic, immoral sex education in the public schools. " Sex Ed Sit-Out " began after a few mothers from Charlotte, North Carolina, blasted the current sex ed resources in schools on social media, which has since grown into a worldwide initiative in a number of major U.S. cities and in Australia and Canada. "Most parents do not know this is taking place in schools," insisted Elizabeth Johnston, known as the " Activist Mommy ," who is one of the organizers of the protest. "The wool is completely being pulled over their eyes, and sometimes when parents catch on and start inquiring, bureaucrats are using deceptive means of not informing them what is being taught." Protests are planned to take place across the nation from Charlotte, North Carolina, to about a dozen other cities, including Decorah, Iowa; Austin and San Antonio, Texas; Spokane, Washington; Garden Grove and Sacramento, California; Bloomington, Indiana and Martinsburg, West Virginia. Abroad, protests are scheduled for Vancouver, British Columbia and Mulgrave, Australia. School administrators and school boards have been pushing gender ideology and "LGBT-inclusive sex education" in recent years as part of its curricula out of fear of civil rights violations and anti-bullying laws from pro-abortion and pro-gay groups like the Human Rights Campaign and Planned Parenthood. On April 23, parents will be pulling their children out of school and meeting in various places to hold press events and answer media questions. They will be sending a letter to school principals explaining the absence of their children, saying, "Pornographic sex education and an anti-bullying curriculum is being implemented across our globe in an attempt to indoctrinate our children with 'sexual rights.' This is unacceptable and I/we am/are joining others both nationally and globally in taking a stand to say 'enough.'" The objectionable content includes topics like how to have anal and oral sex, masturbate one another and question one's gender. Rocklin, California and Fairfax County, Virginia, started pushing "controversial, gender-bending and graphic sex education and anti-bullying programs" behind the backs of parents who were unaware of what their children were being taught in its public schools. Rocklin, California, and Fairfax County, Virginia, started pushing 'controversial, gender-bending and graphic sex education and anti-bullying programs' behind the backs of parents. A teacher at a Rocklin charter school read two books, I am Jazz and The Red Crayon , that normalizes transgenderism among young children to her kindergarten class last year. The teacher also allegedly reintroduced a 5-year-old male student as a girl in a " gender-transition ceremony ." Fairfax recently banned parents from questioning a motion at an Education Curriculum Advisory Meeting to replace the term "biological sex" and "biological gender" with the phrase "sex assigned at birth." Johnston questioned the motives behind the funding for such sex education programs in a press release : Why are our tax dollars going to pay for curriculums and resources that teach dangerous and promiscuous behaviors which most parents find morally abhorrent and the CDC has stated are a health risk? Furthermore, why aren't administrators being transparent with parents about the content of sexuality resources? It's as if they have something to hide. That should frighten parents everywhere. "Sex Ed Sit-Out" has partnered with pro-life and pro-family groups like Family Research Council, the American Life League and the Liberty Counsel. CitizenGo.org started an online petition calling for an end to "graphic, immoral sex education" that has collected more than 20,000 signatures in less than a week. "We send our kids to school to learn reading, writing, science and history, not how to have sex without getting caught or inconvenienced. Stick to the biology of reproduction or we will pull our children out of schools permanently," explained Johnston. "We want school administrators to promise to cease all programs which push graphic and radical LGBT gender-bending propaganda." The United States has no federal standard for sex education but 24 states and the District of Columbia mandate that public schools teach it. The scheduled protests follow Wednesday's pro-life " walk-out " in which hundreds of pro-life student groups in high schools and colleges across the nation remembered those lost owing to the sin of abortion and the national school walkouts protesting gun violence and pushing for gun control on March 14.

Parents are pulling their kids out of schools in three countries on April 23rd to protest graphic, immoral sex education in the public schools.

1.It's a miracle half of the country doesn't perish in a grid of turkey fryer fires that merge together to create one giant death trap. America gonna 'Murica, y'all! 2.Whelp...who's up for McDonald's? 3.Not all food pics are created equal. Before you share that picture, ask yourself..."What would Martha Stewart do?". 4.Just because you can make it doesn't mean you should. 5.If your turkey isn't properly thawed, turning up the temperature in the oven is actually the opposite of a solution. 6.Test your dish designs. If they come out looking like genitalia...bring the paper plates instead. 7.Your pet doesn't give a shoot about your Thanksgiving plans. 8.Leave the decorating to the experts. 9.Be sure to preserve all the most awkward awkwardness so you can laugh at said awkwardness at all your future awkward family dinners 10.The Thanksgiving dessert rule is a good rule for life in general - KISS...Keep It Simple Stupid.

It's a miracle half of the country doesn't perish in a grid of turkey fryer fires that merge together to create one giant death trap.

After facing outrage due to an Amnesty International ad calling for the "repeal of the eighth" amendment to expand abortion rights in Ireland, actor Liam Neeson has stepped down as president of his childhood boxing club. Locals and Catholic groups were angered by Neeson lending his voice to the film that some called "shockingly offensive," according to Yahoo Movies UK . The short film titled "Chains" features black-and-white images of graves and ruins as Neeson narrates to eerie music, "A ghost haunts Ireland..." The actor goes on to call the law which recognizes "the equal right to life" of the "unborn" and the mother a "ghost of paper and ink" that "lives in a constitution written for a different time." He narrates: "A ghost haunts Ireland. A cruel ghost of the last century still bound to the land. It blindly brings suffering, even death, to the women whose lives it touches. Feared by politicians, this is a ghost of paper and ink. A spirit that lives in a constitution written for a different time. It is the shadow of the country we'd hoped we'd left behind. Ireland doesn't have to be chained to its past. It's time to lay this ghost to rest." Neeson had trained with the Catholic church associated All Saints Amateur Boxing club in his hometown, Ballymena, in Northern Ireland, since he was 9-years-old. Irish writer and director Graham Linehan created the film launched in Belfast on October 19, 2015. In response to Neeson's resignation, Linehan offered his support, tweeting , "Liam had the guts to take a stand for Irish women and here's the fallout. Still stand by every word I wrote for him." Currently, abortion is illegal in Ireland except in cases where the woman's health or life is at risk. <<< Please support MRC's NewsBusters team with a tax-deductible contribution today. >>>

After facing outrage due to an Amnesty International ad calling for the "repeal of the eighth" amendment to expand abortion rights in Ireland, actor Liam Neeson has stepped down as president of his childhood boxing club.

In Yemen, a pair of U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition airstrikes ripped through a funeral reception overnight, killing eight women and a child. Witnesses say a second airstrike targeted emergency workers responding to the initial attack. This is survivor Hameed Aly. Hameed Aly : "The people are still looking under the rubble, like you see. Each one is looking for their child or their sister. And this all happened from the bombing. There are nine victims, and they're still searching for more. And there are dozens of injured in the hospital." The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Houthi rebels has the support of the United States. The United Nations warns the bombing campaign and naval blockade have devastated Yemen's infrastructure and left 12 million people facing the threat of famine. Topics: Yemen

In Yemen, a pair of U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition airstrikes ripped through a funeral reception overnight, killing eight women and a child.

Comedy gold courtesy of Cuffy Meigs. The first eight minutes show Dolezal rambling on about the mysterious hate crimes committed against her and her kids. The action starts at 7:55, when the interviewer surprises her by asking her to confirm that the black man she claims is her father really is her father. It's all downhill from there. Maybe she's ... "trans-racial" ? Via Sean Davis, here's what she told a newspaper three years ago: Rachel Dolezal was born in a teepee in Montana. She grew up wearing moccasins and was planting seeds by the age of 3... After Montana, Dolezal's family moved to Colorado and then South Africa . All the while, she created art, finding her voice through an array of mediums. In her home in Coeur d'Alene, she fans out some photos on the kitchen table, pointing out the pieces she did in high school; her raw talent and powerful messages are undeniable. Even then, her desire to make sense of the human condition oozed from her work. In 2000, Dolezal earned a bachelor's degree from Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi, and a master's degree in 2002 from Howard University, a historically black university in Washington, D.C. She taught at Howard for two years before moving to Idaho. " Coming from a trans-racial family that has hop-scotched to a variety of racial-tension areas, I have seen racial hatred in many forms," she says. Dolezal is a rainbow. African-American, Native American, German, Czech, Swedish, Jewish and Arabic , she is a poster child for diversity in all of its aspects. The part about her being Czech, German, Swedish, and Native American ("possible traces") appears to be true, at least. As for "trans-racial," that's also technically true: Her white parents have adopted black children , one of whom Dolezal has passed off as her own son. "Trans" in this context is a term used to describe adoptions that cross racial lines , not to imply that she or her family had "transitioned" a la Caitlyn Jenner from one race to the other -- although maybe now Dolezal has no choice but to make that argument. When you've committed a fraud this absurd and elaborate, involving fake dads and fake sons and almost certainly fake hate crimes, the only path back to a modicum of sympathy is claiming that your identification with African-Americans is so complete that your entire racial identity has shifted because of it. Will lefties back her up? Davis is having fun on Twitter this morning reminding them that it's a staple of their rhetoric that "race is a social construct." As such, there should be no problem, or less of a problem, with Dolezal identifying as black than with Jenner identifying as a woman. The counterargument will be that a white woman can't claim authentic blackness because she hasn't had to cope with prejudice, but Dolezal's trying: Like Jenner, she's taken on the physical trappings of the reality she aspires to. She's curled her hair, she's darkened her skin a bit (is that bronzer?), she's the head of the NAACP, for cripes sake. She even claims fake black relatives to enhance the illusion. She wants the world to see her as black, notwithstanding the risk she runs of facing prejudice by doing so. What's the progressive argument for rejecting that? Update: I'm going to guess the progressive response goes something like this: Identifying as a woman isn't a political identification, it's a psychological urge that plays off biological differences. Bruce Jenner didn't want to be a woman because he cares so deeply about equal pay for equal work, he wanted to be a woman because he "felt" feminine somehow and needed to express that. It's hard to see what the analogy would be in Dolezal's case. Did she always "feel" somehow that her skin should be darker than it really was? She claimed black identity, I assume, because she admired black culture and sympathized with the black experience in America, but rule one of progressivism is that a member of a privileged class can't truly know what it means to be underprivileged, especially when privilege intersects with race. So Dolezal, a privileged white woman, comes off as grotesque, a cultural expropriator, while Jenner is okay. The more cynical read on why progressives treat them differently is that one helps the lefty agenda while the other harms it. Jenner is another milepost in LGBT acceptance; the more mainstream she is, the more comfortable the public will be with gays, lesbians, and transgenders/transsexuals. Dolezal, meanwhile, diminishes the seriousness of civil rights for blacks by suggesting that being black is as easy as changing your hair and hitting the tanning bed more often.

Dolezal, meanwhile, diminishes the seriousness of civil rights for blacks by suggesting that being black is as easy as changing your hair and hitting the tanning bed more often.

June 10, 2016 ( LiveActionNews ) -- There's a good chance you've seen advertisements for a new movie that has been released. Imploring moviegoers to "live boldly," "Me Before You" is a drama that is being billed as the next great romance. In reality, it's nothing more than a snuff film furthering the message that people are better dead than disabled. Based on a novel by British novelist Jojo Moyes, the plotline is being slammed by disability advocates who are calling for people to boycott the film. In "Me Before You" (note: movie spoilers below), Louisa Clark is a quirky girl whose life has no direction. She's hired by the mother of Will Traynor, a quadriplegic. Will had been able-bodied, active, successful, and happy... until he was in an accident, which left him wheelchair-ridden. He became withdrawn, depressed, and suicidal, wanting to visit Dignitas -- the notorious assisted suicide clinic -- to kill himself, which is why Traynor's mother hired Louisa, in hopes of lifting him out of his funk and reminding him that life is worth living. While at first the two hate each other, they eventually fall in love, with Will imploring Louisa to live life boldly and to live it well. Louisa takes Will on outings and on a vacation, and while he is happier with her than he ever has been before, he cannot bear to live life in a wheelchair. He chooses to kill himself at Dignitas, and leaves Louisa a large amount of money so that she can live her life to the fullest. Rather than being seen as promoting a horrific message of "better dead than disabled", the novel has received rave reviews from critics and readers alike. It was lauded by USA Today , The New York Times , O, the Oprah magazine , Good Housekeeping , and many more . The book was successful enough to spawn a sequel, titled "After You," and a movie. The harmful messages being promoted are ignored or hushed up. The disability community has refused to be silent, though. People have begun pushing back against the idea that it's better for a man in a wheelchair to die than to live as a burden on those around him -- and not only that, but that through his death, the life of his lover is improved. One video asked if we would accept the same premise, but based on sex or race instead of disability, where a black man or a woman killed themselves because they felt their life had no meaning, and this decision was lauded. The reviewer rightly noted that we would not tolerate a film or novel with this plot line; but somehow, it's acceptable because the subject matter is people with disabilities, whose lives are seen as pitiable, meaningless, and without dignity. It's even more angering considering the film is continually using the hashtag #LiveBoldly to promote it, when the disabled character chooses not to live at all. Last week, it was announced on the film's Twitter account, @MeBeforeYou , that star Sam Claflin would be hosting a Twitter chat. After being inundated by messages from disability activists around the world, Claflin ended the chat 20 minutes early . Will is treated as a burden or as a child with no autonomy. Do you agree? What are you doing to change this thinking? #AskSam #LiveBoldly -- BlindBeader (@Blindbeader) May 23, 2016 Did you consider how damaging the storyline was to disabled people who want to #LiveBoldly and not be killed off? #AskSam @mebeforeyou -- Jo Verrent (@joverrent) May 23, 2016 How do you feel about profiting off the message that death is better than disability? #AskSam #LiveBoldly -- Allen Mankewich (@AllenMankewich) May 23, 2016 Is being dependent on others really so bad that the only viable solution is death? #AskSam #LiveBoldly -- Pilgrim (@PilgrimKitty) May 23, 2016 #LiveBoldly celebrates a film where a disabled guy kills himself to "free" his non-disabled girlfriend. More like #TropeOldie -- Ing Wong-Ward (@ingwongward) May 23, 2016 #AskSam Are disabled folks allowed to #liveboldly , or are we just tragedy cases? -- Sara Camps (@cheesepickles) May 23, 2016 Did anyone involved in this film consider the impact of the message that death is better than disability? #AskSam #LiveBoldly -- Zahra (@ZahraTahirah) May 23, 2016 Offended. We already #LiveBoldly and @mebeforeyou is telling us we should die, basically. @cdaargh -- Phoebe Kemp (@PhoebeERKemp) May 23, 2016 "Me Before You" contributes to the perception of people with disabilities as perpetual victims: whose lives are sad and empty, who are unable to live fulfilling lives, to have jobs and contribute to society, or to fall in love and have a family. In this case, the character of Will serves one purpose, and that's to prop up other characters and elicit an emotional response from readers. He doesn't have any agency, any autonomy, any purpose other than to prop up the character of Louisa, and he does so by dying. Considering that the author of the novel is not herself disabled (so why is it she felt that she had the authority to write about a disabled character choosing to kill himself to begin with?), this isn't entirely surprising. People with disabilities, in Moyes' world, are apparently nothing but one-dimensional stereotypes to be pitied and put out of their misery. Assisted suicide has been growing steadily, and that's in part because the idea of "death with dignity" has become so popular. The idea is that life that isn't perfect -- life with illness or disability -- isn't dignified. It's a toxic notion that has spread like a disease, and it needs to be stopped. People with disabilities are not better off dead, and their lives are not meaningless or undignified. Their lives are valuable. And in no way should a book and movie that glorifies assisted suicide due to disability be celebrated. URGENT: Sign the pledge to boycott "Me Before You" here . Reprinted with permission from Live Action News .

Imploring moviegoers to "live boldly," "Me Before You" is a drama that is being billed as the next great romance.

Talk of strategically defeating Al-Qaeda is all the rage in the White House. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta used the "D-word" last summer. President Obama declared in his counterterrorism strategy, "We can say with growing confidence . . . that we have put Al-Qaeda on the path to defeat." Compared to the woeful state of the economy, terrorism became the administration's feel-good story of the year. "Defeat" is a big word. It is also dangerously misleading. Yes, the United States has made great strides in the past decade to harden targets, improve intelligence, and degrade the capabilities of violent Islamist extremists. Osama bin Laden's death was a major accomplishment. But the fight is nowhere close to being won, and America's most perilous times may lie ahead. Here are three reasons. The first is that strategically defeating Al-Qaeda is not nearly as important as it sounds. After 9/11, Al-Qaeda morphed into a more complicated, decentralized, and elusive threat consisting of three elements: core Al-Qaeda; affiliates or franchise groups operating in places like Yemen and Somalia with loose ties to the core group; and homegrown terrorists inspired by violent extremism, often through the Internet in the comfort of their own living rooms. Core Al-Qaeda's capabilities started degrading in 2001, when the United States invaded Afghanistan, dismantled training camps, ousted the Taliban, and sent bin Laden running. The CIA has estimated the core group remaining in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region to number fifty to one hundred fighters. The last time bin Laden oversaw a successful operation was in 2005, when Al-Qaeda struck the London transit system. A stenciled image of Osama bin Laden, covered by handbills and graffiti, glowers from a wall in Bucharest, Romania. But plots by homegrown and franchise groups have risen dramatically in recent years. The 2009 Fort Hood shooting, the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11, was the work of a homegrown terrorist. The "mastermind" of the 2010 Times Square car bomb plot was a naturalized American citizen trained by the Pakistani Taliban, not Al-Qaeda. Another franchise group, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was behind the foiled 2009 Christmas Day underwear bomber airliner plot and the 2010 plot to explode tampered printer cartridges aboard cargo planes. The Bipartisan Policy Center reported eleven violent Islamist terrorist incidents against the U.S. homeland in 2009, the most since 9/11. Nearly all involved what former CIA Director Mike Hayden calls "a witches' brew" of radicalized Americans and franchise groups. The second reason that talk of defeat is premature has to do with weapons. Terrorism against Americans is nothing new. What's new is the potential for terrorist groups to acquire weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The last time Osama bin Laden oversaw a successful operation was in 2005. In 1995, a Japanese cult released sarin nerve gas in the Tokyo subway, killing twelve people and injuring thousands. It was the first WMD terrorist attack in modern history, and it sparked a wave of presidential terrorism commissions years before bin Laden became a household name. It is this specter of the lone fanatic or small group armed with the world's most devastating weapons that keeps experts up at night. In 2005, sixty leading nuclear scientists and terrorism experts were asked how many believed the odds of a nuclear attack on the United States were negligible. Only three or four hands went up; most were far more pessimistic. Today, there is enough nuclear material to build 120,000 weapons. As long as fissile material is poorly stored and rogue states like Iran and North Korea continue their illicit weapons programs, nuclear terrorism remains a haunting possibility. As long as fissile material is poorly stored and rogue states exist, nuclear terrorism remains a haunting possibility. The third reason not to prematurely proclaim defeat is that the FBI has not yet become a first-rate domestic intelligence agency. Analysts, whose work is vital to success, are still second-class citizens, labeled "support staff" alongside secretaries and janitors, and passed over for key jobs, including running the bureau's intelligence units. The FBI's information technology is so antiquated that it belongs in a museum, and the old crime-fighting culture lives on. There is a move afoot to shrink new classified facilities so that agents don't have to "waste time" away from their cases to read intelligence documents there. "Strategically defeating" Al-Qaeda sounds too good to be true. Because it is. Reprinted from the Los Angeles Times . (c) 2011 Los Angeles Times.

Talk of strategically defeating Al-Qaeda is all the rage in the White House.

While talking to local media, provincial health secretary rejects claims that any one has died from heat-stroke in Pakistan's largest city. A man cools off with a shower, setup at the premises of the Dr. Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital, during a heatwave in Karachi, Pakistan May 20, 2018. ( Reuters ) A heatwave has killed 65 people in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi over the past three days, one of the country's biggest social welfare organisation said on Tuesday, amid fears the death toll could climb as the high temperatures persist. Faisal Edhi, who runs the Edhi Foundation that operates morgues and an ambulance service across the country, said the deaths occurred mostly in the poor areas of Karachi. TRT World 's Philip Owira reports. Temperatures hit 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) on Monday, local media reported. The heat wave has coincided with major power cuts in the country's richest city and home to 16 million people . A man cools off with a public tap, during a heatwave in Karachi, Pakistan May 21, 2018. ( Reuters ) "Sixty-five people have died over the last three days," Edhi told Reuters. "We have the bodies in our cold storage facilities and their neighbourhood doctors have said they died of heat-stroke." A government spokesperson could not be reached for comment. But Sindh province's Health Secretary Fazlullah Pechuho told the English-language Dawn newspaper that no one has died from heat-stroke. "Only doctors and hospitals can decide whether the cause of death was heat-stroke or not. I categorically reject that people have died due to heat-stroke in Karachi," Pechuho was quoted as saying. Nonetheless, reports of heat stroke deaths in Karachi will stir unease amid fears of a repeat of a heatwave in of 2015, when morgues and hospitals were overwhelmed and at least 1,300 mostly elderly and sick people died from the searing heat. The provincial government has assured residents that there would be no repeat of 2015 and was working on ensuring those in need of care receive rapid treatment. Edhi said most of the dead brought to the morgue were working class factory workers who came from the low-income Landhi and Korangi areas of Karachi. "They work around heaters and boilers in textile factories and there is eight to nine hours of (scheduled power outages) in these areas," he said. Temperatures are expected to stay above 40C until Thursday, according to local media reports and weather forecasts .

A heatwave has killed 65 people in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi over the past three days, one of the country's biggest social welfare organisation said on Tuesday, amid fears the death toll could climb as the high temperatures persist.

This week I thought I'd light a fire, pour out some drinks and get up close and personal. Let's take a look at the comics I reserve each month at my local comic shop, shall we? By Mey | July 8, 2014 | 16 Comments "LANGUAGE MATTERS. In the same way a racial slur brings back a SLEW of painful memories for me and a reminder of the entire history of those words and what they have meant to people and how they have been used to hurt people. I was wrong and it's important to accept when you're wrong." By El Sanchez | July 2, 2014 | 17 Comments There is so much LGBTQ Canadian awesomeness in this post that we can hardly believe it exists (there's a PLAYLIST, even!), but that doesn't mean we don't need some more Canadian feelings from you. By Riese | July 1, 2014 | 28 Comments "An entire year has passed since the shouts heard around the world reverberated throughout the Texas Capitol and forced the state legislature to come to a screeching halt. Rise Up/Levanta Texas formed in late June 2013 as a grassroots response to a growing awareness that our bodies, stories, and voices were being made invisible within the larger narrative surrounding reproductive rights and HB 2." By Rise Up/Levanta Texas | June 26, 2014 | 2 Comments You'd think that since it's summertime, I'd be cruising around with the top down, sipping on lemonade, wearing super cool neon shades and blasting high-energy tracks about lipgloss or whatever. Instead, I'm finding myself drawn to mopey women with guitars, plodding dance beats and navel-gazing, introspective lyrics. By Stef | June 25, 2014 | 7 Comments

Rise Up/Levanta Texas formed in late June 2013 as a grassroots response to a growing awareness that our bodies, stories, and voices were being made invisible within the larger narrative surrounding reproductive rights and HB 2."

Taylor's lawyer: Carole White a liar STORY HIGHLIGHTS Charles Taylor's attorney accuses Naomi Campbell's former agent of lying Carole White disputed Campbell's testimony from last week She said Campbell knew that the diamonds given to her in 1997 were from Taylor White denies her testimony has anything to do with a separate lawsuit (CNN) -- The attorney for former Liberian President Charles Taylor accused the former agent for supermodel Naomi Campbell of lying in her testimony at an international court Tuesday. Courtenay Griffiths said Carole White's account of Campbell receiving "blood diamonds" from Taylor's men was "a complete pack of lies." White has been testifying at the war crimes trial of Taylor, who prosecutors allege funded a brutal civil war in Sierra Leone using so-called blood diamonds, or those that have been mined in conflict zones and used to fund the fighting. White was with Campbell for a dinner hosted by Nelson Mandela in South Africa in 1997, which Taylor also attended. At the end of the dinner and before the guests returned to the presidential guest lodge, White said she heard a discussion about getting diamonds to Campbell later that night. Taylor was present for "at least part" of the discussion, she said. Late that night, before she or Campbell had gone to bed, White said men in suits threw pebbles at her second-floor window to get her attention. They said they had a gift for Campbell. Video: Who's telling the truth? Video: Did Naomi Campbell lie in court? Video: Campbell testifies in war crimes trial She said she went to Campbell's room and told her, but Griffiths disputed her account. "I suggest you're a liar," he told White in court. "And I suggest that this account of what happened that night is a complete fabrication." Continuing the story, White said she and Campbell went downstairs and opened the doors of the guest lodge to let the men in. "I think she was quite excited that, finally, these diamonds had arrived," White said of Campbell. The supermodel testified last week that two men knocked on her door while she was sleeping and gave her a pouch, saying it was a gift. She said she opened the pouch the next morning to find "dirty-looking stones" that turned out to be diamonds. White testified Tuesday, however, that that account didn't make sense, because the men needed access through the main lodge door before knocking at a guest's room, and there had been no one else downstairs to let them in. It was 1 or 2 a.m. and no staff or guards were downstairs in the guest lodge, she said. Griffiths asked White whether she told her famous client that she shouldn't have accepted a gift from two strange men in the middle of the night. White said she didn't do that until the morning. "When I woke up in the morning, I thought about it and decided that I definitely knew it was very illegal to take diamonds out of South Africa," she said. "I don't know how I knew that, but I knew it, and so I had a conversation with Naomi -- most likely in her bedroom because I would have been getting her up -- and I told her that I didn't think that those diamonds should go out of South Africa." White said she suggested Campbell give the diamonds to a charity. Campbell testified last week that she did not know the diamonds were from Taylor. She said she passed the stones to a friend, Jeremy Ratcliffe, a trustee of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. She said she asked him to use the stones in a charity auction to raise money for underprivileged children. The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund denied last week that it had ever received diamonds from Campbell. A police official testified Friday that Ratcliffe had given the diamonds to South African police hours after Campbell testified about them. Taylor, 62, was president of Liberia from 1997 to 2003. The war crimes charges against him stem from the widespread murder, rape and mutilation that occurred during the civil war in Sierra Leone, fought largely by teenagers who were forced to kill, given addictive drugs to provoke violent behavior and were often instructed to rape and plunder. The trial is taking place at the U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, at The Hague, Netherlands. Taylor is charged with five counts of crimes against humanity, including murder, enslavement and sexual slavery and violence. He also faces five counts of war crimes, including acts of terrorism and torture, and one count of other serious violations of international humanitarian law. He has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors had rested their case against Taylor in February 2009 but reopened it to call Campbell to testify after learning Taylor had given the supermodel a diamond. When arguing to reopen the case, prosecutors said Campbell's testimony would prove that the former president "used rough diamonds for personal enrichment and arms purchases," according to papers filed with the U.N.-backed court. Taylor has testified that he never handled the precious stones. The men who dropped off the diamonds to Campbell never said they represented Taylor, White testified, but Campbell was clear about who they had come from, White said. When she met with Ratcliffe, Campbell told him she had received the diamonds from Charles Taylor, White testified. Actress Mia Farrow testified Monday that Campbell named Taylor as the person who gave her a diamond. At breakfast the next morning, Farrow said, Campbell told her the men had been sent by Charles Taylor and had given her a "huge diamond." It was unclear why Farrow spoke of a single diamond and Campbell testified about several smaller ones. Griffiths summed up his questioning Tuesday with an attack on White's testimony. "Quite frankly, Mrs. White, I suggest that your account is a complete pack of lies, and you've made it up in order to assist in your lawsuit against Ms. Campbell," he said. "Put bluntly, for you this is all about money, there ain't nothing funny. I have no further questions." One of the judges then told a stunned White that she must respond, even though Griffiths had not prompted her. "I can categorically tell your honor it's not a lie," White said. "This happened. I have told people after the journey in '97 -- people that I trusted -- this story, because it was quite funny at the time, although it's not so funny now. "It's totally the truth. It has nothing whatsoever to do with my business argument with Naomi Campbell, and I don't really see the relevance of the gentleman's argument. But this is not about money, this is about a very serious matter, and I am telling the truth." Griffiths said in court last week that White launched a lawsuit against Campbell in October for breach of contract. Share this on:

Taylor's lawyer: Carole White a liar STORY HIGHLIGHTS Charles Taylor's attorney accuses Naomi Campbell's former agent of lying Carole White disputed Campbell's testimony from last week She said Campbell knew that the diamonds given to her in 1997 were from Taylor White denies her testimony has anything to do with a separate lawsuit

The bullets were selected in full view of the audience. Loaded into the muzzle of two guns they were then fired directly at the magician's head. The idea was that the master Chinese illusionist would miraculously catch them in his teeth before dropping them into a bowl where they would rattle together in a death-defying flourish. When examined, the bullets would be shown to have marks identical to those that had been inspected on stage. But in London on March 23, 1918 - 100 years ago this week - something went terribly wrong as Chung Ling Soo, the man known as the "Marvellous Chinese Conjurer" performed "Defying The Bullets", the signature act he had been perfecting for decades during a high-profile date on his nationwide tour of the UK. The rifles were loaded by assistants who pointed the muzzles at the magician and took aim. The command to fire was given, the sound of two shots was heard but instead of "catching" the bullets in a bravura display of magical daring, Chung Ling Soo - an inspiration to our very own Paul Daniels who once wrote a book about him - collapsed on to the stage at the Wood Green Empire. Chung Ling Soo claimed that he was born half-Chinese after his Scottish father married a Cantonese woman but after his death it became clear that Chung Ling Soo's greatest illusion was the one he had woven around his own identity. Initially it appeared that far from being half Chinese, he was in fact a 56-year-old American named William Ellsworth Robinson who had learned his trade as a humble magician's assistant in Brooklyn, New York, and that the carefully cultivated Far Eastern detail was little more than an alluring fabrication designed to boost ticket sales. This would explain why the magician's manager William Robinson disappeared on the night that Chung Ling Soo was shot. They were one and the same person. When not in costume, Robinson was busily taking bookings and managing the career of his alter-ego. As for his Chinese assistant, she was really his English wife Olive "Dot" Robinson. But then it emerged that even these biographical facts were untrue with news that both Robinson's parents were actually Scottish, he was actually called William "Billy" Campbell and there was not a Chinese bone in his body. Neither was Dot his legal wife. Billy Campbell was in fact a bigamist who had abandoned his wife Bessie Smith in the US before marrying Dot. After he died it was revealed that he also had three children with a subsequent mistress, Janet Blatchford, who lived in Barnes, London. So, was his death foul play? "There is still speculation he engineered his own demise, perhaps because he was in debt," says Adam Koplan, a theatre director whose 2005 play The Mystery Of Chung Ling Soo appeared on the Edinburgh Fringe. "Then there was his tangled love life: he and his wife had split up, although they maintained the illusion of being together." So, just what led to all this deception? Born on April 2, 1861 in New York, Campbell worked as an assistant to Harry Kellar, one of the 19th century's greatest magicians, who was said to have been the model for Frank L Baum's The Wizard Of Oz. He dreamed of having his own stage show but unlike the suave Kellar he found it impossible to talk with confidence on stage and realised that unless he came up with a plan he would forever remain a lowly assistant. Aware of the huge success being enjoyed in the US by a Chinese magician called Chung Ling Foo, he decided to steal Foo's act. At a stroke this removed the necessity to talk on stage. Billing himself as Chung Ling Soo he became such a success that when Foo later attempted to bring his show to Europe he had to deal with accusations of being a fake. And this wasn't the first identity Campbell had stolen. After unsuccessfully attempting to find fame as Robinson, The Man Of Mystery, he had performed for a time as Achmed Ben Ali - a derivation of Ben Ali Bey, the stage name of German magician Max Auzinger. The deception did not emerge until after Campbell's death because Auzinger never toured the US. "The idea of living a life that is this wonderful, beautiful trick that becomes both your real and your stage persona fascinates me," admits Koplan. And as to what killed Billy Campbell, bigamist and identity thief, it seems most likely that a residue of gunpowder in the rifle used on that fateful night set off the real bullet as well as the blank charge in the modified gun. A rather prosaic end for a man of mystery and magic.

Chung Ling Soo claimed that he was born half-Chinese after his Scottish father married a Cantonese woman but after his death it became clear that Chung Ling Soo's greatest illusion was the one he had woven around his own identity.

By The Staff | The Save Jersey Blog The New Hampshire Firearms Coalition, a group whose leader recently warned voters "don't be fooled!" by Chris Christie's gun record, is taking fresh aim at the New Jerseyan Governor after Tuesday night's Las Read More By The Staff | The Save Jersey Blog Here is today's list, Save Jerseyans: S-854/A-1341 (Vitale, Greenstein/Quijano, Sumter, Pinkin, Wimberly) - Requires that certain health care facilities be generator ready; allows health care facilities to qualify for NJEDA loans for cost Read More

The Save Jersey Blog The New Hampshire Firearms Coalition, a group whose leader recently warned voters "don't be fooled!" by Chris Christie's gun record, is taking fresh aim at the New Jerseyan Governor after Tuesday night's Las

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. When Apple founder Steve Jobs died of cancer at the untimely age of 56 in 2011, the global response seemed almost cosmic. It was as if a president or a pope had passed on. People everywhere seemed to feel they owed a tear-ridden debt of gratitude to the man who gave us the iPod, the iPad, and the iPhone. Jobs' quest to make the personal computer ubiquitous began in earnest in the 1980s by wrestling down the decades-long IBM monopoly that was said to be interested only in technology for the sake of technology. Jobs's view was that technology can be available to the masses and, moreover, to the individuals who comprise the masses. This viewpoint worked. Apple's profits proved that when individuals feel satisfied, they can make you wealthy beyond belief. The superlative investigative documentarian, Oscar-winner Alex Gibney ( Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Taxi to the Dark Side ) has peeled away layers of mythic crust that conceal the dark side of the one of the most mythologized men of our time. Jobs' vindictive style is chronicled from early career moves such as cheating his associate, Steve Wozniak, out of what was, for him, a large sum of money while in their 20s on a job for Atari. Jobs coldly denied the paternity of his daughter, Lisa, and only paid her mother and Apple co-founder Chrisann Brennan $500 in monthly child support at a time when he had attained considerable wealth. Brennan had also been previously cleverly deceived financially by Jobs. The seductiveness of his showmanship and his esoteric notion that computers can become you and you them are psychologically unraveled by Gibney. Jobs held as a specious marketing tool that the iPod wasn't a machine for you. It was you. Some thought of him as an oracle. Cultishness, narcissism, and unbridled ego converged, reminding us that one should beware of one's own publicity. One interviewee, Alone Together author Sherry Turkle, distills the actual man vs. his deified image brilliantly when she says "his stuff was beloved. It wasn't that he was beloved. He wasn't a nice guy. People were not connected to him because of his character." Actual footage joltingly exposes the shaming of employees who countered Jobs in work meetings. The horrific suicidal side effects of working conditions at China Apple supplier facilities; phony patriotic gestures that Apple was an all-American company even though it sidestepped taxes with offshore accounts; and the backdating of stock options scandal that set up and scapegoated Apple CFO Fred Anderson and General Counsel Nancy Heinen are unflinchingly related. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. Jobs' poignant, if not pathetic, quest for serenity through Zen Buddhism and his many trips to Japan ironically and sadly frame the content about the harried corporate world he tyrannized over. Gibney gives voice to how he thrived on a shock doctrine approach by creating chaos out of which to shape new order even if it meant others were abused. Employees were like "a family" in the Mafia sense, to be controlled so that they would not leave him -- another public scandal emerged out of this. We learn at length of Jobs's love for the music of Bob Dylan. And images of his pal, Al Gore, pepper the documentary. Jobs hated competition to points of ruthlessness and journalists who reported his bad behavior could be rained on with hate mail. He was a man who used his contacts in law enforcement to terrorize his enemies. Remotely in his favor, one is left with a notion that this was a middle class, white, adopted child from the picket fence regions who obsessed in computer play to the exclusion of all else. He never developed many parts of his personality, including the quality of empathy. Nor did he understand or try to understand people in their diversity. Though his Zen interest and vegetarian diet cast him as a humane counter-cultural cool guy, he was a driven corporatist. In the earlier part of the film, Jobs is said to have held a romantically grandiose notion that poetic and artistic types will finally have a place in a world that rejects them thanks to personal computer technology. Yet he never seems to have given any thought to our device-controlled world becoming a source of alienation and thought control. Much less the built in obsolescence expenses that tech incessantly incurs. The last thing any poet or artist, struggling or not, needs. That said, Gibney shows us how seductive Jobs's jargon truly was. You may find yourself buying into it and then kicking yourself as you watch this extraordinary film. Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine Lagoon Cinema, 1320 Lagoon Ave., Minneapolis 612-823-3020 www.landmarktheatres.com

When Apple founder Steve Jobs died of cancer at the untimely age of 56 in 2011, the global response seemed almost cosmic.

Marking the third anniversary since the last national minimum wage increase, low-paid workers and living-wage advocates across the country on Tuesday are calling out for a renewed focus on the paltry, sub-poverty earnings that millions of Americans are expected to get by on. Marches and rallies are planned, according to McClatchy , at congressional district offices and at businesses that pay low wages. In Chicago, protesters will hold a trolley tour of low-wage employers, while activists in Pittsburgh will rally for higher wages outside City Hall. Similar events are planned in dozens of cities, including New York, Washington, Miami, Kansas City, Mo., Sacramento, Calif., and Philadelphia. "We're having this national day of action to get a message to our elected officials that we are serious about how the minimum wage is not a livable wage," said Cathy Kaufmann, deputy Ohio director of the Fight for a Fair Economy, part of SEIU, or the Service Employees International Union. At $7.25 an hour, the current minimum wage comes to just $15,080 a year for full-time work -- a figure still below the official poverty line. Recent studies by the Center for Economic and Policy Research shows that the "minimum wage is now far below its historical level by all of the most commonly used benchmarks - inflation, average wages, and productivity." And Holly Sklar, director of the Business for a Fair Minimum Wage project, adds that though "worker productivity grew 80 percent from 1973 to 2011" the average worker's wage -- adjusted for inflation -- "fell 7 percent." In a column highlighting the economic inequality engendered in the minimum wage and calling for its increase, economist Dean Baker and CEPR co-director writes: "At the current rate of $7.25 an hour, a full-time year-round worker would have gross pay of less than $15,000 a year. This is less than half of what the average Fortune 500 CEO makes in a day. It would be hard enough for a single person to survive on this income, imagine trying to support a child or even two on this money." Advocates of the increase argue that if the minimum wage had kept up with inflation since 1968, its historical high point, it would now be over $10.50 per hour. This, they say, despite the fact that today's low-wage workers are older and better educated than in the past. Had the minimum wage also risen in step with low-wage workers' age and educational attainment since 1968, it would even higher in 2012, approaching $11 per hour. Opponents of minimum wage increases have long argued that such adjustments impact hiring, but much economic research contradicts such claims. "Increases to minimum wage have not produced the loss of jobs in the ways that opponents of these types of proposals predict," said Jeannette Wicks-Lim, an assistant research professor at the University of Massachusetts' Political Economy Research Institute. Wicks-Lim said the recent research shows minimum wage laws enacted in the past "have not had a negative impact on workers' job opportunities." "Businesses don't expect the costs of energy, rent, transportation and other expenses to remain constant, yet some want to keep the minimum wage the same year after year, despite increases in the cost of living," said David Bolotsky, founder and CEO of UncommonGoods and a member of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage. "That kind of business model traps workers in poverty and undermines our economy." Supporters will lobby for a provision of the Rebuild America Act, introduced in the Senate this year by Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), calling for the federal minimum wage to be increased to $9.80 per hour by 2014. In June, Congressmen Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.), John Conyers (D-Mich.), and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) introduced the "Catching Up to 1968 Act of 2012" (H.R. 5901) - legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $10 per hour. In the Republican controlled House, the bill has gone nowhere. Small business owners made the following statements in support of Tuesday's action and the call for an increase of the minimum wage: David Bolotsky, Founder and CEO of UncommonGoods in Brooklyn, New York , said, "Businesses don't expect the costs of energy, rent, transportation and other expenses to remain constant, yet some want to keep the minimum wage the same year after year, despite increases in the cost of living. That kind of business model traps workers in poverty and undermines our economy. The minimum wage should require that all businesses pay employees a wage people can live on." Camille Moran, Owner of Caramor Industries and Four Seasons Christmas Tree Farm in Natchitoches, Louisiana , said, "A minimum wage increase is long overdue. It's not right or smart for any business to pay a wage that impoverishes not only working men and women and their families, but also impoverishes our communities and our nation. Boosting the wages of low-paid workers who could then purchase the goods and services they need is the best medicine for our ailing economy." Julie Paez, Owner of Big Bad Woof pet supply stores in Hyattsville, Maryland and Washington, DC, said, "Paying employees a living wage makes good business sense. It helps keep qualified employees - cutting down on training expenses - and helps foster company loyalty, which, in turn, produces higher sales and increases customer retention. It's a win win." Lew Prince, Managing Partner of Vintage Vinyl in St. Louis, Missouri, said, "The evidence that trickle-down economics doesn't work is all around us. People are falling out of the middle class instead of rising into it. Putting money in the hands of people who desperately need it to buy goods and services will give us a trickle-up effect. Raising the minimum wage is a really efficient way to circulate money in the economy from the bottom up where it can have the most impact in alleviating hardship, boosting demand at businesses and decreasing the strain on our public safety net from poverty wages." Marilyn Megenity, Owner of Mercury Cafe in Denver, Colorado , said, "We opened our doors in 1975, and I know that raising the minimum wage is not only affordable to restaurants and other businesses - it's crucial for our economy. It's important that all employees be able to make a decent wage, in order to pay rent and all the other costs of living. Our government needs to take charge of this now, just as it did in the past. We cannot continue a minimum wage that keeps even people who are working full time, year round in poverty." Brian England, Co-Owner of British-American Auto Care in Columbia, Maryland , said, "Have you ever wondered why every time you visit some businesses the staff has changed? Well chances are it is because they only pay an inadequate minimum wage. Instead of paying a fair wage, they are inviting costly constant turnover and unreliable customer service. In raising the minimum wage, we should be moving people away from just surviving. We should be moving working Americans as far away from needing the social safety net as possible. Raising the minimum wage raises everyone up." Jim Wellehan, President of Lamey Wellehan Shoes in Auburn, Maine , said, "Our family business is nearly a hundred years old, and clearly our country does better when all believe that their hard work will bring good results for them and their loved ones. Now, as Bloomberg BusinessWeek Magazine reports, the USA has higher income inequality and lower social mobility than most industrialized countries. If you are born poor, you are quite likely to die poor. Raising the minimum wage is a step to correcting this worsening situation. And the ability of a broad segment of our society to have a bit more spending money will benefit every area of our economy. Our increasingly unequal economic structure has no long-term viability." Joseph Rotella, Owner of Spencer Organ Company in Waltham, Massachusetts , said, "As a small business owner and an American, I support proposals to raise the federal minimum wage to at least $9.80 by 2014, because I strongly support workers being able to earn a living wage. America should be a country where no one who puts in a fair day's work can't afford to make ends meet, and no business owner who offers a living wage has to be undercut by competitors who do not. Not only is increasing the minimum wage the right and fair thing to do, but it will also help stimulate our struggling economy by putting more money into the hands of workers who need to spend it."

Marking the third anniversary since the last national minimum wage increase, low-paid workers and living-wage advocates across the country on Tuesday are calling out for a renewed focus on the paltry, sub-poverty earnings that millions of Americans are expected to get by on.

Young Islamists and their sympathizers are tagging, stenciling, painting, vandalizing and using every genre of graffiti to spread the global jihadist message. Similar to other gangs they are using spray paint to mark their territory, demonstrate their allegiance, advertise their gang's status and power, memorialize fallen fellow gang members, praise violence and threaten their enemies. Jihadist graffiti functions as communication and recruitment and is popping up in cities around the world including: Toronto, London, Dublin, Derry, Glasgow, Augsburg, Munich, Moscow, Toulouse, Frejus, Helsinki, Rome, Crete, Jerusalem, Beirut, Salt lake City, New York City, Washington, D.C. Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, Oakland and many others. Islamist graffiti is a popular artistic form of rebellion that portrays the global jihad movement as hip and cool. It appeals to young people who do not consider graffiti vandalism but view it as artistic expression and an agency for popular resistance and change. Spray painting Islamist slogans and jihadist phrases goes beyond graffiti as protest art. Islamist graffiti is a symbolic warfare tactic, a successful stealth information strategy camouflaged as street art. Although Islamist graffiti is relatively new to Western cities, the words, signs and symbols of terrorist groups have been proudly spray painted on their home turf for decades. Similar to gangs who mark their neighborhoods with slogans or symbols exclusive to the gang, Palestinian terrorist groups spray paint their emblems on the walls of Nablus, Gaza City and Ramallah, often not far from posters glorifying suicide bombers. Gang graffiti also frequently includes the territory claimed by the gang. Similarly Palestinian graffiti often depicts the map of Israel to represent what they consider to be their turf. Gang graffiti often includes threats and challenges to rival gangs. Islamist gang graffiti functions the same way. On December 10, 2009, the words 'Islam will dominate the world -- Osama is on his way' and 'Kill Gordon Brown' were spray painted on a war memorial in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. On August 4, 2011 a swastika and the message "Islam will rule" were spray-painted on the Robbins Hebrew Academy, an elementary school attached to a Synagogue in Toronto. On May 13, 2008 stores, pavements and the walls of four synagogues in Stamford Hill and Clapton Common neighborhoods in London were spray painted with 40 pieces of graffiti that read "Jihad to Israel" and "Jihad to Tel Aviv. Often Jihadist gang graffiti is not even considered vandalism or threatening and goes unrecognized as hate speech or terroristic threats. This is because the most common words that appear in Islamist graffiti: Jihad, Intifada and Allahu Akbar, are regarded as non-threatening expressions of faith and/or resistance to oppression. The word Jihad has been the subject matter in graffiti for years, often flying under the radar as street art. On June 15, 2013 JIHAD was spray painted in black lettering, nearly 20 feet high, on a wall along the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 in Delray Beach, Florida. In Oakland, California a graffiti writer who goes by the name of JIHAD is part of the PI Crew and has been painting large scale (master) pieces of the word JIHAD all over Oakland. The incongruity of the term jihad appearing in large graffiti pieces makes one question if the street artist name was chosen to garner attention and perhaps completely unrelated to Islam. Images of hijab clad women by the same graffiti artist put to rest any doubt. Imagine the response if a graffiti writer chose 'RAHOWA', a white supremacists acronym for Racial Holy War, as his street name and painted 50 foot murals of the white supremacist call to holy war all over the city. He would be accused of racism and charged with a hate crime. Even if this young street artist believes jihad means inner struggle and is unaware that he is advocating holy war, his 'JIHAD' graffiti is extremely popular on the internet spreading the message. Jihadists around the world must be enjoying the fact that their battle cry is being proudly displayed in American cities. Perhaps Jihad of the PI Crew is a young Muslim convert who knows exactly what he is doing and his graffiti bombing is a prelude to actual bombings. Jihadists often spray paint the phrase Allahu Akbar on war memorials and churches symbolizing Islam's supremacy over other religions. On December 4, 2013 the gates of the Augsburg Cathedral, the Moritz church and the evangelical Ulrich church in Augsburg, Germany were sprayed with white Arabic letters spelling out Allahu Akbar. The next day "Allahu Akbar, Jihad" in Arabic was sprayed on St. Michael's and St. Benedict's churches in Munich, Germany. On September 30, 2013, "Allahu Akbar" in Arabic was spray painted in red on a paratrooper memorial in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem. In August 2013 the Helsinki Living Word Church located in Eastern Pasila, was vandalized three times with Islamist graffiti. The messages read "Allahu Akbar", "Jesus is a Muslim" and "Islam is the answer". Gangs often leave graffiti at the scene of a burglary or other crime. Similarly, jihadist gangs write Allahu Akbar at the scene of their crimes as a mark of victory and supremacy. Victory graffiti that read "Allahu Akbar" and "Death to Russians!" was spray painted on the wall of Planernaya subway station in the Moscow subway on April 3, 2010 marking the success of two suicide bombings that occurred a few days earlier. On September 11, 2012 after murdering the American Ambassador to Libya members of al Qaeda gang set Ansar al Sharia spray-painted Allahu Akbar on the burned out buildings of the U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi marking their turf and further dishonoring America. A burned out house in Windsor, Connecticut also had Allahu Akbar painted on it. A photo of the house was posted on Jihad watch on August 17, 2013. On June 28, 2012 the words "Allah Wakbar" were written in pink and black marker on a seat in the World Trade Center memorial plaza. The misspelled word could be the result of a non-English speaker or a young American recruit who has not yet learned how to spell the battle cry. These are just a few examples of Jihadist gang victory graffiti left at the scene of crimes. Graffiti is often used to promote or enhance the names and reputations of the gang and to memorialize dead gang members. Osama bin Laden, the Sheik of the Mujahideen gangbangers has been both glorified and memorialized in graffiti. Similar to the word 'Jihad' the name Osama has been spray painted by graffiti writers in large letters on walls and trains. A popular method of glorifying bin Laden is a stencil graffiti of his portrait similar in style to the iconic image of Che Guevara. The stenciled graffiti portrait that sometimes includes the words Rest in Peace have popped up everywhere from Brooklyn, New York to Bangor, Wales. On May 2, 2011, immediately after the news of his death, a 50 foot long tribute to bin Laden was spray painted in black on the sound wall of Orange County's I-405 freeway in Westminster, California. The memorial to the al Qaeda gang leader depicted an upside down American flag with the words un-American written over it flanked by the script "R.I.P. Osama" and "Forever." Mohamed Merah, the 23 year old al Qaeda Mujahideen gangbanger who killed three French paratroopers, a rabbi and three children ages 4, 5, and 7 in a series of three gun attacks in March 2012 in Toulouse and Montauban, France has several graffiti tributes. Graffiti on the wall of a French house in Tarbes read, "You were a valiant Knight of Islam! You fought the shit Zionist and the false Muslims. You died guns in hand... I salute you Mohamed my brother, my friend... Rest in peace!" Graffiti in Toulouse read "Viva Merah", and in the Sainte-Croix neighborhood of Frejus graffiti paying respect to Mohamad Merah and al Qaeda was spray painted on a house. Who knows how many other young discontented French teens were inspired by Merah and look forward to having their name celebrated in spray paint. Jihadists use graffiti in the same manner and for the same reasons as any other criminal street gang. The writings need to be recognized and documented using methods that law enforcement currently employ to track gang activity, membership, rivalries and affiliations with larger gangs. Spray painting the words Jihad, Intifada or Allahu Akbar does not represent benign expressions of faith or popular resistance. Jihadist gang graffiti embodies Islamist messaging that has a significant impact in recruiting homegrown terrorists, inciting violence and is an indicator of future criminal and terrorist activity.

Young Islamists and their sympathizers are tagging, stenciling, painting, vandalizing and using every genre of graffiti to spread the global jihadist message.

A mother and her 12-year-old daughter who were deported to Guatemala on Friday were ordered to be returned to the United States immediately by a U.S. Court of Appeals judge, The Miami Herald reports . Chief Judge Theodore A. McKee ordered U.S. officials to search for the 34-year-old woman and her daughter after they were removed from their rooms at a Pennsylvania family detention center at 3 a.m. Friday before boarding a plane flying to Panama City. The pair was then to catch a flight to Guatemala City. (It is unclear why the duo was being held in the detention center.) Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Attorney Bridget Cambria told the Herald that the woman and her daughter were victims of domestic violence in Guatemala, and that due to their yearlong stay at the detention center, they're both currently suffering from psychological issues as well. Cambria also argued that immigration services knew that she had filed an emergency request to block any deportation while the woman awaited a pending appeal, but that officials did not notify the court of any plans to deport her and her daughter, and instead allegedly stated they were not planning to deport the duo . According to the Herald , Judge McKee wrote in his order that had he known the woman and her daughter were going to be deported, he would have granted Cambria's emergency request. "It's the court acknowledging that ICE can't flex its muscle and deport victims of domestic abuse, victims of sexual violence without giving them appropriate due process," Cambria said. "You can't play tricks when you're dealing with people's lives." Follow Katherine on Instagram .

A mother and her 12-year-old daughter who were deported to Guatemala on Friday were ordered to be returned to the United States immediately by a U.S. Court of Appeals judge, The Miami Herald reports .

A small group has posted a petition called "Drop the T" to Change.org, broadcasting their demand that three eminent LGBT advocacy groups-Lambda Legal, the Human Rights Campaign, and GLAAD-sever their relationships with the transgender community. In other words, the "T" should be erased from the unifying acronym "LGBT," and thus from the concerns of those who advocate for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. The reasoning? The anonymous petition explains , "We feel [the transgender] ideology is not only completely different from that promoted by the LGB community (LGB is about sexual orientation, trans is about gender identity), but is ultimately repressive and actually hostile to the goals of women and gay men." Whoa there. It might be time to take a gender studies class or ten. Borrow a copy of Stone Butch Blues from the library. And recognize that the acronym you're attempting to shorten has since become far more capacious . Unfortunately, those who put forward this petition have their supporters. At the time of this post's publication, the petition had elicited 2,048 signatures. The author, a gay male, has also spoken to conservative website the Federalist in order to further promote this cause: "Any attempt to rationally discuss issues that gays/lesbians/bisexuals are concerned about regarding the trans movement is met with unparalleled vitriol, harassment, death threats, and silencing-demanding that the person commenting contrary to the trans narrative be banned from forums, for example." Death threats and silencing, you say? As it happens, I hear those words associated painfully often with the transgender community. No one is saying, of course, that there should not be careful discussions about the future of queer activism. As New York magazine notes , "[The] conversation...has to evolve. Do transfolks feel that some of their issues are not properly addressed by mainline LGBT organizations, and are there areas where they wish well-meaning LGB allies would back off and let transfolks have the mic when it comes to trans issues, with the LGBs (perhaps quietly) providing financial, technical, or feet-on-the-ground support? That's worth exploring. But the impetus should come from the trans community." In the meantime, all three of the organizations named by the petition have condemned its demands. You can also go here to sign "Stand with Trans People - Reject 'Drop the T,'" a counter-petition drawn up by British advocate Jonathan Boniface. Contact the author at rachel.vorona.cote@jezebel.com .

A small group has posted a petition called "Drop the T" to Change.org, broadcasting their demand that three eminent LGBT advocacy groups-Lambda Legal, the Human Rights Campaign, and GLAAD-sever their relationships with the transgender community.

President Donald Trump, as the media's been steadily reporting for hours now, has vowed to respond to North Korea's ongoing threats against the United States with "fire and fury." The timid have gasped. But the truth is: North Korea deserves this response. The regime brought it on itself. And without a doubt, Trump's hardline approach and don't-mess-with-America rhetoric beats the eight years of apology, diplomacy and wait-and-see butt-kissing that was part and parcel of the Barack Obama playbook for foreign affairs. Trump said this: "North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen." He then added this: "As I said, they will be met with fire and fury and frankly, power, the likes of which this world has never seen before." North Korea, which has been sending various messages of aggression America's way -- not just recently, but for years, in prior administrations -- weighed in after Trump's comment by announcing, via a statement from its army to state-run news, that it's evaluating plans to attack Guam, home of America's Andersen Air Force Base. You Might Like Not to be outdone -- or bullied -- Trump took to Twitter and shot back yet another sharp retort. "My first order as president was to renovate and modernize our nuclear arsenal," he wrote, in a thinly veiled reminder of America's superpower status. "It is now far stronger and more powerful than ever before." Trump also tweeted that he hoped "we will never have to use this power, but there will never be a time that we are not the most powerful nation in the world!" What a blessing to have a president who's not afraid to meet fire with bigger fire. If this were a Hillary Clinton White House, no doubt America would be cowering in a Security Council corner, huddling heads to come up with the next best strongly worded statement to issue in the adoring press. And we already know by experience -- the chosen path of a Clinton presidency would've been the same one walked by Obama. "Patient Diplomacy and a Reluctance to Act: Obama's Mark on Foreign Policy," ran an NPR headline in September 2016 -- as if that's a good thing. As if that's a strategy that puts America in a position of power on the world stage. Subtitle it: How Obama's Foreign Policy Belittled America and Bolstered Radicalism and Jihad. Heck, the Heritage Foundation even kept a running list of Obama's many, many occasions of putting down America. It's called, "Barack Obama's Top 10 Apologies: How the President Has Humiliated a Superpower." And that list came in June of 2009 -- back when Obama was just getting started. By 2016, we were getting headlines like this, from Cal Thomas -- "The 'apology tour' comes full circle: In Cuba, Obama once again sides with oppressors against America." So note to Trump language police: Quit whining. When a playground bully steals your lunch money, you don't ask nicely for it back. You punch him in the gut and grab it from his pocket. Problem solved. When a North Korea bully threatens to sic his military on U.S. properties, you don't scurry to the United Nations for consolation and sympathy and expressions of outrage. You threaten back -- ten-fold. That's the language of bullies. That's what you do. It may not be pretty -- it may not be comforting to the squeamish and unschooled. But it doesn't change the fact that when bullies threaten, when bullies intimidate, you meet like with like and put the ball in their court to stand down -- or not. (c) Copyright (c) 2017 News World Communications, Inc. This content is published through a licensing agreement with Acquire Media using its NewsEdge technology. VN:D [1.9.6_1107] Rating: 9.9/ 10 (11 votes cast) Media language police hate it but Trump's 'fury and fire' sure beats Obama's butt-kissing , 9.9 out of 10 based on 11 ratings

And without a doubt, Trump's hardline approach and don't-mess-with-America rhetoric beats the eight years of apology, diplomacy and wait-and-see butt-kissing that was part and parcel of the Barack Obama playbook for foreign affairs.

It's been a while since we've heard news of Harvey the sweaty bog toad. And by "a while" I mean it's been a whole week . One tends to lay low after one's penile deviancy sparks national outrage. Can't say I blame him for slithering under the swamp which birthed him . Especially since, when he does venture out into public, he's met with five fingers and a backhand. It's not every day we see Harv slapped around like a little girl refusing to eat her greens. Observe . Harvey Weinstein was on the receiving end of 2 backhanded slaps to the face ... that's what the newly-obtained video shows. [He] was dining Tuesday night at Elements restaurant in Scottsdale when a guy named Steve approached him and asked for a photo. Steve tells TMZ Weinstein was belligerent and said no, while a restaurant manager says Weinstein was "sweet" and politely declined. Big mistake buckeroo. I believe you ordered the back of this hand for dessert? Steve and Weinstein shook hands and sat down, but this video shows what happened when they were both leaving the restaurant around 9 PM. Although the restaurant manager says Steve's hands never landed on Weinstein's face, you clearly see and hear Steve make contact twice, as he calls Weinstein "a piece of s***." Steve told us he'd had "quite a bit to drink," and instructed his friend to record video as he walked up to Weinstein. As we reported, Weinstein declined to call police and left the restaurant. Okay, Steve kind of sounds like a dingleberry himself. But it's still a nice change of pace to see a story where Weinstein is the unwilling recipient of touchies. So a dude who's slapped the butts of plenty of ladies got a little face spanking. Doubt anyone is shedding any tears here. Also, who doesn't love some good slappage? I'm certainly not above it. Yes yes, due process and trials are still important and all that. But sometimes life gives you a nice face patty-cake to enjoy. You're not a bad person for giggling. Tis good for the soul. One last gif for the road: Slap boxing. It's what's for dinner. NOT SUBSCRIBED TO THE PODCAST? FIX THAT ! IT'S COMPLETELY FREE ON BOTH ITUNES HERE AND SOUNDCLOUD HERE .

Harvey Weinstein was on the receiving end of 2 backhanded slaps to the face ... that's what the newly-obtained video shows.

And with this week's recap, I am now covering the latter half of Avatar: The Last Airbender . I don't want it to end! "The Desert" AKA that one where Sokka spends 80% of the time stoned off his ass. But there were some other things, too. We start right where " The Library " ended, with the gaang stranded in the desert after Appa got bison-napped by some sandbenders. Continuing his trend from "The Chase," Appa being fucked with is the one thing that can be relied upon to make Aang fly off the handle. He screams at his friends for not caring about Appa, specifically at Toph, whom he blames for not saving Appa even though she was kinda busy saving them at the time. Katara tries to calm him down, pointing out that having a hissy fit doesn't help them get out of the very dangerous situation they currently find themselves in. But Aang's all "LATER, FUCKHOLES," and flies off into the sunset on his glider to look for Appa his own damn self. Poor cupcake. So Katara, Sokka, and Toph start walking, and they make it all of a few minutes into the episode before Sokka drinks some Cactus Juice ("The Quenchiest!") and gets himself stoned, because apparently he doesn't know that you do not drink liquids from strange plants . He sees a sandsplosion in the distance, caused by Aang and his massive angst, and proceeds to do a FRIENDLY MUSHROOM DANCE. I wish I could search for gifs of it without worrying about getting spoiled, but for now these substitutions will have to suffice: Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh are set upon by a group of Fire Nation bandits who are here to collect the bounty on their heads. They're extremely friendly, and also a singing group! The leader, when Iroh points that out, says "We're not here to give a concert!," which I take as confirmation that they are a singing group and do a mean acapella cover of Britney Spears' "Toxic." Iroh's all calm, asking if the rough riders want to have tea, but you just know he's about to start some shit. And start some shit he does--he and Iroh take care of the bounty hunters pretty quickly and make their way to the near-deserted tourist village from last episode, where they're told Aang and his crew went into the desert and are probably dead by now. Instead of going after them (do they even still want to? I feel like Zuko's phoning in the Aang chase-age at this point), they go to a pub and meet up with one of Iroh's old contacts, someone from a secret society called the White Lotus. Coincidentally, also in the village the Ringleader and Master Yu from " The Blind Bandit ," who are still hunting Toph down for her father. They see Zuko and Iroh's wanted poster and decide to bring them in for some extra dough. Iroh's White Lotus contact causes a pub brawl by loudly talking about the FUGUTIVES with the HUGE BOUNTY on their heads if SOMEONE can BEAT EVERYONE ELSE and TAKE THEM INTO CUSTODY, which allows Zuko and Iroh to escape and make their way to the White Lotus' clubhouse. Zuko, not being a member of the order, has to wait outside in the flower-filled anteroom, and I was so sure he was going go wander off and get into some shit. Only he didn't. You're growing up, babe. Meanwhile, back in the desert, Aang comes back and is all nihilistic about how they'll never find Appa and they're all gonna die and everything is pointless forever and ever amen. Toph is similarly cynical, and Sokka is still rocking that cactus juice, leaving Katara surrounded by useless incompetents. AS USUAL. She's the one who thinks to consult the star charts Sokka stole from the library. She's the one who comes up with the idea for Aang to bend cloud water into her canteen. She's the one who can literally suck water out of sand with her bending powers after Momo spilled it. And next episode she sucks water out of a map, making it dry, without harming the ink . They're not the flashiest waterbending moves ever, but they must take some serious precision, and she does them without blinking. They would all be dead SO MANY TIMES if not for her. After what is (presumably) a few hours, they wake up, and Sokka is still high . DANG, cactus juice. Toph senses a sandglider buried underground, which the group uses to make faster progress. It takes them to a rocky outcrop--YES! SOLID GROUND! Toph is pleased--only it turns out to be a giant nest filled with giant bugs. Toph has a hard time fighting them because she can't sense where they are in the air, and Katara's out of bending water, so they work together--Toph as the muscle, Katara as the guidance system--and take down some bugs that way. One of the bugs steals Momo, which causes Aang--who's been spoiling for a fight this whole episode--to fucking snap . YOU DON'T STEAL HIS LEMUR. YOU JUST DON'T. He rescues Momo and heads back to the rock, where Katara, Toph, and a by-this-time relatively sober Sokka have been confronted by sandbenders. Toph recognizes one of their voices as belonging to one of the guys who stole Appa. Aang is not best pleased: he goes all HULK SMASH on the sand gliders and then enters Avatar state. Aang does that thing where he's so pissed he creates an air bubble around himself and starts to levitate, while the sandbenders are absolutely shitting themselves and promising Aang they'll help him get out of the desert, just please don't kill us . Katara clings onto Aang and literally tethers him to the earth, bringing him back down both physically and emotionally. Then she hugs him until he comes back to himself. Meanwhile Iroh and Zuko have snuck out of town in flower pots and are headed to Ba Sing Se, because A) there are a lot of refugees there, so they won't be noticed, and B) it's not like it's an easy city for the Fire Nation to invade. The gaang is also headed to Ba Sing Se, both to tell the Earth Nation about the solar eclipse and to find Appa, who was taken there and sold by the sandbenders So they're all headed to the same place. IS FRIENDSHIP INCOMING?! "The Serpent's Pass" -- Rebecca Pahle (@RebeccaPahle) September 1, 2014 This episode is a bit of a blast from the past, reintroducing as it does Kyoshi Warrior Suki , who almost hooked up (in a non-sex, kid's show way) with Sokka that one time, and FUCKING JET . Oh, and CABBAGE MAN! Aang has seemingly recovered remarkably well from Appa being bison-napped, though Katara senses bullshit, and we'll later learn he's really just repressing his emotions. They're joined by a trio of refugees who are also on their way to Ba Sing Se, one of whom is a pregnant lady who'd really like to not pop the kid out 'til she has a permanent place of residence. The refugees convince the gaang that the way they were going to use to get to Ba Sing Se, the Serpent's Path, is too dangerous, and instead they should go to a secret cove where a fleet of ferries carry refugees across a lake to the city. Who should be on one of those ferries but Zuko, Iroh, and FUCKING JET, who starts rabblerousin' about the lack of good food. Zuko, not knowing the myriad ways in which FUCKING JET is a total shitbagel, agrees to help steal food from the Captain and distribute it among the passengers. The heist goes perfectly, and FUCKING JET even says something about how he used to be involved in bad things (like attempting to sacrifice a village of Fire Nation civilians?), but now he's going to Ba Sing Se to start over. It all could be legit, but... FUCKING JET. No. I don't trust him. His minions, on the other hand, are great. Iroh makes a comment about Smellerbee being an odd name for a boy, to which Smellerbee responds that I'm actually a girl, punk . Then Longshop gives her a pep talk, all using his facial expressions. It's a really good scene-let. Back at the cove, Aang has trouble getting tickets for his friends until Toph pulls the "I'm a member of a super-rich" family card and hooks 'em up. Cabbage man is not so lucky--he's allowed on the ship, but his cabbages are not. It's a tragedy of epic proportions. Some snarky guard comes up and starts messing with Sokka, and surprise! It's Suki, who with the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors ended up assisting the war effort by being security guards at the refugee center. The happy reunion is interrupted when the trio of refugees from earlier get their tickets stolen, so Aang offers to escort them across the Serpent's Pass instead. Suki decides to go with them, and off they go. Aang goes off on a rant about how hope is useless and they need to stay focused, do you think I should wear guyliner and try for a Robert Smith-esque swoop, Katara? I know I'm bald, but I think I could make it work. Katara continues to be distressed at her friend's character development, while Suki goes into exposition mode and says the Fire Nation's working on some super-secret weapon ( WAR BALLOOOOOOON ). A Fire Nation ship spots them and starts shooting fire balls, and everyone survives, but it's revealed that Sokka's feeling very protective toward Suki. She tells him that she can take care of her own damn self, thank you very much, but she doesn't get angry at him or anything. I think because she senses there's some deeper issue here, even if she doesn't know what it is. "His girlfriend turned into the moon" probably isn't something she would have guessed. Suki tells Sokka she lost someone, too--someone who was smart and brave and funny, but left after only a few days. Sokka's response is "WHO IS THIS FUCKHEAD?!" Oh, my baby dingledork! They almost kiss, but Sokka's not emotionally ready, and anyway they're right in front of Sokka's ex-girlfriend the moon, so... that'd be a little odd. Our Heroes make their way to a part of the path that's submerged under water. Katara FLIPPING MOSESES THAT STUFF and gets them part of the way across pretty easily... ...but then it turns out there's a serpent in the water who wants to eat them, thus the name "Serpent's Pass." Toph earthbends them up to the surface, but they're not out of danger yet. After Sokka's offer of Momo of a sacrifice isn't accepted ( Sokka !), Aang distracts the serpent while Katara turns the water into an ice bridge for them to walk across, because what can't she do? Everyone gets across safely but Toph, who's a little freaked out because she can't see if she's standing on ice. It'd be more than a little terrifying. The serpent breaks the bridge, and Toph falls into the water and starts drowning, only to be rescued by Suki. Toph kisses her on the cheek because she thinks she's Sokka. People ship Toph/Sokka, right? Katara and Aang get some tag-team action on and whirlpool the serpent into oblivion, after which the group gets to the other side of the path and finds themselves within easy hiking distance of the wall of Ba Sing Se. Sokka, jinxing them, happily proclaims that it's nothing but smooth sailing from here on out. Which is when the refugee lady goes into labor. And Katara's not even bothered. "Hell yeah, I've delivered babies! I've delivered like twelve babies. You haven't delivered babies?" THERE IS LITERALLY NOTHING SHE CANNOT DO. Sokka the Teenage Boy faints, of course. And Aang, seeing the newborn girl (whose name is Hope, which would be cute if I couldn't stop thinking about the Dolphin Tale 2 trailer ), realizes that he needs to accept his feelings instead of pushing them down, which is exactly what Katara tried to give him a pep talk about before. Katara: "Hey Aang, you're fucking up." 20 MINS OF EPISODE PASS. Aang: "Hey Katara, I was fucking up." Katara: "Ya think?" -- Rebecca Pahle (@RebeccaPahle) September 1, 2014 Back on the ferry, FUCKING JET tells Zuko that "as soon as I saw your scar, I knew exactly who you were." CUE ZUKO PANIC, until FUCKING JET continues: "You're an outcast like me." Stop trying to be so smoooth all the time, FUCKING JET. Zuko admits that "being on your own isn't always the best path." Nooooo, Zuko! Don't fall in with FUCKING JET and his crowd! You have a spot waiting for you with the gaang! NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Meanwhile, the gaang says their goodbyes--Aang, having accepted that he needs to get Appa ASAP, glides ahead to the city walls, leaving Katara, Sokka, and the refugees to follow along behind. And Suki heads back to the cove--after all, she only really went with them to protect Sokka in the first place. They kiss. Aww, sweethearts. But, seeing as this is part one of a two-parter, we have to end on a cliffhanger, and it is: Aang seeing a GIANT DRILL approaching the walls of Ba Sing Se. Mission Rescue Appa will have to be put on hold as Aang deals with this newest crisis. So the drill was the secret weapon... not the war balloon? I want the war balloon back. Also, this has been four whole episodes without Azula. I'm getting antsy! Because I want to avoid being spoiled if at all possible, comments on this post are locked. Any spoilery discussion can be directed to Facebook ; if there's anything non-spoilery about the recaps you want to say to me, you can hit me up on Twitter . You can catch up on previous recaps here . Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter , Facebook , Tumblr , Pinterest , & Google + ?

And with this week's recap, I am now covering the latter half of Avatar: The Last Airbender .

"The moment Trump chooses his vice presidential candidate," wrote super-fan Ann Coulter last week, "every person in the media will be handed a personalized crowbar to pry daylight between Trump his nominee." That's why, she argued, it's important for Trump not to pick a "typical Republican." The prying will simply be too easy. Trump should pick a nationalist who'll defend his initiatives with gusto, not because he's suddenly accepted a job that requires him to. Let the prying begin! Trade means jobs, but trade also means security. The time has come for all of us to urge the swift adoption of the Trans Pacific Partnership -- Governor Mike Pence (@GovPenceIN) September 8, 2014 That's not a one-off thing. Pence is on the ticket because he's a dogmatic conservative, designed to make dogmatic conservative voters feel more comfortable with Trump, but dogmatic conservatism means support for free trade. Pence has supported it for a long, long time : Pence backed trade agreements with Colombia, South Korea, Panama, Peru, Oman, Chile and Singapore during his House tenure from 2001 through 2012. He voted for the Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA. He voted to keep the United States in the World Trade Organization and to maintain permanent normal trade relations with China, the country Trump repeatedly criticizes for unfair trade practices and threatens with tariffs to boost U.S. job creation. Pence also has publicly supported the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement of Pacific Rim nations, an agreement negotiated by the Obama administration which Trump opposes and has likened to rape. Hey, you can't expect a president and VP to agree on everything. It's perfectly normal that a trade deal the VP might see as crucial to security is viewed by the president as, uh, rape. Hopefully they'll get their story straight before the big "60 Minutes" interview on Sunday night. Oh, and on this too: Calls to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. are offensive and unconstitutional. -- Governor Mike Pence (@GovPenceIN) December 8, 2015 They've always been in sync on touchback amnesty so they've got that going for them at least. In fairness to Trump, he's doing the prudent thing for once with the biggest decision of his campaign in choosing a "safe" candidate like Pence. There's modest upside to it, as it could help a bit with party unity (although probably only a bit ), but there's virtually no downside to it. Pence won't upstage Trump, as Newt and Christie might have, and he's so poorly known among the wider electorate that he does no harm. Picking him is the closest thing to picking no VP at all, which I'm sure would have been Trump's preference. Look at it this way: How many dogmatic conservatives with plenty of experience on the Hill and some name recognition among conservative activists were out there and amenable to joining the ticket? Most full-spectrum conservatives like Mike Lee and Ted Cruz disdain Trump and wouldn't want to risk their future prospects by joining forces with him. Pence was perfectly positioned in that he had the conservative cred Trump wanted and was precariously positioned via his gubernatorial race to make him open to becoming VP. Trump made the safe play, no doubt at Paul Manafort's urging. It's uncharacteristically boring of him, but it's not necessarily wrong. Except, of course, to the extent that there's a total mismatch between nationalism and conservatism on some of Trump's core issues, like trade. Oh well. Something for everyone on this year's ticket! Here's the next vice president of the United States singing songs of love about NAFTA as a young congressman in 2001.

Pence is on the ticket because he's a dogmatic conservative, designed to make dogmatic conservative voters feel more comfortable with Trump, but dogmatic conservatism means support for free trade.

Gaddafi had warned Tony Blair in two fraught phone conversations in 2011 that al-Qaida would seize control of the country and even launch an invasion of Europe if his secular government is deposed. In both calls the former British prime minister had warned Gaddafi to stand aside. The transcripts reveal how lucid the general had been over his eventual fate. Three weeks after his dire warnings, a NATO-led invasion that included Britain began a deadly bombing campaign to overthrow of Gaddafi. He was finally murdered by British-sponsored opponents in October. The transcripts of the conversations have been published by the UK foreign affairs select committee, which was conducting an inquiry into the western air campaign that led to the ousting and killing of Gaddafi in October 2011, the Guardian reported . In the first call, at 11.15am on 25 February 2011, Gaddafi had warned: "They [jihadis] want to control the Mediterranean and then they will attack Europe." In the second call, later on the same day, the Libyan leader continued: "We are not fighting them, they are attacking us. I want to tell you the truth. It is not a difficult situation at all. The story is simply this: an organisation has laid down sleeping cells in north Africa. Called the al-Qaida organisation in north Africa ... The sleeping cells in Libya are similar to dormant cells in America before 9/11." Gaddafi added: "I will have to arm the people and get ready for a fight. Libyan people will die, damage will be on the Med, Europe and the whole world. These armed groups are using the situation [in Libya] as a justification - and we shall fight them." British Intelligence had also warned Blair that terrorism would flourish if the West invaded Iraq. Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq led by the US and the UK, Blair was "forcefully and repeatedly" warned by Britain's intelligence services that the invasion would eventually lead to terrorism, the Intercept reported. But Blair concealed these warnings from the British voters, instead claiming the opposite: that war would "reduce" the risk of terrorism. This was revealed by the damning Chilcot Report, a British public inquiry over seven years into the country's role in the Iraq War. The report also found that Saddam Hussein did not pose an urgent threat to British interests in Iraq, that intelligence regarding weapons of mass destruction was presented with unwarranted certainty, that peaceful alternatives to war had not been exhausted, that the United Kingdom and United States had undermined the authority of the United Nations Security Council, that the process of identifying the legal basis was "far from satisfactory", and that a war in 2003 was unnecessary. The report was made available under an Open Government Licence. In February 2003, one month before the war began, the British Joint Intelligence Committee issued a white paper titled "International Terrorism: War With Iraq." The paper's introduction stated clearly: "The threat from Al Qaida will increase at the onset of any military action against Iraq. They will target Coalition forces and other Western interests in the Middle East. Attacks against Western interests elsewhere are also likely, especially in the US and UK, for maximum impact. The worldwide threat from other Islamist terrorist groups and individuals will increase significantly." It concluded : "Al Qaida and associated groups will continue to represent by far the greatest terrorist threat to Western interests, and that threat will be heightened by military action against Iraq. The broader threat from Islamist terrorists will also increase in the event of war, reflecting intensified anti-US/anti-Western sentiment in the Muslim world, including among Muslim communities in the West." In 2015, al-Azhar University in Cairo declared that although ISIS members are terrorists they cannot be described as heretics.

Gaddafi had warned Tony Blair in two fraught phone conversations in 2011 that al-Qaida would seize control of the country and even launch an invasion of Europe if his secular government is deposed.

Last week The Economist claimed data is the world's most valuable resource -- the oil of the 21st century. This enthusiasm is well placed. Phone companies predict customer churn based on social network data. Spending patterns help banks predict credit worthiness and segment their customers. Sommeliers even use rainfall data to predict wine quality . Yet use of data to improve government service delivery remains stuck in the 20 th century. We're all better off when government spending is effective. Which students should receive mentoring and tutoring to prevent dropout? Which job-search services are best suited for a former factory worker recently made redundant? Should a defendant arrested for a low-level drug offence await trial in jail, or at home? These are decisions that allocate scarce government resources with human and financial consequences. Predictive analytics -- techniques that use data analysis to make predictions -- can help. Improving schools Like on trading floors, decisions in schools should rest on a foundation of predictive analytics. There has been considerable progress in recent years. Wisconsin, among other states, has developed a Dropout Early Warning System (DEWS) . Each year, 225,000 Wisconsin middle school students are assessed for their likelihood of dropout or late graduation. Early results from a randomized controlled trial for 73 Midwest schools are promising -- decreased failure and absenteeism after only one year using a DEWS. More could be done. Many existing early warning systems are not arduous, using measures such as achievement, attendance, behaviors, and mobility. Yet only half of all U.S. high schools have them. For schools that already have early warning systems, emerging research suggests student social-emotional well-being and school culture are important lead indicators. Examples of social-emotional measures include emotion regulation, perspective taking, and adoption of a growth rather than a fixed mindset to one's learning. Collecting and acting on this data is in line with the recently passed Every Student Succeeds Act. School culture, meanwhile, includes a sense of belonging, safety, and perceived support for academic learning. Incorporating these measures in early warning systems presents exciting opportunities for student specific and system-wide improvement. Preventing long-term unemployment More than 2,500 job centers support many of the roughly 25 million Americans who experience unemployment each year. These centers offer workforce development services ranging from job search, career counseling, and subsidies that supplement wages. Job seekers are a diverse group. The central challenge is targeting the right services to the right person at the right time. New Zealand , through its "investment approach," uses job seeker characteristics to estimate unemployment duration. A young adult who dropped out of high school with a patchy job history is at high risk of long-term unemployment. In this case, early investment in intensive job services seeks to prevent entrenched welfare dependence. Meanwhile, someone who holds a bachelor's degree with extensive work experience will likely find employment quickly, so would only need light touch services. While it is early days, welfare dependency in New Zealand is decreasing . Critics have rightly raised concern that people should not be punitively pushed off welfare. Instead, implemented effectively, the investment approach targets limited resources at individuals who will benefit most to sustainably reduce long-term unemployment. Fighting crime Every day judges decide whether defendants should be detained in jail on remand or released while they await trial. At $85 per person per day , the cumulative cost of holding defendants in jail is substantial. A recent study proposes using defendant characteristics like their criminal record, age, and arrest location to predict reoffending risk. This information is used to identify low-risk defendants who should be released. The author's predictive analytics model is highly effective with the potential for significant declines in both jail populations and crime rates. Moreover, using the model, currently over-represented groups -- African Americans and Hispanics -- would constitute a lower proportion of total prisoners. Judges, while doing their best, make mistakes. Supported by data, they can achieve much better results. Limitations and conclusion Predictive analytics are not a panacea. First, government is trying to address problems that are complex -- many of which cannot be solved by using better data alone. Second, prediction is no substitute for human judgment. For instance, algorithms should complement, not replace the deliberations of a judge. Third, models can be wrong and data inaccurate. Finally, if misinterpreted, models risk becoming deterministic. If dropout risk, for example, is seen as a diagnosis rather than a prediction, teachers may be inclined to give up on students who need the most help. There are a myriad of predictive analytics applications that mean your tax dollars can be spent more effectively. Private sector companies have already learned that data-driven decision-making means smarter, more efficient decisions. Taxpayers ought to demand that government follow suit. Matt Tyler is an economist who works to improve government effectiveness with a particular focus on social services. Tyler is a former management consultant, where he supported executives in developing and implementing strategy across financial services, telecommunications, manufacturing, postal services, and retail. He worked as an economist for Australia's foreign service and as a policy adviser to the Federal Australian Labor Party on economic and social policy. He has also worked for Third Sector Capital Partners where he assisted with the construction of two Social Impact Bonds in Salt Lake City. He is currently completing a Master of Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He tweets as @matt_b_tyler. To read more of his reports -- Click Here Now .

Last week The Economist claimed data is the world's most valuable resource -- the oil of the 21st century.

Written by Brian Ries over 2 years ago "No shit its not the Mexican border but thats what our country is going to look like if we don't do anything." Written by David Yi over 2 years ago Patients now want to look up doctors and hospitals the same way they read restaurant reviews before making a decision. Written by Patrick Kulp over 2 years ago You can vote to decide which accident will be aired in its entirety during the college football national championship game. Written by Patrick Kulp over 2 years ago Written by Patrick Kulp over 2 years ago Written by Seth Fiegerman over 2 years ago On Christmas Day, NBA stars will appear in a public service announcement against gun violence backed by Spike Lee and Michael Bloomberg.

Written by Brian Ries over 2 years ago "No shit its not the Mexican border but thats what our country is going to look like if we don't do anything."

The groups join conservative pundits such as John Bolton, Mike Huckabee, and Allen West, who have all been fundraising off of the 2012 attacks. The Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, and National Republican Senatorial Committee are also soliciting funds while invoking Benghazi. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), who is leading a recently formed House select committee to investigate the thoroughly investigated attacks, has asked Republicans not to fundraise off of Benghazi (Gowdy himself has "discussed the supposed Benghazi scandal at fundraisers and campaign events"). Anti-Clinton groups Stop Hillary PAC and America Rising PAC are cashing in on Benghazi. Solicitations claim Clinton lied about the attacks and is "complicit in the deaths of four Americans when she left them to burn in Benghazi." Stop Hillary PAC states it was "created for one reason only - to ensure Hillary Clinton never becomes President of the United States." The group is headed by Republican Colorado State Sen. Ted Harvey, and backed by political professionals who previously worked for Republicans such as Sen. John McCain and Rep. Tom Price . America Rising was formed by Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign manager and Republican National Committee staffers. The super PAC aims to "ensure we never see another Clinton administration." It reportedly also sells its research to Republican groups such as Karl Rove's American Crossroads. The groups make clear their fundraising is part of a strategy to keep Benghazi in the news. Stop Hillary PAC has stated they need money to speak "on FoxNews and mainstream media outlets," and air "hard hitting radio ads reminding Americans that Hillary is responsible for 4 dead American patriots in Benghazi." America Rising has said their research is aimed at "earned media coverage" and "reporters and bloggers looking for information." The push to fundraise off of Benghazi is part of Republican efforts to capitalize on tragedies by using them to try to hamstring a potential Clinton run. RNC chair Reince Priebus took to Twitter last night to attack Clinton for a "leadership failure" over the recent kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls by the extremist group Boko Haram. Media Matters searched Nexis transcripts of Fox's evening and primetime news coverage and Fox News Sunday between May 8, 2012, and May 8, 2014, using the search term guest:(Gowdy). Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) has a history of deceiving media by misrepresenting evidence at a congressional hearing, a worrying past given his new role as the leader of the House select committee investigating the Benghazi attacks. Gowdy was chosen on May 5 to run the new select committee into the Obama administration's handling of the September 2012 terrorist attacks in Libya, and was described by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) as "dogged, focused, and serious-minded as they come. His background as a federal prosecutor and his zeal for the truth make him the ideal person to lead this panel." But Gowdy's apparent "zeal for the truth" has not stopped him from misleading past congressional investigations into the attacks with media figures who are eager to amplify Republican scandal-mongering. At a previous House hearing on Benghazi on May 8, 2013, Gowdy purported to read from a State Department email sent a day after the attacks, which Republicans claimed revealed State officials knew that terrorists were behind the attacks but initially attempted to cover-up this knowledge for political reasons. Gowdy quoted a State official as saying in this early email, "the group that conducted the attacks...is affiliated with Islamic terrorists." Fox News immediately ran with Gowdy's line, claiming that the email opened up new questions about the administration's response to the attacks, including questions "about the accuracy of the past testimony of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton." But when The New York Times obtained an actual copy of the email in question, they found that it referred to "Islamic extremists," not terrorists. The senior State Department official who sent the email, A. Elizabeth Jones, was noting exactly what senior White House officials and then-UN Ambassador Susan Rice had all acknowledged: the possibility that extremists could had been involved in the assault. In response to the clear evidence that he had misrepresented an official email in a Congressional hearing, Gowdy deflected , claiming there was no relevant distinction between "extremists" and "terrorists" -- even though making that very distinction was exactly what Republicans were attempting to accuse the administration of doing in their supposed "cover up" of Benghazi. His Republican colleagues once again turned to Fox to push out the new line, now claiming the email said "definitively" that "it was Ansar-al-Sharia, Islamic extremists, that committed this terrorist act," despite the fact that the email still made no reference to terrorism. As Republicans gear to up use this new select committee to continue to push the Benghazi hoax, media should be wary of trusting Gowdy's interpretation of the record -- he can't always be trusted to accurately quote reality.

The push to fundraise off of Benghazi is part of Republican efforts to capitalize on tragedies by using them to try to hamstring a potential Clinton run.

The film has sparked a worldwide media frenzy, according to its promoters. This is the Wedding of the Year as imagined in Wichita or Wyoming, with dialogue so authentic it follows you round the room. As in all the best plays, they tell each other things they must already know. "I say, Wills," says Prince Harry. "I am not the heir. I am just the spare." "You do realise this is the 21st century?" Kate expostulates to her etiquette coach. "In your world, perhaps, but not in his," said coach replies portentously, and a million heads will nod knowingly, from Houston to Hawaii. Monarchists abroad may be shocked when William informs his intended that half the country loves his family and the other half thinks they are irrelevant throwbacks - a little bit of social comment there - but they will soon be back on track when he adds reassuringly: "My mother was one of the people. She tried to change the monarchy ." Kate replies: "We'll still be us. Nothing will come between us." At which point some in the audience at the film's preview unaccountably began to titter. The Monarchist League of Canada says that people under 25 make up 15 per cent of its 15,000 members and are the fastest-growing segment. Matthew Rowe, a spokesman for the league in the Ottawa region, says William and Kate are relevant to young people: "This is monarchy 2.0. This is the new generation. The institution is being reinvented for a new generation." Tom Richards, 21, is looking forward to meeting Will and Kate at a Monarchist League of Canada reception in Ottawa this week. "Wow, what an honour," he says. "I'm sure we'll be introduced in some way." William and Kate have historical importance beyond their appeal as celebrities, he says. At least there are a number of U.S. lawmakers who are openly criticizing Obama on his illegal war on Libya. You know better than that. To disabuse yourself of this notion re-read my posts on this subject.

This is the Wedding of the Year as imagined in Wichita or Wyoming, with dialogue so authentic it follows you round the room.

"I wake up at 4:30am because Catherine and Stuart [not their real names] like me to serve them their tea in bed in the morning, and it takes a long time to get from Khayelitsha to Camps Bay. The first thing I do when I wake up is take a bath and get dressed. Then, I get my older children up, make them oats for breakfast and get them dressed. My son, who is 11, takes the baby, who is one-and-a-half to creche by taxi in the morning. My other daughter helps me feed and dress her before she walks to school with her friend. I have to leave my house at 5:30am to make sure I am at work by 7:30am when they wake up. Sometimes there is traffic or strikes or the trains aren't running properly, and I get late. I have been late twice already, and if I'm late a third time Catherine is going to give me a written warning. When I get to work I change out of my clothes and into my uniform. The first thing I do is wash my hands, put the kettle on and get the tea tray ready. Once they have their tea and rusks in bed, I go and wake the boy. I look after two kids, a boy of three and girl who is six months. The baby will be with the night nurse. Then the night nurse goes home. I get the boy up and make him breakfast. He likes French toast and rooibos tea in the morning. He is a good boy. I give the baby porridge and dress her. Stuart goes to work and Catherine goes to the gym. While she is gone I make her bed, pick up her clothes and shoes from the floor (she is messy, that one) and put everything away. I put the baby on my back when I clean the house. Sometimes it's hard because the boy wants me to play with him, but if the house isn't tidy when Catherine comes home she gets cross. I am not allowed to put the TV on for him because she wants me to only play with him. So that is difficult. In the morning we go to the park. Catherine likes us to get out so that she can have some peace and quiet. I pack some food for the kids. There is a park close by, and we play there. I have a friend who goes to the same park, so we meet each other. Sometimes I worry about my girl. She doesn't like the creche, she misses me. She cries in the night and wants me. It's a long day for her to be without her mother. I took her there when she was one month old because I had to go back to work. I couldn't breastfeed her anymore. She was always sick and I think it is because I couldn't breastfeed her. It is a long time for a baby to be without her mother, but I must work. My husband earns R3 500 a month. It is not enough for us to live. When we get home Catherine likes me to make her a salad. She won't eat bread because she's on a diet. Only fish and chicken every day, but she is too, too thin. Then I make lunch for the kids and we sit together in the garden and eat. In the afternoon when I put the boy down for his sleep I put the baby on my back so she can sleep and I do the ironing. Then I start with supper. I used to work in a restaurant so I know how to cook. Stuart wants to eat meat every night. I make steak or a stew or I cook chicken and vegetables. I bath the kids at 5pm . At 5:30pm I must leave to catch my bus, but sometimes Catherine asks me to iron the dress she wants to wear if she is going out. Then I get home very late. It takes me two hours to get home. My kids are already home. I leave the key with the neighbour and they let themselves into the house and do their homework. My son fetches the baby at creche after he finishes school. I cook supper and I am very tired. My husband comes home at 7 o'clock. At the end of the month the money is finished. Then we only eat pap and vegetables. Together we earn R7 000, but most of that is for school fees and food and transport. Transport is very expensive, I must give my son R20 a day and my bus costs R150 per week. My husband works on a Saturday too, so Sundays we are all together. We go to church in the morning and then we eat meat for lunch. We only eat meat on a Sunday. I am lucky for my job, and my husband is lucky. There are lots of people who are not working. Then I try to do everything right. I tidy the cupboards and I wash the curtains. Catherine gives me old toys and clothes. We are also lucky that we have our own house, but in the winter the roof leaks and the kids get sick because it is always wet. There is water on the floor and our shoes and clothes are wet. It is very cold in our house in the winter. I am looking for an old washing machine because it is difficult washing all the clothes by hand. When I get home from work I wash. It is difficult to make the clothes get dry in the winter. I have good kids, but my girl struggles at school. Her teacher wants her to have extra lessons, but it costs money and we don't have money. If my kids are sick it is a problem because if I don't go to work Catherine gets very cross. If the baby has a fever she is not allowed to go to creche. Then my son must stay home from school and take care of her. I am worried then because he is only a boy of 11. It is not so easy, no. I have a good job. They give me paid leave at Christmas, two weeks. My family is in the Eastern Cape. It is very expensive to take the whole family so every three years we take the bus to see my parents for Christmas. They are old now. I don't know if I will see my parents again before they die." - As told to Susan Hayden S usan Hayden writes for Cosmopolitan, Shape, Oprah, Marie Claire, Mamamia and the Sunday Times. She also reviews restaurants and is completing her third book about wine. This piece was originally published on her blog, The Disco Pants Blog .

I have been late twice already, and if I'm late a third time Catherine is going to give me a written warning.

Oakland, Calif. -- The California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance held a press conference on the street in front of Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern's office on June 29 calling for the immediate release of Maguiber Ramos Vasquez. The CIYJA says that Ramos, an Alameda father of three, is currently in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings "because of local law enforcement's collaboration with ICE." The group called for help to share Ramos's story as they demand that ICE Field Director David Jennings use his prosecutorial discretion to release him. His spouse is due to have their fourth child, and his family needs him at home for the birth. Ramos came to the U.S. in 2006 as an unaccompanied minor seeking asylum from gang violence and persecution in Guatemala. He has worked, married and raised his family here. Readers can sign a petition for his release at www.bit.ly/freemaguiber . Call Field Director Jennings at 415.844.5503 to demand that Maguiber Ramos Vasquez, A#088-451-239, be released immediately.

The California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance held a press conference on the street in front of Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern's office on June 29 calling for the immediate release of Maguiber Ramos Vasquez.

annm4peace (6,112 posts) 9/9/13:Week 3 of the City of Fresnos demolition of homeless encampments in the downtown Fresno, CA Most cities find shelter for the homeless before they tear down their encampments. Fresno even received Federal dollar but they gave it to developer to built about 100 unites with thousands are needed. (yes Fresno has corruption.. but why doesn't the Feds or CA AG do something about it) http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/09/09/18742970.php While city officials claim to be on the verge of bankruptcy they did manage to find enough money to destroy the only shelter hundreds of homeless people had. The city would not help by providing drinking water, portable toilets or trash bins, but they were out in force to bulldoze tents, tarps, and wood structures built by the homeless in downtown Fresno. Rounding up the homeless dogs by Mike Rhodes Monday Sep 9th, 2013 2:15 PM Homeless minister Ray Polk gives religious service on H street before the destruction (even of his make shift chapel) by Mike Rhodes Monday Sep 9th, 2013 2:15 PM (to see the many attacks on the homeless by the City of Fresno http://fresnoalliance.com/wordpress/?p=1313 Bulldozers operated within a few feet of the homeless, who were trying to leave by Mike Rhodes Monday Sep 9th, 2013 2:15 PM Typical street scene today on H street The City of Fresno Destroyed the Only Shelter these Homeless People had by Mike Rhodes Monday Sep 9th, 2013 2:15 PM * Another example of homeless people using creative modes of transportation to escape the demolition Being homeless doesn't mean you don't have a job, or a car, or loved ones, or pets, or a need for dignity It doesn't mean you are a druggy or a drunk or a mental illness. It just means you don't have a home. Josh and Martha take a short break from packing by Mike Rhodes Monday Sep 9th, 2013 2:15 PM Dignity in the midst of chaos 9/9/13:Week 3 of the City of Fresnos demolition of homeless encampments in the downtown Fresno, CA (Original post) annm4peace Sep 2013 OP help Fresno's homeless by signing the petition annm4peace Sep 2013 #1 Mon Sep 9, 2013, 08:13 PM annm4peace (6,112 posts) 1. help Fresno's homeless by signing the petition For further information about Fresno Homeless Advocates, see http://helpfresnoshomeless.org/ or email georgiam@csufresno.edu. sign the petition' http://www.change.org/petitions/city-of-fresno-end-homeless-camp-demolition-establish-humane-affordable-housing-policy ************************************************************ (see story of last weeks demolition) http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023607312 By Jessie Speer The author, Jessie Speer (center), with Ray Polk (left) and Larry Collins (right) at the H street homeless encampment, which the City of Fresno plans to bulldoze on Sept. 9. Imagine a young woman. Close your eyes and see her in front of youher hopeful gaze, her restless hands. Now imagine one morning she cant get out of bed. The doctor says its brain chemistry, but her family cant afford the treatment she needs. There is no shelter space, so she ends up living in an encampment on the banks of a canal near downtown Fresno. One day the city announces it will bulldoze her tent, destroying everything she has. This is not a nightmare. This is the real story of a young woman I met this summer while conducting interviews for a masters thesis on Fresno homelessness with Syracuse University. ************************************ Mon Sep 9, 2013, 08:17 PM annm4peace (6,112 posts) 2. Dispatch from the War Zone - Week Two in Fresno, Ca. Sept 3rd (I only posted some of the pictures, there are more on the link) The City of Fresno is in their second week of destroying homeless encampments in the downtown area. The photos of the demolition and people trying to escape (below) are from the encampment that is located between E street and highway 99 with California Ave and San Benito on either end of the encampment. These photos were taken on Tuesday, September 3, 2013. The city work crews gathered at 7 a.m. and were soon walking through the encampment telling the homeless residents that they have to move on. Most homeless people I talked to did not have anyplace to go. Several said they would go to the H street encampment that is scheduled to be destroyed (by the city) next week and some said they would sleep on a nearby sidewalk. As I arrived at about 6:30 a.m. some people were still sleeping on sidewalks by the Poverello House, the location of last weeks demolitions. It was the Poverello House, which is a social service organization that provides meals for the homeless, that pushed the city to destroy the homeless encampments. They argued that the encampments, with their run down appearance and alleged crime was preventing clients from entering their facility. Mike who is editor of the Fresno Community Alliance can always use donations to support getting more of the papers out. click on the link: http://fresnoalliance.com/wordpress/?p=1313 see contact on the right. ****************************************************************** Yes, the City of Fresno could do better.. instead they choose to spend tax dollars in harassing and abusing the homeless then in helping them. click below if you want to click on their name so you can email them. http://www.fresno.gov/Government/CityCouncil/Default.htm To contact any of the Council Members, please call (559) 621-8000 Blong Xiong (supports the homeless) Councilmember District 1 Email FAX (559) 268-1043 Sal Quintero Councilmember District 5 Email FAX (559) 490-5395 Steve Brandau Councilmember District 2 Email FAX (559) 621-7892 Lee Brand Councilmember District 6 Email FAX (559) 621-7896 Oliver L. Baines III Councilmember District 3 Email FAX (559) 621-7893 Clint Olivier Councilmember District 7 Email FAX (559) 498-2541 Paul Caprioglio Councilmember District 4 Email FAX (559) 621-7848 *** Ashley Swearengin, Mayor 2600 Fresno Street Room 2075 Fresno, CA 93721 (559) 621-8000 ********* and incase you need more info check out these two links http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023547400 history of attacks and abuse on the HOmeless by the City of Fresno *********************************** If you do call the Mayor's office, please post the staff's comments if you can, especially if you are from another state.. The Mayor is a rightwing born again Christian as was the previous Mayor, and the Chief of Police is also. The hateful kind of born again Christian as oppose to true follower of the works of Christ.. more followers of the power and money Mon Sep 9, 2013, 08:39 PM annm4peace (6,112 posts) 3. Week 1, Day 2.. and the assault beings... where is the national news? http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023547400 Mississippi - the Last Man Standing This shows what F street (south of Ventura) looked like this afternoon. The last shelter standing was the one Mississippi was standing next to when I arrived at about 1:30 p.m. Mississippi seemed a little perplexed as to why they had not removed his structure on Santa Clara (between E and F street), but he was not complaining. We took a few photos of him outside the shelter and talked about him being the last holdout. When I returned 45 minutes later, Mississippi was sitting in a chair where his shelter used to be. He said one of the undercover officers (there are a lot of them out there these days) drove by, opened his window, and said What makes you think your so special? I guess the officer did not like Mississippis answer, because immediately after that conversation, workers from the sanitation department arrived, cut the tarp from the fence, threw everything into the street, a bulldozer picked it up and put the remains of his shelter in the back of a garbage truck. All of the Golden State off ramp encampment (there was probably 50 people living there), Santa Clara street (where another 50 people lived), F street (about 30 people), and G street south of the Rescue Mission (another 50 people lived there) are all gone. The people have moved to other encampments or they are planning on returning once the dust settles. Next Tuesday, September 3 the City of Fresno will begin again, this time destroying the encampment across Golden State blvd, west of E street, between California and San Benito. There are at least 100 people living at that encampment, probably more because of all of the new arrivals. There is a new homeless advocate group that has organized and is attempting to stop these ongoing attacks against the homeless. For more information about what they are doing - they have a meeting this Thursday, are circulating a petition, plan to attend this weeks City Council meeting, and much more, go to: http://www.helpfresnoshomeless.org/ http://fresnoalliance.com/wordpress/?p=1313 It would be one thing if the City of Fresno had shelter for these people to go to but they don't.. the couple of homeless shelters there are in Fresno are full. 100's of these homeless are displace again.. the groups and individuals that have been trying to help will have a had time finding these people. Shameful. It happens again and again. But who cares? There are 100's of churches in Fresno and some are trying to help. But the city of Fresno made it illegal for churches to allow homeless to set up tents on their land, or to even sleep on their steps. There are empty hotels and 100's of empty houses... some of these homeless people used to be in those empty houses. the majority of people in Fresno don't care, the vast Majority of Californians don't care. The Gov of CA doesn't care, the AG of CA doesn't care. The AG of the US doesn't care. One Tomahawk missile costs 1.4 Million dollars. 1.4 Million dollars could go a long way in Fresno it went to build shelters. ************************************************* You can post encouraging words or outrage on the Indymedia website. Let those advocates and homeless know that others do care, on the link below http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/08/27/18742188.php Mon Sep 9, 2013, 08:46 PM annm4peace (6,112 posts) 4. please share with others, especially faith and human rights groups The city of Fresno continues the abuse cause they know there isn't enough people in Fresno who care and will take actions. and they know those in wealthier parts of the State Ca can just turn away and ignore it.. and the rest of the country doesn't know. We have to expose what is happening in Fresno and other places like Fresno. Mike and others in Fresno have been writing/reporting the abuse for years, and showing picture after pictures.. You would think the Feds would have enough evidence in the pictures and reports of the human rights abuses but I guess they don't care. Do you? https://www.facebook.com/pages/Community-Alliance-Newspaper/147659788596394 Mon Sep 9, 2013, 11:02 PM 5. I hope someone adopts the dogs I wish they could adopt the people too. Mon Sep 9, 2013, 11:18 PM Tue Sep 10, 2013, 01:45 AM 7. This is heart breaking. Tue Sep 10, 2013, 10:19 PM annm4peace (6,112 posts) 8. I found out the dogs will most likely end up euthanized since the Humane society already has lots of dogs. the dogs looked healthy, they should have let the homeless people keep their pets. maybe some people can foster the dogs. Now if we could only get help for the people. Tue Sep 10, 2013, 10:35 PM annm4peace (6,112 posts) 9. update on info and pictures of the homeless people's pet dogs. http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/09/09/18743007.php Fresno Homeless companion animals seized and taken to animal 'shelter" with a kill rate of over 70 percent. I wonder how long they will survive before being murdered by the heartless bastards that run this city. In the last 3 weeks Fresno city officials have been destroying homeless encampments in the downtown area. They come in with multiple garbage trucks and bulldozers at 7am and tell folks to pack up and leave. One really disturbing thing they do is when folks are busy trying to save all of their worldly belongings Animal Control and Undercover Police Officers round up the companion animals of the homeless. These animals are then taken to the local SPCA shelter which has a kill rate of over 70%. Talk about a bunch of heartless bastards. SS who holds a dog like this? I hope someone can take in these dogs. http://ccspca.com/contact/

Week 3 of the City of Fresnos demolition of homeless encampments in the downtown Fresno, CA

Around 30 asylum seekers have reportedly been rounded up and detained in facilities across the UK ahead of mass deportation plans. And an alleged series of recent events, including the gagging and confinement of one asylum seeker in an aeroplane toilet, makes this scenario even more concerning. The International Federation of Iraqi Refugees ( IFIR ) claims that UK authorities have detained around 30 people of Iraqi origin - who Britain has refused asylum - after routine reporting, and have taken them to detention centres, including Colnbrook, Campsfield and Morton Hall. But many of these people have lived in the UK for over a decade. They've built lives, and now have partners and children here. Authorities have told them that they will leave the country in the next 7-10 days. "You are my enemy" Many detainees at Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre have asked the IFIR for help, so the group has been in constant contact. IFIR General Secretary Dashty Jamal spoke to The Canary about several incidents of authorities telling detainees that the Iraqi government has "accepted to deport" them back to Iraq and is preparing travel documents for them. This is the case for Mariwan Mohammed and Barzan Nasir. While on the phone to another detainee, Jamal said he could hear Nasir shouting in the background "you are my enemy". They told him that Nasir was with three Iraqi officials. Jamal asked to speak to one of the men, asking them who they were and who had given them permission to visit the detention centre. They claimed they were from a human rights organisation. But the detainees insisted that this was false. Gagged and locked in a toilet Jamal also told The Canary that authorities had already forcibly removed one asylum seeker on Tuesday 11 April. Aras Ismail, 36, was placed on a Royal Jordanian flight to Baghdad. Four security guards reportedly locked him in the plane's toilet for the duration of the flight. He was allegedly gagged, handcuffed, had his legs tied together, and was assaulted. Ismail has since reached Baghdad. He had been in the UK since 2007. Authorities had held him in detention for one month. He is originally from Kirkuk in Iraq; a place where, only a day before his deportation, there were reports that Daesh (Isis/Isil) had executed 12 people. An unacceptable policy This is unacceptable. The UKBA [UK Border Agency] has clearly made an agreement with the Iraqi Government and is making deals with the lives of these victims who are refugees. The UK Government are clearly seeking to legitimise their agreement with Iraqi Government. The UKBA wants to avoid responsibility for this action by blaming the Iraq officials. The Canary sent the Home Office details of these events and asked for comment. We had received no response at the time of publication. Iraqis in the UK often cannot return to Iraq even if asylum is refused, for fear of persecution or death. Those who have not received asylum must report to a police station or the Home Office each week, risking detention each time despite their long-term integration in the UK. Mariwan Mohammed, for instance, is married to an EU citizen with two children. The current flurry of detentions is reminiscent of actions taken in 2011 , when the UN condemned a number of removals to Afghanistan and Iraq. And the allegations above raise questions about both abuse and the disruption to these individuals' family lives. Get Involved! - Read more Canary articles on immigration .

Around 30 asylum seekers have reportedly been rounded up and detained in facilities across the UK ahead of mass deportation plans.

T he Rohingyas must be the most despised and persecuted people in the world right now. And there are many such peoples. The Rohingyas live, or lived, in Burma, also known as "Myanmar." This is the country now led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel peace laureate, and one of the most admired people of our time. In general, her admirers are shocked and saddened. Rarely has someone so admired -- idolized, even -- fallen so fast from grace. Let's pause for some pronunciation: "Rohingya," in English, may be pronounced "Roh-HIN-ja." (The last two syllables rhyme with "ninja.") And the name of the leader is usually pronounced "Awn Sahn Soo Chee." The Rohingyas belong to a distinct ethnicity, having their own language and culture. They have lived in the Rakhine region for 500 years or more. (That name is pronounced "Rah-KINE," with the last syllable rhyming with "line.") Rakhine State is in western Burma. There are 55 million Burmese, 90 percent of whom are Buddhists. Most Rohingyas are Muslim, though some are Hindu. They never mix with the Buddhists of Rakhine. The Associated Press, however, reported an amazing exception. A Rakhine Buddhist named Setara married a Rohingya man named Mohammad. The marriage is kept secret from the community in which she grew up. "If they knew, they would kill me right away," she says. Her husband has this to say about their marriage: "She sees me as a human being and I see her as a human being, and it's that simple." An astonishing statement, in a madly, viciously tribal world. In the past, the Rohingyas were partially accepted in Burma. They were allowed a political party and seats in parliament. Today, they are not accepted, denied citizenship, denied any recognition at all. They are even denied their very name. The government wants you to call them "Bengalis," not "Rohingyas." The government views them as immigrants and squatters from Bangladesh. At the end of November, Pope Francis went to Burma and carefully avoided the word "Rohingya." This pained many of his supporters because he had freely spoken of the Rohingyas before. But things were different in Bangladesh, his next stop, where he talked with Rohingya refugees. "We won't close our hearts or look away," he said. "The presence of God today is also called 'Rohingya.'" In 2016, the Burmese military conducted a campaign of suppression against the Rohingyas. They did this in concert with Buddhist ultra-nationalists, whom they armed and whipped up. Some of the leaders of the violence were Buddhist monks, a fact that may be jarring. Wai Wai Nu made this point at the Oslo Freedom Forum last year. She is a young Rohingya, a former political prisoner, and a human-rights advocate. She participated in a special democracy forum for Burma at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas. Among the Rohingyas are militants, who form rebel groups: militias. They have existed for decades. In 2016 and '17, some of these militants attacked police posts, killing at least a dozen officers. This led to massive reprisals against Rohingya people at large. In 1942, two Czechoslovakians killed General Heydrich, the Reich Protector. In response, the Nazis burned the village of Lidice to the ground. They killed all the men and sent the women and children to concentration camps, where many were gassed to death. In Rakhine State, Burmese forces had one Lidice after another -- scores or hundreds of them. The whole range of human savagery was unleashed on the Rohingyas. Villages torched, women raped in front of their husbands, the husbands killed, babies murdered in front of their mothers, the mothers killed, etc. This is exactly what ISIS recently did to the Yazidi people in Iraq. In Burma, Rohingyas trying to flee by boat were gunned down in the water. The Burmese government has banned foreign journalists and U.N. officials from the Rohingya area of Rakhine. But the atrocities are known to a host of verifiers, including the U.N., the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Holy See, and human-rights groups such as Doctors Without Borders. There are approximately 1 million Rohingyas. About 700,000 of them have fled into Bangladesh. About 100,000 are confined to camps in Rakhine. The U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, said, "The situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing." Of all people, Aung San Suu Kyi is the head of this state (though we must qualify this statement, as I will in due course). Also, she is the daughter of the nation, in this sense: Her father, Aung San, is Burma's independence hero. He was assassinated in 1947, when his daughter was two. (Today, she is 72.) She went to Oxford University and remained abroad for many years. She returned to Burma in 1988, to care for her mother. That same year, the country was seized by a military junta. With her allies, Aung San Suu Kyi formed the National League for Democracy, thereby embarking on a political life. She was very, very brave. In a famous incident, she was walking with some associates when soldiers lined up in front of them and ordered them to stop -- otherwise, they would shoot. Aung San Suu Kyi asked her associates to step aside, and she went forward by herself. After what must have been some heart-stopping seconds -- for all concerned -- the commanding officer ordered the soldiers to hold fire. Later, Aung San Suu Kyi said, "It seemed so much simpler to provide them with a single target than to bring everyone else in." Soon, the Burmese dictatorship put her under house arrest. For 15 of the 21 years between 1989 and 2010, she would be under house arrest. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. (Her husband and children accepted for her.) All around the world, she became a symbol of democracy, perseverance, and spiritual poise. It didn't hurt that she was -- and is -- so beautiful. Burma loosened, and in 2012 Aung San Suu Kyi was elected to parliament. Later in the year, she traveled to America, where the Oslo Freedom Forum held a special session in San Francisco. There, the organization gave her its Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent. (The late Czech leader, in fact, had nominated Aung San Suu Kyi for the Nobel Peace Prize.) In Washington, she received the Congressional Gold Medal. In 2016, the daughter of the nation became the leader of the nation -- but here comes the qualification: She is the civilian leader, having to share power with the military, which is very powerful indeed. There are questions about how much freedom of action she has, and how high she can raise her voice. Her admirers, or former admirers, around the world are begging her to raise her voice. Vijay Nambiar, adviser to the U.N. secretary-general on Burma, said, "I call upon Aung San Suu Kyi to reflect on the situation and, as she has done on so many occasions, listen to her inner voice." Malala Yousafzai has urged the same. She is the young Pakistani who is Aung San Suu Kyi's fellow Nobel peace laureate. As a girl, she was badly injured in a murder attempt by the Taliban. Today, she is an undergraduate at Oxford, as Aung San Suu Kyi was. She wants the Burmese leader to say something about today's horror: "The world is waiting and the Rohingya Muslims are waiting." The reports of rape are especially horrifying, setting aside the murder. One could go into revolting detail, but perhaps a line from an AP report will suffice: "The rape of Rohingya women by Myanmar's security forces has been sweeping and methodical." The U.N.'s leading official on sexual violence, Pramila Patten, described rape as "a calculated tool of terror aimed at the extermination and removal of the Rohingya as a group." This problem pre-dates Aung San Suu Kyi's rise to power, as the Rakhine problem in general does. In 2011, speaking to the Nobel Women's Initiative, Aung San Suu Kyi said, "Rape is rife. It is used as a weapon by armed forces to intimidate the ethnic nationalities and to divide our country." Recently, however, the Burmese government has labeled reports of rape "fake." Indeed, Aung San Suu Kyi herself has apparently used the new Americanism "fake news." According to reports, she has used it about stories from Rakhine in general. In that state, a border official, Phone Tint, was asked about rape. He answered, "These women were claiming they were raped, but look at their appearances. Do you think they are that attractive to be raped?" The hatred that many Burmese feel toward the Rohingyas is shocking. Last year, the U.N. high commissioner, Hussein, said, "The devastating cruelty to which these Rohingya children have been subjected is unbearable. What kind of hatred could make a man stab a baby crying out for his mother's milk?" Aung San Suu Kyi has found her international support dwindling away. Many have called on the Norwegian Nobel Committee to revoke her prize. (The Nobel Peace Prize is unrevokable. A person wins it for his achievements in the past, regardless of the future.) Cities in Britain, including Oxford, have revoked the honors they bestowed on Aung San Suu Kyi. She formed an international advisory board to deal with Rakhine. On it was an old friend and ally of hers, Bill Richardson, the American politician who, under President Clinton, served as ambassador to the United Nations. In January, he resigned from the board, accusing it of a "whitewash." He said he did not want to be part of "a cheering squad for the government." He raised with Aung San Suu Kyi the case of two reporters from the Reuters wire service, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. They are being held prisoner in Burma after trying to investigate a mass grave in Rakhine. Richardson said that Aung San Suu Kyi exploded in fury at him. "Her face was quivering, and if she had been a little closer to me, she might have hit me, she was so furious." "I like her enormously and respect her," said Richardson. "But she has not shown moral leadership on the Rakhine issue." Aung San Suu Kyi is walled off from reality, he said, living in a "bubble," where "sycophants" constantly flatter her. The great lady has "developed an arrogance of power," he said. Thor Halvorssen says much the same. He is the founder of the Oslo Freedom Forum. Aung San Suu Kyi is a politician, he observes, and politicians aim to gain and hold on to power. If human rights interfere with those interests, then human rights will have to wait. Halvorssen says that a great many people around the world are asking a question about Aung San Suu Kyi: Who is this person? What happened to the great lady we knew? It is a tragedy, mainly for the people we should not shrink from calling by their name, the Rohingyas. Jay Nordlinger -- Jay Nordlinger is a senior editor of National Review and a book fellow at the National Review Institute. @jaynordlinger

T he Rohingyas must be the most despised and persecuted people in the world right now.

IF you're famous and happen to not have a partner for five minutes, chances are the internet rumour mill will creak into gear and the "are they gay?" questions will begin to spread. Some stars ignore the remarks and refuse to comment on them. But others eventually snap and set the record straight. Music guru Simon Cowell was the latest to rubbish his rumours this week after telling The Radio Times: "I couldn't care less [if people think I'm gay] because it's nothing to be ashamed of. "If I was living 200 years ago in a coal mine, maybe, but I work in possibly the gayest industry in the world! Music and TV! It would make no difference to my life or my career." Below, we've listed eight more stars who spoke out about the lies going around about their sexuality. HOLLYWOOD actor James, 34, admits it's partly his own fault that fans think he's into men. He told Attitude magazine: "One of the things that's very much part of my public image is the question of my sexuality. "It's not something that bothers me in the slightest. It hasn't gone away and I get asked about it from all sides. It's partly my doing and partly not my doing." RAPPER Kanye made headlines when he called for an end to homophobia in the rap community adding fuel to the rumours he is gay - despite the star admitting he's been guilty of discriminating against the gay community himself in the past. He said: "Speaking out against hip-hop homophobia, some people were like, 'Oh, Kanye must be gay! Look at the way he's dressing! And why would he speak about it? He's a gay rapper.' "And my whole point is, I wouldn't have spoke on that if I was gay or if I was in the closet. "I would have stayed so far away from it. And I'm still homophobic myself to a certain extent. "You know, I wouldn't go to a gay parade and feel comfortable. I wouldn't ever go to a gay club or something and just be chillin' and grab a drink. It's being in the entertainment world, I meet so many different gay people who are actually nice people. "Where I came from, Chicago, being black and being a hip-hop artist, we used to really disrespect gay people. "And the thing is, we can't get close to them with a 10-foot pole. And I realized, 'Wow, how ignorant has this been?'" An old favourite of conspiracy theorists, heartthrob George says he finds the accusations amusing and he sees no need to slam them for fear of upsetting people who are gay. He told gay and lesbian news magazine The Advocate: "I think it's funny, but the last thing you'll ever see me do is jump up and down saying, 'These are lies!' That would be unfair and unkind to my good friends in the gay community. "I'm not going to let anyone make it seem like being gay is a bad thing. My private life is private, and I'm very happy in it. "Who does it hurt if someone thinks I'm gay? I'll be long dead and there will still be people who say I was gay. I don't give a s***." IT'S no secret Maroon 5 star Adam's brother Michael is openly gay but Adam has had to face the same questions throughout his career. He says it goes with the territory of being a front man. He told Out magazine: "If people didn't think there was a small chance I was gay, then I wouldn't be doing my job very well. "I wouldn't be the front man of a band if that question hadn't come up at some point. "I'm extremely comfortable in my sexuality. So I can think, 'Oh, that's a good-looking dude.' Acknowledging that someone's attractive and wanting to [sleep with them] are two different things." AMERICAN Idol beauty Kelly is now happily engaged to a man, which has put to bed most of the speculation. But when the singing star didn't have a partner back in 2011, people started asking questions. Especially when she returned to her native Texas. She said at the time: "I'm from a small town so everyone's, like, married with children, having children or about to have children, so it's a little hard when you go home... and that's why people think I'm gay. "They're like, 'I don't understand why you're not married.' And I'm like, 'Well, it's not like that, it doesn't happen for everyone.' For Burleson, in Texas... I'm an old maid!" ONE Direction star Louis says fans who spread lies about him being in a relationship with bandmate Harry Styles aren't fans of the band at all. He's even become embroiled in Twitter spats with fans who doubt his relationship with girlfriend Eleanor Calder. He said: "A lot of them are so wrapped up in the conspiracy. "I think it's pretty obvious when you see me and Eleanor together that it's real. Think of the amount of time I spend with her. It's crazy that I even have to say it's genuine. "The truth is, these people aren't our real fans. That's the way I like to look at it." HANGOVER star Bradley said he thought it was "fantastic" when the Internet went potty with rumours about his sexuality after he was spotted out with a male friend. He told Advocate magazine: "I think it's awesome. Victor Garber is one of my best friends, and I'll never forget when we went to some event together and people thought we were dating. "It was all over the Internet. It was the first time I read a rumor like that about me, and I just thought it was fantastic. But if you believe those rumours, every single male in Hollywood is gay." TWILIGHT star Kellan - who plays Emmett Cullen in the vampire series - says girls use the rumours to justify why he HASN'T chatted them up. He said: "They'll transform their insecurity into, 'Oh, that makes sense, because I heard you're into guys and have a boyfriend.' "I'm like, 'Seriously? That's your tactic to get me to like you?' There will always be rumours, but I know who I am."

HOLLYWOOD actor James, 34, admits it's partly his own fault that fans think he's into men.

Though you would not know it from those who spent the day chuckling to themselves over the prospect of an American space command, the militarization of this strategically vital region is decades old. Thousands of both civilian and military communications and navigations satellites operate in earth orbit, to say nothing of the occasional human. It's impossible to say how many weapons are already stationed in orbit because many of these platforms are " dual use ," meaning that they could be transformed into kill vehicles at a moment's notice. American military planners have been preoccupied with the preservation of critical U.S. communications infrastructure in space since at least 2007, when China stunned observers by launching a missile that intercepted and destroyed a satellite, creating thousands of pieces of debris hurtling around the earth at speeds faster than any bullet. America's chief strategic competitors--Russia and China--and rogue actors like Iran and North Korea are all committed to developing the capability to target America's command-and-control infrastructure, a lot of which is space-based. Trump's Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats testified in 2017 that both Moscow and Beijing are "considering attacks against satellite systems as part of their future warfare doctrine" and are developing the requisite anti-satellite technology--despite their false public commitments to the "nonweaponization of space and 'no first placement' of weapons in space." Those who oppose the creation of a space branch object on a variety of grounds, some of them merit more attention than others. The contention that a sixth military branch is a redundant waste of taxpayer money, for example, is a more salient than cynical claims that Trump is interested only in a glory project. "I oppose the creation of a new military service and additional organizational layers at a time when we are focused on reducing overhead and integrating joint warfighting functions," Sec. Mattis wrote in October of last year. That's a perfectly sound argument against excessive bureaucratization and profligacy, but it is silent on the necessity of a space command. Both the Pentagon and the National Security Council are behind the creation of a " U.S. Space Command " in lieu of the congressional action required to establish a new branch of the armed forces dedicated to space-based operations. As for bureaucratic sprawl, in 2015, the diffusion of space-related experts and capabilities across the armed services led the Air Force to create a single space advisor to coordinate those capabilities for the Defense Department. But that patch did not resolve the problems and, in 2017, Congress's General Accountability Office recommended investigating the creation of a single branch dedicated to space for the purposes of consolidation. It is true that the existing branches maintain capabilities that extend into space, which would superficially make a Space Force seem redundant. But American air power was once the province of the U.S. Army and Navy, and bureaucratic elements within these two branches opposed the creation of a U.S. Air Force in 1947. The importance of air power in World War II and the likelihood that aircraft would be a critical feature of future warfighting convinced policymakers that a unified command of operations was critical to effective warfighting. Moreover, both Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman believed that creating a separate branch for airpower ensured that Congress would be less likely to underfund the vital enterprise. The final argument against the militarization of space is a rehash of themes from the Cold War. Low earth orbit, like the seafloor and the Antarctic, is part of the "global commons," and should not be militarized on principle. This was the Soviet position, and Moscow's fellow travelers in the West regularly echoed it. But the argument is simply not compelling. The Soviets insisted that the militarization of space was provocative and undesirable, but mostly because they lacked the capability to weaponize space. The Soviets regularly argued that any technology it could not match was a first-strike weapon. That's why they argued vigorously against deploying missile interceptors but voiced fewer objections to ground-based laser technology. As for the "global commons," that's just what we call the places where humans do not operate for extended periods of time and where resource extraction is cost prohibitive. The more viable the exploration of these hostile environments becomes, the less "common" we will eventually consider them. Just as navies police sea lanes, the inevitable commercialization of space ensures that its militarization will follow. That isn't something to fear or lament. It's not only unavoidable; it's a civilizational advance. Space Force may not be an idea whose time has come, but deterrence is based on supremacy and supremacy is the product of proactivity. God forbid there comes a day on which we need an integrated response to a state actor with capabilities in space, we will be glad that we didn't wait for the crisis before resolving to do what is necessary. What my symposium entry indicates is that views like hers have been percolating on the Right for decades. I thought you might find it interesting to read: "This is not the country my father fought for," a one-time colleague who grew up as an Army brat was telling me over lunch five years ago. He sang a threnody of national faults, and I could only hang my head in mute agreement--crime, multiculturalism, educational collapse, everything conservatives have worried over and fought against for twenty years or more. He grew more and more excited. From multiculturalism, he began talking about the threat posed by immigrants, and from that threat to the threat posed by native-born blacks. As he was taken over by his passion and imagined me an ally in it, he began dropping words into his monologue that in his calmer moments he never would have used with me, words like "nigger" and "wetback" I had heard used only in rages and then only maybe twice before outside of a movie or TV show. And then, forgetting himself entirely, he allowed as how Jews were blocking the true story of our national decline. It is not only inconvenient to hear words you might have spoken coming out of the mouth of a racist, nativist anti-Semite. It is also a reminder that ideas you hold dear may be used as weapons in a war you never intended to fight--a war in which those weapons may be turned against you just as my one-time colleague turned his assault on multiculturalism into an assault on Jews. This is my warning as we consider the national prospect. Those who believe America is in a period of cultural decline are obviously correct; I am not at all sure how anyone of good will could argue otherwise. And yet, and yet, and yet. It is one thing to worry over and battle against the dumbing-down of our schools; the assault on taste, standards, and truth posed by multiculturalism; the rise of repellent sexual egalitarianism; even the dangers of advanced consumerism are becoming increasingly worrisome. But it is quite another thing to make the leap from that point to the notion that the nation itself is in parlous and irreversible decline. After all, nations are always in parlous moral health; nations are gatherings of people, and people are sinners. When the United States was putatively healthier, back in the 30's and 40's and 50's, 12 percent of its population was living in de-facto or de-jure immiseration and the Wasp majority protected its position in the elite by means of explicit quotas and exclusions. The declinists are both wrong and spiritually noxious. After all, the purpose of declaring the nation in decline is to root out the causes of the decline, extirpate them, and put the nation on the road to health. But, for some of them, the search for causes always leads to blacks, immigrants, and Jews. In William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury , Harvard's own Quentin Compson finds himself suicidal over America's conversion into the "land of the kike home of the wop." Blacks and Jews are ever the inevitable, juicy target--so inevitable that they still find a link in the fevered minds of the paleo-Right, even though all blacks and Jews have in common now is the way the paleo-Right links them. What blacks, Jews, and immigrants always seem to lack in the eyes of declinists is some version of the American character--that which my one-time colleague believed his father to have fought for. The dark underbelly of the American political experiment is the very idea of an American character itself. It is, fundamentally, an un-American idea. It is the nature of America that there is no one American character. Demography is not destiny in America as it is everywhere else; where you come from is not who you are. I can find no quarrel with the brief of particulars offered by the declinists. But their central idea gives heart and strength to people whose threnodies can sound like the song of the siren--and must, like the siren's song, be resisted by all strong men. -Nov. 1, 1995

Though you would not know it from those who spent the day chuckling to themselves over the prospect of an American space command, the militarization of this strategically vital region is decades old.

On Sunday Vice-President Mike Pence and Second-Lacy Karen Pence left the Indianapolis -vs- San Francisco NFL football game after several San Fran players refused to stand for the national anthem. The response from their political and cultural left-wing opposition was to call the Pence family leaving the game " a political stunt" . Interesting, albeit typical, moonbat logic: NFL players refusing to stand for the anthem is not a "stunt", but VP Pence walking out due to their disrespect is a "stunt". White House adviser Kellyanne Conway responds: The professional political left are apoplectic that President Trump has used his massive voice to turn the attention of the larger American electorate toward the cultural war within entertainment, movies, sports etc. Do not underestimate the level of rabid anxiety this shift creates. If you've followed the truism of politics being downstream from pop culture for the last 2+ decades, you realize that President Trump is an existential threat to the entire apparatus of pop culture. The splodey head crowd was not prepared for this. They were focused on destroying Trump on the field of politics. While that battle wages, POTUS simply used his combat skills to ignite a MOAB in a battle-space his adversaries never saw him approaching. To say Donald Trump is uniquely skilled for this moment in time would be the understatement of the millennia. President Trump is seemingly one man, yet somehow, incredibly, he finds a way to surround his enemies. These latest developments are all bonuses, and hilariously Trump only inputs a miniscule amount of energy into it. The culture war is like a PT hobby to fill space between time spent traveling toward things of much greater consequence. Effortless, and yet it makes the left-wing go bananas. Too funny.

On Sunday Vice-President Mike Pence and Second-Lacy Karen Pence left the Indianapolis -vs- San Francisco NFL football game after several San Fran players refused to stand for the national anthem.

Share on Facebook Twitter Google+ E-mail Reddit The Duggars might be broke according to a report by OK! Magazine. The Stars of the recently cancelled "19 Kids And Counting" series are reportedly losing "their $45,000-per-episode paychecks along with endorsement deals, sponsorships, speaking engagements and royalties, which could amount to a '$25 million or more a [...] Share on Facebook Twitter Google+ E-mail Reddit Everyone loves a parade. We have gay pride parades, million man marches, walks for everything and straight white guys always seem to feel left out - poor little straight white guys. If there's a black pride march or event, inevitably we'll hear about the KKK wanting to have [...]

The Duggars might be broke according to a report by OK! Magazine.

N. Korea Begins Returning Remains of U.S. Soldiers from Korean War President Donald Trump says North Korea has started returning the remains of US soldiers missing during the Korean War. Speaking with Fox News on the North Lawn of the White House, Trump defended his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying "they are already starting to produce the remains of these great soldiers." The president also said returning a military salute to a North Korean three-star general was being respectful. Says Trump: When Kim speaks "his people sit up for attention. I want my people to do the same." Trump challenged criticism of his vague joint statement with Kim. He said he got "everything" in the deal. Trump also said meeting with Kim was important. "If you don't agree to meet, you know what you will have? You will have nuclear war," he said.

N. Korea Begins Returning Remains of U.S. Soldiers from Korean War President Donald Trump says North Korea has started returning the remains of US soldiers missing during the Korean War.

Our latest video series has lit a huge fire beneath the leadership of the behemoth public-sector union groups, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. You can read about some of the major results of this investigation on our... Read more - Late last week, an individual with access to internal crisis communications at the National Education Association went public with criticism of the union, and published NEA emails online. This is a monumental moment - a crack in the narrative dam that protect'... Read more -

Our latest video series has lit a huge fire beneath the leadership of the behemoth public-sector union groups, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers.

A new video from an ISIS-supporting media group depicts a drone flying over Fisht Stadium in Sochi's Olympic Park while multiple explosions detonate around the World Cup venue. The first game of the World Cup is Thursday morning between Russia and Saudi Arabia. The first match set for Fisht Stadium is Friday between Portugal and Spain. ISIS supporters have recently intensified long-running online threats against the FIFA World Cup. The 11 host cities for World Cup matches span the far western part of the country, from Ekaterinburg in the east to Kaliningrad on the Baltic coast, from St. Petersburg to the north down to Olympic city Sochi at the Black Sea. The 10-minute video from Al-Adiyat Media, "Be Violent Toward Them," first shows stock battlefield scenes from the caliphate, along with ISIS' use of drones to film suicide bombers driving toward intended targets and detonating their vehicles. It then focuses on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov while highlighting contributions of Russian jihadists. The video shows a cell speaking in Russian and wielding knives before an ISIS flag, with the identities of three of the 11 members obscured. (ISIS video) The video shows footage of a jihadist climbing into one of the makeshift armored vehicles that ISIS has used to conduct suicide attacks in Iraq and Syria. It then depicts a drone with an ISIS label taking off and hovering over Fisht Stadium. (ISIS video) Several simultaneous explosions then go off, including one in the main stadium and four in the surrounding lots. It's unclear from the video whether they're depicting the drone simply filming ground attacks, or whether they imagine drones having a role in deploying explosives on the venue. ISIS propaganda over the past week has included distributing a map of World Cup sites to potential lone jihadists and showing different methods for attacks. Russia and formerly Soviet Central Asian countries have contributed an estimated 8,500 fighters to ISIS' ranks. The World Cup is an attractive target for terrorist groups because of the international representation and crowd sizes at the events. ISIS has also long had a beef with the sport so popular in the Muslim world, banning jerseys of European soccer teams in occupied territories and reportedly banning referees for following FIFA rules instead of Sharia soccer laws. One of the 2015 Paris terrorists detonated his bomb outside the Stade de France during a Germany-France exhibition match. And the municipal soccer stadium in Raqqa was turned into an execution center by ISIS; since the Syrian Democratic Forces drove ISIS out of town, games have returned to the pitch. In an instructional graphic issued in English and Russian last month, would-be jihadists were shown how to target "the infidels in or out of stadiums."

A new video from an ISIS-supporting media group depicts a drone flying over Fisht Stadium in Sochi's Olympic Park while multiple explosions detonate around the World Cup venue.

Remember when Jessica Simpson 's job was "singer"? Does she even DO that anymore? I feel like now her entire job is being a pregnant lady. Seriously, Jessica Simpson has been pregnant for like 11 years. Except now she's not pregnant anymore--curse these unemployment rates!--because that baby fiiiiiiiiiiinally came out. And it's covered in money . Simpson's long-awaited People Magazine cover (for which she netted $800,000) hits news stands this Friday. Inside, Simpson reveals that she likes to keep the baby (which is a girl whose name is Maxwell) clutched in her hands at all times: "It's the worst if I have to pump and give Eric a bottle to give her," says Simpson. "I miss holding her and having that closeness." [ People ] "I never beat any women," says Matthew Fox in response to allegations Tweeted by his Lost costar Dominic Monaghan (the Tweet read: "[Fox] beats women. not isolated incidents. often"). Apparently Fox and Monaghan have not spoken in years. When reached for comment in my imagination, fellow costar Emilie de Ravin just yelled "CHYAAALIE! MOY BAY-BAY!" into the phone for six hours. [ TMZ ] James Franco does not enjoy the show Girls because it's mean to boys: "The guys in the show are the biggest bunch of losers I've ever seen. There is a drip who gets dumped because he bores his girlfriend; a dad who hits on his babysitter; a bevy of wussy hipsters who are just grist for the insatiable lust of the too-cool girl with the British accent; and the king of them all, the shirtless dude who talks funny and hides his stomach all the time. I know this sorry representation of men is fair payback for the endless parade of airheaded women on the West Coast male counterpart to Girls , Entourage , which in turn was fair payback for the cast of male dorks on Sex in the City ." [ EW ] Okay, uh, if you believe everything In Touch tells you, then apparently Jennifer Lopez 's boyfriend got her name tattooed on his penis. "Jennifer thinks Casper's tattoos are sexy, but this one is her favorite, for obvious reasons," says a source who is definitely a real person and not made up. "She loves it, and she loves him." Jennifer Lopez's boyfriend's last name is "Smart." [ ONTD ] Kim Kardashian , noticing that nobody had paid attention to her for like 15 minutes, released a statement announcing that she doesn't hate Indian people, she just hates their disgusting, stinky garbage food. KAY. [ Us ] Benedict Cumberbatch is NOT SEXY, says Benedict Cumberbatch. "[I'm] barely the sexiest man in my flat." Some newspaper poll begs to differ. Kay. [ ONTD ] Tyler Perry defends Bobbi Kristina Brown , writing, "PLEASE LEAVE THIS BABY ALONE!!! AND SHE IS A BABY." Kay. [ People ] Writing about Steve Jobs is like writing about The Beatles, says Aaron Sorkin . This Dirt Bag brought to you by "Kay." [ Deadline ] Apparently people are worried that Christina Applegate won't be in Anchorman 2 because she didn't appear in the trailer. For the movie that hasn't even been written yet. Maybe try some deep breathing, you guys. [ E! ] Sources are not able to confirm or deny that Anne Hathaway didn't get her right arm bitten off by an angry lion and replaced with a bionic arm. More on this story as it develops. [ E! ] A former firefighter who stalked Madonna (standing outside her house with a sign that read "I NEED YOU") is headed for court. [ E! ] Michael Jordan 's son tried to send a DM to a porn star but accidentally wrote a public Tweet involving the words "ready for round 2." ( Of porn sex, u guyz !!!) [ Bossip ] Victoria Beckham refers to herself as a "moody cow" because she is always frowning and also chewing on regurgitated grass. [ Us ] Denise Richards is seen drinking water in public. EVERYONE, BUY STOCK IN WATER IMMEDIATELY. [ Us ] Charlize Theron doesn't see herself getting plastic surgery, unless she changes her mind and decides to get plastic surgery. [ People ] Here is a photograph of Mark Wahlberg getting spray-tanned in his underpants. [ People ] "I'm really proud of it," says Kristen Stewart . By "it" she means her boobs. [ E! ]

Okay, uh, if you believe everything In Touch tells you, then apparently Jennifer Lopez 's boyfriend got her name tattooed on his penis. "Jennifer thinks Casper's tattoos are sexy, but this one is her favorite, for obvious reasons," says a source who is definitely a real person and not made up.

Speaker of the House John Boehner and President Obama (Pool/Getty Images) The "fiscal cliff" is a politically manufactured crisis that is more like "steps," Zerlina writes in a piece at Ebony , adding that Americans can rest assured that the end of the world is not upon us if a deal between House Republicans and the president isn't reached by the deadline on Dec. 31. First of all, it's important to understand that the "fiscal cliff" is a politically manufactured crisis and that it isn't actually a cliff at all. It's more like "steps" or as MSNBC ' s Steve Kornacki explained, a "fiscal slope." Thus, the breathless coverage in the media is somewhat misleading. If a deal between House Republicans and the president isn't reached by the deadline on December 31st, rest assured that the end of the world is not upon us. However, a few things will happen on this much talked about December 31st deadline. First, the Bush tax cuts will expire. All of them. At the same time, as a result of the sequestration deal last year, spending cuts also are triggered . Non-partisan experts warn that this combination of tax increases and spending cuts could send the economy back into another recession if left unresolved. Ordinary Americans would feel an impact from the tax increases immediately , as payroll taxes and the alternative minimum taxes go up. The unemployment rate could go back up to over 9% and economic growth could be reduced by 0.5%. And, of course, the stock market would not react kindly to this level of instability in the American economy. Read Zerlina Maxwell ' s entire piece at Ebony. The Root aims to foster and advance conversations about issues relevant to the black Diaspora by presenting a variety of opinions from all perspectives, whether or not those opinions are shared by our editorial staff.

The "fiscal cliff" is a politically manufactured crisis that is more like "steps," Zerlina writes in a piece at Ebony , adding that Americans can rest assured that the end of the world is not upon us if a deal between House Republicans and the president isn't reached by the deadline on Dec. 31.

Author May 29, 2018 An 11-year-old boy has been hailed a hero after managing to save a young girl from drowning. Everett Melling, of Arden Hills, was playing in the water at Lake Johanna over Memorial Day weekend when he spotted a 3-year-old go underwater but fail to come back to the surface. "Her head was under water," Everett told KSTP . "She wasn't moving at all." Melling quickly jumped into action to save the girl's life. He shouted for his mom, Elena Melling, to get help. "Drowning!" Elena screamed, as various onlookers, including several nurses, gathered around to give CPR and help save the girl's life. "I feel like it was a miracle because by the time he told me, and I reacted, and other people reacted, she was face down in that water for so long and not struggling," the mom told KSTP , "I heard someone say, 'She has a pulse,' and someone else said she was breathing on her own," Melling added, according to ABC News . "She was coughing." Incredibly, the girl came back to life and was rushed to the hospital. Following the traumatic event, Elene says that both she and her son now plan to become trained in CPR. "It was amazing they were able to revive her. I was so thankful. We need to know how to respond in these situations and be ready." Of course, water is great fun. But Melling wanted to take the opportunity to warn other families of the dangers of playing at the beach or in a pool. She said the water can be a "beast" and that everyone should recognize the risks. Authorities have said that they expect the 3-year-old to make a full recovery at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. There were no lifeguards at the lake at the time of the incident because Ramsey County's beach season does not officially begin until June 9. ( H/T: KSTP )

An 11-year-old boy has been hailed a hero after managing to save a young girl from drowning.

Eight men who were arrested earlier this month in Cairo for appearing in a video that resembled a gay marriage ceremony will now be put on trial, Egyptian officials reported. The men have been charged of inciting debauchery and offending public morality, and face trial in front of a misdemeanor court that was expected to start Tuesday, according to judicial officials. The charges raise fears of a larger crackdown on the LGBT community in Egypt. The video - which showed two men dressed in suits exchanging rings, embracing and surrounded by friends on a boat going down the Nile - appeared on YouTube earlier this month and went viral. The event has been described online as Egypt's "first gay marriage." One of the men in the video tried to downplay the significance of the footage, calling it a birthday party not a wedding. "I'm not the groom, I'm just a normal guy, having a birthday party with one of our friends - nothing more, nothing less," said the interviewee, calling himself "Ali," in a televised interview. "I knew that he wanted a ring, so I brought it as a birthday present," he said adding that he has a girlfriend. Seven men were arrested September 6 after the video surfaced, and the eighth man was arrested a few days later. Officials have allegedly ordered medical tests for the men, a long-standing practice in Egypt to identify homosexuals. Because the Egyptian gov has focused its efforts on monitoring people's private lives, in the bedroom or their FB accounts... #stopjailinggays -- AIUSA Women's Rights (@AmnestyWomenRts) September 24, 2014 Since last fall, there have been increased arrests and a waive of raids in Egypt, in both clubs and private properties, against the LGBT community reported The Guardian. Many queer Egyptians have also scaled back their use of dating apps, in fear of entrapment. Homosexuality is not explicitly illegal in Egyptian law, but it is a social taboo and can be sentenced under several different statutes on morality. Homosexuals in Egypt have been jailed in the past on charges ranging from "scorning religion" to "sexual practices contrary to Islam." The largest crackdown on homosexuals in Egypt took place in 2001, when police raided a floated disco called the Queen Boat where 52 men were arrested and put on trial. Egypt's LGBT community began a Twitter campaign on Wednesday with the hashtag #stopjailinggays. Egypt: Tweet and blog against homophobic brutality, September 24 and 25 http://t.co/rsKETvl7bD via @wordpressdotcom #STOPJAILINGGAYS -- Katheryn Blackadder (@KatBlackadder) September 25, 2014

Eight men who were arrested earlier this month in Cairo for appearing in a video that resembled a gay marriage ceremony will now be put on trial, Egyptian officials reported.

George Rasley, CHQ Editor | 11/9/17 In one sense, the fact that Democrats won the gubernatorial races in two Democrat-dominated states, New Jersey and Virginia, is not a big deal. Given political trends in the Old Dominion, the Virginia Governor's race was Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam's to lose, likewise with the Chris Christie anchor around her neck, New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno was never competitive against Democrat Phil Murphy. But as harbingers of things to come in 2018, the Virginia campaign in particular should be a big deal for Republicans. As our old friend John Gizzi reported for NewsMax, the Virginia Republican establishment was all in agreement that the mean-spirited, Trump-bashing campaign waged by Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam would surely boomerang and make Republican Ed Gillespie governor. They were wrong. With near final results in, Northam won by the biggest margin of any winning Democrat for governor (53 percent to 46 percent) in 32 years. Coupled with a Democratic sweep of the two other statewide races (lieutenant governor and attorney general) and a stunning gain of at least 12 seats in the state House of Delegates (putting Democrats on the verge of a 50-to-50 seat tie in the legislative chamber), signs were strong that the brass-knuckled campaign in Virginia was a "dress rehearsal" for the Democratic offensive in the 2018 midterm elections, said Gizzi. Northam's win over Gillespie came after a race in which, Republican Gillespie, the former Republican National Committee chairman was almost always linked to President Trump, who lost the state to Hillary Clinton in 2016. A Northam TV blitz featured the Democrat -- who once branded the president a "narcissistic maniac" -- vowing not to work with Trump if he tried to cut spending on education and healthcare, noted Gizzi. In addition, an independent expenditure never repudiated by the Democratic hopeful ran a TV ad featuring a pick-up truck bearing a Gillespie sticker and a Confederate flag trying to run down black, Hispanic and Muslim children. Republicans were sure the ad would backfire and energize Gillespie supporters - but as far as we can tell the outrage didn't translate into votes for the GOP candidate. However, it worked for Democrats and in a big way as John Gizzi put it. In the historically Democratic Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C., Northam carried every town won by Hillary Clinton and in some cases increased her margin. The turnout in Democratic Arlington and Alexandria increased from 43 percent in the last gubernatorial election (2013) to 52 percent this year. In contrast, in Republican Southwest Virginia, the turnout went up only from 43 to 46 percent in four years reported Gizzi. What's more, Democrats were completely unapologetic about their gutter campaign tactics. Leftwing website BuzzFeed reports that even before Ralph Northam's victory in Virginia, Latino Victory Fund was telling people its polarizing "pick-up truck" ad was part of a strategy it would further embrace to "defend the Hispanic community" from what it sees as Republican attacks. The group, which works to elect Democrats, argues that this type of messaging campaign serves to defend the Latino community against ads like one from Gillespie that highlighted the danger posed by MS-13 gang members, which the group said promotes suspicion of Hispanics at large. Where others saw a mistake from the group and said the ad cast all Gillespie supporters and Republicans as racist, Latino Victory Fund told BuzzFeed the outrage just boiled down to crocodile tears from bullies who were finally hit back, echoing what Democratic Party chair Tom Perez said on Meet the Press. Officials for the group said that before the Virginia election results were known they were preparing an op-ed for later this week that would have laid out this strategy regardless of who won the race, BuzzFeed News learned. "Our ad was an honest reflection of the fears facing communities of color in Virginia and across the country. It was designed to raise Latino voters' awareness of Gillespie's bigoted campaign tactics, and it accomplished that goal," said Cristobal J. Alex, Latino Victory Fund president. "Faced with vicious, racist attacks, we usually turn the other cheek or point our finger at the bully. This time we threw a jab to the throat and we will continue raising our voices wherever and whenever racism rears its head." Gillespie, universally seen as a "nice guy" Jeb Bush kind of Republican, was probably the least racially polarizing candidate Republicans could have chosen to run for Governor of any state, let alone Virginia, with its history as a slave state and capital of the Confederacy. But Gillespie's personal commitment to a colorblind society and racial harmony were irrelevant in this age of Democrat-inspired intentional racial division. Republicans running in 2018 should expect the same kind of anti-Trump ads and attacks from Democrat-affiliated race-baiters like the Latino Victory Fund that Ed Gillespie was subjected to, so the time to start thinking about how to get ahead of them is now. CHQ Editor George Rasley is a member of American MENSA and a veteran of over 300 political campaigns, including every Republican presidential campaign from 1976 to 2008. He served as lead advance representative for Governor Sarah Palin in 2008 and has served as a staff member, consultant or advance representative for some of America's most recognized conservative Republican political figures, including President Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp. He served in policy and communications positions on the House and Senate staff and during the George H.W. Bush administration he served on the White House staff of Vice President Dan Quayle.

Coupled with a Democratic sweep of the two other statewide races (lieutenant governor and attorney general) and a stunning gain of at least 12 seats in the state House of Delegates (putting Democrats on the verge of a 50-to-50 seat tie in the legislative chamber), signs were strong that the brass-knuckled campaign in Virginia was a "dress rehearsal" for the Democratic offensive in the 2018 midterm elections, said Gizzi.

Images via screenshots/YouTube. Fox News's 20th anniversary is today, and everything is going really well on their end. Sean Hannity and Megyn Kelly are great friends , no one is suing anyone for sexual harassment, and Hillary Clinton recently spontaneously combusted, raining a cascade of green goo and Benghazi dust onto a New York City sidewalk. Here are some things you can do to honor this special day. 1. Ask a Chinese person if they "know Karate." 2. Remind your friends and loved ones that Santa is actually white . 3. Approach a friend and demand she do a "twirl." 4. Refuse to believe the testimonies of multiple female colleagues who alleged that your disgusting boss sexually harassed them. 5. Walk into oncoming traffic and shriek: "What's next, dolphin-human marriage?!" 6. Construct an argument around a completely made-up poll, chart, or graphic. 7. Get very angry with Beyonce. 8. Ask groups of white men for their opinions on women's interest topics. 9. Suggest that perhaps we ought to get rid of Black History Month. 10. Treat conspiracy theories like interesting facts. 11. Refer to the staff of Jezebel.com as "a bunch of angry chicks that just hate on really attractive women." 12. Photoshop pictures of people who are smarter than you to make them look like 12th century anti-Semitic propaganda. 13. Suggest that an innocent teenager deserved to die. 14. Have a public meltdown. 15. Fall in love with a demagogue. 16. Give your coworker a "terrorist fist jab." 17. Destroy the world. 18. Tell a liar he's right. 20. Blow out your hair, put on high heels and a curve-hugging dress, and walk around a Bible in circles for several hours until you finally collapse. Happy anniversary, y'all!

Fox News's 20th anniversary is today, and everything is going really well on their end.

Democrats have fought Trump's zero-tolerance policy of prosecuting border crossers and the separation of families at the border, with Waters saying Trump officials should be harassed in public. He said they only know how to oppose him. "They're only good at one thing--what's their term? 'Resist,'" he said. "This has become the party of Maxine Waters and Nancy Pelosi." Pelosi, the House minority leader, condemned Waters' comments about harassing Trump officials, although she blamed Trump for the climate of hostility. Pelosi has been a vocal critic of Trump in her own right, but Waters has taken several positions that are more extreme, including calls to impeach Trump. Following Trump's executive order to keep families intact, various Democrats have called for families not to be detained at all, and some, such as Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.), have even said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be abolished . Trump said the party does not support law enforcement at all. "And the Democrats don't like ICE -- these are great, brave, tough people," Trump said. "They don't like border patrol, they don't like your police, they don't like anybody." "They want to protect illegals coming into the country much more so than they want to protect you, and that's not where we're coming from," he added. "The Democrats want open borders and they don't mind crime. We want very tight, very strict borders." He said they don't want to allow a border wall to be built because it would be effective and a "symbol," and he said the party has become gone to extremes. Grow your email list exponentially Dramatically increase your conversion rates Engage more with your audience Boost your current and future profits

Democrats have fought Trump's zero-tolerance policy of prosecuting border crossers and the separation of families at the border, with Waters saying Trump officials should be harassed in public

M y adopted hometown will soon be the base of operations for a new Netflix movie starring aging elitist hippies Robert Redford (estimated net worth: $170 million) and Jane Fonda (estimated net worth: $120 million). A state economic-development commission unanimously voted last week to fork over $1.5 million in taxpayer-funded "incentives" for the liberal duo's romantic flick, arguing that it will generate "great publicity." But given the fierce opposition so many men and women in uniform in this proud military community have to Hanoi Jane Fonda, I'll bet many of my friends and neighbors wish they could pay to keep the traitorous Commie propagandist as far away from the Rockies as possible. The same goes for Redford, whose last big directing foray was The Company You Keep , a domestic-terrorism-glamorizing hagiography of the Weather Underground movement. The Colorado panel's got a lousy track record when it comes to picking winners. It last dumped $5 million into cop-bashing Quentin Tarantino's box-office disappointment, The Hateful Eight . On a broader policy level, the entertainment corporate-welfare racket should offend all taxpayers. Government officials make phony-baloney claims that their public-private "investments" will pay for themselves. But study after study, on both the progressive left and the free-market right, shows that the economy-stimulating effect of public subsidies for private corporate preferences (movies, sports stadiums, malls, hotels, you name it) is negligible. Loan guarantees. Refundable tax credits and rebates. Tax increment financing. Tax-exempt bonds. All of these enticements dangled by thirsty bureaucrats before wealthy developers, sports-team owners, and Hollywood moguls who don't need them amount to blatant redistributions of wealth. The independent California Legislative Analyst's Office found that for every dollar California spent on the $100 million annual film subsidy it created in 2009, the state treasury received 65 cents. In South Carolina, film incentives returned just 19 cents in taxes for each dollar paid out in rebates. That's "a net loss in revenues equal to 81 percent of expenditures on rebates," as the Tax Foundation pointed out. Maryland barely managed to recoup 6 cents on every dollar spent on its tax-incentive program for movie production. A child-advocacy group in Connecticut reported that only 11 percent of the $113.2 million in state revenues lost through the film tax-credit program subsidized production expenses that were classified as "actual Connecticut expenditures." Eight subsidized productions received nearly $10 million in tax credits despite reporting zero actual production spending in Connecticut. A 2009 report by the Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee found that the state lost nearly $59 million on its $75 million film tax-credit and grant program. Michigan's $500 million spent on film subsidies since 2008 resulted in fewer film jobs than when the program started. Astonishingly, the conservative Mackinac Center in Michigan determined that the state's $500 million spent on film subsidies since 2008 resulted in fewer film jobs than when the program started. And after reviewing Hollywood handout programs in more than 40 states, the left-wing Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that subsidies reward companies for production that would have happened anyway; most of the top jobs "created" by the "incentives" go to out-of-state industry veterans, and the revenue generated by economic activity supposedly tied to the subsidies "falls far short of the subsidies' direct costs to the state." Perspective: The nearly $1.5 billion in direct Hollywood giveaways doled out every year since 2010 by state governments is equivalent to "the salaries of 23,500 middle-school teachers, 26,600 firefighters, and 22,800 police-patrol officers." It's the same story north of the border. Canadian Taxpayers Federation analyst Jordan Bateman reported that British Columbia's treasury "likely lost $220 million or more" in public film-production funding "that should have gone to education, health care, or tax cuts." This legalized bribery is a perfect recipe for pay-to-play and political corruption. Hacked Sony e-mails showed corporate executives embracing five-figure campaign donations to New York governor Andrew Cuomo because he's a "strong protector of the film incentive." Cuomo massively expanded the program, which now doles out nearly half a billion dollars every year in tax money to entertainment special interests. In Iowa, six officials were fired or forced to resign over allegations that they squandered film tax-credit funding on personal luxury goods, including a Land Rover, and steered the subsidies to unqualified recipients. Louisiana's top film official went to prison for accepting bribes from a movie producer in exchange for state tax credits. This whole stinking enterprise is a crime. When Big Hollywood and Big Government conspire to turn Jane Fonda and Robert Redford into welfare mooches at ordinary Americans' expense, it's time to yell "Cut!" -- permanently. Michelle Malkin -- Michelle Malkin is the host of Michelle Malkin Investigates on CRTV.com. Her email address is writemalkin@gmail.com. @michellemalkin

M y adopted hometown will soon be the base of operations for a new Netflix movie starring aging elitist hippies Robert Redford (estimated net worth: $170 million) and Jane Fonda (estimated net worth: $120 million).

President Trump's recent tirade against immigrants from "shithole countries" has apparently reinvigorated Ann Coulter 's enthusiasm for the MAGA brand, if only temporarily. Coulter, who enthusiastically endorsed Trump mainly because of his stance on immigration, has been notably outspoken against the President for seemingly dragging his feet on the promised border wall among other campaign promises. But when news of of Trump's comments during a bipartisan Oval Office meeting broke, Coulter and her fellow anti-immigrant pundits have been going to town on the term "shithole," saying it describes a hard truth about the problems of immigration and has nothing to do with racism. The logic goes something like this: If these countries aren't shitholes, then why are immigrants so eager to leave them? Today, Coulter tweeted out this gem: Announcing the opening of Shithole Air -- Free, 1-way travel, back to the country of your choice! -- Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) January 12, 2018 Naturally, it prompted a strong response: https://twitter.com/FaridTheDeafGuy/status/951849090823802880 What flight are you leaving on? -- Jerome Dawson (@JeromeDawson3) January 12, 2018 -- HLBarrus (@HLMullaney) January 12, 2018 I am genuinely sad for you...what you must say in order to remain relevant is a travesty. -- Jo Dee (@JoDeeAdelung) January 13, 2018 Looking at images of Native Americans. Didn't see anyone resembling you. Where you flying to? -- ted washington (@tedwa) January 12, 2018 But one of the most biting responses came from model and activist Chrissy Teigan , who retweeted Coulter's failed joke and told her that playing to a racist following is something she'll regret later in life. "I don't believe you really believe all the things you say," Teigan tweeted to Coulter. "You found an opening in the racist, hateful marketplace and secured it. But when you're old, you will not be proud of the life you lived. Of anger and hate. Pandering to the angry and hateful. It really is a shame." I don't believe you really believe all the things you say. You found an opening in the racist, hateful marketplace and secured it. But when you're old, you will not be proud of the life you lived. Of anger and hate. Pandering to the angry and hateful. It really is a shame. https://t.co/py7rt7qQRv -- christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) January 12, 2018 A shame indeed.

President Trump's recent tirade against immigrants from "shithole countries" has apparently reinvigorated Ann Coulter 's enthusiasm for the MAGA brand, if only temporarily.

Pune: The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti claimed on Saturday that Amol Kale, arrested on Thursday for his alleged involvement in the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, left the organisation in 2008 because of "personal reasons". Kale (40) along with Manohar Edve (30), Sujith Kumar alias Praveen (37) and Amit Degwekar alias Pradeep, were arrested by Karnataka Police's Special Investigation Team. Representational image. PTI "As far as Kale is concerned, he was associated with HJS in Pune till 2008 but had said he would not be able to continue with the organisation due to personal reasons," Ramesh Shinde, HJS national spokesperson, told PTI . "So for the last 10 years, he had stopped taking part in organisational activities. He is not in touch with the organisation," Shinde added. Ganesh Shinde, deputy commissioner of police, Zone-III, Pune, said: "(Kale) was first arrested in an attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and Arms Act case on 21 May by Bengaluru police." "On 23 May, Karnataka Police conducted a search at his residence in Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune. On 31 May, he was arrested in the Lankesh murder case," the DCP said. According to police sources, Kale lives with his wife, son and mother in an apartment in Pimpri-Chinchwad and he reportedly has no police record in Pune. When contacted, Kale's wife refused to comment on the issue. Lankesh (55), known for her anti-Hindutva views, was shot dead in front of her home in Bengaluru on 5 September last year. A SIT probing the case filed its first chargesheet on 30 May before the first additional chief metropolitan magistrate in Bengaluru.

The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti claimed on Saturday that Amol Kale, arrested on Thursday for his alleged involvement in the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, left the organisation in 2008 because of "personal reasons".

Cringe-worthy moments on the feed aside, here's what New Times witnessed on the ground. Photo by George Martinez Pete Tong . Remember the Saint Pablo Tour? Kanye had it right when he put his stage above the crowd, letting the lucky fans in the pit mosh it out to their heart's content. Ultra had a similar idea with their smaller Arcadia Spider stage: the area is tucked away from the rest of the festival fray to minimize sound bleed. The DJ booth sits about 20 feet above the crowd, still visible to the dancers yet removed. People don't face front, ogling the DJ like they're waiting for him to do something other than play records. They actually dance. Kind of like how clubs used to be, yeah? When I arrived, spinning records in the Spider's belly was none other than BBC Radio One mainstay Pete Tong. His set was a perfect oasis of Balearic, deep house-y goodness. It felt almost like Steve Aoki's mainstage, bring-out-Daddy-Yankee-for-the-Hialeah-crowd set was as far away as the Spanish mainland is from Ibiza. Set against a bayside view of the dusky, pink-and-blue Miami sky, it was almost like paradise. -- Doug Markowitz Azealia Banks Photo by George Martinez Azealia Banks . Ultra attendees were still filing in by the thousands when To Jasper closed out their opening set on the Live Stage early Friday evening. They played to a slim crowd of about 50 people and could be heard thanking the crowd, "mostly because you're all my friends and family." The crowd had swelled to a couple thousand by the time Azealia Banks hit the stage, but it was still a criminally low turnout for a unique Ultra set in which Banks transitioned from some of the most raunchy songs in her catalogue to an a capella jazz cover of Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies." The crowd grew as her hour-long set progressed, but fireballs could be seen lighting up Steve Aoki's Main Stage set just above her shoulder as her two backup dancers vogued behind her to "Bad Bitches Do It" and "Yung Rapunxel" off her promising 2014 debut Broke With Expensive Taste . Banks screamed the chorus' "brr-brr-brr-brrat!" refrain into a megaphone with a self-satisfied smile as the crowd in the front pit spit every word back at her. Less successful was her cover of Berlin, on which Banks' sweet vocals shone, but save for a few snaps in the air the crowd was ready for her beats to compete with the ones echoing from Aoki and the adjacent UMF Radio stage. -- Celia Almeida Photo by George Martinez Fischerspooner . If you're wondering whatever happened to the lost art of the costume change, don't worry: Fischerspooner are keeping it alive and well. At the beginning of their set, frontman Casey Spooner emerged wearing a glitter-covered black duster. He threw it away. Then he took off his black robe. Then he ripped off his white t-shirt. And then the leather pants came off, revealing stirrups and patent leather thigh-high boots! And he accessorized it with a woolen cape! And then he abandoned all that and was just dancing flamenco shirtless in a gown-length skirt! But beyond, or perhaps partly because of, the feature-length striptease, Fischerspooner's set was -- and this is both an understatement and a compliment -- the gayest thing Ultra has ever seen. Against the backdrop of thumping electroclash beats, Casey Spooner brought out an entire tribe of half-naked beefcakes. He fondled and tongue-kissed them. He did a lap dance with a daddy during "TopBrazil." He projected gay erotica on the back wall, and I'm sure a bunch of EDM bros are questioning a lot of things because of it. It was a celebration of queerness, and it ended triumphantly. As the band finished things out with their hit "Emerge," the dancers returned with protest signs: "Gun Control Is an LGBTQ Issue," "Mike Pence - Queer Basher." It's not just a smokeshow here, folks. -- Doug Markowitz Empire of the Sun Photo by George Martinez Empire of the Sun : Almost ten years onward from their debut album Walking on a Dream , Empire of the Sun reminded Ultra attendees last night why their brand of theatrical synth-power-pop has remained perennially popular. Joined by drummer Olly Peacock on drums for their live performance, the duo, comprised of singer-guitarist Luke Steele and guitarist Ian Ball, played a career-spanning set accompanied by visuals and spectacle befitting of the intrigue posed by their album art and imagery. The band was flanked by four dancers, whose costume changes - ranging from anthropomorphic plant creatures to pink Valkyries - kept things lively while psychedelic visuals unfolded onscreen. It helped that Steele embraced his role as a frontman with gusto; between his guitar smashing antics during penultimate song "Standing on the Shore" and his playfully catty banter ("Isn't DJ Khaled a local?), Steele's flair for the dramatic proved to be a great fit for the excessive antics of Ultra. Closing with Ice on the Dune single "So Alive," Empire of the Sun set a high standard for Live Stage acts at Ultra 2018. -- Zach Schlein Sasha & John Digweed Photo by George Martinez John Digweed & Sasha : When it comes to performing at Ultra, John Digweed & Sasha have earned the freedom to do whatever they want. Over the course of their involvement with Miami's most high-profile festival, the two electronic titans have rightfully remained a constant presence, repeatedly topping the festival's lineups even as electronic and dance culture have undergone several sea changes. Whether it was due to well-deserved nostalgia or simply because they happened to be in good moods, Digweed & Sasha's Friday night closing set at the Arcadia Resistance Spider felt particularly celebratory. Although significantly less crowded than their performance at the Carl Cox tent at Ultra 2017 (aided in no small part by last year's horrific Saturday night rainfall), it didn't feel any less joyous. Overlooking a noticeably older crowd - many of whom were no doubt Ultra veterans - Digweed & Sasha rejected the darker elements of techno for something more sonically inclusive, winding through acidic 303s, twangy bass lines and the occasional heavenly female vocal here and there. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the two have changed thousands of lives several times over at Ultra, showing festival attendees not only how amazing electronic music can sound, but how uplifting it can be to groove alongside complete strangers. Speaking personally as a music journalist exhausted by the unending hedonistic insanity that is Miami Music Week, Digweed & Sasha brought me back to life, compelling me to involuntarily shuffle my feet and throw down with the most energized of festivalgoers. That's the power of dance music, and that's why Ultra remains a cultural powerhouse 20 years onward. -- Zach Schlein Photo by George Martinez Rezz. Green and blue lights emanating from Rezz's LED light-up shades were all that could be seen bobbing up and down in the darkness above the booth at her penultimate set at the Ultra Worldwide Stage. Red backlights caught flashing glimpses of her ponytail swinging wildly to the tempo of her punishing dubstep beats. You'd need slightly more than your own two hands to count the 12 women on the Ultra lineup this year; a glaring disappointment given the opportunity for a 20th anniversary reset on their lack of inclusivity. If any of that was on Rezz's mind, she didn't make it known as she smacked the crowd with an aggressive set including her 2017 song "Relax" and a bit of The Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up" thrown in for good measure. -- Celia Almeida Photo by George Martinez If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters. You have successfully signed up for your selected newsletter(s) - please keep an eye on your mailbox, we're movin' in! Virtual Self . In the '90s, two new conceptions of utopia emerged. There was the internet, whose early adopters envisioned it as a new world where identities could be warped and reinvented. There was also the rave, where partiers could express themselves through dance and art free of societal expectations. We know what happened to these things: the rave was commercialized through events like Ultra, while the limitless potential of the internet was constricted into our social media hellscape, where the version of ourselves we present is a false one. And yet, thanks to Porter Robinson, the utopian visions have shined through once again. Under the name Virtual Self, he has fused early internet aesthetics and the genres of mid-90s dance music - drum and bass, happy hardcore, etc - with the shock and awe of contemporary EDM. It is a cocktail of nostalgia, breakbeats and anime footage hammering the senses. For children of the '90s, who were too young to experience these sensations in person, Virtual Self has done none other than bring them to the fore in stunning fashion. This is the future of EDM, and the future is in the past. -- Doug Markowitz

When I arrived, spinning records in the Spider's belly was none other than BBC Radio One mainstay Pete Tong.

The 5th annual Juneteenth Freedom and Music Festival will take place on June 17, 2017 at 3707 Brill Street in the 5th Ward Community Garden. This celebratory festival is sponsored by the All African People's Development Project's (AAPDEP) and the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM). Uhuru Buzz Words is the glossary of the African People's Socialist Party and the Uhuru Movement. The Buzz Words appear in every issue of The Burning Spear newspaper and function to help outline for our readers the meanings of some of the terms that appear in our article. Many of the buzz words, though very much applicable to today's struggle for African liberation, are bastardized by the bourgeoisie or may seem like "dead words" to the general masses. Hence, the Uhuru Buzz Words help to deepen the political education of the masses. The Houston Branch of the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM-Houston) was invited to attend and speak at a Black Lives Matter March for Human Rights on Saturday, May 20, 2017 in Downtown Houston, TX. The Houston Branch of the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM-Houston) was invited to attend and speak at a Black Lives Matter March for Human Rights on Saturday, May 20, 2017 in Downtown Houston, TX. The Human Rights March was organized as a unity event to center blackness in all of the issues that we are facing in this country, state, city and all while trying to survive under U.S. president Donald Trump, according to its organizers. The local InPDUM Houston branch decided that this would be a good opportunity to discuss human rights in the form of self-determination and freedom for African people as points 1 and 2 of InPDUM's Revolutionary National Democratic Program of state: "We demand all rights consistent with being a free people, rights which include self-determination and self-government as the highest expression of genuine democracy. We demand independence in our lifetime. We demand international democratic rights and self-determination for African people throughout the world." LONDON--In August 2016, the illegitimate and illegal Congolese government run by Joseph Kabila, Evariste Boshab, Lambert Mende and others performed a coward assassination of Kamuina Nsapu, a traditional leader in Tshimbulu Town, West Kasai province of Congo. The Nsapu assassination and subsequent massacres of his followers by arms of the State have outraged massive numbers of people across Congo and around the world.

The 5th annual Juneteenth Freedom and Music Festival will take place on June 17, 2017 at 3707 Brill Street in the 5th Ward Community Garden.

As one writer in the Washington Post put it, "The Barack Obama who stood on the debate stage in Denver Wednesday night was virtually unrecognizable to the person who swept to victory in 2008 or even the man who had built a narrow-but-clear edge in the 2012 race." With polls showing that the American public saw Gov. Mitt Romney as the decisive winner of the Denver debate, it is easy to answer the question who won. Commentators on both sides of the political spectrum called it a Romney victory and expected it to boost his support in the polls and his fundraising ability. Perhaps the more interesting and the more difficult question to answer is why did the president perform so poorly? After all he is allegedly one of the best political orators on the planet. So why was he so ineffective in the debate? Let's first dispatch with the absurd. Continue reading - None of that is remotely plausible. The jobless rate has been north of 8 percent for 43 months. Median family income fell more during the Obama recovery than during the recession. Economic growth is slowing: The economy grew at only a 1.3 percent rate in the second quarter, raising fears the nation may be drifting back toward recession. Continue reading - by Dr. Miklos K. Radvanyi Like the supernatural firebird of ancient civilizations, Barack Hussein Obama, an obscure state senator from Illinois, burst into the troubled firmament of American politics in 2004 with the message of national rebirth and renewal. In practice, however, having been elected in the same year a United States Senator, he distinguished himself as a lazy and intellectually nondescript legislator. Meanwhile, the long-running two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the looming decline in the United States' fiscal and economic situation and the perceived passivity of the Bush administration in 2007 and 2008, galvanized the opposition against the alleged mismanagement of the nation's domestic and international affairs by the Republican Party. The majority of Americans wanted change. The echoing of these sentiments, coupled with the promise of an easy redemption for the entire nation from a deepening crisis, unexpectedly propelled then Senator Obama to the presidency in November 2008. Continue reading -

As one writer in the Washington Post put it, "The Barack Obama who stood on the debate stage in Denver Wednesday night was virtually unrecognizable to the person who swept to victory in 2008 or even the man who had built a narrow-but-clear edge in the 2012 race."

By Sharon Rondeau on Tuesday, March 6, 2018 Editorials IS THIS WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS? by Viv Forbes, carbon-sense.com (Mar. 6, 2018) -- Greens hate individual freedom and private property. They dream of a centralised unelected global government, financed by taxes on developed nations and controlled by all the tentacles of the UN. No longer is real pollution of our environment the main Green [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Sunday, December 18, 2016 Editorials FROM "IN DEFENSE OF RURAL AMERICA" by Ron Ewart, President, NARLO, (c)2016 (Dec. 18, 2016) -- To millions of Americans, the environmental movement has become a cult-like obsession that has consumed the collective mindset with emotional hogwash, propaganda, outright lies and irrational guilt. Some have labeled this cult "The Green Plague." (The "Plague") The "Plague" [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Sunday, November 23, 2014 Editorials FROM "IN DEFENSE OF RURAL AMERICA" by Ron Ewart, (c)2014, President, NARLO (Nov. 23, 2014) -- "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There has never been a democracy that did not commit suicide." John Adams, 2nd President of the United States "Dominance. Control. These things the unjust seek most [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 Editorials "TEA PARTY" POLITICIANS FAILING TO CARRY OUT THEIR PROMISES by JB Williams, (c)2013 (Mar. 20, 2013) -- The shocking results of the 2008 election, placing an individual with a totally blank resume void of any history of accomplishment or experience at running anything, in the highest office in our land, sparked the advent of the great [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Monday, June 11, 2012 Editorials WHO QUALIFIES AND WHO DOESN'T? by JB Williams, (c)2012 (Jun. 11, 2012) -- The recent release of my previous column titled Rubio Can Lock the Election for Obama resulted in numerous reader emails that demonstrate a continuing confusion over the indisputable definition and application of the term Natural Born Citizen. This follow up column is [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 National "MARXISTS, GLOBALISTS, BIG LABOR..." by Sharon Rondeau (Jun. 5, 2012) -- On June 2, 2012, presidential candidate Dr. Laurie Roth issued a press release indicating that she had interviewed Mike Zullo, lead investigator of the Cold Case Posse, and Dr. Jerome Corsi, WorldNetDaily investigative journalist and author, on the air about their recent trip to [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Sunday, May 20, 2012 Editorials TO INCREASING GOVERNMENT POWER by Ron Ewart, (c)2012 (May 20, 2012) -- "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There has never been a democracy that did not commit suicide." -- John Adams, 2nd President of the United States "Dominance. Control. These things the unjust seek most of all. And so it [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 Editorials "ALL CITIZENS WILL BE EQUALLY DESTITUTE" by JB Williams, (c)2012 (May 15, 2012) -- The more things change, the more they stay the same! Communism and socialism have always been sold as populist theories and advanced by those seeking to serve only themselves. Nothing has changed in that regard, as Obama-Clinton deploy The Cloward-Piven Strategy via [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Sunday, March 25, 2012 Editorials IS THE EROSION OF OUR CONSTITUTION IRREVERSIBLE? by Ron Ewart, (c)2012 (Mar. 25, 2012) -- "Never before, in the history of America, has a movement done more to destroy individual liberties and property rights, as has the environmental movement. In the name of social justice and environmental protection, as crafted by the United Nations at [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 Editorials MILITARY NOW EMPOWERED TO ARREST U.S. CITIZENS ON U.S. SOIL by JB Williams, (c)2011 (Dec. 6, 2011) -- At first glance, I had some doubts about all the hoopla over the pending Defense Authorization Act and claims that it was essentially a declaration of war on American citizens, under the guise of national security and [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Thursday, August 18, 2011 Blog of the Day WILL THE U.S. GO THE SAME WAY AS EUROPE? by Will, blogging at GiveUsLiberty1776 (Aug. 18, 2011) -- The whole sorry British adventure with the EU and open borders is exactly what our politicians are doing to America. They want it to happen. They planned it, and are slavering for the end of freedom in America. Why [...]

They dream of a centralised unelected global government, financed by taxes on developed nations and controlled by all the tentacles of the UN.

"The Constitution is not neutral. It was designed to take the government off the backs of the people."--Justice William O. Douglas Justice in America makes less sense with each passing day. A Michigan couple that has been raising chickens in their backyard as a source of healthy food for their family could get up to 90 days in jail for violating a local ban on backyard hens. A Kentucky prison guard who was charged with 25 counts of sexual abuse against female inmates, trafficking controlled substances, and 50 counts of official misconduct walks away with no jail time and seven years' probation. A 53-year-old Virginia man is facing 20 years in jail for kidnapping, despite the fact that key evidence shows him to be innocent and his accuser a liar, yet the courts claim they're unable to do anything about it. Meanwhile, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court's recent refusal to hear the case of Jones v. U.S.,judges can now punish individuals for crimes of which they may never have been convicted or even charged. With every ruling handed down, it becomes more apparent that we live in an age of hollow justice, with government courts, largely lacking in vision and scope, rendering narrow rulings focused on the letter of the law. This is true at all levels of the judiciary, but especially so in the highest court of the land, the U.S. Supreme Court, which is seemingly more concerned with establishing order and protecting government agents than with upholding the rights enshrined in the Constitution. read on...

With every ruling handed down, it becomes more apparent that we live in an age of hollow justice, with government courts, largely lacking in vision and scope, rendering narrow rulings focused on the letter of the law.

FBI Director Andrew McCabe issued a lengthy statement addressing the firing and what he considers the Trump administration's attempt at revenge for his telling the truth about the president's conversations with his former boss ex-FBI Director James Comey . "I have been an FBI Special Agent for over 21 years. I spent half of that time investigating Russian Organized Crime as a street agent and Supervisor in New York City. I have spent the second half of my career focusing on national security issues and protecting this country from terrorism. I served in some of the most challenging, demanding investigative and leadership roles in the FBI. And I was privileged to serve as Deputy Director during a particularly tough time. "For the last year and a half, my family and I have been the targets of an unrelenting assault on our reputation and my service to this country. Articles too numerous to count have leveled every sort of false, defamatory and degrading allegation against us. The President's tweets have amplified and exacerbated it all. He called for my firing. He called for me to be stripped of my pension after more than 20 years of service. And all along we have said nothing, never wanting to distract from the mission of the FBI by addressing the lies told and repeated about us. "No more. "The investigation by the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) has to be understood in the context of the attacks on my credibility. The investigation flows from my attempt to explain the FBI's involvement and my supervision of investigations involving Hillary Clinton. I was being portrayed in the media over and over as a political partisan, accused of closing down investigations under political pressure. The FBI was portrayed as caving under that pressure, and making decisions for political rather than law enforcement purposes. Nothing was further from the truth. In fact, this entire investigation stems from my efforts, fully authorized under FBI rules, to set the record straight on behalf of the Bureau, and to make clear that we were continuing an investigation that people in DOJ opposed. "The OIG investigation has focused on information I chose to share with a reporter through my public affairs officer and a legal counselor. As Deputy Director, I was one of only a few people who had the authority to do that. It was not a secret, it took place over several days, and others, including the Director, were aware of the interaction with the reporter. It was the type of exchange with the media that the Deputy Director oversees several times per week. In fact, it was the same type of work that I continued to do under Director Wray, at his request. The investigation subsequently focused on who I talked to, when I talked to them, and so forth. During these inquiries, I answered questions truthfully and as accurately as I could amidst the chaos that surrounded me. And when I thought my answers were misunderstood, I contacted investigators to correct them. "But looking at that in isolation completely misses the big picture. The big picture is a tale of what can happen when law enforcement is politicized, public servants are attacked, and people who are supposed to cherish and protect our institutions become instruments for damaging those institutions and people. "Here is the reality: I am being singled out and treated this way because of the role I played, the actions I took, and the events I witnessed in the aftermath of the firing of James Comey. The release of this report was accelerated only after my testimony to the House Intelligence Committee revealed that I would corroborate former Director Comey's accounts of his discussions with the President. The OIG's focus on me and this report became a part of an unprecedented effort by the Administration, driven by the President himself, to remove me from my position, destroy my reputation, and possibly strip me of a pension that I worked 21 years to earn. The accelerated release of the report, and the punitive actions taken in response, make sense only when viewed through this lens. Thursday's comments from the White House are just the latest example of this. "This attack on my credibility is one part of a larger effort not just to slander me personally, but to taint the FBI, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals more generally. It is part of this Administration's ongoing war on the FBI and the efforts of the Special Counsel investigation, which continue to this day. Their persistence in this campaign only highlights the importance of the Special Counsel's work. "I have always prided myself on serving my country with distinction and integrity, and I always encouraged those around me to do the same. Just ask them. To have my career end in this way, and to be accused of lacking candor when at worst I was distracted in the midst of chaotic events, is incredibly disappointing and unfair. But it will not erase the important work I was privileged to be a part of, the results of which will in the end be revealed for the country to see. "I have unfailing faith in the men and women of the FBI and I am confident that their efforts to seek justice will not be deterred." Trump just fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. With a response like this, the American public is anxious to see if McCabe will challenge his dismissal in court and whether he will now be willing to reveal any other details of his FBI investigations publicly before Special Prosecutor Mueller lays out what his team has discovered. Whatever the next steps, the vindictiveness of Trump and Sessions in stripping a dedicated civil servant of his long-earned pension is demonstrative of their desperation as the truth slowly worms its way into the light of day. One can only hope that karma will eventually place them in an even worse situation than the former deputy FBI Director now finds himself in.

FBI Director Andrew McCabe issued a lengthy statement addressing the firing and what he considers the Trump administration's attempt at revenge for his telling the truth about the president's conversations with his former boss ex-FBI Director James Comey .

This is what happens when you have a partisan hack and community organizer as president. Even if (and that's a big if) Obama never directly ordered the IRS to target the Tea . . . Watch what happens when this female airman is tazed during their certification course - specifically watch her left hand: I bet he wears a cup next time. Consider this an open thread. A new law in San Antonio that protects LGBT persons from discrimination criminalizes what it calls 'bias' against homosexuality: The ordinance criminalizes those with a biblical view of sexuality as it forbids . . . Apparently the CEO of Starbucks is tired of people in open-carry states using his stores to promote pro-gun causes. So now he's asking that people not bring their guns into Starbucks at . . . Yesterday Glenn Beck revealed that Obama has waived the restriction on the US supplying arms to terrorists groups like al-Qaeda and thus personally calls for the impeachment of Obama - and also . . . The only gun he bought was a shotgun and he passed both background checks when he purchased it: WASHINGTON TIMES - Aaron Alexis passed Federal Bureau Investigation and Virginia state background checks . . . The city council failed to override the DC mayor's veto on the 'living wage' bill so now it is officially dead: WUSA9 - Wal-Mart and other large retailers won't be required to . . . This happened on CNN a little while ago: While it has no bearing on this guy going nuts and killing 12 people, it's rather ironic that he's a liberal Obama supporter considering . . . Consider this an open thread: U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) today released the latest weekly "Freedom Minute" segment, in which he observes Constitution Day and shares a memorization trick used to remember . . . Fox News has just announced their new line-up that includes Megyn Kelly at 9 PM in "The Kelly File," Greta will move to 7 PM and Hannity will move to 10 PM: . . . A woman (and likely her husband and son) brutally beat and hanged her 21-year-old mentally-disabled daughter after finding out she was pregnant. It's the 20th honor killing in the 'West Bank' this . . . He's still pushing for gun control despite the fact that this crime doesn't support his narrative: Lots of confusion over exactly what guns Wash Navy Yard shooter used. But do you think . . . Given this administration's history it makes me wonder if Aaron Alexis' Naval superiors looked the other way because he was black. I don't know if they did, but given this administration's constant . . . Do Democrats ever turn off their agenda for even one moment? Or are they just that stupid? Perhaps both: (h/t: Free Beacon) Protesters are out in Pakistan after seeing a video of a 5-year-old girl being dumped out of a car in front of a hospital. According to doctors she had been gang-raped by . . . Piers Morgan hardest hit... CNN - It has been called the most popular rifle in America, and it briefly returned to the spotlight after Monday's shooting at the Navy Yard: the AR-15. . . . Some good news for Christians in Egypt for a change. Not sure how long it will last though but let's hope for a long time. ARUTZ SHEVA - The Egyptian army stormed . . . Maybe Dan Bongino's plea finally got to someone. FREE BEACON - A CIA employee who refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement barring him from discussing the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in . . . UPDATE: CNN now reporting that AR-15 may have never been used in shooting. *** Last night Piers Morgan claimed over and over that Aaron Alexis bought his AR-15 in Virgina: But it . . . I'm so shocked at this news I think I'll stay away from water for the rest of the day: CBS DC - In the wake of the shooting at the Navy Yard, . . .

Consider this an open thread.

The world is heading towards the second scenario envisaged by Francis Fukuyama in his afterword to The End of History and the Last Man : a combination of capitalism and authoritarianism, driven by China's brand of 'resilient authoritarianism'. Conducted in a spirit of 'if you can't beat them, join them', China has successfully used globalization to make itself indispensable to the functioning of the world economy and solving of world's problems. This has in turn fuelled the legitimacy and popular support of the Chinese Communist regime, enabling it to tighten its authoritarian rule. 'If you can't beat them, join them' - and thereby beat them China 's post-1978 reform and opening, conducted in a spirit of 'if you can't beat them, join them' - and thereby beat them, have led to a situation in which the artillery of the Chinese economy is tightly connected to the world . 2010 is said to be the year in which China will overtake Japan as the second largest economy of the world. The World Expo will also be held in Shanghai this year. The prime minister, Wen Jiabao, has called it the fulfilment of a ' 100-year old dream '. Like the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and, in future, the possible 2018 FIFA World Cup in China and the 2020 landing of China's lunar rover (or even astronauts ), it will showcase the Chinese Communist Party's organizational power, the nation's strength and cultural greatness. Meanwhile, Beijing has shown no sign of political liberalization. It seems that , as the mandate of capitalist heaven is passing to China , the world is heading towards the second scenario envisaged by Francis Fukuyama in an a fterword to the second, 2006 edition of The End of History and the Last Man - the victory of a n authoritarian type of capitalism over the liberal democratic capitalist states. This is not Fukuyama 's preferred destination. China 's international path is quite different from that followed by previous challengers of the Anglo-Saxon capitalist democratic order, namely Germany , Japan and USSR . The Soviet aimed to create an independent socialist bloc, counter to the dynamics of world capitalism. It was to end in failure, when, forced to defend this bloc in an arms race, it was ultimately exhausted. Imperial Germany and Japan , while practising state-led capitalism, also ended in collapse when their military challenge to Great Britain and the US imposed an unbearable burden on their economy. Determined not to repeat the Soviet blunder, China aims to open itself as widely as possible to capitalism. To avoid the mistakes of Germany and Japan , China rules out direct military confrontation with the US . Instead, China participates actively in the international governance structure, aiming to build as widely as possible on worldwide opposition to US unilateralism on issues ranging from the Iraq War to climate change. In short, China is using globalization to make itself indispensable to the functioning of the world economy. With unprecedented interdependence, it is increasingly difficult for the US to impose a strategy of isolation and confrontation. The US is drawn into a much broader dialogue with China on a wide range of issues. Recent talk of a 'G2' shows the remarkable shift of the two countries' relative strength - they are now seen as near-equals whose cooperation is essential to solving the world's problem, from climate change to economic crisis to nuclear weapons. ' R esilient authoritarianism' To be sure, it will take decades for China 's economy and comprehensive national strengths to catch up. The Communist regime also faces a host of internal proble ms. Economic disparities among urban and rural populations, rampant corruption among the elite, environmental degradation, a wealthier and better-educated middle class, and a more robust civil society could undermine the stability of the Communist regime. However, China 's authoritarian system is not stagnant. W e should not underestimate the adaptability of the Chinese leadership. In the past few years, Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao have done a lot to draw public attention to the country's pressing demographic, environmental and social challenges. China 's developmental strategy has changed from an obsession with GDP growth to greater concerns for 'social harmony'. The Chinese Communist Party has shown its remarkable ability to adjust and introduce constant social, legal and administrative reforms , mak ing the system actually sustainable. Sinologist Andrew Nathan characterized it as China 's ' resilient authoritarianism '. We thus have a future where a benign international environment combined with a more sustainable economic development will give the Chinese Communist Party more political capital, enabling it to tighten its authoritarian rule. In June 2009, Liu Xiaobo , a leading signatory of the pro-democracy Charter 08 movement, was charged with 'inciting subversion of state power.' He was se n tenced to 11 years in jail later in December. In July , Xu Zhiyong , a lawyer and activist renowned for his work of China 's most disadvantaged and his commitment to advancing the rule of law, was detained by the Chinese government. In December, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced an unprecedented plan to white-list the Internet, turning the whole Chinese internet into a politically - filtered intranet. Outside China , there has been little official pressing on human rights and democracy. In February 2009, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton landed in Beijing with a conciliating message : 'our pressing on those issues can't interfere on the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crisis.' In September, President Obama refused to meet with Dalai Lama. Following Liu Xiaobo's arrest, neither the White House nor Secretary Clinton have made any public comments on it. It is contended that economic and social development creates pressures for democratization that an authoritarian state cannot contain. To be sure, modernization theory attributed that there was a very strong correlation between economic liberalization and political democratization, with the creation of a middle class seeking political rights. But an empirical correlation was not a causal connection. It is by no means a certainty that the emerging middle class in China will have an appetite for liberty beyond purely economic. At present, the Party enjoys political support of politically strategic populations, namely the middle classes . According to some studies , in the mid 1990s, 68% of managerial personnel and 34% of white-collar personnel and professionals were Party members. In recent years, the Party has aggressively recruited university graduates. Upward mobility, stable employment prospects and improved standard of living resulting from China 's economic boom have led to their passive acceptance of the regime. Less obviously, there is a nationalistic sense of pride in China 's rise as an economic and political power. S o long as things continue as they have in the recent past, these people are unlikely to turn against the regime. Imperial Germany and Japan of the past were economically successfully authoritarian capitalist powers, which were too small to take on the US . Singapore of today has a highly successful one-party advanced capitalist economy, but it is a city-state, not a big country. As China today rapidly narrows its economic gap with the developed world, it might be cited as an imposing instance, of a quite different magnitude, of th is brand. A Brave New World ? During the November 2009 APEC Summit, Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew retorted a remark by Michael Elliott, Time Magazine International Editor, that China is not a democratic system: 'You got your pro-democracy activists, but do the Chinese people worry about their vote and freedom of speech? They want the lives that they see in Hong Kong, in Singapore and before this downturn, in Taiwan .' In his recent book Democracy Kills: What's So Good About Having the Vote? , BBC foreign correspondent Humphrey Hawsley wrote 'the average income in authoritarian China is now twice that of democratic India .' Such are the moods of our time . Are we in for an Age of Capitalist Authoritarianism? In his 1985 book Amusing Ourselves to Death , social critics Neil Postman contrasts the worlds of George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World : What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny ' failed to take into account man ' s almost infinite appetite for distractions. ' In 1984 , Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World , they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we desire will ruin us. A uthoritarian regimes conceal a tremendous fragility in their apparent strength. The Chinese leaders know it. And this drives them to the systematic destruction of all forms of civil society, and anxiety over everything from the internet to Falun Gong to Xinjiang Uighurs and Tibetan monks. However, the West has been remarkably sanguine about this resurgence of authoritarianism. Western businesspeople, investors and bankers are flocking to China to grab a piece of profits . Western leaders merely mumble about human rights when they visit Beijing . This has in turn fuelled China 's status as a great power, ensuring popular support for the Communist Party through continuing economic development and nationalist sentiment. Lord Patten , the last governor of Hong Kong, comments that China has done astonishingly well in the international system, but challenges its basic foundations. He thinks authoritarian capitalism will not win out because it did not have 'safety valves'. But setting this issue aside, we are already seeing its effects internationally: Iran , Burma and other Third World dictators find it attractive to make deals with China , and China holds the world hostage in climate change and currency talks. If the model is successful, then there will be both moral and practical consequences. Morally, it is the question of whether the West can simultaneously accept trading with China and discarding political ideals. Practically, when China is strong enough , its narrow definition of national (or Party) interests and the inher en t fragility of the system will mean that it will disregard international responsibilities when they see fit. China 's resilient authoritarianism means that changes to the political order would be effectively suppressed by a mix of carrots and sticks. It then becomes all the more important for Western politicians and outside forces to do more to promote human rights and democracy - before the order becomes established and the world is held hostage . Otherwise , we will face a brave new, but fragile, world. In 19 89, the Berlin W all fell and we declared the End of History . In 1999, George Bush senior declared: 'Trade freely with China and time is on our side.' In 2009 and beyond, it is becoming fashionable to prefer stability to democracy. The West hopes that globalization, development and integration will make China more liberal. As it seems apparent, time is not making China more Western; it is making the world more Chinese. Many leaders, Chinese and Western included , are building walls back up again. History will not forgive us for our complacency and hypocrisy . Andy Yee is a graduate student in Pacific Asian Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. This article has been reproduced with permission from openDemocracy .

The world is heading towards the second scenario envisaged by Francis Fukuyama in his afterword to The End of History and the Last Man : a combination of capitalism and authoritarianism, driven by China's brand of 'resilient authoritarianism'.

the daily shoah the right stuff Keith Preston recently issued a response to a short letter we wrote a while back asking him to stop calling himself an anarchist because of his racism, misogyny, and support for libertarian variants. In what is probably the most anarchist thing he could do, he responded with a letter defending his pan-anarchism and associating us with totalitarian elements of the left. This accusation is a go-to for fascist organizers shut down by anti-fascist movements, as if the freedom for loud and angry loud men to rant and rave is what liberation is really all about. The issue with Preston as an associate and supporter of the far-right is an important reason to isolate his website, Attack the System, from having any association with anarchism, as is his idea that he can reconcile completely disparate philosophical tendencies that have literally no association with one another other than the "anarcho" prefix. Preston himself mentions this after citing John Zube's bizarre dialogue on anarchism. There are indeed many readily identifiable traditions within anarchism, some of which maintain a paradoxical relationship to each other. He goes on to mention that anarchists are like divisions in the Christian church that refuse to recognize each other as being appropriately Christian. What Preston hopes is that his critique will allow him to ride the wave of critiques that his title suggests, that we are being "More Anarchistic Than Thou." This is a very real response that began in the 1990s where deconstruction and a "culture of critique" formed around post-left anarchism where by people began a "one-upmanship" of who could be more "radical" or attack oppression at more "systemic" levels. This can lead to some destructive behavior as small disagreements become overpowering and destroy even fleeting unity, but this is not what is happening with Preston. While disagreements over lifestyle choices or the specifics of anti-capitalist economics are applied are completely within the realm of disagreement between associated ideologues, arguing over racial nationalism, gender essentialism, and whether or not capitalism is acceptable is simply not. No person inside of anarchist anti-oppression politics, where the "More Anarchistic Than Thou" situation often arises, would extend this anarchist umbrella to Keith Preston as the different cultural elements he celebrates (racism and capitalism) are opposed at the foundation of the anarchist project. As was said in the original article, anarchists oppose the State not out of some revulsion to organization, but because it serves a class and hierarchy. A pan-secessionist movement that Preston advocates means empowering movements that seek to crystalize the elements of the State and general social system that motivate anarchism's revolutionary potential. Plainly put: Anarchism is founded on the desire to smash capitalism, racism, sexism, and the like, so you cannot make friends out of movements that seek to celebrate those tyrannies. While Attack the System is more known for its National Anarchism than its Anarcho-Capitalism, the libertarian traditions are well represented on the site. Capitalism is not "a central project" of anarchism, but, in a lot of ways, the central project that began the movement. Anarchism comes out of the socialist tradition, yet a libertarian version of this as opposed to Marx's conception of revolutionary socialism developing out of Proletarian Dictatorship through a Worker's State. Anarcho-capitalism is an idea that really did not become apparent until the 1970s-80s, and comes not from the liberatory movements associated with the anarchist tradition, but for the deregulation of capitalism for completely different motivations. There were socially "left" people associated with disparate strains of Anarcho-capitalism, but that does not make them any more associated with the tradition than liberals who share the anarchist disdain for sexism. The question of Anarcho-capitalism, which is a strong part of the synthesis that Preston attempts, is brought up into the massive FAQ project that Ian McKay as put together. While "anarcho"-capitalists obviously try to associate themselves with the anarchist tradition by using the word "anarcho" or by calling themselves "anarchists" their ideas are distinctly at odds with those associated with anarchism. As a result, any claims that their ideas are anarchist or that they are part of the anarchist tradition or movement are false. "Anarcho"-capitalists claim to be anarchists because they say that they oppose government. As noted in the last section , they use a dictionary definition of anarchism. However, this fails to appreciate that anarchism is a political theory . As dictionaries are rarely politically sophisticated things, this means that they fail to recognise that anarchism is more than just opposition to government, it is also marked a opposition to capitalism (i.e. exploitation and private property). Thus, opposition to government is a necessary but not sufficient condition for being an anarchist -- you also need to be opposed to exploitation and capitalist private property. As "anarcho"-capitalists do not consider interest, rent and profits (i.e. capitalism) to be exploitative nor oppose capitalist property rights, they are not anarchists. Part of the problem is that Marxists, like many academics, also tend to assert that anarchists are simply against the state. It is significant that both Marxists and "anarcho"-capitalists tend to define anarchism as purely opposition to government. This is no co-incidence, as both seek to exclude anarchism from its place in the wider socialist movement. This makes perfect sense from the Marxist perspective as it allows them to present their ideology as the only serious anti-capitalist one around (not to mention associating anarchism with "anarcho"-capitalism is an excellent way of discrediting our ideas in the wider radical movement). It should go without saying that this is an obvious and serious misrepresentation of the anarchist position as even a superficial glance at anarchist theory and history shows that no anarchist limited their critique of society simply at the state. McKay goes on to deconstruct allegations that Individualist anarchists that some anarchists claim affinity with are capitalist, who have a much different conception of property than people like Hayek or Rothbard. The question comes up of exactly what totalitarianism is as it is the "totalitarian humanism" that Preston talks about is a problem of the left and distracts the left's claims of liberation. Preston's critique is especially precious given his belief that completely deregulated capitalism is acceptable in his "liberated" society. As Daibhidh points out in Anarcho-Hucksters , to allow a "Boss" to take place in an "anarchist" society, which is unequivocally necessary in any form of capitalism, undermines the basic assumptions of the anarchist project. "Anarcho" capitalists talk of freedom as a negative, in a (Ayn) Randian definition of: "the absence of physical violence" . They see capitalism as the epitome of this ethic, and the State as the antithesis of it (defining the State as "the institution with a monopoly of force") . This is the cornerstone of their professed anarchism. They say, "we oppose the State; anarchists oppose government; ergo, we are anarchists." But anarchists look at that statement and ask: What of the boss in the workplace? What of the wealthy owner of property? What of the capitalist industrialist? What of the church elder? What of the judge? What of the patriarch of a family? Don't these people have very real authority over others' lives? Haven't each of these, in their way, brought shame, misery, and degradation to those under their control? The "anarcho" capitalist has no problem with rulers below State level, so long as they don't impinge on profit and property! So, if your boss eavesdropped on your calls, the "anarcho" capitalist would say, "hey, you can always get a new job" rather than taking the anarchist stance of "how dare X boss eavesdrop on their employees?! We must work to end workplace tyranny!" In fact, to the "anarcho" capitalist, being able to work for whomever you want (including working for clients [e.g., "self"-employment) is what they consider "freedom". This amounts to choosing who gets to be your boss! Some choice, huh? Anarchists, in contrast, don't think there should BE any bosses. Everyone pulls their fair share of the collective social burden of day-to-day living. And, while everyone works, the distinction between this and typical capitalist drudgery is that, in anarchy, you'd be working for your own needs, rather than for the profit of another! As such, you wouldn't have to put in 40+ hour weeks lining the pockets of whoever owns the company you work for (or servicing your clients' needs). The tyranny that people experience is rooted in fundamental inequalities, both social and systemic. Without the ability to challenge those dynamics then there is no liberation, and to allow wage-slave systems in other "city-states" (or whatever Preston thinks his ideological enclaves would be called) would be the opposite of the ongoing revolutionary transformation of anarchism. Attack the System itself has a banner at the top of the website that shows images of some of the famous anarchists of the past that Preston respects and says is a part of his own tradition. If we look at their own work, it is pretty clear that their opinions about capitalism do not for allow for Preston's idea that anarchism can collaborate with capitalism. According to Mikhail Bakunin, capitalism undermined any sense of freedom for the vast majority of humanity. Juridically they are equal; but economically the worker is the serf of the capitalist . . . thereby the worker sells his person ant his liberty for a given time. The worker is in the position of a serf because this terrible threat of starvation which daily hangs over his head and over his family, will force him to accept any conditions imposed by the gainful calculations of the capitalist, the industrialist, the employer.... The worker always has the right to leave his employer, but has he the means to do so? No, he does it in order to sell himself to another employer. He is driven to it by the same hunger which forces him to sell himself to the first employer. The worker's liberty . . . is only a theoretical freedom. lacking any means for its possible realization. ant consequently it is only a fictitious liberty. an utter falsehood. The truth is that the whole life of the worker is simply a continuous and dismaying succession of terms of serfdom-"voluntary from the juridical point of view but compulsory from an economic sense-broken up by momentarily brief interludes of freedom accompanied by starvation; in other words, it is real slavery. Alexander Berkman, the author of the ABC's of Anarchism, is known for outlining many of the ideas that brought anarchism into the 20 th Century. He noted that capitalism represented the foundations of a society that had to be torn apart. If you can see, hear, feel, and think, you should know that King Dollar rules the United States, and that the workers are robbed and exploited in this country to the heart's content of the masters. If you are not deaf, dumb, and blind, then you know that the American bourgeois democracy and capitalistic civilization are the worst enemies of labor and progress, and that instead of protecting them, you should help to fight to destroy them. Even Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, a person who shared some of Preston's bigotries and was more of a proto-anarchist than the anarchism we would call today said that "property is theft." We could really go down the line on this, but what we would find is not just that these anarchists have a different opinion about capitalism, they find anti-capitalism foundational. What Preston attempts to do though is to say that anarchism naturally has the ability to take on fully contradictory ideas, as he mentions also with religious anarchism. There certainly is a broad anarchist movement with many colliding ideas, but the fundamental values do remain the same. No one in the broad anarchist movement, even on the primitivism or post-leftist fringes would accept capitalism or racial nationalism. Even the more nuanced anarchists from fringe traditions, like Max Stirner and Hakim Bey, seem to be little understood by Preston and his writers, though they pull at anyone vaguely associated with the anarchist tradition to give relevance to their absurdity. It is like someone who thinks a political movement can be summed up by describing its members clothing and hair styles: he seems to know nothing about the fundamental values and motivating factors of the revolutionary anarchist movement. For Attack the System, and Preston personally, the real issue is of this new concept of National Anarchism. When stripped of its pseudo-mystical tracts and overly jargon filled double speak, the notion here is almost identical to Preston's idea of pan-secessionism. Groups, known as tribes, would create separate enclave based either on identity, such as race, or on social choice, such as economic system. The NA's themselves focus on racial identity as they are essentially anti-State nationalists, who maintain the same violent racism and misogyny that most neo-Nazis do. Troy Southgate, former organizer with the National Front and some even more unsavory and violent white nationalist groups, is the ideological frontrunner of the NA theory, and has written most of their few works of theory. Spencer Sunshine outlines this beautifully as you can see where their true allegiances are. The National Anarchists claim they are not "fascist." Still, Troy Southgate looks to lesser known fascists such as Romanian Iron Guard leader Corneliu Codreanu, and lesser light Nazis like Otto Strasser and Walter Darre. Part of Southgate's sleight of hand is to claim to be 'against fascism' by claiming he is socialist (as did Nazis such as Strasser) and by supporting political decentralization (as do contemporary European fascists such as Alain de Benoist). Sometimes he proclaims fascism to be equivalent to the capitalism he opposes, or promoting a centralized state, which he also opposes. Southgate is undoubtedly sincere in his aversion to the classical fascism of Hitler and Mussolini, and has cited this as a reason for his break from one of the National Front splinter groups. He sees the old fascism as discredited, and an abandonment of the true values of revolutionary nationalism. But his ultimate goal, shared with the European New Right, is to create a new form of fascism, with the same core values of a revitalized community that withstands the decadence of cosmopolitan liberal capitalism. This cannot be done as long as his views are linked in the popular mind to the older tradition. Spencer Sunshine attempts to look a little closer at the ideas of NA to see if they are aligned with anarchism on any fundamental level, yet sees instead the same kinds of deeply run bigotries you find on Stormfront.org. The National-Anarchists are quite open about their antifeminism and desire to exile queer people into separate spaces, but tend to hide their deeply antisemitic worldview. Troy Southgate says of feminism, "Feminism is dangerous and unnatural... because it ignores the complimentary relationship between the sexes and encourages women to rebel against their inherent feminine instincts." The stance on homophobia is more interesting. Southgate said: Homosexuality is contrary to the Natural Order because sodomy is quite undeniably an unnatural act. Groups such as Outrage are not campaigning for love between males -- which has always existed in a brotherly or fatherly form -- but have created a vast cult which has led to a rise in cottaging, male-rape and child sex attacks... But we are not trying to stop homosexuals engaging in this kind of activity like the Christian moralists or bigoted denizens of censorship are doing, on the contrary, as long as this behaviour does not affect the forthcoming National-Anarchist communities then we have no interest in what people get up to elsewhere. What this means in his schema is that queer people will be given their own separate "villages." The recent National-Anarchist demonstrations in San Francisco were against two majority-queer events, the Folsom Street Fair and the related fair Up Your Alley. Their orchestrator, "Andy," declares that he is a "racist" who hates queer people. Andy also denies the charge of antisemitism against National-Anarchists, claiming that they merely engage in a "continuous criticism of Israel and its supporters," 53 as do the majority of Leftists and anarchists. Once again, this is a typical disingenuous attempt by National-Anarchists to duck criticism. Antisemitism is an important element of the political world views of Southgate and Herferth. Southgate actively promotes the work of Holocaust deniers, including the Institute for Historical Review, and holds party line antisemitic beliefs about the role of the international Jewish conspiracy. As a dodge, he sometimes uses the euphemism "Zionist"; for instance, he says "Zionists are well known for their cosmopolitan perspective upon life, not least because those who rally to this nefarious cause have no organic roots of their own."54 In another interview he says that, "there is no question that the world is being ruthlessly directed (but perhaps not completely controlled) by International Zionism. This has been achieved through the rise of the usurious banking system." And he describes the Protocols of the Elders of Zion (a forgery which is the world's most popular antisemitic text) as a book which "although still unproven, accordswith the main events in modern world history." Meanwhile, his Australian counterpart Welf Herferth is even more explicit in his neo-Nazi antisemitic views. In one speech, he describes the Holocaust as an "extrapolation" that "has been an enormously profitable one for the Jews, and one which has brought post-war Germany and Europe to its knees," before referring to Israel as "the most powerful state in the Western world." Herferth concludes that "by liberating Germany from the bondage to Israel and restructuring a new Germany on the basis of a new 'volksgemeinschaft,' the German nationalists will liberate Europe, and the West as well." Preston would have us believe that since anarchists of the left and post-left variety share anti-capitalism and opposition to the State with them that we should ally with them even though they represent a complete break from all of our motivating ideas. Preston goes on to make some claims that are bizarre on their surface since their refutation is really implicit. First he says: Attack the System does not oppose the maintenance of identity politics by African-Americans, Native-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Arab-Americans, Asian-Americans, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Wiccans, the LGBTQ umbrella, feminists, atheists, vegetarians, vegans, immigrants, environmentalists, the elderly, young people, disabled people, fat people, ugly people, students, gamers, drug users, sex workers, slut walkers, street gangs, prison inmates, or Star Wars fans. Likewise, Attack the System does not oppose the maintenance of identity politics by Protestant evangelicals, Catholic traditionalists, adherents of Eastern Orthodoxy, Mormons, Europeans, Caucasian-Americans, Southerners, Midwesterners, Catalans, Scots, Basques, Russians, Englishmen, Irishmen, Scientologists, Moonies, the white working class, WASPs, yuppies, men, social conservatives, cultural traditionalists, ethnic preservationists, Euro-pagan tribalists, gun owners, meat eaters, tobacco smokers, rednecks, military veterans, motorcycle gangs, survivalists, metal heads, or aficionados of classical music. Let's think about this for just a second. The first on the list are racial groups who have been historically oppressed by white majorities that use both unregulated social systems and the State to oppress them. Later there are groups that also could fit under the oppressed banner: fat people, disabled people, Jews, Muslims, sex workers, etc. The point here is that this identity means something in that the identity is a point of resistance to oppression, not identity for identity's sake. This "identity politics" (though it is clear he does not understand what identity politics are and why most anarchists oppose them) is something that the radical right often highlights since they want to compare their "white nationalism" with "black nationalism" as if they are both equally movements towards racial identity and the advocacy of an ethnic identity. The difference is that black nationalism is a response to white oppression and an identity use only as a tool to resist that historic oppression. For white nationalists to say that they are the same project is to deny the fact that the purpose is fundamentally different. White nationalists seek to double down on their perceived identity, essentializing their racial characteristics. This is fundamentally a different project, for a different purpose, and a radically different politic. Preston goes on to identity feminists in his list, which he has to understand is not an "identity" as much as a movement to overhaul society and dethrone patriarchy. To list this as an "identity" is again a sign that he doesn't clearly understand why identities are used in anti-oppression politics. It is not that "identity" is something that the left wants to create dividing lines around, but instead, for some people, a piece of their lives through which they have been oppressed, and therefore need to create solidarity with others who share the same background of oppression. To say that white people are in the same boat as people of color in terms of racially defined oppression is offensive right from the start. Preston often likes to cite obscure pseudo-anarchists from history, while ignoring ninety-five percent of anarchist history and theory. The best example of anarchist social organization existed in response to the rise of the Fallange fascist party in Catalonia, and were eventually crushed fighting for survival against the Catholic nationalists. Anarchists rose up as primary actors in fighting the fascist party machine in Italy, Romania, Austria, and Germany, all of which show the history of the radical right as being the direct inverse of anarchism and dedicated to its destruction. As you prance around the National Policy Institute and promote your Americanized pan-libertarianism, you are celebrating the forces that have been the historic enemy of the anarchist movement and who have murdered anarchists by the thousands. Preston also lists a number of often considered right-wing political issues that he says anarchists are not vocal on. These include gun control, home schooling, and alternative medicine. This is a red herring as he is again looking for surface politics while failing to go deeper. Most anarchists do oppose bourgeois gun control, yet the politics motivating that movement are xenophobic and reactionary. To join that movement in equal parts is to undermine our founding purpose, even if there is tacit support. The rest of the list has disparate political ideas that would be boring to go through point by point, but needless to say there are left-anarchists associated with most of those projects. They certainly are not primary political issues because they are incredibly marginal and many of the motivating factors would not be shared by anarchists, but that is certainly an individual's choice as to whether or not to support home schooling or zoning regulations. Preston himself now has zero connection to larger anarchist movements and seems to have been deemed persona non grata from all political arenas except the far-right. At the National Policy Institute "Become Who We Are" conference , the last that Preston spoke at as of this writing, there were speakers advocating for whites to have their own state, claiming that Jews control world affairs, and that there are racial differences in intelligence. NPI, Radix, the Daily Shoah, American Renaissance, and the Occidental Observer were all represented organizations there right along Attack the System, which puts Keith and his website firmly in the camp associated with neo-Nazis and Klan supporters. Preston will likely put out a response to the response (we are sincere when we say this behavior is the closest you have come to contemporary anarchist conduct), in which he will quote his own cadre of unknown authors to try and justify his racist connections, but luckily his backward jargon works on no actual anarchist communities. We could go on a detailed analysis of what "is" and what "is not" anarchism, but the reality is that there are dozens of books available that do this wonderfully and do not include you are any of your ideas. This notion that anarchism is just anything anyone says it is, that its opposition to authority means that no one can define it, is a-historical and non-useful to those who actually try to utilize anarchism as a revolutionary idea. Keith himself has not actually organized in a couple decades, and has resigned himself to racist conferences and internet blogs. You may want to criticize Antifa organizers for what you see as censorship (Angry white men always scream censorship when their bullshit is disallowed by the community, usually because they have never been told "no" before in their lives.), but we are out in the streets and fighting in solidarity with movements across the world to bring together a liberated society. We are not sure what part of standing with Richard Spencer as he argues for a White European Empire, but since "anarchism" is just a t-shirt you like to wear on top of your opportunistic Third Positionism, you try to make yourself immune to common sense and reason.

Keith Preston recently issued a response to a short letter we wrote a while back asking him to stop calling himself an anarchist because of his racism, misogyny, and support for libertarian variants.

A disgraced ex-cop, loser, and Donald Trump fanatic by the name of Jim Stachowiak is calling on "lone wolf patriots" to show up at the GOP convention in July, fully armed, so they can shoot at any black protesters who happen to show up. Stachowiak posted a video to YouTube in which he declared: "I am encouraging patriots and Trump supporters and those that support liberty and freedom to come lawfully armed with lethal and non-lethal weaponry." Some background on Jim Stachowiak is instructive to help one better understand just what an enormous heap of human excrement he truly is: He has been permanently banned from Facebook He was charged with criminal defamation for identifying another person as a terrorist He refers to the Black Lives Matter movement as, "Black Lies Matter" He was fired from his job as a cop for official misconduct; a job he held for only three years Also in the YouTube video, Stachowiak says : "They (black protesters) have threatened to cause riots in Cleveland and nationwide. It is our sworn duty and obligation for all those like me and many of you who have taken the oath to defend this country against all enemies foreign and domestic." And how does Stachowiak suggest his hired hit men do that? Like this : "We should answer the call with our Second Amendment. Yes, I'm encouraging patriots to come prepared to defend this nation against a domestic terrorist organization supported by the terrorist in the White House, Obama. "Come prepared, because this may spark another revolution. It won't be decided if that spark turns into a bonfire by we who love liberty, for we will defend, not attack. We won't act, but we will react." What I find most amazing about haters like this useless piece of garbage is that they decide to announce their plans on the internet, where everyone can see it. Which means the Cleveland Police Department, FBI, and Secret Service will be waiting for them when they arrive. We can only hope they provoke the cops and get arrested. Here's the video Stachowiak posted on YouTube: This article was originally published by the same author at LiberalAmerica.org.

A disgraced ex-cop, loser, and Donald Trump fanatic by the name of Jim Stachowiak is calling on "lone wolf patriots" to show up at the GOP convention in July, fully armed, so they can shoot at any black protesters who happen to show up.

RADIO 1's Big Weekend comes to GLASGOW this year - with Rita Ora and Paolo Nutini as headline acts. It confirms our Bizarre exclusive in December when we told you first that the star-studded event was going to form part of Scotland's action-packed 2014 calendar. Nick Grimshaw broke the news this morning on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show held from BBC Pacific Quay. Nick said: "There is a rule that the further north you go, the more fun the gig will be so I'm psyched to be in Scotland this year." Rita revealed she is releasing a single with Scottish boyfriend Calvin Harris. She said: "It happened really naturally. We were sitting at home and he just started humming and I hummed and we hummed together." On the show Paolo played songs Scream (Funk My Life Up) and Pencil Full Of Lead from album Caustic Love with an 11-piece band. The free festival will be held May 24th and 25th on Glasgow Green - with Friday 23rd reserved for a special dance event. Details on how to get one of 60,000 tickets will be announced in March. The radio station is keeping tight-lipped over what other musicians will be playing. Last year's festival was hosted in Northern Ireland with Scot stars Biffy Clyro and Calvin Harris topping the bill. It was the first time the event ran for a bumper three days with the last devoted to dance music. Acts including headliner Rita Ora, The Vaccines, Ellie Goulding, The Saturdays, Bruno Mars and rising star Laura Mvula rocked the event's two stages. The festival has only been held in Scotland once before - when it came to Camperdown Park, Dundee in 2006.

RADIO 1's Big Weekend comes to GLASGOW this year - with Rita Ora and Paolo Nutini as headline acts.

Joe Arpaio PHOENIX - On Monday, July 31, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton, a Clinton appointee, found former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio guilty of criminal contempt. Following a five-day bench trial that commenced on June 26, 2017, Bolton took the matter under advisement. Bolton set sentencing for 10 a.m. on Oct. 5 and ordered the probation department to prepare a presentence investigation report. U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton The criminal case stems from U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow's finding of civil contempt in the decade-long case Melendres v. Arpaio and Snow referring Arpaio for an investigation of criminal contempt on Aug. 19, 2016. The case details how Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) once had 287(g) program authority to enforce federal civil immigration law violations. However that authority was revoked in October 2009. In December 2011, Snow issued an order enjoining Arpaio and MCSO "from detaining persons for further investigation without reasonable suspicion that a crime has been or is being committed" and stated in his order: "MCSO and all of its officers are hereby enjoined from detaining any person based only on knowledge or reasonable belief, without more, that the person is unlawfully present within the United States, because as a matter of law such knowledge does not amount to reasonable belief that the person either violated or conspired to violate the Arizona smuggling statute, or any other state or federal law." Bolton notes in her order that Arpaio responded "yes" during a March 1, 2012 Univision interview when asked if he was still detaining and arresting illegal immigrants. During the same interview, Arpaio further stated that he would continue to enforce the laws and said "[I]f they don't like what I'm doing, get the laws changed in Washington." A March 28, 2012 press release that followed a load vehicle raid stated, "Arpaio remains adamant about the fact that his office will continue to enforce both state and federal immigration laws as long as the laws are on the books." In an April 5, 2012 CBS interview about his Department of Justice investigation, Arpaio said, "Why are they going after this sheriff? Well we know why. Because they don't like me enforcing illegal immigration law." Bolton cited several other government exhibits including some where Arpaio made statements to the effect that ICE was taking illegal aliens off their hands even when they had no state charges against them, despite the federal government having revoked MCSO's 287(g) authority. In an Aug. 31, 2012 interview, Arpaio told Fox Latino, "I'm just enforcing the law. I took an oath of office and I won't back down and I will continue to do what I've been doing." Bolton quoted United States v. Baker, a 1981 Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision: [C]riminal contempt requires a contemnor to know of an order and willfully disobey it ... Willfullness and awareness of the order must be shown beyond a reasonable doubt." She also quoted from a 1974 Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision in United States v. Joyce, which stated: "[B]efore one may be punished for violating a court order, the terms of such order should be clear and specific, and leave no doubt or uncertainty in the minds of those to whom it is addresses." In December 2011 Snow found "[a] policy of detaining people pursuant to laws that MCSO has no authority to enforce, or detaining them without reasonable suspicion that they are violating laws it can enforce ... merits injunctive relief." Snow's order went on to state, "MCSO does not have reasonable suspicion that a person is violating or conspiring to violate the state human smuggling law or any other state or federal criminal law because it has knowledge, without more, that the person is in the country without legal authorization." Bolton determined there was no doubt Arpaio knew or should have known that his conduct violated the preliminary injunction order and found his violation of the order willful. Bolton stated, "The evidence shows a flagrant disregard for Judge Snow's order. Credible testimony shows that defendant knew of the order and what the order meant in regards to the MCSO's policy of detaining persons who did not have state charges for turnover to ICE for civil immigration violations. Despite this knowledge, defendant broadcast to the world and to his subordinates that he would and they should continue 'what he had always been doing.'" The maximum sentence for criminal contempt is a fine not to exceed $1,000 and/or six months in prison. This will most likely go down as the only case in history where a 60-year career lawman is found guilty of criminal contempt for enforcing the law, stemming from a complaint originally filed against him by foreign nationals who violated the law.

On Monday, July 31, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton, a Clinton appointee, found former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio guilty of criminal contempt.

We live in the age of group apologies. I would like to add one. The baby boomer generation needs to apologize to America, especially its young generation, for many sins. Here is a partial list: First and perhaps foremost, we apologize for robbing many of you of a childhood. We baby boomers were allowed perhaps the most innocent childhoods known to history. We grew up without material want, in one of the most decent places in world history, with media that preserved our sexual and other innocence, in schools that generally taught us well, and we were allowed childhood play from boy-girl play to rough and tumble boy-boy play to monkey bars and ringalievio. Our generation has deprived you of all these things. And while we were aware of the threat of a nuclear war with the Soviet Union, few of us believed that we were threatened with death anywhere near the amount we have scared you about death from secondhand smoke, global warming and heterosexual AIDS, to mention just a few of the exaggerated death scares we have inflicted on you. Our generation came up with two truly foolish slogans that also ended up robbing you of childhood. One was, "Never trust anyone over 30." Our infantile attitude toward adult authority has inflicted great harm on you. Because of it, many baby boomers decided not to become adults, and this has had disastrous consequences in your lives. It deprived you of one of the greatest needs in your life -- adults. That in turn deprived you of something as important as love -- parental and other adult authority. With little parental authority, you were left with little personal security, few guardrails and a diminished sense of order in life. And we transferred this denial of authority to virtually all authority figures, from teachers to police. The other slogan whose awful consequences we baby boomers bequeathed to you was, "Make love, not war." Our parents had liberated the world from immeasurably cruel and murderous regimes in Germany and Japan -- solely thanks to waging war. But instead of concluding that war could do great moral good, we sang ourselves silly with such inane lyrics as "Give peace a chance," as if that deals in any way with the world's most monstrous evils. So we taught you to make love and not war. And we succeeded. We made you anti-war and almost completely sexualized your lives. We told you that having sex was terrific or at least to be expected, even in early teens, and that your only concerns should be avoiding sexually transmitted diseases and getting pregnant. And if you did get pregnant, we made sure that you could extinguish the life you were carrying as effortlessly and guiltlessly as possible. We started teaching you about sexuality and homosexuality in early grade school and we taught you how to put condoms on bananas. It is true that we did not grow up learning about these things at such young ages -- certainly our schools never taught us about these things -- but we chalked that up to the preposterous, if not reactionary, values of the 1950s and early 1960s. We had contempt for our parents believing that "Father Knows Best" and "Leave It to Beaver" and "Superman" -- with the show's motto of "truth, justice, and the American way" -- were good things for young people to be exposed to. So we replaced these shows with MTV's mind-numbing parade of three-second images and sex-drenched shows for teenagers. Sorry. We also made you weak. We did everything possible to ensure that you suffered no pain. Sometimes we changed game scores if a team was winning by too large a margin; we abolished dodgeball lest anyone suffer early removal from the game; and we gave trophies to all of you who played on baseball teams, no matter how awfully you or your team played so that none of you missed getting a trophy while members of another team did. Much of this was thanks to the self-esteem-without-having-to-earn-it movement, which in our generation's almost infinite lack of wisdom we inflicted upon you. Sorry for that, too. We also apologize for coming close to ruining so many of your schools and universities. Despite the unprecedented sums of money we had America spend on education, most of you got an education quite inferior to the one we got at a fraction of the cost. But we thought of our teachers as fools (they were, after all, over 30) who just concentrated on reading, writing and arithmetic (and history, music and art). We were sure we knew better and we therefore concentrated on sexual issues, and teaching you about peace, global warming and the horrors of smoking. The fact that few high school graduates can identify Mozart, let alone were ever exposed to his music, is far less significant to many baby boomers than your knowledge of the alleged perils of secondhand smoke. Most of you cannot identify Stalin either, and we are sorry for that, too. But, hey, we did make sure you saw Al Gore's film. Cortney O'Brien And a real apology to those of you hooked on drugs. While your choice to do drugs is your responsibility, it was our generation that romanticized them and made them cool. "Mind expanding" we called them. But it turns out that they don't expand minds, they destroy them. Sorry. And, young women, we apologize especially to you. Many of us baby boomers bought into the feminist idea that getting married and making a family with a man were far less fulfilling than career success and that marriage itself is "sexist" and "patriarchal." So, to those of you women who have career success and didn't get married, we sincerely apologize. Turns out that most careers aren't as fulfilling as we promised. So we really blew it, and what's really amazing is that few of us have changed our minds. Most people get wiser as they get older. But not those of us baby boomers who still believe these things. Of course, many of us never bought into these awful ideas that have so hurt you and our country, and some of us have grown up. But many of us still talk, think, dress and curse the same as we did in the '60s and '70s. And we're still fighting what we consider the real Axis of Evil: American racism, sexism and imperialism. But for those of us who know the damage baby boomers as a whole did to you, a heartfelt apology.

The baby boomer generation needs to apologize to America, especially its young generation, for many sins.

Thursday, June 2nd, 2016 Welcome to Appalachia's Gulag Archipelago Art by Kevin Rashid Johnson, former prisoner at Red Onion Exile in the Mountains It is hard to imagine the hollers and hills of southern Appalachia ever being a place of punishment. With its lush coves filled with ginseng, ramps, towering oaks, and tulip poplars. Its abundant springs, creeks and rivers teaming with trout, crawdads, and hellbenders. The thousands of family farms and backyard gardens providing sustenance, health, and independence. For most of us lucky enough to call this place home, it is pretty much paradise. The residents of the gated community of Wallens Ridge, however, would beg to differ. Wallens Ridge is a supermax prison in the economically depressed coalfields of southwest Virginia. The facility, completed in 1999, was sold to this struggling community as an economic boon for a region where coal jobs were quickly disappearing. Shortly after its opening, Wallens Ridge received a fresh shipment of bodies to fill up its cells, not to mention the state coffers. These bodies were 109 men from a private prison run by the security firm Wackenhut in New Mexico. Sick of the inhumane conditions, torture, and violence endemic in prisons, up to 290 prisoners rioted, destroying property, setting fires in four housing units and causing massive damage in August 1999. In the melee, one prison guard was killed. The state's response was swift. In the words of New Mexico Corrections Secretary Rob Perry, "The only thing you can do is act with an iron fist, and that's what we're going to do." Another prison official commented, "A lot of people say they should be sent to a barge or an island, this is the closest thing we've got to it." It turns out that Wallens Ridge was the perfect island of exile that prison officials desired for these rebellious inmates. Shipped nearly 2,000 miles away from New Mexico, they were subject to another form of torture, isolation from family and friends who could not afford to travel across the county for visits. In addition, an overwhelmingly rural, white prison guard staff was sure to deal with the predominately black and brown prisoners ruthlessly. And that they did. Upon arrival at Wallens Ridge, the New Mexico inmates were subject to vicious beatings and electroshocks with stun guns, all while the guards shouted racist slurs. According to the Richmond-Times Dispatch, inmate Hector Torres was repeatedly asked if he was, "one of the corrections officer-stabbing Mexicans." Each time he said "No", the guards shocked him with a stun gun. Remarking on the conditions at the prison, an attorney representing some of the New Mexico inmates in a civil right lawsuit said, "The knowing and deliberate nature of it is really startling... It was as close to a concentration camp or an experience of slavery as anyone would expect to come in this country." Wallens Ridge is not unique. An identical supermax prison called Red Onion was built in 1998 in Pound, VA on mine land donated by Pittston Coal Company about 20 miles away. Noted for having the highest rate of solitary confinement of any prison in Virginia, a 1999 Human Right Watch report found that at Red Onion, "racism, excessive violence and inhumane conditions reign inside." Many inmates, such as New Afrikan Black Panther Party member Kevin "Rashid" Johnson, say they were sent to this supermax prison, not for their crimes on the outside, but as punishment for speaking out against abuse on the inside. Even with the importing of out of state prisoners and a "tough on crime" attitude, a year after Wallens Ridge and Red Onion were built, the prisons sat only half full. So what did the Virginia legislature do? They created the aptly, if not draconian, named Virginia Exile Program which included mandatory 5 year sentences in a supermax prison for persons convicted of possession of a gun and cocaine, or any felon in possession of a gun. Sure enough, the prisons filled up. As a matter of fact it was so successful that the prisons are now horribly overcrowded. My Old Kentucky Home On November 15, 2013 activist Jeremy Hammond was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. He was convicted for hacking into the computers of the private security company Stratfor. Jeremy's actions unveiled thousands of documents detailing Stratfor's secretive program to spy on anti-war, environmental, Occupy, and other protest groups. In the wake of Wikileaks, and several other high profile Anonymous hacks, the Justice Dept. was eager to make an example of activist hackers. Never mind the fact it was an FBI informant who provided Hammond with the information needed to break into Stratfor's computers. Jeremy's punishment wasn't to end with the lengthy prison sentence. His 10 years would be served at FCI Manchester, in the coalfields of Kentucky, nearly 500 miles from his friends and family. Knowing that visits from friends and family are one of the few joys a prisoner can look forward to, the Bureau of Prisons has its ways to deny them this too. What's more, this prison is surrounded by toxic waste. "They say [FCI Manchester] was also a former coal strip mine site...and has two Superfund sites." He continued, "I wish there was a way to get the water tested. The medical here is terrible--basically you got nothing coming unless it's life-threatening," said Jeremy in a letter to the Campaign to Fight Toxic Prisons . The issue of prisons located on toxic waste sites is so pervasive one begins to wonder if it is done on purpose. At the very least it is clear that the government could care less about the health of prisoners. At the Fayette State Correctional Institution in Labelle , PA, which is located next to a coal ash dump, prisoners are dying from cancer at astonishing rates, as well as suffering from skin rashes, respiratory illnesses, and abscesses. USP Marion, home to the notorious Communication Management Unit sits on the edge of thousands of acres of land contaminated by World War II era munitions production. In Charleston , WV prisoners were forced to drink and shower for weeks in water contaminated by a chemical used by the coal industry that spilled into the municipal water supply. A New Kentucky Home? Now the Bureau of Prisons is looking to add another facility to this list of toxic prisons. About 50 miles east of where Jeremy Hammond is locked up, and just over the mountain from Wallens Ridge and Red Onion state prisons, sits the Roxana site; a former mountaintop removal coal mine in Letcher County, KY. Driving in to the community of Roxana, one instantly feels the violence the coal industry has brought upon this land. Run down trailers and dilapidated homes packed together on the isolated stretches of flat land mark the extreme poverty that plague most mining communities. A stream coming off of a mine site dyed bright orange by toxic runoff show's no signs of life. Everything; plants, trees, homes, cars, is covered in the ubiquitous gray dust kicked up by the daily procession of coal trucks on the roads and blasting up on the mountains. A towering earthen dam, hundreds of feet high, holds back millions of gallons of toxic coal sludge in an unlined pond. A company sign warns that photographs are strictly forbidden. Thanks to Kentucky Congressman Hal Rogers, chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, nearly a half a billion dollars of taxpayer money has been allocated to import and incarcerate 700 primarily black and brown men on this toxic mine site. Again, the promise of jobs is dangled in front of this struggling community. If politicians like Hal Rogers have their way, Appalachia is destined to pivot from a dying economy that violently extracts and exports coal to one that violently extracts human beings from their communities and imports them in shackles by the busload to these former mine sites. If built, the Letcher County facility would be the 11 th prison constructed in the Appalachian mountains straddling the Kentucky/Virginia border. Turning the Tide Against Mass Incarceration Not everyone is going along with the plan. Mitch Whitaker lives just below the Roxana prison site. According to him, the BOP wants to put an access road through his property against his will. Mitch's land, with its tall oaks and maples, sits in stark contrast to the tangled mess of invasive autumn olives, brambles, and jack pines on the "reclaimed" mine site above his house. The only thing that saved his land from being buried under the rubble of the strip mine a few decades ago were the two cemeteries next to his house. Now the BOP wants to take this little piece of paradise from him too. As Mitch said in an April 1 st op-ed in the Lexington Herald, "This piece of property has already been imprisoned, and it's just now getting back to the point of literal and figurative liberation. Why do it again?" Mitch is not alone in his fight. A group of Letcher County residents recently launched #Our444Million , an initiative to stop the prison and engage Kentuckians on how the $444 million in taxpayer money could be better spent on their transition away from coal. Meanwhile on the national level a coalition of 25+ groups will be converging on Washington DC next month to network, strategize and take direct action against the Letcher County prison. Billed as the Convergence to Fight Toxic Prisons and Support Eco-Prisoners . The gathering runs June 11-13 with a weekend of workshops and panels featuring former political prisoners and eco-defenders including Ramona Africa, Eric McDavid, Ray Luc Levasseur, Peg Millet, Jihad Abdulmumit and more. On the 13 th , organizers say that hundreds will hit the streets and take direct action at the BOP's headquarters to stop the Letcher County prison and highlight the plight of the thousands of prisoners trapped inside toxic prisons. In the words of organizer Panagioti Tsolkas, "Stopping one prison is not a magic bullet to ending the prison industrial complex. But it's a pretty good place to build from. In particular, it is a powerful place that the environmental movement can express solidarity with the growing rage over the racist criminal justice system." Skyler Simmons is a writer and homesteader deep in the mountains of Southern Appalachia.

Wallens Ridge is a supermax prison in the economically depressed coalfields of southwest Virginia.

You are not signed in as a Premium user; we rely on Premium users to support our news reporting. Sign in or Sign up today! By Rev. Michael X., J.C.L. Through publication of the Aug. 3 edition of L'Osservatore Romano , the Vatican's newspaper, Pope Francis has ordered to be made effective one of the biggest changes ever in the 2,000-year-old history of the Roman Catholic Church: its official position on capital punishment. Yesterday, governments across the Earth were authorized by the Catholic Church to execute criminals found guilty by regular due process according to the laws of their lands. Today, that is no longer the case. The application of the death penalty by a civil power is officially deemed by the Roman Catholic Church to be morally reprehensible in every circumstance, without exception, as a matter of prudential judgment. While this change to the official position of the Church is nothing less than monumental in its scope of concrete impact, it is not , however, officially purported by the Holy See to consist of a solemn ex cathedra definition, exercise of the Ordinary and Universal Magisterium or definitive act on the part of the Supreme Pontiff. However, this change will have a profound lasting and dampening effect on the application of capital punishment by governments Catholic and non-Catholic around the world, if one judges by the lessons of history. Six texts released by the Holy See are key for a Catholic to understand the nature, authority, doctrinal value and canonical effect of this modification to the Church's official position. They are the following: Bulletin of the Holy See Press Office of Aug. 2, 2018 Rescript ex Audientia Ss.mi of May 11, 2018 New text of paragraph no. 2267, Catechism of the Catholic Church 1997 Letter of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to the Bishops of Aug. 1, 2018 L'Osservatore Romano' s print edition Commentary in L'Osservatore Romano of Abp. Rino Fisichella of Aug. 3, 2018 On Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018, the Holy See Press Office announced to the press corps of the world through its bulletin of that day that Cdl. Luis F. Ladaria, S.J., prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, had issued a rescriptum ex Audientia Sanctissimi ("rescript from an audience of the Most Holy Father") following an audience granted by Pope Francis to him held on May 11, 2018. The text of the rescript was released in Italian, its original language, together with translations of the text into seven other languages -- including Latin. The rescript states five essential things: One: that the Pope approved the new formulation of paragraph no. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church included in the same rescript; Two: that he ordered the new Italian-language formulation to be translated into seven languages; Three: that he ordered the new formulation to be inserted in said languages into all editions of the Catechism ; Four: that the vehicle of promulgation of the new formulation of the Catechism is to be L'Osservatore Romano ; and Five: that the new formulation will enter into effect on the same day as the rescript's publication in L'Osservatore Romano , which is today, Aug. 3, 2018. The papally approved English-language translation of the new formulation of paragraph no. 2267 states: The death penalty 2267. Recourse to the death penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good. Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes. In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption. Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that "the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,"[1] and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide. [1] Francis, Address to Participants in the Meeting organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization , 11 October 2017: L'Osservatore Romano , 13 October 2017, 5. The release of the rescript was accompanied by a Letter of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith addressed to the Bishops regarding the new redaction of n. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the death penalty. The letter, signed and dated Aug. 1, 2018 by the cardinal-prefect and archbishop-secretary of the Congregation, is actually a text that was drafted and voted upon by the members of the Congregation on June 13, 2018 and subsequently approved by Pope Francis on June 28, 2018. The letter serves as an official commentary of the new formulation of the Catechism , especially seeking to bolster the theological premises and magisterial precedents for the assertion of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that the change promulgated by Pope Francis is "in continuity with the preceding Magisterium, bringing forward a coherent development of Catholic doctrine" and "an authentic development of doctrine, which is not in contradiction with the anterior teachings of the Magisterium" ( L'Osservatore Romano, Aug. 3, 2018 , p. 8), with reference made to the Commonitorium of St. Vincent of Lerins. Abp. Rino Fisichella The sole official text, to date, therefore, of the new formulation is that published on page eight in Italian in L'Osservatore Romano of today, Aug. 3, 2018. The fact that the Latin text is presented as a "translation" and not the original by the Holy See Press Office, despite having been completed and disseminated in the same organ of promulgation, is another marked departure from the S tylus and praxis Romanae Curiae of centuries. Apart from the change itself in the Church's judgment on the death penalty, the most striking development is actually the commentary of Abp. Fisichella of the Pontifical Council on the New Evangelization, who goes further than Francis or the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith when he writes (my translation) that "the Church ... explicitly condemns the death penalty. ... This passage shows in all its evidence that one is before a true dogmatic progress with which content of the Faith that has progressively matured to the point of making understood the unsustainability of the death penalty in our days is explicated." Fisichella, by employing the theological terms of art "dogmatic," "safeguarding the Deposit of Faith," "truth of faith," "history of dogma," etc. in his commentary on the change clearly opines that the change in the Church's position on the death penalty is of the highest doctrinal value, going so far as to state that "intentionally suppressing a human life is contrary to Christian Revelation." All of the above having been sifted and said, the nature, authority, doctrinal value and canonical effect of this modification to the Church's position are now humbly proposed. The Nature of the Change . Paragraph no. 2267 of the Catechism ( CEC ), the actual text of the new formulation is unsettling and ambiguous: unsettling because the term "inadmissible" not being a term of art consecrated by the centuries by the Magisterium, or the Church's canonists, dogmatic or moral theologians lending itself to clarity of meaning, renders the plain attempt to decipher the substance of the change to be frustrating; ambiguous , because the term "inadmissible" can be interpreted to mean that a moral act is either intrinsically or extrinsically evil . Which of the two natures of the moral act the Pope really intended to approve as constituting the change in position is the real nodus, and indeed unanswered question, pertaining to the new formulation. According to Regula juris XXX in Sexto, " In obscuris, minimum est sequendum" ("In things which are obscure, the minimum is to be followed") promulgated by Pope Boniface VIII in 1298 and still a guidepost of sound canonical interpretation according to canons 17 and 18 of the Code of Canon Law , the canonist cannot conclude that the Magisterium has imposed the stricter interpretation regarding the formulation, namely that application of the death penalty is morally illicit in principle, or "intrinsically evil." For that reading of the new text to be reached, one must turn to the "devil in the details," namely a footnote -- just like in Amoris Laetitia -- found within the text of the rescript itself: the reference made to Pope Francis's " Address to Participants in the Meeting organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization , 11 October 2017: L'Osservatore Romano , 13 October 2017, 5" wherein the Pope, as referenced by Fisichella, states that the death penalty "is in itself ("in se") contrary to the Gospel." However, according to the common doctrine of both canonists and theologians, only that which is principally and directly taught or proposed for acceptance by the Magisterium to the entirety of the members of the Catholic Church is canonically "proposed" for the faithful's adherence -- not a footnote or reason given for that which is taught. CDF Prefect Cdl. Luis Ladaria Hence, the stricter assertion of Pope Francis enunciated on Oct. 11, 2017 cannot be said to have been promulgated through the change made to paragraph no. 2267 of the Catechism. Consequently, the less strict interpretation of the change to the content of the teaching of the Catechism is that the practical application, not liceity or "admissibility" in principle , of the death penalty by a State by judgment after due process, is now entirely proscribed in the "prudential judgment" of the Magisterium (cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instr. Donum Veritatis on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian, May 24, 1990, no. 24 referencing "certain contingent and conjectural elements"). The Author of the Change. The overall authority over the Church's change in prudential judgment regarding the admissibility of the death penalty is Pope Francis, the Roman Pontiff. The most senior but subordinate officials of the Roman Curia serve by papal appointment, therefore papal authority. Technically-speaking, however, it is actually the cardinal-prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith who is the author of the Rescript of August 1, 2018, and hence substantive change that has been made to paragraph no. 2267 of the Catechism. This is the only conclusion that a canonist can reach until such time that it be shown, if it can, that Pope Francis approved in forma specifica the change for which Cdl. Ladaria requested approval. Approval "in forma specifica" is a Vatican mechanism by which a pope assumes authorship of a text drafted by an official subordinate to him, even though it be signed by the lower official. The terms of art, in forma specifica approbavit are required by Vatican regulations to be printed on any text signed by a subordinate official in order for any document that the latter has signed to be interpreted as having been assumed in authorship by the Pope. (Cf. Regolamento Generale della Curia Romana, art. 126, SS4, April 30, 1999, AAS 1999, 680). If papal approval is not granted in forma specifica , then it is deemed in canon law to have been given in forma communi. Consequently, one cannot, strictly speaking assert in canon law that the Pope is the author of the change that has been made to the Catechism, even though it has been confirmed by Cdl. Ladaria in the newly released Letter of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to the Bishops of August 1, 2018 that Pope Francis did request that paragraph no. 2267 be modified according to his indications. Cf. Letter, in OR, August 3, 2018, page 8. Doctrinal Value of the Change . Since article 24 of the instruction Donum Veritatis on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian appears to be the most applicable magisterial text, the nature of the change of paragraph no. 2267 CEC is that the Roman Catholic Church has modified her prudential judgment on the "admissibility" of the death penalty by the State, servatis servandis , from that of "very rare, if not practically non-existent" (cf. Editio typica of the Catechism of 1997) to "inadmissible," with the terms of the prior text of no. 2267 now having been obrogated or canonically eliminated. Use of the theological term of art " consequently" to begin the final paragraph of the new formulation reveals that the three concepts that lead up to the setting forth of the new position, namely "awareness, etc." "understanding, etc." and "more effective systems, etc." constitute indeed only reasons that are indirectly proposed in order to support the conclusion of the change in prudential judgment regarding the death penalty that is now directly proposed, namely that "the death penalty is inadmissible." Canonical Effect of the Change. Since prudential judgments are referenced expressly in substance in canon 747, SS 2 of the Code of Canon Law ("to render judgment concerning any human affairs insofar as the fundamental rights of the human person"), and since one cannot be bound by the stricter interpretation positing that the Roman Pontiff has ordered that the death penalty be held henceforth as an intrinsically evil act, by reason of the ambiguity of the novel term "inadmissible," the norms of canons 750, SSSS 1 or 2, or 752 CIC , cannot be applied to bind the Catholic faithful under penalty, neither pursuant to canons 1364 or 1371, 1deg, because we're not dealing here with a doctrine governed by canons 750, SS 2 or 752, nor in conformity with canon 1371, 2deg CIC , because no singular precept or prohibition imposed upon a Catholic with canonical admonition having been duly issued to him and violated is at issue, for the new formulation approved by Pope Francis enunciates a change in the prudential judgement of a general nature contingent upon perceived changes in the temporal circumstances of the State's ability to safeguard the peace. The Holy See no longer asserts that the execution of criminals is, in practice, admissible. In sum, the change ordered by Pope Francis to be made in paragraph no. 2267 to the Catechism of the Catholic Church is not so much a change in the teaching of the Church on the death penalty, as opposed to a change in the prudential judgment on the morality of application of the death penalty to concrete cases , such that now, as opposed to yesterday, the Holy See no longer asserts that the execution of criminals is, in practice, admissible. This change in judgment would appear to be effectively governed by canon 747, SS 2 of the Code of Canon Law , due to the ambiguity of the new formulation promulgated by Pope Francis. (R.J. XV in Sexto, " Odia restringi et favores convenit ampliari" -- " Things which are odious are to be restricted, and those which are favorable are to be broadened in interpretation.") Until the Roman Pontiff should dispel the ambiguity of the terms he has approved for the change, according to centuries of official and established rules of canonical interpretation, the undersigned canonist cannot reach an interpretation of the doctrinal value and canonical effect of the new formulation of the Catechism that would be more onerous for anyone of good will to observe , neither does it appear to be possible for any competent ecclesiastical authority to impose an obligation upon a Catholic to adhere to a stricter interpretation, viz. that application of the death penalty is now proposed by the Church as being intrinsically evil and governed by the norms of canons 750, SS1, SS 2, or canon 752 CIC such that violation of said obligation would lead to the valid and licit incurrence or imposition of a canonical penalty. Without proper identification of the "devil in the details"; regarding the change that has been made to the content of the Catechism -- namely the circumscribed impact of the Address of October 11, 2017 referenced in the footnote of the Rescript to the new formulation of paragraph no. 2267 CEC, together with the fact that the technical author of the change is the Cardinal-prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- Catholic faithful may run the risk of reaching dramatic conclusions that are unsupported in canon law. --- Campaign 30192 ---

The application of the death penalty by a civil power is officially deemed by the Roman Catholic Church to be morally reprehensible in every circumstance, without exception, as a matter of prudential judgment.

Brazil unfurled a vast canvas celebrating its rainforest and the creative energy of its wildly diverse population in welcoming the world on Friday to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, all to the pulsating beat of samba, bossa nova and funk. Brazil's interim President Michel Temer declared open the first Games ever in South America. But in a display of the deep political divisions plaguing Brazil, he was jeered by some in the crowd at the famed Maracana soccer stadium. The opening ceremony was decidedly simple and low-tech, a reflection of Brazil's tough economic times. In one of the world's most unequal societies, the spectacle celebrated the culture of the favelas, the slums that hang vertiginously above the renowned beaches of Rio and ring the Maracana. There was no glossing over history either: from the arrival of the Portuguese and their conquest of the indigenous populations to the use of African slave labor for 400 years. The clash of cultures, as the ceremony showed, is what makes Brazil the complex mosaic that it is. Home to the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, Brazil used the ceremony to call on the 3 billion people watching the opening of the world's premiere sporting event to take care of the planet, plant seeds and protect the verdant land that Europeans found here five centuries ago. Unlike the opening ceremonies in Beijing in 2008 and London 2012, a financially constrained Brazil had little choice but to put on a more "analog" show, with minimal high-tech and a heavy dependence on the vast talent of Brazil and its Carnival party traditions. While the Rio 2016 organizing committee has not said how much the ceremony cost, it is believed to be about half of the $42 million spent by London in 2012. The show drew homegrown stars, like supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who walked across the stadium to the sound of bossa nova hit "Girl from Ipanema" and Paulinho da Viola, a samba songwriter who sang the national anthem with a string orchestra. Everyone performed for free. Loud cheers erupted when Brazil's beloved pioneer of aviation Alberto Santos-Dumont was depicted taking off from the stadium and flying over modern-day Rio. The joyful opening contrasted with months of turmoil and chaos, not only in the organization of the Olympics but across Brazil as it endures its worst economic recession in decades and a deep political crisis. Temer, flanked by dozens of heads of state, played a minor role in the ceremony, speaking just a few words. The leader who was supposed to preside over the Games, President Dilma Rousseff, was suspended last May to face an impeachment trial and tweeted that she was "sad to not be at the party." The $12 billion price tag to organize the Games has aggrieved many in the nation of 200 million and in Rio, where few can see the benefits of the spectacle or even afford to attend the Games. Due to Brazil's most intense security operation ever, some among the 50,000 attendees faced two-hour-long lines as Brazil staged its most intense security operation ever. PEOPLE ON THE PERIPHERY The creative minds behind the opening ceremony were determined to put on a show that would not offend a country in dire economic straits but would showcase the famously upbeat nature of Brazilians. It started with the beginning of life itself in Brazil, and the population that formed in the vast forests and built their communal huts, the ocas. The Portuguese bobbed to shore in boats, the African slaves rolled in on wheels and together they plowed through the forests and planted the seeds of modern Brazil. "They're talking about slavery? Wow," said Bryan Hossy, a black Brazilian who watched the ceremony in a bar in Copacabana. "They have to talk about that. It's our story." The mega-cities of Brazil formed in a dizzying video display as acrobats jumped from roof to roof of emerging buildings and then on to the steep favela that served as the front stage for the ceremony. From the favela came Brazilian funk, a contemporary mash-up of 20th century rhythms, sung by stars Karol Conka and 12-year-old MC Soffia. "This is a conquest. The people on the periphery are having an influence, it's a recognition of their art," said Eduardo Alves, director of social watchdog Observatorio de Favelas. Before the entry of a few thousand of the 11,000 athletes that will be competing in the Games, the playful rhythms of the ceremony gave way to a sober message about climate change and rampant deforestation of the Amazon. Actresses Judi Dench and Fernanda Montenegro lent their voices for a classic poem about hope for the future. Each athlete will be asked to plant seeds that will eventually grow into trees and be planted in the Athletes Forest in Rio in a few years. Brazilian runner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima lit the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony. Banner and thumbnail credit: Reuters, Kai Pfaffenbach

Brazil unfurled a vast canvas celebrating its rainforest and the creative energy of its wildly diverse population in welcoming the world on Friday to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, all to the pulsating beat of samba, bossa nova and funk.

Turkish regimes committed their greatest attacks on Anatolian Christians during the 1914-1923 genocide against Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians (Syriacs/Chaldeans). Sadly, there has been no public protest in Turkey against the government's refusal to acknowledge the genocide, in which at least three million Christians were killed. Pictured above: Armenian civilians, escorted by Ottoman soldiers, marched through Harput, April 1915. ( American Red Cross/Wikimedia Commons) Since the Trump administration's official recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been ramping up his anti-Israel rhetoric, calling the country " a state of occupation and terrorism ." This is worse than ironic. The Jews are not "occupiers" in their ancient native homeland, where they have lived for more than 3,000 years. Turks, on the other hand, 3,000 years ago were most likely in Central Asia, nowhere near the area that is now Turkey. To add hypocrisy to injury, Erdogan also said about his own country, "Let it be known that there has never been any holocaust or genocide in this nation's past. There's no campaign of ethnic cleansing, massacres, persecution, or torture in this nation's history." Oh really? The cities in today's Turkey -- most of which are in Anatolia (Asia Minor) and the Armenian highlands -- were actually built by Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians; and Jews have lived there since antiquity. Turkic jihadists from Central Asia invaded and conquered the Christian Byzantine Empire in the eleventh century, thereby paving the way for the gradual Turkification and Islamization of Anatolia and Armenia. The Ottoman invasion of Constantinople (Istanbul) in the fifteenth century brought about the complete destruction of the Byzantine Empire. Throughout those years, many Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians in the region converted to Islam to escape death, exile, or the exorbitant "protection" tax, the jizya , imposed on non-Muslims. As a result, only around 0.3% of Turkey's population remains Christian or Jewish at this time. According to Dr. Bill Warner , director of the Center for the Study of Political Islam : "The process of annihilation [of Greek Christian civilization in Anatolia] took centuries. Some people think that when Islam invaded, the Kafirs [non-Muslims] had the choice of conversion or death. No, absolutely not. Sharia law was put into place and the Christian dhimmis continued to have their 'protected' status as People of the Book who lived under the Sharia law. The dhimmi paid heavy taxes, could not testify in court, hold a position of authority over Muslims and was humiliated by social rules. A dhimmi had to step aside for the Muslim, offer him his seat, could not carry a weapon and defer to a Muslim in every way. In all matters of society the dhimmi had to yield to the Muslim. Over the centuries, the degradation, lack of rights and the dhimmi tax caused the Christian to convert. It is the Sharia that destroys the dhimmis. "Today, Turkey is 99.7% Muslim. The Christian and Greek civilization of Anatolia is gone. It is annihilated. "What is tragic is that it seems that no one knows or cares..." Even today, expansionist Islamic raids against non-Muslim peoples have been and are accompanied by mass murder, rape, sex slavery, forced conversions, looting, plundering and deportations, by Islamic State, Boko Haram and others. The goal of this jihad is to expand Islam and submit people worldwide to sharia [Islamic law] and Islamic supremacy. Once under Islamic rule -- such as during the Ottoman Empire -- Christians and Jews become dhimmis : third-class, "tolerated" citizens forced to pay a tax in exchange for "protection." No matter how much money they pay, however, dhimmis are never allowed the same religious rights or freedoms as Muslims. This is something that Turkish school children are not taught. Instead, they learn in school about the "glorious" Ottomans, and how bestowing dhimmi status on non-Muslims was an example of Ottoman mercy, justice, and compassion -- not a tool for humiliating and enslaving them. Far more recently, as Erdogan knows but aggressively denies, Turkish regimes committed their greatest attacks on Anatolian Christians: the 1914-1923 genocide against Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians (Syriacs/Chaldeans). Sadly, there has been no public protest in Turkey against the government's refusal to acknowledge the genocide, in which at least three million Christians were killed. There are several reasons for this: State propaganda Turks are continually exposed to the denial of the genocide in school, the media, and in parliament. Millions of Turks have been brainwashed to believe that what took place was not genocide, but rather a legitimate act of self-defense against "treacherous" Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian elements . Myths about Turkish nationhood According to official myths, the Turks have never wronged or victimized any other people; it is they who have been wronged and victimized throughout history. As a result, according to these myths, any and all violent actions they may have committed were carried out in self-defense. Economic concerns Turkey fears what it calls derogatorily as the Armenians' "Four T" Plan : Tanitim, Taninma, Tazminat ve Toprak (Propaganda, Recognition, Compensation, and Territory). The government worries that if the Armenians are successful in their efforts to obtain international recognition of the genocide, they will demand money and land. This concern is shared by those who inherited property seized from the victims of the genocide. Such Turks fear losing the wealth they amassed through the spoils of mass murder. Islamic culture The political doctrine of Islam, which was largely responsible for the Christian genocide, still plays a role in Turkey's denial of it. In his contribution to a recently released collection of essays on the topic -- " Genocide in the Ottoman Empire: Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks, 1913-1923 ," edited by Professor George N. Shirinian -- historian Suren Manukyan writes that the planners of the Armenian genocide: "... activated social forces by the policies they pursued, including the proclamation of jihad at the beginning of World War I, to mobilize religious fanaticism among the population of the empire. "After the proclamation of jihad on November 14, 1914, the killing of Armenians was seen to bear legitimacy in religious terms. In many areas, clerics led the columns of Muslims and blessed them for punishing the unbelievers... One slogan was repeated everywhere: 'God, make their children orphans, make widows of their wives... and give their property to Muslims.' In addition to this prayer, legitimization of plunder, murder, and abduction took the following form: 'it is licit for Muslims to take the infidels' property, life and women.'" The Ottoman Tanzimat reforms in the nineteenth century had "abolished" the dhimmi status accorded to non-Muslim subjects. Regardless of this official change, non-Muslims continued to face various forms of institutional discrimination. Similarly, when the Republic of Turkey was established in 1923, non-Muslims no longer possessed the legal status as dhimmis , but their unofficial dhimmitude continued, if not intensified. In 1934, there was an anti-Jewish pogrom in eastern Thrace; in 1941-1942, there was an attempt to enlist and enslave all non-Muslim males in the Turkish military -- including the elderly and mentally ill -- to force them to work under horrendous conditions in labor battalions; in 1942, a Wealth Tax was imposed to eliminate Christians and Jews from the economy; in 1955, there was an anti-Greek pogrom in Istanbul; and in 1964, Greeks were forcefully expelled from Turkey. All of the above contributed to the previous ethnic cleansing of Turkish Christians and Jews. Not only has the Turkish government not recognized, apologized for or given reparations for any such incidents in its history, but there is little media coverage of the current intimidation of and violence against Christians, Jews, and Yazidis in Turkey. In addition, fundamentalist Muslims in Turkey -- and elsewhere -- do not see jihad, forced conversions or other forms of persecution against non-Muslims as criminal. On the contrary, their religious scriptures openly command them "to chop off heads and fingers and kill infidels wherever they may be hiding," among many other openly violent teachings. Hence, what the rest of the world would describe as "genocide," "massacre," "persecution," or "ethnic cleansing" is viewed by radical Muslims as a "righteous" way of spreading Islam and of liberating kafir (infidel) lands. Erdogan is clearly such a radical, which is why he takes pride in his country's criminal history, while chastising and rewriting that of other states, such as Israel. The West's misunderstanding of all this knows no bounds.

Sadly, there has been no public protest in Turkey against the government's refusal to acknowledge the genocide, in which at least three million Christians were killed.

Watching former Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz talk about queso might be one of the worst things ever. However, it pales in comparison to what the Texas senator has in mind for the 115th United States Congress, which is currently slated to meet for the first time on Tuesday, January 3, 2017. That's because the former Tea Party poster child wants to reintroduce a previously squashed bit of legislation known as the "First Amendment Defense Act" which, if approved by the GOP-controlled Congress and signed by Donald Trump, would possibly encourage "widespread, devastating discrimination against LGBT people," according to a legal expert who spoke with NBC. BuzzFeed reported on Cruz and Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee's renewed efforts to bring the FADA back to life in early December. According to Cruz, the bill's reentry into the limelight suggests "the prospects for protecting religious freedom are brighter now than they have been in a long time." As the original House bill was designed in 2015, FADA prevents the federal government from taking "discriminatory action" against any individual, group or business whose action based on a "religious belief or moral conviction" results in their discriminating against LGBTQ people. Ignoring for the moment the irony of a proposed federal law protecting those accused of discrimination from being discriminated against by the federal government, Cruz and Lee expressed hope about their bill's chances following the November elections. "Hopefully November's results will give us the momentum we need to get this done next year," Lee's spokesperson told BuzzFeed, adding : "We do plan to reintroduce FADA next Congress and we welcome Trump's positive words about the bill." In an interview with NBC News, Lambda Legal's Law and Policy Director Jennifer Pizer explained just how unconstitutional FADA is : "This proposed new law violates both Equal Protection and the Establishment Clause by elevating one set of religious beliefs above all others," Pizer said, "And by targeting LGBT Americans as a group, contrary to settled constitutional law." However, Pizer's most important point regarded the possible implications of FADA and other similar pieces of legislation in the age of President Trump. Mainly, that bills and laws like these would invite "widespread, devastating discrimination against LGBT people" across the country. (Via NBC News and BuzzFeed )

However, it pales in comparison to what the Texas senator has in mind for the 115th United States Congress, which is currently slated to meet for the first time on Tuesday, January 3, 2017. That's because the former Tea Party poster child wants to reintroduce a previously squashed bit of legislation known as the "First Amendment Defense Act" which, if approved by the GOP-controlled Congress and signed by Donald Trump, would possibly encourage "widespread, devastating discrimination against LGBT people," according to a legal expert who spoke with NBC.

"[Flynn] straight up lied," Clarke said on NRATV's "Stinchfield," referring to the Police Chief's baseless claims that concealed-carry permit holders were responsible for Milwaukee's rising crime rate Read More >>> Media Matters and its chief anti-gun propagandists Timothy Johnson and Cydney Hargis, are obsessed with NRATV. And like a true stalker, the fake news blog treats its obsession with abuse and lies. Read More >>> NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox Discusses the Challenge of National Reciprocity on the NRATV series, Stinchfield with host Grant Stinchfield. Read More >>> NRA EVP Wayne LaPierre is urging the same patriots who sent Donald Trump to the White House to fight once again. Read More >>> NRATV's Colion Noir is hitting back at Media Matters and its anti-gun, fake news blogger Timothy Johnson. Read More >>> Video | Ammoland Inc. Posted on December 9, 2016 by NRA News NRATV's Grant Stinchfield & Dana Loesch are challenging Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn to answer for his baseless claim about concealed carry permit holders. Read More >>> After The Boston Globe published Renee Graham's race-baiting, anti-gun article, "More guns, more risk for people of color," Colion Noir told the elitist "This negro pity party is getting old." Read More >>> "They are the rat-bastards of the earth. They are the boil on the backside of American politics." Read More >>> NRA Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Wayne LaPierre has released a new video commentary that applauds the NRA members and gun owners who elected Donald J. Trump the 45th President Read More >>> Video | Ammoland Inc. Posted on November 1, 2016 by NRA News Veteran U.S. Navy SEAL Dom Raso is speaking out against President Obama's weakness, which has allowed radical Islamic terror to fester, grow and spread across the globe. Read More >>> Colion Noir went on "NRATV Live" to express the outrage and disgust so many have felt since learning that Hillary Clinton wanted to treat Eric Garner's death as nothing more than a political pawn. Read More >>> In Colion Noir's newest commentary on NRATV, he argues that elitist politicians ignore the actual issues causing inner-city violence. Read More >>> NRA Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Wayne LaPierre delivered an urgent message to America's 100 million gun owners, declaring Hillary Clinton an enemy to the Second Amendment. Read More >>> Colion Noir tore apart Politifact's article, "NRA weakly claims that Clinton said gun confiscation is 'worth considering,'" which tried to hide Hillary Clinton's contempt for the Second Amendment. Read More >>> Video | Ammoland Inc. Posted on October 7, 2016 by NRA News Veteran U.S. Navy SEAL, Dom Raso, challenges parents to question the safety and security of their children's schools in the face of the threat of radical Islamic terror. Read More >>> Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. has had enough of the dangerous Black Lives Matter ideology and the media who support it. Read More >>> If you believe in an America that values family, hard work, civic duty and our God-given freedoms, help the NRA keep its Freedom's Safest Place campaign on the air. Read More >>> Video | Ammoland Inc. Posted on July 13, 2016 by NRA News In a powerful new NRA ad, "Real Solutions," Noir asserts true racism lies in the fact that deceitful politicians allow gangs to terrorize America's inner cities. Read More >>> The NRA has released "I Didn't Listen," a powerful new commercial featuring Antonia Okafor--a millennial woman who refuses to be put in box. She opens her commentary saying, "I've been told that black Read More >>> Video | Ammoland Inc. Posted on July 12, 2016 by NRA News Kim Corban was a 20-year-old college student when a predator broke into her off-campus housing complex and assaulted her in the middle of the night. Read More >>> Colion Noir has released a new video commentary, "Media Fans Flames of Racism," in which he responds to the deceitful media's unjust claims that the NRA does not care about the black community. Read More >>> Unlike Chicago's elite who pretend to care when the pollsters tell them to, Noir actually presents real solutions to end inner-city violence. Read More >>> Tony Blauer joins Dom in Media Lab Episode 12 "S.P.E.A.R. System" to break down a scene from The Bourne Identity and show how your body responds to sudden violence. Read More >>> NRA Life of Duty correspondent Chuck Holton meets with several long-time residents to explore the efforts taking place as they work to improve the quality of life in this financially and culturally-challenged city... Read More >>> Posts navigation Wild Bill : Author David Limbaugh, quite correctly, used the word "consuming". I say let the libtards frenzy, let the libtards riot,... Wild Bill : Dear Mrs Hodges, engage a skilled criminal defense attorney to nail down witnesses, statements, and other evidence, anyway! Don't wait.... Rattlerjake : God gave three instances where the killing of a man has no "bloodguilt" - 1)War, 2)Judicial punishment, 3)Self defense Wild Bill : @Mark, I concur, and thank God that she is an uncivilized, discourteous, and obvious loser. She makes her own ideas,... allan King : she would be the first one to scream armed police to come to her aid when her home is being...

NRATV's Grant Stinchfield & Dana Loesch are challenging Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn to answer for his baseless claim about concealed carry permit holders.

Unlike their counterparts in other industrialized countries, abortion providers in the United States don't simply perform abortions. Because of all the ramifications of the abortion wars in this country--the restrictions on the use of public funds, the scarcity of facilities ... Rooted in the gospel tradition, the song "We Shall Overcome" became an anthem of the African-American civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s and then an assertion of struggle and solidarity worldwide. Solidarity is at the heart of both ... For the last few years the blogosphere, though only in its more obscure places, has been full of comparisons of the Spanish and Syrian civil wars. The Workers International to Rebuild the Fourth International called for a new International Brigade ... In 1920 the New Republic ran "A Test of the News," a special supplement to the magazine (published soon after as the book Liberty and the News) by Walter Lippmann and Charles Merz showing that in the three and a ... Colin Gordon &squarf; January 8, 2014 The American system of unemployment insurance is a remnant of Jim Crow. While national in its reach, the program's administrative details are left to the states, a bargain struck in the 1930s as the price for Southern support for New ...

Rooted in the gospel tradition, the song "We Shall Overcome" became an anthem of the African-American civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s and then an assertion of struggle and solidarity worldwide. Solidarity is at the heart of both

Guests at Ottawa's Heaven dance club expect to have a good time and dance the night away. What the mostly heterosexual crowd was not expecting this spring Saturday night was for the club to be overrun by the Gay Guerrilla Takeover . The Gay Guerrilla Takeover is an organization that does what its name says: once a month, a group of gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, queer, and queer-friendly people venture into a hot mainstream-- i.e., heterosexual--bar or club and take it over without warning. Tim Campbell, a 28-year-old fundraising coordinator, started the group after Ottawa's Gay Pride week. Campbell and his friends had gone to a local bar where they were mistreated by the staff, who told them, "We don't serve those kinds of drinks. This isn't a gay bar." That's when he thought, "Well, what if it was a gay bar?" He had heard about takeovers happening in Los Angeles after people who lived in the gay village decided to turn heterosexual bars into safe places for them. "There are certain bars in Ottawa where I wouldn't feel comfortable going with a guy and making out," says Campbell, "so when I heard about this concept I thought to myself, 'Yes!'" Lily Flowers, a takeover regular, says when she goes somewhere "straight" people stare at her. "They seem to wonder: It's a girl but she's dressed like a boy. During a takeover, you don't have to be someone else because it is a safe space," she says. Campbell says his organization experiences very little hostility from regular patrons, who party and have fun with an average of 200 to 400 guerrillas. Members are informed about takeovers via a Facebook group called Guerrilla Gay Bar , but they are only told the location a day or two before to keep the element of surprise. So far the Facebook group has some 1,500 members. On this particular night, guerrillas were asked to dress in white, and a sea of white-wearing dancers hints at a successful takeover. While some heterosexual patrons do leave the club when they realize what's happening, others stay, though a few feel the need to assert their heterosexuality, such as the young man who repeatedly stated "I am not gay" when asking girls to dance. More takeovers are scheduled for the future, so if you're in a "straight" Ottawa bar, don't be surprised if it becomes the Gay Guerrillas' next target. Below: A video from our friends at Xtra.ca on the Ottawa Gay Guerrilla Takeover: Share Tweet Email Print Topics: Culture Sex Equality Facebook internet LGBT Music Ottawa queer Web web

Guests at Ottawa's Heaven dance club expect to have a good time and dance the night away.

Matthew Kimery mug_1529603569897.jpg_46228637_ver1.0_640_360 If you haven't already, be sure to like our Filming Cops Page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter . Please visit our sister site Smokers ONLY Sign Up To Receive Your Free E-Book 'Advanced Strategies On Filming Police' Filming Cops was started in 2010 as a conglomerative blogging service documenting police abuse. The aim isn't to demonize the natural concept of security provision as such, but to highlight specific cases of State-monopolized police brutality that are otherwise ignored by traditional media outlets.

Filming Cops was started in 2010 as a conglomerative blogging service documenting police abuse.

Five years ago he was forced to say there was "not a single word of truth" in rumours he had secretly divorced former Aeroflot air stewardess Lyudmila so he could marry the two-time world champion, who is now also a politician. The Putins made the joint announcement on Thursday. Leaving the auditorium they walked straight over to a waiting cameraman. Mr Putin said: "It was a joint decision. We hardly see each other. All my activities, all my work is linked with publicity. Some people like it, some people don't. But there are people who absolutely can't stand it." Mrs Putin, 55, who was last seen in public with her husband at his inauguration last year, said: "Our children are grown up so each of us leads our own lives. I don't like publicity and flying is difficult." The couple wed in 1983 and have two adult daughters. Opposition politician Boris Nemtsov said: "Putin very rarely does anything honest. Announcing his divorce is honest."

Opposition politician Boris Nemtsov said: "Putin very rarely does anything honest. Announcing his divorce is honest."

Baptists and Popular Education in Cuba: an interview with Joel Suarez The Martin Luther King Center in Havana, Cuba, is at the forefront of promoting Christian social responsibility and progressive change throughout the region. Within Cuba, the organization is involved with the distribution of medicines, HIV prevention programs, and housing projects. In the spirit of popular education, it runs extensive training workshops to empower Latin Americans and promote social involvement. The center also participates in various international solidarity movements such as the Landless Worker's Movement (MST) and the World Social Forum. YES! editor Sarah van Gelder met with Joel Suarez, the general coordinator of Cuba's Martin Luther King Center in December 2006. In the interview excerpt that follows, Suarez discusses the center's three founding pillars: the Cuban Ecumenical Movement, Popular Education, and international solidarity. He also explains the lead-up to Cuba's constitutional change in 1992, which ratified the secular nature of the state. Joel Suarez: General Coordinator of the MLK Center in Havana. Courtesy of Centro Memorial MLK archives The first pillar of our center is the Cuban ecumenical movement. In the 1960s, '70s and halfway through the '80s, lay people and pastors played a very important role in this movement. The pastors were the few who did not leave Cuba after Fidel came to power, and struggled to understand the revolution from the viewpoint of faith. At that time, no liberation theology existed, so they did not have the tools available today to make the bridge between politics and faith. In fact, our liturgy, which was rooted in the Southern Baptist Convention, specifically spoke out against these much-needed tools. Our beliefs were colored by the work of American missionaries, anti-communist rhetoric abounded and the worship was very Anglo-Saxon. The Southern Baptist Convention advocated a vertical faith - God and myself, myself and God. They restricted worship to the four walls of a sanctuary. In those years there was no room for politics within Christianity. Martin Luther King Center, Marianao, Havana. In 1971, a group of pastors who had stayed in Cuba came to this church, Marianao's Ebenezer Baptist Church. Ebenezer Baptist was founded in 1947, and it was just a matter of coincidence that the Martin Luther King Center was built up next to it, just like in Atlanta. This early ecumenical movement consisted of lay people and pastors from a variety of denominations - mostly from Protestant Evangelical churches, but there were also some Catholics involved. My parents were among this group. My father, Reverend Raul Suarez, was a pastor, and my mother, Clara Rodes, was a graduate from the seminary. According to the Southern Baptist tradition, women were not to be ordained, and there was no role for them in the ministry. My parents became involved with the movement and began searching for a new theology - a different way to read the biblical texts. At that time they used to talk about that as "reading the Bible without wearing the eyeglasses of the missionaries." A few years later we broke our relations with the Southern Baptist Convention of Cuba, and we founded our own convention, a new one. We ordained women to the ministry, and my mother was one of the first three female Baptist ministers that were ordained. My parents tried to shape the movement so that their new way of approaching Bible theology became a process where the entire church was involved. Otherwise they would be generals without an army, so to speak. A lot of ecumenical ideas, but no ground to sustain their ideas. During that time, the Baptist setting was very hostile. It was next to impossible to carry any type of awareness activity from the ecumenical world into the Baptist setting, because of the anti-ecumenical foundation of the Baptist movement. Jimmy Carter, Reinerio Arce (former President of the Cuban Council of Churches) and Reverend Suarez at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Marianao, Havana. Courtesy of Centro Memorial MLK archives As we created our own Baptist organization we began to celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King and the anniversary of his death. Martin Luther King's thinking helped us a lot. Pedagogically speaking, he was an accessible figure. He was not a Presbyterian or a Catholic, but a Baptist as well. The peaceful nature of his resistance was also appealing. We wanted to walk along his path. He struggled for the Civil Rights movement, and criticized the system that generated poverty. He was also against the Vietnam War. At the beginning of the 1980s we began to have contact with the Black Theology Project. They were a group of activists and theologians, James Cone and others, who were developing the Black Liberation theology. We organized several meetings in Cuba. While we were conducting a worship service to pay homage to Doctor King, Jesse Jackson visited here with Fidel. So because of all of these activities we decided to name this center after Dr. King. This was in 1987. Our local church, despite being a community church, used to be a white church. Not because it was racist per say, but because of its culture, its liturgy. It was very Anglo-Saxon. Culturally, the dialogue with the neighborhood did not fit. This is a working-class neighborhood and is characterized by large black and mulatto populations. Many of the religious and cultural traditions here are African in origin. The community found the dialogue with the church sort of boring in a way. It was a cultural, rather than a racist, issue. The name Martin Luther King became a challenge to us in that regard. We began a process of liturgy renovation. We incorporated Cuban and Latin American music into our ceremonies, and revived the multiracial character of our congregation. Popular Education environmental workshop with farmers of the Escambray region, about techniques in soil conservation. Courtesy of Centro Memorial MLK archives The other legacy of the center is that of popular education. As you know, popular education emerged in Brazil with Paulo Friere. Paulo Friere was militant in both his political and religious beliefs. Popular education was rapidly embedded in the groups, organizations, and ministries of the Church in Latin America. In the case of Brazil, the pastoral ministries founded most of the present political movements. For example, the pastoral ministry of land, which is one of the ministries of the church, paved the way for the Movement for People Without Land (Movimento Sem Terra) that is famous in Brazil. The Brazilian Dominican priest, Frei Betto, visited Cuba frequently in the latter part of the 1980s. In a long interview with Fidel regarding religious issues, he made clear the relevance of popular education practices to Cuba. This was a good time for dialogue, as there was a lot of debate and criticism in Cuba at the time against the mimicry of Soviet policies. The recommendations stemming from this interview eventually made their way to the Casa de las Americas. In 1986, this Cuban cultural institution organized the first workshops between Latin American popular educators and like-minded Cubans. Participants included members of healthcare campaigns, literacy programs, and those involved with the surge-and-action projects in Cuba's shantytowns at the beginning of the revolution. The idea was to get to know the basics of popular education. This was totally new at that time. Locally, a large part of our teaching component was based on popular education. My parents wanted the church to be involved in this pedagogical change. It was not supposed to be an instruction or a command, but rather a philosophy for the work of our institution. Bible Workshop, Santiago de Cuba Courtesy of Centro Memorial MLK archives The third legacy that we have in the center has to do with this issue of international solidarity and outreach. We are involved with the training of Latin Americans in the ways of popular education, and we participate in the promotion of social responsibility of Christians throughout the world. It is important to note that in the year 1990, we had a dialogue with Fidel Castro. Our dialogue was not from the center's perspective, but from the perspective of the former Ecumenical Council of Cuba, as well as the present Council of Churches of Cuba. We were discussing religious discrimination in Cuba. My father Reverend Raul Suarez, the founder member and director of this center, was also the president of the Council of Churches of Cuba. He encouraged this dialogue, which was filmed, taped and aired on television. Ever since, radical changes have taken place in terms of the lives of the churches and believers in Cuba. The following year the Communist Party removed atheism as a requirement for party membership. The constitution was also changed in order to ratify the lay nature of the state. It is neither religious nor atheist, but lay, secular. The problems of religious discrimination that had plagued our country were left behind. We have since been provided with a lot of space in which we can operate.

Baptists and Popular Education in Cuba: an interview with Joel Suarez The Martin Luther King Center in Havana, Cuba, is at the forefront of promoting Christian social responsibility and progressive change throughout the region.

At least 22 teenage girls burned to death in a fire that police claim was arson. Guatemala's president declared three days of national mourning after the incident. Complaints about abuse and living conditions at the overcrowded youth and children's shelter have been frequent. ( TRT World and Agencies ) Guatemala's President Jimmy Morales has declared three days of national mourning after at least 22 teenage girls died in a fire that swept through a home for abused youth on Wednesday. Hospitals reported that around 40 others are being treated for severe burn injuries. The incident occurred at the state-run Virgen de Asuncion home for children and youth, in San Jose Pinula, 25 km southwest of Guatemala City. "We will fully support the institutions responsible for investigating, and we will contribute to finding the truth," Morales said in a brief statement on national television Wednesday night. TRT World spoke to Louisa Reynolds who is in Guatemala City following the developments. Police suspect arson The blaze started when a group of youths set fire to mattresses in the girls section of the facility, said Nery Ramos, head of Guatemala's national police. The group had been isolated by authorities after a riot broke following an escape attempt on Tuesday. Complaints about abuse and living conditions at the overcrowded shelter have been frequent. The shelter had an official capacity of 500, but was housing at least 800 youths, Carlos Rodas, the head of Guatemala's social welfare agency, said. Authorities were investigating whether those who started the blaze were the ones who had tried to escape, Ramos added. "What happened is extremely serious, and even more so for the fact that it could have been avoided," Anabella Morfin, Guatemala's solicitor general, told a news conference. A vigil for victims of a fire at the Virgen de Asuncion home in San Jose Pinula, Guatemala City, March 8, 2017. ( TRT World and Agencies ) Mayra Veliz, secretary general of the attorney general's office, pledged a transparent investigation into the cause of the blaze. She said a group of disabled girls had been bussed to another shelter as detectives scoured the site. Plagued by Latin America's worst rates of child malnutrition and street gangs that often prey on minors, Guatemala can be a traumatic place to grow up. Conditions in the Central American nation's public institutions are often dismal with widespread overcrowding. Victim's account A 15-year-old girl being treated for minor injuries at Roosevelt Hospital said the uprising followed rumours of an escape attempt. Some boys, or even young men who were still housed at the centre after turning 18, entered the girls' area, she said. She said she fled to her dormitory's roof with others, fearing the boys would attack them. Early Wednesday morning the fire began. "I saw the smoke in the place. It smelled like flesh," the girl said. On Tuesday night, police were sent in to quell the unrest over crowded living conditions at the home. Many of the residents escaped during the riot, images on Guatemalan television news showed. Family members react as they wait for news of their loved ones after a fire at the Virgen de Asuncion home in San Jose Pinula, on the outskirts of Guatemala City. March 8, 2017. ( TRT World and Agencies ) Rampant abuse Outside the home on Wednesday, Andrea Palomo told reporters in tears that she had brought her 15-year-old son to the home to discipline him. But he told her he was mistreated and complained that gang members there tattooed the children, she said. "We have been given no information since last night," Palomo said outside the home. The home is run by the Ministry for Social Welfare and the Attorney General for Human Rights decides whether children are placed in the home or not. It houses at-risk children who were victims of abuse as well as youths who completed sentences at youth detention centres and had nowhere else to go. Jorge de Leon, Guatemala's human rights prosecutor, said at least 102 children had been located after escaping from the shelter, but more had managed to flee. De Leon said younger children fled the shelter because they were being abused by the elder children. An ambulance carrying the bodies of those killed in the fire exits the Virgen de Asuncion home, in San Jose Pinula, on the outskirts of Guatemala City, Guatemala, March 8, 2017. ( TRT World and Agencies ) "According to what they say, the bigger kids have control and they attack them constantly," de Leon wrote. "They also complain that food is scarce and of poor quality." He called on authorities "to evaluate whether it is appropriate to have these different groups concentrated in one place." Attorney General Annabella Morfin said children in a protective situation should not be housed with children who have problems with the law, and called for an investigation of those responsible. In 2013, a 14-year-old girl was murdered at the facility. Investigators said the girl was strangled by one of the other residents. Source: TRTWorld and agencies

At least 22 teenage girls burned to death in a fire that police claim was arson.

When Parenthood says its final goodbye to the Braverman family this Thursday, we'll lose something very important. I'm not just talking about the end of a mini-feel-good-TV era. (We'll still have a few sappy, good-hearted shows to sustain us, but how can Parenthood and Parks and Recreation leave us at the same time!?) I'm talking about your weekly Parenthood cry. You know the one. For six seasons the show would give us the weekly excuse to let it all out. While the Bravermans celebrated their minor victories, mourned their defeats, and took solace in each other, we, the viewer, felt it all right with them. At the end of each episode, everything that had built up over the past week, months, years, came out in one Parenthood -enabled ugly cry. Usually to the gentle strains of some carefully selected soft-rock ballad. Oh Parenthood , you beautiful, cathartic bastard, what will we do without you? And just how did Parenthood do it? With pulse-pounding plot twists, emotionally manipulative murders, or nail-biting cliffhangers? No. Never. Sure, the show had a dramatic cancer plot, an ill-advised infidelity plot, and will likely end with a major death in family. But these are all things that happen in real life to real families. Parenthood is a holdover from a different age of television, but it never felt out of date or irrelevant. Chalk that up to great writing and great performances. Through Parenthood 's special brand of alchemy, little everyday moments become soaring triumphs. Not just the births, weddings, graduations, and deaths. But the late-night sibling dance parties, romantic games of mini-golf, and a kid's first home run. So, goodbye, Parenthood . We'll miss our weekly sob-fest. (I suppose, what, we'll have to start going to therapy now?) Here's a look back at the shows most emotional, tearjerking moments, one for each Braverman. Get Vanity Fair's HWD Newsletter Sign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood. E-mail Address Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement . Full Screen Photos: 1 / 16 16 Reasons Why We'll Miss Our Weekly Parenthood Sob-Fest Kristina Braverman Says Goodbye to Alex (S3E4) Kristina has had so many tear-jerking moments, particularly with her own kids and her battle with cancer in Season 4. (And we'll get there.) But it's also worth remembering the times the Braverman adults were able to parent kids who didn't even belong to them. The breakup between Haddie and Michael B. Jordan's Alex was devastating, but not for the usual romantic, teenage reasons. But because, for Alex, saying goodbye to Haddie meant saying goodbye to her family. His tearful parting hug to Kristina marks the end of a solid relationship based on earned trust and awkward fist bumps . Joel Graham Has a Game of Catch with His Son (S4E4) We're not going to talk about Season 5 Joel, and you can't make us. Instead, let's remember Joel as he was meant to be remembered: Super-Dad and Super-Husband extraordinaire. In the fourth season, Joel and Julia struggled to connect with their adopted son, Victor. For Joel, it was especially important to bond with his son over his favorite sport, baseball. (Baseball is big with the Bravermans in general.) Victor pushed back against Joel before finally succumbing and asking his new dad for a game of catch. Joel's beaming-dad face is all that's required to get the tears flowing. Eat your heart out, Kevin Costner . Max Braverman Wins the Election (S4E6) It's never easy to connect with Max. That's basically the whole point of Max. So he wasn't often the source of good, cathartic cries. The way Kristina and Adam reacted to him and his struggles with autism tugged at the heartstrings. But Max's most emotional moment came during this Student Council speech where he explained how his autism would make him an effective leader. The standing ovation he got from his classmates was as much a surprise to us as it was to him. Camille Braverman Goes to Italy (S5E5) One of the best plots of Season 5 involved Camille's struggle to exert her own independence. For most of the show's run, Camille played a supporting role in the drama affecting both her kids and the imposing Braverman paterfamilias, so it was wonderful to see her take a stand for what she wanted and strike out on her own. Adam Braverman Sits Vigil (S4E11) If you made it through Kristina's goodbye video to her kids with a single uncried tear still left in your head, congratulations. You're a robot. But if you did have any tears left to shed, you surely squeezed a few out for Adam, who, after watching the video, pleads for his wife to make it through her cancer treatment in one piece. (Spoiler alert: she did!) Amber Holt Gets Tough Love (S2E22) You could plaster the entire Internet with images of the wonderful Mae Whitman crying. Her tears are eloquent. Amber's eyes are often brimming (and when she cries, we cry), but this speech from her grandpa, Zeek, who dishes out some very tough love after she gets in a careless car accident), was enough to break even the most cynical watcher. He told Amber that when he was a soldier in Vietnam, he dreamed about her, and all his other future grandchildren, and that she didn't have the right to mess with his dreams. Sounds cheesy when written out, but Amber? Scared straight. The rest of us? Sobbing messes. Zeek Braverman Meets Baby Zeek (S6E12) That special bond between Amber and Zeek is a thread that runs all the way through the show. (It makes sense, he has a special relationship with her mother, too.) Once again, it may sound cheesy that this show will almost certainly end with Zeek Braverman's death and baby Zeek's birth, but Craig T. Nelson sells the hell out of this moment where a proud patriarch looks on his legacy and prepares himself to let go.

When Parenthood says its final goodbye to the Braverman family this Thursday, we'll lose something very important.

By Tim Graham | July 15, 2018 6:02 PM EDT Liberals try to play quite a game with special counsel Robert Mueller. When he indicts Russians, analysts like Mark Shields on PBS start making jokes about how Trump's summit with Putin will be a "campaign reunion" with Trump's "favorite absentee voter." But when anyone suggests Mueller's probe is partisan -- or leads to partisan smack-talk -- they suggest it's nonsense, that "there's not a partisan corpuscle in Bob Mueller's system." By Tim Graham | June 9, 2018 11:19 AM EDT The PBS NewsHour interviewed Bill Clinton and his co-author James Patterson over two nights. On Friday night, Judy Woodruff asked liberal analyst Mark Shields about Patterson's insistence that we elect serious people to office (translation: no Trumps), which allowed Shields to launch into a tribute to Clinton, who "courageously raised taxes...and produced an economy that produced 22 million new jobs." The Clintons really should have paid him a gratuity. By Tim Graham | May 27, 2018 4:00 PM EDT Liberal PBS NewsHour analyst Mark Shields is one of those journalists who refuse to admit there's any context to President Trump describing criminal aliens like MS-13 gang members as "animals." On Friday's news roundup, Shields protested "you have got the leader of one party calling people animals." By Tim Graham | May 25, 2018 6:40 AM EDT Obama's director of national intelligence James Clapper went on a tour of Very Supportive Liberal Networks on Wednesday, starting with the PBS NewsHour. Judy Woodruff threw marshmallows like "The president, as you know, has been just constantly critical of the intelligence community since he's been in office....What is the effect of these cumulative comments by the president?" And "Is the intelligence community destined to be undermined, misunderstood, not appreciated?" By Kyle Drennen | May 23, 2018 5:38 PM EDT During the same interview in which she recalled a supposed off-camera conversation with Donald Trump about his efforts to "discredit" the media, at Monday's Deadline Club Awards Dinner, 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl also took Democrats to task for assuming "that reporters are on their side" and always expecting positive press coverage. By Brad Wilmouth | April 5, 2018 5:16 PM EDT On Wednesday's All In show, MSNBC host Chris Hayes used video allegedly showing Palestinians being fired on by Israeli troops while praying to bolster his commentary in which he complained that President Donald Trump did not confront Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the military actions. Unlike FNC or PBS, Hayes did not mention that the video has been disputed by the IDF as staged footage -- similar to the hoax videos for which Palestinian film makers are known for producing, sometimes referred to as "Pallywood." By Brad Wilmouth | March 20, 2018 1:12 PM EDT After Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant on Monday signed a groundbreaking new law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, the victory for the pro-life movement has received surprisingly little attention. FNC's Special Report with Bret Baier and the PBS NewsHour each ran briefs on Monday evening, and, on Tuesday, CBS This Morning ran one brief after CNN's Early Start show ran three briefs during the early morning hours between 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. ET. By Tim Graham | March 8, 2018 4:34 PM EST The PBS NewsHour gave California's top Democrats almost nine minutes on Wednesday night to attack President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions as liars in a "cesspool of mendacity," suggesting Sessions was an "authoritarian" using "Gestapo" tactics. Woodruff didn't protest at any moment in this set of attacks that Brown was too uncivil. Last year, NewsHour executive producer Sara Just claimed "We aim for more light than heat," and "We're not trying to set up a false sense of combativeness." By Tim Graham | February 11, 2018 7:24 AM EST On Friday's weekly roundup on the PBS Newshour, after analyst David Brooks said the Trump White House has a "perpetual unraveling" of staff, liberal analyst Mark Shields compared it to people trying to escape the Berlin Wall, where escapees were often killed by communist guards. "This White House is resembling nothing as much as East Berlin, in that there's more people trying to get out than there are trying to get in." By Tim Graham | January 23, 2018 4:34 PM EST On Tuesday, The Washington Post held a series of panel discussions and aired live video around the theme "Americans & The Media: Sorting Fact from Fake News." In one segment, Post political reporter Dan Balz talked to PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff and Fox Special Report host Bret Baier. Woodruff lamented "an entire industry" that is ripping the media that "holds democracy together." By Tim Graham | January 6, 2018 9:56 AM EST PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff interviewed former vice president Joe Biden on Thursday night, and most of it consisted of please-attack-Trump softballs. Woodruff's most urgent pushback to Biden came on when he would be apologizing to Anita Hill for somehow mistreating her during the 1991 Hill-Thomas hearings. When Biden said he hadn't contacted Hill, Woodruff shot back "Do you plan to?" This is odd, since the PBS anchor should spend some time on her show exploring sexual harassment at PBS. By Tim Graham | October 24, 2017 4:06 PM EDT On Monday night's PBS NewsHour, anchor Judy Woodruff and her "Politics Monday" panelists were still obsessing over how President Trump responded to the widow of LaDavid Johnson, who was killed in Niger. Woodruff and her guests suggested to the audience that this controversy with a grieving relative was completely unprecedented, that no politician would ever suggest a grieving relative was not telling the truth. But in a March 2016 presidential debate, Mrs. Clinton explicitly said Patricia Smith, the mother of Benghazi victim Sean Smith, was lying. "I can't imagine the grief she has about losing her son," Clinton said. "But she's wrong. She's absolutely wrong!"

Liberals try to play quite a game with special counsel Robert Mueller.

Author March 7, 2018 Former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson has revealed that staff at her abortion clinic would regularly shun laws to report sexual abuse. In a recent webcast , several abortion workers revealed that their clinics would fail to report cases of minor's who were receiving an abortion that was likely to be as a result of sexual abuse. Former abortion worker at Delta Women's Clinic, Shelley Guillory explains how her place of work got around the laws that require a minor to be accompanied by an adult and given parental consent for the abortion. "When a minor came in, what was originally supposed to be done was that the parent was supposed to come in with the minor, [and we] verified [that they were a parent] through her birth certificate and mom or dad's driver's license. And then they would go through with the counseling process," she said. "Well, that was never done at our clinic," she added. Indeed, many of those adults bringing a minor in for an abortion were not the child's parent - a red flag for a case of sexual abuse. The former abortionist continued: "Because we found that a lot of our minors were not being brought in by parents. So to get around that, we stopped doing the birth certificate verification, and just started doing this process where, okay, their driver's license is verified - if "mom or dad's" name was different than the child's name, then the child had mom's last name and then dad brought her in, and mom was remarried, and the child had dad's last name. Now mind you, we have no idea who this child is and who is bringing this child in." However, in order to fill out the required paperwork, the workers went even further in their deceit and professional misconduct. "We were also taught to prep this child from the beginning that when they came in for abortion that the person they were pregnant [by] was no more than a year older than them," Guillory explained. "That way, no investigation had to be done as to, "How did this child get pregnant? Who got this child pregnant, and how old was the person?" So every minor that we had in, the person was only a year older than them or the same age. Which we knew was not true." So why would workers actively hide what is likely to have been a case of statutory rape? Really, all it came down to was convenience. "That way we didn't have to get any law enforcement involved because - you have to stop and think," she said. "When we have a minor that's come in and there's suspected child abuse or sexual abuse we have to get law enforcement involved. Law enforcement has to be there from the beginning of the procedure to the end. They're samples and specimens that have to be collected so they can do DNA analysis. "Well, this makes a lot of our other patients uncomfortable. So to get around that, we started lying about ages. So we had no conflicts as far as that was concerned." In a case of such heinous malpractice, you would anticipate inspectors to arrive at the facility and immediately notice the doctored medical records. Instead, those tasked with enforcing state regulations simply overlooked the glaring breach of professional ethics, as Guillory explained. "Because we always had the same state surveyors that came in. They became our friends," she said. "We would feed them lunch. We had social chitchat. We laughed. It was never, ever a question. Never."

Former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson has revealed that staff at her abortion clinic would regularly shun laws to report sexual abuse.

Democrats are exultant that Donald Trump had to reverse his policy of separating immigrant families at the border. And there is good reason to celebrate: The policy was mean-spirited and unnecessary. But I do wonder whether this episode will prove to be as damaging to the president as liberals think. With this tussle, Trump sent a clear reminder to his supporters of one simple thing -- that he is willing to get tough on immigration. The president's cruelty made it easy to oppose his policy. But in their delight at the Trump administration's latest misstep, Democrats may be walking into a trap. The larger question is surely: Should the country enforce its immigration laws or, if circumvented, should we just give up? According to a UN report, last year the U.S. became the world's leading destination for asylum seekers, with a 44 percent increase of Central Americans, who comprised almost half the total at about 140,000. David Frum suggests in The Atlantic that most of these people are probably coming to escape poverty rather than violence (which has been declining), and that many hope bringing children will help them avoid punishment. That's why, when asked in 2014 about the tens of thousands of unaccompanied children who had come to the border, Hillary Clinton responded, "We have to send a clear message: Just because your child gets across the border, that doesn't mean the child gets to stay. We don't want to send a message that's contrary to our laws or will encourage more children to make that dangerous journey." Immigration has become an issue that motivates a large group of Americans passionately, perhaps like no other. Some of this might be rooted in racism. But it also represents a kind of heightened nationalism. In an era of rampant globalization, people want to believe that they still maintain some sense of stability and control. Nationalism has been around for centuries, but it is now, in a sense, the last doctrine standing. The great story of the 20th century was the loss of faith. Between the ascendance of science, socialism and secularism, people lost their trust in the dogmas and duties of religion. But this didn't change the reality that they wanted something they could believe in, something with which they could have a deep, emotional bond. Nationalism has increasingly become that substitute for many on the right, being endowed with a strong and almost mystical attachment. For many on the left, by contrast, nationalism is more of an irrational affinity for a group of people with whom one shares an arbitrary border. Why should, say, a devout Catholic in New Hampshire feel a closer connection to a radical atheist who lives 2,500 miles away in California compared to a fellow Catholic a few hundred miles away in Canada? But such has been the power of nationalism that it continues to move people to great acts of courage, loyalty, cruelty and hatred. Immigration has become the litmus test of nationalism, perhaps because other sources have faded or become politically unmentionable. There was a time when nationalism was deeply intertwined in many corners of the globe with religion or ethnicity. And it would be described in those terms openly and proudly. But as Western societies became more diverse, and as minority groups within them asserted their own identities, it became more difficult to define nationalism by those older ingredients. So what remains? How does one define a nation? For Americans, political ideas and ideology have always been at the heart. That is why being a communist could be thought of as "un-American." But beyond ideology, there has also been, even in America, a more emotional conception of the nation. And immigration has become a proxy for that gut feeling -- the sense that the country must be able to define itself, choose whom it will allow to come in, and privilege its citizens over foreigners. The solutions to America's broken immigration system are complicated. But Democrats would do well to remember plain symbolism as well, something Bill Clinton and Barack Obama never forgot, which is why their rhetoric and actions on immigration were often far more centrist than those of many current Democratic leaders. In politics, people recall a few simple things. To illustrate that point, a pollster in the 1980s once told me a story. A focus group asked a man whom he would vote for, Ronald Reagan or his Democratic opponent, Walter Mondale. "Reagan," the man said. "Mondale is a communist." The pollster explained that this wasn't true. The man replied, "Well, maybe. I'll still vote for Reagan. One thing I know, no one's ever thought he was a communist!" Donald Trump might have lost this round. But no one will ever think he's soft on illegal immigration. Fareed Zakaria hosts CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS," and makes regular appearances on shows such as ABC's "This Week" and NBC's "Meet The Press." He has been an editor at large Time magazine since 2010, and spent 10 years overseeing Newsweek's foreign editions. He is a Washington Post (and internationally syndicated) columnist. He is author of "The Post-American World." For more of Fareed Zakaria's reports, Go Here Now .

Democrats are exultant that Donald Trump had to reverse his policy of separating immigrant families at the border.

One woman went out partying alone one night after an argument with her husband. After a little too much to drink, she woke up in her own bed the next morning and felt something wasn't right. She told her husband she thought she might have been sexually assaulted while she was out. He encouraged her to report it to authorities. After an investigation concluded she was raped, a DNA test led investigators to the culprit: her husband. The 35-year-old man from the U.K. was arrested and is facing criminal charges after DNA tests show he allegedly raped his own wife while she was incapacitated. The woman had gone out drinking and couldn't remember much from the night before, but she had signs that she had been violated and she didn't know by whom. According to the investigators, the husband got a call about his wife late at night when she was in a drunken stupor. He was asked to come and pick her up, which he did. He brought her home, but instead of just putting her to bed, he forced himself on her while she was unconscious. Their children were sleeping in the next room. "In your evidence to the court and in your interview with police, you said she was very drunk, barely coherent and had trouble talking," said the judge. "You drove her home and the inevitable conclusion of the jury was you then raped her while she was unable to consent, as a result of the alcohol she had consumed." The husband was sentenced to seven years in jail for the offense and has to register as a sex offender for life. The judge also issued a restraining order against him and he's not allowed to contact his wife. The victim told the court when she learned her husband was her rapist she felt utterly betrayed by the person she trusted most. "She described the total and utter shock upon finding out the person responsible was you, her husband," the judge said to the man while sentencing him. "Your marriage has broken down as a result and she had to move out of the home you shared together." Many dismiss marital rape as though it weren't a real issue, but it happens. One woman's life came crashing down around her when her husband left his phone at home one day. She went through it and found photos of him having sex with her while she was unconscious. The woman had been suffering from exhaustion and poor sleep, and on a couple occasions she woke up with a bitter taste in her mouth, or a partially dissolved pill that she didn't remember taking. She discovered that her husband was drugging her and raping her while she was out. When someone has sex with another person without their consent, it's sexual assault whether they have a marriage license or not. Source: Daily Mail Photos: Katarzyna Bialasiewicz/123RF Stock Photo, DoD/Fred W. Baker III Generic Photo, Twitter

The 35-year-old man from the U.K. was arrested and is facing criminal charges after DNA tests show he allegedly raped his own wife while she was incapacitated.

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." --Thomas Watson, president of IBM, 1943.Sometimes the future is beyond even a CEO's power of imagination. Sales of personal computers, tablets and smart phones worldwide in the year 2014 topped 2.4 billion, with 88 percent of sales attributable to tablets and smart phones. 2014 was a great year for liberals. Marriage equality is sweeping across the nation, the federal courts now have a majority of liberal jurists, America's foreign policy is being reshaped in Obama's image, and both red and blue states voted to choose if they wanted to legalize a plant. Democrats may have lost the Senate, but their priorities surely won in 2014. The American economy is taking off and not looking back. The Labor Department reported that 321,000 jobs were added in November and also reported that last month saw the biggest gain in hourly wages since June of 2013. It's standard in today's American workplace to work 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week. But did you ever wonder where they came up with those numbers in the first place? The short answer, labor unions lobbied Congress for decades until The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt. In the last two State of the Union addresses by President Barack Obama, the raising of the minimum wage has been brought up. Obama urged the nation to vote on and be in support of proposed legislation that would raise the minimum wage from the national level that it is now at $7.25/hour to a more reasonable sum of $9.00/hr in his 2013 address, and $10.00/hour in his 2014 address. The question, "Is trade good for America?" may seem a little trite to some, but in watching and listening to the heated rhetoric on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement, it is a question that one might ask to gauge how much the public has become so polarized on this issue.

Sometimes the future is beyond even a CEO's power of imagination.

It was April of 1974. A popular folk song serving as a secret signal to the captains in Portugal's Armed Forces Movement (MFA) played on Lisbon's Radio Renascenca. Units of the army in and near Lisbon had been scheduled to go out for ordinary maneuvers. Now everything changed. Spurred on by the growing war weariness of their troops, the growing weakness of the police-state regime, the inability of Portugal to win the war against the liberation movements in its African colonies and the growing international isolation of Portugal, the captains acted. They had kept their plans secret from the soldiers they commanded. With troops already in their trucks, they read the new orders: Seize the capital, arrest the government and throw out the fascist gang ruling Portugal. The rank-and-file soldiers, surprised but ecstatic, carried out the new orders, hoping this action might end the wars in Portugal's African colonies. Each blow struck by the liberation fighters in Africa had weakened the fascist regime in Lisbon. Each strike by Portuguese workers or desertion by Portuguese soldiers boosted the revolutions in the colonies. In Portugal itself, a revolt in the armed forces facilitated overturning the regime. On April 25, 1974, the Armed Forces Movement quickly ended the 48-year-old fascist police state. Still influenced by old habits of respect for power, however, the Portuguese captains politely arrested President Marcelo Caetano and the rest of the top government leaders and later exiled them to Brazil. They replaced the Caetano gang with a military junta led by Gen. Antonio de Spinola. This officer differed with other fascist generals only because he believed the war was unwinnable. Spinola urged Portugal's rulers to instead work out a neocolonial relationship with the African colonies, much as French imperialism had done in West Africa. Despite this deceptively mild beginning, April 25 was no simple replacement of the palace guard. Emboldened by the coup, masses of workers took over the streets, cheered the soldiers and for the next 18 months pressed the revolution forward. Television news in the days following April 25 showed groups of workers surrounding and roughing up some individuals. Workers and revolutionaries recognized their former torturers from the notorious PIDE, the Portuguese political police, and dispensed justice. Defying Spinola's commands to leave the prisoners in the jails, the crowds, with the support of the troops, emptied the prisons of revolutionaries and anti-fascists while putting the PIDE thugs behind bars. By May Day -- six days later -- hundreds of members of the Portuguese Communist Party and other revolutionary groups were out of prison or back from exile to organize and agitate in the factories, farms and streets in Portugal. African liberation movement The armed struggles in Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau/Cape Verde and Angola seeking liberation from Portuguese colonialism had undermined the army and made the April 25 Revolution possible. The African battles had opened on Feb. 4, 1961, when Angolan freedom fighters stormed a prison to free their comrades. As the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola sang in its hymn, "The heroes broke the chains." One of the great African Marxists, Amilcar Cabral, was the leader of the liberation struggle in Guinea-Bissau/Cape Verde, Portugal's smallest African colony. Cabral organized a popular army to fight for the freedom of a million people; in a dozen years of people's war, this army had liberated large parts of this small territory and set up a new government. Despite his other priorities organizing a people's war, Cabral knew how important it was to reach out to the soldiers in the colonial army. His organization, the African People's Independence Party of Guinea and Cape Verde, even as they fought the Portuguese, arms in hand, also made an appeal to the draftees. In a 1963 leaflet, Cabral made it clear the liberation forces would win, and those opposing liberation might well die, but he added: "Be courageous, refuse to fight our people! Follow the example of your courageous comrades who refused to fight on our land, who revolted against the criminal orders of your leaders, who cooperate with our party or who abandoned the colonial army and found in our midst the best reception and fraternal aid."* In a blow that robbed the world's oppressed peoples and workers of a great leader, PIDE agents assassinated Cabral in Conakry, Guinea, in 1973. But even this setback failed to stop the liberation struggle. From tiny Guinea-Bissau/Cape Verde, as well as in much larger Angola and Mozambique, the liberation struggles left their mark on Portugal's army. And the Armed Forces Movement brought the war home. Soldier resistance develops In a report to the PCP Central Committee in April 1964, PCP Secretary Gen. Alvaro Cunhal described how the liberation war of the colonial people interacted with the struggle against fascism inside Portugal: "The resistance of the soldiers against the colonial war is not only one of the most brilliant examples of solidarity of the Portuguese people with the colonial peoples. It is also a new element in the struggle against the fascist dictatorship, an index of the weakened state of the fascist state apparatus, of the radicalization of the politics of the popular masses and the combat readiness of the youth. ... "The Angola war gave new reasons for the development and generalization of the struggle of the soldiers. Given the fascist discipline and the political spying that existed in the armed forces, even if only a half dozen mass actions had taken place against the fascist policies, this would have been enough to represent a strong sign of resistance of the people and the youth to the fascist policies and the colonial war. But it wasn't only a half dozen. In the last three years [before 1964], hundreds of struggles of the soldiers have taken place. "There was also resistance to being sent to the colonies, including work stoppages in the military quarters and barracks, on ships and military hospitals. ... Desertions reached a significant volume. ... "Sometimes the insubordinations were accompanied by small acts of violence. The soldiers burned their cots or broke windows in their barracks or destroyed the furniture. "The struggle of the Portuguese people against the colonial war reached the colonies themselves. Risking their lives, many soldiers refused to leave for the front or to participate in atrocities. Pilots refused to carry out bombings with napalm or did them off-target. Officers and soldiers organized resistance. Others deserted right on the field of battle." The long war forced small Portugal to triple the size of its armed forces to 210,000 troops and finally provoked the Armed Forces Movement to turn the guns around. This in turn unleashed a countrywide class struggle of workers against their exploiters inside Portugal. Counterrevolution drives revolution In the year following April 1974, two major confrontations between the revolutionary workers and the Spinola grouping took place, first in September 1974, when masses of workers mobilized to stop a reactionary demonstration, and then the following March. They both took the form of defense of the revolution from counterrevolutionary actions. On March 11, 1975, Spinola, working with reactionary forces inside and outside Portugal, attempted a military coup. But again there was a rebellion of the rank-and-file troops. The coup failed when the paratroopers sent to punish revolutionary soldiers instead fraternized with and joined them. Spinola fled Portugal for Spain. The MFA purged the most reactionary officers. The biggest advances for the workers were written into law in the months after this failed coup. Overseas, the liberation movements continued their struggles. By Sept. 15, 1974, Guinea-Bissau/Cape Verde was independent. The following year Angola and Mozambique won their freedom from Portugal. Even East Timor, half of an island in the Indian Ocean, won a short-lived independence in November 1975, but was soon occupied by Indonesia. In Portugal, there was reinstatement of rights to unions and nationalization of factories, banks and much of the media, plus a wide-reaching agricultural reform that gave legal rights to land seizures by agricultural workers and established collective farms. Begun by actions of workers and other collectives, nearly all these steps were codified under the governments headed by Prime Minister Vasco Goncalves, himself a colonel and leader of the MFA. Goncalves was promoted to general in 1975. Faced with homegrown reaction and U.S.-NATO intervention, the Portuguese movement fell short of completing a workers' revolution, such as had taken place in Russia in 1917. By the fall of 1975, a more rightist grouping of officers gained control of the MFA and removed progressive elements from the government. The rightists began eroding the revolutionary gains, a process that has continued until today, when the Portuguese working class faces a new crisis. Comparison with GI resistance Despite differences with the political situation in the United States, the Portuguese revolutionaries' experience of organizing in the military during a colonial war had many similarities with that of the American Servicemen's Union and among dissident GIs in general during the war against Vietnam. In an analogous way to the Portuguese experience, the Vietnamese liberation fighters sparked revolutionary feelings among some U.S. GIs, as did the Black Liberation Movement at home. U.S. troops' resistance during the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1973 mirrored the early forms of resistance among the Portuguese troops during the colonial wars that Cunhal described. Also, in the 1960s and early 1970s, the Portuguese Communists had a conscious and worked-out approach to the soldiers with the goal of winning the troops to the revolutionary struggle both to sabotage the colonial war and to overthrow the fascist dictatorship. In the U.S., Workers World Party's goal, shared by the leading ASU organizers, was to break the chain of command in the U.S. Armed Forces so that the U.S. could neither wage imperialist war abroad nor repress workers' struggles or rebellions in oppressed communities at home. In 1969, some top U.S. generals requested that the U.S. raise the troop level from 540,000 to one million. Instead, the U.S. administration chose to begin withdrawing troops, relying on airpower and on building a puppet army. This strategy could not prevent an eventual Vietnamese victory, but it did decrease tensions inside the U.S. military. Lisbon's rulers, by trying to win the wars in Africa with Portuguese troops, instead provoked the April Revolution. *Quoted from "Collected Works of Amilcar Cabral (vol. II)/Unity and Struggle/Revolutionary Practice," Seara Nova, Lisbon, 1977. This and the Cunhal quote, which is from "Path to Victory," pages 191-193, are reproduced at greater length in Catalinotto's forthcoming book, "Turn the Guns Around: Mutinies, Soldier Revolts and Revolutions." Also ...

A popular folk song serving as a secret signal to the captains in Portugal's Armed Forces Movement (MFA) played on Lisbon's Radio Renascenca.

The award-winning author aunt of an LSD abuser and her family are in the act of pushing what may be the most arrogant and stupid petition ever authored against law enforcement in California history... and that's saying something. Carina Hoang, author of Boat People: Personal stories from the Vietnam Exodus , is pushing for something her family called "Luke's Law," a concept so moronic that it's almost impossible to believe they're sincere. But sincere they most certainly are . It's understandable that any mother who has lost a child would wish for a magic wand, something that could make the emotional nightmare go away. I have had no words to ease her pain or to make sense of Luke's death. My sister found her magic wand in the form of Luke's Law. She wants legislation that would change police practices to prevent the wrongful death of children under 21. My sister wants officers to shoot to disarm, not shoot to kill. She has called for the sheriff's department to be more accountable for the actions of its officers -- a change that would protect not only kids under 21, but also those suffering from mental illness like Arlt. Her message to everyone: "All lives matter, my son's life matters." Our family and a group of community supporters are preparing a Luke's Law petition, and we're confident that we'll get the signatures needed for a referendum. Within days of Luke's shooting, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office released the body cam footage in the name of transparency. The 16-minute video has been posted on YouTube and Facebook for the world to see, including all of Luke's teenage friends. But instead of answering questions, the video has raised even more: Why were 11 police officers and a K-9 present to deal with one boy? Why did they shoot him with a semiautomatic weapon, and why did they act so hastily? After he was already on the ground and wounded, why did they release the K-9 to attack the boy again? Why did they handcuff him after he was shot? And why did they lay him face down while trying to address his chest wound? Hoang's screed shows a depth and breadth of arrogance, ignorance, and contemptuous bile that I find hard to put into words. Last month we told you about the great lengths law enforcement officers went to in Santa Cruz (CA) while trying to take Hoang's nephew Lucas Smith into custody. Smith had gotten high on LSD, became combative, and repeatedly stabbed his father and uncle . A 15-year-old on LSD stabbed his father and uncle multiple times early Saturday morning in Corralitos (CA), leading to officers from two departments and deputies from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department to try to take him into custody. Luke Smith was still armed with a knife with a 4'' blade as officers tried to negotiate with him, then used an array of less lethals against him including multiple baton rounds from a 40mm launcher and several taser deployments, along with the deployment of a K-9. Smith was un-phased by the dog, the half-dozen baton rounds, or either taser strike, and raised his knife arm towards one of the officers attempting to take him into custody, leading one of the officers to fire a single shot from an AR-15 patrol rifle to defend his fellow officer. The 16-minute body camera footage from officers show that officers desperately tried to help Luke Smith. Let's go through this entire event again in detail, shall we ? Officers attempted to get him to drop the knife and warned him to keep his distance when he got too close with the knife still in his hand. They then used baton rounds from a 40mm launcher--which feels roughly like getting hit with a fastball--to try to get him to stop his advance and drop the knife. It only worked temporarily. A total of six baton rounds were fired at Smith, one even striking his knife hand, and he shrugged them all off. Twice tasers were deployed, and they had no effect. Even the K-9, Kato, had no effect on Smith due to the LSD. When Smith raised his knife towards an officer, Deputy Vigil fired one shot center mass to stop the threat. When Smith wilted to the ground, he did not fire any additional rounds. Officers on the scene tried their best to help Smith, but there isn't a whole heck of a lot they can do when a .223 bullet hits a human body at approximately 2,900 feet per second from a range of just feet and fragments in the chest cavity. It's very sad that Luke Smith chose to abuse drugs. It's horrific that he became incredibly violent and attacked three people, stabbing two of them multiple times. It's infuriating that the LSD's effect on this teen was so strong that attempts to use logic, and reason and eight attempts at less lethals and two attempts at using a K-9 to take him into custody failed. It was not the intention of any of these officers when they went on shift Saturday night to take a life, and the video from their body cameras makes it very clear that they were doing all they could to try to take a dangerously violent young man into custody peacefully. In the end, Deputy Vigil was forced to fire to protect a fellow officer when he perceived that Luke Smith was about to stab his third victim of the night. It's a sad chain of events, but responsibility for Luke Smith's death lies with his decision to abuse powerful mind-altering drugs. Luke Smith's death is very, very sad. It is also 100% completely his fault. Carina Hoang's smug, self-important and ignorant rant doesn't hold Smith responsible for his role in willfully abusing drugs, nearly murdering two family members, refusing to drop his weapon, or attempting to kill a law enforcement officer. Instead Hoang asserts that police are bloodthirsty, that officers looked for an excuse to shoot him, that they enjoyed tormenting him after he was shot, and then made sure he died. It is nothing more or less than a poorly-veiled blood libel. Let's look inside her hateful, ignorant mind again. My sister found her magic wand in the form of Luke's Law. She wants legislation that would change police practices to prevent the wrongful death of children under 21. My sister wants officers to shoot to disarm, not shoot to kill. Congratulations, genius. They've only been doing that for a century. Law enforcement officers in the United States are not taught to shoot to kill. Law enforcement officers in the United States are taught to shoot to stop the threat. That means that officers only fire their guns if they encounter a imminent deadly force threat from a suspect, they only fire while a suspect is acting as a deadly force threat, and they stop firing the moment they perceive that the deadly force threat from the suspect has stopped. You'll note that nothing in there refers to killing a suspect, or even wounding one, only ending the threat. If a police officer is forced to fire on a suspect acting as a deadly force threat, the officer misses, and the suspect stops acting as a deadly force threat, that's considered a good day. The firearms training officer may not be happy (because that bullet went on to hit something when it missed the suspect), but the goal is to end the threatening behavior, not the suspect's life. Likewise, it's considered a "win" if the officer causes the suspect to stop the attack by only wounding a suspect. It is not the officer's intent to kill. It is the officer's intent to stop the deadly force threat posed by the suspect's chosen actions. What the clueless and uninformed Ms. Houng doesn't grasp is that police aren't trying to kill, they're attempting to stop a suspect's attempt to use deadly force against the officer, another officer, or a member of the public. Another thing Houng clearly doesn't grasp is why officers aim where they do on targets, which is the center of exposed mass, as shown in the common B-27 target, or any of the other targets used by California law enforcement agencies . The goal of shooting at the center of exposed mass accomplishes three things: It increases the likelihood of hitting the suspect somewhere and stopping the deadly force threat. It reduces the risk of a bullet completely missing the deadly force threat and going downrange to strike an innocent bystander. It increases the likelihood of taking the suspect out of the fight, meaning the officer has to fire fewer rounds at the suspect, reducing the threat of additional injury or death for the suspect and other people downrange. Let's look at the LMS Defense LMSD-2 target to explain why Houng's "shoot to disarm" demand is so asinine. The LMSD-2 features an assailant with an upraised knife. You'll note that there are two faint white target areas, a large circle in center of the chest, and a smaller oval covering the suspect's eyes and nose area in the center of the suspect's face that is a secondary target if the chest shots are ineffective (suspects sometimes wear body armor, are on drugs and don't feel the shots to the chest, or are simply determined to carry out their attack even if mortally wounded). You do not see any circles around the knife suggesting it is a target. For that matter, no general law enforcement targets I've encountered show legs, arms, hands, or feet as targets. It's almost like there's some rational thought behind more than a century of standardized police firearms training. What could those reasons be for not shooting at arms and legs and hands and feet? in the real world, a suspect's arms and legs are in almost constant motion, and are often obscured behind cover or concealment. You cannot hit a moving target, or one you can't see. arms, legs, hands and feet are not only moving targets, but much smaller targets, scant inches across in many instances. They're much harder to hit. arms, legs, hands and feet do do a lousy job of slowing, much less stopping bullets, even when they strike bone. shots to the arms and legs can be just as fatal, just as quickly, as shots to the chest, which we've demonstrated on numerous occasions . Put in the simplest possible terms, an officer shooting at a knife or gun or the hand and arm holding it aren't likely to make a hit. Even if they do, that bullet is likely to exit and keep going downrange until it hits something or someone. Perhaps shooting a dog-walker down the block or a pre-schooler having dinner six blocks away in his home is acceptable to Carina Hoang, but it isn't acceptable to law-abiding citizens, or to law enforcement officers. Their goal is to keep the bullets they're forced to fire in the body of the deadly force threat so it does not endanger others. That means shooting center of exposed mass. Every time an officer misses and is forced to shoot again, that's also another bullet that is going to hit something. Houng and the Smiths, who appear to have picked up their knowledge of firearms from Hollywood, clearly haven't given that the slightest bit of thought. She has called for the sheriff's department to be more accountable for the actions of its officers -- a change that would protect not only kids under 21, but also those suffering from mental illness like Arlt. Her message to everyone: "All lives matter, my son's life matters." Despite Carina Hoang's obvious ignorance and hatred of police, law enforcement trains to shoot to stop the threat, not to kill, because they (like most gun owners) believe that life matters. Unfortunately, people under 21 are willfully involved in violent crimes. Being mentally ill did not make the perpetrators of the mass killings at Sandy Hook, or Virginia Tech, or the movie theater in Aurora any less capable of being incredibly lethal. The mentally ill murder the innocent with disturbing regularity, and there's an argument to make that sane people rarely kill. Our family and a group of community supporters are preparing a Luke's Law petition, and we're confident that we'll get the signatures needed for a referendum. Your referendum, ma'am, is short-sighted, ego-centric, and deadly. Your referendum, ma'am, would force officers to fire more shots, posing a much greater risk to innocent people downrange because you arrogantly didn't bother to learn even the rough principles behind why all defensive shooters (law enforcement and more than 100 million other gun owners) train the way they do, and aim where they aim, in hopes of having to fire the fewest shots possible to save lives. Within days of Luke's shooting, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office released the body cam footage in the name of transparency. The 16-minute video has been posted on YouTube and Facebook for the world to see, including all of Luke's teenage friends. But instead of answering questions, the video has raised even more: Why were 11 police officers and a K-9 present to deal with one boy? That "one boy" high on LSD was the most active threat in the city at the time, having twice attempted the murder of his own family members just a short time before, and posing a clear homicide threat to any random citizen who cross his drug-fueled path. Again, Houng completely minimizes the deadly force Smith had already used, and the threat he posed to the law-abiding citizens nearby. Why did they shoot him with a semiautomatic weapon ... Because this is the 21st century, and almost all firearms used by police are semi-automatic? I'm guessing that Houng, in her ignorance, thinks "semi-automatic" means "machine gun." After all, she's clearly not done the least bit of research. No that it made a single bit of a difference in this case. When the taser failed (twice) and the 40mm sponge rounds failed (six times) and the K-9 unit failed to make him stop, the officer fired one time. Just one time. A single bullet. Would it have made you happier, Ms. Houng, if Luke had been shot in the chest with a .69-caliber musket ball weighing 480 grains instead of a single .223 rifle bullet weighing 77 grains or less? and why did they act so hastily? "Hastily?" You call the numerous attempts to reason with your dangerous, stab-happy nephew, the numerous attempts (eight in all) to use less-lethal force to force him to stop advancing on officers while he was armed, the risk of a K-9, and the risks officers took to reach and and remove the knife he refused to give up even after being shot "hasty?" After he was already on the ground and wounded, why did they release the K-9 to attack the boy again? Because, as the video plainly sees and as the officers yell repeatedly, your nephew refused to drop the weapon that he'd already used to stab two of his own family members and attempted to use to stab a police officer (which is why he was shot). Why did they handcuff him after he was shot? It's standard police procedure, which you and your family were no doubt told, and which you would know on your own if you had done the least bit of research on the subject. And why did they lay him face down while trying to address his chest wound? Again, if you had bothered to do the slightest bit of research or asked questions before beginning your rant, you would know that leaving a person on their back after being seriously injured increases the likelihood of that person choking to death on their own vomit at the scene should they throw up, or weeks later of aspirational pneumonia due to stomach fluids and vomit in the lungs. In trauma management classes taught to soldiers deploying overseas and increasingly to law enforcement agencies here in the United States, turning a subject so that he's facing downward is called the recovery position (below), and gives them the greatest odds of survival. Officers did what they could to keep Smith alive from the beginning of this incident until the end. Cop-hating Carina Hoang, however, sees nothing but malevolence from the beginning of the incident until it's sad conclusion. I understand that Carina Hoang is emotionally spent. I understand that she's grieving, and wants to do "something" because of her family's loss and pain. I have no sympathy, however, for her hateful assertions that officers were quick to shoot Luke Smith, when the 16-minute video so clearly shows the great efforts officers went to attempting to bring him into custody safely. I resent her assertion that officers wanted to kill Smith out of malice, and that they abused him, tormented him, and refused to provide aid when all of that is clearly and demonstrably false. Put bluntly, Carina Hoang needs to shut up. She's entirely wrong, and if she's successful in her idiotic quest, she's going to get lots of good people killed downrange of officers who are forced to try to make impossible shots against parts of the body that can't stop bullets. Author's Bio: Bob Owens Bob Owens is the Editor of BearingArms.com . Bob is a graduate of roughly 400 hours of professional firearms training classes, including square range and force-on force work with handguns and carbines. He is a past volunteer instructor with Project Appleseed. He most recently received his Vehicle Close Quarters Combat Instructor certification from Centrifuge Training, and is the author of the short e-book, So You Want to Own a Gun . He can be found on Twitter at bob_owens . https://bearingarms.com/author/bobowens-bearingarms/

Carina Hoang, author of Boat People: Personal stories from the Vietnam Exodus , is pushing for something her family called "Luke's Law," a concept so moronic that it's almost impossible to believe they're sincere.

Search our database by keyword or with the filters below. By Mark Nestmann Ever since President Obama signed the ill-conceived "Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act" (FATCA) into law in 2010, I've been warning about the death of the dollar. And I haven't been alone. The fortunes of U.S. core cities (municipalities) have varied greatly in the period of automobile domination that accelerated strongly at the end of World War II. By Alan Caruba My Father was a Certified Public Accountant and so is my older brother, now comfortably retired in Florida. I tell you this because I would be hard-pressed to balance my checkbook. Banking industry regulations have grown in number and complexity since the 2007 financial crisis, but the new regulations might not solve financial stability problems and could reduce the competitiveness of U.S. By Alex Monahan Obama to Impose Unilateral Action on CO2 Emissions A report released this week by the federal government's National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee (NCADAC) concluded, "Climate change, once considered a problem for the distant "In light of the considerable degree of slack that remains in labor markets and the continuation of inflation below the Committee's 2 percent objective, a high degree of monetary accommodation remains warranted. By Steve Stanek "Rising mortgage debt is threatening the retirement security of millions of older Americans," begins a report released today by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This is the executive summary from a new report, America's Emerging Housing Crisis, published byNational Community Renaissance, and authored by Joel Kotkin and Wendell Cox. Download the report and the supplement report below. By Consumer Financial Protection Bureau "Rising mortgage debt is threatening the retirement security of millions of older Americans," begins this report by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Gary Becker (1930-2014), part of the vaunted Chicago School of economics of the late 20thCentury, brought the paramount insight of economics to the entire spectrum of human behavior, including areas previously considered parts of sociology, psychology, During the recent recession, the federal government expanded the number of weeks an individual could receive unemployment benefits, and most states accepted the increased weeks and funding. By Eric Boehm Once is a fluke. Twice can be a coincidence. Three times is a trend. All three major credit rating agencies have issued stern warnings to Pennsylvania policymakers in advance of the coming budget season. By Wendell Cox Philadelphia was America's first large city and served as the nation's capital for all but nine months between the inauguration of George Washington as the first president in 1789 and the capital transfer to Washington, DC in 1800. Since August 2007 when the financial crisis began, the Federal Reserve has expanded its balance sheet by more than $3.4 trillion -- purchasing mortgage-backed securities and U.S. treasuries. By Benjamin Domenech What are we talking about when we talk about inequality?This is one of those examples of a term which gets thrown around in the modern media space over and over again without anyone bothering to define it. By Veronique de Rugy The charter authorizing the US Export-Import Bank, a federally owned export credit corporation, is set to expire on September 30, 2014. The recently released 10th edition of Demographia World Urban Areas provides estimated population, land area and population density for the 922 identified urban areas with more than 500,000 population. With a total population of 1. By Wendell Cox Time Magazine's Sam Frizell imagines that the American Dream has changed, in an article entitled "The New American Dream is Living in a City, Not Owning a House in the Suburbs. In 2013, the U.S. economy exported $2.271 trillion of goods and services, a $60.8 billion or 2.7 percent growth from 2012. In 2012, exports totaled $2.21 trillion, a $97.76 billion or 4.6 percent growth from 2011. By Matthew Glans High frequency trading has come under increased scrutiny since the "Flash Crash" of May 6, 2010. Reports showed high frequency trades were not the primary cause of the crash, and the causes of the Flash Crash have yet to be fully determined. A coalition of 26 public policy leaders has sent a letter to members of the Senate Banking Committee urging them to reject the latest effort to overhaul the U.S. housing-finance system, which would expand government involvement in the housing market. By Allan H. Meltzer In advance of the 2014 election, the Obama administration has drawn the political discussion away from its unpopular and flawed healthcare plan, usually called Obamacare, to bring public attention and support for increased income redistribution. There was a time when downtown Los Angeles was the commercial center of Southern California. By Larry Katzen It remains one of the greatest travesties in the history of American business: In 2001, the 85,000 employees of one of the world's largest accounting firms began losing their jobs. A proposed bill in the United States Senate would mandate all consumers have access to free annual credit scores. There is an increasing recognition - at least outside the academy, planning organization and urban core developer groups - that the spatial expansion of cities or suburbanization represents the evolving urban form of not only the United States and By Bonner R. Cohen Maryland renewable power provider Clean Currents announced it is going into bankruptcy, adding another chapter to a long line of renewable energy company failures. Company officials publicly blamed the cold winter for forcing it out of business. By Steve Stanek For many decades in most states, the auto dealers lobby has persuaded legislators to make it illegal for automakers to sell their products directly to buyers. By Nan Swift Two days before Christmas 1913, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act, creating America's latest and current central bank, the Federal Reserve System. By Tom Giovanetti You would think by now that Washington policymakers would have learned their lesson, and the last thing they'd do is reauthorize and increase the credit limit of another quasi-governmental lending agency that obligates American taxpayers behind every By Nan Swift The U.S. Senate this week moved forward with S. 2124, the "Support for the Sovereignty, Integrity, Democracy, and Economic Stability of Ukraine Act of 2014." As the name suggests, S. By Marcus Hagedorny, Fatih Karahanz, Iourii Manovski and Kurt Mitman In July 1, 2013 unemployed workers in North Carolina lost access to all federally financed unemployment benefit extensions. By John P. Cochran In a review of Diane Coyle's GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History, aptly titled "Measuring the Unmeasurable," James Grant highlights many of the difficulties involved in aggregate statistical attempts to measure economic activity. Since 2007, the amount of credit outstanding -- that is all debts public and private -- has increased a whopping $30 trillion to $100 trillion in mid-2013, according to the Bank for International Settlements. Senate Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee have agreed in principle on a plan to unwind the nearly $5 trillion Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) and to, they say, "create a mortgage insurance fund for the system to protect By James M. Taylor Climate Change Weekly #120 Global warming alarmism is padding insurers' profits, according to Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway company owns several insurance and reinsurance companies. By William Patrick A Florida family's 20-year battle to build on their own land remains unresolved, but their efforts to fight excessive government permitting costs have given property rights advocates and land developers something to cheer about. The government has announced that it will receive another multi-billion dollar "dividend" from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. By Kenric Ward Martha Boneta, a big-spirited small farmer, calls newly enacted land-use legislation in Virginia a "landmark event" that will boost agricultural entrepreneurs there.

Search our database by keyword or with the filters below. By Mark Nestmann Ever since President Obama signed the ill-conceived "Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act" (FATCA) into law in 2010, I've been warning about the death of the dollar.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today cleared another 78 districts to be incorporated under the UPA's pet Direct Cash Transfer scheme. Among the new inclusions, Congress president Sonia Gandhi's constituency Rae Bareilly, party vice president Rahul Gandhi's constituency Amethi and significantly Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's Etawah also find a place. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. PTI With Yadav's Samajwadi Party acting as the crucial life-support system for the UPA at present to continue its run at the Centre, the decision to include Etawah could be politically motivated. The 2014 Lok Sabha polls not being very far away, the inclusion of Rae Bareilly and Amethi districts of Uttar Pradesh, is seen as a much-needed impetus to the struggling Gandhis. In the first wave of the scheme, 43 districts were chosen in the country on a pilot basis on 1 January 2013 for the launch of the Direct Cash Transfer scheme. The Direct Cash Transfer scheme is aimed at cutting down corruption in the distribution of food, fuel and fertilizer subsidies for people below the poverty level. Holding a Aadhaar card is compulsory to avail this facility.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today cleared another 78 districts to be incorporated under the UPA's pet Direct Cash Transfer scheme.

NEW DELHI (AP) -- The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday she saw opportunities in developing stronger ties with India in multiple ways, especially in fighting terrorism and military cooperation. Nikki Haley said her two-day visit to India is aimed at solidifying the partnership between the two countries. Haley, the South Carolina-born daughter of Indian immigrants, told reporters in New Delhi that both countries have a willingness to strengthen their partnership. "We see those opportunities between the United States and India in a multiple level of ways. Whether it's countering terrorism ... whether it's the fact that we're going to start to work together more strongly on the military aspect. There is a lot of things that India and the U.S. have in common," she said. U.S.-India relations have generally prospered in the past decade, in part because of their shared concerns about the rise of China. Both share goals of security, free navigation, free trade and fighting militants in the Indo-Pacific region. To improve India's military capabilities, the United Sates has offered to sell it unarmed Guardian surveillance drones, aircraft carrier technologies and F-18 and F-16 fighter aircraft. Haley met with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi later Wednesday and they discussed ways to enhance India-U.S. cooperation, including on counter-terrorism, said a statement by Modi's office. The statement did not say whether Haley raised the issue of India cutting its dependence on Iranian oil following the U.S. decision to withdraw from a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Beth Baumann The Trump administration is pushing countries to completely eliminate oil imports from Iran by Nov. 4. India and South Korea, both close U.S. allies, are among the largest importers of Iranian crude oil. Following Washington's withdrawal from the Iran deal, India said it would comply with the United Nations sanctions and not any country-specific sanctions. Earlier in the day, Haley visited the majestic tomb of Mughal emperor Humayun and Save Childhood Movement, a center for rescued children run by 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi. She ends her visit to India on Thursday.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday she saw opportunities in developing stronger ties with India in multiple ways, especially in fighting terrorism and military cooperation.

The online publication finds her impressive for her ability to grab headlines, attack Wall Street, pursue Trump like a hellion, and her progressive ideology. She thinks it's crazy that people over 50 have to pay back their student loans when they are not successful. We should all pay for them. 387k Social Security recipients are struggling to pay student loans but have been diagnosed with a disability so severe they can't work. -- Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) December 23, 2016 Tim Kaine Next up is Marxist, Tim Kaine who will make a superb candidate according to Mother Jones because of his popularity in Virginia and his Progressive background. Plus he's never lost a race. If you will remember, Kaine was able to draw crowds in the single digits to his rallies and was caught in outright lies almost as much as Hillary. He's also a bad Catholic and a good Marxist. While in Honduras Tim Kaine embraced the radical interpretation of the gospel, liberation theology. That version of theology at the time was full-blown communism and is believed to have originated with the Soviets. Amy Klobucher Third is a name you probably haven't heard -- Amy Klobuchar. The Minnesota senator has sky-high approval ratings in the left-wing state and the publication thinks she is a great candidate. That's the state that elected Al Franken, a vile leftist comedian. Kirsten Gillibrand They couldn't leave out New York. Kirsten Gillibrand, senator from New York is next up. They didn't comment on her successes, which are well-hidden from us New Yorkers, but we do know that Harry Reid thinks she's the "hottest" member of Congress. He should have added the most easily manipulated. Kamala Harris, the second Barack California's leftist attorney general, Kamala Harris, is their fifth choice for presidential candidate. The fake news newspaper Washington Post thinks she might be the next Barack Obama. Harris is planning to hide the illegal alien gang database from Trump so California can protect their illegal alien gang members. Tammy Duckworth Leftist Tammy Duckworth served her country and lost both legs and she's Asian-American so of course she's high on Soros's list, coming in sixth. Cory T Booker, former Mayor of Newark New Jersey's Cory Booker is their seventh candidate because he once saved a woman in a burning building. However, Newark made no progress whatsoever while he was mayor and he has no political accomplishments except to say he's a Progressive. The New York Times found Newark still sucks after Cory Booker. Martin O'Malley Martin O'Malley is eighth and Mother Jones thinks he's viable because he's allegedly technocratically competent. He couldn't beat Bernie Sanders and says the stupidest things during debates. He doesn't think all lives matter, just black lives. As a candidate, he is truly a joke and we vote for him. Chris Murphy Chris Murphy is their number nine candidate. The Connecticut senator is horrible but not to Mother Jones. They say he is best known for his outspoken gun control advocacy in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre in his state. In June, he received substantial media attention when he spearheaded a 15-hour filibuster in support of firearms legislation. Which is exactly why he's awful. Hickenlooper drinking polluted water from the Animus River. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper made it as number ten. He's popular in a swing state. That's his claim to fame. Hopefully, they will pick him because he runs a lousy campaign. Former Barack Obama adviser David Axelrod recently declared that he "would bet everything" he owns that Michelle Obama won't run for office, but that's who came in as number eleven. They would love her to be the candidate. God help us if she runs. Michelle Obama

Former Barack Obama adviser David Axelrod recently declared that he "would bet everything" he owns that Michelle Obama won't run for office, but that's who came in as number eleven.

Newsletter - Positive Actions You Can Take This Summer By Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.popularresistance.org June 24, 2017 | Newsletter Newsletter - Positive Actions You Can Take This Summer 2017-06-24 2017-06-24 https://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2017/12/popres-shorter.png PopularResistance.Org https://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2017/06/1health3-e1500837352684-150x99.jpg 200px 200px This week, we look at some of the current struggles in the United States and ways that you can get involved this summer. Stephanie Woodward, of Rochester, NY, is removed from a sit-in at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office. CREDIT: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin Health Care Fight Heats Up This week, the Senate came out from behind closed doors to reveal the contents of their version of the American Health Care Act and were met with a firestorm of opposition. Dozens of disability rights activists protested loudly outside of Mitch McConnell's door and had to be carried away by police. The Senate legislation differs from the House bill in several ways: slower but harsher cuts to Medicaid; preventing insurers from excluding people on the basis of pre-existing conditions, but allowing states flexibility to drop coverage requirements; and smaller tax credits for the purchase of health insurance. Like the House version, the Senate bill cuts taxes on the wealthy, drops the mandate requiring people to buy insurance or pay a penalty and allows insurers to charge older people up to five times more for coverage. Pharmaceutical companies would receive an almost $3 billion per year tax break , even though they are already making high profits. The GOP bill still has a way to go before it can become law. If three Republican Senators refuse to vote for it, then it will die in the Senate. If it does pass, the House and Senate versions will most likely have to be reconciled into a single bill and voted on again. Republicans are very divided on the bill, especially those who live in states that expanded Medicaid. A few Senators offered a telling proposal - to give Medicare to every person with a pre-existing condition so that private health insurers can continue to cover the healthy and satisfy their investor's greed. Throughout the din, the call for National Improved Medicare for All continues to rise. And it's obviously having an impact because the Washington Post launched a smear campaign. Dr. Adam Gaffney responded with a dose of reality - Medicare for All is the best way to control healthcare costs and provide comprehensive health benefits to everyone. Here are a few actions that you can take this summer to build the movement for National Improved Medicare for All: 1. Join the Health Over Profit for Everyone (HOPE) campaign. 2. Put a sign in your window showing you support for National Improved Medicare for All. 3. Participate in the Call to Action for Medicare's birthday at the end of July. Waves of Action for Net Neutrality The new chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Ajit Pai, a Verizon lawyer, introduced a rule to undo net neutrality in May and the response has been huge. Almost five million people have submitted comments to the FCC so far, surpassing the four million comments in 2014. A recent poll by Politico, a corporate media outlet, shows majority support for protecting net neutrality among both Republicans and Democrats. It's no wonder Netflix reversed their position and have come out in support of net neutrality. A former head of the FCC, Michael Copps, explains why net neutrality touches on many fundamental issues from access to news to applying for a job to free speech and prisoner's rights. The current FCC comment period ends on July 17. Click here for easy step-by-step instructions on how to make a comment. And join the National Day of Action on July 12! Some groups are hosting online actions, but we want to reach beyond that. That's why we are encouraging people to hand out information at their local train stations. Click here to learn why that's relevant and how to get involved. Taking it to the Streets and the Courts Environmental and climate justice actions are happening at a frenzied pace . From uranium mining to fracking to pipelines and export terminals, people across the US are saying: "Keep it in the ground!" There is probably a climate justice campaign near you. Marylanders succeeded in banning fracking this year, but continue to face threats from fracked gas. Dominion Energy is building a fracking refinery and export terminal in Southern Maryland at Cove Point. This is driving more fracking, pipelines and compressor stations in Maryland and surrounding states. This week, after actively petitioning him for the past year, Governor Hogan denied residents' requests for a safety study for the facility. Fracking refineries can catch fire and explode. A normal buffer zone is two miles, but there is no buffer zone for this facility. There are almost 2,400 houses withing two miles. Click here to learn more and take action . Demonstrators protest the Dakota Access pipeline outside a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. (Clara Romeo / Truthdig) The fight to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline has moved into the courtroom. Lawyers are calling for a new review of the impacts of the pipeline in an open process that includes public participation. Supporters rallied outside the DC courthouse this week during one of the hearings. With the current attempts by the Trump administration to remove many environmental protections, lawyers are busy challenging changes to federal regulations on many fronts. There is also concern that investment in new infrastructure will lead to projects that are built without consideration for their environmental impact. The court room is also the site of a group of challenges to stop the use of Glyphosate, found in Monsanto's RoundUp. It is having an impact. Fewer farmers are growing GMO products. Building a New Economy A fundamental key to changing the political system is changing the economy to reduce the wealth divide, meet people's needs and empower people to be civically engaged. Sam Pizzigati of TooMuch writes that CEOs can either make products or they can do as many have done, sell off manufacturing assets (and jobs) and cut wages and benefits to produce greater profits and stock values, thereby enriching themselves at the worker's expense. Companies are also moving to greater automation when it comes to manufacturing, which is gutting middle skill jobs and pushing people into lower skill and lower paying service jobs. Workers are fighting back. In Vermont, hundreds marched on Ben and Jerry's this week to pressure them to implement the Milk with Dignity program for the farm workers. In Rojava, the community has embraced a social economy based on cooperatives, creating jobs and preventing monopolies. A large part of Rojava's economy is food production. The state of Maine took an interesting step recently when the governor signed a law allowing small food producers to sell their products directly to purchasers for home consumption or community events without regulatory oversight. We can reduce the wealth divide and provide for everyone's basic necessities. The problem is not having enough money to do it, the problem is not having access to the money. Recently, the city of Seattle and the state of Massachusetts introduced proposals to tax the rich. Seattle, the home of billionaires such as Bill Gates, is holding hearings in the city council on a wealth tax. Massachusetts will vote on a wealth tax in the 2018 election. In the mean time, we can all pull our money out of the Wall Street banks and support our local credit unions and community banks instead. Read more about that here . You can learn more about the New Economy that prioritizes the needs of people and protection of the planet at It's Our Economy . Summer time is a great time to learn more about resistance efforts and work to build alternative systems that are transformative. If you'd like to stay up to date on a daily basis, click here to sign up for the Popular Resistance Daily Digest .

Summer time is a great time to learn more about resistance efforts and work to build alternative systems that are transformative.

President Obama has acknowledged that he is in the midst of a decision making exercise brought on by the McChrystal report, saying, '"I will never rush the solemn decision of sending you [troops] into harm's way." The pause owes to General McChrystal's position in his report that, "Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term [next 12 months] -- while Afghan security capacity matures -- risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible." The strategy appears to be for militarily gaining a position of strength from which to engage the 'moderate' Taliban. Another 'surge' and 'getting the basics right' has uncertain prospects. As an innovative alternative, this article suggests a regional initiative by India and Pakistan. U.S. Marines in Helmand Province, Afghanistan (Brennan Linsley / AP) At present admittedly there appears to be little hope of such an initiative. The Indian foreign minister has said that India wants the Taliban 'eliminated'. The Pakistani interior minister has volleyed back saying India is clandestinely supporting the Taliban. The contest between the two powers finds mention in the McChrystal report as 'likely to exacerbate regional tensions and encourage Pakistani counter measures in Afghanistan and India.' Thus, even while the two are actively partnering the US, together their antipathy is contributing to the problem. Is there a case for a regional initiative in such a circumstance? An idea of Pakistani origin exists as a start point. It involves a negotiated return of the Afghan Taliban to a share of power in Kabul, in return for its moderation and promise of cutting off relations with the Al Qaeda. Since this appears to entail expansion in Pakistan's political sway in Kabul through its proxy, the Taliban, the idea requires Indian ballast in case it is to be operationalized. India may be willing to allow Pakistan greater political space, as also let up the pressure Pakistan says India is mounting through Baluchistan, in case Pakistan were to be responsive to its concerns regarding proxy war in Kashmir and in acting against the terror suspects of Mumbai 26/11. Would the Taliban bite? This appears possible if the exit strategy of the West is also on the negotiating table. The exit would be subject to 'good behavior' of the Taliban, such as its accommodation of the forces that opposed it over the "Global War on Terrorism" (GWOT). The US would not be averse to this since it is looking for a face-saving way out, one that maintains its anti-Al Qaeda goals. The Taliban can be suitably incentivized by prospects of US assistance in reconstruction of their state. Knowing that it cannot return to power otherwise and instead may face a grimmer future in case of military action entailed by the 'surge', it could avert the possibility by taking up the offer were it to be approached perhaps through Pakistani and Saudi mediators. The regional 'solution' would require blue helmets from the regional organization, the SAARC (of which Afghanistan is a member) substituting for the ISAF over its progressive drawdown and eventual departure. South Asian states are the most prominent UN peacekeeping contributing countries. The immense military power of India and Pakistan could be jointly employed to train Afghan security forces. The problem of drugs has a simple solution in opening up of traditional trading routes through Pakistan for Afghan goods to access India markets. Clearly, this is all presently wishful, being predicated on non-existent goodwill between the two protagonist states. Their rivalry is playing out as a complicating proxy war in Afghanistan. Why would they cooperate? As the Pakistani military operation in South Waziristan reaches culmination point, the counter to it played out elsewhere in Pakistan. In the high profile assaults by the Pakistani Taliban is the message of potential instability of the Pakistani state. It has walked the tightrope under Musharraf and taken on the Taliban in Swat earlier and Waziristan now. But it has reached the limit of its willingness and capacity to roll back the Pakistani Taliban-Al Qaeda combine. Doing so further would destabilize its already weak polity and economy. The attitude of the Pukhtun element that comprises 28 percent of its Army has so far been loyal and disciplined. Nevertheless, the cohesion of the nuclear armed Army cannot be chanced. This could happen in case of further military action. Military action under a surge to the north as desired by the Petraeus-McChrystal duo may result in additional pressure on Pakistan in turn to 'do more'. This would have unpredictable consequences for Pakistan, reeling as it under anti-Americanism. It is not in Indian interests to have Pakistan succumb to civil war. Such an internal rupture could make Algeria and Iraq pale in comparison, given the wider disparities, larger numbers, bigger area and greater fighting potential of the Pakistani Taliban. Therefore, both states have an interest in averting a military 'solution' to the problem. Pakistan has been sensitized by the blowback it is experiencing that the problem is one of its own creation. In order to channel its energies into nation building it would require focusing away from the regional power game with India. As part of the deal, it would be retaining a certain say in Kabul. This is seen as vital to it from point of view of contending with the unresolved issue of Durand Line as border. Therefore, it has much to gain from India letting up the pressure. India, for its part can extract Pakistani compliance with its long standing demands on anti-India terrorism. Even as Pakistan gains politically, India can retain space for its soft power in Afghanistan. The cooperation of both armies - favorably commented on as exemplary on UN missions elsewhere - under UN-SAARC aegis in Afghanistan, has potential to change the South Asian strategic paradigm. The absence of imaginative solutions has led to Obama's predicament, described by detractors as former Vice President Cheney as 'dithering'. The Nobel laureate needs a helping hand. Would the two strategic partners of the US in the region oblige please?

President Obama has acknowledged that he is in the midst of a decision making exercise brought on by the McChrystal report, saying, '"I will never rush the solemn decision of sending you [troops] into harm's way."

Suicide rates have been rising overall, but the results from this Swiss study were promising: Suicidal behavior dropped by 80 percent. Angela Fichter Jun 29, 2018 A Kentucky program trains women to advocate for their reproductive health. Ivy Brashear Jun 20, 2018 In 1988, global warming became front-page news--and 30 years later the U.S. has yet to take meaningful action. Robert Brulle Jun 19, 2018 From food assistance for the poor to subsidies for a corporate food system, the nation's next farm bill is taking shape. Shannan Lenke Stoll Jun 14, 2018 Threatened by a mining company, indigenous women in the remote highlands of Guatemala are marching, increasing productivity, and planting trees. Trina Moyles Jun 14, 2018 As feminist parents, we tell ourselves we're trying to break down the gender binary. But what's wrong with skirts and baby dolls? Anne Theriault Jun 13, 2018

In 1988, global warming became front-page news--and 30 years later the U.S. has yet to take meaningful action.

Jeff Flake--the new Senator from Arizona as of 2013, and a powerful figure in the Senate--suddenly announced that he will not seek re-election yesterday. While standing on the floor of the Senate, Flake spoke out against the lawless white nationalist hellscape that is the modern Republican Party. I encourage everyone to read the full speech , as his meaningful words are desperately needed in our time of existential crisis. However, Flake's actions did not meet the standards set by his words, as he has voted in line with Trump 91.7% of the time. Just last night, Mike Pence broke the tie to strike down a rule that would have allowed us to bring class action lawsuits against the banks. Flake was one of the votes who helped get the White House to the finish line. This is the story of every "independent" Republican congressman under Trump. They speak out publicly against him, but when they return to the halls of Congress, they revert back to being Trump's lapdogs (per FiveThirtyEight , John McCain has voted with Trump 83% of the time, Ben Sasse 91.8%, and Rand Paul 85.4%). No matter the offense, Trump must be tolerated in the name the Holy Tax Cut. You can speak out about him, but you're not allowed to stop him. Additionally, this wasn't entirely Flake's decision to make, as the polls were not on his side. RealClearPolitics has him down 26 points to his Trump-backed primary challenger as of August. Jeff Flake said that he is not seeking reelection because "I have decided that I will be better able to represent the people of Arizona and to better serve my country and my conscience by freeing myself from the political considerations that consume far too much bandwidth and would cause me to compromise far too many principles." Translation: I can't make up the 20-plus point gap without adopting Trumpian positions and tactics, so I may as well retire instead of joining or losing to these schmucks. The Republican Party was overflowing with Trumpism long before Donald Trump overtook it, which makes stunts like Bob Corker suddenly realizing that his previous support for Trump was a mistake look so hollow when compared to a similar episode from 2006 , where Corker was condemning an RNC ad that somehow still continued to run. The ad featured a scantily clad white woman winking at his black opponent, Harold E. Ford Jr, while telling him to "call me." Ford was vying to become the first African American senator since Reconstruction to represent a state in the former Confederacy. The GOP compromised its principles the moment they decided to use "law and order" to exploit racial divisions within our society--especially in the south, where a gigantic political reformation occurred seemingly overnight in the 1960s. If you need any proof that the famous Nixonian trope which helped him win an election was based in racial grievance, it was coopted by Trump. According to Gallup, Richard Nixon received 32% of votes from nonwhite Americans in his failed 1960 presidential bid. When he won in 1968, he only got 12% of the votes from this group. What happened in between was basically the Big Bang for the modern GOP. A big reason behind this dramatic change? The Southern Strategy. Lee Atwater--perhaps the most notorious southern Republican consultant of the late 20th century-- explained to Alexander Lamis, a political scientist at Case Western University what the Southern Strategy was really all about : You start out in 1954 by saying, "Nigger, nigger, nigger." By 1968 you can't say "nigger"--that hurts you, backfires. So you say stuff like, uh, forced busing, states' rights, and all that stuff, and you're getting so abstract. Now, you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is, blacks get hurt worse than whites.... "We want to cut this," is much more abstract than even the busing thing, uh, and a hell of a lot more abstract than "Nigger, nigger." the wall - Latinos the ban - Muslims Chicago - Blacks Y'all see how they've created these code words to express racism in public? -- Samuel Sinyangwe (@samswey) October 24, 2017 The entire point of the Republican Party is to gin up racial animosity to vote for politicians who will enact hyper-corporatist policies that would never be able to win an election on their own merits. That's it. The rest is just details. Richard Nixon debuted the Southern Strategy in the 1960s, coopted the segregationists who swung four states to George Wallace in 1968 into the GOP, and that has been the foundation of the party ever since. Fast-forward a half-century, and a majority of white Americans feel that they're discriminated against because of their race. A new study by Pew reveals that the GOP is largely made up of four parties, with "core conservatives" and "country first conservatives" serving as the basis of Trump's support. Per Pew: Core Conservatives, who are in many ways the most traditional group of Republicans, have an outsized influence on the GOP coalition; while they make up just 13% of the public -- and about a third (31%) of all Republicans and Republican-leaning independents -- they constitute a much larger share (43%) of politically engaged Republicans. Ninety-three percent of "the most traditional group of Republicans" approve of Trump. Eighty percent believe that "blacks who can't get ahead are responsible for their own condition." The Republican Party's brand is racial division, and the problem that "moderate" Republicans like Flake have is that the dog whistles bestowed to them by Nixon's descendants have been replaced by Trump's bullhorn. These quiet signals are supposed to signal racial enmity without overtly saying so, but they have been replaced by a confused stream of consciousness resembling Atwater's revealing rant. There's nowhere for the "small government conservatives" to hide while they pretend that cutting essential services for dark-skinned folks while slashing taxes for rich white people has no racial bias. That's not to say that principled, small government conservatives don't exist--just not in the upper echelon of the Republican Party. The patron saint of modern "small government conservatism"--Ronald Reagan--increased the national debt by 11.3% in his first term, and another 9.3% in his second. This idea that the Republicans believe wholeheartedly in small government has absolutely no basis in legislative reality, and Atwater's admission proves the true utility of those "small government" tropes carefully crafted by Republican consultants. The GOP loves big government, just their version of it. The Bush years are proof. They had total control and bought the entire store. This is not the first time I have brought up this point, nor will it be the last. My first column ever for Paste was titled "Sleep in the Bed You Made: Donald Trump is the Logical Result of the GOP's 40-Year Racial Strategy." It was maddening watching Flake's eloquent comments about Trump--as if disregard for the law and increased racial animosity somehow came out of nowhere along with our commander-in-tweet. Not to mention, the "heavens to betsy, we used to get things done in this chamber!" act that inevitably gets peddled around. This shouldn't come as a shock either. Were they around for the Obama years? Ted Cruz shut down the entire government! Ted Cruz! One look at this chart demonstrates how the number of bills passed in Congress has been on a steady decline since the 1950s. This isn't solely the fault of the GOP, but the Republican-controlled 112th Congress (2011-2012) was the least productive in history, as the GOP passed 561 bills to Obama's desk--nearly half that of the Republican-controlled Senate in the early 1980s under Reagan, and about 20% off the pace they set under Clinton when they controlled both houses into the Bush years. Congressmen like Jeff Flake have either been in denial or lying to themselves about the rot hidden in plain sight within the Republican Party. As damaging as the Louise Mensch conspiracy theory-types have been to the left, there is no liberal billion-dollar industry filled with InfoWars -type platforms. Only Republicans' grievance is powerful and plentiful enough to make subhuman hucksters like Rush Limbaugh half a billion dollars . Yes, Rush Limbaugh--a blob of expired mayonnaise who may be more painkiller than human--has made (at least) $500 million off of pissed off conservatives in his sad, pathetic life. Half a century ago, the Republican Party spun a racist tale that enamored a sizable chunk of white America, and that continues to this day. Donald Trump is simply proof of that strategy's success. Anyone who says that they're surprised by this development is either a liar or hasn't been paying attention. The modern Republican Party has always been the Party of Trump, it just took time for their King to assume the mantle. Jacob Weindling is a staff writer for Paste politics. Follow him on Twitter at @Jakeweindling .

The Republican Party's brand is racial division, and the problem that "moderate" Republicans like Flake have is that the dog whistles bestowed to them by Nixon's descendants have been replaced by Trump's bullhorn.

If you look carefully over to the right, you can see the line where I gave up dusting this table. I haven't written about a Local Option beer in more than a year, but not because they haven't rolled out anything new. The saison Walk ov Shame debuted on draft in November, and a second batch, split between kegs and 500-milliliter bottles, started shipping about a month ago. And a bottled beer is a beer I can review at home. (Another new Option beer, Exorcist!, should be on shelves within the month; in November I said it "might be the hoppiest stout I've ever tasted.") Like everything released so far under the Local Option name, Walk ov Shame was developed by owner Tony Russomanno and alumnus Noah Hopkins (he left in July and now works for Dark Matter Coffee). It's still a work in progress: the second batch, for instance, used a slightly higher fermentation temperature in an attempt to bring the esters in the beer further forward. Up till now I'd only tried the first batch, but even then I had to double-check: There's no fruit in this? Really? Walk ov Shame is one of eight Local Option beers pouring today at the bar's latest Catalina Wine Mixer (which doesn't have anything to do with wine--it's a joke from the 2008 movie Step Brothers ). There won't be any Exorcist! on tap, alas, but the 31 beers on the draft list include a staggering variety of sought-after rarities, many of them prohibitively high gravity. I'll return to that list later, but for now I'll just say that this is a good argument for flights at the Local Option. To Tony and company: If you're willing to wash all those little glasses, I bet people would pay a premium for the opportunity to range more widely among your beers without ending up in the Dark and Forgetful Place. Walk ov Shame is an unfiltered saison with a relatively modest alcohol content of 5.8 percent. I'm pretty sure I paid $4.99 for my bottle, but the guy at Andersonville Wine & Spirits razored off the price tag. Like every Local Option beer, it's brewed with 100 percent German grain. LO brand ambassador Alexi Front tells me it's fermented with a yeast similar to the proprietary strain at Fantome (surely the "Wallonian producer" referenced on the bar's website), which gives it a distinctive strawberry-yogurt note. The Local Option folks are gypsy brewers, and right now they're exclusively using the equipment at Pub Dog in Maryland--their other regular partners, Dark Horse and Against the Grain, can't spare the capacity due to ongoing construction and renovation projects. In fact 60 to 70 percent of Pub Dog's annual output consists of LO beers--the brewery benefits from the premium prices the Option can command (as compared to those for its own products). That said, Russomanno is having trouble keeping up with the demand for Local Option beers, and he's looking for new host breweries to help. Walk ov Shame definitely has some strawberry yogurt on the nose, though I can't promise I'd be wording it that way if Alexi hadn't used that phrase. It also smells like whole wheat toast with clover honey, cut peaches, and jasmine tea, with a gentle spiciness that hints at cinnamon and ginger. Maybe it's just because I hadn't had lunch yet when I took these notes (it's OK for me to drink before lunch--I'm a professional), but my mouth started watering before I'd even taken my first sip. On the tongue this beer is dry, tingly, and peppery, with lots of earthy, funky yeast flavors mingling with crackery malts. It's still plenty fruity and floral too: I get that strawberry yogurt again, and the peach flavors lean toward raspberry now, if that makes any sense. I can also taste dried fruit--mostly apricot, papaya, and unsweetened pineapple. There's a backstory here, but I'm not sure you want to know it. Now, about that label. With the weeping priest and the skull-faced fellow mopping off his private parts. (I can't help picturing a much smaller skull on the end of his business.) Alexi assures me that there's not only a backstory behind the image but also a grand narrative linking all the Local Option labels and the various characters on them. (The artist is a friend of his, vocalist Axel Widen of Swedish thrash band Zombiekrig.) Alexi told me it'd probably take him more than two hours to explain the whole thing, so I settled for a few bullet points. The skull guy is Sweet Leif (also the name of the Option's Belgian-style biere de garde with Chinese green tea). The horsepower-addicted bird of prey in the artwork for Outlawger and American Muscle is called Motorhawk, while the mulleted goat on the label of the Option's Voku Hila maibock shares the beer's name. Sweet Leif has a skull head because when he was a kid his parents took him to a Meshuggah show, where the extreme metal literally ripped his face off. His folks, presumably unnerved by his new look, gave him up to a convent to be raised by nuns. That upbringing (and a youthful exorcism, the details of which I didn't quite follow) have given Sweet Leif a kind of immunity to the depredations of corrupt clergymen. Hence the image here: the priest has attempted to have his sinful way with our hero, only to have the tables turned. The less of the ensuing scene you try to picture, the better off you'll be. Courtesy the Local Option Maybe a label schematic will be easier to parse? Other Local Option beers at tonight's event include Voku Hila, Sweet Leif, and the barrel-aged modified weizenbock La Petite Mort (subject of my very first Beer and Metal review ). Everything was tapped at 3 PM, but if you arrive early enough you might still get some of the prime nerd bait--they've got Firestone Walker's 18th-anniverary beer, Goose Island's Backyard Rye Bourbon County variant , and the Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout (which I haven't had since 2009, when I found it at Dark Lord Day ). Also on deck are the Great Divide American Sour, Half Acre's Big Hugs, Blot Out the Sun and Permanent Funeral from Three Floyds, and no fewer than seven Pipeworks beers, among them Citra Saison, Mocha Abduction, Sure Bet, and the Tired Hands collaboration Black Tuna. At 10 PM the Catalina Wine Mixer hosts a Guitar Shred Contest--the first of three qualifying rounds for a grand finale in October. Each participant gets two minutes to perform "the sickest solo possible"; to register, e-mail your name to 666 [at] localoptionbier [dot] com. All equipment is provided (though you can also bring your own guitar). Now that it's time for me to post music, I feel obligated to share Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in Step Brothers , performing "Por Ti Volare" at the original Catalina Wine Mixer. But this is Beer and Metal, so you're also getting "Bad Priest," a song released by Japanese avant-thrash band Doom on the 1988 EP Killing Field . (Exceptionally attentive readers may remember that I wrote a blog post about these guys in late 2012.) Takashi "Taka" Fujita, Koh "Pirarucu" Morota, and Jyo-ichi "Joe" Hirokawa formed Doom in 1985 in the Kanto region of Honshu, which includes greater Tokyo. The bonkers fretless bass you're hearing comes courtesy of Morota, who left the band in the early 90s and was found dead in 1999, apparently drowned. Doom split up in 2000 but reunited last year, with Fujita as the only original member still aboard. There's no new material yet as far as I can tell, but for obvious reasons this is a hard band to Google. The cigarette is a nice touch.

I haven't written about a Local Option beer in more than a year, but not because they haven't rolled out anything new.

I don't really get Rand Paul. Like, he's supposed to be the "Libertarian" Republican Senator because thinks weed should be legal and really hates the Patriot Act, but it kind of just seems like he's a run-of-the-mill Republican whose dad happens to be Ron Paul? While it's true that he's the Republican Senator most likely to disagree with Donald Trump on legislative matters according to data compiled by ProPublica and 538 , he still votes with the Trump camp 74% of the time -- vastly more than even the most Trump-friendly Democrat -- so it's not like he's some third-party maverick. Not to mention, he filed federal charges against his neighbor for tackling him off his lawnmower (Paul was apparently spraying grass clippings into the neighbor's yard), and though I'm no legal scholar, I'm pretty sure that calling the cops on your neighbor over a property dispute is the opposite of libertarianism. Anyways, Rand Paul is not a real Libertarian, but he loves pretending to be one by getting mad about silly-sounding government expenses. His favorite punching bag seems to be a years-old study by the National Institute of Health where researchers studied the sexual habits of quails on cocaine. Paul has tweeted about the study multiple times , as if a few hundred thousand bucks spent observing coked-out quail sex is somehow more offensive than allowing auto lenders to discriminate against their customers or taking away an individual's right to sue their employer (both of which, to be clear, are things Paul is in favor of, according to his voting record ).

Like, he's supposed to be the "Libertarian" Republican Senator because thinks weed should be legal and really hates the Patriot Act, but it kind of just seems like he's a run-of-the-mill Republican whose dad happens to be Ron Paul?

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A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau Jessica Ivins : A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau Kim Giles

Dirty Power's Last Stand in California? Dirty Power's Last Stand in California? In Oxnard, the largest city along California's Central Coast, an immigrant community is winning the fight against what could be the state's last fossil fuel power plant. Lucas Zucker &squarf; March 22, 2016 Existing Oxnard power plant. Photo courtesy of VLULAC (http://vclulac.org) This article originally appeared at Race, Poverty and the Environment . It would be fitting for Oxnard to be the last stand of fossil fuel power plants in California. Like so many other low-income communities of color who live in the shadow of power plants, oil refineries, and drilling sites, burdened by the nation's insatiable appetite for dirty energy, the residents of Oxnard are fighting back, pitting high-school students from farmworker families against Fortune 500 company lobbyists in a power struggle whose effects could ripple across the state. "This could be a battle over the last fossil fuel power plant in California," says Matt Vespa, senior attorney with the Sierra Club. And it's beginning to look like a battle activists might win. Oxnard is the largest city along California's Central Coast--a sweeping rural region stretching along the Pacific Ocean between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area--with an economy built on agriculture, the military, and the oil industry, dotted with beach towns and farmworker enclaves. The coastal city of 200,000 sits atop some of the most fertile soil on earth, and is bordered by the last major free-flowing river and the largest wetland habitat left in Southern California. People of color make up 85 percent of Oxnard's population (74 percent of the city is Latino), and nearly half of all adults have less than a high school education. As a low-income, predominantly immigrant community, Oxnard has long been used as the dumping ground for the Central Coast's most polluting industries. The city ranks in the top 20 percent of the most environmentally burdened communities in the state, with some parts of the city ranking within the top 10 percent, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA). Oxnard's beaches are home to three gas-fired power plants and an EPA Superfund toxic waste site. California Department of Public Health data shows that Oxnard has more students attending school in close proximity to the highest levels of toxic pesticide use than anywhere else in the state. In recent years, community members have organized to push back and demand an end to the environmental injustices facing Oxnard. In 2006, when BHP Billiton, the largest mining company in the world, proposed a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal off the coast of Oxnard, which would have run a hazardous pipeline beneath densely populated low-income residential neighborhoods--slate to be the largest source of pollution in Ventura County--more than 3,000 residents turned out for a State Lands Commission hearing to oppose the project, resulting in its rejection. The overwhelming outpouring of community voices speaking against the LNG terminal was a turning point for a city with a history of being targeted by polluters. The defeat of the LNG project came in the wake of a $13 million grant from the California Coastal Conservancy to conduct a massive environmental restoration of Oxnard's coastal wetlands. It was followed by the United States EPA putting an abandoned toxic waste site on Oxnard's beaches on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) for cleanup. For many residents, it felt like Oxnard was finally seeing a gradual dismantling of the wall of pollution and industry between the community and the ocean, and that a legacy of environmental injustice was beginning to come to an end. In 2014, NRG Energy, the largest power generation company in the United States, proposed yet another gas-fired power plant on Oxnard's coast. Burdened as they have been for decades by three fossil fuel plants along their coastline, generating power for all the surrounding cities, Oxnard residents were not surprised at being targeted once again by polluters. But this time, after nearly a decade of environmental justice awareness, they were organized and ready to fight back. The Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), which had led the protests against the LNG terminal, sprang into action, bringing together community groups and leaders to oppose the project. When outraged residents packed city hall chambers, the city council moved quickly to pass an emergency moratorium blocking any new power plants along Oxnard's coast. "The people of Oxnard will no longer just accept further industrialization of our beautiful but abused coast," said Carmen Ramirez, Oxnard's Mayor Pro Tem. "We want the same economic, recreational and aesthetic opportunities that other California coastal cities enjoy. Our future is at stake, and state agencies and private industry must respect the wishes of the people who do not want yet another power plant on Oxnard's shore." NRG immediately began to campaign furiously to undercut the staunch local opposition to the power plant. The company conducted an "astroturfing" campaign, inviting residents to a free dinner and presentation about the "new and improved" power plant, trying to persuade them to speak in support of the project at the city council meeting. NRG also ramped up contributions to local nonprofits and offered local veterans free tickets to the Ventura County Fair. They dubbed the proposed power plant "Puente" (bridge, in Spanish), as in "bridge to a better future." But above all, NRG's strategy focused on the two ancient power plants on Oxnard's beaches that they already operated. The two old power plants use an obsolete technology called "once-through cooling," which is deadly for local marine life. Both plants will have to be turned off by the year 2020 --along with seventeen other once-through cooling power plants along California's coast--following a state water board mandate . If the city refused to support NRG's plans, the company threatened to abandon both plants to rust on the reach. NRG representatives ominously pointed to Morro Bay, a town farther up the Central Coast, where the operators of a once-through cooling power plant put a padlock on the door and walked away, leaving the city unable to afford the tens of millions of dollars in cleanup costs. NRG insists that they have no legal responsibility to remove the power plants after they are shut down, even though they bought the plants after the water board ruling, knowing they would eventually have to cease operations. Oxnard residents are all too familiar with irresponsible corporations whose shareholders profit for decades and then abandon their harmful sites in the community: the city's Superfund toxic waste site is courtesy of Halaco, a metal smelter who left behind a radioactive slag heap at Ormond Beach. When the city refused to blink, NRG resorted to hardball tactics. The company withdrew its public relations staff from Oxnard and sent a letter to the California Coastal Commission, asking them to pull back funding they had granted to the city to complete its Local Coastal Plan, which set out a long-term vision for a deindustrialized and restored Oxnard coastline. Ultimately, NRG had no need to persuade Oxnard to accept the power plant. The city's vote to reject it could have been easily cast aside by two state agencies with the power to approve or deny power plants: the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the California Energy Commission (CEC). The CPUC is notoriously inaccessible, opaque, and beholden to industry. Its president was forced to resign in 2014 following a scandal around inappropriate dealings with utility giant PG&E. So Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) , represented by attorneys with the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA), challenged the power plant proposal at the state level alongside the City of Oxnard and the Sierra Club (Los Padres Chapter). Environmental justice and traditional environmental groups were armed with two maps that laid out the core of the legal argument against the NRG power plant. The first was a groundbreaking sea level rise map by the Nature Conservancy, which has several major environmental restoration projects in Ventura County, and took a special focus on mapping the impact of climate change on the Ventura County coast, especially low-lying Oxnard. The Nature Conservancy's projections showed the proposed coastal power plant directly in the path of sea level rise, with potential flooding threatening the reliability of energy for the region. The second was the Cal Enviroscreen , a first-of-its-kind environmental justice map produced by the California EPA, which mapped the nexus of environmental health hazards and vulnerable populations, confirming Oxnard's status as one of the most negatively impacted communities in the state. Utility companies in California are required to consider environmental justice when looking at proposals for new power plants to ensure that they are not concentrated in low-income communities of color, a requirement which Southern California Edison ignored when picking NRG's power plant proposal for Oxnard. Left: PUC hearing packed by community opponents to new power plant in Oxnard, July 15, 2015. Right: CAUSE protests the plant, July 15. Photos by Lucas Zucker. Both state agencies held public participation hearings in Oxnard. Hundreds of residents turned out for each, overwhelmingly speaking against the NRG power plant and stunning observers. In a low-income immigrant community like Oxnard, residents are expected to be uninformed, unengaged, and afraid to speak out. Many of the speakers were from Oxnard's predominantly Latino and politically-progressive younger generation. Dozens of local high-school and community college students showed up to oppose the project. Many of the youth, organized through local chapters of CAUSE, Future Leaders of America, and the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, also rode a midnight bus to San Francisco to speak directly to the CPUC and rally outside the agency's offices. "The Oxnard power plant exemplifies a fight where the community is demanding that the California Public Utilities Commission consider environmental justice over fossil fuels and profits," said Strela Cervas, co-director of CEJA. "Everytime we build another polluting power plant, we take a step away from the growing potential of renewable energy that can power up California. California needs to stop plugging into dirty energy and power up our communities with clean renewable energy. Local renewable energy brings health, good jobs and economic investments into communities that need it the most." The organizing efforts and legal arguments against the NRG power plant made an impact on Regina DeAngelis, the judge assigned to the case at the CPUC. In January 2016, she issued a precedent-setting proposed decision recommending that the project not be approved until the energy commission conducts further analysis of the sea level rise and the environmental justice impacts of the proposed power plant. This was the first time the CPUC had ever declined to approve a power plant based on either risks stemming from climate change or a disproportionate burden on a disadvantaged community. Because of the statewide precedent that would be set if the utility commissioners approved the judge's proposed decision, NRG and the energy and utility industry immediately pushed back hard, putting immense pressure on the commissioners to overturn DeAngelis' proposed decision and consider instead an alternate proposal by Commissioner Carla Peterman, which would approve the plant. After several postponements, the community still awaits a final decision from the commission in March. The battle over NRG's proposed plant in Oxnard has attracted such widespread attention not just for its legal significance, but also as a turning point in the state's energy future. In the midst of the CPUC's Oxnard proceeding, the California state legislature passed the historic SB350, a groundbreaking climate change policy that included a mandate for utilities in the state to achieve 50 percent of their energy from clean, renewable sources by the year 2030. This ambitious target pushes California's energy industry to ramp up the construction of a renewable energy infrastructure and brings into question the value of building another new gas-fired power plant anywhere in the state. "Clean energy resources like solar and energy storage continue to decline in cost and can provide dependable power without the health and climate impacts of gas plants," says Matt Vespa of the Sierra Club. Perhaps poetic justice will prevail, as power plants shortsightedly built along the Pacific Ocean long ago are removed in anticipation of the rising seas caused by their own emissions. Whether or not Oxnard's environmental justice activists are able defeat NRG's power plant this year, the tide seems to be turning. The question is no longer whether children growing up in Oxnard will one day see a shoreline free of smokestacks, but how long before they do. Lucas Zucker does policy research and advocacy, youth organizing, and communications for CAUSE. He was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Oakland and Ventura, CA.

In Oxnard, the largest city along California's Central Coast, an immigrant community is winning the fight against what could be the state's last fossil fuel power plant.

Irma will continue to pummel the northern Caribbean islands through late week as the massive hurricane leaves a trail of damage in its path. The Turks and Caicos Islands will experience the worst of the powerful hurricane through Thursday night as the eye of Irma tracks within miles of the islands. "Farther to the west, residents and interests in the Bahamas and eastern Cuba should closely monitor the progression of Major Hurricane Irma," AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said. The storm made a direct hit on Barbuda early Wednesday morning as a Category 5 hurricane before later making a direct hit on the islands of St. Martin, Anguilla, St. Barts and the British Virgin Islands. The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda described Barbuda as "barely habitable" on Wednesday afternoon due to the catastrophic damage left behind by Irma. A satellite loop of Hurricane Irma moving through the northern Caribbean on Thursday evening. (Image/NOAA) Hurricane Jose to threaten rain, wind across Leeward Islands following devastation from Irma Major Hurricane Irma likely to deliver destructive blow to Florida this weekend 25 years later: Hurricane Iniki still one of Hawaii's most devastating storms For previous reports of Irma's impacts in the Caribbean, click here. 8:40 p.m. AST Thursday : The Turks and Caicos are currently being hit with some of the strongest winds that they will experience from Irma as it passes by. Irma remains a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 175 mph and even stronger gusts. The strong winds will help to produce feet of storm surge that will inundate many of the coastal areas of the Turks and Caicos for several hours. Satellite imagery shows Hurricane Irma as the eye of the storm passed within miles of the Turks and Caicos Islands on Thursday evening. (Image/NOAA) 7:00 p.m. AST Thursday : Turks and Caicos are about to experience the worst of Hurricane Irma over the next several hours with the eye passing within miles of the islands. The eye may even pass directly over some of the southern-most islands. Our #TurksandCaicos team sent us this video minutes ago as they face #HurricaneIrma. Donations URGENTLY needed: https://t.co/tUEUFFBSTE pic.twitter.com/FI9Cos8Zn6 -- ADRA International (@ADRAIntl) September 7, 2017 5:30 p.m. AST Thursday : Three more fatalities have been reported in the U.S. Virgin Islands where catastrophic damage was reported. The worst of the hurricane is approaching the Turks and Caicos Islands with conditions expected to deteriorate throughout the evening. BREAKING: Officials say at least 3 people have died in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where they say Irma caused 'catastrophic' damage. -- The Associated Press (@AP) September 7, 2017 4:25 p.m. AST Thursday : Irma remains a powerful Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph. The eye of the storm is located about 65 miles north of the Dominican Republic and will gradually track northwest away from the island into Thursday night. Residents on the island will continue to experience heavy rain and gusty winds as the storm tracks closer to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Flooding rain and storm surge has caused some roads to turn to rivers while strong winds have caused some structures to collapse. hurricane irma in Santiago in the Dominican Republic #hurricaneirma2017 pic.twitter.com/IBSCUKNFNK -- yll@Ysar (@xoxo_shellyyy) September 7, 2017 A home flattened by Hurricane Irma lies in a pile in Nagua, Dominican Republic, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Irma cut a path of devastation across the northern Caribbean, leaving thousands homeless after destroying buildings and uprooting trees. Irma flooded parts of the Dominican Republic when it roared by Thursday, just off the northern coast of the island it shares with Haiti. (AP Photo/Tatiana Fernandez)

Irma will continue to pummel the northern Caribbean islands through late week as the massive hurricane leaves a trail of damage in its path.

There's been a lot of people from the Middle East caught this week on both sides of the southern border, whether in Honduras, Arizona or Texas. The worry is that Muslim terrorists are crossing the border now to test where they get caught and where they don't. As one Immigration expert says, it's likely that terrorists have already gotten through the border because the border patrol only catches a fraction of those who cross: It's just a matter of time before we get hit: FOX NEWS - Two separate reports of groups of America-bound Syrians detained below the U.S. southern border and the arrests of six other Middle Eastern men nabbed with smugglers in Arizona in recent days are raising concerns that Islamic State militants could be probing security - and stoking fears some may already be here. On Monday, five Pakistani nationals and one Afghan were nabbed in Arizona along with two suspected smugglers, a Department of Homeland Security official confirmed. Then, on Tuesday, Honduran authorities arrested five Syrians they said were headed for the U.S. with stolen or doctored Greek passports, but later said the men were college students fleeing war at home. On the same day and 1,800 miles north, two Syrian families were taken into custody at a border checkpoint in Texas. "Members of two Syrian families, two men, two women and four children, presented themselves at a port of entry in Laredo," a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman told FoxNews.com Thursday. "They were taken into custody by CBP and turned over to ICE for further processing." Although sources said it did not appear the Syrians nabbed at the U.S. border were trying to sneak in, word spread among Border Patrol agents, whose union leaders warned them to be extra vigilant. "Our agents have heard about Syrians being apprehended in the area from other federal agents," Border Patrol agent and National Border Patrol Council Local 2455 President Hector Garza told Breitbart news service, adding that the union "will be issuing an officer safety bulletin advising Border Patrol agents to exercise extra precautions as they patrol the border." On Monday, the six men from Pakistan and Afghanistan were caught after making it across the border. "U.S. Border Patrol agents in Sonoita, Ariz., apprehended five Pakistani nationals and one Afghan national Monday," a DHS spokeswoman said, adding that their identities were checked against law enforcement and national security related databases, revealing no "derogatory information." All six are in federal custody." While authorities in both the U.S. and Honduras dismissed any threat posed by the Tuesday incidents, both the U.S. southern and northern borders are ripe for exploitation by terror groups, according to immigration experts. "We know that terrorist groups look for the weakest link, or any way they can gain entry," said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for Center for Immigration Studies. "It is likely that terrorists have already managed to get through. The Border Patrol catches only a fraction of the people who try to cross illegally, perhaps 40 or 50 percent. They have already caught a number of aliens from countries associated with terrorism, but we can't be confident they have caught everyone who has tried. Comment Policy: Please read our new comment policy before making a comment. In short, please be respectful of others and do not engage in personal attacks. Otherwise we will revoke your comment privileges. WARNING: Our comment section is being blocked by ad blockers. So if you can't see it, then please disable your ad blocker and it should appear.

There's been a lot of people from the Middle East caught this week on both sides of the southern border, whether in Honduras, Arizona or Texas.

The recent sex scandals which have swept Hollywood are a good reminder that our society rarely bestows hero status on the right people. Actors, directors, pop stars and myriad other 'celebrities' adorn every newspaper, magazine and child's bedroom wall. But now more than ever it seems appropriate to ask whether or not they deserve the adulation they receive. Celebrities, including sports personalities, are invariably pursuing a career that they have always wanted to do and presumably have a proclivity for. Is there anything inherently heroic in that? I have always wanted to eat chocolate cake, and I definitely have a proclivity for it, but I doubt that would be enough to put me in line for the New Year Honours List. Ah, but these people have trained and worked tirelessly at their craft for years, sometimes decades - surely that could be considered heroic? True, but again, for whom have they done this: their loved ones, the local community, their country, or themselves? No sacrifice has been made that was not the pursuit of personal betterment and reward. Indeed other relationships, including those with their partners and children, are often sacrificed for these dreams. Is it any wonder that many of these celebrities end up being deeply unpleasant, entitled and narcissistic? For me, a true hero must make a sacrifice for someone, or something. To borrow from Hollywood for a moment, that's what makes George Bailey, James Stewart's good-guy-next-door in It's A Wonderful Life, so appealing. At every crucial moment, he puts the well-being of others before his own, sacrificing dreams of travelling the world, a career as an architect and even his honeymoon, to 'do the right thing'. Superman is another good example. The Man of Steel is a hero not because he can fly or leap tall buildings in a single bound; he's a hero because he sacrifices any hope of having a 'normal' life in exchange for a life of anonymity in pursuit of the greater good. He wouldn't be quite so noble a character if he sold his wedding to Hello! magazine and was sponsored by Nike. Aspiration and ambition are necessary for humans to achieve great things, and to have heroes as a child is normal and perhaps necessary. But if you are past the age of eighteen and still believe that the greatest person on the planet is an actor or pop star, perhaps, in the light of recent revelations, it's time to choose our heroes more wisely.

The recent sex scandals which have swept Hollywood are a good reminder that our society rarely bestows hero status on the right people.

Like midwives performing abortions, or doctors inducing labor, illegal abortion providers use misoprostol. The drug detaches the fetus from the uterus, which means its safe use depends entirely on the dosage and accompanying medical oversight. Illegal providers simply hand women pills, and the women hope for the best. For women who've been turned away from clinics , or couldn't get there in the first place, back alley providers are a last hope. As Trueman puts it, "When a woman makes a decision she's going to terminate, she's going to terminate." That's especially true for young women. According to the South African Medical Research Council's most recent youth risk behavior survey, in 2008, nearly half of girls ages 13 to 19 who had an abortion did so outside a hospital or clinic. Credit: Jake Naughton. One improvement to the abortion situation may be medical abortions. Unlike current procedures, which require several hours in a clinic and a manual "evacuation" of the uterus by trained staff, medical abortion induces termination with a combination of drugs. Women take the first drug at the hospital and the second at home, and they return to the hospital 10 to 14 days later for a checkup. Medical abortions are already an option in the Western and Eastern Cape, and three other provinces are slated to offer that option this year, with help from Ipas. Medical abortion is also a popular choice; in one province, Ipas found that more than 75 percent of women intending to terminate prefer the option. But South Africa's medical establishment has been wary. "Medical people in South Africa are not very happy about women doing things on their own," says Trueman. "But women are pretty sensible, believe it or not. And they know their bodies." For more on South Africa's barriers to abortion, read Jina Moore and Estelle Ellis's article, " In South Africa, A Liberal Abortion Law Doesn't Guarantee Access. " Credit: Jake Naughton

Medical abortions are already an option in the Western and Eastern Cape, and three other provinces are slated to offer that option this year, with help from Ipas.

AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes Marijuana plants on display at The State of Cannabis, a recent conference for growers and vendors Welcome to the Reader 's morning briefing for Wednesday, November 8, 2017. Cook County commissioner wants to add marijuana legalization referendum to March 2018 ballot Cook County commissioner John Fritchey has announced plans "to place an advisory referendum on the March 20 ballot that would allow county voters to weigh in on whether the state should legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older," according to Sun-Times . Fritchey estimates that legalizing pot could generate between $350 and $700 million in revenue for the state, and argues that it would allow the justice system to focus on more serious offenses. "It's about unclogging our criminal justice system with cases that are consistently dropped," Fritchey said. "It's about having a common-sense policy in place that recognizes that the so-called 'war on drugs' has been a failure on every front." [ Sun-Times ] Emanuel slams Trump for "pointing fingers" at Chicago again Mayor Rahm Emanuel slammed President Donald Trump for "pointing fingers" at Chicago's gun violence issues again instead of focusing on gun control measures after a devastating massacre at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, left 26 people dead. Trump used Chicago's gun laws as an example of why he refuses to support stronger gun control legislation. "The city with the strongest gun laws in our nation is Chicago," he told reporters in South Korea Tuesday. "And Chicago is a disaster, a total disaster." Despite criticizing Trump, Emanuel refused to criticize his attorney, alderman Ed Burke, who has filed a sixth lawsuit seeking bigger tax refunds for the Trump International Hotel and Tower. "The point is not about Burke. The point is where is the city as it relates to President Trump and his policies. And I couldn't have been clearer," the mayor said. [ Sun-Times ] AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, Pool President Donald Trump raises his glass for a toast during a state banquet hosted by Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe Monday. Welcome to the Reader 's morning briefing for Tuesday, November 7, 2017. Ameya Pawar slams Ed Burke for representing Trump in tax refund lawsuit Alderman Ed Burke was called a disgrace by fellow alderman and former gubernatorial candidate Ameya Pawar Monday for filing a sixth "lawsuit aimed at winning property tax refunds for the hotel and vacant retail space in the riverfront tower that bears the name of President Donald Trump," according to the Sun-Times . "Stop representing Donald Trump and his interests," he rebuked the 14th Ward alderman. "You are representing a racist and a bigot and a demagogue who wants the tax cut to further defund the institutions . . . we all represent. There are times like this when chasing the dollar--chasing every last dollar--[isn't right]. We have a moral responsibility to think about the city first." [ Sun-Times ] Chicago is close to surpassing 600 homicides for the second year in a row At 593 homicides as of Monday morning, Chicago is inching closer to reaching 600 for the second year in a row for only the second time since 2003, the Tribune reports. The only good news is that there have been fewer murders this year as compared to last; in 2016, the city had recorded 681 homicides by early November. [ Tribune ]

Cook County commissioner wants to add marijuana legalization referendum to March 2018 ballot

Crying is good for you Big girls may not want show their tears as the Four Season's classic would have us believe, but why not? While most associate weeping with weakness, the scientific truth is shedding emotional tears may be the body's way of resetting the hormonal balance so undue stress can be vented chemically - that is, actual stress hormones leaving the body by way of tears, much like sweating removes toxins - so a person can get back on track. Crying also diffuses the undue effects of pent-up stress like headaches, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and a weakened immune syndrome. Check out some surprisingly benefits of weeping as outlined by HealthLine : 1. Detoxifies the body Whereas continuous tears (those that keep the eye lubricated) contain 98 percent water, emotional tears contain stress hormones and other toxins. Researchers have theorized that crying flushes these things out of your system, though more research is needed in this area. 2. Helps self-soothe Researchers have found that crying activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The PNS helps your body rest and digest. The benefits aren't immediate, however. It may take several minutes of shedding tears before you feel the soothing effects of crying. 3. Dulls pain Crying for long periods of time releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, otherwise known as endorphins. These feel-good chemicals can help ease both physical and emotional pain. Once the endorphins are released, your body may go into somewhat of a numb stage. Oxytocin can give you a sense of calm or well-being. It's another example of how crying is a self-soothing action. 4. Improves mood When you sob, you take in many quick breaths of cool air. Breathing in cooler air can help regulate and even lower the temperature of your brain. As a result, your mood may improve after a sobbing episode. 5. Rallies support From the time you were a baby, crying has been an attachment behavior. Its function is in many ways to obtain comfort and care from others. (More on this later!) 6. Helps you recover from grief Crying is particularly important during periods of grieving. It may even help you process and accept the loss of a loved one. 7. Restores emotional balance Researchers at Yale University believe crying in this way may help to restore emotional equilibrium. When you're incredibly happy or scared about something and cry, it may be your body's way to recover from experiencing such a strong emotion. 8. Helps baby breathe The first cry is what helps a baby's lungs adapt to life in the outside world. Crying also helps babies clear out any extra fluid in the lungs, nose, and mouth. Now, prepare yourself for the big shocker that has many new parents confused, relieved, courting a shame-soaked guilt and maybe - just maybe - putting a cork in their own emotional outbreaks to get on with the business of parenting. Crying sometimes ... 9. Helps baby sleep In a small study on infant sleep, 43 participants used graduated extinction, also known as controlled crying, to put their babies down to bed. With controlled crying, babies were left to cry for a set number of minutes before intervention from their parents. The crying increased both the sleep length and reduced the number of times the infants woke during the night. Here's a quick video to give that harried parent in your life an idea of what's being proposed: Translated, that means a little crying can be a very good thing. Our bodies know what they're doing, even if at times big girls (and guys) don't. And as What To Expect reports, in the long run, "You're doing her (your baby, big or small) a favor by helping her learn to go to sleep (or deal with stress) on her own." Mud pies may be good for you Does digging in the dirt make you feel good? Kids sure like it. Gardeners, too. But hey, could be this natural pull to Mother Earth is due to a microbial agent found amid the cakey, flakey brown stuff that doubles as an anti-depressant, even as it produces fabulous flowers and an abundance of goodies to eat. Quartz Media reports, "Your garden has its own microbiome , and research suggests it's good for you. Our health depends on the flourishing microbiome in our guts - and on how much of the natural world's microbiome we let infiltrate." But for the most part, modern life precludes dirt. Antiseptic hand gels and plastic-covered everything keep us away from the messiness of life (a good and necessary thing in flu season). When the sun shines, however, and the time for contemplating that garden approaches, you may want to consider another approach. Get dirty. Or at least get connected with the reality that not all bacteria is bad for you, as explained in the short video below: "In 2004, Mary O'Brien, an oncologist at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, published a paper with unexpected results: She injected lung cancer patients with a common, harmless soil bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae, to see if it could prolong their life. M. vaccae had some success in earlier trials where it was tested for its abilities to fight drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis and boost immune system response ." Sadly, O'Brien's hopes weren't realized in the fight against lung cancer. But, and this is a biggie for anyone facing down life-threatening illness, "Her patients were happier, expressed more vitality, and better cognitive functioning - in short, it reduced the emotional toll of advanced cancer." Wow. Vitamin "B" is good for you That's beer, folks. And, while excess is to be avoided, there are health benefits associated with that amber brew that many may not know about. Take a look see at the following video to catch up on the science behind enjoying a cold one: Beer, according to New York Daily News , "make you happier ( according to science !), and a new study from the journal Scientific Reports shows it could help prevent diabetes. Xanthohumol, a key ingredient used to make beer, reduced the likelihood of insulin resistance in mice who were fed high-fat diets."

Beer, according to New York Daily News , "make you happier ( according to science !), and a new study from the journal Scientific Reports shows it could help prevent diabetes.

Above all else, Americans are hoping for the lame-duck Congress to sort out some tax issues, according to a newly released USA Today /Gallup poll . The latest survey asked respondents to rate the importance of six different issues that are being considered by Congress during its lame-duck session. The issues were: The Bush tax cuts Unemployment benefits The START treaty Legal status for illegal immigrants Allowing openly gay men and women in the military The estate tax Of those issues, the survey found Americans are most concerned with the estate tax , as 56% of respondents indicated that it was "very important" for the lame-duck Congress to pass legislation that would keep the tax "from increasing significantly next year." Respondents ranked "extending some form of the federal income tax cuts passed under George W. Bush" as the second most important issue for the lame-duck Congress, with 50% suggesting it was a very important issue. The extension of unemployment benefits was ranked as the third most important issue, as 48% of respondents deemed it a very important issue for Congress to act on. Addressing non-economic issues in a timely fashion appears to be less important to Americans, according to the findings. Forty percent of respondents stressed the importance of ratifying the START treaty with Russia, which the Obama administration is keen on passing during this lame-duck session. Only 32% believe the issue of gays in the military is a very important issue to address before year's end, and 31% of respondents see "passing legislation that would allow illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to gain legal residence status if they join the military or go to college" as an important issue of a timely nature. While these findings are considerably more narrow than a number of recent polls asking respondents about their priorities for the new Congress, this survey specifically asks about action to be taken during the lame-duck session. Other polls asking about congressional priorities have shown much less interest in the estate tax, for instance. Unsurprisingly, there is a great partisan split in the findings. While close to 70% of Republicans say extending the Bush tax cuts and preventing the return of the estate tax is very important, only half as many rate any other issue as very important. On the flip side, Democrats easily rank extending unemployment rates as their top priority to be addressed during this lame-duck session (68% says it very important), while 50% stress the importance of ratifying the START treaty and 48% express a need for Congress to act on allowing gays to openly serve in the military. The pollster concludes that "there does appear to be consensus among both parties in Congress to extend unemployment benefits and to extend the income tax cuts, though currently not enough agreement on the details of how to accomplish these." The margin of error for the survey is A+-4.0 percentage points.

Above all else, Americans are hoping for the lame-duck Congress to sort out some tax issues, according to a newly released USA Today /Gallup poll .

On Sunday, Father's Day, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) decided to pontificate about the issue of separating children of illegal immigrants from their parents at the U.S. border: Next weekend, I will be headed to South Texas with my colleagues to witness the treatment of children & families on the border firsthand. These monstrous family separation policies must be stopped. #FamiliesBelongTogether -- Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) June 17, 2018 She likely had not reckoned with Sabine Durden, a German immigrant herself, whose only child Dominic was killed by an illegal immigrant from Guatemala with a record of drunk driving convictions in 2012. Dominic worked as a 911 dispatcher at the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, also worked as a volunteer firefighter and had been given multiple awards for his service to his community. Dominic had plans to be a motorcycle patrolman. And when can I expect to see you at my house to talk about the ultimate separation I have to deal w 24/7. My only child was killed by an illegal. Crickets from u and your buddies. Votes r just more important than Americans, huh? #AmericansBeforeIllegals https://t.co/GXARzOsma7 -- Sabine (@sabine_durden) June 17, 2018 Before she went after Lee, in early June Durden had responded harshly to California Dianne Feinstein, as well: BREAKING: I've introduced our bill to keep immigrant children from being separated from their parents. 32 senators are taking a stand and making clear that we have a moral obligation to stop this horrific policy. #FamiliesBelongTogether -- Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) June 8, 2018 I am a TRUE immigrant who's only child was killed by an illegal alien in CA. Where were you? You never talked to me or made a stand against MY CHILD BEING PERMANENTLY SEPARATED FROM MEchildren deserve 2 b protected before illegals #traitor https://t.co/MWJb82DbWU -- Sabine (@sabine_durden) June 9, 2018 EXCLUSIVE: Pro-Life Professor's Hilarious Response To Being Turned Away By California University By James Barrett Jim Acosta Tweets Photo Of His One True Love, Twitter Smacks Him Down By Kassy Dillon BLOCKING THE GOSPEL: Christian Evangelist Forced To Remove Billboards Advertising His Massive Outreach Series By Hank Berrien

These monstrous family separation policies must be stopped.

Hold on there, Conway Elementary School seventh-grade flag football team. Not another step. Your logo is infringing on the intellectual property rights of Penn State University , and must be removed from all t-shirts, school binders and backpacks. Here are a team of copyright lawyers to make sure you comply. Next, our attorneys will go into the woods to make sure that no actual lions are sitting around in that copyrighted pose. Joe Paterno will personally wrestle any large felines found not in compliance. Thank you. Penn State has notified a Virginia elementary school that it must cease using its cougar logo, because it too closely resembles the Nittany Lion logo used by the university. After all, we can't have a rogue elementary school siphoning off Penn State revenue, now can we? The Collegiate Licensing Company generously allowed Conway to keep two floor mats with the image, and the school will not have to dig up a time capsule stamped with the now-restricted logo. Thank you for your kindness, Dean Wormer. One has to wonder why Conway didn't grab this opportunity to teach its students a little something about the court of public opinion. Look the Nittany Lion in the eye and tell him to go screw; think Penn State would fight it? Think of the great publicity that would generate. Gloria Allred is already sharpening her talons. Besides, look at the neck shading in the two logos. Totally different! Conway Cougar Clawed [Fredricksburg.com]

Penn State has notified a Virginia elementary school that it must cease using its cougar logo, because it too closely resembles the Nittany Lion logo used by the university.

For me, the road to This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate begins in a very specific time and place. The time was exactly ten years ago. The place was New Orleans, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The road in question was flooded and littered with bodies. Today I am posting, for the first time, the entire section on Hurricane Katrina from my last book, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism . Rereading the chapter 10 years after the events transpired, I am struck most by this fact: the same military equipment and contractors used against New Orleans' Black residents have since been used to militarize police across the United States, contributing to the epidemic of murders of unarmed Black men and women. That is one way in which the Disaster Capitalism Complex perpetuates itself and protects its lucrative market This material is free for reproduction. From the Introduction: I met Jamar Perry in September 2005, at the big Red Cross shelter in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dinner was being doled out by grinning young Scientologists, and he was standing in line. I had just been busted for talking to evacuees without a media escort and was now doing my best to blend in, a white Canadian in a sea of African-American Southerners. I dodged into the food line behind Perry and asked him to talk to me as if we were old friends, which he kindly did. Born and raised in New Orleans, he'd been out of the flooded city for a week. He looked about seventeen but told me he was twenty-three. He and his family had waited forever for the evacuation buses; when they didn't arrive, they had walked out in the baking sun. Finally they ended up here, a sprawling convention centre, normally home to pharmaceutical trade shows and "Capital City Carnage: The Ultimate in Steel Cage Fighting," now jammed with two thousand cots and a mess of angry, exhausted people being patrolled by edgy National Guard soldiers just back from Iraq. The news racing around the shelter that day was that Richard Baker, a prominent Republican Congressman from this city, had told a group of lobbyists, "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did." Joseph Canizaro, one of New Orleans' wealthiest developers, had just expressed a similar sentiment: "I think we have a clean sheet to start again. And with that clean sheet we have some very big opportunities." All that week the Louisiana State Legislature in Baton Rouge had been crawling with corporate lobbyists helping to lock in those big opportunities: lower taxes, fewer regulations, cheaper workers and a "smaller, safer city"--which in practice meant plans to level the public housing projects and replace them with condos. Hearing all the talk of "fresh starts" and "clean sheets," you could almost forget the toxic stew of rubble, chemical outflows and human remains just a few miles down the highway. Over at the shelter, Jamar could think of nothing else. "I really don't see it as cleaning up the city. What I see is that a lot of people got killed uptown. People who shouldn't have died." He was speaking quietly, but an older man in line in front of us overheard and whipped around. "What is wrong with these people in Baton Rouge? This isn't an opportunity. It's a goddamned tragedy. Are they blind?" A mother with two kids chimed in. "No, they're not blind, they're evil. They see just fine." One of those who saw opportunity in the floodwaters of New Orleans was Milton Friedman, grand guru of the movement for unfettered capitalism and the man credited with writing the rule-book for the contemporary, hyper-mobile global economy. Ninety- three years old and in failing health, "Uncle Miltie," as he was known to his followers, nonetheless found the strength to write an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal three months after the levees broke. "Most New Orleans schools are in ruins," Friedman observed, "as are the homes of the children who have attended them. The children are now scattered all over the country. This is a tragedy. It is also an opportunity to radically reform the educational system." Friedman's radical idea was that instead of spending a portion of the billions of dollars in reconstruction money on rebuilding and improving New Orleans' existing public school system, the government should provide families with vouchers, which they could spend at private institutions, many run at a profit, that would be subsidized by the state. It was crucial, Friedman wrote, that this fundamental change not be a stopgap but rather "a permanent reform." A network of right-wing think tanks seized on Friedman's proposal and descended on the city after the storm. The administration of George W. Bush backed up their plans with tens of millions of dollars to convert New Orleans schools into "charter schools," publicly funded institutions run by private entities according to their own rules. Charter schools are deeply polarizing in the United States, and nowhere more than in New Orleans, where they are seen by many African-American parents as a way of reversing the gains of the civil rights movement, which guaranteed all children the same standard of education. For Milton Friedman, however, the entire concept of a state-run school system reeked of socialism. In his view, the state's sole functions were "to protect our freedom both from the enemies outside our gates and from our fellow-citizens: to preserve law and order, to enforce private contracts, to foster competitive markets." In other words, to supply the police and the soldiers--anything else, including providing free education, was an unfair interference in the market. In sharp contrast to the glacial pace with which the levees were repaired and the electricity grid was brought back online, the auctioning-off of New Orleans' school system took place with military speed and precision. Within nineteen months, with most of the city's poor residents still in exile, New Orleans' public school system had been almost completely replaced by privately run charter schools. Before Hurricane Katrina, the school board had run 123 public schools; now it ran just 4. Before that storm, there had been 7 charter schools in the city; now there were 31. New Orleans teachers used to be represented by a strong union; now the union's contract had been shredded, and its forty-seven hundred members had all been fired. Some of the younger teachers were rehired by the charters, at reduced salaries; most were not. New Orleans was now, according to the New York Times , "the nation's preeminent laboratory for the widespread use of charter schools," while the American Enterprise Institute, a Friedmanite think tank, enthused that "Katrina accomplished in a day . . . what Louisiana school reformers couldn't do after years of trying." Public school teachers, meanwhile, watching money allocated for the victims of the flood being diverted to erase a public system and replace it with a private one, were calling Friedman's plan "an educational land grab." I call these orchestrated raids on the public sphere in the wake of catastrophic events, combined with the treatment of disasters as exciting market opportunities, "disaster capitalism." Friedman's New Orleans op-ed ended up being his last public policy recommendation; he died less than a year later, on November 16, 2006, at age ninety-four. Privatizing the school system of a mid-size American city may seem like a modest preoccupation for the man hailed as the most influential economist of the past half century, one who counted among his disciples several U.S. presidents, British prime ministers, Russian oligarchs, Polish finance ministers, Third World dictators, Chinese Communist Party secretaries, International Monetary Fund directors and the past three chiefs of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Yet his determination to exploit the crisis in New Orleans to advance a fundamentalist version of capitalism was also an oddly fitting farewell from the boundlessly energetic five-foot-two- inch professor who, in his prime, described himself as "an old-fashioned preacher delivering a Sunday sermon." For more than three decades, Friedman and his powerful followers had been perfecting this very strategy: waiting for a major crisis, then selling off pieces of the state to private players while citizens were still reeling from the shock, then quickly making the "reforms" permanent. In one of his most influential essays, Friedman articulated contemporary capitalism's core tactical nostrum, what I have come to understand as the shock doctrine. He observed that "only a crisis-- actual or perceived--produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable." Some people stockpile canned goods and water in preparation for major disasters; Friedmanites stockpile free-market ideas. And once a crisis has struck, the University of Chicago professor was convinced that it was crucial to act swiftly, to impose rapid and irreversible change before the crisis-racked society slipped back into the "tyranny of the status quo." He estimated that "a new administration has some six to nine months in which to achieve major changes; if it does not seize the opportunity to act decisively during that period, it will not have another such opportunity." A variation on Machiavelli's advice that "injuries" should be inflicted "all at once," this proved to be one of Friedman's most lasting strategic legacies. Chapter 20 DISASTER APARTHEID: A WORLD OF GREEN ZONES AND RED ZONES During the second week of September 2005, I was in New Orleans with my husband, Avi, as well as Andrew, with whom I had travelled in Iraq, shooting documentary footage in the still partially flooded city. As the nightly six o'clock curfew descended, we found ourselves driving in circles, unable to find our way. The traffic lights were out, and half the street signs had been blown over or twisted sideways by the storm. Debris and water obstructed passage along many roads, and most of the people trying to navigate the obstacles were, like us, out-of-towners with no idea where they were going. The accident was a bad one: a T-bone at full speed in the middle of a major intersection. Our car spun out into a traffic light, went through a wrought-iron fence and parked in a porch. The injuries to the people in both cars were thankfully minor, but before I knew it I was being strapped to a stretcher and driven away. Through the haze of concussion, I was aware that wherever the ambulance was going, it wouldn't be good. I had visions of the horrific scene at the makeshift health clinic at the New Orleans airport--there were so few doctors and nurses that elderly evacuees were being left unattended for hours, slumped in their wheelchairs. I thought about Charity Hospital, New Orleans' primary public emergency room, which we had passed earlier in the day. It flooded during the storm, and its staff had struggled without power to keep patients alive. I pleaded with the paramedics to let me out. I remember telling them that I was fine, really, then I must have passed out. I came to as we arrived at the most modern and calm hospital I have ever been in. Unlike the clinics crowded with evacuees, at the Ochsner Medical Center--offering "healthcare with peace of mind"--doctors, nurses and orderlies far outnumbered the patients. In fact, there seemed to be only a handful of other patients on the immaculate ward. In minutes I was settled into a spacious private room, my cuts and bruises attended to by a small army of medical staff. Three nurses immediately took me in for a neck X-ray; a genteel Southern doctor removed some glass fragments and put in a couple of stitches. To a veteran of the Canadian public health care system, these were wholly unfamiliar experiences; I usually wait for forty minutes to see my general practitioner. And this was downtown New Orleans-- ground zero of the largest public health emergency in recent U.S. history. A polite administrator came into my room and explained that "in America we pay for health care. I am so sorry, dear--it's really terrible. We wish we had your system. Just fill out this form." Within a couple of hours, I would have been free to go, were it not for the curfew that had locked down the city. "The biggest problem," a private security guard told me in the lobby where we were both biding time, "is all the junkies; they're jonesing and want to get into the pharmacy." Since the pharmacy was locked tight, a medical intern was kind enough to slip me a few painkillers. I asked him what it had been like at the hospital at the peak of the storm. "I wasn't on duty, thank God," he said. "I live outside the city." When I asked if he had gone to any of the shelters to help, he seemed taken aback by the question and a little embarrassed. "I hadn't thought of that," he said. I quickly changed the subject to what I hoped was safer ground: the fate of Charity Hospital. It was so underfunded that it was barely functioning before the storm, and people were already speculating that with the water damage it might never reopen. "They'd better reopen it," he said. "We can't treat those people here." It occurred to me that this affable young doctor, and the spa-like medical care I had just received, were the embodiment of the culture that had made the horrors of Hurricane Katrina possible, the culture that had left New Orleans' poorest residents to drown. As a graduate of a private medical school and then an intern at a private hospital, he had been trained simply not to see New Orleans' uninsured, overwhelmingly African-American residents as potential patients. That was true before the storm, and it continued to be true even when all of New Orleans turned into a giant emergency room: he had sympathy for the evacuees, but that didn't change the fact that he still could not see them as potential patients of his. When Katrina hit, the sharp divide between the worlds of Ochsner Hospital and Charity Hospital suddenly played out on the world stage. The economically secure drove out of town, checked into hotels and called their insurance companies. The 120,000 people in New Orleans without cars, who depended on the state to organize their evacuation, waited for help that did not arrive, making desperate SOS signs or rafts out of their refrigerator doors. Those images shocked the world because, even if most of us had resigned ourselves to the daily inequalities of who has access to health care and whose schools have decent equipment, there was still a widespread assumption that disasters were supposed to be different. It was taken for granted that the state--at least in a rich country--would come to the aid of the people during a cataclysmic event. The images from New Orleans showed that this general belief--that disasters are a kind of time-out for cutthroat capitalism, when we all pull together and the state switches into higher gear-- had already been abandoned, and with no public debate. There was a brief window of two or three weeks when it seemed that the drowning of New Orleans would provoke a crisis for the economic logic that had greatly exacerbated the human disaster with its relentless attacks on the public sphere. "The storm exposed the consequences of neoliberalism's lies and mystifications, in a single locale and all at once," wrote the political scientist and New Orleans native Adolph Reed Jr. The facts of this exposure are well known--from the levees that were never repaired, to the under-funded public transit system that failed, to the fact that the city's idea of disaster preparedness was passing out DVDs telling people that if a hurricane came, they should get out of town. Then there was the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a laboratory for the Bush administration's vision of government run by corporations. In the summer of 2004, more than a year before Katrina hit, the State of Louisiana put in a request to FEMA for funds to develop an in-depth contingency plan for a powerful hurricane. The request was refused. "Disaster mitigation"-- advance government measures to make the effects of disasters less devastating--was one of the programs gutted under Bush. Yet that same summer FEMA awarded a $500,000 contract to a private firm called Innovative Emergency Management. Its task was to come up with a "catastrophic hurricane disaster plan for Southeast Louisiana and the City of New Orleans." The private company spared no expense. It brought together more than a hundred experts, and when money ran out, it went back to FEMA for more; eventually the bill for the exercise doubled to $1 million. The company came up with scenarios for a mass evacuation covering everything from delivering water to instructing neighbouring communities to identify empty lots that could immediately be transformed into trailer parks for evacuees--all the sensible things that didn't happen when a hurricane like the one they were imagining actually hit. That's partly because, eight months after the contractor submitted its report, no action had been taken. "Money was not available to do the follow-up," explained Michael Brown, head of FEMA at the time. The story is typical of the lop-sided state that Bush built: a weak, underfunded, ineffective public sector on the one hand, and a parallel richly funded corporate infrastructure on the other. When it comes to paying contractors, the sky is the limit; when it comes to financing the basic functions of the state, the coffers are empty. Just as the U.S. occupation authority in Iraq turned out to be an empty shell, when Katrina hit, so did the U.S. federal government at home. In fact, it was so thoroughly absent that FEMA could not seem to locate the New Orleans superdome, where twenty-three thousand people were stranded without food or water, despite the fact that the world media had been there for days. For some free-market ideologues, this spectacle of what the New York Times columnist Paul Krugman termed "the can't do government" provoked a crisis of faith. "The collapsed levees of New Orleans will have consequences for neoconservatism just as long and deep as the collapse of the Wall in East Berlin had on Soviet Communism," wrote the repentant true believer Martin Kelly in a much-circulated essay. "Hopefully all of those who urged the ideology on, myself included, will have a long time to consider the error of our ways." Even neo-con stalwarts like Jonah Goldberg were begging "big government" to ride to the rescue: "When a city is sinking into the sea and rioting runs rampant, government probably should saddle-up." No such soul-searching was in evidence at the Heritage Foundation, where the true disciples of Friedmanism can always be found. Katrina was a tragedy, but, as Milton Friedman wrote in his Wall Street Journal op-ed, it was "also an opportunity." On September 13, 2005--fourteen days after the levees were breached--the Heritage Foundation hosted a meeting of like-minded ideologues and Republican lawmakers. They came up with a list of "Pro-Free-Market Ideas for Responding to Hurricane Katrina and High Gas Prices"--thirty-two policies in all, each one straight out of the Chicago School playbook, and all of them packaged as "hurricane relief." The first three items were "automatically suspend Davis-Bacon prevailing wage laws in disaster areas," a reference to the law that required federal contractors to pay a living wage; "make the entire affected area a flat-tax free-enterprise zone"; and "make the entire region an economic competitiveness zone (comprehensive tax incentives and waiving of regulations)." Another demand called for giving parents vouchers to use at charter schools. All these measures were announced by President Bush within the week. He was eventually forced to reinstate the labour standards, though they were largely ignored by contractors. The meeting produced more ideas that gained presidential support. Climate scientists have directly linked the increased intensity of hurricanes to warming ocean temperatures. This connection, however, didn't stop the working group at the Heritage Foundation from calling on Congress to repeal environmental regulations on the Gulf Coast, give permission for new oil refineries in the United States and green-light "drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." All these measures would increase greenhouse gas emissions, the major human contributor to climate change, yet they were immediately championed by the president under the guise of responding to the Katrina disaster. Within weeks, the Gulf Coast became a domestic laboratory for the same kind of government-run-by-contractors that had been pioneered in Iraq. The companies that snatched up the biggest contracts were the familiar Baghdad gang: Halliburton's KBR unit had a $60 million gig to reconstruct military bases along the coast. Blackwater was hired to protect FEMA employees from looters. Parsons, infamous for its sloppy Iraq work, was brought in for a major bridge construction project in Mississippi. Fluor, Shaw, Bechtel, CH2M Hill--all top contractors in Iraq--were hired by the government to provide mobile homes to evacuees just ten days after the levees broke. Their contracts ended up totalling $3.4 billion, no open bidding required. As many remarked at the time, within days of the storm it was as if Baghdad's Green Zone had lifted off from its perch on the Tigris and landed on the bayou. The parallels were undeniable. To spearhead its Katrina operation, Shaw hired the former head of the U.S. Army's Iraq reconstruction office. Fluor sent its senior project manager from Iraq to the flood zone. "Our rebuilding work in Iraq is slowing down and this has made some people available to respond to our work in Louisiana," a company representative explained. Joe Allbaugh, whose company New Bridge Strategies had promised to bring Wal-Mart and 7-Eleven to Iraq, was the lobbyist in the middle of many of the deals. The similarities were so striking that some of the mercenary soldiers, fresh from Baghdad, were having trouble adjusting. When David Enders, a reporter, asked an armed guard outside a New Orleans hotel if there had been much action, he replied, "Nope. It's pretty Green Zone here." Other things were pretty Green Zone too. On contracts valued at $8.75 billion, congressional investigators found "significant overcharges, wasteful spending, or mismanagement." (The fact that exactly the same errors as those made in Iraq were instantly repeated in New Orleans should put to rest the claim that Iraq's occupation was merely a string of mishaps and mistakes marked by incompetence and lack of oversight. When the same mistakes are repeated over and over again, it's time to consider the possibility that they are not mistakes at all.) In New Orleans, as in Iraq, no opportunity for profit was left untapped. Kenyon, a division of the mega funeral conglomerate Service Corporation International (a major Bush campaign donor), was hired to retrieve the dead from homes and streets. The work was extraordinarily slow, and bodies were left in the broiling sun for days. Emergency workers and local volunteer morticians were forbidden to step in to help because handling the bodies impinged on Kenyon's commercial territory. The company charged the state, on average, $12,500 a victim, and it has since been accused of failing to properly label many bodies. For almost a year after the flood, decayed corpses were still being discovered in attics. Another pretty Green Zone touch: relevant experience often appeared to have nothing to do with how contracts were allocated. AshBritt, the company paid half a billion dollars to remove debris, reportedly didn't own a single dump truck and farmed out the entire job to contractors. Even more striking was the company that FEMA paid $5.2 million to perform the crucial role of building a base camp for emergency workers in St. Bernard Parish, a suburb of New Orleans. The camp construction fell behind schedule and was never completed. When the contractor was investigated, it emerged that the company, Lighthouse Disaster Relief, was actually a religious group. "About the closest thing I have done to this is just organize a youth camp with my church," confessed Lighthouse's director, Pastor Gary Heldreth. As in Iraq, government once again played the role of a cash machine equipped for both withdrawals and deposits. Corporations withdrew funds through massive contracts, then repaid the government not with reliable work but with campaign contributions and/or loyal foot soldiers for the next elections. (According to the New York Times, "the top 20 service contractors have spent nearly $300 million since 2000 on lobbying and have donated $23 million to political campaigns." The Bush administration, in turn, increased the amount spent on contractors by roughly $200 billion between 2000 and 2006.) Something else was familiar: the contractors' aversion to hiring local people who might have seen the reconstruction of New Orleans not only as a job but as part of healing and re-empowering their communities. Washington could easily have made it a condition of every Katrina contract that companies hire local people at decent wages to help them put their lives back together. Instead, the residents of the Gulf Coast, like the people of Iraq, were expected to watch as contractors created an economic boom based on easy taxpayer money and relaxed regulations. The result, predictably, was that after all the layers of subcontractors had taken their cut, there was next to nothing left for the people doing the work. For instance, the author Mike Davis tracked the way FEMA paid Shaw $175 a square foot to install blue tarps on damaged roofs, even though the tarps themselves were provided by the government. Once all the subcontractors took their share, the workers who actually hammered in the tarps were paid as little as $2 a square foot. "Every level of the contracting food chain, in other words, is grotesquely overfed except the bottom rung," Davis wrote, "where the actual work is carried out." According to one study, "a quarter of the workers rebuilding the city were immigrants lacking papers, almost all of them Hispanic, making far less money than legal workers." In Mississippi, a class action lawsuit forced several companies to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in back wages to immigrant workers. Some were not paid at all. On one Halliburton/KBR job site, undocumented immigrant workers reported being wakened in the middle of the night by their employer (a sub-subcontractor), who allegedly told them that immigration agents were on their way. Most workers fled to avoid arrest; after all, they could end up in one of the new immigration prisons that Halliburton/KBR had been contracted to build for the federal government. The attacks on the disadvantaged, carried out in the name of reconstruction and relief, did not stop there. In order to offset the tens of billions going to private companies in contracts and tax breaks, in November 2005 the Republican-controlled Congress announced that it needed to cut $40 billion from the federal budget. Among the programs that were slashed were student loans, Medicaid and food stamps. In other words, the poorest citizens in the country subsidized the contractor bonanza twice--first when Katrina relief morphed into unregulated corporate handouts, providing neither decent jobs nor functional public services, and second when the few programs that directly assist the unemployed and working poor nationwide were gutted to pay those bloated bills. Not so long ago, disasters were periods of social levelling, rare moments when atomized communities put divisions aside and pulled together. Increasingly, however, disasters are the opposite: they provide windows into a cruel and ruthlessly divided future in which money and race buy survival. Baghdad's Green Zone's is the starkest expression of this world order. It has its own electrical grid, its own phone and sewage systems, its own oil supply and its own state-of-the-art hospital with pristine operating theatres--all protected by five-metre-thick walls. It feels, oddly, like a giant fortified Carnival Cruise Ship parked in the middle of a sea of violence and despair, the boiling Red Zone that is Iraq. If you can get on board, there are poolside drinks, bad Hollywood movies and Nautilus machines. If you are not among the chosen, you can get yourself shot just by standing too close to the wall. Everywhere in Iraq, the wildly divergent value assigned to different categories of people is crudely evident. Westerners and their Iraqi colleagues have checkpoints at the entrance to their streets, blast walls in front of their houses, body armour and private security guards on call at all hours. They travel the country in menacing armoured convoys, with mercenaries pointing guns out the windows as they follow their prime directive to "protect the principal." With every move they broadcast the same unapologetic message: we are the chosen; our lives are infinitely more precious. Middle-class Iraqis, meanwhile, cling to the next rung down the ladder: they can afford to buy protection from local militias, and they are able to pay off kidnappers to have a family member released. But the vast majority of Iraqis have no protection at all. They walk the streets wide open to any possible violence, with nothing between them and the next car bomb but a thin layer of fabric. In Iraq, the lucky get Kevlar, the rest get prayer beads. At first I thought the Green Zone phenomenon was unique to the war in Iraq. Now, after years spent in other disaster zones, I realize that the Green Zone emerges everywhere that the disaster capitalism complex descends, with the same stark partitions between the included and the excluded, the protected and the damned. It happened in New Orleans. After the flood, an already divided city turned into a battleground between gated green zones and raging red zones--the result not of water damage but of the "free-market solutions" embraced by the president. The Bush administration refused to allow emergency funds to pay public sector salaries, and the City of New Orleans, which lost its tax base, had to fire three thousand workers in the months after Katrina. Among them were sixteen of the city's planning staff--laid off at the precise moment when New Orleans was in desperate need of planners. Instead, millions of public dollars went to outside consultants, many of whom were powerful real estate developers. And of course thousands of teachers were also fired, paving the way for the conversion of dozens of public schools into charter schools, just as Friedman had called for. Almost two years after the storm, Charity Hospital was still closed. The court system was barely functioning, and the privatized electricity company, Entergy, had failed to get the whole city back online. After threatening to raise rates dramatically, the company managed to extract a controversial $200 million bailout from the federal government. The public transit system was gutted and lost almost half its workers. The vast majority of publicly owned housing projects stood boarded up and empty, with five thousand units slotted for demolition by the federal housing authority. Much as the tourism lobby in Asia had longed to be rid of the beachfront fishing villages, New Orleans' powerful tourism lobby had been eyeing the housing projects, several of them on prime land close to the French Quarter, the city's tourism magnet. Endesha Juakali helped set up a protest camp outside one of the boarded-up projects, St. Bernard Public Housing, explaining that "they've had an agenda for St. Bernard a long time, but as long as people lived here, they couldn't do it. So they used the disaster as a way of cleansing the neighbourhood when the neighbourhood is weakest. . . . This is a great location for bigger houses and condos. The only problem is you got all these poor black people sitting on it!" Amid the schools, the homes, the hospitals, the transit system and the lack of clean water in many parts of town, New Orleans' public sphere was not being rebuilt, it was being erased, with the storm used as the excuse. At an earlier stage of capitalist "creative destruction," large swaths of the United States lost their manufacturing bases and degenerated into rust belts of shuttered factories and neglected neighbourhoods. Post-Katrina New Orleans may be providing the first Western-world image of a new kind of wasted urban landscape: the mould belt, destroyed by the deadly combination of weathered public infrastructure and extreme weather. The American Society of Civil Engineers said in 2007 that the U.S. had fallen so far behind in maintaining its public infrastructure--roads, bridges, schools, dams--that it would take more than a trillion and half dollars over five years to bring it back up to standard. Instead, these types of expenditures are being cut back. At the same time, public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy to imagine a future in which growing numbers of cities have their frail and long-neglected infrastructures knocked out by disasters and then are left to rot, their core services never repaired or rehabilitated. The well-off, meanwhile, will withdraw into gated communities, their needs met by privatized providers. Signs of that future were already in evidence by the time hurricane season rolled around in 2006. In just one year, the disaster-response industry had exploded, with a slew of new corporations entering the market, promising safety and security should the next Big One hit. One of the more ambitious ventures was launched by an airline in West Palm Beach, Florida. Help Jet bills itself as "the first hurricane escape plan that turns a hurricane evacuation into a jet-setter vacation." When a storm is coming, the airline books holidays for its members at five-star golf resorts, spas or Disneyland. With the reservations all made, the evacuees are then whisked out of the hurricane zone on a luxury jet. "No standing in lines, no hassle with crowds, just a first class experience that turns a problem into a vacation. . . . Enjoy the feeling of avoiding the usual hurricane evacuation nightmare." For the people left behind, there is a different kind of privatized solution. In 2006, the Red Cross signed a new disaster-response partnership with Wal-Mart. "It's all going to be private enterprise before it's over," said Billy Wagner, chief of emergency management for the Florida Keys. "They've got the expertise. They've got the resources." He was speaking at the National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, Florida, a fast-growing annual trade show for the companies selling everything that might come in handy during the next disaster. "Some folks here said, 'Man, this is huge business--this is my new business. I'm not in the landscaping business anymore; I'm going to be a hurricane debris contractor,'" said Dave Blandford, an exhibitor at the conference, showing off his "self-heating meals." Much of the parallel disaster economy has been built with taxpayers' money, thanks to the boom in privatized war-zone reconstruction. The giant contractors that have served as "the primes" in Iraq and Afghanistan have come under frequent political fire for spending large portions of their income from government contracts on their own corporate overhead--between 20 and 55 percent, according to a 2006 audit of Iraq contractors. Much of those funds have, quite legally, gone into huge investments in corporate infrastructure-- Bechtel's battalions of earth-moving equipment, Halliburton's planes and fleets of trucks, and the surveillance architecture built by L-3, CACI and Booz Allen. Most dramatic has been Blackwater's investment in its paramilitary infrastructure. Founded in 1996, the company has used the steady stream of contracts during the Bush years to build up a private army of twenty thousand mercenary soldiers on call and a massive military base in North Carolina worth between $40 and $50 million. According to one account, Blackwater's capacity now includes the following: "A burgeoning logistics operation that can deliver 100- or 200-ton self-contained humanitarian relief response packages faster than the Red Cross. A Florida aviation division with 26 different platforms, from helicopter gunships to a massive Boeing 767. The company even has a Zeppelin. The country's largest tactical driving track. . . . A 20-acre manmade lake with shipping containers that have been mocked up with ship rails and portholes, floating on pontoons, used to teach how to board a hostile ship. A K-9 training facility that currently has 80 dog teams deployed around the world. . . . A 1,200-yard-long firing range for sniper training." The emergence of this parallel privatized infrastructure reaches far beyond policing. When the contractor infrastructure built up during the Bush years is looked at as a whole, what is seen is a fully articulated state-within-a-state that is as muscular and capable as the actual state is frail and feeble. This corporate shadow state has been built almost exclusively with public resources (90 percent of Blackwater's revenues come from state contracts), including the training of its staff (overwhelmingly former civil servants, politicians and soldiers). Yet the vast infrastructure is all privately owned and controlled. The citizens who have funded it have absolutely no claim to this parallel economy or its resources. The actual state, meanwhile, has lost the ability to perform its core functions without the help of contractors. Its own equipment is out of date, and the best experts have fled to the private sector. When Katrina hit, FEMA had to hire a contractor to award contracts to contractors. Similarly, when it came time to update the Army Manual on the rules for dealing with contractors, the army contracted out the job to one of its major contractors, MPRI--it no longer had the know-how in-house. The CIA is losing so many staffers to the parallel privatized spy sector that it has had to bar contractors from recruiting in the agency dining room. "One recently retired case officer said he had been approached twice while in line for coffee," reported The Los Angeles Times. And when the Department of Homeland Security decided it needed to build "virtual fences" on the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada, Michael P. Jackson, deputy secretary of the department, told contractors, "This is an unusual invitation. . . . We're asking you to come back and tell us how to do our business." The department's inspector general explained that Homeland Security "does not have the capacity needed to effectively plan, oversee and execute the [Secure Border Initiative] program." Under Bush, the state still has all the trappings of a government--the impressive buildings, presidential press briefings, policy battles--but it no more does the actual work of governing than the employees at Nike's Beaverton campus stitch running shoes. The implications of the decision by the current crop of politicians to systematically outsource their elected responsibilities will reach far beyond a single administration. Once a market has been created, it needs to be protected. The companies at the heart of the disaster capitalism complex increasingly regard both the state and non-profits as competitors--from the corporate perspective, whenever governments or charities fulfill their traditional roles, they are denying contractors work that could be performed at a profit. "Neglected Defense: Mobilizing the Private Sector to Support Homeland Security," a 2006 report whose advisory committee included some of the largest corporations in the sector, warned that "the compassionate federal impulse to provide emergency assistance to the victims of disasters affects the market's approach to managing its exposure to risk." Published by the Council on Foreign Relations, the report argued that if people know the government will come to the rescue, they have no incentive to pay for privatized protection. In a similar vein, a year after Katrina, CEOs from thirty of the largest corporations in the United States joined together under the umbrella of the Business Roundtable, which includes in its membership Fluor, Bechtel and Chevron. The group, calling itself Partnership for Disaster Response, complained of "mission creep" by the non-profit sector in the aftermath of disasters. Apparently charities and NGOs were infringing on their market by donating building supplies rather than having Home Depot supply them for a fee. The mercenary firms, meanwhile, have been loudly claiming that they are better equipped to engage in peace-keeping in Darfur than the UN. Much of this new aggressiveness flows from the fact that the corporate world knows that the golden era of bottomless federal contracts cannot last much longer. The U.S. government is barrelling toward an economic crisis, in no small part thanks to the deficit spending that has bankrolled the construction of the privatized disaster economy. That means that sooner rather than later, the contracts are going to dip significantly. In late 2006, defence analysts began predicting that the Pentagon's acquisitions budget could shrink by as much as 25 percent in the coming decade. When the disaster bubble bursts, firms such as Bechtel, Fluor and Blackwater will lose much of their primary revenue streams. They will still have all the high-tech gear and equipment bought at taxpayer expense, but they will need to find a new business model, a new way to cover their high costs. The next phase of the disaster capitalism complex is all too clear: with emergencies on the rise, government no longer able to foot the bill, and citizens stranded by their can't-do state, the parallel corporate state will rent back its disaster infrastructure to whoever can afford it, at whatever price the market will bear. For sale will be everything from helicopter rides off rooftops to drinking water to beds in shelters. Already wealth provides an escape hatch from most disasters--it buys early-warning systems for tsunami-prone regions and stockpiles of Tamiflu for the next outbreak. It buys bottled water, generators, satellite phones and rent-a-cops. During the Israeli attack on Lebanon in 2006, the U.S. government initially tried to charge its citizens for the cost of their own evacuations, though it was eventually forced to back down. If we continue in this direction, the images of people stranded on New Orleans rooftops will not only be a glimpse of America's unresolved past of racial inequality but will also foreshadow a collective future of disaster apartheid in which survival is determined by who can afford to pay for escape. Looking ahead to coming disasters, ecological and political, we often assume that we are all going to face them together, that what's needed are leaders who recognize the destructive course we are on. But I'm not so sure. Perhaps part of the reason why so many of our elites, both political and corporate, are so sanguine about climate change is that they are confident they will be able to buy their way out of the worst of it. This may also partially explain why so many Bush supporters are Christian end-timers. It's not just that they need to believe there is an escape hatch from the world they are creating. It's that the Rapture is a parable for what they are building down here--a system that invites destruction and disaster, then swoops in with private helicopters and airlifts them and their friends to divine safety. As contractors rush to develop alternative stable sources of revenue, one avenue is disaster-proofing other corporations. This was Paul Bremer's line of business before he went to Iraq: turning multinationals into security bubbles, able to function smoothly even if the states in which they are functioning are crumbling around them. The early results can be seen in the lobbies of many major office buildings in New York or London--airport-style check-ins complete with photo-ID requirements and X-ray machines--but the industry has far greater ambitions, including privatized global communications networks, emergency health and electricity, and the ability to locate and provide transportation for a global workforce in the midst of a major disaster. Another potential growth area identified by the disaster capitalism complex is municipal government: the contracting-out of police and fire departments to private security companies. "What they do for the military in downtown Falluja, they can do for the police in downtown Reno," a spokesperson for Lockheed Martin said in November 2004. The industry predicts that these new markets will expand dramatically over the next decade. A frank vision of where these trends are leading is provided by John Robb, a former covert-action mission commander with Delta Force turned successful management consultant. In a widely circulated manifesto for Fast Company magazine, he describes the "end result" of the war on terror as "a new, more resilient approach to national security, one built not around the state but around private citizens and companies. . . . Security will become a function of where you live and whom you work for, much as health care is allocated already." Robb writes, "Wealthy individuals and multinational corporations will be the first to bail out of our collective system, opting instead to hire private military companies, such as Blackwater and Triple Canopy, to protect their homes and facilities and establish a protective perimeter around daily life. Parallel transportation networks--evolving out of the time-share aircraft companies such as Warren Buffett's NetJets--will cater to this group, leapfrogging its members from one secure, well-appointed lily pad to the next." That elite world is already largely in place, but Robb predicts that the middle class will soon follow suit, "forming suburban collectives to share the costs of security." These "'armored suburbs' will deploy and maintain backup generators and communications links" and be patrolled by private militias "that have received corporate training and boast their own state-of-the-art emergency-response systems." In other words, a world of suburban Green Zones. As for those outside the secured perimeter, "they will have to make do with the remains of the national system. They will gravitate to America's cities, where they will be subject to ubiquitous surveillance and marginal or nonexistent services. For the poor, there will be no other refuge." The future Robb described sounds very much like the present in New Orleans, where two very different kinds of gated communities emerged from the rubble. On the one hand were the so-called FEMA-villes: desolate, out-of-the-way trailer camps for low-income evacuees, built by Bechtel or Fluor subcontractors, administered by private security companies who patrolled the gravel lots, restricted visitors, kept journalists out and treated survivors like criminals. On the other hand were the gated communities built in the wealthy areas of the city, such as Audubon and the Garden District, bubbles of functionality that seemed to have seceded from the state altogether. Within weeks of the storm, residents there had water and powerful emergency generators. Their sick were treated in private hospitals, and their children went to new charter schools. As usual, they had no need for public transit. In St. Bernard Parish, a New Orleans suburb, DynCorp had taken over much of the policing; other neighbourhoods hired security companies directly. Between the two kinds of privatized sovereign states was the New Orleans version of the Red Zone, where the murder rate soared and neighbourhoods like the storied Lower Ninth Ward descended into a post-apocalyptic no-man's land. A hit song by the rapper Juvenile in the summer after Katrina summed up the atmosphere: "We livin' like Haiti without no government"--failed state U.S.A. Bill Quigley, a local lawyer and activist, observed, "What is happening in New Orleans is just a more concentrated, more graphic version of what is going on all over our country. Every city in our country has some serious similarities to New Orleans. Every city has some abandoned neighborhoods. Every city in our country has abandoned some public education, public housing, public healthcare, and criminal justice. Those who do not support public education, healthcare, and housing will continue to turn all of our country into the Lower Ninth Ward unless we stop them." The process is already well under way. Another glimpse of a disaster apartheid future can be found in a wealthy Republican suburb outside Atlanta. Its residents decided that they were tired of watching their property taxes subsidize schools and police in the county's low-income African-American neighbourhoods. They voted to incorporate as their own city, Sandy Springs, which could spend its taxes on services for its 100,000 citizens and not have the revenues redistributed throughout the larger Fulton County. The only difficulty was that Sandy Springs had no government structures and needed to build them from scratch--everything from tax collection, to zoning, to parks and recreation. In September 2005, the same month that New Orleans flooded, the residents of Sandy Springs were approached by the construction and consulting giant CH2M Hill with a unique pitch: let us do it for you. For the starting price of $27 million a year, the contractor pledged to build a complete city from the ground up. A few months later, Sandy Springs became the first "contract city." Only four people worked directly for the new municipality-- everyone else was a contractor. Rick Hirsekorn, heading up the project for CH2M Hill, described Sandy Springs as "a clean sheet of paper with no governmental processes in place." He told another journalist that "no one in our industry has done a complete city of this size before." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that "when Sandy Springs hired corporate workers to run the new city, it was considered a bold experiment." Within a year, however, contract-city mania was tearing through Atlanta's wealthy suburbs, and it had become "standard procedure in north Fulton [County]." Neighbouring communities took their cue from Sandy Springs and also voted to become stand-alone cities and contract out their government. One new city, Milton, immediately hired CH2M Hill for the job--after all, it had the experience. Soon, a campaign began for the new corporate cities to join together to form their own county, which would mean that none of their tax dollars would go to the poor neighbourhoods nearby. The plan has encountered fierce opposition outside the proposed enclave, where politicians say that without those tax dollars, they will no longer be able to afford their large public hospital and public transit system; that partitioning the county would create a failed state on the one hand and a hyperserviced one on the other. What they were describing sounded a lot like New Orleans and a little like Baghdad. In these wealthy Atlanta suburbs, the three-decade corporatist crusade to strip-mine the state was complete: it wasn't just every government service that had been outsourced but also the very function of government, which is to govern. It was particularly fitting that the new ground was broken by CH2M Hill. The corporation was a multi-million-dollar contractor in Iraq, paid to perform the core government function of overseeing other contractors. In Sri Lanka after the tsunami, it had not only built ports and bridges but was "responsible for the overall management of the infrastructure program." In post-Katrina New Orleans, it was awarded $500 million to build FEMA-villes and put on standby to be ready to do the same for the next disaster. A master of privatizing the state during extraordinary circumstances, it was now doing the same under ordinary ones. If Iraq was a laboratory of extreme privatization, the testing phase was clearly over. Extracted from The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism , published in 2008. Go here for more on the book: http://www.naomiklein.org/shock-doctrine

For me, the road to This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate begins in a very specific time and place.

by Rollin Bishop Sep 14th by Rollin Bishop Sep 13th by Rollin Bishop Sep 12th by Rollin Bishop Sep 11th The film adaptation of Brian K. Vaughn's Y: The Last Man has been kicked around Hollywood for a long, long time. It seems like every couple years, something seeps out that indicates the film is still alive and at some point will be made. The latest supposed news out of New Line Cinema indicates that a recent draft has passed muster, and the studio is now looking at potential directors for the continuously stalled project. Read More

The latest supposed news out of New Line Cinema indicates that a recent draft has passed muster, and the studio is now looking at potential directors for the continuously stalled project

And what proportion of respondents said, "The question is fundamentally misguided. Speech isn't free if it is something you believe you can "disallow"? Also, the groups commonly accused these days of becoming less liberal about speech are mostly on the Left, and racists (arguably militarists, that's less clear to me) are the only group in that list of whom that side of our politics disapproves. I notice the study didn't seem to include antisemites, homophobes, evangelicals and Christian fundamentalists, sexists, authoritarians, or other generally-Left-disapproved types of speakers. Really the graphs look to me like "how have approval/disapproval ratings of different types of people changed over time, broken down by political ideology of the approver?" The degree to which these correlate with "would you let the person speak?" is a measure of how not supportive of free speech rights you are. For now I'm filing this under, "Studies that claim to show the opposite conclusion of what the data seems to mean." I'm a little horrified that more of these graphs aren't close to 100% for everybody. If the question is really "allowed to speak", then anybody who doesn't say "yes" for everybody simply does not get the idea of what free speech is. If the question were about who is worth listening to, then the graphs would not be alarming. (Well, except that then the racist percentage should be lower.) Sure, some things are rising. But the fact that lines are going down , or staying level , should be a little alarming to all of us. All it takes is labeling an idea "communist" or "racist" to make it heresy to speak that idea; when enough of the population agrees that some things are too heretical to be allowed to be expressed, then it becomes serious. Heresy has a very bad history when it comes to sharing of ideas. And, while, yeah, racists hide behind calls for free speech, that's less dangerous than those who would agree that free speech needs to be limited based on a higher principle-- for it becomes very easy for authoritarians to hide behind strict doctrine, as history has shown.

Also, the groups commonly accused these days of becoming less liberal about speech are mostly on the Left, and racists (arguably militarists, that's less clear to me) are the only group in that list of whom that side of our politics disapproves.

Institute for Energy Research The Institute for Energy Research (IER) is a not-for-profit organization that conducts intensive research and analysis on the functions, operations, and government regulation of global energy markets. IER maintains that freely-functioning energy markets provide the most efficient and effective solutions to today's global energy and environmental challenges and, as such, are critical to the well-being of individuals and society. Most Recent Articles by Institute for Energy Research: 1 2 3 Next Page Last Page Aug 11, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research Saskatchewan was first to oppose Canada's federal carbon tax plan. Recently, Ontario joined the western province in opposition . The provinces are challenging the federal government's authority to impose a carbon tax on provinces that do not comply with Canada's climate change plan. To meet Canada's international commitments, the Canadian government threatened to institute a carbon tax in any province that does not implement an effective form of carbon pricing to reduce its emissions. Provinces and territories have been given the option to come up with their own carbon tax or cap-and-trade system. If they fail to do so, the Canadian government will impose its own plan. The Canadian government announced last year it was giving the provinces and territories until the beginning of September to outline how they are implementing carbon pricing systems that meet the federal standard. Those standards originally required a carbon price of $10 a metric ton be implemented this year, increasing to $20 on January 1, 2019 and to $50 in 2022. Trudeau's government, however, has pushed back the imposition of the tax by one year. It is set to, take effect in January. Aug 1, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research In 2014, Bob Inglis chaired a forum at the University of Chicago titled, "What Would Milton Friedman Do About Climate Change?" Two Chicago economists argued that Friedman would have applied the textbook analysis of "negative externalities" to the issue of climate change, and therefore would have supported a carbon tax. The only problem is, they gave no actual quotes of Friedman supporting a carbon tax, even though he died in 2006. Furthermore, there is at least one quotation from Friedman in which he denounces the fear-mongering of the global warming movement. Contrary to the claims of a few academics and retired government officials, a U.S. carbon tax is not a "conservative free market solution" to the issue of climate change. Jul 31, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research First, hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling made the shale oil industry economically viable; now new technology and smarter design are about to make the offshore oil industry competitive with it. Jul 31, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research The growth of China's economy and electricity demand have slowed in recent years. Yet, its construction program has continued for all types of generating plants, making them run at much lower capacity factors than their design capability. In particular, by the end of 2017, China had over twice the wind and solar capacity that the United States had, but the capacity factors of their solar and wind units were about half that of similar technologies in the United States, making China one of the least efficient renewable energy generators in the world. Jul 24, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research Last week, a group of sustainable population organizations issued a global statement and call to action for World Population Day. According to the statement, "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice warned that runaway consumption of limited resources by a rapidly growing population is crippling the Earth's life-support systems, jeopardizing our future. Identifying population as a "main driver" of the crisis, its recommended actions include reducing fertility rates through education, family planning and rallying leaders behind the goal of establishing a sustainable human population." Jul 19, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research Kinder-Morgan, the nation's largest midstream energy company, just announced a multi-billion-dollar pipeline project to move two billion cubic feet of natural gas each day from West Texas to Gulf Coast consumers. At the same time, on the other side of the country, a federal judge threw out a climate-related lawsuit against some of the largest oil and gas companies in world. All this brings to mind two non-binding shareholder resolutions instructing Kinder-Morgan to issue an environmental sustainability report and to assess the risk of climate change policy on its operations. Jul 19, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research WASHINGTON - Today the Institute for Energy Research filed an open records lawsuit against the Department of the Treasury relating to continuing efforts in Washington to quietly advance the "climate" industry. This Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks certain, specific records relating to the "climate risk disclosure" campaign begun in 2012 by various activist groups including Ceres and Rockefeller Financial Asset Management and led by disgraced former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. That agenda, if implemented, would have immense economic and legal consequences. Jul 17, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research In 2017, China was the world's fastest-growing natural gas market. Consumption grew by 15 percent --over twice the rate of economic growth--and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports grew by 46 percent. In 2013, under the country's National Action Plan on Air Pollution Prevention and Control, natural gas became a central part of the Chinese government's plan for fighting air pollution. China's thirteenth Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) set goals for increasing the use of natural gas, including almost doubling the share of natural gas in China's energy mix in five years--providing up to 10 percent of China's primary energy by 2020 and 15 percent by 2030. In 2017, natural gas accounted for about 7 percent of China's primary energy consumption. Over two-thirds of the natural gas consumed in China is used in industry and buildings (mainly for heating) with little used in power generation due to China's staggering coal-fired capacity in that sector. The Chinese economy relies heavily on coal, which produces more particulate matter and other criteria pollutants than natural gas. Transitioning from coal to natural gas can reduce China's soot and smog. China suffers from serious air pollution problems. Jul 15, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research Over a year ago, the Maryland Public Service Commission approved wind turbines to be located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland, and the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has been reviewing those plans. But the town of Ocean City is creating a problem for the wind developer by requiring the turbines to be located at least 26 nautical miles offshore--about twice the distance planned--so that they cannot be seen by tourists that flock to the peninsula during the summer months. U.S. Wind, the developer, has offered the town incentives, including 'free' electricity, to get the town to renege on its stance but there is no agreement in sight. Jul 6, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research According to BP's 2018 edition of its Statistical Review of World Energy, renewable energy has not been able to fill the void created by retiring nuclear plants despite its large growth in 2017. As a result, the share of non-carbon power generation has fallen slightly over the past 20 years. The data is further evidence that energy sources such as wind and solar cannot replace coal and other fossil fuels and will not lead to significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions despite decades of subsidies. Despite non-hydroelectric renewable generation increasing by 17 percent, wind and solar accounted for only six percent of total electricity globally. Public and private entities spent $1.1 trillion on solar and over $900 billion on wind between 2007 and 2016. Global investment in these renewable sources was about $300 billion per year between 2010 and 2016. The $2 trillion in solar and wind investment during the past 10!+years represents an amount similar to the global investment in nuclear power over the past 54 years, which totals about $1.8 trillion. Source: Forbes Jul 4, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research Nuclear plants were originally issued 40-year operating licenses by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Most utilities had applied for 20-year renewals for their nuclear units, and have operated them for 50 to 60 years. Many utilities are now considering applying for a second renewal and four plants have begun that decade-long process . The initial operating license for nuclear units was issued for 40 years because it was believed that nuclear plants would last 40 to 50 years. But, they, like coal plants, have operated for much longer, providing reliable and relatively inexpensive electricity. Jun 30, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research On Tuesday, the EPA released a proposal to raise the biofuel mandate 3.1 percent to 19.88 billion gallons in 2019. !+Under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), fuel suppliers are required to mix billions of gallons of ethanol into gasoline and diesel fuel each year. Despite objections from across the political spectrum, supporters of the mandate continue to argue that the RFS reduces gas prices, promotes economic growth, and contributes to a cleaner environment. In recent years however, reality has set in as each of these claims has been proven false and the RFS has been exposed for what it really is: a transfer of consumer wealth to the ethanol industry. Jun 28, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research On June 1, 2018, China, the world's largest solar market, announced changes to its solar subsidies, causing estimates of its future solar construction to be slashed. China will terminate approvals for new subsidized utility-scale photovoltaic power stations in 2018. Jun 26, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research A study analyzing energy supply in the European Union shows that increasing the level of wind-generated electricity also increases the level of fossil fuel-generated electricity, the opposite outcome suggested by those who argue that renewable energy is necessary to "get off carbon-based fuels." This is because, at times of insufficient wind, fossil-fuel plants generating plants are needed to provide back-up to the wind units. Further, the study found that increasing the number of power plants (whether wind or fossil-fuel) increased the power plant capacity that is idled, making the entire energy system less efficient and more costly . Wind turbines are idle when there is insufficient wind and fossil fuel plants are idled when the wind is blowing. Further adding to the issue is that, despite the increase in renewable energy in the European Union, carbon dioxide emissions increased, not decreased as was the intent. In 2017, the European Union increased its wind power by 25 percent and increased its solar power by six percent. Despite this massive investment in renewable energy, carbon dioxide emissions increased by 1.8 percent . Jun 23, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research "If the current pace of the buildup of these gases continues, the effect is likely to be a warming of 3 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit [between now and] the year 2025 to 2050.... The rise in global temperature is predicted to ... caus[e] sea levels to rise by one to four feet by the middle of the next century." --Philip Shabecoff, " Global Warming Has Begun ." New York Times , June 24, 1988. It has been 30 years since the alarm bell was sounded for manmade global warming caused by modern industrial society. And predictions made on that day--and ever since--continue to be falsified in the real world. Jun 21, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research Earlier this month, the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario had a very good showing in the Canadian province's general election. Not only will Doug Ford became Ontario's next Premier (on June 29), but the Progressive Conservatives "won 76 of Ontario's 124 districts" and his "win ends 15 years of Liberal Party rule," according to Bloomberg . Because Ford ran on a populist, smaller government message, many political pundits are naturally grouping the Ontario election in with Brexit and Donald Trump. Jun 19, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research Governments and those that oppose the use of traditional energy sources are increasingly advocating for various types of carbon taxes and fees which are increasing costs for citizens. In Australia, a carbon tax -- which has since been repealed -- caused electricity prices for the average family to increase by 10 percent . Jun 16, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research Countries are finding that offshore wind is not only expensive, but noisy too. Brazil, the world's eighth largest producer of wind power, has erected wind turbines off its Atlantic coast where the wind blows consistently and the noise is constant. Recently, officials in Massachusetts and Rhode Island announced contracts for two large offshore wind farms off Martha's Vineyard. Massachusetts is planning to build an 800-megawatt wind farm with over 100 turbines about 15 miles south of the Vineyard. And Rhode Island officials plan to build a 400-megawatt wind farm northwest of the Vineyard Wind project that is planned by Massachusetts. The wind developers are rushing the projects to benefit from a federal tax credit for offshore wind projects before it expires in 2020. As with other offshore wind projects , fishermen are wary of the detrimental impacts that the wind turbines, the associated subsurface cables and the subsequent noise will have on their livelihood. Jun 9, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research President Trump's pursuit of energy dominance is being challenged not just from the production of energy, but from the transport of it as well. With the greater production of oil and natural gas comes the need for more pipelines to economically ship the fuel to homes, businesses, refineries and export locations. The shortage of natural gas pipelines is well understood during the winter months in New England when electricity and natural gas prices have skyrocketed due to weather conditions increasing demand and hindering the availability of supplies. But, there are pipeline shortage problems in other areas as well. In Texas, there is a shortage of pipelines to move oil from production areas to markets. And, in Canada, oil producers suffer discounted prices due to a shortage of pipelines to move oil sands to markets. Jun 5, 2018 -- Institute for Energy Research In early May, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) released a report warning that the emergence of community choice aggregators (CCAs) could potentially destabilize California's energy grid. This blog post explains the concerns the CPUC has about the increase in community choice aggregation in California. It also traces the origin of CCAs back through California's regulatory history to show they are the result of repeated government intervention, not deregulation as the CPUC's report suggests. 1 2 3 Next Page Last Page

Institute for Energy Research The Institute for Energy Research (IER) is a not-for-profit organization that conducts intensive research and analysis on the functions, operations, and government regulation of global energy markets.

STAGE 3: Adjusting Quintiles to Contain Equal Numbers of Persons. The largest flaw in the Census income distribution data is that its income "quintiles" do not contain equal fifths of the U.S. population, but are in fact unequal in size. 11 Indeed, in reality the top Census "quintile" contains not 20 percent of the population but 24.3 percent, while the bottom quintile contains only 14.8 percent of the population. The top quintile has 65 percent more persons than does the bottom quintile. With conventional Census figures, the bottom "quintile" is hollow, representing far less than one-fifth of society; by contrast, the top "quintile" is overpopulated, containing far more than one-fifth of persons, workers, and work effort. Naturally, the demographic imbalance between the quintiles has a considerable effect on the apparent income imbalance between them. Stage 3 uses the comprehensive post-tax income data developed in Stage 2 and then makes a demographic adjustment so that each income quintile in fact contains one-fifth of the population. 12 This adjustment ensures that the economic status of each individual in the population is treated as having equal value or importance. By contrast, individuals are not treated equally in the current Census methods; in general, individuals in married couple families are underrepresented by the Census data and treated as less significant than single persons or people in single-parent families. The effects of the Stage 3 demographic corrections are shown in Chart 2. The share of income of the adjusted bottom quintile rises to 9.4 percent, while the income of the top quintile falls to 39.7 percent. The adjustment of the underreporting of income received by the lowest quintile of the population is particularly important. With 9.4 percent of total income, the actual share of income for this quintile is nearly three times higher than the conventional Census figures show. STAGE 4: Explaining the Remaining Variance--Hypothetical Equalization of Work Performed. Even after the quintiles are adjusted to contain equal numbers of persons in Stage 3, there remains an enormous difference in the amount of work performed within each corrected quintile. The annual number of hours of employed labor in the top quintile is still nearly twice that in the bottom quintile. This imbalance in work certainly can be expected to contribute to an imbalance in income. Stage 4 analyzes the effects of the imbalance of work on the distribution of income. 13 It incorporates changes from Stage 2 and Stage 3 and then makes a hypothetical adjustment so that working age adults (ages 18 to 64) in each quintile are assumed to all perform the same average number of hours of paid work. 14 This adjustment naturally reduces the work performed and earnings in higher quintiles and increases work and earnings in the lower quintiles. Chart 3 shows the hypothetical distribution of income that would occur if working age adults in each quintile performed the same average number of hours of annual paid labor. 15 The share of income for the bottom quintile rises from 9.4 percent to 12 percent, while the share of the top quintile falls from 39.7 percent to 36.7 percent. Comparison of the Top and Bottom Quintiles. These adjustments make a great difference in the measure of apparent income inequality. For example, under conventional Census figures (Stage 1), the top "quintile" accounts for some $2.5 trillion in income in 1997, while the bottom quintile has only $181 billion. Thus, the top quintile is shown as receiving $13.86 in income for every $1.00 in the bottom. However, once incomes are more completely counted and taxes are considered (in Stage 2), the ratio drops considerably--to $8.05 for every $1.00 of income. But even this lower ratio continues to reflect the fact that the Census data's top "quintile" is seriously overpopulated, while the bottom is underpopulated. Once the quintiles are adjusted to contain equal numbers of persons, the ratio of incomes of the top to the bottom quintile drops to $4.23 to $1.00 (as shown in Chart 4 ). Moreover, even this difference is due in large part to the fact that working age adults in the top quintile work twice as many hours as those in the bottom. If such adults worked the same number of hours, the income ratio would fall to around $3.07 to $1.00. Comparison of the Top and Bottom Halves. Chart 5 shows similar data for the top and bottom halves of the population. According to conventional Census measurement methods, the top half of society received $4.1 trillion, or 81 percent of total income, in 1997. The bottom half of society, by contrast, received $973 billion, or 19 percent of the total. As stated previously, the Census figures exclude major types of income and compensation and ignore taxes. Even more critically, under Census procedures, the top "half" contains not 50 percent of the population but 57.8 percent. The Census Bureau's top "half" contains 63 percent of working age adults who, in turn, perform 71 percent of the paid labor in the economy. With a more accurate count of post-tax incomes and an adjustment so that the top half contains 50 percent of the population, the annual income received by the top half falls to $3.2 trillion while the share of the bottom half rises to $1.4 trillion. Thus, the conventional Census figures overrepresent the income available to the more affluent half of society by nearly $1 trillion. The share of total income received by the top half falls from 81 percent to 70 percent. As Chart 6 shows, the Census Bureau represents the top half of society receiving $4.24 in income for every $1.00 received by the bottom half. In reality, the correct figure is $2.28 for every $1.00. The real level of inequality in the economy is effectively half that represented by the conventional Census figures. The revised level of income equalization in the United States is quite surprising. Even after the Stage 3 population adjustments, the more affluent half of the population still provides 59.5 percent of the hours of work in the overall economy. Moreover, the top half contains the bulk of the most skilled and productive laborers and provides most of the vital investment in plant equipment, which is necessary to sustain the prosperity of all Americans. Given these realities, the 70 percent share of post-tax income going to the most affluent half of society seems remarkably low; it is striking evidence of the high degree of income equalization already occurring in American society. DETAILED ANALYSIS: UNDERREPORTING OF INCOME AND OMISSION OF TAXES The conventional Census income distribution data are based on the concepts of "money income." Money income includes earnings, interest, dividends, rents, Social Security retirement benefits, pension or retirement income, survivors benefits, disability benefits, veterans benefits, workers' compensation, alimony, and some cash welfare benefits. Despite this list, it is now widely acknowledged that the Census Bureau's money income figures grossly underreport the economic resources available to Americans. 16 For example, the aggregate "money income" figures reported by the Census Bureau in 1996 equaled only 70 percent of the comparable personal income figures reported in the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Income and Production Accounts (NIPA) that serve as the basis for measuring the gross national product. 17 The Census Bureau's annual Current Population Survey (CPS), which serves as the basis for its income distribution data, collects data on the receipt of many additional types of income beyond those included under "money income." These additional income data, however, are excluded from Census's official income distribution figures, which are based on money income only. The Census Bureau does publish data using expanded concepts of income in technical tables in some publications; however, these tables, which offer 17 alternative definitions of income, are bewildering even to professionals in the field. Yet in its texts describing inequality, and in briefing materials given to the press, the Census Bureau continues to promote figures based on limited "money income." As a result, nearly all discussions of income inequality in the popular media and among policymakers and government officials rely on data that can be misleading. Fortunately, the additional income data collected in the Current Population Survey are made available to researchers in electronic form, and we have used these data as the basis for the analyses provided in this report. Table 1 shows the effects of incorporating a more complete count of income and taxes. (This is the same as the Stage 2 adjustment made earlier, except that the adjustments are shown in greater detail.) First, capital gains and losses are added (Stage 2A). This adjustment raises total annual income by some $200 billion and increases income inequality. Next, employee health benefits and government transfers are added (Stage 2B). Government transfers include the earned income tax credit, food stamps, school lunch programs, public housing, Medicaid, and Medicare. Medicaid and Medicare benefits are counted at their insurance or market value, which equals the average government expenditures on benefits to individuals in specific age and risk categories. These adjustments add nearly $500 billion to the total annual income and decrease income inequality. Finally, the effects of federal income tax, state income tax, property taxes, and Social Security taxes are shown in Stage 2C. This adjustment reduces annual total income by some $1.2 trillion and markedly decreases inequality. We have termed these figures in Stage 2C "comprehensive post-tax income." They are the same as the completed Stage 2 figures presented in Chart 2 and elsewhere in this report. 18 When decisionmakers, journalists, and the public view the government's official income distribution figures, there is a common and implicit assumption that the quintiles contain equal shares of the population. After all, the notion that we should measure "inequality" by comparing the aggregate incomes of groups that are, themselves, unequal in size is at best confusing. However, as noted, the official Census income "quintiles" do not contain equal shares of the population, and this fact skews the Census Bureau's measure of income distribution. No one would think it valid to measure inequality between New York State and Delaware by simply comparing the aggregate incomes in the two states. In such a comparison, income differences would mainly reflect vast differences in state populations. But the Census Bureau makes precisely this sort of unbalanced comparison whenever it compares quintiles of unequal size. Chart 7 shows the percent of the population contained within each Census "quintile." While the middle quintile does contain roughly one-fifth of the population, the others do not. The high disparity in population between the highest-income and lowest-income quintiles is of particular interest. While the top quintile contains 24.3 percent of the population, the bottom quintile contains only 14.8 percent. In raw numbers, there are 64.2 million persons in the top quintile, compared with 39.2 million in the bottom quintile. Thus, for every person in the lowest quintile, there are 1.64 persons in the top. This imbalance in population is a major factor contributing to the apparent levels of inequality in Census Bureau figures. The Census Bureau quintiles are unequal in size because they are based on a count of households rather than persons. A household is defined as a person or group of persons living in a single housing unit. In the United States, high-income households tend to be married couples with many members and earners. Low-income households tend to be single persons with little or no earnings. It should be no surprise, then, that the average household in the Census Bureau's top quintile contains 3.1 persons, while the average household in the bottom quintile contains 1.9 people. Overall, 54.9 percent of the households in the bottom quintile have only one person compared with 7 percent in the top quintile. Although the disparity in the population sizes of the Census quintiles is striking, an analysis of the types of individuals in each quintile reveals even greater disparity. Chart 8 shows the number of people in each official quintile divided into age categories: children (under 18), elderly (over age 64), and working age adults (ages 18 to 64). The elderly comprise about one-tenth of the total population. Elderly persons are generally retired and thus tend to have lower incomes than families headed by working adults. It should be no surprise, then, that the lowest three official quintiles contain the bulk of elderly persons. Children, by contrast, are more abundant in the higher-income quintiles. For example, the top two quintiles contain some 34 million children, compared with 24 million in the bottom two quintiles. However, the greatest differences occur among working age adults. The highest official quintile has 2.4 working age adults for each such adult in the bottom quintile. In fact, the 44.1 million working age adults in the top quintile by themselves outnumber the entire population (adults, elderly, and children combined) of the bottom quintile. The number of working age adults in the top quintile alone is greater than the number of such adults in the lower two quintiles combined. The high-income and low-income quintiles constructed by Census differ radically in population and age as well as family structure, which significantly affects the amount of income in each quintile. The Census practice of measuring inequality by comparing aggregate incomes between "quintiles" that contain widely differing numbers of persons can be extremely misleading. A far clearer picture of income inequality can be obtained by adjusting the quintiles so that each actually contains 20 percent of the population. The large effects of equalizing the number of persons within each quintile (in Stage 3) are shown in Chart 9 . Natural differences between the quintiles still exist; the bottom quintile has more elderly persons and fewer working age adults than the other quintiles. But these differences are quite modest compared with those shown in Chart 8 . It appears obvious that the quintiles shown in Chart 9 offer a fairer basis for comparing income equality that the official unbalanced "quintiles" in Chart 8. To a large degree, the relative poverty of the Census Bureau's official bottom quintile shown in Chart 8 results from the simple lack of people within the quintile rather than from economic factors. By contrast, differences in incomes between the quintiles in Chart 9 will be the result mainly of economic factors rather than of mere differences in the size of the quintiles. 19 Rich and Poor, Married and Unmarried. One frequently overlooked dimension of the gap between the "rich" and the "poor" is how much it is affected by marital status. 20 As Chart 10 shows, only about 30 percent of all persons in Census's bottom quintile live in married couple families; the rest either live in single-parent families or reside alone as single individuals. In the top quintile, the situation is reversed: Some 90 percent of persons live in married couple families. In this case, equalizing the numbers of persons within the quintiles makes little difference; even after each quintile is adjusted to contain the same number of persons, 85 percent of persons in the top quintile continue to live in married couple families compared with one-third in the bottom. The prevalence of marriage in the higher quintiles and its near absence in the bottom quintile should not be a surprise. Marriage provides the opportunity to bring two incomes into the home. Equally important, married parents tend to have higher levels of ability and skill than do non-married parents. This is particularly true in the case of never-married mothers. Today, one child in three is born out of wedlock to mothers who have, on average, very low levels of math and verbal ability. The collapse of marriage among the less capable members of society has tended to magnify pre-existing tendencies toward inequality. Research by Robert I. Lerman of the Urban Institute has shown that half the increase in income inequality in recent years is a product of the growth of single parenthood. 21 DETAILED ANALYSIS: INEQUALITY OF INCOME AND INEQUALITY OF WORK As noted, the official Census Bureau income quintiles contain unequal shares of the population. However, even greater inequality results from the amount of work performed within each quintile. Chart 11 displays the official Census quintiles again. It shows both the percentage of working age adults (ages 18-64) in each quintile and the percentage of total hours of work performed by the quintile. The bottom official quintile contains only 11.5 percent of working age adults and only 5.6 percent of all hours of work performed in the economy in 1997. By contrast, the top quintile contains 27.6 percent of working age adults and nearly one-third of all the hours of labor performed. There are nearly five hours of paid work performed in the Census top quintile for every hour of work performed in the bottom quintile. Thus, not only do the lower-income quintiles have fewer working age adults, but each adult on average performs significantly fewer hours of work than his counterparts do in the higher quintiles. Chart 12 shows the average number of hours of work per week per working age adult for each quintile. While there are 14.4 hours of work performance for each working age adult in the bottom quintile, the comparable number in the top quintile is 34.6 hours. On average, non-elderly adults in the Census Bureau's top quintile tend to perform almost three times as much labor as those in the bottom quintile. Chart 13 shows similar data after the quintiles are adjusted to contain equal numbers of persons (Stage 3). The share of working age adults in the bottom quintile rises dramatically from 11.5 percent to 18.5 percent. The share of work performed in the bottom quintile more than doubles, rising from 5.6 percent to 13.1 percent. These large changes underscore the degree to which apparent inequality is a direct result of the arbitrary population imbalance between Census quintiles. Of course, even after the quintiles are adjusted to contain equal numbers of persons, large differences in the amount of work performed remain. As Chart 13 shows, the amount of hours of work in the top quintile is nearly twice that in the bottom quintile. This is, in part, a result of the fact that the top quintile still contains roughly one-fifth more working age adults than does the bottom quintile, even after the Stage 3 demographic adjustment. Even more important, however, is the continuing difference in the average number of hours worked by adults. After the Stage 3 adjustment, non-elderly adults (ages 18-64) in the top quintile work, on average, 34 hours per week compared with 21 hours in the bottom quintile (see Chart 14 ). In addition, the workers in the top quintile tend to be more highly skilled and better paid. The average education level of working age householders in the top quintile is four years greater than those in the bottom quintile. Thus, income inequality in the United States is intensified by the fact that more highly skilled and more productive workers tend to work more while low skilled workers work less. An accurate measurement of income distribution should meet three criteria: It should utilize the most accurate and complete income data available. It should take into account the effects of taxes. It should treat all persons as having equal value and importance within the system of measurement. The conventional Census Bureau measurement of income distribution fails on all three tests of accuracy. Of particular importance is the fact that Census does not treat all persons equally, but "weights" its data to give far greater significance to some persons than it does to others. When decisionmakers, journalists, and the public view Census income distribution figures, most will assume implicitly that the so-called quintiles contain equal shares of the population. After all, the idea that we should measure "inequality" by comparing the total incomes of groups that are themselves substantially unequal in size is, at best, perplexing. But the Census quintiles do not contain equal numbers of persons. The lowest income quintile is significantly underpopulated while the top quintile is overpopulated. This fact dramatically skews the apparent distribution of income, making it appear less equal in the United States than it actually is. Moreover, the critical fact that the quintiles do not contain equal numbers of persons is not revealed in Census reports. The limitations in the Census measurement of income distribution lead to a considerable exaggeration of income inequality. According to normal Census data, the top quintile of society in 1997 had $13.86 of income for every $1.00 received by the bottom quintile. However, if incomes and taxes are counted more completely, and if the quintiles are adjusted to contain equal numbers of persons, then the ratio of the incomes of the top to the bottom quintile drops to $4.23 to $1.00. Moreover, the remaining difference is due in a large part to the fact that working age adults in the top quintile work almost twice as many hours, on average, as those in the bottom quintile. If such adults worked the same number of hours, the ratio of incomes would fall to around $3.18 to $1.00. Differences in income in the United States are the natural result of vast differences in ability and behavior between individuals. In general, those persons at high income levels tend to be married, to work large numbers of hours per year, to have high levels of skill and productivity, and to provide higher levels of savings and investment necessary to sustain the overall prosperity of the economy. By contrast, individuals in the lowest income quintile tend generally to be non-married, to work little, and to have lower levels of skill and productivity. Despite these factors, the average per capita income within the bottom quintile remains over $8,000 per year, which is slightly higher, in inflation-adjusted terms, than the average per capita income in the whole society at the beginning of World War II. Robert E. Rector is Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Rea S. Hederman, Jr. is a Policy Analyst in the Center for Data Analysis at The Heritage Foundation. Methodological Appendix This paper examines the distribution of income and income inequality with data extracted from the March Current Population Survey of 1998. Like the Census Bureau, this report studies income at the household level. Group quarters are not included in this survey. The authors also used data extracted from the Internal Revenue Service's Public Use File for 1995 (IRS SOI), containing a sample of actual tax returns designed to replicate the total tax returns received by the IRS. In general, this study does not account for the underreporting of income to the Census Bureau. Post-Tax Income. Comprehensive post-tax income includes money income plus realized capital gains, the earned income tax credit, employer-provided health insurance, school lunch benefits, food stamp benefits, government rent subsidies, and Medicaid and Medicare benefits. Federal and state income taxes, payroll taxes, and property taxes are subtracted. Income variables that were only given at the family or person level were aggregated to the household level. Thus, all FICA taxes paid by a household were added together by person and then subtracted from the household's final income. Food stamps and other family-level income data were treated in the same manner. "Comprehensive post-tax income" is very similar to the Census income "definition 14," as described in the Census Bureau's Current Population Reports, Income, Poverty and Valuation on Noncash Benefits, except that it employs the basic market or insurance value for Medicaid and Medicare without the "fungible" adjustment. 22 The insurance value of Medicaid and Medicare (also called the market value) equals the average net government outlay for persons of a specific risk class within a given state. The risk classes used are elderly, disabled persons, non-disabled adult, and non-disabled child. Under this approach, the value of Medicaid or Medicare equals the average cost to the government of medical services provided to a given class of persons; it does not report specific medical expenditures for particular individuals. The fungible method of valuing Medicare and Medicaid begins with the insurance value of benefits but then alters the values based on the family's income class. The full insurance value is assigned to benefits received by the middle class, but a lower value or zero value is assigned when the same benefits are received by a low-income household. The fungible adjustment was devised for the measurement of poverty, not income distribution. In measuring poverty, it is used to determine whether a household's income should be considered above the poverty threshold. However, the fungible adjustment, which deliberately reduces the value of benefits received by low-income groups, is not appropriate for the measure of income equality that seeks to compare the economic resources of one household relative to others. The fungible adjustment results in a substantial undercounting of government transfers to low-income groups. Top Coding. An adjustment was made to compensate for the Census Bureau's "top coding" restriction. Top coding limits the maximum value of capital gains reported in the CPS to $99,999. With normal CPS data, capital gains values that exceed this limit are simply reported as $99,999. In order to obtain a more thorough estimate of high levels of capital gains income, we have replaced those capital gains values subject to the top coding restriction with higher values taken from Internal Revenue Service data. This adjustment was made in the following manner: The 1995 Statistics of Income file of the IRS was used to determine the mean amount of capital gains income for those returns which reported capital gains income above $99,999. This value was adjusted to 1997 dollars and substituted for each of the CPS capital gains values subject to the top code restriction. These adjustments mainly increase reported incomes in the top quintile. There also are some other top coding problems, notably limits on the amounts of earnings and taxes reported. However, no other top coding adjustments were made in this study. Ranking. Adjustments to income in Stage 2 were performed at the level of individual households. After each adjustment, the households were re-ranked based on their new income figures. Households then were weighted according to the CPS household weight variable. The Stage 4 adjustments are more general; earnings were adjusted at the quintile level based the aggregate earnings and average labor data within the quintile. Additional Missing Income. Although the comprehensive income figures shown in Table 1 are a substantial improvement over conventional Census money income data, they still fall short of real income in the United States economy. This shortfall is due to serious underreporting of incomes in the basic annual Census survey instrument, the Current Population Survey (CPS). Even the most comprehensive measure of pre-tax income from the CPS, which reaches $5.77 trillion (in Stage 2B), still falls short of personal income figures in the Commerce Department's National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) by some $1.5 trillion. Clearly, the incorporation of this additional unreported income could skew the measure of income distribution significantly. Correction for this additional underreporting is beyond the scope of the current analysis but will be the subject of future research at The Heritage Foundation. At present, we can only list the types and magnitudes of unreported income and offer tentative suggestions on their impact on income distribution. The largest amount of income unreported in the CPS is some $900 billion in interest, dividends, and rent, which would accrue disproportionately to the higher-income and middle-income quintiles. However, some $300 billion in government transfers and benefits is also unreported; these funds would be concentrated in the lower two quintiles. Some $300 billion in self-employment income is unreported; this shortfall is mainly income in the informal service sector and would accrue largely to the lower half of the population. Finally, there is over $150 million in pension and retirement income that is reported to the IRS but does not appear in the CPS; this would accrue largely to the lower and middle quintiles. Clearly, there is substantial unreported income in both the top and bottom halves of the income distribution. If all this income were reported accurately in the Current Population Survey, it is uncertain whether this would significantly raise or lower the levels of inequality reported in this paper. Accompanying Tables For accompanying tables, please click here for the PDF file. 1. David Mulhausen provided valuable assistance in the preparation of this report.

However, as noted, the official Census income "quintiles" do not contain equal shares of the population, and this fact skews the Census Bureau's measure of income distribution.

Jorge Ramos just learned why stepping into the ring with Laura Ingraham isn't for the faint of heart. The "Ingraham Angle" host debated the Univision anchor on the topic of immigration in the Trump era, flatly telling him that "no one buys" his charges of racism against the president. Ingraham began by discussing the news that U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel, whom President Trump criticized during the 2016 election over his handling of the Trump University case, ruled in favor of the administration's proposed border wall against challenges from environmentalists. "The first thought is that President Trump is going to have to think about again the racist comments that he made about Judge, Gonzalo Curiel, because it's exactly the same judge but now he sided with his government," Ramos reacted. Big legal win today. U.S. judge sided with the Trump Administration and rejected the attempt to stop the government from building a great Border Wall on the Southern Border. Now this important project can go forward! -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2018 When Ingraham asked what made the president's remarks racist, Ramos responded: "When you think that someone can't do his job simply because of his heritage. President Trump thought that because Judge Gonzalo Curiel is from Mexican heritage, he couldn't do his job dealing with Trump University. "So that's a racist statement, in the same way it is a racist statement to say that Mexican people are rapists, in the same way it is a racist statement to say people from Haiti and African nations are from s-whole countries." President Trump has called Curiel "unfair" and said the judge's Mexican heritage made him politically inclined to side against a candidate who supports a border wall between the US and Mexico. I have a judge in the Trump University civil case, Gonzalo Curiel (San Diego), who is very unfair. An Obama pick. Totally biased-hates Trump -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2016 Ingraham mentioned noted that Barack Obama had used derogatory language when speaking about other countries, and then asked about a Tuesday Supreme Court ruling that said aliens in federal detention do not have automatic right to bond, as Fox News reported. "Is not easy to be in immigration nowadays the United States," Ramos said, prompting Ingraham to fire back: "Illegal immigrant, Jorge, you mean illegal immigrants. You always do this and it drives people nuts." Ramos shot back that "I don't call them in legal immigrants because no one is illegal in this world." (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster). When Ingraham brought up the record low unemployment rate among Hispanics, Ramos said believes the figures do not make up for the Trump administration' stance on immigration. "I think that's positive when it comes to economics but how about if you are a family whose father or mother has been deported. How about if you're one of the people that the Trump government has arrested. "Arrests in Trump's first year are 30% higher than the last year of Barack Obama. So sure unemployment is better for Latinos, Donald Trump has been arrested many more people than Barack Obama." Ingraham then switched gears and asked, "Do you believe in nationhood?" "I believe that every single country has a right to protect its border," the Univision anchor replied. "Two countries have the right to determine who comes into the country and who must leave their country? Do they have that sovereign right?" Ingraham pressed. "I do believe that but I also believe that we are partly responsible for the 11 million undocumented immigrants who are in this country simply because we benefit from their work every single day," Ramos argued. "From the food that we eat to the homes that they are building to the children that they take care of. Undocumented immigrants pay taxes." (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong). Ingraham contested the notion that all illegal aliens pay taxes, and addressed the case of Abigail Hernandez, a DACA recipient who threatened to carry out a school shooting in New York earlier this month. Ramos likened Ingraham's reasoning to blaming all whites for the crime of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock, and asserted one "cannot criminalize" illegal aliens. "That's the game you're playing and no one buys it," Ingraham declared. "They are already here unlawfully, we don't have to criminalize them." The interview ended with discussion about President Trump's proposed border wall, which he has said will be paid for by Mexico. Jorge Ramos. (Photo: Screen Capture). Ramos insisted Mexico will not pay. "I think Mexico might pay some of it indirectly," Ingraham suggested. "We might have a whole new business arrangement that would be good for both of countries." The debate came as Congress grapples to find a solution to dealing with approximately 800,000 illegal alien recipients of the Obama-era DACA program, which President Trump rescinded last year. The president has repeatedly expressed willingness to make a deal with Democrats, offering a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million illegal aliens in exchange or the wall and the elimination of chain migration and the visa lottery. For those of you who are still interested, the Democrats have totally forgotten about DACA. Not a lot of interest on this subject from them! -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 23, 2018 Dems are no longer talking DACA! "Out of sight, out of mind," they say. DACA beneficiaries should not be happy. Nancy Pelosi truly doesn't care about them. Republicans stand ready to make a deal! -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2018 We know first-hand that censorship against conservative news is real. Please share stories and encourage your friends to sign up for our daily email blast so they are not getting shut out of seeing conservative news. Luis Miguel is a South Florida-based writer covering politics, society, and culture. Latest posts by Luis Miguel ( see all )

Jorge Ramos just learned why stepping into the ring with Laura Ingraham isn't for the faint of heart.

About AmmoLand Editor JS Would you like to see your Shooting Sports related news, press and PR published below. Just email [email protected] with your contact info. We would love to hear from you. On The Web Ashdown Shooting Sports claimed first place in both Junior and Senior divisions during Friday's and Saturday's regional qualifier of the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program at the Arkansas..... Read More >>> Three young archers from the Arkansas National Archery in the Schools Program placed in the top 10 in their respective divisions during the 2016 NASP National Championship May 12-14. Read More >>> This week's program was recorded while fishing with Pro angler "Crappie Dan" Dannenmuller and country recording artist Garrett Steele on Pymatuning Lake situated on the Pennsylvania/Ohio boarder. Read More >>> A tom can strut and drum in these low areas and remain nearly invisible, but he also can crane his neck up and often see most everything approaching.. Read More >>> Although chronic wasting disease has garnered most of the attention from the media during the last few Commission meetings, Commissioners continue to work toward providing higher quality..... Read More >>> To help commemorate Memorial Day, Dr. Marvin Folkertsma offers insight into a few of these scenarios and writes, "I, for one, love the America that has survived all those horrible "What Ifs" of..... Read More >>> Have you ever wondered how the LA Times, Associated Press, Weather Channel and your local media always seem to present similar one-sided stories on climate change... Read More >>> During the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky this past weekend, CrossBreed Holsters announced the winning name of their new pocket mag carrier, the Gideon. Read More >>> The Arizona Game and Fish Department is seeking the public's help in finding those responsible for the illegal killing of a yearling elk found in the Strawberry area on or about Sunday, May 22. Read More >>> The Safari Club International Record Book Department announces the premiere of the Game Birds of the World Awards program. Read More >>> Protect your eyes while looking great in the Ward Realtree Camo Sunglasses by Native Eyewear. Read More >>> With one last sheep left on the list for the North America Grand Slam of Sheep, Terry travels south to Sonora, Mexico with hopes of a desert big horn ram. Read More >>> A&E's Duck Dynasty's very own Si Robertson and daughter-in-law, Marsha Robertson, will be sharing the stage with countless country music greats at the Grand Ole Opry House. Read More >>> FFLGuard, the Gold Standard in the Firearms Industry for Legal Services and Compliance Solutions, announced today that it is partnering with the innovative team at FastBound to support their..... Read More >>> Only one athlete not in the lead coming into part two of these U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Shotgun earned a ticket to the 2016 Olympic Games and her name is Corey Cogdell-Unrein. Read More >>> FFL Design today announced that silencer and ammunition manufacturer, GEMTECH, will offer its products for sale through vArmory, the shooting sports industry's first ever wholesale e-commerce..... Read More >>> The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission heard the first proposals from wildlife management staff on potential regulations concerning deer hunting and management of chronic wasting disease..... Read More >>> Thank you for joining with more than 1.5 million other gun owners like yourself -- GOA activists who have helped put the heat on legislators in Congress. Read More >>> RCBS, the leading manufacturer of ammunition reloading equipment for rifles and pistols, announces the release of the new Pro Chucker Tube Case Feeder. Read More >>> Lone Wolf Distributors is now proud to offer an extended line of high performance PVD coatings! Read More >>> Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate President Kevin de Leon, and Assembly member Kevin McCarty are all sponsoring measures that require some form of ammunition tracking and registration. Read More >>> We need a president who will can lead the world back from the precipice of climate lunacy... Read More >>> For those who want high quality optics and extremely compact size Celestron presents the Hummingbird ED - the world's first "Micro" spotting scope. Read More >>> Posts navigation Rocketman : The GOP are fools if they don't incorporate "We have to regulate every aspect of people's lives." into every political... G-man : I sure didn't se al this crap when Obama was in the white house and he was as close to... Mike L : The Americans put up with decades of British tyranny before they chose to fight it. Like today, many people hesitated... Mark Zanghetti : How could I buy a membership in "Kat's" name? If everyone who could bought a membership in "Kat's" name you... Wild Bill : @Quatermain, Well... brother, first we all know if a judge, senator, congressman, batfe agent or fib agent lives near...

Ashdown Shooting Sports claimed first place in both Junior and Senior divisions during Friday's and Saturday's regional qualifier of the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program at the Arkansas.

I was only 10 years old on the day that Timothy McVeigh parked his fertilizer bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. At the time, I didn't know what it meant to have witnessed the "deadliest terror attack to date" on U.S. soil; all I knew was... The wheels on the bus go thump-thump-thump...right over the guy tasked with fixing an impossible mess. It's official: Jamal Benomar, the UN's special advisor on Yemen has resigned . For the past four years, Benomar has been the person tasked with guiding the various factions in Yemen through a peaceful, post-Arab Spring... A Massachusetts jury is ready to release the verdict in the Boston Marathon bombing trial. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is accused on 30 counts; 17 of those counts carry a sentence of either death or life in prison. In terms of the end result, it could come down to Count 1: Conspiracy to... ISIS doesn't just want to recruit new soldiers into the fold--they want to show those soldiers that joining the cause is more than just a one-off decision. It's a future. Over the last few days, the Islamic State in Syria has posted several pictures of "graduation ceremonies," celebrating the end of... We now know a little bit more about the Germanwings pilot who deliberately crashed into a mountain, killing himself and 149 other people; but friends and family are still baffled as to why 28 year old Andreas Gunter Lubitz would lock himself into the cockpit and initiate the plane's deadly... Someone needs to go check the cable connections at the White House, because the comms department clearly hasn't watched TV or read the internet in the past month. Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest executed what may be the most impressive whiff in recent memory. ABC News White House Correspondent... ...a U.S. assessment...determined that Kurdish fighters are responsible for the majority of the territory retaken from ISIS in... Among the sins and omissions documented by Behar and Weiss are...

I was only 10 years old on the day that Timothy McVeigh parked his fertilizer bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

Tensions in Petrograd have reached the breaking point. As Kerensky's military offensive collapses, Petrograd erupts. Despite the warnings by Bolshevik leaders that a premature insurrection would be isolated and defeated, hundreds of thousands of workers decide to take matters into their own hands. When the forces of reaction mobilize to crush the insurgent workers, the Bolsheviks are compelled to assume the leadership of the rebellion. This is the beginning of the "July Days." "The Bolshevik leadership saw clearly that the heavy reserves--the front and the provinces--needed time to make their own inferences from the adventure of the offensive," Trotsky later wrote. "But the advanced ranks were rushing into the street under the influence of that same adventure. They combined a most radical understanding of the task with illusions as to its methods. The warnings of the Bolsheviks were ineffective. The Petrograd workers and soldiers had to test the situation with their own experience. And their armed demonstration was such a test. But the test might, against the will of the masses, have turned into a general battle and by the same token into a decisive defeat. In such a situation the party dared not stand aside. To wash one's hands in the water of strategic morals would have meant simply to betray the workers and soldiers to their enemies. The party of the masses was compelled to stand on the same ground on which the masses stood, in order, while not in the least sharing their illusions, to help them make the necessary inferences with the least possible loss." Kerensky's offensive smashed, Russian troops abandon the Austrian front Tarnopol, July 1917: Field kitchens, limbers and transport wagons abandoned during the retreat (Source: Imperial War Museums) After slaughtering the advancing Russian soldiers en masse, inflicting an estimated 60,000 casualties, the German and Austro-Hungarian armies launch decisive counterattacks in Galicia. Mass mutinies break out in the Russian army. Desperate to restore order, the commanding officers brutally execute hundreds of soldiers, but they are unable to regain control. Independent of the generals, the Russian armies are disengaging from the front, retreating far back into the Ukraine. The advance of the opposing army now meets virtually no resistance. The catastrophe of the military offensive profoundly discredits not only the Provisional Government, but also the Mensheviks and populists that had offered it their full-throated support. When the offensive was launched, the "socialist" Minister of War Alexander Kerensky had reported to the Provisional Government: "Today is the great triumph of the revolution. .. the Russian revolutionary army with colossal enthusiasm assumed the offensive." Plekhanov had given a similar speech to a patriotic rally marking the opening of the offensive: "Today is resurrection day. Resurrection of our country and of the whole world. Russia, having thrown off the yoke of czarism, has decided to throw off the yokes of the enemy." Trotsky later writes: The soldiers felt themselves again deceived. The offensive had not led to peace but war. The soldiers did not want war. And they were right. Patriots hiding in the rear were branding the soldiers as slackers and baiting them. But the soldiers were right. They were guided by a true national instinct, refracted through the consciousness of men oppressed, deceived, tortured, raised up by a revolutionary hope and again thrown back into the bloody mash. The soldiers were right. A prolongation of the war could give the Russian people nothing but new victims, humiliation, disasters--nothing but an increase of domestic and foreign slavery. Petrograd, July 15 (July 2, O.S.) Cabinet crisis escalates over agreement with the Ukrainian Rada Mikhail Tereshchenko, a major landowner in Ukraine and foreign minister from May 18 until the October Revolution A delegation of the Provisional Government returns from Kiev to Petrograd to report on its compromise agreement with the Ukrainian Rada (Central Council). The delegation included the Menshevik Irakli Tsereteli, Mikhail Tereshchenko, himself a major landowner in Ukraine, and Kerensky. On June 23 (June 10, O.S.), the Rada had adopted the Pervyi Universal (First Universal), which proclaimed independence from the Provisional Government, openly challenging the latter's authority. Afraid of alienating the 30 million-strong Ukrainian population, and of provoking a political crisis in the southwestern army, the SR-Menshevik delegation decided to make concessions to the Rada. In the agreement reached after three days of heated negotiations, the delegation recognizes de facto the claim of the Rada to speak for the Ukrainian people. A General Secretariat is to be appointed by the Provisional Government in consultation with the Rada. Moreover, the Rada is allowed to prepare its own proposals to solve the land question--the most urgent concern of tens of millions of Ukrainian peasants--and present it to a Constituent Assembly. In exchange, the Rada pledges its loyalty to Russia and gives up its demands for a separate Ukrainian army. However, in the cabinet session in Petrograd, the bourgeois Constitutional Democrats (Kadets) bitterly oppose any concession whatsoever to the nationalist and separatist sentiments in Kiev. The Kadets renounce the agreement, and, upon instructions of their Central Committee, withdraw from the government. To the pro-war, pro-capitalist Kadet ministers, the threat to Russia's territorial integrity was the "supreme evil arising from the Pandora's box of revolution" (Oliver H. Radkey). In a press interview one day later, the Provisional Government's prime minister, Prince Lvov, argues that basic differences of opinion between the "socialist ministers" (i.e., the Mensheviks and SRs) and the Kadets, rather than the Ukrainian problem itself, had provoked the cabinet's collapse. Indeed, it is only the latest in a series of disagreements in which the Kadets find themselves in a minority position in the government. In particular, the Kadets oppose the agricultural and economic policies of Chernov, the SR minister of agriculture. With the resignation of the Kadet ministers, there are only six "socialist" (populist and Menshevik) ministers and five bourgeois ministers left in the cabinet--as the masses in Petrograd and Kronstadt move toward an insurrection against the Provisional Government. Petrograd, July 16: (July 3, O.S.): First Machine Gun Regiment initiates the July Insurrection A Bolshevik demonstration during the July days. The banner reads "Down with the ten capitalist ministers, All power to the Soviets of Workers', Peasants', and Soldiers' Deputies" At a mass meeting of the First Machine Gun Regiment, thousands of soldiers call for the immediate overthrow of the Provisional Government and demand that all power be transferred to the Soviets. One of the main speakers is the Anarcho-Communist Iosif Bleikhman, whose radical demands for the immediate overthrow of the Provisional Government and the seizure of power find enthusiastic support among the angry soldiers. A resolution is passed that declares that the insurrection will begin at 5 p.m. this afternoon. Immediately, delegations are sent to other regiments and the Putilov workers to gather support for the overthrow of the government. Not all regiments follow their call. Some pledge neutrality, others voice support for the government, but many factories and garrison units support the movement almost instantly. At a meeting in the Putilov factory, Bolshevik workers are split. While the secretary of the factory committee calls for immediate action, the Bolsheviks Anton Vasiliev and Sergei Ordzhonikidze urge restraint. In Kronstadt, three emissaries from the First Machine Gun Regiment--Kazakov and Koshelev from the Bolshevik Military Organization and the Anarchist Pavel Pavlov--arrive in the afternoon to win the Kronstadt sailors for the armed insurrection. At 4 p.m., the Bolshevik Central Committee convenes to discuss the party's position. With the support of Trotsky's Mezhraiontsy (Interdistrict Group), it decides to not participate in the demonstration. Yet in Kronstadt and many other garrisons, Bolsheviks already assume a leading role in the movement. In Kronstadt, Fyodor Raskolnikov reports to Kamenev on the phone that the excitement of the gathering crowds is "alarming." While Kamenev urges him to do whatever he can to calm the masses down, he and other Bolsheviks quickly conclude that there is no stopping the demonstration and that they must place themselves at the forefront of the movement. Bolshevik machine gunners are refusing to obey the Bolshevik Central Committee, declaring that leaving the party is preferable to opposing a decision of their regiment. The news of the insurrectionary movement soon reaches the Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet, which holds a session at the Tauride Palace to discuss the ongoing government crisis. By 7 p.m., a statement by the Executive Committee is being distributed that condemns the movement as traitorous and warns that "all available means" would be employed against it. At this point, the city has, in the words of historian Alexander Rabinowitch, "taken on the appearance of a battlefield." Armed machine gunners have occupied the Finland Station, and are positioned along the tracks at nearby stations. The bridges over the river Neva are likewise taken over for the most part by armed soldiers and workers. The first clashes occur in what Rabinowitch calls a "chaotic" night. Some 60-70,000 people march on the Tauride Palace, where the Soviet Executive Committee meets in a frenzy. The Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party only decides at the last minute to support the movement, realizing that there is no way to restrain it and that the reactionaries are mobilizing to crush it. It also sends an emissary for Lenin, who had unfortunately chosen this moment to take a brief vacation at a hiding place in nearby Finland. At an emergency meeting of the Workers' Section of the Petrograd Soviet in the Tauride Palace that same evening, the Bolsheviks for the first time win a majority. They help create a special commission that is tasked with both ensuring that the demonstration remains peaceful, and that the Soviet is pressured to take power. When Zinoviev, Kamenev and Trotsky at the meeting learn about the decision of the Bolshevik leadership, they convince the Workers' Section to adopt its line. The Section elects a commission to contact the Petrograd and All-Russian Soviet Executive Committee. The other participants of the meeting leave for the city's working-class districts and garrisons to inform them of their decision and try to give the movement a peaceful character. A Bolshevik appeal for restraint, which had already been drafted for tomorrow's edition of Pravda by Zinoviev and Kamenev, is withdrawn. Instead, a new leaflet is hastily put together and issued by 4 a.m., which reads: Yesterday the revolutionary garrison and workers of Petrograd demonstrated and proclaimed this slogan: All power to the Soviets! We call upon this movement that arose in the regiments and factories to become a peaceful, organized expression of the will of the workers, soldiers, and peasants of Petrograd. On the night from July 16-17 (July 3-4, O. S.) the leadership of the rebellion passes into the hands of the Bolsheviks. Within hours, the leaders of the Bolshevik Military Organization, Podvoisky, Nevsky and Mekhonoshin, create a special operational staff that assumes responsibility for the organization of the demonstration on July 17 (July 4, O.S.). Meanwhile, in Kronstadt, Raskolnikov organizes the mobilization, equipment and transportation of an armed expedition to Petrograd in a meeting that lasts until 3 in the morning. Berlin, July 10: Rosa Luxemburg continues to be held in "protective custody" Rosa Luxemburg On July 10, a report is published in the Social Democratic Vorwarts concerning a request made by representative Otto Ruhle in the Reichstag the previous day in which he called for the release of Rosa Luxemburg from prison. Ruhle uses the appointment of Luxemburg as a delegate to the Stockholm peace conference as a basis for his demand. To do nothing, Ruhle states, could create the impression abroad that "a political opponent of the government" is being "prevented from working for peace in Stockholm." Three months later, one month after the conference, the government will answer the inquiry: No, Rosa Luxemburg will remain in custody "because she has developed an extremely lively and inflammatory activity within the radical socialist movement and has threatened the security of the Reich ..." Rosa Luxemburg herself has not the slightest intention of travelling to Stockholm. Like Lenin, she firmly rejects meeting with the Social Democratic leaders of Germany, France, Great Britain, etc., all of whom support their own governments in the imperialist war. Because of her courageous and principled opposition to war, Luxemburg has been imprisoned since February 18, 1915. Because she repeatedly explains in her speeches to workers that the war and the crisis of capitalism will inevitably lead the working class to political mass strikes; and because she predicts the working class will end the world war as soon as the entire class realizes that it is obscene to shoot at their class brothers from other countries; and finally because as a Marxist she fights in her speeches and writings to make the workers conscious of these historic tasks--she is considered a treasonous "threat to the security of the Reich." Her place of detention has changed frequently. After the women's prison in Berlin, she was taken into police custody and locked in a dark, dirty cell with prostitutes. Then she was moved to Wronki near Poznan, Poland and after that to the prison in Breslau. As long as her health permits it, she writes articles, including the famous "Spartacus Letters" which are smuggled out by various means. Because she is next to Karl Liebknecht the most important leader, the Spartacus Group several times tried in vain to secure Luxemburg's release. During her imprisonment, all the work of political leadership rests on the shoulders of the aged Franz Mehring and Leo Jogiches, working underground. The other more experienced members are either in prison or drafted into the military. East Clare, Ireland, July 10: Sinn Fein defeats constitutional nationalists in by-election Eamon de Valera Eamon de Valera, who served as a commander in the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, defeats the Irish Parliamentary Party candidate in the East Clare by-election. This is Sinn Fein's third by-election victory this year, the first coming in North Roscommon in February and the second in South Longford in May. Sinn Fein's victory reflects strengthening nationalist tendencies within sections of the Irish middle class. Although Sinn Fein was not involved in the Easter Rising directly and has only recently shifted to calling for an Irish republic, it is able to capitalize on deep opposition to British colonial rule above all due to the absence of any political challenge from the left. The Irish Labour Party--set up prior to the war by socialist James Connolly, who was executed following the Rising, and trade union leader Jim Larkin--decides to abstain from politically challenging Sinn Fein. This is despite the development of a mass strike movement in the working class and growing radicalization driven by mounting Irish casualties in the war. Ramadi, July 12: British suffer heavy casualties in failed attack on Ottoman garrison 1917 map showing the Euphrates from Ramadi to Baghdad British troops are forced to withdraw after attempting since July 8 to capture the important Ottoman garrison at Ramadi, located strategically between Aleppo and Baghdad, Iraq. The advancing British forces have encountered significant Ottoman resistance and also came under attack from pro-Ottoman Arab forces. However, the cause of more than half of the 566 casualties is the hot weather, with 321 soldiers dying of heat stroke or thirst. The defeat demonstrates the complete indifference among the political and military elite to the soldiers fighting to consolidate British imperialist interests in the Middle East. Coming just over two weeks after the publication of the Mesopotamia Commission's report, the debacle at Ramadi coincides with the resignation today of Secretary for India Austen Chamberlain, who is held responsible for the lack of supplies, miserable conditions, poor military planning and poor communications that have plagued the British and Indian Army campaign in Mesopotamia. Bisbee, Arizona, July 12: Striking Phelps Dodge miners herded onto cattle cars, deported to desert Striking miners being deported In the midst of a bitter Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) strike, some 1,300 copper miners are rounded up, crowded onto cattle cars, and deported to the middle of the southern New Mexico desert. Carrying out the deportation is a posse of some 2,000 armed thugs and vigilantes, including officials from the rival International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers (IUMMSW), deputized by local law enforcement officials who work, in all but name, for Phelps Dodge. The company has provided the names of militant workers for targeting, but the dragnet draws in many others, including locals who sympathize with the strikers and even bystanders. The workers are first marched into a local baseball stadium, patrolled by deputies with firearms, including a machine gun. They then endure the 16-hour trip in the overcrowded cars, some of which were covered in manure, with little water and no food. They are released near the Tres Hermanas mountains in southeastern New Mexico, with no food or housing. The governor of New Mexico eventually provides tents that have been initially gathered for use by refugees from the Mexican Revolution. Only two deaths take place: a worker, acting in self-defense, shoots and kills a deputy. He is then gunned down in cold blood by two other deputies. Phelps Dodge draws its workers from Mexico, the US, Cornwall, Italy, Finland, Slovenia, Croatia, Ireland, and elsewhere. The IWW and its Metal Mine Workers subsidiary have succeeded in organizing this workforce, where the conservative IUMMSW has failed. The IWW demands pay increases and improved safety. Phelps Dodge refuses all concessions. Over 3,000 workers responded to the IWW call to strike on June 26, shutting down copper production at Phelps Dodge and two smaller rivals in Bisbee. From the beginning, Phelps Dodge attempts to brand the workers as "German agents." Sheriff Wheeler, who has organized the massive posse, writes to Arizona Governor Edward Campbell that the "whole thing appears to be pro-German and anti-American." Or, as the Arizona Chapter of the American Mining Congress concludes "after careful investigations," the IWW strike is "FINANCED BY GERMAN MONEY." Money is indeed involved--namely, that of Phelps Dodge and its president Walter S. Douglas. Profits, announced earlier in the year, are increasing at breakneck speed, driven by the war in Europe and American "preparedness" and entry. In 1916 the mining concern pulled in over $24 million in net profits, an increase of over 118 percent since 1915. Berlin, July 12: Generals Ludendorff and Hindenburg call for the removal of Reich Chancellor Bethmann Hollweg Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff, the two leading generals of the Supreme Army Command (OHL) of the German Reich, go to Kaiser Wilhelm II and threaten to submit their resignations if he does not remove Reich Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg. The generals know the Kaiser considers them indispensable for the military. They are therefore certain of the success of their blackmail, especially since they have the support of five Reich ministers who submit their resignations on the same day. The day before, Bethmann-Hollweg had persuaded the Kaiser to order the drafting of a reform to electoral law introducing universal and equal suffrage in Prussia, something which had been demanded by the Majority Social Democratic Party (MSPD) for years. This concession to the social democratic MSPD, which collaborates with the government, is necessary because, as Hollweg says in the crown council, the radical forces in Social Democracy and in the trade unions are gaining the upper hand. According to minutes of the meeting, the Reich chancellor declares: "It is crucial to reinforce the right wing of Social Democracy. For what would happen if the government could no longer count on the help of the trade unions in controlling the strike movement?" Indeed, two months after the April strikes, a large strike wave has begun anew. Between 20,000 and 30,000 metal workers, especially in the defence industry, have been on strike since July 6 in the Cologne area. The strike wave is only brought to an end at the beginning of August with the efforts of the trade union leadership and the help of a few concessions in wages and working hours. At the same time, thousands of miners in Upper Silesia go on strike from July through August, almost none of them organized by trade unions. Both strike movements are accompanied by food riots and looting, primarily carried out by women, youth and children in cities like Breslau and Cologne. The OHL is determined to end these strikes and revolts through bloody military interventions. It is also determined to defend at any cost the political hegemony of the aristocracy and the Junkers in Prussia enshrined in feudal electoral law. It will not accept the "drivel" of a "negotiated peace" and give up its conquering aims. In this it is supported by the executives of heavy industry and high finance. They have long wanted to get rid of the chancellor because of his concessions--most of them empty promises--to the MSPD and the leaders of the trade unions. Berlin, July 13: Reich Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg resigns Georg Michaelis To pre-empt his removal by Kaiser Wilhelm II, Bethmann-Hollweg submits his resignation. In doing so, he prevents Wilhelm II from appearing as a puppet of the military in the public eye for having removed him and losing his authority. The Kaiser immediately accepts the resignation. As the generals correctly calculated, the Kaiser does not dare bring them before a military tribunal for their insubordination and political blackmail in time of war. For three years of the war, Hollweg had attempted to manoeuvre between the generals' camarilla, the various wings of the industrial and finance bourgeoisie, and the Social Democrats to suppress open class conflict. The support given by the chauvinistic MSPD to his war policies had made this possible. Fuelled by the February Revolution in Russia, the class struggle in Germany has now broken out into the open. Hollweg and his politics are finished. His successor Georg Michaelis is an ultraconservative and more compliant bureaucrat whom the generals can easily control. The newly established Reichstag majority of the MSPD, the catholic Centre Party, the bourgeois Progressive People's Party and the National Liberals have provoked a serious governmental crisis with their demand presented by Mathias Erzberger in the Reichstag for a resolution favouring a "negotiated peace." In the end, the OHL of Ludendorff and Hindenburg have profited the most by this. They can now pursue unimpeded their brutal war plans, despite all of the catastrophic reports from the front and the failure of the unrestrained U-Boat war. Beijing, July 13: Monarchist restoration defeated in China General Zhang Xun Monarchist forces, led by General Zhang Xun, a royalist warlord and general in the former Qing dynasty, call for a ceasefire after having been routed by an offensive of republican forces the day before. Zhang, capitalizing on a protracted political crisis and unrest, had led monarchist troops into Beijing and proclaimed the restoration of the Qing dynasty on July 1. The Qing dynasty was overthrown in the revolution of 1912. Zhang placed the last Qing emperor, Puyi, then an 11-year-old boy, on the throne, publishing a series of imperial edicts proclaiming the establishment of a new regime. Zhang's forces, who were widely believed to have financial backing from Germany, were confronted by troops led by Duan Qirui, another prominent warlord and politician. Republican forces rapidly surrounded Zhang's positions, forcing his flight and the effective surrender of the troops he commanded. Zhang's attempted coup had been prompted by the crisis of the dominant republican authority. Duan had been removed as premier, after a public conflict with Li Yuanhong, the president of the government, in May 1917. Li opposed Duan's attempts to align China with the war effort of the Allied powers, favoring the maintenance of nominal Chinese neutrality. The clash accelerated the tendency towards the collapse of central political power, and the proliferation of competing warlords, controlling troops and territory. London, July 11: Rudyard Kipling publishes his poem "Mesopotamia" Rudyard Kipling In response to the contents of last month's report by the Mesopotamia Commission, exposing the horrific conditions of life for British soldiers and a lack of military planning, writer Rudyard Kipling publishes a poem entitled "Mesopotamia" in today's editions of the London Morning Post and the New York Times . Kipling denounces the "idle-minded overlings who quibbled while they died," and expresses growing public outrage at the military authorities: "How softly but how swiftly they have sidled back to power / By the favour and contrivance of their kind." Born in Bombay, British India, in 1865, Kipling is a product of London's 19th-century colonial system, which imposed rigid divisions between a population of British colonial administrators and the Indian population. Kipling aligned himself early on with the British ruling class, all but endorsing empire-building in the now-notorious poem, "The White Man's Burden." In the late 1890s, he denounced German attempts to build a navy capable of competing with Britain's Royal Navy, and wrote in support of Britain's imperialist aggression in the Boer War. On the outbreak of the war, Kipling endorsed the propaganda used by British imperialism to justify its intervention: that Britain was seeking to defend Belgian sovereignty and safeguard democracy. He even wrote official propaganda for the British authorities for a time. But by 1917, even Kipling, whose son John Kipling was killed in the war, is expressing anger and frustration at the incompetence and indifference to the mass slaughter on the part of the political and military elite. Kipling's contradictory legacy is best expressed in his reception by his contemporaries and successors. Mark Twain, by no means a conservative figure, struck up a friendship with Kipling during the 1890s and said of the writer, "Between us we cover all knowledge; he knows all that can be known, and I know the rest." George Orwell, who condemned Kipling as a representative of "British imperialism," noted, "He identified himself with the ruling power and not with the opposition. In a gifted writer this seems to us strange and even disgusting, but it did have the advantage of giving Kipling a certain grip on reality. The ruling power is always faced with the question, in such and such circumstances , what would you do ?"

The ruling power is always faced with the question, in such and such circumstances , what would you do ?

Last week, a quote from Richard Nixon's former Chief Domestic Advisor John Ehrlichman surfaced, confirming a disgusting truth that's been well-known by black folks for several decades: the war on drugs had nothing t o do eradicating a drug epidemic. Instead, it was a ploy to hide the intentional targeting and decimating of the black community. Ehrlichman states: The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I'm saying? We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did. John Ehrlichman was the loyal Nixon aide quoted as saying the war on drugs was meant to target blacks and the antiwar left. (Photo via HistoryLink.org) I've always believed the "War on Drugs" was a hoax from the very beginning; thus, I felt a wide range of emotions reading this quote. I've seen my own community ripped apart by enforcement of draconian drug laws. I know people who are currently serving sentences related to the same drug that, now increasingly legal, is being used to make white folks and the government wealthier . And still, America's embarrassing incarceration rates and disparities, painstakingly outlined in Michelle Alexander's now legendary book The New Jim Crow, are merely a fragment of the aftermath of Nixon's vicious war on black folks. When the highest levels of government, in the now incontrovertible spirit of genocide, decide to decimate a community, the ripple effects will be unending. Consider first: all wars need soldiers. The soldiers in Nixon's phony war have been police officers, chiefs, prosecutors and judges -- all law enforcement officials tasked with carrying out inherently racist order. Much of the now well-documented problem with how law enforcement officials interact with communities of color can be traced to the war on drugs. Despite the fact that drug use in our country has always spanned broadly across lines of race and class , our entire system and everyone in it were necessarily taught to view urban communities as being rife with criminals and addicts needing to be cleansed. None of this was was possible without Nixon perverting another broken system for his destruction campaign: mainstream news media . Plastering implicitly anti-black propaganda on major networks with regularity is how America was taught to view urban centers -- and the black people living there -- as deserving of war. The war's soldiers, therefore, are to be supported with a similar blind deference as we are taught to give our military. (A comparison which, of course, helps us justify equipping the police like they're in combat.) The kind of racist reporting Nixon expressly requested from mainstream media outlets didn't end with Nixon's shameful exit from the White House; four decades later, it remains a staple of what Americans consume daily . Just Google news anchor Wendy Bell and see what people who control the messages on your TV screens think of black people. Hell, media bias is the reason this news of Nixon's war against black communities (read: treason) wasn't a front page headline. This is bigger than detestable police and biased media, however. Like with any unjust war, there are economic implications - in this case, in excess of a trillion dollars spent destroying the very community that ironically is one of very few domestic racial groups terrorized by the government that hasn't received any sort of r eparations . There are social implications, namely that what follows from unjustly incarcerating black people at alarming rates, a majority of them men, is a decapitation of the black family unit that spans generations. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) And there are lasting community implications, the most startling of which is that the blighted neighborhoods that are most impacted by the terror of the war on drugs -- pillaged by Nixon's soldiers and stripped of many of their bread winners -- are part of the communities across the nation being actively identified for "development." Gentrification is a brand of renovation that forces the removal of black families for economic reasons -- and it didn't appear out of thin air. So remember that the next "conspiracy" you hear being repeated by hundreds of thousands of marginalized people probably isn't a conspiracy at all. The next time you hear that a useful social initiative is just too expensive, be reminded that we wasted more than $1 trillion over 40 years taking out Nixon's perceived enemies. And the next time people try to convince you that drug abuse in black communities is a criminal issue, tell them to extend the same courtesy given to white communities and call it what it is -- a healthcare issue. Nixon wasn't the first criminal to commit crimes against his own citizens; our government has perpetrated criminal atrocities against communities of color before, from the Tuskegee Experiment to Japanese Internment Camps. Lies and deceit are nothing new. But this time, when you go to the polls, remember Nixon's "War on Drugs." Then act accordingly. The stakes are too high to let another lie go unchecked. Walter Bond is an educator, activist, DJ, and the Chief of Staff of Teach For America Milwaukee. You can follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/wtbond Last week, a quote from Richard Nixon's former Chief Domestic Advisor John Ehrlichman surfaced, confirming a disgusting truth that's been well-known by black folks for several decades: the war on drugs had nothing t o do eradicating a drug epidemic. Instead, it was a ploy to hide the intentional targeting and decimating of the black community. Ehrlichman states: The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I'm saying? We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did. John Ehrlichman was the loyal Nixon aide quoted as saying the war on drugs was meant to target blacks and the antiwar left. (Photo via HistoryLink.org) I've always believed the "War on Drugs" was a hoax from the very beginning; thus, I felt a wide range of emotions reading this quote. I've seen my own community ripped apart by enforcement of draconian drug laws. I know people who are currently serving sentences related to the same drug that, now increasingly legal, is being used to make white folks and the government wealthier . And still, America's embarrassing incarceration rates and disparities, painstakingly outlined in Michelle Alexander's now legendary book The New Jim Crow, are merely a fragment of the aftermath of Nixon's vicious war on black folks. When the highest levels of government, in the now incontrovertible spirit of genocide, decide to decimate a community, the ripple effects will be unending. Consider first: all wars need soldiers. The soldiers in Nixon's phony war have been police officers, chiefs, prosecutors and judges -- all law enforcement officials tasked with carrying out inherently racist order. Much of the now well-documented problem with how law enforcement officials interact with communities of color can be traced to the war on drugs. Despite the fact that drug use in our country has always spanned broadly across lines of race and class , our entire system and everyone in it were necessarily taught to view urban communities as being rife with criminals and addicts needing to be cleansed. None of this was was possible without Nixon perverting another broken system for his destruction campaign: mainstream news media . Plastering implicitly anti-black propaganda on major networks with regularity is how America was taught to view urban centers -- and the black people living there -- as deserving of war. The war's soldiers, therefore, are to be supported with a similar blind deference as we are taught to give our military. (A comparison which, of course, helps us justify equipping the police like they're in combat.) The kind of racist reporting Nixon expressly requested from mainstream media outlets didn't end with Nixon's shameful exit from the White House; four decades later, it remains a staple of what Americans consume daily . Just Google news anchor Wendy Bell and see what people who control the messages on your TV screens think of black people. Hell, media bias is the reason this news of Nixon's war against black communities (read: treason) wasn't a front page headline. This is bigger than detestable police and biased media, however. Like with any unjust war, there are economic implications - in this case, in excess of a trillion dollars spent destroying the very community that ironically is one of very few domestic racial groups terrorized by the government that hasn't received any sort of r eparations . There are social implications, namely that what follows from unjustly incarcerating black people at alarming rates, a majority of them men, is a decapitation of the black family unit that spans generations. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) And there are lasting community implications, the most startling of which is that the blighted neighborhoods that are most impacted by the terror of the war on drugs -- pillaged by Nixon's soldiers and stripped of many of their bread winners -- are part of the communities across the nation being actively identified for "development." Gentrification is a brand of renovation that forces the removal of black families for economic reasons -- and it didn't appear out of thin air. So remember that the next "conspiracy" you hear being repeated by hundreds of thousands of marginalized people probably isn't a conspiracy at all. The next time you hear that a useful social initiative is just too expensive, be reminded that we wasted more than $1 trillion over 40 years taking out Nixon's perceived enemies. And the next time people try to convince you that drug abuse in black communities is a criminal issue, tell them to extend the same courtesy given to white communities and call it what it is -- a healthcare issue. Nixon wasn't the first criminal to commit crimes against his own citizens; our government has perpetrated criminal atrocities against communities of color before, from the Tuskegee Experiment to Japanese Internment Camps. Lies and deceit are nothing new. But this time, when you go to the polls, remember Nixon's "War on Drugs." Then act accordingly. The stakes are too high to let another lie go unchecked. Walter Bond is an educator, activist, DJ, and the Chief of Staff of Teach For America Milwaukee. You can follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/wtbond

Last week, a quote from Richard Nixon's former Chief Domestic Advisor John Ehrlichman surfaced, confirming a disgusting truth that's been well-known by black folks for several decades: the war on drugs had nothing t o do eradicating a drug epidemic.

In a small ballroom at the Best Western Hotel near Vancouver's airport, Kirsten Stevens, a tattooed single mother of three, rises to take the podium, her hands trembling. Dressed casually in black cords and an emerald green shirt, the forty-two-year-old resident of Campbell River, BC, known as the Widow to many in attendance, stands out from the suit-clad presenters who preceded her. Petite--just five feet three and 115 pounds--with a barely tamed bob of cinnamon-coloured hair and brown eyes, she surveys the audience from behind stylish cat's-eye glasses. "This is going to be my first time telling this story," she says, clearing her throat and glancing at the sheets clutched in her hands. "Four years ago, I could not have conceived of speaking at an aviation leadership forum. Four years ago, I was a housewife with two children and a newborn baby. In just under two weeks, it will be the fourth anniversary of the day I became a widow--the day the picket fence blew down." On February 28, 2005, Stevens' husband, Dave, a professional logger, and four others were en route from Campbell River to a camp near Knight Inlet on BC's rugged west coast when their De Havilland dhc-2 Beaver float plane plunged into the water just six minutes after takeoff. Two days later, Dave's body, buoyed by the survival jacket Kirsten had bought him years before, washed up on Quadra Island, five kilometres from where the plane had taken off. His was the only body ever recovered. The autopsy showed that he had escaped the aircraft largely unharmed, only to succumb to severe hypothermia and drown while awaiting a rescue that never came. A resident of Quadra Island heard cries for help but couldn't see their source. It had taken four hours for the office of the air carrier (which has since shut down) to alert search and rescue teams, even though staff knew the plane was missing within twenty minutes of takeoff. Dave's death opened a chasm of what-ifs for Stevens. "What if the aircraft was perfectly maintained? " she asks her audience. "What if aircraft were always tracked? What if there had been no delay in notifying authorities of the missing aircraft? Could the accident have been prevented? Could all five men have been rescued? Could they have rescued the only man wearing a life jacket--my husband? Could we have celebrated a successful emergency water landing like the one on the Hudson River, instead of mourning the losses of five families? Ten children left without their fathers? " After a three-day search failed to turn up any trace of the downed plane or the victims, government authorities handed the matter over to the rcmp , which classified it as a missing persons case. A month later, all official searches were completely shut down. Stevens expected that a government agency would investigate the deaths of her husband and the four others as workplace fatalities, but none did. Pooling their meagre resources, the families recovered the wreckage and, later, the plane's engine. Stevens also appealed in vain to a wide and varied list of authorities: the federal minister of transport, infrastructure, and communities; BC's minister of transportation and infrastructure; Canada's Transportation Safety Board; the federal minister of labour; the provincial ministry of labour and citizens' services; the provincial ombudsman of justice; her provincial mla ; her federal MP; several BC senators; the standing committee on transport and communications; and BC's Workers' Compensation Board. Eventually, the families hired a private investigative firm, which found that the plane's floats were "leakers" long overdue for reskinning, that there were non-conforming parts on the aircraft, and that the plane was due for a major overhaul. The firm also speculated that the airline had not carried out mandatory 100-hour inspections of the plane's engine. The only official report Stevens received came from BC's chief coroner's office--more than four years after the crash. The account, she says, was riddled with inaccuracies and omissions and failed to provide her or the other victims' families with any sense of closure. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada--the independent agency mandated to investigate crashes for cause and contributing factors--did not follow up, claiming there was nothing new to be learned. (Nor, says Stevens, is there any reference to the accident on the tsb 's website, which lists only two passenger deaths by air taxi in 2005, the year of her husband's crash.) In a discussion with the coroner, Stevens learned that Bill Yearwood, the board's Pacific Region manager for aviation, had submitted a preliminary report on the accident, which she obtained by submitting an access to information request. In Yearwood's account, the tsb 's inspection showed no evidence of problems with the aircraft's engine, performance, or maintenance. Instead, it indicated that poor weather and the pilot's qualifications and experience may have been factors--an outcome Stevens refers to as "blaming the dead guy." When she realized her husband's death might have been prevented, Stevens began reading everything she could about the aviation industry: Canadian aeronautics regulations, the Aeronautics Act, crash investigation reports, civil aviation studies and recommendations, and books with titles like Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents ; Black Box: Why Air Safety Is No Accident ; and Flying Blind, Flying Safe . She also joined AvCanada , Canada's busiest aviation employment website and discussion forum, where she discovered that many aviation professionals shared her concerns about the lack of oversight of Canada's commercial air carriers. Then she got vocal. Fuelled by coffee and menthol cigarettes, she worked six hours a day out of a dimly lit den at the back of her three-storey house, not far from where her husband died. She wrote letters to unions and government officials, and launched QuestForJustice.ca and a blog called dhc 2 Widow's Space , both dedicated to aviation safety. She initiated a petition to Stephen Harper's office, asking for a public inquiry into her husband's accident and the air taxi industry in Canada. Slowly, others in the air safety community started paying attention. Her mission has since broadened to encompass the overall decline in Canada's aviation safety standards, and especially recent federal legislation involving a cost-cutting approach called safety management systems. sms is a form of industry self-regulation in which airlines develop and maintain their own safety protocols. Under sms , the responsibility for hands-on monitoring largely shifts from the government to the airlines themselves. The legislation has been making its way through Parliament in various forms since 2001. Its latest incarnation, Bill C-7, An Act to Amend the Aeronautics Act, died last September when Parliament was dissolved in advance of the federal election, but Transport Canada is moving ahead with sms nonetheless. The department intends to have the protocol fully implemented across all regulated civil aviation organizations by November 2011. In concert with other critics, Stevens charges that the government is using self-regulation to justify extensive cutbacks to traditional oversight programs. She has mounted a spirited campaign to stop Transport Canada, garnering support from pilots, victims' families, whistle-blowers, and organizations across the country. When Stevens finishes speaking, the audience gives her the only standing ovation of the day. As she makes her way back to her table, the first person to offer a congratulatory hug is Yearwood. During the coffee break that follows, delegates surround her. Among them are two old-time pilots. "We learned something from you," says Horst, a robust, greying man with a thick German accent. "We always have our life jackets in the back. We're going to wear them." Wilf, a former air force pilot with a wiry build, raises a finger in the air. "Accountability," he says with conviction, "that's what's needed." The Pilot SMS has already been implemented in many corners of Canadian aviation, including at major airlines like Air Canada and WestJet. Next on the horizon are the country's smaller operators, which have fewer resources and face greater risks than the big carriers. Transport Canada's supervision of this sector has traditionally been lax, raising serious concerns about the 600 operators flying more than 2,000 small aircraft nationwide. This fleet encompasses air taxis (single- or multi-engine planes that can carry up to nine passengers) and commuter craft (multi-engine or turbo-powered planes, plus helicopters, carrying between ten and nineteen passengers). Collectively, such operators transport upwards of 100,000 passengers a year in Canada, serving as feeders for the major airlines, and providers of specialty services such as transporting tourists to fishing lodges and the injured to hospitals. They also conduct aerial work, carry workers to various service jobs in industry (logging, hydro, and district court services) and ferry food and freight to remote northern communities. The sector accounts for more than half the country's commercial aviation--and a disproportionate number of its accidents and fatalities. Bush flying, the forerunner of modern air taxi and commuter operations, originated in the Canadian North, where poor weather, harsh terrain, scant roads, and the isolation of communities made air transport essential. In his 2004 book, Bush Pilots: Canada's Wilderness Daredevils , Peter Boer notes that early bush pilots "endured the aggravation of malfunctioning equipment, primitive living quarters and the constant threat of death for relatively low wages... They took satisfaction in surviving in the face of almost overwhelming odds. Landing a plane in the middle of a snowstorm, changing an engine in the middle of the dreaded Barren Lands of the Northwest Territories or hiking endless hours through the bush in search of aid were commonplace events." Today the bulk of Canadian aviation still happens in the North. The pilots who fly in the bush tend to be young and inexperienced, and they work in a highly competitive market subject to a kind of "go fever" that encourages them to take risks and push limits. And the conditions in which they fly remain as perilous as ever: bad weather and difficult terrain, not to mention poorly maintained planes. They also typically fly alone. Most rookie pilots cut their teeth with small operations--and since those who can't make it here often don't make it at all, the pressure to conform is high. Owners of air taxi services, meanwhile, were typically bush pilots themselves, and they tend to run their businesses with the same hard-driving attitude, expecting their pilots to fly on a shoestring and to get the job done regardless of weather, fatigue, or cargo load. That they often operate in remote locations further erodes the government's ability to oversee them. Erik Vogel understands the perils as well as anyone. Standing six feet three, with broad shoulders, a full head of dark hair, and a neatly groomed moustache, he's the picture of confidence in uniform. Today his uniform is a firefighter's, but twenty-five years ago, in 1984, it was that of a rookie pilot with Wapiti Aviation, a small air taxi operation in northern Alberta. That year, his ten-seater Piper Navajo Chieftain slammed into a shrouded ridge, killing provincial ndp leader Grant Notley and five other passengers. (Disclosure: one of the four survivors of the crash was my father, Alberta housing minister Larry Shaben.) Vogel hadn't wanted to fly that night. The weather was bad, and his co-pilot had been bumped to accommodate another paying customer: Notley himself. Vogel had lost twenty-five pounds in the five weeks he'd been with Wapiti, and had flown seventeen flights the previous week. He'd also been on call for medevac flights. And he didn't trust his plane. Its autopilot system had been acting erratically, one of its wing de-icers had broken during a flight earlier that day, and one of its automatic direction finders was also malfunctioning. Getting into the small, uncontrolled airstrips along his flight path would be treacherous. He was in way over his head, and he knew it. He also felt he had no choice but to fly. If he refused, he risked losing his job. Thirty-three pilots had quit or been fired from Wapiti in the previous year. The crash ended his career. "There's hardly a day that goes by that I don't think about it," he says, seated at a small table at a Vancouver Starbucks. Among the firefighters at Station 4 in Burnaby, he is known as Mr. Safety--a reputation that doesn't bother him. "I don't ever again want to be the one to have something bad happen on my watch," he says. Vogel still experiences deja vu when news of other airplane crashes hits the media--for example, the Sonicblue Airways accident in January 2006 near Port Alberni, BC, in which the pilot of a small plane died along with two of his seven passengers. After the crash, the pilot's father, Jonathan Huggett, complained publicly about conditions at Sonicblue, alleging that his son had been abused, grossly underpaid (junior co-pilots with the company normally earned a meagre $28 for a fourteen-hour shift, amounting to about $7,300 a year), and forced to fly in dangerous conditions. "It was Wapiti all over again," says Vogel, shaking his head. Like Wapiti, Sonicblue had a history of safety violations, though Transport Canada did not suspend the carrier's licence until after the fatalities occurred. Whereas the Sonicblue crash was caused by a faulty engine part, Vogel acknowledges he made a mistake the night of his crash, descending below the minimum en route altitude through a bank of thick cloud in an attempt to spot the dim lights of a snow-covered airstrip. Talking about it, he curls his hands into fists then opens them wide, splaying his fingers. "Arthritis," he says matter-of-factly. When he felt the trees hitting the plane, he instinctively raised his hands in front of his face. They were mangled in the crash, and he's been losing feeling and mobility in them ever since. "I run into burning buildings now, and I think my new career is much safer," Vogel says. To support his three children, he also drives an eighteen-wheeler on his days off. When he's trucking, he notes, he's subject to constant checks to ensure he doesn't exceed his duty time of fourteen hours a day, and his rig can be spot checked at any scale. During the public inquiry into the crash, he asserted that Transport Canada was partially to blame for allowing airlines like Wapiti to cut corners, push their pilots, and put lives at risk. Then, in a precedent-setting case in 1990, the widows of two men killed in the crash sued the federal government and won. The judge in Swanson v. Canada (Minister of Transport) ruled that Transport Canada was one-third responsible for the deaths, having failed to sanction Wapiti for its repeated violations in the years preceding the crash. Vogel hoped things would change for the better after Swanson, but he doesn't think they have--a belief confirmed by "Jason," a young pilot who declined to give his real name for fear of being blacklisted. Jason affirms that many of today's bush pilots are cowboys, and says that those who promote a culture of safety are often dismissed. Last year, for example, he shared the cockpit with the owner and chief pilot of his company, during which he was expected to fly perhaps ten metres off the water with a planeload of passengers. "I told my boss I wasn't comfortable flying below the minimums," he says. His boss told him to lower them. This season, the company didn't hire Jason back, saying he "hadn't been helpful." Another rookie pilot, who Jason says flew "like an idiot," remained on the company's roster. The Whistle-Blower "Swanson meant a lot to me," reflects Hugh Danford, a former aviation system safety inspector and course instructor with Transport Canada. Danford, who lives on a peaceful tract of farmland forty minutes from Ottawa, along the Rideau Canal, once taught new inspectors about Wapiti and the Swanson case as part of Transport Canada's basic aviation enforcement course. "I used it as an example of why inspectors need to do their jobs," he says, surveying his recently planted plot of garlic. Looking back, he now believes that Swanson, rather than ushering in an era of government responsibility, actually created a chill, marking the beginning of his department's efforts to get out of the enforcement business. Before he went to work for the government, Danford was a pilot. His career spanned thirty years and took him to places as far flung as the Arctic and Antarctic, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Maldives. Sixty-two, with a ruddy complexion, blue eyes that sparkle behind wire-rimmed glasses, and a full head of white hair, he'd be a shoo-in for a shopping mall Santa--if, that is, he weren't so angry. Danford started at Transport Canada in 1998. Shortly after being hired, he was appointed to a tri-national safety working group of Canadian, American, and Mexican aviation experts seeking to determine the root causes of North American airplane crashes. In 25 percent of the Canadian accidents he reviewed, lack of regulatory supervision appeared to be the problem. One of those accidents involved the "controlled flight into terrain" (literally, flying a plane into the ground) of a De Havilland dhc -6 Twin Otter off Davis Inlet, Labrador, in 1999. Marcel Jaspar, the pilot in command on the flight, which killed its twenty-two-year-old first officer, Damien Hancock, had been in four previous crashes and had a lengthy enforcement record with Transport Canada. In spite of this, the department took no action against the pilot or the airline immediately following the Davis Inlet crash. Nor did it investigate the incident (it wasn't until 2002, after Danford submitted a report, that Jaspar's licence was suspended). The accident report released by the Transportation Safety Board in 2001 stated, "In certain areas of commercial operations, the safety oversight efforts of Transport Canada have been somewhat ineffective." As a result of these findings, in June of that year the tsb issued Recommendation A01-01, which Danford calls one of the most important safety regulations in years. It urged that "the Department of Transport undertake a review of its safety oversight methodology, resources and practices particularly as they relate to smaller operators and those operators who fly in or into remote areas to ensure that air operators and crews consistently operate within the safety regulations." When he checked the government database that tracks Transport Canada's responses to tsb recommendations (which the department is required to submit within ninety days), Danford found that the department was on record as having satisfied Recommendation A01-01. One of the initiatives cited as proof was a plan to implement a new safety protocol known as sms . Another involved the hiring of a consulting firm to conduct a comprehensive review of the department's safety oversight program for commercial operations. Danford went looking for a copy of the review. And that, he says, is when the trouble began. His superiors told him to leave it alone; one, he says, referred to it as "worthless." Eventually, he located the report--conducted by Montreal's dmr Consulting Group at a cost to taxpayers of $690,000--and discovered that it had nothing to do with Recommendation A01-01. "Transport Canada lied to Parliament," he says. His attempts to bring the situation to light made for some heated discussions. He had his mental health questioned, was arrested for uttering threats, and was ultimately forced to resign in 2004. The days that followed were dark ones, and he didn't emerge until three years after his resignation, when a friend encouraged him to testify before Parliament's Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure, and Community. Danford managed to get himself on the agenda for a review of Bill C-6, An Act to Amend the Aeronautics Act--the legislation sanctioning the controversial aviation safety management systems protocol. The minute he entered the political fray, Stevens found him, and the two have been collaborating ever since. "She's like a sister to me," he says. His involvement in the campaign and the relationships it has forged have helped him overcome his anger. "Who knows? " he adds, scuffing the dirt under which 900 cloves lay buried. "If this garlic comes up, maybe I can make a living." The Protocol Canada's civil aviation fleet is the world's second-largest, with close to 3,000 operators. It currently carries upward of 99 million passengers annually--a number that is expected to grow by 40 percent as of 2015. Like airlines in other countries, Canadian carriers are under intense pressure to cut costs and keep planes flying without interruption. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization--the UN agency responsible for supervising the safe and orderly growth of international aviation--the rapid expansion of the industry is making it increasingly difficult to manage safety with traditional methods. The icao has concluded that the solution is safety management systems, and has asked its member states to require airlines to establish them by 2012. Safety management systems originated in the chemical industry in the early 1980s, with the aim of shifting to a focus on overall processes--that is, the interaction of human, organizational, technical, and environmental factors--rather than individual events. Presumably, this would allow organizations to identify potential hazards early on and take appropriate preventive measures. The approach has since gained favour in other industries. In 2001, for example, the Chretien government introduced safety management systems into the Canadian rail sector. Transport Canada has been promoting sms for the civil aviation industry since at least 1999. One of the leading voices supporting the push is Merlin Preuss, who recently retired after a lengthy tenure as Canada's director general of civil aviation. Preuss, who declined to be interviewed for this piece, has long maintained that sms will allow for more thorough identification and resolution of potential problems. He describes the traditional regulatory approach as reactive, and suggests that sms will make companies more responsive and proactive. However, ndp MP and former transportation critic Peter Julian believes the experience of Canada's rail system shows otherwise. "We saw derailments increase," he says. Indeed, a 2008 report on the rail industry's safety management policy, quietly tabled in Parliament last year, found that implementation had been inconsistent, and that Transport Canada hadn't dedicated enough resources to the initiative. More recent data from the Canada Safety Council shows that fifteen major incidents had taken place on Canadian railways between January 7, 2007, and March 5, 2008--more than in the previous six years combined. "The problem of sms all along," says Julian, has been that "theoretically, it's a more intelligent way of approaching safety because companies are involved as well," but in reality governments have tended to use the protocol to justify cutbacks. Transport Canada has already introduced sms to the business aviation sector, granting rule-setting responsibility to the Canadian Business Aviation Association in 2003. The decision in effect gave an industry trade association and lobby group oversight of the safety of its own members' aircraft. In 2007, Transport Canada reviewed the changes the association had introduced and found a system plagued with problems. No structured system had been put in place, nor any procedures for cancelling or suspending an airline's certificate. And some member companies had been operating without safety management protocols for five years. "It's the listeriosis of the aviation industry," Danford says, referring to sms implementation. Last year's tainted meat scandal, which resulted in twenty-two deaths, occurred after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency shifted responsibility for food testing to the meat-packing industry. Following the outbreak, Richard Arsenault, a manager at the cfia , said, "It's like in aviation: we can't look under each jet engine of an airline, but we can make sure the maintenance service works." As it turned out, not only had inspectors failed to swab for listeria on the plant floor, they had failed to check company records properly, to ensure that packers had performed the necessary tests and that their results were above board. Ultimate responsibility for the transition to sms lies with John Baird, Canada's minister of transportation and infrastructure. According to a department insider, Baird has been especially wary of allowing civil servants to speak to the media about sms , a subject the insider acknowledges is a "hot potato" for the ministry. Baird declined repeated requests for an interview, but in a letter to Ottawa's Hill Times newspaper in March, he wrote, "Safety Management Systems are about adding more accountability to the inspection system, while maintaining the responsibilities of the federal government. In fact, the government continues to conduct independent audits and has access to more information than ever before. What sms does is add another layer of accountability." In a written response to an interview question for Baird, Transport Canada's manager of media relations and monitoring, Patrick Charette, referred to sms as "another layer of safety." "That is an absolute fabrication," responds retired Alberta judge Virgil Moshansky, an internationally respected aviation authority. Lean and distinguished, the straight-talking former justice of the Court of Queen's Bench is also a long-time pilot. Nearly two decades ago, that combination of credentials landed him the signature appointment of his career: head of the commission of inquiry into the 1989 Air Ontario crash at Dryden, a commuter airline accident in which twenty-four people died. Though tasked primarily with investigating the causes of the crash, Moshansky saw the commission as an exceptional opportunity for an in-depth review of the entire Canadian aviation system. His groundbreaking 2,000-page report, released in 1992, was arguably the most exhaustive judicial review in Canada's aviation history. Its findings resulted in a number of significant aviation safety improvements, including stringent new de-icing procedures. It also helped earn him the Order of Canada in 2004, for singular dedication to enhancing aviation safety. Moshansky now fears the gains he helped win are being eroded. "Canada is the only country in the world introducing sms without maintaining regulatory oversight," he says from his Calgary home. He alleges that implementation of the new system is motivated primarily by budget concerns. "Transport Canada management is well rewarded for cost cutting," he says. "And they save money by cutting the number of inspectors." He also notes that the government's civil aviation inspectorate is significantly smaller than it was at the time of the Dryden inquiry, and has grave doubts that Transport Canada can ensure a safe aviation environment for the travelling public as a result. The department's solution to this shortfall, he says, has been to axe its oversight programs, notably its national audit program. Under that system, cancelled a few years ago, federal inspectors conducted detailed checks and on-site monitoring of airline operations, meaning they boarded planes, rode along on flights, and studied maintenance logbooks. Moshansky's paper also mentions a November 2006 directive from Transport Canada to its inspectors, which instructed that no enforcement action be taken against an sms -covered enterprise except in rare circumstances. The judge tells of receiving confidential notes from the department's inspectors expressing serious concerns about these trends. "The time is past due for a commission of inquiry to investigate the state of aviation in this country," he says. Last year, the Auditor General of Canada, Sheila Fraser, examined Transport Canada's handling of air transportation safety. In her annual report to Parliament in May 2008, she commended the department for its leadership in introducing safety management systems, noting that Canada is one of the first countries in the world to do so in the aviation sector. However, she also raised a number of concerns. In reallocating resources from traditional oversight activities to sms activities, she wrote, "the Department did not document risks, such as the impact of the transition on oversight of air transportation safety, or identify actions to mitigate the risks. Nor did it forecast the overall costs of managing the change. In addition, it has not measured the impact of shifting resources from traditional oversight to the new approach." Fraser later told a parliamentary committee that "Transport Canada could not demonstrate to us that it is carrying out a sufficient number of inspections during the transition." She also noted that the number of inspectors and engineers in the department has decreased by 8 percent in the past five years, that "Transport Canada has not yet identified how many inspectors and engineers it needs, with what competencies, during and after the transition," and that there is a "risk that the Department will not be able to recruit the people it needs in a timely manner." Greg Holbrook, former national chair of the Canadian Federal Pilots Association--the bargaining organization representing approximately 470 professional pilots who work as Transport Canada inspectors, tsb investigators, and civil air navigation professionals--asserted in an interview earlier this year (prior to taking a job as a Transport Canada inspector himself) that the International Civil Aviation Organization never intended for safety management systems to replace regulatory monitoring. "It's like jumping into the water without a life preserver," he said. He further contended, in concert with Moshansky, that sms implementation wasn't about safety. "If we go back to the documentation Transport Canada put together in 2001 [the same time Recommendation A01-01 was issued]," he said, "the proposal to implement sms was justified to senior staff based on saving dollars, reducing the number of employees, and ultimately reducing the liability to the minister of transport." As pilots working in safety and enforcement at Transport Canada retire, he continued, the government is replacing them with "accountants" focused on inspecting paperwork rather than planes. His members were concerned. A survey commissioned by the cfpa in 2007 showed that while almost all respondents thought sms could improve aviation safety in theory, two-thirds said that sms as it was being implemented by Transport Canada would increase the likelihood of an aviation accident. One surveyed federal employee complained, "If the general public knew the amount of decisions made by Transport Canada supervisors regarding the safety of the air travel system in this country who are not professional members of the aviation community there would be a mass revolt." The Hush-Up Transport Canada's below-the-radar implementation of sms has underscored long-standing concerns about the secretive nature of the department. In a 2007 paper presented to the Royal Aeronautical Society, Justice Moshansky revealed for the first time the challenges his commission faced during its three-year investigation into the Air Ontario crash in Dryden. Among other revelations, he wrote that the commission had contended with the sheltering of evidence, a lack of access to witnesses, widespread opposition, and threats of a Federal Court injunction by Transport Canada counsel for allegedly going beyond the terms of his mandate. Twenty years on from the inquiry, he noted, "the public still continues to be without direct representation in aviation concerns. When the system breaks, the executive branch of government determines causality and identifies violations of legislative branch requirements. No one accountable to the public acts to establish the basis and appropriateness of these requirements and whether executive branch actions are sufficient and competently performed." The result, according to Moshansky's paper, is that "reporters and investigators are often unaware of significant aspects known only to airline safety managers." None of this surprises Robb Cribb, a reporter with the Toronto Star and former head of the Canadian Association of Journalists. Speaking from Toronto, he described Transport Canada as "one of the most resistant ministries when it comes to public accountability." Cribb worked alongside colleagues from the Hamilton Spectator and the Kitchener-Waterloo Record on a major investigation into Canada's aviation industry, published over 2006 and 2007. He and his fellow journalists were forced to wait four years for aviation accident data they requested from Transport Canada in 2001. It wasn't until 2005, after they took their case to Canada's information commissioner, and just days before the two sides were scheduled to go to court over the matter, that Transport Canada finally released the information. "I was astounded at how far they would go to protect data that is readily available in the US," says Fred Vallance-Jones, a twenty-four-year veteran journalist who worked with Cribb on the investigation. Last year, the caj nominated Transport Canada for its Code of Silence Award, for "proposed draconian secrecy provisions in amendments to the Aeronautics Act"--the same legislation that includes sms . According to the caj , "If implemented, these will see a veil of secrecy fall over all information reported by airlines about performance, safety violations, aviation safety problems and their resolution." Under the proposed legislation, voluntary reporting about safety-related incidents--including material from flight data recorders and self-reported violations--will remain confidential. Transport Canada argues that these measures are a necessary cornerstone of trust in a successful sms . However, such legislation allows the department to shield information from public scrutiny by designating safety reports as "mandatory exclusions" under the Access to Information Act. Safety reports would therefore not be subject to access to information requests; they could never be released, nor reviewed by the Access to Information commissioner. Most troubling of all to Transport Canada's detractors, however, is that it is moving ahead with sms even though the Conservatives have twice failed to pass supporting legislation in the House of Commons. "This is just contrary to democracy," says the ndp 's Peter Julian. "One of the oldest rules of Parliament is that the government may not act without the legislative authority granted by the House of Commons and the Senate." With opposition mounting, it has become unlikely that Bill C-7 will be reintroduced. Transport Canada's Patrick Charette responds to such complaints by saying, "Legislative powers are already in place for sms expansion." And indeed, the Aeronautics Act allows Transport Canada to introduce amendments to Canadian aeronautics regulations without parliamentary approval. Critics of sms have therefore turned to the only recourse they feel they have left: capturing the public's attention. The Summit This past April, Kirsten Stevens orchestrated an unprecedented gathering of parliamentarians, professional pilots, aviation experts, accident survivors, victims' families, and whistle-blowers on Parliament Hill. The purpose was a round-table discussion on the decline of air safety in Canada. Fourteen people spoke for more than three hours on the crisis facing Canadian aviation, among them Stevens, Hugh Danford, Peter Julian, Greg Holbrook, and Jonathan Huggett, as well as representatives from the Canada Safety Council, Teamsters Canada, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform, and Canadians for Accountability. At a press conference afterward, ndp transportation critic Dennis Bevington remarked, "From what I heard, this is a disaster waiting to happen. Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board have developed a culture of secrecy, where whistle-blowers are persecuted and fatal accidents are seen as just a cost of doing business." Also present in Ottawa this year, if a bit earlier in the spring, was a woman named Freda Hancock, the mother of the twenty-two-year-old pilot killed in the Davis Inlet crash that first attracted Hugh Danford's attention. The 1,500-kilometre flight west from her tiny Labrador community was the first time in the decade since her son's death that the soft-spoken, elegant woman had found the strength to speak personally with the former Transport Canada inspector. Hancock said that when he first contacted her, five years after the crash, she wasn't able to hear what he was telling her--that the system had killed her son. "They're the people who were supposed to protect you and keep you safe, and you realize they failed you," she said from Danford's home, where she was staying. "I took all of this for granted. I didn't stop to think that somebody wasn't doing their job." In the wake of the round table, Danford was left feeling optimistic that the hardship he'd inflicted on his family and himself might not have been in vain. "All 900 heads of garlic came up," he said in a recent phone conversation. He'd just mailed a box of bulbs from his harvest to Stevens, who was still putting in full days on her campaign. She'd just launched SafeSkies.ca , designed as a virtual rallying point for aviation safety advocates, and a watchdog for transparency and public accountability at Transport Canada. "We need people who are willing to stand up and be vocal and tell the truth," she told me, "or we'll see more victims--like those at Davis Inlet, like those at Dryden, like those at Wapiti, like those in my accident. It's people like me who can remind everyone why it's so important to do it right the first time."

Her mission has since broadened to encompass the overall decline in Canada's aviation safety standards, and especially recent federal legislation involving a cost-cutting approach called safety management systems. sms is a form of industry self-regulation in which airlines develop and maintain their own safety protocols.

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I'm guessing that Prentice coming in is because the govt has two seperate problems. 1.] Getting First Nations approval in general / overall . 2.] That Enbridge and the Harper Crew without Prentice's credibility cannot even manage to get the agreement of SOME First Nations at least potentially ready to split off and sign a deal with some benefits for them. Publicly, overtly, its all about #1. But everyone, Prentice included, without saying it sees getting unanimous approval as essentially impossible. So the real strategy is to rescue the potentially achievable divide and conquer #2. Which Enbridge and its govt enablers wants to do, but is running out of time to pull off. Make sense? Or are they really hoping to buy off all or most First Nations? [Or subform of that: bring in Prentice so they can say they really tried? Which I can see them easily being cynical enough for. But how much hope does "we tried" have of standing up in court? While buying off some First Nations, can allow them in court to portray the holdouts as not negotiating in good faith. ???]

I'm guessing that Prentice coming in is because the govt has two seperate problems.

Union Sq. Park, New York. #ShutDownA14 #sos #saconscene @mtsacjour Cornel West addressing the crowd at Union Square in New York City. Instagram/jailsactioncoalition Setting out from Union Square. @JamesFTinternet Starting on the march in NYC, A14 Here in NYC with @Carl_Dix & @CornelWest at #ShutDownA14 march against police murder pic.twitter.com/0FAiE27XQ1 -- Residente C13/ RC13 (@Calle13Oficial) April 14, 2015 A packed Union Sq. Park. New York. #ShutDownA14 #sos #saconscene #sosnyc @mtsacjour New York: Cornel West & Carl Dix with arms around parents of victims. Photo: @JailsAction #BLKSocialJ: RT @BorisRorer: SHUTTING SHIT DOWN! Keep Your Eyes On The Prize Brooklyn #ShutDownA14 #BlackLivesMatter. Photo: @BorisRorer #ShutDownA14 on the Brooklyn Bridge! Credit: James FromTheInternet Chicago, Illinois Hundreds of people take the streets of #Chicago in #protest of police violence #ShutDownA14 #stopPolicebrutality. Photo: @kelly_wenzel At the rally at the Richard J Daley Center, Chicago. Photo: Instagram Die in on Chicago's Michigan Ave in front of the Marriott. Photo: @StopMassIncChi Chicago Metra Train Station 8AM A14 Freedom Song This video is of this morning's disruption of "business as usual" at the Ogilvie Metra commuter station. The singer gave beautiful voice to the "I Cant' Breathe" song. Commuters looked stunned out of their morning drill, and people were doubling back to get leaflets. Even the security guard who told us we had to leave from inside the station said that she personally has lost friends to police brutality and she felt our cause. Greensboro, North Carolina Rally in Greensboro, North Carolina on A14. Photo: smin_nc@twitter Greensboro, North Carolina on A14. Photo: North Carolina SMIN Atlanta: protest for #ShutDownA14 blocked off an on-ramp by Georgia State University. Photo: @daltonm17 Los Angeles, California Nearly a thousand people joined the protest, here at the site where Afrika was murdered by the police. #ShutDownA14 NO MORE! IT STOPS TODAY! WE REFUSE 2 LIVE THIS WAY! Photo: @revclub_la At LAPD Headquarters in Los Angeles. Photo: @revclub_la Dozens of protesters determined to keep shutting it down on A14 to STOP police murder stayed in the LA Downtown area through rush hour. Twenty of them sat down in a very busy intersection downtown stopping the blue line metro train, backing up street and freeway traffic for over an hour. The LAPD has threatened them with felony charges, high bail and keeping them locked up through Thursday. This is intolerable! Call to demand their immediate release and for all charges to be dropped! Call LA Central Division 213.486.6606. In addition, four UCLA students stopped traffic on the 405 Freeway offramp earlier today. Call Century Regional Detention Center at 323.568.4000 and West Hollywood Sherriff's at 310.855.8850 to demand their immediate release with all charges dropped. Photo: Los Angeles--blocking the train. @Jayron26 Oakland, California Shit got shut down in Oakland on April 14! The day began with a speak-out at Oscar Grant Corner in the heart of downtown and ended with a major disruption of traffic on a key Bay Area freeway. April 14 protesters pushed through a line of police and took over the lobby area of Oakland City Hall for a half hour chanting "Indict, convict, send the killer cops to jail, whole damn system is guilty as hell," names of victims of police murder, with "presente!" They carried posters of Stolen Lives. At the same time a number of people from Black Lives Matter took over the rotunda area of city hall for 15 minutes. Houston, Texas Houston on A14. Photo: Special to revcom.us Houston on A14. Photo: Special to revcom.us San Francisco Bay Area #BlackLivesMatter protesters here to "shut down" SF City Hall over @SFPD racist text messages and more. Photo: @FitzTheReporter #bart #BlackLivesMatter @24th st and Mission, San Francisco. Photo: @StarkKev Cleveland, police used horses against demonstrators "We are no longer going to sit back and watch our black and brown children get killed" Several dozen activists took to the streets of Springfield, MA to protest on April 14, blocking traffic. Signs included "Prisons are slavery, police are the slave trade" and "Black Lives Matter - Shut It Down." Over a dozen were arrested. Over a dozen protesters were arrested. From mainstream news coverage of the protest: "One protester explains, 'The mayor needs to be here, see this, be arm-in-arm with us and standing up with this to let the system know we are no longer going to sit back and watch our black and brown children get killed.'" [Interviewer:] "You saw a lot of people with you that got arrested, what did that mean?" [Protester:] "That's why we did it, that's how much it means to us, that's why put our lives on the line. This means so much to us, we're fighting to survive." Photo: Michael S. Gordon | mgordon@repub.com Stockton, California Beautiful # ppl getting outof cars & joining us! #ShutDownA14 #Stockton - we r the people w/the power. Photo: @alyssa011968 Seattle, Washington Crowd of around 75 anti-police brutality protesters blocking intersection near Seattle's Westlake. Photo: BrandiKruse@Twitter If you like this article, subscribe, donate to and sustain Revolution newspaper.

Hundreds of people take the streets of #Chicago in #protest of police violence

1 Belafon Sep 25, 2017 * 8:08:44pm down 4 up report Trump: Where is Puerto Rico? Aide: *Points to Map* Here. Trump: Does is have a Trump Hotel? Aide: No, sir. Trump: Looks about the right size for a hotel and resort. Aide: But what about the natives? Trump: We wait. 2 Kragar Sep 25, 2017 * 8:13:41pm down 21 up report AL Senate favorite Roy Moore just pulled a real gun out of his pocket at his rally. No joke. pic.twitter.com/KqTeuIwgMm 4 HappyWarrior Sep 25, 2017 * 8:16:07pm down 3 up report What a doofus. 5 jaunte Sep 25, 2017 * 8:16:19pm down 25 up report 48,000 Puerto Ricans served in Vietnam. 335 died in combat. 18 were listed as MIA. Meanwhile, Trump received five deferments for "bone spurs." Now he has the power to decide if the families of those Puerto Rican veterans can get food and water. 6 retired cynic Sep 25, 2017 * 8:16:27pm down 3 up report 7 ObserverArt Sep 25, 2017 * 8:18:44pm down 6 up report The hat and gun go together. I think they and the vest come in a kit. 8 HappyWarrior Sep 25, 2017 * 8:19:43pm down 3 up report 48,000 Puerto Ricans served in Vietnam. 335 died in combat. 18 were listed as MIA. Meanwhile, Trump received five deferments for "bone spurs." Now he has the power to decide if the families of those Puerto Rican veterans can get food and water. They focused on one of those 335 on the documentary. 9 TedStriker Sep 25, 2017 * 8:19:57pm down 2 up report Did he rail against "godless Commies" too? JFC... The hat and gun go together. I think they and the vest come in a kit. It was $.99 on the toy rack at Duckwall's when I was a kid. 11 retired cynic Sep 25, 2017 * 8:22:46pm down 3 up report re: #10 Shiplord Kirel, live from behind wingnut lines It was $.99 on the toy rack at Duckwall's when I was a kid. I just didn't know that Alabama was the Wild Wild West... 12 jaunte Sep 25, 2017 * 8:23:37pm down 4 up report re: #11 retired cynic It's a state of mind that can fall on you in odd places. Like Milwaukee. 13 TedStriker Sep 25, 2017 * 8:23:40pm down 2 up report "Citizens of Rock Ridge!" Taggart: I got it, I got it! Hedley Lamarr: You do? What? Taggart: We'll work up a "Number 6" on 'em! Hedley Lamarr: "Number 6?" I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that one... Taggart: Well, that's where we go a-ridin' into town, a-whoppin' and a-whumpin' every livin' thing that moves within an inch of its life. Except the womenfolks, of course. Hedley Lamarr: You spare the women? Taggart: Naw, we rape the shit out of them at the Number 6 Dance later on! Hedley Lamarr: Marvelous! 14 Decatur Deb Sep 25, 2017 * 8:23:44pm down 9 up report [Embedded content] And that's why we want him to run against our candidate. Our chances might be as good as 1 in 30 if we run a solid campaign against a GOP idiot. 15 Targetpractice Sep 25, 2017 * 8:24:08pm down 7 up report Ain't you a bit old for dress-up, Roy? 16 JordanRules Sep 25, 2017 * 8:26:58pm down 26 up report 17 Targetpractice Sep 25, 2017 * 8:32:15pm down 11 up report It's funny that (so far) the only thing that Trump has railed against that hasn't become more popular is the GOP. 18 jaunte Sep 25, 2017 * 8:32:33pm down 18 up report Puerto Rico is being left to rot in the heat and the dark. This is an acutely distressing piece of reporting. https://t.co/tj9dXuzQsc 19 Eclectic Cyborg Sep 25, 2017 * 8:32:40pm down 2 up report Re: Puerto Rico/Katrina For all the damage it wrought, Katrina only killed somewhere between 1300 and 1700 people. Considering the size of the populations it hit that's a pretty low number. The eventual toll from Maria I fear could be much worse. 20 bratwurst Sep 25, 2017 * 8:33:38pm down 8 up report If you have a half hour to kill, you can spend it reading Dweezil Zappa's latest update on his battle against his awful family & his revulsion at their money grubbing and downright creepy plan to put a hologram of their father on tour. 21 Interesting Times Sep 25, 2017 * 8:33:54pm down 14 up report Bill Cassidy literally looks like an evil super villian plotting to take healthcare away for millions to please rich doors #HealthCareDebate pic.twitter.com/zTOUVMgje5 On my street, that's called a "lady's gun". 24 Belafon Sep 25, 2017 * 8:36:54pm down 3 up report It's also a pretty obvious SNL skit. 25 jaunte Sep 25, 2017 * 8:39:15pm down 4 up report re: #23 Decatur Deb I bet it's a Taurus "Judge." He wouldn't be able to resist buying one. 26 Charles Johnson Sep 25, 2017 * 8:41:42pm down 13 up report GOP Face. Wake me when he shoots himself. 28 jaunte Sep 25, 2017 * 8:42:09pm down 22 up report Puerto Rico is humanitarian crisis & Trump & Pence leave DC for a week of fundraising for themselves. https://t.co/k0Baaynbw1 via @politico 29 HappyWarrior Sep 25, 2017 * 8:43:54pm down 4 up report [Embedded content] He looks like a film villain. 30 Belafon Sep 25, 2017 * 8:43:55pm down 4 up report From my ACM news : The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) reportedly has been forced by an international coalition of cryptography experts to back off from pressing the independent International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to globally standardize several data encryption methods amid suspicion among U.S. allies. Academic and industry specialists from Germany, Japan, Israel, and elsewhere are concerned NSA was promoting the new techniques not because they were good encryption tools, but because it knew how to crack them. Following a series of closed-door meetings around the world over the past three years, which discussed whether ISO should approve two NSA data encryption techniques known as Simon and Speck, NSA has agreed to drop all but the most powerful versions of the techniques. Many experts who took part in the approval process for Simon and Speck were concerned NSA would gain a "back door" into coded transmissions if it were able to crack the encryption techniques. 31 HappyWarrior Sep 25, 2017 * 8:44:19pm down 2 up report This is dereliction of duty. Worse than Katrina. Sick. 32 Targetpractice Sep 25, 2017 * 8:44:40pm down 4 up report So the GOP has until December to pass a spending bill and debt ceiling increase, yet they feel that the wisest action is to tilt at that ACA windmill one more time. And they insist they're still doing tax "reform" this year. Hollywood couldn't write a better parody of the modern GOP. 33 The Ghost of a Flea Sep 25, 2017 * 8:44:56pm down 7 up report Is there a single best place to donate towards Puerto Rico's relief? I keep seeing lists, but don't have a sense of who's going to get stuff on the ground fast. 34 HappyWarrior Sep 25, 2017 * 8:45:35pm down 1 up report re: #33 The Ghost of a Flea Is there a single best place to donate towards Puerto Rico's relief? I keep seeing lists, but don't have a sense of who's going to get stuff on the ground fast. Ditto. I want to help as soon as I can. 35 Charles Johnson Sep 25, 2017 * 8:46:09pm down 8 up report Republican Bill Cassidy enjoys the sweet sweet feeling of ripping health care away from millions of people who desperately need it. pic.twitter.com/OO5UjyEC6P 36 Decatur Deb Sep 25, 2017 * 8:46:39pm down 7 up report re: #33 The Ghost of a Flea Is there a single best place to donate towards Puerto Rico's relief? I keep seeing lists, but don't have a sense of who's going to get stuff on the ground fast. Press your reps for a DoD task force. They'll catch you for the bill in April. 37 Targetpractice Sep 25, 2017 * 8:47:07pm down 4 up report This is dereliction of duty. That should be retweeted and emailed to every slope-browed moron who bleated the lie about how Obama went golfing during Sandy. re: #23 Decatur Deb On my street, that's called a "lady's gun". The pocket pistol and the shiny vest make him look like an especially sleazy riverboat gambler. 39 Targetpractice Sep 25, 2017 * 8:47:54pm down 6 up report re: #35 Charles Johnson [Embedded content] He smiles as he thinks about what he's gonna do with all that money the Kochs have promised for ACA repeal. 40 Decatur Deb Sep 25, 2017 * 8:48:10pm down 6 up report re: #38 Shiplord Kirel, live from behind wingnut lines The pocket pistol and the shiny vest make him look like an especially sleazy riverboat gambler. Needs more foulard. 41 The Ghost of a Flea Sep 25, 2017 * 8:50:13pm down 9 up report re: #36 Decatur Deb I'm a Kentuckian without a brewery, a coal mine, or a fast food combine. "Representative" is not a word that means what it's supposed to. 42 JordanRules Sep 25, 2017 * 8:50:45pm down 8 up report Something to think about regarding donating right now... This is from my friend Ydalmi who is from Rincon, Puerto Rico. Donations are great...but useless without government capacity. [glares at 45] pic.twitter.com/jZw0w5HOo5 43 ObserverArt Sep 25, 2017 * 8:51:02pm down 5 up report This is dereliction of duty. No problem. They will blame Puerto Rico on Obama somehow and the wingnuts will believe it because they remember Obama's response to Katrina. 44 teleskiguy Sep 25, 2017 * 8:51:11pm down 8 up report re: #38 Shiplord Kirel, live from behind wingnut lines The pocket pistol and the shiny vest make him look like an especially sleazy riverboat gambler. 45 HappyWarrior Sep 25, 2017 * 8:51:56pm down 3 up report No problem. They will blame Puerto Rico on Obama somehow and the wingnuts will believe it because they remember Obama's response to Katrina. I can see that happening. 46 Belafon Sep 25, 2017 * 8:51:58pm down 9 up report Individual states may have to mobilize their own national guard units to assist, without the federal government. Terrifying. 47 Charles Johnson Sep 25, 2017 * 8:53:42pm down 6 up report B.o.B wants to prove the Earth is flat. He's started a GoFundMe campaign to take a look at the planet's shape https://t.co/zc13byiC5P pic.twitter.com/hV71o4PI7p 48 retired cynic Sep 25, 2017 * 8:55:24pm down 2 up report re: #47 Charles Johnson Why pay attention to him? That's all he wants. 49 HappyWarrior Sep 25, 2017 * 8:55:40pm down 13 up report re: #47 Charles Johnson [Embedded content] We live in such strange times. My favorite though was a flat earth society saying they had support around the globe. Their words not mine. 50 retired cynic Sep 25, 2017 * 8:57:28pm down 3 up report re: #48 retired cynic Why pay attention to him? That's all he wants. And I should have said that was addressed to CNN. re: #33 The Ghost of a Flea Is there a single best place to donate towards Puerto Rico's relief? I keep seeing lists, but don't have a sense of who's going to get stuff on the ground fast. I'm pretty sure Lin-Manuel Miranda (whose family is originally from PR) has advocated for these folks: Hispanic Federation . Some of the $$ already raised went to a chartered flight of search and rescue folks down there. I have the link open to make a donation tonight. 52 JordanRules Sep 25, 2017 * 8:58:12pm down 2 up report 53 ObserverArt Sep 25, 2017 * 8:58:16pm down 11 up report I was just getting back to MSNBC and they showed a video of Bannon at the Roy Moore rally today. I guess he really cleaned up his act while in the White House. Tonight he looked like a total washed out on the street drunk. No suit, no tie...funky shirt(s) and tattered military styled olive drab jacket. Greasy hair, ruddy skin and all. And this was at a political rally. Damn, I didn't notice if he had his flag pin on. But I did hear him say "get down on yer knees and thank Gawd Donald J. Trump is President." Wait. On yer knees...isn't that bad? 54 teleskiguy Sep 25, 2017 * 8:59:10pm down 10 up report re: #47 Charles Johnson 55 Belafon Sep 25, 2017 * 8:59:32pm down 4 up report I was just getting back to MSNBC and they showed a video of Bannon at the Roy Moore rally today. I guess he really cleaned up his act while in the White House. Tonight he looked like a total washed out on the street drunk. No suit, no tie...funky shirt(s) and tattered military styled olive drab jacket. Greasy hair, ruddy skin and all. And this was at a political rally. Damn, I didn't notice if he had his flag pin on. But I did hear him say "get down on yer knees and thank Gawd Donald J. Trump is President." Wait. On yer knees...isn't that bad? Both knees are ok. It's the best pose for sucking Trump's dick unless he's sucking Putin's. 56 Teukka Sep 25, 2017 * 9:03:50pm down 9 up report Did this get posted? NBA coaching legend Gregg Popovich has a perfect take on white privilege that you need to hear pic.twitter.com/G1pbwD22Lg 57 FormerDirtDart Sep 25, 2017 * 9:03:50pm down 11 up report Chelsea Manning says she was denied entry into Canada because of her criminal record in the U.S. https://t.co/8po5NyWPs7 pic.twitter.com/yuW9Z8fvJT 58 HappyWarrior Sep 25, 2017 * 9:04:53pm down 4 up report [Embedded content] Yes but it's great. He's an amazing coach and guy. 59 ObserverArt Sep 25, 2017 * 9:07:06pm down 6 up report Heh...looked at my stats and my karma points are 73442. Saw it right off as '73 442. YeeHaw, let's burn some rubber. 60 JordanRules Sep 25, 2017 * 9:07:17pm down 13 up report #unhackthevote Up to 45,000 WI Voters were Not Allowed to Vote with the New ID Laws in Place. Trump won by 22,000 https://t.co/aqUFd6iwuf 61 William Lewis Sep 25, 2017 * 9:07:31pm down 3 up report I bet it's a Taurus "Judge." He wouldn't be able to resist buying one. S&W J frame. I'd guess a 642 in .38 special +P. Very popular as a pocket-able 5 shot revolver though very hard to shoot accurately beyond 10 paces without lots of practice. Most people who buy revolvers like that aren't big on practicing with them because they really are not a lot of fun to shoot. But at bad breath range, they're probably the best thing on the market. 62 SteveMcGriftFlynnComey... ...corruptemoligate RN Sep 25, 2017 * 9:08:06pm down 1 up report Nuts, my computer would not play the media :( 63 teleskiguy Sep 25, 2017 * 9:08:07pm down 6 up report Heh...looked at my stats and my karma points are 73442. Saw it right off as '73 442. YeeHaw, let's burn some rubber. 64 klys (maker of Silmarils) Sep 25, 2017 * 9:08:36pm down 7 up report Made a pear crisp as treat tonight. As soon as it's cool enough, some ice cream and mmmmmm. 65 SteveMcGriftFlynnComey... ...corruptemoligate RN Sep 25, 2017 * 9:09:14pm down 2 up report Her sentence was commuted, but she was not pardoned. 66 Decatur Deb Sep 25, 2017 * 9:09:55pm down 11 up report re: #33 The Ghost of a Flea Is there a single best place to donate towards Puerto Rico's relief? I keep seeing lists, but don't have a sense of who's going to get stuff on the ground fast. When you want it on the ground fast--- 67 retired cynic Sep 25, 2017 * 9:12:03pm down 3 up report re: #64 klys (maker of Silmarils) Made a pear crisp as treat tonight. As soon as it's cool enough, some ice cream and mmmmmm. NOW you are talking! (I'm eating on my fifth "do" of Sleuth's Tortellini salad.) 68 HappyWarrior Sep 25, 2017 * 9:12:07pm down 3 up report Fucking Walker. 69 DodgerFan1988 Sep 25, 2017 * 9:13:00pm down 13 up report Wow. Lots of Alt-Right Trolls comments about Puerto Rico all over Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and social media. Shitposts like "let them rot," "screw 'em," "they deserved it," and bringing up reasons why America shouldn't help because of "bankruptcy, drug smugglers, gang bangers, socialism, and FALN terrorism." This is what they're reduced to. They care more about taking freedom of speech away from football players than they do helping millions of Americans (Yes, Puerto Ricans are Americans) without power, Homes, food, and water. The lowest common denominator. 70 William Lewis Sep 25, 2017 * 9:14:30pm down 4 up report Hey, now, he was only doing what his boss in Kansas ordered him to do. He certainly couldn't have figured it out on his own - that boy is about as sharp as a bowling ball. 71 Kragar Sep 25, 2017 * 9:14:53pm down 3 up report 72 JordanRules Sep 25, 2017 * 9:15:10pm down 11 up report Shannon has the best sports related social commentary! He called everybody out. "I'm even disappointed in one of my best friends, Ray Lewis" pic.twitter.com/ne8FJClvp9 I missed this earlier. This is nearly 8 minutes of must see TV. Remarkable doesn't begin to describe it. https://t.co/PYjVExLku2 73 HappyWarrior Sep 25, 2017 * 9:15:35pm down 8 up report Wow. Lots of Alt-Right Trolls comments about Puerto Rico all over Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and social media. Shitposts like "let them rot," "screw 'em," "they deserved it," and bringing up reasons why America shouldn't help because of "bankruptcy, drug smugglers, gang bangers, socialism, and FALN terrorism." This is what they're reduced to. They care more about taking freedom of speech away from football players than they do helping millions of Americans (Yes, Puerto Ricans are Americans) without power, Homes, food, and water. The lowest common denominator. There's some really cruel people in this country and I'm ashamed to call them my fellow Americans. Likewise there are many non Americans, I'm proud to share my humanity with. 74 HappyWarrior Sep 25, 2017 * 9:16:15pm down 4 up report Shannon has the best sports related social commentary! [Embedded content] I looked at his Twitter. He's good. 75 FormerDirtDart Sep 25, 2017 * 9:17:45pm down 4 up report 76 HappyWarrior Sep 25, 2017 * 9:17:47pm down 4 up report I'm watching a documentary on WWI and its effects on Germany. And they're talking about how a WWI created a cult of soldier. 77 darthstar Sep 25, 2017 * 9:17:47pm down 2 up report Fuck her...figuratively, unless you're into transsexual traitors...not literally. 78 VegasGolfer Sep 25, 2017 * 9:18:17pm down 6 up report Paging Bill Hader... re: #67 retired cynic NOW you are talking! (I'm eating on my fifth "do" of Sleuth's Tortellini salad.) mr. klys is starting his first round of "on call" which does not make him happy. I am cheering him up as best I can. 80 mmmirele Sep 25, 2017 * 9:22:06pm down 7 up report re: #65 SteveMcGriftFlynnComey... ...corruptemoligate RN Her sentence was commuted, but she was not pardoned. Canada isn't required to allow anyone in. Remember the Westboro Baptist Church? They were excluded from Canada after they came in to protest, attempted to burn a Canadian flag and a Canadian police officer had to help them because they weren't doing it right. After that, they were excluded from entry. 81 freetoken Sep 25, 2017 * 9:26:34pm down 13 up report Trump putting off addressing the PR crisis is only the latest in the very long tradition of US politicians ignoring the island. Put simply, the reason PR is not a state is due to a diabolical dance of those in the US who don't want a Spanish speaking state, and those in PR who think they can be a viable independent nation (which is doubtful, at least in my mind.) PR could be an independent nation, but it would end up being not a very well off one. The population density is too high for the island's resources. And unlike Japan or Taiwan (who have similar problems), PR is not positioned to be an import-export trading power (which allows Japan and Taiwan to be high consumers of imported goods from resource rich countries.) I think I've written this before - when I was living in Japan, one of my Japanese friends would ask me about PR. They didn't understand the relationship to the US, and whether PR was a colony or not. I tried to explain the nuances to the PR-US relationship, but I'm not sure she really understood. I would say it's unconscionable that Puerto Ricans don't have voting elected reps in Congress, but then again, residents of DC don't have Senators too. PR's Representative in Congress is more or less a token. If PR had voting reps in Congress, then they would not be ignored so much. So here we have a few million US citizens (as Puerto Ricans are) who are not being represented simply because of where they live. If the move to Florida or any other state then their voice counts. But simply because of where they are at their voice is not heard, even though it is typical for US citizens who are residing overseas to be able to vote on a ballot from the state in which they had registered earlier. But when was the last time you heard US leaders openly making this an issue in a campaign in the 50 states? 82 SteveMcGriftFlynnComey... ...corruptemoligate RN Sep 25, 2017 * 9:29:10pm down 4 up report That's just about the epitome of "First they came for the gays, but I did nothing because I'm not gay. Then they went after the immigrants", ... and so on, until he attacked their league. 83 JordanRules Sep 25, 2017 * 9:30:52pm down 3 up report re: #82 SteveMcGriftFlynnComey... ...corruptemoligate RN Yup and really, their league = their money so of course. They will all gladly vote for him again though. 84 JordanRules Sep 25, 2017 * 9:38:50pm down 12 up report Beau fought to protect the most vulnerable among us. Thanks to my friend @barackobama for honoring his life's work with the @BeauBidenFdn . pic.twitter.com/oHAb6mc6fT Prosecutor, soldier, family man, citizen. Beau made us want to be better. What a legacy to leave. What a testament to @JoeBiden . https://t.co/078Pt7evMZ Oh look actual non crazy, human politicians! 85 retired cynic Sep 25, 2017 * 9:42:12pm down 7 up report The Obamas, Bidens, Bushes and Clintons should get together and start pushing noisily for aid for Puerto Rico. Easy for me to say, sitting here, but they have the bully pulpit! 86 Kragar Sep 25, 2017 * 9:42:24pm down 9 up report "Strong, pit bull, sex symbol" pic.twitter.com/qcTbQtN1DR 87 FormerDirtDart Sep 25, 2017 * 9:47:21pm down 7 up report My mom called to say Dale Hansen killed it on the anthem tonight. She was not wrong. Wow. https://t.co/PWen3YvWrl 88 DodgerFan1988 Sep 25, 2017 * 9:51:43pm down 10 up report "They are not giving us anything, not even hope" https://t.co/FWpP7l4O0y If hundreds, if not thousands die from our Government's lack of emergency response to Puerto Rico, I'm going to call it for what it really is: a genocide. 89 JordanRules Sep 25, 2017 * 9:56:39pm down 7 up report Umm, what?? Donald Trump Jr.'s Secret Service detail has been restored, sources say https://t.co/b1JTgSU33z pic.twitter.com/aAw9HYY7mO 90 teleskiguy Sep 25, 2017 * 9:58:10pm down 5 up report #NowPlaying Alison Krauss & Union Station > So Long So Wrong > Happiness https://t.co/DmKR4TYFpz 91 TedStriker Sep 25, 2017 * 10:05:46pm down 11 up report [Embedded content] Maybe it's a bit conspiratorial of me, but it seems awfully convenient that Junior's SS detail was removed, then restored after a week or two; was he doing something, seeing someone, or going somewhere in the interim that he and Daddy didn't want the detail to see or know about? It just seems all too pat, too coincidental for me. 92 teleskiguy Sep 25, 2017 * 10:09:23pm down 7 up report maybe it's a bit conspiratorial of me, but it seems awfully convenient that Junior's SS detail was removed, then restored after a week or two; was he doing something, seeing someone, or going somewhere in the interim that he and Daddy didn't want the detail to see or know about? I can't help myself. 93 TedStriker Sep 25, 2017 * 10:10:28pm down 3 up report 94 Kragar Sep 25, 2017 * 10:15:08pm down 8 up report Got bored, so kitbashed a guy together with bits from my spare parts bin pic.twitter.com/nEZOrhrthV 95 JordanRules Sep 25, 2017 * 10:15:44pm down 4 up report They don't even give any reasoning behind their weirdness. It's just odd at the very least. And sometimes you can't help but break out a lil Reynolds Wrap. 96 BigPapa Sep 25, 2017 * 10:16:05pm down 5 up report Apparently, the #NFL wants to replace their hardworking patriotic fans with Antifa....Good luck #StandForOurAnthem #DALvsARZ #MNF pic.twitter.com/MIzYNwH447 Had to go to dude's page to see if it was sarc. 97 FormerDirtDart Sep 25, 2017 * 10:20:40pm down 22 up report We live in such strange times. My favorite though was a flat earth society saying they had support around the globe. Their words not mine. The map of a flat earth they commonly use is a polar projection, which is created by projecting a round earth onto a flat plane above the north pole. I am quite sure they do not see the contradiction. 99 EPR-radar Sep 25, 2017 * 10:24:05pm down 5 up report re: #21 Interesting Times That's the face of a man who regularly bathes in the blood of slaughtered serfs. 100 Shiplord Kirel, live from behind wingnut lines Sep 25, 2017 * 10:28:25pm down 19 up report I'm pleased to report that the Trump-loving, Alex Jones worshiping, Moon flight denying antivaxx clerk who worked at our local hotel has been fired. This was not for being a pseudoscience jackass, though, but for conniving with an accomplice to steal a couple of computers out of the hotel lobby. Seems he did NOT know the location and coverage zones of all the video cameras, and they caught him red-handed. I took the opportunity to enlighten the owner (a friend of mine) about my belief in the correlation between batshit conspira-lies and dishonest behavior in general. He said he would look it up. 101 BeachDem Sep 25, 2017 * 10:39:03pm down 7 up report re: #33 The Ghost of a Flea Is there a single best place to donate towards Puerto Rico's relief? I keep seeing lists, but don't have a sense of who's going to get stuff on the ground fast. I'd go with Lin-Manuel Miranda's suggestion: Thanks to your generosity, first responders from NY are on a chartered plane em route to . Don't stop now: https://t.co/pxx7qvHPdf 102 BeachDem Sep 25, 2017 * 10:40:13pm down 8 up report re: #38 Shiplord Kirel, live from behind wingnut lines The pocket pistol and the shiny vest make him look like an especially sleazy riverboat gambler. Wyatt Derp. Craven, outrageous and cold. 103 alloutofcrazyhere Sep 25, 2017 * 10:49:22pm down 7 up report I can't wait until this year is over. This healthcare nonsense is wearing me out. Hopefully this week is the end of it until next year. As I understand it, they could revive it during the "tax reform" process, but luckily for everyone else, this group hasn't demonstrated the ability to walk and chew gum at the same time. Kenshiro for President/Congress. He'll kill those bills dead. 104 sagehen Sep 25, 2017 * 10:59:09pm down 3 up report re: #33 The Ghost of a Flea Is there a single best place to donate towards Puerto Rico's relief? I keep seeing lists, but don't have a sense of who's going to get stuff on the ground fast. I'm a traditionalist; I just assume Red Cross has the institutional memory, warehouses full of supplies and sufficient personnel and transport. 105 FormerDirtDart Sep 25, 2017 * 11:07:42pm down 17 up report Oakland school district's Honor Band took a knee as they played the national anthem prior to Monday night's A's game https://t.co/iF8Rol5vtn pic.twitter.com/tHPrlKxqDn 106 goddamnedfrank Sep 25, 2017 * 11:29:57pm down 10 up report I'm a traditionalist; I just assume Red Cross has the institutional memory, warehouses full of supplies and sufficient personnel and transport. They don't. Unfortunately the Red Cross has a terrible track record of late, their responses to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was heavily criticized. So too were their 2012 efforts for Hurricanes Sandy and Isaac . The Red Cross botched key elements of its mission after Sandy and Isaac, leaving behind a trail of unmet needs and acrimony, according to an investigation by ProPublica and NPR. The charity's shortcomings were detailed in confidential reports and internal emails, as well as accounts from current and former disaster relief specialists. What's more, Red Cross officials at national headquarters in Washington, D.C. compounded the charity's inability to provide relief by "diverting assets for public relations purposes," as one internal report puts it. Distribution of relief supplies, the report said, was "politically driven." During Isaac, Red Cross supervisors ordered dozens of trucks usually deployed to deliver aid to be driven around nearly empty instead, "just to be seen," one of the drivers, Jim Dunham, recalls. "We were sent way down on the Gulf with nothing to give," Dunham says. The Red Cross' relief effort was "worse than the storm." In additions they took in half a billion dollars in donations for the Haiti earthquake and nobody seems to know how it was spent . NPR and ProPublica went in search of the nearly $500 million and found a string of poorly managed projects, questionable spending and dubious claims of success, according to a review of hundreds of pages of the charity's internal documents and emails, as well as interviews with a dozen current and former officials. The Red Cross says it has provided homes to more than 130,000 people, but the number of permanent homes the charity has built is six. The Red Cross long has been known for providing emergency disaster relief -- food, blankets and shelter to people in need. And after the earthquake, it did that work in Haiti, too. But the Red Cross has very little experience in the difficult work of rebuilding in a developing country. The organization, which in 2010 had a $100 million deficit, out-raised other charities by hundreds of millions of dollars -- and kept raising money well after it had enough for its emergency relief. But where exactly did that money go? Ask a lot of Haitians -- even the country's former prime minister -- and they will tell you they don't have any idea. This last Pro Publica article is incredibly well sourced and informative. It breaks down how the Red Cross is primary a business that takes in donated blood and sells it, spending $2.2 billion annually mostly employee salary and benefits while on average spending less than a fifth of that on disaster response. All while deceptively conflating the money spent on operating the blood business with their charity spending for reporting purposes. They purposely cloud their operating efficiency and refuse to provide transparency when questioned about specifics. In recent years , the Red Cross' fundraising expenses alone have been as high as 26 cents of every donated dollar, nearly three times the nine cents in overhead claimed by McGovern. In the past five years, fundraising expenses have averaged 17 cents per donated dollar. But even that understates matters. Once donated dollars are in Red Cross hands, the charity spends additional money on "management and general" expenses, which includes things like back office accounting. That means the portion of donated dollars going to overhead is even higher. Just how high is impossible to know because the Red Cross doesn't break down its spending on overhead and declined ProPublica and NPR's request to do so. The difference between the real number and the one the Red Cross has been repeating "would be very stark," says Daniel Borochoff of the watchdog group CharityWatch. "They don't want to be embarrassed." 107 DodgerFan1988 Sep 25, 2017 * 11:47:56pm down 7 up report Now these asshats are triggered by the Dallas Cowboys taking a knee, even though it wasn't even during the national anthem. It was never ever about disrespecting the flag but rather defying their "god emperor." They fit the very defination of fascism. 108 BigPapa Sep 25, 2017 * 11:49:57pm down 5 up report Dallas kneeled together before the NA, then stood up. Does that mean they go both ways? 109 Kragar Sep 25, 2017 * 11:50:59pm down 2 up report 110 teleskiguy Sep 25, 2017 * 11:54:58pm down 5 up report Dallas kneeled together before the NA, then stood up. Does that mean they go both ways? 111 DodgerFan1988 Sep 25, 2017 * 11:56:40pm down 12 up report Dallas kneeled together before the NA, then stood up. Does that mean they go both ways? The fact that the Cowboys &Jerry Jones kneeled BEFORE that anthem & white supremacists are STILL angry, proves this was NEVER about the flag 112 BigPapa Sep 26, 2017 * 12:10:20am down 13 up report Crying that "Becky" is a slur is the most Beckyest shit that a Becky ever Beckied. 113 sagehen Sep 26, 2017 * 12:25:12am down 3 up report They don't. Unfortunately the Red Cross has a terrible track record of late, their responses to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was heavily criticized. So too were their 2012 efforts for Hurricanes Sandy and Isaac . In additions they took in half a billion dollars in donations for the Haiti earthquake and nobody seems to know how it was spent . This last Pro Publica article is incredibly well sourced and informative. It breaks down how the Red Cross is primary a business that takes in donated blood and sells it, spending $2.2 billion annually mostly employee salary and benefits while on average spending less than a fifth of that on disaster response. All while deceptively conflating the money spent on operating the blood business with their charity spending for reporting purposes. They purposely cloud their operating efficiency and refuse to provide transparency when questioned about specifics. That's disappointing. I guess I need to send my future donations elsewhere. 114 teleskiguy Sep 26, 2017 * 12:57:44am down 4 up report I'm okay with not tweeting all the time. If only Our Great Orange One shared the same sentiments. https://t.co/HI9xuJD6Iy Ha ha! Earlier today, Lubbock Trump-fan Dr. Donald May posted a message praising Alejandro Villanueva for standing alone for the national anthem. This had no sooner appeared than Villanueva apologized and announced his solidarity with his team-mates, leaving the no doubt horrified Dr. May to attempt a face-saving recovery. Note the weasely "any apology he may have made." 116 freetoken Sep 26, 2017 * 2:44:47am down 4 up report Butthurt still flowing over ST:Discovery . One of the latest "reviews" over at IMDB: This is even more boring then old series. 1/10 Author: punkar-582-936924 from Finland 26 September 2017 Another bad and incredible boring series are born. Cast supporting leftist idiots shows all. This series are already dead from beginning. This is the end of the Netflix. I don't have nothing more to say. Time is money and Star Trek: Discovery is a waste of time and money. 'Star Trek: Discovery' Cast Takes a Knee After Show's Premiere The cast members of Star Trek Discovery were slammed by social media users Sunday after a photo of the CBS show's stars taking a knee went viral online. The photo, posted on Discovery star Sonequa Martin-Green's Instagram account, was an apparent show of unity with NFL players protesting the national anthem. Breitbart . Lots of butthurt. Some of the stupider of such comes from guys praising The Orville while still slamming ST:D for "SJW". If you have watched the first three episodes of The Orville, it's pretty clear that show has no problem being into social issues - the third episode is on gender roles. 117 Woods Witch Sep 26, 2017 * 3:34:04am down 12 up report It's awake....and tweeting about the NFL. He's either trying to distract from more important matters or has taken this personally and is suffering a severe narcissistic injury. Ratings for NFL football are way down except before game starts, when people tune in to see whether or not our country will be disrespected! 118 freetoken Sep 26, 2017 * 3:36:40am down 5 up report One of the very many negative side-effects of Trump's ego crowding out everything else is that a lot of interesting news gets almost totally ignored. From last week's Science magazine: For the first time, scientists have used gene-editing techniques on human embryos to probe how they develop. The study is an important proof of principle; previous human embryo-editing research has focused instead on correcting faulty genes. The new experiments are also a first test of the United Kingdom's carefully crafted embryo-editing research regulations , which require that researchers undergo a review by a government authority and receive a license before moving forward. Kathy Niakan, a developmental biologist at the Francis Crick Institute in London, applied in 2015 to use the CRISPR editing technique on human embryos to learn more about the genes active in early development. The researchers planned to focus first on OCT4, known as a marker for pluripotent stem cells--cells that can become all tissues in the body. Niakan's group used CRISPR to "knock out," or deactivate, the gene that codes for OCT4 in 37 single-cell human embryos left over after in vitro fertilization treatments and donated by couples. In the human embryo knockouts, placental cells failed to form, indicating that OCT4 plays an earlier role in humans than it does in mouse embryos. While the immediate discovery about the role of OCT4 may be of interest to only specialists, the fact that scientists are now doing genetic engineering on human embryos ought to get more attention. As more lab work like this is done, the techniques themselves will be perfected and experience gained, which will then lead to even more applications of genetic engineering of humans. 119 freetoken Sep 26, 2017 * 3:40:45am down 6 up report In the same magazine, more genetic engineering, this time on pigs, to make them a more suitable host for growing human organs: Xenotransplantation, where tissue from one species is transplanted into a different species, is currently under development to help alleviate the increasing shortage of human tissues and organs for transplantation to treat organ failure. For several reasons, which include the size and physiology of the organs, the ease of genetic modification and cloning, and the large number of progeny and short reproduction cycle, pigs are the animals of choice for organ transplant in humans. Three major problems need to be solved before xenotransplantation becomes a clinical reality: immunological rejection, physiological incompatibility, and the risk of transmission of porcine microorganisms that are able to induce a disease (zoonosis) in the human recipient. On page 1303 of this issue, Niu et al. (1) demonstrate how to increase the safety of xenotransplantation. Paper: Taking the PERVs out of pigs With the severe shortage of organs needed for transplants, xenotransplantation (transplantation of nonhuman organs to humans) offers an alternative source. Some pig organs have similar size and function to those of humans. The challenge is that the pig genome harbors porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) that can potentially pass to humans with possibly damaging consequences. Niu et al. generated pigs in which all copies of PERVs were inactivated by CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering (see the Perspective by Denner). Not only does this work provide insights into PERV activity, but it also opens the door to a safer source of organs and tissues for pig-to-human xenotransplantation. Abstract Xenotransplantation is a promising strategy to alleviate the shortage of organs for human transplantation. In addition to the concerns about pig-to-human immunological compatibility, the risk of cross-species transmission of porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) has impeded the clinical application of this approach. We previously demonstrated the feasibility of inactivating PERV activity in an immortalized pig cell line. We now confirm that PERVs infect human cells, and we observe the horizontal transfer of PERVs among human cells.Using CRISPR-Cas9, we inactivated all of the PERVs in a porcine primary cell line and generated PERV-inactivated pigs via somatic cell nuclear transfer. Our study highlights the value of PERV inactivation to prevent cross-species viral transmission and demonstrates the successful production of PERV-inactivated animals to address the safety concern in clinical xenotransplantation. 120 freetoken Sep 26, 2017 * 3:42:02am down 9 up report If only scientists could figure out how to take the perv out of a certain American pig. 121 freetoken Sep 26, 2017 * 3:44:09am down 8 up report I propose that some Trumpers are Trumpers exactly because this brave new world is a threat to their view of themselves. Many Americans are very resistant to a modern view of what is a "human". Many Americans have very bronze-age ideas of what it means to be a human. 122 freetoken Sep 26, 2017 * 3:49:08am down 7 up report Speaking of being human: Neanderthals' growth rate is very similar to that of Homo sapiens, and differences have been observed in the development of the brain and spine of these two human species. These are the main findings of a study published in Science which focusses on a near eight-year-old Neanderthal child who lived in the Asturian cave of El Sidron. The study is led by Antonio Rosas, researcher of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and among its authors is Carles Lalueza-Fox, the principal investigator of the Paleogenomics Lab of the IBE. "Discerning the differences and similarities in growth patterns between Neanderthals and modern humans helps us better define our own history. Modern humans and Neanderthals emerged from a common recent ancestor, and this is manifested in a similar overall growth rate", explains Rosas. As fellow CSIC researcher Luis Rios highlights, "Applying paediatric growth assessment methods, this Neanderthal child is no different to a modern-day child". The pattern of vertebral maturation and brain growth, as well as energy constraints during development, may have marked the anatomical shape of Neanderthals. Neanderthals had a greater cranial capacity than today's humans. Neanderthal adults had an intracranial volume of 1,520 cubic centimetres, while that of modern adult man is 1,195 cubic centimetres. That of the Neanderthal child in the study had reached 1,330 cubic centimetres at the time of his death, in other words, 87.5% of the total reached at eight years of age. At that age, the development of a modern-day child's cranial capacity has already been fully completed. Neanderthals were a human species who lived contemporaneously with our own. Indeed, close enough of relatives for limited interbreeding (and most of us carry a little bit of Neanderthal DNA.) And yet this of course can't be so, in the world of the fundamentalist believers of certain religions, as then they would have to debate whether Neanderthals had "souls". Even Biologos has run aground on this issue, because they really can't come up with a good argument on what has a soul or not. 123 sagehen Sep 26, 2017 * 4:01:23am down 12 up report On Morning Joe, the governor of Puerto Rico seems to have landed on the right approach to incentivize our Pig President to help: "We're 3.4 million American citizens in desperate need; if we don't get the food, water, fuel and materials to rebuild our transportation and electric infrastructure, we'll have to all move to the continental U.S." Yep. That should do it. 124 MsJ Sep 26, 2017 * 4:04:26am down 4 up report Butthurt still flowing over ST:Discovery . One of the latest "reviews" over at IMDB: Lots of butthurt. I don't have nothing more to say . Uhm...I need a wee bit of clarification.... 125 The Vicious Babushka Sep 26, 2017 * 4:26:03am down 4 up report Fred Warmbier on North Korea: "They purposely and intentionally injured Otto." @foxandfriends pic.twitter.com/MKpfZWTIsi Great interview on @foxandfriends with the parents of Otto Warmbier: 1994 - 2017. Otto was tortured beyond belief by North Korea. 126 MsJ Sep 26, 2017 * 4:42:24am down 21 up report All 5 living former US presidents launch campaign for #PuertoRico disaster relief. Visit https://t.co/Aa11Xhh9LM to donate #OneAmericaAppeal pic.twitter.com/8rkO3nJlaB It's too bad no current presidents are around to help https://t.co/uluOgSQIlp Shannon has the best sports related social commentary! [Embedded content] Ima gonna repost this. This is leadership. Period. This is the type of truth I am starving for. God Damn it! He called everybody out. "I'm even disappointed in one of my best friends, Ray Lewis" pic.twitter.com/ne8FJClvp9 128 sagehen Sep 26, 2017 * 4:56:28am down 1 up report re: #127 Dave In Austin Ima gonna repost this. This is leadership. Period. This is the type of truth I am starving for. God Damn it! [Embedded content] At the risk of displaying my ignorance... who is this Shannon? 129 Dave In Austin Sep 26, 2017 * 4:58:23am down 4 up report Sports ball guy. I don't know. I really don't care. He's got a mic and his message is needle sharp truth. 130 MsJ Sep 26, 2017 * 5:16:17am down 2 up report Roger Stone's opening statement before the House Intel Committee is leaked. I'll dissect it tomorrow. https://t.co/vGQZo6gyA0 131 MsJ Sep 26, 2017 * 5:18:14am down 1 up report I was wondering why Stone was in the trending column on twitter. Thread. THREAD: What does Roger Stone's interview w/ @YahooNews @Isikoff discussing his talk with Manafort reveal about the Mueller investigation? 132 I Would Prefer Not To Sep 26, 2017 * 5:27:16am down 5 up report Today's Google Doodle is about Gloria E. Anzaldua. Gloria E. Anzaldua - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Gloria Evangelina Anzaldua (September 26, 1942 - May 15, 2004) was an American scholar of Chicana cultural theory , feminist theory , and queer theory . My theory is that Google is trying to troll conservatives. I like. 133 (Bert the Turtle) Sep 26, 2017 * 5:32:12am down 8 up report There's so much wrong in this: 134 Joe Bacon Sep 26, 2017 * 5:33:50am down 1 up report re: #103 alloutofcrazyhere I can't wait until this year is over. This healthcare nonsense is wearing me out. Hopefully this week is the end of it until next year. As I understand it, they could revive it during the "tax reform" process, but luckily for everyone else, this group hasn't demonstrated the ability to walk and chew gum at the same time. [Embedded content] Republicans can't chew gum and FART at the same time. 135 Shropshire Slasher Sep 26, 2017 * 5:34:43am down 2 up report re: #134 Joe Bacon They can chew gum and shart. re: #125 The Vicious Babushka He's got his talking point of the day [Embedded content] They treated him like a black suspect in custody in some parts of the US?. 137 jeffreyw Sep 26, 2017 * 5:35:38am down 7 up report Hmmmm! Cranberry pineapple pizza! For breakfast no less! 139 JordanRules Sep 26, 2017 * 5:39:40am down 3 up report He's a former NFL player and now he co-hosts the sports debate show 'Undisputed' on Fox Sports. 140 William Lewis Sep 26, 2017 * 5:42:15am down 5 up report Speaking of being human: Even Biologos has run aground on this issue, because they really can't come up with a good argument on what has a soul or not. That was a cool paper. Now if we could get an actual skeleton on a Denesovian as well, some more of the later bits of our evolutionary history would come into focus. As for ensoulment, as someone who is religious and believes in evolution, I'd have fun with that debate, preferably over Guinness and Famous Grouse :) No good arguments for or against, just some fun with the right people. No fundies need apply! Consciousness is the key to my thinking. To be aware of what is... which species was the first to look at the night sky and wonder why? Based on what little evidence we have, probably starting from early Homo or possibly Australopithecus as well as the species in Cetacea and possibly Ponginae, Gorillinae, Panina & Elephantidae. I'll leave this here now :D 141 Joe Bacon Sep 26, 2017 * 5:49:35am down 14 up report re: #137 jeffreyw Reminds me of the last recipe I sent to my Dad before he passed away. Dad loved to make Upside Down cakes. He made a Cranberry Upside Down version based on the recipe I sent him. Said it was so good he ate the whole thing for dinner... Miss you, Dad. Trust me you are now in a better place... 142 Dave In Austin Sep 26, 2017 * 5:53:16am down 1 up report The new iOS is definitely a battery sucker. They need to fix this or I got to go back. 143 MsJ Sep 26, 2017 * 5:56:26am down 0 up report re: #142 Dave In Austin The new iOS is definitely a battery sucker. They need to fix this or I got to go back. I just read that last night...from 240 minutes down to 97. I was like HOLY SHIT. I am not upgrading until that's fixed. 144 Unshaken Defiance Sep 26, 2017 * 6:09:02am down 1 up report re: #142 Dave In Austin Apple and Canon have remarkably lost their sharp innovations. Now they plod along. Put out flawed products that give competitors opportunity. 145 (Bert the Turtle) Sep 26, 2017 * 6:09:31am down 0 up report re: #142 Dave In Austin The new iOS is definitely a battery sucker. They need to fix this or I got to go back. And How! I pretty much leave mine plugged in. Bluetooth off, and all I use it for is maps, calls, and text. 146 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 6:10:02am down 2 up report re: #144 Unshaken Defiance Apple and Canon have remarkably lost their sharp innovations. Now they plod along. Put out flawed products that give competitors opportunity. To me, they need to make another iPod that can hold tons of music. I don't need apps. Just tons of storage for music. 147 Dr Lizardo Sep 26, 2017 * 6:11:12am down 2 up report To me, they need to make another iPod that can hold tons of music. I don't need apps. Just tons of storage for music. Yeah, a 2 Tb iPod. That would probably sell pretty well. 148 Shropshire Slasher Sep 26, 2017 * 6:12:36am down 2 up report I have a love-hate relationship with flying . I should just get my flight time in and earn my pilot's license. The surfeit of wheelchair customers is particularly pronounced on flights from New York to Florida, says Jason Rabinowitz, an aviation blogger. And when the planes arrive, many of those passengers walk into the terminal without assistance. "They call them 'Miracle Flights,'" Rabinowitz said. "They get to south Florida and, suddenly, everyone is cured." And a growing number of passengers seek comfort (along with reduced costs) by flying with their pets. Under the Air Carrier Access Act, airlines must make reasonable accommodations for people whose doctors assert that they need to fly with an "emotional support animal," and the animals fly for free. Passengers have taken pictures of pigs, goats and even a turkey, which were ostensibly providing emotional support. The industry does not track the fauna proliferation, but flight crews say the phenomenon is now routine, particularly on longer flights. 149 jeffreyw Sep 26, 2017 * 6:15:19am down 3 up report re: #138 Dave In Austin Hmmmm! Cranberry pineapple pizza! For breakfast no less! Cranberry?!? You take that back! 150 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 6:15:49am down 3 up report re: #147 Dr Lizardo Yeah, a 2 Tb iPod. That would probably sell pretty well. I don't see why they can't do that. We have flash drives that hold as much as iPods. I don't need to get connected to the internet on my MP3 player. Hell I don't even need videos. I just want a massive music player. I can use my phone for apps and internet. Unfortunately, I think we're in the minority. 151 Dr Lizardo Sep 26, 2017 * 6:16:06am down 5 up report re: #148 Shropshire Slasher 152 austin_blue Sep 26, 2017 * 6:16:58am down 1 up report re: #100 Shiplord Kirel, live from behind wingnut lines I'm pleased to report that the Trump-loving, Alex Jones worshiping, Moon flight denying antivaxx clerk who worked at our local hotel has been fired. This was not for being a pseudoscience jackass, though, but for conniving with an accomplice to steal a couple of computers out of the hotel lobby. Seems he did NOT know the location and coverage zones of all the video cameras, and they caught him red-handed. I took the opportunity to enlighten the owner (a friend of mine) about my belief in the correlation between batshit conspira-lies and dishonest behavior in general. He said he would look it up. Twenty eight air medals? Damn. 153 William Lewis Sep 26, 2017 * 6:17:56am down 1 up report re: #144 Unshaken Defiance Apple and Canon have remarkably lost their sharp innovations. Now they plod along. Put out flawed products that give competitors opportunity. A big part of the problem is that neither have real competition - Nikon is busy stepping on their d*** while putting out just another of the same thing and Canon ignores what the smaller mirrorless companies are doing with their real innovations. DSLRs will be the death of both companies... Likewise there is no one pushing Apple anymore. MS is an even bigger joke than ever and none of the PC companies are doing anything interesting either. 154 Shropshire Slasher Sep 26, 2017 * 6:20:32am down 1 up report 155 JordanRules Sep 26, 2017 * 6:21:32am down 13 up report Public safety cannot be in the hands of bigots. Fire chief "embarrassed," "regrets" using racial slur against @steelers coach Mike Tomlin. @LisaWashing 's report: https://t.co/3WzZhka7JP pic.twitter.com/AA8PQXkh1P 156 Dr Lizardo Sep 26, 2017 * 6:23:19am down 3 up report It's quite an impressive critter. Enough to make any arachnophobe apoplectic. 157 freetoken Sep 26, 2017 * 6:23:35am down 4 up report re: #153 William Lewis Once a field matures, the more important items are cost effectiveness. For a large corporation like Canon, that is about finding a way to balance the need to find cheaper labor versus the cultural need of being a good Japanese citizen corporation. For Apple, part of the American culture where there is not the deeper commitment to employing people compared to Japan, I think the real problem is that there isn't a driving need for a lot more gadgetry. Sure, there is a whole media market on making the next big thing a source of excitement, to drive web hits and such. But in our life we mostly are over-gageted by now, and frankly there is not much use for a lot of new stuff. What we need more than all is cheaper ways of achieving high-speed internet, especially to remote areas. And that is a hard problem in the physical universe. We also need, in our society, a better way of finding meaningful work for millions of people. Automation is at odds with full-employment, a puzzle that escapes many social commenters looking for easy answers. What all this leads me to is that we really don't need a new version of iOS. Rather, we need $50 smart phones which don't require hundreds of dollars in monthly network charges. 158 FormerDirtDart Sep 26, 2017 * 6:25:02am down 7 up report re: #125 The Vicious Babushka He's got his talking point of the day He seems to be more concerned with kneeling still Ratings for NFL football are way down except before game starts, when people tune in to see whether or not our country will be disrespected! The booing at the NFL football game last night, when the entire Dallas team dropped to its knees, was loudest I have ever heard. Great anger But while Dallas dropped to its knees as a team, they all stood up for our National Anthem. Big progress being made-we all love our country! The NFL has all sorts of rules and regulations. The only way out for them is to set a rule that you can't kneel during our National Anthem! And, taking credit for something Luther Strange has been shooting up in the Alabama polls since my endorsement. Finish the job - vote today for "Big Luther." And of course, still not quite getting that whole empathy thing right Thank you to Carmen Yulin Cruz, the Mayor of San Juan, for your kind words on FEMA etc.We are working hard. Much food and water there/on way He only hears what he wants to hear "It's life or death," San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz says of Hurricane Maria. "People are starting to die already." pic.twitter.com/Ei6nm9MvJ4 159 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 6:25:40am down 5 up report Public safety cannot be in the hands of bigots. [Embedded content] Agreed. Fucker. The father of my brother's best friend, a black man was a firefighter and took part in the response to 9/11. Anyhow, as a Steelers fan, I'm proud to call Mike Tomlin my team's coach, he's caring, intelligent, and yes a patriot. As Bob Costas said on Sunday night, patriotism takes many forms. 160 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 6:27:53am down 3 up report He seems to be more concerned with kneeling still [Embedded content] He's thanking the mayor for the "kind words on FEMA", FEMA's literally doing its job. Goddamn can we just get rid of this miserable old fuck already? Please. God just shut the fuck up about the NFL already. Your supporters tell the athletes to protest some time other than on company time, why don't you bitch about the NFL when you're not being President to all of us like you were supposedly elected to be. 161 (Bert the Turtle) Sep 26, 2017 * 6:28:12am down 3 up report 'Great Anger'? Jeeb-us, we really are down the fucking rabbit hole. 162 lawhawk Sep 26, 2017 * 6:29:52am down 5 up report Trump is literally gunning for the GOP to garner less than 1% of black votes, and under 10% for other minority groups. Frankly, the only black people who will want to associate with Trump are the incompetent know nothing people in his admin (Omarosa and Carson). 163 William Lewis Sep 26, 2017 * 6:30:35am down 4 up report re: #140 William Lewis Heh, thinking about this got me playing with an online bumper sticker maker... The face is a reconstruction of the face of "Lucy" 164 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 6:30:45am down 0 up report Trump is literally gunning for the GOP to garner less than 1% of black votes, and under 10% for other minority groups. Frankly, the only black people who will want to associate with Trump are the incompetent know nothing people in his admin (Omarosa and Carson). He may get less than Goldwater percentage wise when this is all over. 165 Joe Bacon Sep 26, 2017 * 6:30:52am down 1 up report Public safety cannot be in the hands of bigots. [Embedded content] This is why I left Pennsylvania 35 years ago and I will never go back! 166 (Bert the Turtle) Sep 26, 2017 * 6:38:19am down 1 up report This is helpful to know. How you can help out victims in Puerto Rico. 168 FormerDirtDart Sep 26, 2017 * 6:40:17am down 4 up report Justice Dept to announce college hoops fraud charges. Defendants include unnamed uni company. https://t.co/hyCPQeHQWj (h/t @jamesleegilbert ) pic.twitter.com/lCi7K2Zlpp 169 Unshaken Defiance Sep 26, 2017 * 6:48:02am down 3 up report re: #153 William Lewis Did the DSLR design hit it's nadir? Maybe you can't go bigger than "full frame" in a body like that. Maybe 12 or 14 fps is it for a real shutter. Maybe 100mp makes no sense until you get a bigger sensor? As a pro, I soon have to step up to 4k in video, large sensor. $cared $hipless about that. Could be I need to own lenses and just rent camera bodies. For stills, and my attempts at art photography, I'm going back to film. When I can. The DSLR may be a configuration of the past. Like the Rollie. Viable forever but surpassed. For years I have said before only marketing and profit centers prevent digital cameras from being mere accessories to the lens, and the image go out by wire or wireless anywhere we wish. I think the Sony mirrorless a series show the compromise in between. But the high end full frame 4k is still very expensive, beyond the consumer and even semi pro. Oops gotta rush off 170 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 6:48:27am down 2 up report I just donated 50 bucks to Save the Children. I had a lot of charities to choose from but I chose that one given their focus on families. 171 lawhawk Sep 26, 2017 * 6:49:47am down 5 up report BREAKING NEWS / NBC: The FBI has arrested several NCAA asst. basketball coaches in a corruption scheme. Presser @ 12n with U.S. Attorney FBI arrests NCAA coaches for allegedly bribing high schoolers pic.twitter.com/ARtG2z0uxX Dawkins is an agent who was just fired by NBA players association as well. Sood is an investment manager and former NFL player. Can't wait to see who else is involved. 172 Eventual Carrion Sep 26, 2017 * 6:53:03am down 4 up report He seems to be more concerned with kneeling still [Embedded content] "Great anger"? WTF 173 William Lewis Sep 26, 2017 * 6:55:08am down 1 up report re: #169 Unshaken Defiance Did the DSLR design hit it's nadir? Maybe you can't go bigger than "full frame" in a body like that. Maybe 12 or 14 fps is it for a real shutter. Maybe 100mp makes no sense until you get a bigger sensor? As a pro, I soon have to step up to 4k in video, large sensor. $cared $hipless about that. Could be I need to own lenses and just rent camera bodies. For stills, and my attempts at art photography, I'm going back to film. When I can. The DSLR may be a configuration of the past. Like the Rollie. Viable forever but surpassed. For years I have said before only marketing and profit centers prevent digital cameras from being mere accessories to the lens, and the image go out by wire or wireless anywhere we wish. I think the Sony mirrorless a series show the compromise in between. But the high end full frame 4k is still very expensive, beyond the consumer and even semi pro. Oops gotta rush off Well, if you see this, I agree overall. If you want to see a good direction forward, I like the newest Hasselblad model - the X1D-50. hasselblad.com 50 mpixel with a much larger sensor yet still handy enough via a mirrorless body. 174 FormerDirtDart Sep 26, 2017 * 6:57:31am down 2 up report More on breaking college hoops scandal, which involves Federal charges for current Adidas exec and former Nike exec. https://t.co/q1KUFfAGBu 175 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 6:57:47am down 5 up report 48,000 Puerto Ricans served in Vietnam. 335 died in combat. 18 were listed as MIA. Meanwhile, Trump received five deferments for "bone spurs." Now he has the power to decide if the families of those Puerto Rican veterans can get food and water. Watch Texas and Florida Republicans who demanded no-strings-attached relief for their states refuse to vote for PR relief unless its matched by cuts to domestic spending. 176 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 7:01:09am down 3 up report re: #175 Big Beautiful Door Watch Texas and Florida Republicans who demanded no-strings-attached relief for their states refuse to vote for PR relief unless its matched by cuts to domestic spending. You know that's going to happen. You just know it. 177 freetoken Sep 26, 2017 * 7:01:14am down 3 up report re: #173 William Lewis The limitations of photolithography tools means that any solid state sensor larger than about 25mm in diameter will be extraordinarily expensive. If I was going to go back and do more photography as art, I'd still work in film for the larger sizes. The reason to use a small format (like solid state sensors) is for convenience and subjects for which high frame rates are required. Videographers will want 4k cameras, but still photographers will always be more interested in light response. Larger formats gather more light. On small sensors, larger photodiodes means better S/N. These things can't be escaped. It's how the universe works. 178 freetoken Sep 26, 2017 * 7:03:12am down 4 up report All this angst over sports-ball. Maybe we should lower the importance of sports ball in our society? 179 FormerDirtDart Sep 26, 2017 * 7:03:48am down 19 up report Media: "Do you have anything to say about the NFL?" SEC. DEF Matis: "I'm the secretary of defense. We defend the country" You do realize Mattis is saying it's beneath his dignity and that of his office to comment on this? That's a comment on your father. https://t.co/wrjPuu8cg2 180 sizzzzlerz Sep 26, 2017 * 7:05:45am down 0 up report You know. Morons. 181 William Lewis Sep 26, 2017 * 7:06:07am down 2 up report The limitations of photolithography tools means that any solid state sensor larger than about 25mm in diameter will be extraordinarily expensive. If I was going to go back and do more photography as art, I'd still work in film for the larger sizes. The reason to use a small format (like solid state sensors) is for convenience and subjects for which high frame rates are required. Videographers will want 4k cameras, but still photographers will always be more interested in light response. Larger formats gather more light. On small sensors, larger photodiodes means better S/N. These things can't be escaped. It's how the universe works. My personal use is micro 4/3 so I can hardly disagree. However, of the large sensor still systems out there, I do think that the X1D is the best compromise. As for video, I've always tried to avoid dealing with it. One can still do artistic b&w work in stills, not so much in video ;) 182 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 7:06:21am down 4 up report All this angst over sports-ball. Maybe we should lower the importance of sports ball in our society? I think sports do play an important role in society but I'm definitely for getting rid of linking patriotism with sport. 183 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 7:07:03am down 2 up report Subtlety isn't one of Dumbo Jr's strong suits. 184 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 7:11:31am down 3 up report Bob Costas made a good point. There's constant honoring of the military at sporting events and there's no problem with that but there's never acknowledgment of teachers. Bob put it this way. Patriotism is much more than the military and that's something we seem to have forgotten. The Peace Corps that JFK established is a way you can patriotically serve your country. The NLRB that my grandfather was a lifer in is serving your country. Yes, in some positions you're more willing to risk your life than others but if patriotism is about love of one's country then it can and should come in many forms. 185 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 7:13:28am down 0 up report re: #53 ObserverArt I was just getting back to MSNBC and they showed a video of Bannon at the Roy Moore rally today. I guess he really cleaned up his act while in the White House. Tonight he looked like a total washed out on the street drunk. No suit, no tie...funky shirt(s) and tattered military styled olive drab jacket. Greasy hair, ruddy skin and all. And this was at a political rally. Damn, I didn't notice if he had his flag pin on. But I did hear him say "get down on yer knees and thank Gawd Donald J. Trump is President." Wait. On yer knees...isn't that bad? Not when you are worshiping the Orange God-Emperor. 186 plansbandc Sep 26, 2017 * 7:22:14am down 1 up report Man. That took me to long to get. LMAO Need more coffee. 187 FormerDirtDart Sep 26, 2017 * 7:22:59am down 5 up report His "Religious" advisor, "I think what these players are doing is absolutely wrong," Jeffress said. "These players ought to be thanking God that they live in a country where they're not only free to earn millions of dollars every year, but they're also free from the worry of being shot in the head for taking a knee like they would be if they were in North Korea." Trump adviser who says NFL players should be thankful no one has shot them in the head STANDS BY HIS COMMENTS https://t.co/WdCX5WQZht But Rev. Jeremiah Wright said god damn America and that was so much worse... 189 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 7:25:14am down 2 up report [Embedded content] He's such an ass just like Trump. And frankly who the hell is he to declare Trump not a bigot. He hasn't been the subject of Trump's racist bullshit. 190 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 7:25:38am down 4 up report But Rev. Jeremiah Wright said god damn America and that was so much worse... They hated Jeremiah Wright but Pat Robertson literally said we deserved 9/11 and they didn't care. 191 The Vicious Babushka Sep 26, 2017 * 7:26:19am down 7 up report Trump response to Hurricane Maria is a bazillion times worse than Bush Katrina. Trump admin will not waive #JonesAct for #PuertoRico pic.twitter.com/dSmEmyXSDq 192 Scottish Dragon Sep 26, 2017 * 7:28:22am down 1 up report Pretty sure she isn't going to hack Canadian military secrets showing gunships blowing apart journalists in Baghdad. 193 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 7:28:23am down 0 up report re: #191 The Vicious Babushka Trump response to Hurricane Maria is a bazillion times worse than Bush Katrina. [Embedded content] The Bush response to Katrina was awful but it at least wasn't heartless like this is. 194 Belafon Sep 26, 2017 * 7:29:57am down 2 up report The Bush response to Katrina was awful but it at least wasn't heartless like this is. Less heartless. He just thought he didn't have to do anything except probably pray. 195 Decatur Deb Sep 26, 2017 * 7:30:09am down 1 up report re: #169 Unshaken Defiance Did the DSLR design hit it's nadir? Maybe you can't go bigger than "full frame" in a body like that. Maybe 12 or 14 fps is it for a real shutter. Maybe 100mp makes no sense until you get a bigger sensor? As a pro, I soon have to step up to 4k in video, large sensor. $cared $hipless about that. Could be I need to own lenses and just rent camera bodies. For stills, and my attempts at art photography, I'm going back to film. When I can. The DSLR may be a configuration of the past. Like the Rollie. Viable forever but surpassed. For years I have said before only marketing and profit centers prevent digital cameras from being mere accessories to the lens, and the image go out by wire or wireless anywhere we wish. I think the Sony mirrorless a series show the compromise in between. But the high end full frame 4k is still very expensive, beyond the consumer and even semi pro. Oops gotta rush off On the bright side, I can finally afford a Hassy 500C. 196 Mike Lamb Sep 26, 2017 * 7:30:57am down 5 up report [Embedded content] How dare they exercise their constitutional rights?!? Those are only for white, gun-toting Christians.... 197 ObserverArt Sep 26, 2017 * 7:33:59am down 9 up report Public safety cannot be in the hands of bigots. KDKA @CBSPittsburgh Fire chief "embarrassed," "regrets" using racial slur against @steelers coach Mike Tomlin. @LisaWashing 's report: cbsloc.al 6:50 AM - Sep 26, 2017 I am so tired when bigots pop off and say what is really on their mind and reflect how they really feel. Then when called out they regret and are sorry. Sorry your sorry. I am not buying the take back. I am going with your initial statement as the real intended one. Kick his ass off the squad. Maybe he can go work on the city street sweeper crew. 199 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 7:38:06am down 3 up report [Embedded content] We're run by a corrupt oligarch who cares only for himself. 200 JordanRules Sep 26, 2017 * 7:40:42am down 8 up report In his original comment he put emphasis on his intent and willingness to say it with the "yeah I said it" at the end. He meant it with all his heart. He cannot be trusted in a position with any power. 201 William Lewis Sep 26, 2017 * 7:40:48am down 2 up report re: #192 Scottish Dragon Pretty sure she isn't going to hack Canadian military secrets showing gunships blowing apart journalists in Baghdad. She was still naive enough to not understand that Julian Assange is an enemy of the Western Democracies and still did commit serious crimes to supposedly expose that one problem. I am glad for the commutation due to her psychological and medical issues but otherwise I'd have had utterly no problem with her serving her full 35 year sentence. But that may be my 11B & 96B talking... 202 plansbandc Sep 26, 2017 * 7:41:08am down 1 up report It's hard to believe, but I think Junior is more of an idiot than the fat orange fart is. What a great family. 203 Decatur Deb Sep 26, 2017 * 7:41:16am down 6 up report [Embedded content] That would make a wonderful landing zone for relief Chinooks. 204 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 7:43:29am down 1 up report In his original comment he put emphasis on his intent and willingness to say it with the "yeah I said it" at the end. He meant it with all his heart. He cannot be trusted in a position with any power. He's only backtracking because he got called out. Typical coward. And yeah he can't be trusted if he's going to be like that. 205 Dr. Matt Sep 26, 2017 * 7:46:04am down 1 up report The last two @GOP presidents have been the worst in US history. What a record! pic.twitter.com/HqsTtbs4da 206 lawhawk Sep 26, 2017 * 7:47:43am down 9 up report So, there's a disconnect between what is actually going on in Puerto Rico and what Trump admin thinks is going on there. This isn't surprising. The island is still without power and telcom. Water/utilities/telcom is all but out. Food is scarce (lack of power playing a role). Distribution routes are tough when roads are still impassible due to downed trees, debris. Trump wants people thinking everything is okay. It isn't. The disaster response has been awful in ways that should be familiar to anyone who knows how it went during Katrina. That thankfully we haven't seen the death toll from Katrina is a flat out miracle. But the federal govt response has been just as achingly slow. Just because a handful of ships are now there isn't getting the power restored any faster. They need massive infusion of utility trucks and related equipment. That just wont happen without significant assets being brought in - you can't just drive to PR the same way that utilities from NYS or NJ can drive down to FL or TX to assist in getting the power restored. You need significant numbers of RORO ships that can bring in the needed gear. You need to be able to get the ports reopened so critical supplies and food can get in. All that has to happen yesterday. You can't just bring stuff in by helicopter. That's simply an indisputable fact. A RORO ship can bring in 100s of utility trucks. Helicopters can't do that. That the PR utility was in bad shape before Maria is actually irrelevant. They need the help and Trump isn't doing anywhere near enough to improve the conditions for 3 million Americans. That's more people without power than live in a bunch of red states. In fact, we know Trump's probably looking at the tone of those affected by Maria and knows he wont get their votes so he's simply ignoring the matter. 207 lawhawk Sep 26, 2017 * 7:52:55am down 2 up report More names released re: NCAA scandal Arizona's Book Richardson, USC's Tony Bland, Auburn's Chuck Person and Oklahoma State's Lamont Evans were the four coaches charged with fraud and corruption. Managers, financial advisers and representatives of a major international sportswear company are also involved in the investigation. Jim Gatto, an executive with Adidas, was arrested, as was Christian Dawkins, a former NBA agent who was fired from ASM Sports after he used a player's credit card to run up $42,000 of charges on Uber. 208 Interesting Times Sep 26, 2017 * 7:56:00am down 4 up report re: #205 Dr. Matt I've said before that attempts to rehabilitate dubya bug the hell out of me, because he still "wins" the "worst recent president" award for body count alone (Iraq War, Katrina, and to some extent 9/11, which might have been prevented if "Bin Laden determined to strike" memos had been properly addressed) I'm getting increasingly nervous on how quickly trump may catch up, though... o_O 209 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 8:00:54am down 5 up report Mike Pence lies that Graham-Cassidy gives the states "flexibility" denied them by the ACA, when he knows full well from his Medicaid expansion as Governor of Indiana that the ACA already provides the states plenty of flexibility to experiment. The only purpose served by Graham-Cassidy is to gut Medicaid funding in order to make it easier to pass massive tax cuts for billionaires. 210 dangerman Sep 26, 2017 * 8:03:23am down 11 up report 48,000 Puerto Ricans served in Vietnam. 335 died in combat. 18 were listed as MIA. Meanwhile, Trump received five deferments for "bone spurs." Now he has the power to decide if the families of those Puerto Rican veterans can get food and water. i dont have time to join in today. and forgive, if this has been covered already puerto ricans are american citizens. full stop. all the full weight of what this means all that is being done to them all that is is not being done for them there are not two classes of citizenry (constitutionally) and only because i am fuming: no one talked about "texans" or floridians" in the last few weeks as if they were somehow different or separate finally - throw all that aside, every last argument and rationale. they are people. humans. we can help. this is beneath contempt 211 Belafon Sep 26, 2017 * 8:03:54am down 2 up report re: #209 Big Beautiful Door The ACA won't give the states the flexibility to kill off their weaker members. Why won't it do that? Why doesn't it care about the future of our country? 212 Decatur Deb Sep 26, 2017 * 8:09:41am down 4 up report i dont have time to join in today. and forgive, if this has been covered already puerto ricans are american citizens. full stop. all the full weight of what this means all that is being done to them all that is is not being done for them there are not two classes of citizenry (constitutionally) and only because i am fuming: no one talked about "texans" or floridians" in the last few weeks as if they were somehow different or separate finally - throw all that aside, every last argument and rationale. they are people. humans. we can help. this is beneath contempt We learned from Hurricane Andrew that nothing short of a joint task force, extending even beyond the DoD, can jumpstart the response to a Cat 5 in a confined area. (US Forest Service was one of the most impressive elements. They showed up fully equipped, ready to go to their astounding task--clearing a "forest" of hundreds of thousands of trees that was down, blocking the impacted urban area.) 213 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 8:10:06am down 1 up report re: #211 Belafon The ACA won't give the states the flexibility to kill off their weaker members. Why won't it do that? Why doesn't it care about the future of our country? If thirty million people have to be denied healthcare to give billionaires tens of millions of dollars in tax cuts each, so be it. Why doesn't anyone think about the plight of the billionaires being denied their tax cuts? 214 JordanRules Sep 26, 2017 * 8:11:04am down 10 up report Nate responds in the comments. I can think of someone *else* who repeatedly harped on Clinton's emails & made it the centerpiece of the campaign. https://t.co/zLdg0Eno2S pic.twitter.com/bt3K6k3nHb It's this keen understanding of media and politics that you demonstrated with your own modeling https://t.co/IFV9lrE5Ku 216 Colere Tueur de Lapin Sep 26, 2017 * 8:17:34am down 3 up report I propose that some Trumpers are Trumpers exactly because this brave new world is a threat to their view of themselves. Many Americans are very resistant to a modern view of what is a "human". Many Americans have very bronze-age ideas of what it means to be a human. A "human" is a meat-sack that transports our bacterial overlords around. Depending on what current science you find is most realistic, the human meat-sack contains about 1:1.3 to 1:10* human cells:bacterial cells. The gene ratio is a better indicator of relative value of "humanness" and that is more like 100:1; or, 99% of our genes expressing in the meat-sack are bacterial in origin. With those number is mind, what is "human"? The more that is understood about the microbiome in- and on- the meat-sack, the more we understand that the "humans" entire existence is dependent on- and controlled by- our bacterial overlords. *-the 1.3:1 comes from a Nature paper that is arguably low, but whatever. 217 Skip Intro Sep 26, 2017 * 8:19:37am down 1 up report re: #195 Decatur Deb Until you need to buy a lens. 218 freetoken Sep 26, 2017 * 8:21:00am down 3 up report re: #216 Colere Tueur de Lapin Yes, the current understanding, based on a whole lot of observations, is that we are colonies of cells. But the old idea - that we are a magical, semi or totally, eternal beings, hangs on. This is the why the religious right gets so caught up into knots over embryos. They can't admit that a cell is a cell, they need to make it a container of a "soul". 219 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 8:21:07am down 7 up report Nate responds in the comments. [Embedded content] I'm not sure if Haberman's tweet was supposed to be a dig at Nate Silver, but last November Silver took a lot of flack for saying that Trump had a realistic chance of winning, while others like Sam Wang said he didn't. 220 JordanRules Sep 26, 2017 * 8:31:07am down 3 up report re: #219 Big Beautiful Door Oh yeah it's a dig. An ironic one with no familiarity to self awareness. But it ends up being a self own as was very clearly and repeatedly pointed out in the replies to her tweet. 221 austin_blue Sep 26, 2017 * 8:31:48am down 2 up report re: #191 The Vicious Babushka Trump response to Hurricane Maria is a bazillion times worse than Bush Katrina. [Embedded content] Barges? In the Atlantic Ocean? That's just nuts. 222 Dr. Matt Sep 26, 2017 * 8:34:05am down 7 up report white ppl are the only ppl who will fly across the country just to be racist & mock the culture they paid to see https://t.co/vzwdkUm053 223 Eclectic Cyborg Sep 26, 2017 * 8:34:27am down 4 up report The problem is that to the President there ARE two classes of citizenry: White and everyone else. 224 Broad With Sass Sep 26, 2017 * 8:42:38am down 1 up report and of course my alma mater is involved 225 electrotek Sep 26, 2017 * 8:43:39am down 0 up report I really, really despise shady car importers/dealers. Especially those that buy up junk cars and do some "reconditioning" only to resell it for 3-4 times the original cost to scrupulous buyers ugh 226 Stanley Sea Sep 26, 2017 * 8:44:23am down 0 up report re: #224 Broad With Sass and of course my alma mater is involved I can't believe mine's not. 227 Backwoods_Sleuth Sep 26, 2017 * 8:44:46am down 4 up report University of Louisville spokesman: "We know nothing, we're trying to get more info right now." Looks like the FBI has "Coach-1" from probably-UofL talking about the scheme to pay off another player to come to the school: pic.twitter.com/JMj1ZpUuGg re: #191 The Vicious Babushka Trump response to Hurricane Maria is a bazillion times worse than Bush Katrina. [Embedded content] Reminded me of this joke: "Giving Bush his daily war briefing, Donald Rumsfeld ended by saying: 'Yesterday, three Brazilian soldiers were killed.' 'Oh no!', exclaimed Bush. 'That's terrible.' His staff were stunned by this display of emotion. Finally Bush raised his head from his hands and asked: 'OK, so how many is a Brazillion?'" 229 GlutenFreeJesus Sep 26, 2017 * 8:47:35am down 6 up report Looks like Trump will visit Puerto Rico next Tuesday. After he's done fundraising this week. 230 electrotek Sep 26, 2017 * 8:47:52am down 3 up report re: #191 The Vicious Babushka Trump response to Hurricane Maria is a bazillion times worse than Bush Katrina. [Embedded content] And there were people that wanted Bush to resign over Katrina, even some conservatives! Do we hear the same outrage among them with Trump being an unmitigated disaster for this country? *crickets 231 gwangung Sep 26, 2017 * 8:49:25am down 3 up report Looks like Trump will visit Puerto Rico next Tuesday. After he's done fundraising this week. I find this the most menial of sins, however, given the destruction of infrastructure and resources. The slow response for aid is more maddening. 232 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 8:49:28am down 2 up report And there were people that wanted Bush to resign over Katrina, even some conservatives! Do we hear the same outrage among them with Trump being an unmitigated disaster for this country? *crickets Problem is that most Americans probably don't even know that PR is part of the U.S. 233 wheat-dogg Sep 26, 2017 * 8:50:17am down 2 up report re: #222 Dr. Matt The Internet meanwhile is full of stories about Chinese tourists acting appallingly bad. -- parents letting their young children pee or poop anywhere, even in the streets or in the airplane aisles -- scarfing up 90% of the food at buffets to take back to their hotel rooms -- ignoring safety warnings and jumping over barriers to avoid paying money or to take "better pictures" -- opening up the emergency doors in airplanes parked at the gate, to bring some fresh air -- being generally loud and rude while traveling in tour groups True, Americans can be offensive tourists, but we have not cornered the market. 234 electrotek Sep 26, 2017 * 8:50:35am down 2 up report Looks like Trump will visit Puerto Rico next Tuesday. After he's done fundraising this week. Hope he gets the PR treatment, San Juan style. 235 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 8:51:20am down 1 up report re: #232 Big Beautiful Door Problem is that most Americans probably don't even know that PR is part of the U.S. Yep. 236 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Sep 26, 2017 * 8:51:53am down 0 up report Dallas kneeled together before the NA, then stood up. Does that mean they go both ways? I assume this was meant to show that they personally want to honor the flag but also show solidarity with those who would do things differently... 237 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Sep 26, 2017 * 8:52:59am down 0 up report re: #117 Woods Witch Ratings for NFL football are way down except before game starts, when people tune in to see whether or not our country will be disrespected! Ratings are everything in this world, Donnie!!! 238 Colere Tueur de Lapin Sep 26, 2017 * 8:54:45am down 4 up report ...after he used a player's credit card to run up $42,000 of charges on Uber. How does one manage to do this in any rational time frame? 239 Dr Lizardo Sep 26, 2017 * 8:56:14am down 3 up report re: #232 Big Beautiful Door Problem is that most Americans probably don't even know that PR is part of the U.S. That was a running gag for awhile in Sanford and Son back in the 1970's. A minor character, Julio - played by Gregory Sierra - was the frequent target of Fred Sanford's bigoted comments and his son Lamont (aka, "Big Dummy") would remind Fred that Puerto Ricans were 1) not Mexicans and 2) US citizens. 240 Backwoods_Sleuth Sep 26, 2017 * 8:56:43am down 8 up report I believe the term you're searching for it "American citizens." 241 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 8:59:06am down 3 up report re: #233 wheat-dogg The Internet meanwhile is full of stories about Chinese tourists acting appallingly bad. -- parents letting their young children pee or poop anywhere, even in the streets or in the airplane aisles -- scarfing up 90% of the food at buffets to take back to their hotel rooms -- ignoring safety warnings and jumping over barriers to avoid paying money or to take "better pictures" -- opening up the emergency doors in airplanes parked at the gate, to bring some fresh air -- being generally loud and rude while traveling in tour groups True, Americans can be offensive tourists, but we have not cornered the market. Maybe, but I wouldn't make assumptions that internet anecdotes are accurate. 242 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 9:00:25am down 2 up report re: #240 Backwoods_Sleuth [Embedded content] If it was so important to you, you would have been talking about it all weekend instead of bitching at football players, you chode goblin. 243 Dr Lizardo Sep 26, 2017 * 9:02:41am down 7 up report re: #239 Dr Lizardo BTW, here's a recent photo of Mr. Sierra - taken last year. Looking good for 80; I hope I'll be as lucky. Gregory Sierra 244 Shropshire Slasher Sep 26, 2017 * 9:03:43am down 1 up report NY Dean Skelos conviction on bribery overturned. A federal appeals panel threw out the corruption convictions of former New York Senate majority leader Dean Skelos and his son, court documents revealed Tuesday. Acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim wasted no time in announcing that his office plans to retry the two men following the widely-expected ruling in the defendants' favor. Skelos and his son Adam successfully appealed their December 2015 convictions, arguing that prosecutors' arguments conflicted with a recent U.S. Supreme Court interpretation of public corruption law. The pair were convicted of bribery, extortion and conspiracy. 245 JordanRules Sep 26, 2017 * 9:03:51am down 12 up report Resign. Texas lawmaker apologizes for calling black district attorneys 'f*cking n**gers' out to get 'taco eaters' https://t.co/HYl6MVx8d8 246 electrotek Sep 26, 2017 * 9:06:15am down 1 up report He should not hold any position with significant power. Brownsville? Why am I not surprised? 247 GlutenFreeJesus Sep 26, 2017 * 9:06:42am down 2 up report If he were Republican: "It was just a joke. Lighten up. MAGA!!!" F this guy. 248 Backwoods_Sleuth Sep 26, 2017 * 9:06:49am down 11 up report Phil Robertson says don't worry too much about health care because you're going to die anyway, suggests investing in "eternal health care." I feel like this will be the Republican platform in 2020. https://t.co/N28hhU30E9 249 GlutenFreeJesus Sep 26, 2017 * 9:07:39am down 5 up report Did anyone else catch this on Kimmel last night? NSFW Anyone else see this Mean Tweets bit on @jimmykimmel last night?! pic.twitter.com/9zTdJO04zN 250 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 9:07:43am down 3 up report [Embedded content] By that logic, why have laws against murder? Fucking moron should just stick to the ducks. 251 Franklin Sep 26, 2017 * 9:10:04am down 3 up report 252 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 9:10:52am down 3 up report The Republicans: Y'all are just going to die anyway, so fuck y'all. 253 Backwoods_Sleuth Sep 26, 2017 * 9:11:24am down 9 up report Roger Stone has been behind closed doors with the House intel committee for nearly 3 hours--and no sign it's ending any time soon. well to be fair andrew that guy never fucking shuts up https://t.co/XSWa7ZeIxI Trump on delivering aid to Puerto Rico: "This is an island sitting in the middle of an ocean. It's a big ocean, it's a very big ocean." pic.twitter.com/d3zkbKmQxr 255 Backwoods_Sleuth Sep 26, 2017 * 9:16:13am down 9 up report Discussing with @FEMA_Brock and @TomBossert45 areas of urgent need to coordinate additional federal resources. #PRStrong pic.twitter.com/NKhUDqe5WJ While media hasn't focused on #Maria , Fema and its partners have. 10,000 federal staff working to meet @ricardorossello response goals. https://t.co/Lg0rbVXWDH We'd love to. We tried to interview you yesterday. You took no questions. Why don't you let us follow a team delivering aid to needy people? https://t.co/FcH7HenUQB 256 JordanRules Sep 26, 2017 * 9:17:48am down 6 up report re: #254 The Vicious Babushka I was trying to hold my facepalms until later in the day. I only have so many I can use before it starts to look like I'm beating myself. FFS America New @UpshotNYT w/ @kyledropp : Nearly Half of Americans Don't Know Puerto Ricans Are Fellow Citizens https://t.co/JNAyyOq51e pic.twitter.com/88Qw4fPwCt 257 Skip Intro Sep 26, 2017 * 9:18:20am down 5 up report re: #254 The Vicious Babushka It's a big, beautiful ocean. The best ocean. I have some of my finest properties located along side of this ocean. 258 Dr Lizardo Sep 26, 2017 * 9:18:31am down 5 up report re: #254 The Vicious Babushka I could totally imagine Trump saying, "A lot of people don't know how big the Atlantic Ocean is. It's huge....tremendous. Did you know the Pacific is actually bigger? How many people know that?" 259 freetoken Sep 26, 2017 * 9:18:54am down 2 up report Not sure the question that goes with the graphic bars actually fits the tweeted reply very well. 260 Skip Intro Sep 26, 2017 * 9:19:15am down 8 up report Poll only Fox viewers and the "don't know" total would be near 100%. 261 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Sep 26, 2017 * 9:19:51am down 2 up report re: #260 Skip Intro Poll only Fox viewers and the "don't know" total would be near 100%. I wonder if Trump was aware until someone on his staff dared tell him... 262 gwangung Sep 26, 2017 * 9:20:24am down 7 up report re: #255 Backwoods_Sleuth [Embedded content] Aren't these meetings a bit late? Wouldn't they be more timely last week? 263 Backwoods_Sleuth Sep 26, 2017 * 9:21:38am down 9 up report This is Cooper. He hasn't been pupperly assembled yet. Still very good. 13/10 pic.twitter.com/Y8s9XjEmhJ 264 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 9:22:00am down 8 up report re: #258 Dr Lizardo I could totally imagine Trump saying, "A lot of people don't know how big the Atlantic Ocean is. It's huge....tremendous. Did you know the Pacific is actually bigger? How many people know that?" "Atlantis may be in Atlantic Ocean. Did you I know Greek people? I like gyros. The Greek people are great and against the EU." 265 Backwoods_Sleuth Sep 26, 2017 * 9:24:09am down 12 up report Pence warns Alaska that if Graham-Cassidy fails, they could end up with the health-care of "a place called Canada": https://t.co/EPpFbHDK19 266 JordanRules Sep 26, 2017 * 9:24:57am down 1 up report The link to the article in the same tweet is where the rest is but I see your point. 267 electrotek Sep 26, 2017 * 9:24:57am down 2 up report As if that's a bad thing. 268 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Sep 26, 2017 * 9:26:29am down 4 up report re: #265 Backwoods_Sleuth Pence warns Alaska that if Graham-Cassidy fails, they could end up with the health-care of "a place called Canada": I read that Sen. Murkowsi was offered a deal that would basically let Alaska and Hawaii keep ACA for themselves if she voted to take it away from the lower 48... 269 gwangung Sep 26, 2017 * 9:26:35am down 4 up report Canada will say, "What kept you?" 270 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 9:26:39am down 0 up report 271 Backwoods_Sleuth Sep 26, 2017 * 9:26:47am down 17 up report WATCH: Roy Moore pulls out gun at campaign rally https://t.co/ETO5afzrCI pic.twitter.com/hEs4rQYjKt When your gun's that small, you should only show it to people who REALLY love you. https://t.co/oBJMz1VBAh 272 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 9:27:11am down 5 up report 273 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 9:27:16am down 2 up report 274 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 9:27:32am down 2 up report Ouch but true. 275 Renaissance_Man Sep 26, 2017 * 9:27:40am down 3 up report re: #241 Big Beautiful Door Maybe, but I wouldn't make assumptions that internet anecdotes are accurate. Chinese tourists are frequently rude and uncouth, and I say this as someone who has travelled with them on many occasions. White people definitely don't have the monopoly on being ugly tourists. Also, I don't quite get why the posted picture is racist. Is it the hats? Wearing touristy hats isn't racist, surely. 276 Backwoods_Sleuth Sep 26, 2017 * 9:28:25am down 17 up report Forcing NFL players to their feet is no more about patriotism than pro-life is about babies It's about POWER It's the comments. re: #275 Renaissance_Man Chinese tourists are frequently rude and uncouth, and I say this as someone who has travelled with them on many occasions. White people definitely don't have the monopoly on being ugly tourists. Also, I don't quite get why the posted picture is racist. Is it the hats? Wearing touristy hats isn't racist, surely. Read their comments. 279 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 9:29:41am down 0 up report re: #275 Renaissance_Man Chinese tourists are frequently rude and uncouth, and I say this as someone who has travelled with them on many occasions. White people definitely don't have the monopoly on being ugly tourists. Also, I don't quite get why the posted picture is racist. Is it the hats? Wearing touristy hats isn't racist, surely. The "herro" in the comments. 280 Decatur Deb Sep 26, 2017 * 9:29:46am down 6 up report Alabama friend this morning: "When the newscaster said to watch Roy Moore, I was waiting for him to do something odd." 281 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Sep 26, 2017 * 9:30:12am down 3 up report re: #276 Backwoods_Sleuth Forcing NFL players to their feet is no more about patriotism than pro-life is about babies Because nothing says "patriotism" like watching a group of athletes participating in a public display they do not believe in out of fear of losing their jobs... 282 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 9:31:16am down 0 up report re: #275 Renaissance_Man Chinese tourists are frequently rude and uncouth, and I say this as someone who has travelled with them on many occasions. White people definitely don't have the monopoly on being ugly tourists. Also, I don't quite get why the posted picture is racist. Is it the hats? Wearing touristy hats isn't racist, surely. Look at the comments that go with the pictures. 283 wheat-dogg Sep 26, 2017 * 9:32:15am down 6 up report re: #241 Big Beautiful Door Maybe, but I wouldn't make assumptions that internet anecdotes are accurate. They aren't anecdotes. They are news stories, and the incidents have gotten so common that the government has published "how to be a polite tourist" pamphlets for tourists and the airlines now have a "blacklist" of unruly passengers who are barred from flying. The latest incident was in Singapore's Changi Airport, where a Chinese tour group was met by members of the Chinese embassy and Singaporean foreign ministry, who gave them them brochures on how to behave while in Singapore. 284 Decatur Deb Sep 26, 2017 * 9:34:49am down 2 up report re: #283 wheat-dogg They aren't anecdotes. They are news stories, and the incidents have gotten so common that the government has published "how to be a polite tourist" pamphlets for tourists and the airlines now have a "blacklist" of unruly passengers who are barred from flying. The latest incident was in Singapore's Changi Airport, where a Chinese tour group was met by members of the Chinese embassy and Singaporean foreign ministry, who gave them them brochures on how to behave while in Singapore. There used to be a lot of lore teaching American ex-pats in Italy how to pass for Canadian. 285 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 9:35:36am down 2 up report re: #283 wheat-dogg They aren't anecdotes. They are news stories, and the incidents have gotten so common that the government has published "how to be a polite tourist" pamphlets for tourists and the airlines now have a "blacklist" of unruly passengers who are barred from flying. The latest incident was in Singapore's Changi Airport, where a Chinese tour group was met by members of the Chinese embassy and Singaporean foreign ministry, who gave them them brochures on how to behave while in Singapore. OK, I'm just wary of stereotyping people based on stories on the internet. That is what he alt-right does. I'm particularly sensitive to the way the Chinese are being attacked by Trump because my kids are Chinese, not that Trump's attacks on them are any more or less worse than his racist attacks on Mexicans, African-Americans and Jews. 286 electrotek Sep 26, 2017 * 9:35:40am down 1 up report re: #283 wheat-dogg They aren't anecdotes. They are news stories, and the incidents have gotten so common that the government has published "how to be a polite tourist" pamphlets for tourists and the airlines now have a "blacklist" of unruly passengers who are barred from flying. The latest incident was in Singapore's Changi Airport, where a Chinese tour group was met by members of the Chinese embassy and Singaporean foreign ministry, who gave them them brochures on how to behave while in Singapore. In Japan and HK, you can usually tell who is from the mainland: the side in which they walk on. 287 JordanRules Sep 26, 2017 * 9:35:57am down 0 up report re: #275 Renaissance_Man Click on the pic to see the whole thing. Not just the comments to the right, the caption under the pic. 288 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Sep 26, 2017 * 9:36:04am down 4 up report re: #284 Decatur Deb There used to be a lot of lore teaching American ex-pats in Italy how to pass for Canadian. Fortunately I have the accent to get away with that (coming from the Great Lakes region) and have even developed a set of manners to go along with it... 289 electrotek Sep 26, 2017 * 9:36:17am down 0 up report re: #285 Big Beautiful Door OK, I'm just wary of stereotyping people based on stories on the internet. That is what he alt-right does. I'm particularly sensitive to the way the Chinese are being attacked by Trump because my kids are Chinese, not that Trump's attacks on them are any more or less worse than his racist attacks on Mexicans, African-Americans and Jews. There's even intra-Chinese hatred, between Hong Kongers and mainlanders as well. 290 FormerDirtDart Sep 26, 2017 * 9:36:25am down 7 up report The shot/chaser format is overdone but... pic.twitter.com/atnuBsNrbd 291 wheat-dogg Sep 26, 2017 * 9:37:23am down 8 up report re: #285 Big Beautiful Door OK, I'm just wary of stereotyping people based on stories on the internet. That is what he alt-right does. I'm particularly sensitive to the way the Chinese are being attacked by Trump because my kids are Chinese, not that Trump's attacks on them are any more or less worse than his racist attacks on Mexicans, African-Americans and Jews. Did you remember I've lived in China for nine years? 292 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 9:39:08am down 2 up report There's even intra-Chinese hatred, between Hong Kongers and mainlanders as well. Just like the US, where the "Heartlanders" are trying to stick it to the "coastal elites." 293 wheat-dogg Sep 26, 2017 * 9:39:54am down 3 up report There's even intra-Chinese hatred, between Hong Kongers and mainlanders as well. Oh, yeah. It's a real thing. It only takes a few incidents for the idea to spread that all mainland visitors act like they grew up in a barn. There's probably some underlying resentment and fear about the mainland slowly absorbing Hong Kong politically, too. 294 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 9:40:47am down 0 up report re: #291 wheat-dogg Did you remember I've lived in China for nine years? Did not, no. 295 wheat-dogg Sep 26, 2017 * 9:47:08am down 11 up report Regarding misbehaving Chinese tourists: many of them, especially older Chinese, have never traveled much beyond their own provinces. In the countryside towns, it's acceptable to hawk and spit in the street, smoke in public places or on the bus, allow little kiddies to pee or poop on the sidewalk, and talk louder than necessary in restaurants. So, these "country bumpkins" are mocked even in China's big cities. Now that China has a larger middle class, middle-aged and older Chinese can travel more widely, especially if their kids have been sending home lots of cash. And tour groups are a big thing, as older folks generally have no English skills at all. One notable incident last month was a granny who, hoping to bring good luck to her first ride on a airplane, pitched some loose change into the jet's engine before she walked up the stairs to the plane. 296 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 9:47:33am down 9 up report GOP's "Middle Class relief" tax plan will include higher tax rates for the middle class and steep tax cuts for the rich. They also want to eliminate the deduction for state and local taxes to stick it to the blue states. 297 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Sep 26, 2017 * 9:48:31am down 4 up report re: #296 Big Beautiful Door GOP's "Middle Class relief" tax plan will include higher tax rates for the middle class and steep tax cuts for the rich. They also want to eliminate the deduction for state and local taxes to stick it to the blue states. You mean the ones who are net contributors to the federal government's coffers? 298 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 9:48:58am down 2 up report re: #297 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) You mean the ones who are net contributors to the federal government's coffers? Exactly. 299 electrotek Sep 26, 2017 * 9:49:27am down 1 up report The Cultural Revolution did some rather untold damage to the Chinese. 300 wheat-dogg Sep 26, 2017 * 9:49:45am down 5 up report Did not, no. And I'm going back next month for another year (or more) of teaching. Where are your kids from in China? Would they like anything from their homeland as souvenirs? 301 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Sep 26, 2017 * 9:51:15am down 5 up report The Cultural Revolution did some rather untold damage to the Chinese. The Reagan Revolution did lot of damage to the Americans, Trump is proof of that... 302 ObserverArt Sep 26, 2017 * 9:51:45am down 8 up report re: #209 Big Beautiful Door Mike Pence lies that Graham-Cassidy gives the states "flexibility" denied them by the ACA, when he knows full well from his Medicaid expansion as Governor of Indiana that the ACA already provides the states plenty of flexibility to experiment. The only purpose served by Graham-Cassidy is to gut Medicaid funding in order to make it easier to pass massive tax cuts for billionaires. I watched that CNN town hall thing last night in total frustration. Bernie was trying but many times let Graham keep labeling him as a socialist. Klobuchar kept trying to bring it back to the middle saying that it was wrong to think you get only two choices, Graham-Cassidy or Bernie Sanders One Payer. She kept trying to say America wants the ACA improved. Graham would get all scary with his either you take Graham-Cassidy or it is over for healthcare in this country for 10 or more years. What? But what really got me was no one asked the Republicans what they have done to make sure the ACA worked instead of what they have done to make it fail? No one asked them why the Republicans never worked with the Democrats and why that has caused lasting problems. And freaking Cassidy was all about "we want to take it out of the hands of someone you don't know in the federal government and put the money into the hands of someone you know in your state and each state can be different for the needs of their people." Like you pointed out. Medicaid expansion is individualized by the state. Ohio's program is funded by the state but several large Insurance companies administer and run the programs and each person gets to choose who they go with. Also, each state set up their own insurance exchanges the way they wanted for those that could afford regular health insurance. So a lot of it was already tailored to the states. And those were all done with real insurance companies not 'big government' control as Graham and Cassidy tried to portray it. And Cassidy was very elusive on the pre-existing conditions part of his crappy legislation. He would not answer what guarantees people won't be charged so much more they can't afford the insurance for their condition. He kept saying the language of the bill says "it must be affordable." By whose definition. But hey Cassidy is a doctor did you know. Oh yeah, another frustrating part. Bernie mentioned cheap prescription drug prices in Canada and Europe and his hope that American pharmacies and hospitals could bby from foreign suppliers at their rates. Graham got on his high horse and said something like 'Canada is 1/10 the population and their needs do not compare to the volume of drugs needed in the U.S.' Uh, Senator, why does Canada have cheaper drugs if they use less? In most businesses, the more you buy the better the rate. We are getting ripped off and you aren't helping. Again...none of the politicians and no one from CNN asked anything like that. It was like a lot of townhall meetings. A mess and no one gets to ask real good questions...it's the same old stuff all the time. 303 wheat-dogg Sep 26, 2017 * 9:52:04am down 9 up report The Cultural Revolution did some rather untold damage to the Chinese. The stories I've heard from older Chinese and their kids would make your hair stand on end. It was especially hard for Chinese who were well educated or were in "landlord families", as the Red Guard decided they all needed to be re-educated. 304 Ace-o-aces Sep 26, 2017 * 9:52:46am down 9 up report Wow. You know @realDonaldTrump has screwed up when even Joe "deadbeat dad" Walsh thinks he's being stupid! 305 wrenchwench Sep 26, 2017 * 9:54:41am down 3 up report re: #295 wheat-dogg Regarding misbehaving Chinese tourists: many of them, especially older Chinese, have never traveled much beyond their own provinces. In the countryside towns, it's acceptable to hawk and spit in the street, smoke in public places or on the bus, allow little kiddies to pee or poop on the sidewalk, and talk louder than necessary in restaurants. So, these "country bumpkins" are mocked even in China's big cities. Now that China has a larger middle class, middle-aged and older Chinese can travel more widely, especially if their kids have been sending home lots of cash. And tour groups are a big thing, as older folks generally have no English skills at all. One notable incident last month was a granny who, hoping to bring good luck to her first ride on a airplane, pitched some loose change into the jet's engine before she walked up the stairs to the plane. When I was cycling across Kansas, we stopped in to the local sheriffs' office to ask the condition of the shoulder of the highway in the next county. (Abandoned federal highway, single lane in each direction, shoulders changed at the county line; some gravel, some paved, some not even gravel.) The uniformed sheriff at the counter said, 'I don't know. I haven't been there'. 306 Eclectic Cyborg Sep 26, 2017 * 9:55:03am down 5 up report re: #265 Backwoods_Sleuth Oh, shut the fuck up about Canadian healthcare Pence. Like you've ever lived a day under single payer. 307 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 9:55:30am down 3 up report re: #300 wheat-dogg And I'm going back next month for another year (or more) of teaching. Where are your kids from in China? Would they like anything from their homeland as souvenirs? We got our daughter from Chongqing and our son from Fuzhou. They love Chinese souvenirs! 308 goddamnedfrank Sep 26, 2017 * 9:58:16am down 1 up report re: #169 Unshaken Defiance Did the DSLR design hit it's nadir? Maybe you can't go bigger than "full frame" in a body like that. Maybe 12 or 14 fps is it for a real shutter. Maybe 100mp makes no sense until you get a bigger sensor? You can't go bigger than a full frame sensor because the circle of light is determined by the 35mm lens format. Also while pixel pitch impacts the usable ISO range & thermal noise, it's not the sensor size per se that's the limiting factor here, it's the resolving power of 35mm SLR lenses. You need really exceptional optics to get everything out of the 36 MP in my Nikon D810 and borderline impossible optics for the 45 MP in the replacement D850. The good news for your purposes is that for 4K video SLR lenses are way more than adequate, it's just that there's a much smaller market for dedicated full 35mm sensor 4K bodies so you're working against economy of scale. 309 Decatur Deb Sep 26, 2017 * 9:58:45am down 0 up report re: #303 wheat-dogg The stories I've heard from older Chinese and their kids would make your hair stand on end. It was especially hard for Chinese who were well educated or were in "landlord families", as the Red Guard decided they all needed to be re-educated. This has been on cable recently: 310 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 9:58:53am down 3 up report re: #306 Eclectic Cyborg Oh, shut the fuck up about Canadian healthcare Pence. Like you've ever lived a day under single payer. He's had cushy government health insurance for years now. 311 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 9:59:36am down 2 up report re: #310 Big Beautiful Door He's had cushy government health insurance for years now. As has McConnell and Ryan. 312 Eclectic Cyborg Sep 26, 2017 * 9:59:44am down 11 up report So I predict Trump's PR visit will go as follows: - Shows up wearing stupid hat. - Mentions how much he loves Puerto Rico and promises them "many great things to come, many great things." - Gets the photo op of him loading supplies onto a plane. - Autographs the side of said plane - Wishes PR good luck - Flies away and is never sets foot on the island again (or at least not until the next disaster) 313 Eclectic Cyborg Sep 26, 2017 * 10:00:21am down 2 up report re: #310 Big Beautiful Door He's had cushy government health insurance for years now. Yet another reason he needs to shut the fuck up. 314 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 10:00:33am down 4 up report With Neo-Nazis having won representation in the last election, Merkel is going to have difficulty forming a government. 315 Eclectic Cyborg Sep 26, 2017 * 10:02:19am down 5 up report re: #314 Big Beautiful Door With Neo-Nazis having won representation in the last election, Merkel is going to have difficulty forming a government. Nazis gaining power in the German government...we've been down this road before. 316 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 10:02:32am down 0 up report re: #312 Eclectic Cyborg So I predict Trump's PR visit will go as follows: - Shows up wearing stupid hat. - Mentions how much he loves Puerto Rico and promises them "many great things to come, many great things." - Gets the photo op of him loading supplies onto a plane. - Autographs the side of said plane - Wishes PR good luck - Flies away and is never sets foot on the island again (or at least not until the next disaster) Sounds like him yes. 317 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 10:02:50am down 2 up report re: #314 Big Beautiful Door With Neo-Nazis having won representation in the last election, Merkel is going to have difficulty forming a government. It's scary what's going on. 318 electrotek Sep 26, 2017 * 10:02:59am down 2 up report re: #315 Eclectic Cyborg Nazis gaining power in the German government...we've been down this road before. But but....they love the gays! 319 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 10:03:29am down 0 up report re: #313 Eclectic Cyborg re: #314 Big Beautiful Door With Neo-Nazis having won representation in the last election, Merkel is going to have difficulty forming a government. That is because the Socialists do not want to form another grand coalition with her, as that would make the right-wing AfD the major opposition party. The SPD would rather be the major opposition party than a minor coalition partner. But the AfD is already falling apart under the weight of its success... 321 ObserverArt Sep 26, 2017 * 10:05:17am down 2 up report I wanna rub that pupper's tummy. 322 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 10:05:19am down 2 up report re: #315 Eclectic Cyborg Nazis gaining power in the German government...we've been down this road before. At least this time around, they know better than to form a coalition government with the nazis. 323 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 10:06:16am down 0 up report re: #320 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) That is because the Socialists do not want to form another grand coalition with her, as that would make the right-wing AfD the major opposition party. The SPD would rather be the major opposition party than a minor coalition partner. But the AfD is already falling apart under the weight of its success... That's good to know. Do you have any details? 324 Eclectic Cyborg Sep 26, 2017 * 10:07:24am down 1 up report The revolution in China was well before my time...but Chairman Mao was a crazy motherfucker wasn't he? 325 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 10:09:21am down 2 up report re: #324 Eclectic Cyborg The revolution in China was well before my time...but Chairman Mao was a crazy motherfucker wasn't he? Yes. I took a couple classes on Chinese history. Mrs. Mao though and the Gang of Four were even worse. 326 JordanRules Sep 26, 2017 * 10:09:56am down 18 up report Mark Cuban loaned the team plane to J.J. Barea to fly supplies to Puerto Rico. Barea will return tonight with his mother and grandmother. 327 Decatur Deb Sep 26, 2017 * 10:10:39am down 0 up report re: #324 Eclectic Cyborg The revolution in China was well before my time...but Chairman Mao was a crazy motherfucker wasn't he? Great swimmer, though. 328 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 10:10:43am down 1 up report [Embedded content] You know, I don't know how Cuban calls himself a follower of Ayn Rand. He's not. And that's a good thing. 329 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 10:10:59am down 1 up report re: #323 Big Beautiful Door That's good to know. Do you have any details? They are already falling apart. from the bbc "AfD has only existed for four years and its leadership has gone through regular, turbulent changes. Its best known figures are currently Alice Weidel and Alexander Gauland. Frauke Petry was its most recognisable face, although she has apparently decided to go independent because of an internal party spat." 331 Alephnaught Sep 26, 2017 * 10:17:49am down 4 up report It's official: Dyson is working on an electric car. James Dyson to invest PS2.5bn on 'radically different' electric car. (Link goes to The Guardian) 332 JordanRules Sep 26, 2017 * 10:19:12am down 9 up report We're expanding our efforts to help Puerto Rico & the USVI, where our fellow Americans need us right now. Join us at https://t.co/o5oCWOtiJS https://t.co/L2xArjc9N7 333 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 10:19:35am down 7 up report Remember when Kim Davis was a conservative hero for refusing to her job because it bothered her "conscience" to give out SSM applications. And this was a state employee but yeah wingnuts we really believe you when you say people should just leave the free speech until you're off the clock. 334 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 10:19:53am down 6 up report The X Presidents need to team up and kick Trump's ass. 335 Weaselone Sep 26, 2017 * 10:20:03am down 3 up report re: #330 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) They are already falling apart. from the bbc "AfD has only existed for four years and its leadership has gone through regular, turbulent changes. Its best known figures are currently Alice Weidel and Alexander Gauland. Frauke Petry was its most recognisable face, although she has apparently decided to go independent because of an internal party spat." OFFS. I should have guessed that if I looked at the election map the outline of old East Germany would be clearly identifiable. 336 Targetpractice Sep 26, 2017 * 10:20:10am down 1 up report re: #320 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) That is because the Socialists do not want to form another grand coalition with her, as that would make the right-wing AfD the major opposition party. The SPD would rather be the major opposition party than a minor coalition partner. But the AfD is already falling apart under the weight of its success... You might think the SPD would have learned from history, as it was their refusal to work with the KPD (Communist Party of Germany) to create a coalition gov't that allowed the Nazis to get a major foothold in the Reichstag. 337 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 10:22:52am down 2 up report OFFS. I should have guessed that if looked at the election map the outline of old East Germany would be clearly identifiable. Pegida took hold mainly in eastern cities such as Dresden, and it is in the ex-communist east that AfD has had its biggest successes, attracting more men than any other party. Odd perhaps, in that the biggest concentrations of immigrants are not in those areas. I don't think that's odd at all. Our biggest fears about immigrants and immigration come from areas where they make up a small percentage of the population. I believe Britain experienced the same with the Brexit vote. Interesting that the far right's biggest appeal though is in the heart of the former DDR though. 338 Alephnaught Sep 26, 2017 * 10:24:27am down 2 up report OFFS. I should have guessed that if looked at the election map the outline of old East Germany would be clearly identifiable. Blimey, even within Berlin. The highest vote for AfD in the city is in the old East Berlin. 339 Eclectic Cyborg Sep 26, 2017 * 10:24:50am down 1 up report *Except Puerto Rico 340 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Sep 26, 2017 * 10:25:58am down 3 up report re: #336 Targetpractice You might think the SPD would have learned from history, as it was their refusal to work with the KPD (Communist Party of Germany) to create a coalition gov't that allowed the Nazis to get a major foothold in the Reichstag. Germany is now saddled with two parties, both rooted in the East; one ex-communist and extreme leftist, and the other far right, and neither of which is acceptable as a coalition partner to any of the other parties. The AfD seems to be made up of some politicians with a right-wing agenda, some who are extreme, uncompromising right-wing ideologues, and others who are a mixture of sociopaths, sadists and cryptofascists. Right now they enjoy the luxury of being the protest party, they do not have to present any viable programs, they can just oppose anything they do not like. 341 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 10:27:31am down 3 up report re: #340 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Germany is now saddled with two parties, both rooted in the East, one leftist and the other far right and neither of which is acceptable as a coalition partner to any of the other parties. The AfD seems to be made up of some politicians with a right-wing agenda, some who are extreme, uncompromising right-wing ideologues, and others who are a mixture of sociopaths, sadists and cryptofascists. Right now they enjoy the luxury of being the protest party, they do not have to present any viable programs, they can just oppose anything they do not like. Now that sounds like the Tea Party here before Trump. 342 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 10:28:46am down 7 up report The new right seems to have a much bigger appeal to younger people than the old right did. That's why we can't hold our heads and think older generations dying will solve this. It won't. It will take good men and women of all demographics to stop this. 343 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Sep 26, 2017 * 10:29:38am down 1 up report Pegida took hold mainly in eastern cities such as Dresden, and it is in the ex-communist east that AfD has had its biggest successes, attracting more men than any other party. Odd perhaps, in that the biggest concentrations of immigrants are not in those areas. I don't think that's odd at all. Our biggest fears about immigrants and immigration come from areas where they make up a small percentage of the population. I believe Britain experienced the same with the Brexit vote. Interesting that the far right's biggest appeal though is in the heart of the former DDR though. West Germans have been living with immigrants for decades. They have had their problems, but have generally learned to get along. For that, the residents of East Germany knew only North Korean and Vietnamese guest workers and African exchange students until the the post-unification government started settling refugees among them, to which they reacted rather negatively, sometimes quite violently. One of the AfD's slogans is: "We have money to take in a million refugees, but we don't have money to help our own poor!" To which Gregor Gysi, leader of the Left Party, replied "Don't worry, even without refugees, there would be no money for the poor!" 344 Eclectic Cyborg Sep 26, 2017 * 10:30:34am down 3 up report Right. Last thing we need is some German asshole version of Trump taking power. 345 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 10:31:37am down 2 up report re: #343 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) West Germans have been living with immigrants for decades. They have their problems, but the residents of East Germany knew only North Korean and Vietnamese guest workers and African exchange students until the government started settling refugees among them, to which they reacted rather negatively, sometimes quite violently. One of the AfD's slogans is: "We have money to take in a million refugees, but we don't have money to help our own poor!" To which Gregor Gysi, leader of the Left Party replied "Don't worry, even without refugees, there would be no money for the poor!" Sort of like how our cities and suburbs have had diversity for years. When I was in Berlin last month by the way, I was in a pretty diverse neighborhood. One of my favorite places to get a late night bite was a burger place run by what I believe was a Turkish father and son, very nice guys who made a great burger for a good deal. 346 wrenchwench Sep 26, 2017 * 10:31:38am down 6 up report I was just visited by a customer from back in the day. He still rides 30 miles a day, but it wears him out. He's 84. He says he doesn't know how he's going to make that decision that he's too old to ride anymore. 347 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 10:32:02am down 1 up report re: #344 Eclectic Cyborg Right. Last thing we need is some German asshole version of Trump taking power. Yep. re: #307 Big Beautiful Door We got our daughter from Chongqing and our son from Fuzhou. They love Chinese souvenirs! Nowhere near me, but I'll keep the souvenirs in mind. How old are they? 349 Alephnaught Sep 26, 2017 * 10:33:44am down 3 up report re: #340 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) The AfD seems to be made up of some politicians with a right-wing agenda, some who are extreme, uncompromising right-wing ideologues, and others who are a mixture of sociopaths, sadists and cryptofascists. Right now they enjoy the luxury of being the protest party, they do not have to present any viable programs, they can just oppose anything they do not like. Sounds remarkably similar to UKIP. 350 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Sep 26, 2017 * 10:34:06am down 0 up report Sounds remarkably similar to UKIP. cut from the same cloth 351 ObserverArt Sep 26, 2017 * 10:34:14am down 4 up report I was just visited by a customer from back in the day. He still rides 30 miles a day, but it wears him out. He's 84. He says he doesn't know how he's going to make that decision that he's too old to ride anymore. Tell him to ride 10 to 15 miles a day and think about it. Sounds as if he wants to keep going. Maybe cutting back a bit will help him keep at it. 352 alloutofcrazyhere Sep 26, 2017 * 10:34:36am down 4 up report I wonder if it'll "suck" or not. Yep. I'll show myself out. 353 Targetpractice Sep 26, 2017 * 10:36:54am down 2 up report re: #350 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) cut from the same cloth Seems to be the running theme for these "protest parties" that have popped up in the West: They have little in common besides an opposition to the idea that they have to share with anybody else. 354 Shropshire Slasher Sep 26, 2017 * 10:38:58am down 4 up report I wonder if it'll "suck" or not. Yep. I'll show myself out. Well, given their rather good range of hand dryers (eg Their "Airblade" range, which you can find everywhere in UK public toilets.), I'd say Dyson are experts in knowing how to both suck and blow. Erm, i'll get my coat... 356 wrenchwench Sep 26, 2017 * 10:40:21am down 6 up report Tell him to ride 10 to 15 miles a day and think about it. Sounds as if he wants to keep going. Maybe cutting back a bit will help him keep at it. I did talk about the availability of that option. He rides with a heart rate monitor, and lives elsewhere, where he has no hills to contend with, but he even says out loud that he can't make the decision to slow down because he's 'getting' old. My dad could barely move his wheelchair at that age. And he didn't make it to 85. I didn't say that to this guy. 357 Weaselone Sep 26, 2017 * 10:40:53am down 2 up report Pegida took hold mainly in eastern cities such as Dresden, and it is in the ex-communist east that AfD has had its biggest successes, attracting more men than any other party. Odd perhaps, in that the biggest concentrations of immigrants are not in those areas. I don't think that's odd at all. Our biggest fears about immigrants and immigration come from areas where they make up a small percentage of the population. I believe Britain experienced the same with the Brexit vote. Interesting that the far right's biggest appeal though is in the heart of the former DDR though. Right. There's also the issue that the former DDR hasn't exactly had a smooth ride when it came to reintegration. Initially, it went from what had been a relatively prosperous existence as a Soviet satellite to losing much of it's industry and good paying jobs and being reduced to a welfare state dependent on the West. I'm assuming things have improved a bit since then, but it is still relatively less prosperous as a whole than the old FDR 358 Decatur Deb Sep 26, 2017 * 10:41:53am down 2 up report re: #356 wrenchwench I did talk about the availability of that option. He rides with a heart rate monitor, and lives elsewhere, where he has no hills to contend with, but he even says out loud that he can't make the decision to slow down because he's 'getting' old. My dad could barely move his wheelchair at that age. And he didn't make it to 85. I didn't say that to this guy. Let him ride until he falls and can't get up. 359 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 10:42:37am down 1 up report re: #357 Weaselone Right. There's also the issue that the former DDR hasn't exactly had a smooth ride when it came to reintegration. Initially, it went from what had been a relatively prosperous existence as a Soviet satellite to losing much of it's industry and good paying jobs and being reduced to a welfare state dependent on the West. I'm assuming things have improved a bit since then, but it is still relatively less prosperous as a whole than the old FDR Right, I have heard that. Isn't there a phrase in German for DDR nostalgia? 360 wrenchwench Sep 26, 2017 * 10:43:47am down 3 up report re: #358 Decatur Deb Let him ride until he falls and can't get up. I told him the one about how I've been telling people for 30 years that you never forget how to ride a bike, but have recently learned that I was wrong. 361 DodgerFan1988 Sep 26, 2017 * 10:47:13am down 7 up report 'End of modern life' in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria Check out the racist, vile, hateful comments in the comment section of this Youtube video about the death and misery happening right now in Puerto Rico. These Right Wing Trolls are the lowest lifeforms on Earth. 362 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 10:47:47am down 2 up report It's official: Dyson is working on an electric car. James Dyson to invest PS2.5bn on 'radically different' electric car. (Link goes to The Guardian) Sometimes these guys don't realize just how difficult it is to build a good automobile. it'l be interesting to see what he comes up with. 363 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 10:49:03am down 0 up report [Embedded content] Check out the racist, vile, hateful comments in the comment section of this Youtube video about the death and misery happening right now in Puerto Rico. These Right Wing Trolls are the lowest lifeforms on Earth. People are such assholes. Sigh. 364 goddamnedfrank Sep 26, 2017 * 10:49:49am down 8 up report LOL, Yashar tried it and got burned. I wanted to like the guy but honestly he's just another lazy hack. Take responsibility for your reporting of HRCs emails. 365 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 10:50:29am down 1 up report re: #336 Targetpractice You might think the SPD would have learned from history, as it was their refusal to work with the KPD (Communist Party of Germany) to create a coalition gov't that allowed the Nazis to get a major foothold in the Reichstag. But they took a beating in the last election because their identity as social democrats has been disappearing in coalition with Merkel. Plus if they are in the government that makes the Nazis the opposition party. 366 Skip Intro Sep 26, 2017 * 10:50:49am down 10 up report [Embedded content] Check out the racist, vile, hateful comments in the comment section of this Youtube video about the death and misery happening right now in Puerto Rico. These Right Wing Trolls are the lowest lifeforms on Earth. Check out the racist, vile, hateful comments of ANY RANDOM VIDEO on Youtube, for example like on some first grade school recital or some outdoor nature video. 368 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 10:52:32am down 1 up report re: #367 The Vicious Babushka Check out the racist, vile, hateful comments of ANY RANDOM VIDEO on Youtube, for example like on some first grade school recital or some outdoor nature video. That's very true too. There's a lot of ugly racist assholes out there. 369 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Sep 26, 2017 * 10:53:01am down 1 up report re: #367 The Vicious Babushka Check out the racist, vile, hateful comments of ANY RANDOM VIDEO on Youtube, for example like on some first grade school recital or some outdoor nature video. I never ever read Youtube comments 370 Decatur Deb Sep 26, 2017 * 10:53:18am down 3 up report re: #362 Big Beautiful Door Sometimes these guys don't realize just how difficult it is to build a good automobile. it'l be interesting to see what he comes up with. Hint: Don't start from scratch. 371 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 10:53:37am down 1 up report re: #343 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) West Germans have been living with immigrants for decades. They have had their problems, but have generally learned to get along. For that, the residents of East Germany knew only North Korean and Vietnamese guest workers and African exchange students until the the post-unification government started settling refugees among them, to which they reacted rather negatively, sometimes quite violently. One of the AfD's slogans is: "We have money to take in a million refugees, but we don't have money to help our own poor!" To which Gregor Gysi, leader of the Left Party, replied "Don't worry, even without refugees, there would be no money for the poor!" The thing is Germany is a rich country with plenty of money to help the poor. They just have a thing about being extremely fiscally conservative. The German government racking up surpluses is bad for Germany, Europe and the global economy. 372 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 10:54:35am down 2 up report re: #346 wrenchwench I was just visited by a customer from back in the day. He still rides 30 miles a day, but it wears him out. He's 84. He says he doesn't know how he's going to make that decision that he's too old to ride anymore. 30 miles a day at 84. That's awesome! 373 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 10:55:19am down 3 up report re: #348 wheat-dogg Nowhere near me, but I'll keep the souvenirs in mind. How old are they? My girl is almost 14, and my boy is 11. re: #372 Big Beautiful Door 30 miles a day at 84. That's awesome! He's the one I point to when those wimps in their 70s start whining about being too old. 376 Backwoods_Sleuth Sep 26, 2017 * 11:02:12am down 5 up report You might think I'm snarking. 378 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 11:02:38am down 2 up report re: #374 Shiplord Kirel, live from behind wingnut lines Starting any minute, if you dare: Update, starting now. Apparently another White House gaffe: Rajoy is a Prime Minister, not a President. 379 Belafon Sep 26, 2017 * 11:03:23am down 2 up report re: #358 Decatur Deb Let him ride until he falls and can't get up. My step-grandfather did that, and didn't survive. 380 Shropshire Slasher Sep 26, 2017 * 11:03:23am down 1 up report You know that briefly crossed my mind too. 382 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 11:04:37am down 0 up report heya...did you see this over the weekend? [Embedded content] 383 Decatur Deb Sep 26, 2017 * 11:04:53am down 5 up report My step-grandfather did that, and didn't survive. FIL rode his Harley until he dropped it at 83. He couldn't pick it up, so he sold it. Then he shot himself. 384 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 11:04:59am down 1 up report re: #378 Big Beautiful Door Apparently another White House gaffe: Rajoy is a Prime Minister, not a President. Yeah just noticed that. Whoops! 385 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 11:05:39am down 0 up report Yeah just noticed that. Whoops! Par for the course for this Administration. 386 JordanRules Sep 26, 2017 * 11:06:53am down 3 up report Think Progress really did a nice job on this. Check out the thread and the database at TP. 1. There is a massive misunderstanding about the protest movement that Kaepernick launched. https://t.co/VbLhT2808J 387 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 11:07:22am down 2 up report re: #385 Big Beautiful Door Par for the course for this Administration. Yeah but Obama was an idiot because of 57 states according to Wingnuttia. 388 Belafon Sep 26, 2017 * 11:08:53am down 4 up report I saw on CNN that Roger Stone demanded that one of the Senators, a woman, apologize to him for something. I didn't catch what, but I don't think that's important. 389 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 11:09:12am down 0 up report I saw on CNN that Roger Stone demanded that one of the Senators, a woman, apologize to him for something. I didn't catch what, but I don't think that's important. What a baby. 390 Backwoods_Sleuth Sep 26, 2017 * 11:11:02am down 6 up report Hundreds of records have fallen during this September #Heatwave . Read more in the Midwest Climate Watch: https://t.co/808v95rIbP pic.twitter.com/yJGHnx7f05 391 Dr Lizardo Sep 26, 2017 * 11:11:12am down 2 up report Pegida took hold mainly in eastern cities such as Dresden, and it is in the ex-communist east that AfD has had its biggest successes, attracting more men than any other party. Odd perhaps, in that the biggest concentrations of immigrants are not in those areas. I don't think that's odd at all. Our biggest fears about immigrants and immigration come from areas where they make up a small percentage of the population. I believe Britain experienced the same with the Brexit vote. Interesting that the far right's biggest appeal though is in the heart of the former DDR though. "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown" -- H.P. Lovecraft, Supernatural Horror in Literature 392 b.d. (bill d.) Sep 26, 2017 * 11:11:15am down 0 up report re: #388 Belafon I saw on CNN that Roger Stone demanded that one of the Senators, a woman, apologize to him for something. I didn't catch what, but I don't think that's important. Blank your Feelings Roger 393 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 11:11:39am down 2 up report But it snowed one February in Paul Ryan's district! 394 HappyWarrior Sep 26, 2017 * 11:12:19am down 3 up report re: #391 Dr Lizardo "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown" -- H.P. Lovecraft, Supernatural Horror in Literature Yep. Those of us who experience diversity more are more welcome to it. 395 The Vicious Babushka Sep 26, 2017 * 11:12:21am down 12 up report BREAKING: GOP sources: Senate Republicans will not vote this week on latest health care bill. 396 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Sep 26, 2017 * 11:13:17am down 5 up report re: #395 The Vicious Babushka GOP sources: Senate Republicans will not vote this week on latest health care bill. you mean they are gonna wait on the CBO scoring? ha ha ha 397 Decatur Deb Sep 26, 2017 * 11:14:29am down 3 up report re: #396 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) you mean they are gonna wait on the CBO scoring? ha ha ha Who knows? There is no cheap stunt beneath them. 398 makeitstop Sep 26, 2017 * 11:15:02am down 4 up report re: #395 The Vicious Babushka GOP sources: Senate Republicans will not vote this week on latest health care bill. More arm-twisting and veiled threats are required. 399 JordanRules Sep 26, 2017 * 11:15:37am down 2 up report Sen Roberts leaves GOP luncheon saying joint decision was "if the votes are not there not to have the vote (on Graham-Cassidy)" pic.twitter.com/GA2XS0G2d4 400 Dr Lizardo Sep 26, 2017 * 11:15:37am down 1 up report re: #395 The Vicious Babushka Well, IIRC, they only have until 9/30/17 to pass it, so it seems to me it's effectively dead. 401 Big Beautiful Door Sep 26, 2017 * 11:17:33am down 2 up report re: #396 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) you mean they are gonna wait on the CBO scoring? ha ha ha That means its over, for now, because reconciliation rules expire at the end of the month. The GOP may try to combine "repeal and replace" with tax reform in the upcoming reconciliation window. Good luck with that. 402 danarchy Sep 26, 2017 * 11:18:43am down 1 up report re: #400 Dr Lizardo Well, IIRC, they only have until 9/30/17 to pass it, so it seems to me it's effectively dead. They could bring it up again with reconciliation in the 2018 budget. 403 Dr Lizardo Sep 26, 2017 * 11:19:31am down 0 up report They could bring it up again with reconciliation in the 2018 budget. Ah, OK. I'm not up with the arcana of Congress. 404 goddamnedfrank Sep 26, 2017 * 11:19:35am down 0 up report re: #395 The Vicious Babushka [Embedded content] LOL at "this week." The reconciliation authority expires on Sunday, if they don't pass it this week they aren't passing it ever, because the next session's budget and taxes reconciliation topics will get used up trying to pass their tax cuts. 405 William Lewis Sep 26, 2017 * 11:20:42am down 1 up report re: #370 Decatur Deb Hint: Don't start from scratch. [Embedded content] Oh, sweet God, now I have to buy a lotto ticket so to buy an E type electric. I suppose it could be worse - they could have resurrected the XKSS on top of it all.... 406 William Lewis Sep 26, 2017 * 11:23:06am down 0 up report Will ICE let them in? You might think I'm snarking. Domestic flight. They should not go anywhere near Customs Immigration & Secret State Police. 407 DodgerFan1988 Sep 26, 2017 * 11:27:57am down 0 up report That's very true too. There's a lot of ugly racist assholes out there. But, but Dinesh D'Souza said racism doesn't exist. He wrote a book about it. 408 wheat-dogg Sep 26, 2017 * 11:32:44am down 0 up report re: #373 Big Beautiful Door My girl is almost 14, and my boy is 11. 409 Jebediah, RBG Sep 26, 2017 * 12:43:29pm down 0 up report What's wrong with my emotional support spider: [Embedded content] Not a thing... as long as he stays VERY close to YOU. 410 Aucun pays pour les vieux ennemis Sep 27, 2017 * 7:37:08am down 1 up report re: #47 Charles Johnson It doesn't take any funding to determine the shape of the Earth. This is a grift. Report the campaign to GoFundMe.

Now he has the power to decide if the families of those Puerto Rican veterans can get food and water.

The prominent Leave campaigner was brought in to replace his former political mentor David Davis, promoted from his previous role as housing minister. But hopes that a fresh face will help rest control of Brexit talks and policy from Mrs May's senior Whitehall mandarin Olly Robbins were dashed quickly. Asked whether Mr Raab would be in charge of negotiations, Mrs May's official spokesman told a regular Westminster media briefing: "The Prime Minister has always been, from the outset, the lead negotiator in the Brexit talks. "But in terms of Dexeu, there is a huge body of work to be done, in terms of preparations for the United Kingdom leaving the European Union and that obviously includes no-deal preparations as well." The comment seemed to be confirmation that Mr Raab is there to take a secondary supportive role with the Brexit department not pushing policy. Asked whether Mr Raab was signed up in full to the plan agreed at Chequers, Mrs May's official spokesman told reporters: "The Government's position was agreed on Friday. The Prime Minister looks forward to working with Dominic Raab to deliver Brexit. "He has been an excellent minister in the departments he has served in. She looks forward to working with him on delivering on the wishes of the British people." Mr Raab has in the past provoked Mrs May's wrath and he was left on the backbenches when she became Prime Minister in 2016. But asked why Mrs May did not reappoint Mr Raab to a government post when she first took office, waiting until after the 2017 election to give him a ministerial job, the Prime Minister's spokesman said: "The Prime Minister appointed Dominic Raab to a hugely important ministry in terms of housing. "It was a personal priority of the Prime Minister and shows the high regard in which she holds him." The appointment of the former lawyer almost immediately divided opinion with business leaders welcoming the choice of a man known for his grasp of policy details. CBI director general Carolyn Fairbairn welcomed Mr Raab's appointment. "There's a tough job ahead and business is ready and willing to support him and his team at Dexeu to deliver a good Brexit at such a critical time for the country," Ms Fairbairn said. "Proposals unveiled last week gave a genuine confidence boost to businesses struggling with uncertainty, yet the devil will be in the detail. The White Paper therefore needs to deliver confidence for the UK's world-leading services sector, as well as goods. "Meanwhile, Europe's leaders must approach the UK's proposals with an open mind and flexibility, putting jobs and economic growth at the heart of a future deal that delivers for both sides." He also supported attempts to scrap the controversial Human Rights Act and replace it with a British Bill of Rights. The general secretary of the GMB union, Tim Roache, said that Mr Raab's appointment "signals a promotion of a hard-right figurehead who has shown contempt for working people in Britain". Mr Roache said: "Theresa May has appointed someone who thinks British workers are lazy and have too many rights and he has already published plans to slash vital rights from the minimum wage to rights for agency workers.

The prominent Leave campaigner was brought in to replace his former political mentor David Davis, promoted from his previous role as housing minister.

The diagnosis of the deer in Mississippi made it the 25th state with the disease. Alabama quickly added its neighboring state to the list where restrictions are in place on the importation of whole carcasses or carcass parts from cervids. Those restrictions state that any member of the cervid family harvested in those CWD-positive areas must be properly processed before it can be legally brought into Alabama. Parts that may be legally imported include completely deboned meat, cleaned skull plates with attached antlers with no visible brain or spinal cord tissue present, upper canine teeth with no root structure or other soft tissue present and finished taxidermy products or tanned hides. Chuck Sykes, Director of the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division, asked the Conservation Advisory Board at the Montgomery meeting to extend those cervid importation restrictions to all 50 states, territories or possessions of the United States and foreign countries. The Board passed a motion to extend the restrictions. "Mississippi became positive during their deer season, and we had to immediately close the border to import of whole Mississippi deer because they were a CWD positive state," Sykes said. "We don't know where the next one is going to pop up. Yes, it is an inconvenience, but it pales in comparison to the inconvenience we will all have if CWD gets here." Sykes said WFF has tested about 500 deer annually for CWD since 2002 and has now partnered with the Department of Agriculture and Industries to have testing capabilities in Alabama. WFF purchased the testing equipment, and Agriculture and Industries will train technicians to conduct the tests. "We're trying to do everything we can to inform people of the danger," Sykes said. "We don't want you to panic, but we want you to understand this is a serious issue. "We know the highest risk of the disease coming here is by someone moving live deer or someone moving a hunter-killed deer into the state without properly taking care of it." Alabama recently prosecuted a pair of Alabama residents for importing live deer, which has been prohibited since 1973, from Indiana. The pair was charged with numerous counts, including federal Lacey Act charges. The judge fined the breeders $750,000, voided their deer breeders license and confiscated all the breeders' deer. "We're dealing with a handful of individuals that could mess it up for everybody, so we want y'all to be vigilant in watching," Sykes said. "Let us know if you see something that is not right. Please help us with the resource we're trying to manage." Alabama has more than 200 licensed deer breeders. Those breeders are required to test every animal 12 months old or older that dies in the facilities. Sykes said more than 300 captive deer are tested annually. WFF recently changed the regulations to require the deer breeders to maintain an online database of animals. Sykes said a great deal of misinformation about CWD has been disseminated, mainly through social media. "Probably the biggest one is the lack of differentiation between EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease) and CWD," he said. "EHD, we've always had. It hit north Alabama pretty hard this year. We have outbreaks every year. Most of them are not severe. Epizootic hemorrhagic disease and related bluetongue viruses are transmitted by midges. They bite one deer and then transmit it to the next deer. It's endemic to Alabama and most of the Southeast. It hits the northern states harder than us. You typically see these outbreaks in late summer and early fall. It is not always fatal. That's a big difference. This is something that's not going to wipe out our deer herd. "Now chronic wasting disease, on the other hand, is caused by a prion, a misfolded protein, not a virus. It's similar to CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) in humans, scrapie in sheep and BSE, or mad cow disease, in cattle. It is infectious, communicable and always fatal." Sykes said CWD is not endemic to the South, but once it shows up, it doesn't go away. He said no successful methods have been developed to sanitize the soil, the environment or facilities. "This is serious," he said. "This is not made up. This is a real issue. It was first found in captive mule deer in Colorado. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) changed their recommendation last year. They recommend that hunters strongly consider having those animals tested if it was killed in one of the CWD zones before they eat it. Mississippi's Department of Health just put out an advisory to hunters for this. Now there are processors with meat stacked to the roof because people won't come get their deer meat. "As of today, CWD has not been shown to jump to humans, but the science is really new and it is being studied." Sykes gave an example of the proper way to deal with deer that are harvested in a CWD-positive state. One Alabama hunter took a deer in Colorado, and the processed meat was shipped back to Alabama. Shortly thereafter, the hunter got a message that the deer had tested positive for CWD. Instead of discarding the meat himself, the hunter did the right thing and immediately contacted WFF officials, who arranged for the pick-up and proper disposal of the meat. The Advisory Board formed a CWD subcommittee during the meeting. Brock Jones of District 7, Raymond Jones Jr. of District 5 and Patrick Cagle of District 2 agreed to serve on the subcommittee, which will report to the Board at its next meeting, May 19 in Tuscaloosa. Sykes also asked the Board for guidance on Game Check, WFF's program to report deer and turkey harvests. During the first year of mandatory reporting, Game Check reported the deer harvest at 82,484 animals. This year's totals were 75,874 deer harvested, which Sykes said is both disappointing and confusing. "We've done everything I know to do to try to educate people on the importance of Game Check," Sykes said. "If we don't have good information, how can we make good decisions? During the first year, we said we wouldn't give any tickets. It was a learning situation. This year, we issued about 200 citations and about 300 warnings, trying to encourage compliance. It didn't work. Do I tell our enforcement guys to sit at main intersections going to processors to start checking trucks? Do we camp out at taxidermy shops or sit at hunting camp gates waiting for people to come in and out? I don't know what else to do. I'm looking to the Board for suggestions. "We estimated 30-40 percent are complying. What if we're wrong and 70 percent are complying. That's pretty scary. It goes back to what (Marine Resources Director) Scott (Bannon) said. Withholding information from us is not going to do any good. In fact, it does just the opposite. If 70 percent of the people are reporting, and we're only getting 75,000 deer maybe our numbers aren't as robust as we thought. The average time a hunter hunts and what is reported is how we are basing our population estimates right now. If that's the case, our deer numbers are much lower than we have been anticipating." Despite the Game Check numbers, WFF has recommended that season lengths and bag limits remain basically the same except for calendar dates and changes to Zone C in north Alabama, which has been reduced in size for the 2018-19 season. With two years of data, Sykes said WFF biologists recommended the return of a portion of the zone to the season parameters for the rest of the state. "Good information gives us the ability to adapt our management plan and do what's best for the resource first and then the hunters as well," Sykes said. Marine Resources Director Bannon briefed the Board on the proposed recreational red snapper season with an exempted fishing permit that would allow Alabama to have a 47-day snapper season, starting June 1 and running on weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) through Labor Day and including the entire week of the Fourth of July. The daily bag limit will remain at two per person with a 16-inch minimum size. The proposed season is awaiting final approval from NOAA Fisheries. Bannon said the mandatory Red Snapper Reporting Program, known as Snapper Check, will allow Marine Resources to closely monitor the harvest in Alabama's artificial reef zone, the nation's premier reef fish habitat. Marine Resources will hold a Snapper Conference on March 22 at the Holiday Inn in downtown Mobile to discuss the potential season. Visit www.outdooralabama.com for more information and/or registration. (Image: A deer suffering from chronic wasting disease -- David Rainer/Outdoor Alabama) David Rainer writes for Outdoor Alabama, the website of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The diagnosis of the deer in Mississippi made it the 25th state with the disease.

Lear's lefty activism, his life's work, his patriotism, and the foolishness of the human condition are all woven together, like an American flag. April 25, 2017 (c) 2018 Conde Nast. All rights reserved. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 5/25/18) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 5/25/18). Your California Privacy Rights . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Conde Nast. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products and services that are purchased through links on our site as part of our affiliate partnerships with retailers. Ad Choices (c) 2018 Conde Nast. All rights reserved. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 5/25/18) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 5/25/18). Your California Privacy Rights . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Conde Nast. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products and services that are purchased through links on our site as part of our affiliate partnerships with retailers. Ad Choices

Lear's lefty activism, his life's work, his patriotism, and the foolishness of the human condition are all woven together, like an American flag

According to a report by Americans for Tax Reform, the Republican-backed tax cuts have led to an expansion in the craft beer industry. Breweries across the nation have expanded their businesses, hired more employees, increased wages, and invested in new machinery as a result of the tax cuts. Watch the video below: While the Jobs and Tax Cuts Act provided tax relief for all types of businesses, one additional tax cut for breweries, wineries, and distilleries has made a huge impact. The Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act allowed companies to fully write off any new machinery within the same business year. One brewery in Grand Rapids, Michigan, stated that it's seen massive changes in revenue. "We're talking thousands of dollars every quarter that we're saving, and obviously for someone on this sized scale to write a check that's reduced by 80 percent is pivotal," Gray Skies Distillery owner Steve Vander Pol told WZZM . "It's been huge for us." Watch: The spirits industry is not the only industry enjoying the boost. Dozens of companies have given bonuses, hired new employees, and even brought jobs back from Mexico to the United States. The tax reform also played a role in many record-breaking economic events, including most people employed , record-low unemployment among individuals who are black, and unemployment hovering around 4 percent. Not everyone sees the Republicans' tax reform as a benefit, though. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) famously referred to the tax breaks as "crumbs" back in January. In 2011, she tweeted that $40 in tax cuts under former President Barack Obama was a "victory": Today's agreement is a victory for the American people-they spoke out clearly & #40dollars each paycheck will make a difference. -- Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) December 23, 2011 Though Pelosi only sees "crumbs," Americans for Tax Reform has painted a much larger picture. It lists over 600 businesses that have raised wages and given bonuses and other investments to their employees.

According to a report by Americans for Tax Reform, the Republican-backed tax cuts have led to an expansion in the craft beer industry.

Police have accused Richard Jordon McEachern, 22, of forcing a runner to the ground Friday and sexually assaulting her on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail near East Avenue and Cummings Street on Friday around 5:46 a.m. . . . the woman told police she was headed east on the trail early Friday when she heard loud steps approaching behind her. The document said the woman reported that the attacker put his hand over her mouth and kept saying "shh, it's me baby, it's me" as she struggled to scream and use a whistle she carried to call for help. . . . Another jogger who was carrying a flashlight and a handgun heard the victim scream and ran over to help. The affidavit said the jogger told police he shined his light in the direction of the screams and saw the victim on her back and the attacker on his left side on top of the victim. The jogger pointed his gun at the suspect and demanded he get off the victim. The attacker stood up and was naked from the waist down, the affidavit said. Atlanta police tell news outlets the shooting happened Tuesday night, when a driver delivering Chinese food was stopped by two women in northeast Atlanta and two men then approached from behind.

Police have accused Richard Jordon McEachern, 22, of forcing a runner to the ground Friday and sexually assaulting her on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail near East Avenue and Cummings Street on Friday around 5:46 a.m

By spending more time outside in warm spring weather, people put themselves at risk of outdoor hazards like potentially dangerous tick bites. However, following certain tips can lower that risk. "Ticks are a problem along with a lot of other outdoor hazards, but you don't need to fear going outdoors," said Richard Dolesh, vice president of strategic initiatives at the National Recreation and Park Association. The first tactic to protect yourself is to give the tick less skin to find, according to Dolesh. Wearing clothing such as long sleeve shirts, long pants tucked into socks and close-toed shoes is best to prevent ticks from gaining access to your skin. Light-colored clothing should be worn so that it is easier to spot ticks. It is not always an option to cover all appendages, so it is important to take further precautions when spending extended time outside. The step beyond a physical barrier is a chemical one. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends using insect repellent that contains 20 to 30 percent DEET on exposed skin and clothing. Products containing 0.5 percent permethrin should be used on clothing and outside equipment, but never on skin. Understanding where ticks are common and avoiding those areas can also help to reduce your risk of a tick bite. Ticks cannot fly, but they usually crawl up vegetation and wait for someone or something to walk by so that they can latch on. You can lower your risk of getting a tick by walking in the middle of trails, avoiding tall grass and staying out of leaf litter. There are a few ways to decrease tick bite risks in your yard, according to the CDC. The CDC recommends keeping the yard clear of leaf piles and maintaining a short grass length. Arranging furniture and outdoor playsets away from the yard's edge will keep people away from areas where ticks are usually found. Constructing a fence around your yard keeps tick-carrying animals such as raccoons and deer out of the area. You should not give ticks places to hide such as old outdoor pillows or any trash. Dolesh, who worked 30 years in parks and natural resources management, urged parents to educate their children on ticks without scaring them. "There's so many kids that become afraid of playing outdoors because they've been warned about poison ivy; they've been made fearful about snakes and spiders and ticks and all kinds of creepy crawly things," Dolesh said. It is important to teach kids how to avoid ticks as well as how to check for them on the body. Parents should teach kids about the dangers of ticks and discuss the steps to take to avoid them, according to Dolesh. The healthy, vigilant kid is one who knows how to play outdoors in a safe manner, Dolesh said. After spending time outside, always help children check for ticks and inspect pets for any unwanted visitors before returning inside. "You just need to be alert when you're out walking in your garden," Dolesh said. "And don't be afraid to go in your parks, they're great places to get healthy and to enjoy life." For more safety and preparedness tips, visit AccuWeather.com/Ready .

By spending more time outside in warm spring weather, people put themselves at risk of outdoor hazards like potentially dangerous tick bites.

On the second anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, a group of student gun control activists held a national die-in day to honor those who were lost. On the Capitol lawn, the students held a rally at 10:30 a.m. ET and hosted several speakers who shared how they have been negatively impacted by firearms. Here are some of the most interesting signs: The students dropped to the ground at noon ET and participated in a die-in that lasted for 12 minutes, or 720 seconds, representing the number of people who have died in mass shootings since the Pulse nightclub massacre.

On the second anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, a group of student gun control activists held a national die-in day to honor those who were lost.

Why did Democrats lose the 2016 election? The candidates, campaigns, and conditions that led to America's worst person becoming president. The Wilderness is a documentary from Crooked Media and Two-Up about the history and future of the Democratic Party. Pod Save America's Jon Favreau tells the story of a party finding its way out of the political wilderness through conversations with strategists, historians, policy experts, organizers, and voters. In fifteen chapters, the series explores issues like inequality, race, immigration, sexism, foreign policy, media strategy, and how Democrats can build a winning majority that lasts.

The Wilderness is a documentary from Crooked Media and Two-Up about the history and future of the Democratic Party.

We knew this. We tried to warn folks. But alas, no one believed. Join me in not being shocked to discover that corporate lobbyists are all standing in line waiting to be part of the Trump administration. ThinkProgress : It appears Trump is already backtracking on that pledge. Politico reports that "lobbyists are all over" Trump's transition team. Those lobbyists include Cindy Hayden of tobacco company Altria; Michael Torrey, owner of a lobbying firm representing the American Beverage Association; Steve Hart, chairman of the Williams & Jensen firm; and Michael McKenna, who lobbies on behalf of Dow Chemical. Trump's reliance on insiders goes beyond lobbyists. His financial advisory team is full of veteran Wall Streeters such as former Goldman Sachs banker Steven Mnuchin, the Wall Street Journal reports . Both Mnuchin and former JPMorgan chief Jamie Dimon are reportedly in the mix to be Trump's Treasury Secretary. Our regular readers know we are not surprised. But will those "economically challenged white men and women" in the rural areas who elected Trump be disappointed? I doubt it, which is why we keep reminding everyone not to call this "Trumpism." It's not Trumpism, it's Republicanism. As I write, Washington DC is being swarmed and slimed with those very same swamp creatures Trump promised to shun.

Join me in not being shocked to discover that corporate lobbyists are all standing in line waiting to be part of the Trump administration.

Dear GOP voters who say they want to defeat the Democrats, Let's make our first mission clear: defeating the neo-progressive, leftist Democrats. If we can unite around that one goal, we're golden. The Democrats (leftists) stand for abortion on demand , limiting speech , limiting gun rights (but not so secretly wanting to ban them outright) and that humans are some how responsible for the warming of the planet (but not responsible for life we create) therefore we must be taxed more monies to fix it. The Democrats are the enemy. They must be defeated. Okay? Okay. In order for us to defeat the Democrats, and leftism as a whole, we must bolster conservatism and conservatives. Leftists are already attacking conservatives. We gain nothing by turning on our own kind. So people calling Cruz "Lying Ted" or Rubio "Little Marco" or even falsely claiming that Kasich took money from George Soros (he didn't, someone who works for one of his firms gave some money to Kasich ) we're not pointing to policy differences. We're assasinating character. Even if you don't want those guys as president, you know what you really REALLY don't want? For all of these people to lose their seats to Democrats. Just think of how invigorated the conservative movement was after their monumental mid-term victories in 2010. Before you say it, I know, I know, many of those people turned out to be disappointments and betrayals. And the representatives who went back on their promises SHOULD be ousted... by their constituency . Not by a reality show election. Listen, I don't like Kasich. He's not a conservative, he looks like a baby bird caught in the BP oil spill and he shouldn't be president. But he is a Republican governor in an increasingly blue Democrat state that can often determine outcomes of a national election. He was preceded by a Democrat. If Republican voters absolutely obliterate him in a general through dirty character assassinations, Ohio could easily swing back heavily blue. President Hillary Clinton with a strong ally in Ohio would be a catastrophe of epic proportions. I despise that Marco Rubio was part of the "Gang of Eight." But Florida is a swing state. If he loses his senate seat, it could go either way. You think Marco's bad? Remember who he replaced? Charlie Crist? In today's undefined umbrella term of "establishment" it's easy to forget what the term actually means. Look it up. "Establishment." You'll find Charlie Crist's picture next to it. If Ted Cruz loses the primary, he has to go back to the senate. Even if you're a Trump supporter and hate Ted Cruz, would you really rather a Democrat or even a true RINO take his seat? Because if he's ousted due to shifting public view regarding his uncharacter, undoubtedly whoever replaces him will be less conservative. It's mathematically impossible for someone to be more conservative, because Ted Cruz has been the single most consistent, conservative in all of modern American politics. There are plenty more examples, but you get my point. Democrats rally around each other. They circle the wagons. In the GOP, we throw our guys under the bus at the next stop. Democrats understand something that angry Republicans don't. They understand the long-ball, and that destroying all allies is not a viable strategy in trying to oppose and defeat US, the Republicans. When I recorded my undercover video at a Bernie rally , I was struck by Bernie's rhetoric. His greatest swipe at Hillary was "Another issue where Hillary and I have a stark disagreement is campaign finance reform!" "Stark disagreement." Bernie Sanders is talking about a woman who was complicit in the cover-up of sexual harassment suits, rape accusations , the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi , hiding classified emails on a private server in her broom closet and yes, EVEN KILLED A GUY (allegedly). Yet Bernie's sternest rebuke was a mere "stark disagreement." Contrast that with conservatives creating Facebook groups and hashtags and poster boards for "LYIN' TED!" who's greatest sin was having a wife who works for Goldman Sachs. I'm not saying Republicans shouldn't vet their candidates. Of course they should! That's what a primary is for. I also like the fact that, unlike the Democrats who agree on virtually every issue 100% of the time, the Republican party comprises of an intellectually diverse group . That's a good thing. Republicans disagreeing on policy is fine. It's productive, but it doesn't harm their candidacy in a general election. Let me give you an example... If Ted Cruz and Donald Trump simply attacked Marco Rubio by pointing out his work with "The Gang of Eight," it would serve their purpose of providing contrast to their positions. The attacks would and have no doubt hurt Marco Rubio in the primary. But guess what it doesn't do. It doesn't provide Hillary Clinton with ammo in a general election. Mrs. Pro-Amnesty herself is not going to attack Marco Rubio on a national stage for being "too moderate" on immigration. Her audience would see it as a positive. On the flip-side, if everybody just labels Marco Rubio as a closeted homosexual who's been hired by the illuminati to do the "establishment's" bidding, ergo he can't be trusted... Well Hillary will have those kinds of attacks on a TV loop like a morphine drip. Look, I understand that a huge portion of the Republican voter base is angry. Many of you with good reason. But if you really care about keeping America great, if you really want to ensure that the damage to liberty done by Barack Obama and her potential successor, Hillary Clinton (I just threw up a little) is mitigated, we need to be smarter about it. Throwing frustration like a dirty bomb at every single person who isn't your one, single savior is not only unproductive, but it guarantees us all that the United States may never be the country we want it to be again. Send your hate-mail , I know you will anyway. But hopefully a few of you will think about this a little. If you'll excuse me, I have to go accept my million dollar checks from BigOil, BigPharma, The Koch Brothers and "The Establishment." I'm late for our meeting. Send hate-tweets to @SCROWDER . Good Times.

Let's make our first mission clear: defeating the neo-progressive, leftist Democrats.

Assyrians Protest Removal of Mayor By Kurdish Government Posted 2017-07-21 18:43 GMT Fayez Abed Jawahreh, the Assyrian mayor of Alqosh, north Iraq, was illegally removed from his post by the Kurdish Regional Government. ( AINA) Alqosh, North Iraq (AINA) -- A large demonstration was held yesterday in the Assyrian town of Alqosh, situated in Iraq's Nineveh Plains, to protest the ouster of the Assyrian mayor, Fayez Abed Jawahreh, who was voted into office in 2014. Mayor Jawahreh has faced several Kurdish-led attempts to unseat him. The decision to depose him was taken on July 16 by Bashar Al Kekee, the head of the Nineveh Province Council and a member of the Kurdish KDP party, led by president Massoud Barzani. Alqosh will now be administered by a Kurd, Adel Amin Omar, who is a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Al Kekee accused Jawahreh of corruption and misusing the public office but did not present any evidence to support his claim. Furthermore, he took the decision without consulting the rest of the provincial council, according to sources on the ground. The decision has been appealed to a federal Iraqi judge on the basis of violation of council procedures. Many see the move as part of a Kurdish plan to include areas outside of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in the independence referendum announced by Kurdish president Massoud Barzani, scheduled for September 25. The district of Alqosh borders the Kurdish region but is under the jurisdiction of the central government of Iraq. Most of its inhabitants are Assyrians, with a smaller percentage of Yazidis. The district forms the northern part of the wider Nineveh Plains region, which Kurdish leaders openly seek to annex to the Kurdish region. Assyrians in Alqosh demonstrate against the removal of the Assyrian mayor by the Kurdish Regional Government. ( AINA) After the news of the removal of the Assyrian mayor spread on social media Assyrians held simultaneous protests in Alqosh and outside the KRG office in Stockholm. Assyrians outside the Kurdish Regional Government office in Stockholm protest the removal of the Assyrian mayor of Alqosh, North Iraq. ( AINA) Assyrians in Alqosh demonstrate against the removal of the Assyrian mayor by the Kurdish Regional Government. ( AINA) Assyrians in Alqosh demonstrate against the removal of the Assyrian mayor by the Kurdish Regional Government. ( AINA)

Fayez Abed Jawahreh, the Assyrian mayor of Alqosh, north Iraq, was illegally removed from his post by the Kurdish Regional Government.

All too often, LGBT people experience religion as a cudgel used against them. But many faith traditions are becoming more accepting and inclusive. As Christians celebrate Easter and Jews observe Passover, we take a moment to recognize some of the LGBT activists and straight allies who are making a difference, and several of whom have new books out. These folks are a diverse bunch -- they include a former president, a onetime Pat Robertson associate, the first out transgender professor at an Orthodox Jewish university, a Bible code-cracker, and more. Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter proudly embraces his "born-again Christian" identity but has never been a member of the religious right. He has become more popular in his post-presidential role as statesman, humanitarian, and author than he was during his tenure in the White House. He's won favor with us through his outspokenness in support of gay equality. In March, while promoting his book of biblical studies, NIV Lessons From Life Bible: Personal Reflections With Jimmy Carter, he told The Huffington Post, "Homosexuality was well known in the ancient world, well before Christ was born, and Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all of his teachings about multiple things, he never said that gay people should be condemned. I personally think it is very fine for gay people to be married in civil ceremonies." As for religious ceremonies, it should be up to the individual church, Carter said -- a position in keeping with the First Amendment. James Alexander Langteaux James Alexander Langteaux spent several years working with noted homophobe Pat Robertson as a producer and host on the Christian Broadcasting Network, then realized that "playing strip poker with the big wigs in Christianity today while hiding the gay card up my sleeve is a game I no longer wish to play," he writes in the memoir Gay Conversations With God: Straight Talk on Fanatics, Fags and the God Who Loves Us All. He chronicles his journey from the Christian right to a place of spiritual and sexual self-acceptance in lively, often raunchy prose. It's a 21st-century journey on the path taken two decades ago by Mel White, who came out as a gay Christian and founded the LGBT activist group Soulforce after having been a ghostwriter for such antigay figures as Robertson and Jerry Falwell. Joy Ladin Poet and literature professor Joy Ladin, born Jay, details her transition from outwardly male to the woman she always knew herself to be in Through the Door of Life: A Jewish Journey Between Genders. The transition nearly cost Ladin her job at Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University in New York. Yeshiva, she notes, is "Orthodox Judaism's premier institution of higher learning, and Orthodox Judaism, like most traditional forms of religion, considers the things transsexuals do to fit our bodies to our souls to be sins." In 2007, after she notified the dean of her plan to transition, the school placed her on "involuntary research leave," but eventually, in what Ladin calls a "miracle," Yeshiva agreed to her attorney's demand that she be allowed to return to teaching, making her the first openly transgender faculty member at an Orthodox university. Ladin also chronicles her divorce, her evolving relationship with her children, finding love with another woman, and her discovery of support for her identity in the teachings of the great Jewish scholar Hillel. Her prose is smooth and, one might say, poetic, and her story is fascinating. Michael Wood For those of us who aren't theologians, biblical scholarship can make the head spin, but Michael Wood, a cryptographer and son of a Nazarene minister, was drawn to it. He began by studying what scholars called the "Pauline Paradox," St. Paul's contradictory statements on whether God judges people by their faith or their deeds. That spurred him to delve into Paul's condemnations of homosexuality, which are among the "clobber passages" of the Bible used against LGBT people. In his book Paul on Homosexuality, Wood asserts that Paul has been mistranslated and misunderstood for two millennia. Paul, Wood writes, believed that Old Testament prohibitions on same-sex relationships were no longer valid and that Jesus' commandment to love one another superseded all. "I would like to see this discovery used to bring full equality to the LGBT community," Wood said in an interview with The Advocate. "Evangelicals will only change their minds when their current interpretations are shown to be indefensible. The standard approach of showing viable alternatives to all the clobber passages does nothing to undermine the viability of the evangelical interpretation of each of them. We must do more than just give a viable alternative, we must show them that their alternative isn't even a possibility." Jay Michaelson Supporting LGBT equality isn't just a good social value, it's a religious one, writes Jay Michaelson in God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality. Michaelson, a gay man who was closeted for years as a practicing Orthodox Jew, writes that his relationship with God improved after he came out, and that his extensive research has found ample support in Judeo-Christian and other faith traditions for gay equality. "I sincerely believe that our shared religious values call upon us to support the equality, dignity, and full inclusion of sexual and gender minorities -- that is, of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people," writes Michaelson, the founder of Nehirim, an organization that provides community programming for LGBT Jews. His book makes an eloquent case that "'God versus Gay' isn't just a false dichotomy. It's a rebellion against the image of God itself." F. Jay Deacon Religious fundamentalists insist that their scriptures, their beliefs, are unchanging. But beliefs are meant to evolve, writes F. Jay Deacon in Magnificent Journey: Religion as a Lock on the Past or an Engine of Evolution. Deacon has certainly been through his own evolution: When he was "a teenager bored with the very proper Presbyterian church," he embraced the fundamentalist strain of Christianity at a Billy Graham crusade, then attended an Assemblies of God seminary. His recognition that he was gay eventually led him away from fundamentalism to the largely gay Metropolitan Community Church and finally to the liberal, inclusive Unitarian Universalist Church, where he has been director of the Office of GLBT Concerns; he is now minister for a Unitarian congregation in New Hampshire. His journey has led him to call for a new type of spirituality, one that can help counter homophobia, sexism, war, bigotry, class exploitation, and environmental destruction. "Regression to a primitive past is not the answer," he writes. "Religions must transform, must evolve, now. They must become engines of evolution, not chains binding us to that barbaric worst of what humanity is capable." Mormon Stories In addition to the books listed on previous pages, there are many other sources of good news for LGBT people of various faiths. Mormon Stories, a support community for LGBT Mormons, will hold a conference , "Circling the Wagons," in Washington, D.C., April 20-22. Keynote speakers will be Carol Lynn Pearson, whose book No More Goodbyes: Circling the Wagons Around Our Gay Loved Ones calls for Mormons to become more welcoming to LGBT people, and Mitch Mayne, a gay man who serves as executive secretary to his Mormon bishop. Muslims for Progressive Values; Catholics for Equality Muslims for Progressive Values is spreading an egalitarian, inclusive vision of Islam with women and gays in leadership positions. It will hold its sixth annual retreat , with the theme "A Theology of Mercy," in New York City in July. Spreading the progressive gospel in another faith, Catholics for Equality, founded in 2010, is mobilizing Catholics to lobby for LGBT rights, which it calls part of "the rich tradition of Catholic social justice teachings." Soulforce and More Participants in Soulforce's Equality Ride are taking a message of acceptance to religious colleges and other institutions around the nation this month and next. Add to that the work of Believe Out Loud, Faith in America, Faithful America, and many other interfaith and faith-specific groups advocating LGBT equality, and there's much to celebrate in this season of rebirth.

All too often, LGBT people experience religion as a cudgel used against them.

Cornell University food marketing professor Brian Wansink has come under fire for employing misleading research practices in his studies that have influenced policies in nearly 30,000 school lunchrooms across the U.S. Brian Wansink (L) of Cornell University (STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images) Wansink is the co-director of the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement , a program backed by $22 million in federal funds that provides guidance to promote healthy eating in school lunchrooms. The Smarter Lunchrooms program says its recommendations are scientifically backed in part by two research studies conducted by Wansink. His experiments found that elementary school children aged eight to 11 are more likely to forego junk food in favor of healthy foods if given "creative, age-appropriate names" such as "X-Ray Vision Carrots," "All-Star Apples," and "Kooky Cucumbers." Wansink's findings led to the development of one of Smarter Lunchrooms recommended strategies. "Featuring a fruit increases its visibility and makes it more attractive to students," the program states . "Using a creative, descriptive name enhances taste expectations." The Department of Agriculture has doled out up to $2,000 in training grants to each of the nearly 30,000 schools that have adopted Smarter Lunchrooms' guidance. The USDA described the training grants as an "important component" of former First Lady Michelle Obama's initiative to combat childhood obesity, in a 2014 press release , The only problem, as reported by BuzzFeed News , is that both of the Wasnick studies used to scientifically back the Smarter Lunchrooms program have since been retracted after it was discovered he surveyed pre-school children aged three to five, not elementary children aged eight to 11 as originally reported. Wasnick's studies have been retracted in recent months for errors in data, methods and results, according to Retraction Database . But the Smarter Lunchrooms program will continue to receive federal funding until June 14, according to the USDA Research, Education & Economics Information System . USDA spokesperson Amanda Heitkamp told BuzzFeed News in September that the department would consult with Cornell about Wasnick's faulty research, but noted that the Smarter Lunchroom project is "based upon widely researched principles of behavioral economics, as well as a strong body of practice that supports their ongoing use." U.S. first lady Michelle Obama joins students at the food line to pick up lunch items (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) A 25-year career called into question Wansink is a self-described "world-renowned eating behavior expert." His work on human behavior and eating has been backed by over $10.6 million in federal and private research grants, according to his curriculum vitae. He has appeared on dozens of appearances on national television programs to promote his research. However, Wansink's entire body of work is now being called into question following a slew of embarrassing corrections and retractions on his published scientific work. His fall from grace began in November 2016 when he published a blog post touting the efforts of Ozge Sigirci, a visiting graduate student who worked with Wansink in 2013. Wansink's post detailed how he directed Sigirci to revisit data he had collected in a failed study. The data "cost us a lot of time and our own money to collect," Wansink said, and so he urged the visiting student to try to "salvage" something useful from it. The post immediately drew heavy criticism from the scientific community. Critics accused Wansink of " p-hacking ," the practice of trying to produce something statistically significant out of a set of random data. Honest researchers use data to confirm a previously established hypothesis, not the other way around. Creating a hypothesis after collecting data, as critics accused Wansink of doing, is known to produce false positives. The visiting student's efforts paid off in the short-term, resulting in four published studies by Sigirci and co-written by Wansink. But the four papers were all eventually slapped with retractions or corrections. The red flags contained within the blog post prompted a group of researchers to dig into Wansink's body of work. The researchers identified a plethora of issues in 45 of Wansink's academic publications, including self-plagiarism, data duplication, and data and statistical issues. Wansink has been hit with six retractions and ten corrections since November 2016, according to Retraction Database. Just one retraction is considered a stain on a scholar's academic record. Cornell University has opened multiple investigations into Wansink's alleged research misconduct. An initial investigation was closed after concluding that the errors in the retracted and corrected Sigirci and Wansink papers did not amount to scientific misconduct. However, Cornell opened a follow-up investigation after Wansink was accused of self-plagiarism and dual publication. Further adding to Wansink's troubles are emails obtained by BuzzFeed News on Monday that reveal how he and his team intentionally published questionable research to ensure their findings went "virally big time" in the media. In one email, Wansink directed Sigirci to "squeeze some blood out of this rock," referring to a dataset from a previously failed study. "I will try to dig out the data in the way you described," Sigirci responded. Brian Nosek, the executive director of the Center for Open Science, told BuzzFeed News that Wansink's conduct amounts to "academic misconduct." "[T]his is not science, it is storytelling," Nosek said. "It does very much seem like this Brian Wansink investigator is a consistent and repeated offender of statistics," added Susan Wei, a University of Minnesota biostatistician. "He's so brazen about it, I can't tell if he's just bad at statistical thinking, or he knows that what he's doing is scientifically unsound but he goes ahead anyway." For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected] . Posted in News

Cornell University food marketing professor Brian Wansink has come under fire for employing misleading research practices in his studies that have influenced policies in nearly 30,000 school lunchrooms across the U.S.

Method Man: by far the best part of an otherwise mostly annoying show. Photo by Julia LeConte. WU-TANG CLAN at Kool Haus, Thursday, November 28. Rating: NN Seeing the Wu-Tang Clan in concert is a bit like the early 90s toy Puppy Surprise: you know what you're getting, but you don't know exactly how many will pop out. At 11:45 pm, as the Wu-Tang members emerged one by one to Bring Da Ruckus, the first song on their first album, 1993's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), we learned we'd get two-thirds of the legendary New York nine-man rap collective. ODB died nine years ago (RIP). And according to twitter, RZA had "filming obligations" and Masta Killa got held up at the border. So, for this Toronto stop of the 20th Anniversary Tour, it was interesting to see how the remaining six jived onstage, and how the crowd responded to each MC. Toronto regular Raekwon is like a revered chief, while Method Man does the lion's share of the theatrics - a Method Man show, on its own, would be pretty great. He is nonstop gregarious energy, and without RZA, the clear and natural frontman - even crowd-surfing by the night's end. He also had really sweet moments of verse, demonstrating that his flow hasn't lost a step in two decades. The show was a fair smattering of the group's greatest hits, which focused heavily on their individual material - Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta Fuck Wit, Method Man (Home Grown Version), Shimmy Shimmy Ya, Gravel Pit - each received very well by those audience members who were paying attention, each gamely performed by an aged 40+ crew. No one is going to say it was bad seeing the Wu-Tang Clan live. Because seeing your childhood idols live is always great. But they actually weren't that audible or organized. After twenty years, they can wing it really well, but they're still winging it. The sound wasn't great. In a perfect world, you'd hear the uneasy piano loop for C.R.E.A.M. come over the speakers first, then the crowd would go wild before the beat and rhymes dropped. Unfortunately, the speakers in the Kool Haus seemed to project unidirectionally, so unless you were right in front, it took a while to even realize they were performing one of their biggest hits. Also annoying: the black divider that cuts at an incredibly awkward angle on stage right, making it impossible to see half the stage depending on your angle and position in the crowd. Sound and sight-line issues can be forgiven, especially for one of the most influential rap outfits playing decades of bangers. An out-of-control crowd, however, can ruin an otherwise pretty good show. Unlike the Raekwon solo outing at the Sound Academy in March, where small groups of breakdancers patiently whiled away the hours before showtime, then stood attentive and enraptured; and unlike the Wu-Tang's outdoor Quebec City love-in to tens of thousands of peaceful fans this past July, this was a mess. They say one bad apple spoils the bunch: if a large per centage of your audience is really high (and I don't mean marijuana high) or sloppy drunk, the vibe is destroyed. It was nearly impossible to get into the venue, and once in, the show was painfully oversold. The room was oppressively packed, to the point of constant ire. Granted, there seemed to be a protected core of solid Wu fans deep in the centre of the room. The other 60 percent of us were subject to the shockwaves from those who buzzed around the perimeter and laced in and out of the crowd continuously. The security guards who had been so intent on not letting people in, seemed nowhere to be found once inside. Within a 10-foot radius of me, there were at least five circa-season-one-Breaking-Bad-Jesse-Pinkmans walking around aimlessly in circles, tripping and stumbling. Other one-off drunks were blustering through the pack so comically, as if fuelled by an immediate urge to vomit. Incomprehensibly, at 12:29, a mass exodus started flowing out of my side of the room. To top it all off, there was a lot of cigarette smoking. And at the risk of sounding like a total killjoy, in a room that packed, that's a fire hazard waiting to happen. Also annoying if you don't like inhaling cigarette smoke in enclosed spaces or getting burned by stray ciggies. All this to say, it doesn't matter how hard the six guys onstage are trying, if you are distracted constantly, and have to plant your feet and box out every time you see a pack of bros careening in your direction. At about 1 a.m., before the encore, everyone started gushing out as if they were in a stadium and their basketball team was down by 20 in the fourth quarter. Disrespectful. A couple of scuffles happened, some guys fell over the coat check barrier. I saw Jamal Magloire - 6'11" former NBA centre Jamal Magloire - get jostled from behind. All in all: a decently solid effort by an otherwise helpless crew of rap gods, ruined by a bunch of total idiots, and, near the end, one of the few times - concerts or otherwise - I felt legitimately nervous in this fine, fair, safe city of ours. There have been great Wu-Tang Shows, there have been great Kool Haus shows. This was definitely neither.

Seeing the Wu-Tang Clan in concert is a bit like the early 90s toy Puppy Surprise: you know what you're getting, but you don't know exactly how many will pop out.

PHOTO: Twitter (Inquisitr.com) A Starbucks boycott in underway by supporters of President Donald Trump. The reaction to the coffee giant's pledge to hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years was both swift and severe on social media. The hashtag #BoycottStarbucks quickly went viral and trended across multiple social media platforms. Starbucks' CEO Howard Schultz made the announcement about hiring 10,000 refugees as a response to President Trump's executive order temporarily halting refugees and immigrants from seven specific countries for up to 120 days, over vetting and terrorism concerns. Trump supporters by the thousands took to social media lambasting Starbucks for vowing to hire refugees and not unemployed Americans. The president's supporters specifically said the upscale coffeehouse should be hiring veterans and minority citizens for job openings instead, MSN reports. Starbucks has waded into the political waters several times in the past, prompting other boycotts and calls to action against the coffee and restaurant venues. When Starbucks added Black Lives Matter related notes to coffee cups backlash over a move deemed by many as overtly liberal and political ensued, prompting protests and social media postings. A refusal to honor local concealed carry permit laws also sparked protests over Second Amendment infringement by Starbucks. According to a Business Insider report, Howard Schultz endorsed Hillary Clinton in the presidential race. The same report notes Schultz would have likely been Clinton's pick for labor secretary if she had not been defeated by Donald Trump. "I also want to take this opportunity to announce specific actions we are taking to reinforce our belief in our partners around the world and to ensure you are clear that we will neither stand by, nor stand silent, as the uncertainty around the new administration's actions grows with each passing day," the Starbucks' CEO also continued in his letter to employees....

A Starbucks boycott in underway by supporters of President Donald Trump.

"Tell the soldiers, there's a new order coming from the mayor. We won't kill you. We will just shoot your vagina," President Rodrigo Duterte said. #Duterte : 'If I don't act like a dictator the #Philippines won't progress' https://t.co/tbqornEevY pic.twitter.com/fy58LbRdRY -- RT (@RT_com) February 8, 2018 Just when you start to think Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has reached the height of depravity, he shocks the world yet again by coming up with something even more appalling. This time he has ordered his soldiers to commit sexually violent acts against rebel women fighters. "Tell the soldiers, 'There's a new order coming from the mayor. We won't kill you. We will just shoot your vagina,'" the president said , calling himself by his former title, in a speech last week. The horrifying comments were made by someone who is supposed to be the protector of the nation. What is even more upsetting is that he encouraged the offensive act twice, showing it wasn't a slip of the tongue, according to local media outlet Rappler. "If there is no vagina, it would be useless," he continued, asserting women have no purpose but to provide sexual gratification for men. His comments gained intense criticism from human rights agencies, who called them "misogynist, derogatory and demeaning statements." Human Rights Watch's Carlos Conde said, "It encourages state forces to commit sexual violence during armed conflict, which is a violation of international humanitarian law." However, Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque insisted the comments were "funny" and accused women of "overreacting" to the president's comments. "I mean, that's funny. Come on. Just laugh," Roque said. According to the official transcript, the crowd, in fact, did laugh at the president's comments. The controversial leader's "latest nasty remark openly encourages violence against women, contributes to the impunity on such, and further confirms himself as the most dangerous macho-fascist in the government right now," Philippine government representative Emmi de Jesus said. It is to be noted that this is not the first time Duterte has shown his inhumane side. The president previously made jokes about the rape of a kidnapped Australian missionary, Jacqueline Hamill, who was taken hostage during a visit to a jail. "I was angry she was raped, yes that was one thing. But she was so beautiful; I think the mayor should have been first. What a waste," he quipped. Duterte is also known for sexual comments about female politicians who raise concerns about his policies. It is to be noted Duterte is also under investigation for crimes against humanity, associated with the country's war on drugs . However, according to him, imprisonment does not faze him as long as "conjugal visits by many women were possible." Duterte is also known for promising to kill "all of the country's criminals," especially those involved in drug trade. The notorious drug war has killed more than 12,000 Filipinos. The dictator, though, has his supporters. Great news - @IntlCrimCourt Prosecutor announces a preliminary investigation into #Philippines Prez #Duterte 's "drug war" https://t.co/PPDSGzE3rA Candidates for crimes against humanity charges via @hrw https://t.co/8gEDFZDn0X pic.twitter.com/T8St3dZwVV -- Phelim Kine ?? (@PhelimKine) February 8, 2018

Duterte has reached the height of depravity, he shocks the world yet again by coming up with something even more appalling.

I seemingly must rewrite this every election season. As Ben Carson rises and the media is confronted by some mysterious something called a "Seventh Day Adventist," it is time again to explain American Protestantism to the press. It is amazing how the American mainstream media continues to write about American Christianity with complete ignorance regarding its basic terms, history, and beliefs. First, understand that a "mainline" protestant is not a "mainstream" protestant. The two are not interchangeable. The former is more of an academic term. The basic way to understand what a mainline protestant is would be to understand that the term largely means those protestant denominations that existed during the colonial era of the American colonies and as they have evolved from that point. Many suggest that the term comes from the Pennsylvania Main Line railroad that ran through Philadelphia neighborhoods at the turn of the twentieth century, which were organized around communities of interest making up those original colonial faiths. Specifically, mainline protestant denominations are Episcopalians, the United Methodists, the Presbyterians (USA), the American and Northern Baptists, the United Church of Christ, the Congregationalists, the Disciples of Christ, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. While evangelical churches are more mainstream in America, they are not considered mainline. Many evangelical churches branched off from the mainline. The Southern Baptists, the nation's largest protestant denomination, branched off from the Northern and American Baptist Churches. The Presbyterian Church in America, Evangelical Presbyterians, and Reformed Presbyterians broke away from the main Presbyterian Church, which is today the PCUSA. Anglicans have come back into the country in response to the ordination of gays within the Episcopalian Church. I await the United Methodist Church splintering over that issue and the social gospel too. The Methodists are one of the last major mainline denominations not to have a serious split, but it is on the verge of happening. For those of you wondering where Mormons are on this list, I am not aware of any Christian denomination that considers the Latter Day Saints to actually be a part of Christianity. Seventh Day Adventists, which Ben Carson identifies with, were not originally within the mainstream of American evangelicalism -- all of which have European roots -- but have been accepted by evangelicals over the course of the twentieth century. Seventh Day Adventists are an American derived denomination that sprang out of the Second Great Awakening in the 1800's. Adventists go to church on Saturday, tend to believe in annihilationism, which means the damned eventually cease to exist, and supplement scripture (a key reason why they are not normally considered a part of mainstream American protestant evangelicalism) with the writings of Ellen G. White, a central leader at the denomination's founding who had had visions and allegedly had the gift of prophesy. They also tend not to be big fans of Catholics. All of this is gobbledygook to members of the press, who know virtually nothing about religion in America, but who are now going to cover Ben Carson and his faith as if they are experts. Beth Baumann Mainline churches are more concerned these days with the social gospel, the role of gays in the church, etc. These churches are in decline. Their numbers are falling as they have replaced the actual Gospel with a modern sense of spiritualism that ultimately does not feed the flock. Evangelical churches overall are growing. The charismatic churches are really seeing strong growth. All of these churches are much more concerned with fundamentalism -- which is, like "mainline" -- a specific term. When people talk about "fundamentalists" these days, they usually mean hard line Christians who are no fun. Actually, a "fundamentalist" is someone who subscribes to five specific points within Protestantism: 1) the inerrancy of the Bible; 2) the virgin birth of Christ; 3) the atonement of sins through Christ's death; 4) the bodily resurrection of Christ; and 5) the reality of Christ's miracles. Reporters for major media outlets tend to be overwhelmingly secular and unchurched. They are most familiar with mainline denominations that are both more liberal and also dying out. That they report on American evangelicalism without any understanding of it is unfortunate, but also reality. To find out more about Erick Erickson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2015 CREATORS.COM

As Ben Carson rises and the media is confronted by some mysterious something called a "Seventh Day Adventist," it is time again to explain American Protestantism to the press.

Polarised coverage of Trump makes it difficult to cut through the noise and figure out what the ban is actually about. What does Trump say of the ban - and what do his detractors believe? A demonstrator holds a placard during the "Boston Protest Against Muslim Ban and Anti-Immigration Orders" to protest US President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban in Boston, Massachusetts, US, January 29, 2017. ( TRT World and Agencies ) US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order titled Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States that puts a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the United States. It also temporarily barred travellers from Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Confusion abounded at airports as immigration and customs officials struggled to interpret the new rules. Some legal residents with green cards, who were in the air when the order was issued, were detained at airports upon arrival. Thousands of refugees seeking entry were thrown into limbo. But what does Trump say are his actual reasons for the ban? And what do critics contend are its flaws? protesters and the tears of Senator Schumer. Secretary Kelly said that all is going well with very few problems. MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN! -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2017 Will President Donald Trump's travel and refugee ban make the US safer? During his campaign, Trump had promised to enact "extreme vetting" of immigrants and refugees. He particularly said that he would focus on areas the White House said the US Congress deemed to be high risk. There is nothing nice about searching for terrorists before they can enter our country. This was a big part of my campaign. Study the world! -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2017 In December 2015, in the wake of the San Bernardino attack, Trump had called for a "total and complete shutdown" of the country's borders for Muslims. Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW. Look what is happening all over Europe and, indeed, the world - a horrible mess! -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017 He delivered on his campaign promise within weeks of taking office. But in the backlash against his executive order, Trump told reporters in the White House's Oval Office on Saturday that his "ban" was "not a Muslim ban" - and said the measures were long overdue. The basis for a ban A blog on the website of the Washington-based Cato Institute think-tank argues that refugees and immigrants from the seven countries facing the ban are not a serious threat to US citizens. The report says, "No terrorist from these places has carried out a lethal attack in the United States. Indeed, no Libyans or Syrians have even been convicted for planning such an attack." How was the list of targeted countries chosen? The countries selected for the ban were likely chosen due to the existing "vetting process" that had already been in place in the US under the Obama administration. Trump has said that the seven countries selected were not randomly chosen. "The seven countries named in the Executive Order are the same countries previously identified by the Obama administration as sources of terror." On the other hand, Trump's move aids Daesh and feeds the terrorist group's anti-West and recruitment propaganda, the report says. The government of Yemen and several US lawmakers, including Republican Senator John McCain, concur with that assessment. Some media reports have highlighted the fact that the ban only affects countries where Trump does not have business interests - and it leaves out countries that do. Is the ban legal - or based on the constitution? "An executive order of the president must find support in the Constitution, either in a clause granting the president specific power, or by a delegation of power by Congress to the president.[4]" 343 U.S. 579, 585. Antieau, Modern Constitutional Law, SS13:24 (1969) Peter Spiro, a professor at Temple University Beasley School of Law, said Trump's action is likely constitutional because the president and Congress have the authority to decide on asylum issues. Chicago area immigration attorney Diana Mendoza Pacheco offers her assistance to arriving passengers at O'Hare Airport in Chicago, Illinois, US, January 30, 2017. ( TRT World and Agencies ) Another Trump administration official noted that the executive order was drafted in recent months during the presidential campaign with the help of "top immigration experts" in Congress, and that it had been approved by the Office of Legal Counsel, which advises the president and executive branch agencies. Civil rights, faith groups and international organisations have begun to mobilise against the ban Civil rights and faith groups, activists and Democratic politicians were furious and have vowed to fight the order. The American Civil Liberties Union successfully argued for a temporary stay that allowed detained travellers to stay in the United States. Trump's travel ban sparked protests in several US cities. ( TRT World and Agencies ) "Discrimination on nationality alone is forbidden under human rights law," United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in criticism of the ban. "The US ban is also mean-spirited, and wastes resources needed for proper counter-terrorism." The United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Countries, African Union and Amnesty International criticised the ban, while Iran and Iraq have vowed to retaliate. The Cota Institute says in its analysis that, "The order violates the law. Under the Immigration Act of 1965, the president may not refuse to give visas to immigrants coming to live in the United States permanently due to their nationality. The provision is unequivocal in stating that no person may "be discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person's race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence." Does the ban protect anyone other than Muslims? Trump's order, that suspended the Syrian refugee program until further notice, will eventually give priority to minority religious groups fleeing persecution. People participate in a protest against President Donald Trump's travel ban at Columbia University in New York City, US, on January 30, 2017. ( TRT World and Agencies ) Trump said in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network that the exception would help Syrian Christians fleeing the civil war there. The US president still insists that the ban is not discriminatory. "No foreign national in a foreign land, without ties to the United States, has any unfettered right to demand entry into the United States," the US Department of Homeland Security statement said. The US embassy in Tel Aviv later also said that Israeli Jews born in the seven countries included under Trump's travel restrictions will not be banned from America. Does the ban discriminate against Muslims? In an interview with Fox News, former New York City mayor and Trump advisor Rudy Gulliani said that Trump had told him he wanted to impose a Muslim ban and asked him to find a legal way to do it. "If they are thinking about an exception for Christians, in almost any other legal context discriminating in favour of one religion and against another religion could violate the constitution," said Stephen Legomsky, former chief counsel at US Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Obama administration. Several Democratic governors said they were examining whether they could launch legal challenges, and other groups eyed a constitutional challenge claiming religious discrimination. "Executive order from President Trump is more about extreme xenophobia than extreme vetting," said Democratic Senator Edward Markey in a statement. Rana Abdelhamid of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) speaks to the crowd gathered in Copley Square in Boston, Massachusetts, US, on January 29, 2017. ( TRT World and Agencies ) The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the order targets Muslims because of their faith, contravening the US constitutional right to freedom of religion. "President Trump has cloaked what is a discriminatory ban against nationals of Muslim countries under the banner of national security," said Greg Chen of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Can past incidents in the US shape future policy? Trump has deployed the ban as a preemptive strike against future terrorist attacks in the US. Is the past an indicator, however? Between 2001 and 2015, more Americans were killed by homegrown right-wing extremists than by terrorists, and non-Muslims carried out 90 per cent of all terrorist attacks in America, according to a report by the Canada-based Centre for Research on Globalization. Moreover, the chances of an immigrant associated with violent extremism since 9/11 are far lower when compared with US-born Muslim converts to Islam according to a report by Charles Kurzman , a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a specialist on Muslim movements. In global terms, cases where the religious affiliation of terrorism casualties could be determined, Muslims suffered between 82 and 97 percent of terrorism-related fatalities between 2006 and 2011, according to a report published by the US National Counterterrorism Centre. Source: TRTWorld and agencies

US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order titled Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States that puts a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the United States.

1 Frankie Five Angels Jul 10, 2016 * 6:18:23pm down 20 up report Correct it to "Photo of the Year." 2 jaunte Jul 10, 2016 * 6:19:15pm down 35 up report Zack Kopplin: "...Minutes later, some of the 100 police in riot gear charged the area where protesters were legally gathered, forcing them into the street where they were then arrested for obstructing a highway. Reporters have been forced some six blocks away." thedailybeast.com 3 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 6:22:17pm down 22 up report I'll bet Chuck C. Johnson is already trying to dox this woman and find dirt to smear her with. 4 austin_blue Jul 10, 2016 * 6:23:20pm down 22 up report Fire the police hierarchy from Lieutenants on up and start over. Inexcusable. 5 Skip Intro Jul 10, 2016 * 6:23:28pm down 4 up report re: #3 Charles Johnson I won't take that bet. I do wonder how the HAW can stand the sight and smell of him. 6 Frankie Five Angels Jul 10, 2016 * 6:23:30pm down 4 up report re: #3 Charles Johnson I'll bet Chuck C. Johnson is already trying to dox this woman and find dirt to smear her with. It's a day ending in "Y," so... 7 Pawn of the Oppressor Jul 10, 2016 * 6:24:04pm down 17 up report Apparently Louisiana spends everything left after the graft, corruption, and mis-management, on military gear for shit cops. Almost won the race to the bottom, gotta keep digging digging digging... Can't let Mississippi and Alabama keep winnin' the "Worst State" metrics, you know. 8 Skip Intro Jul 10, 2016 * 6:24:55pm down 11 up report re: #6 Frankie Five Angels He'll copy the photo at the top, piss his watermark across it, then claim he's the first one to identify her. 9 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 6:25:16pm down 6 up report Chuck C. Johnson & other right wing bloggers are undoubtedly already trying to dox this brave woman & find dirt they can use to smear her. 10 Skip Intro Jul 10, 2016 * 6:25:34pm down 2 up report re: #7 Pawn of the Oppressor Apparently Louisiana spends everything left after the graft, corruption, and mis-management, on military gear for shit cops. Almost won the race to the bottom, gotta keep digging digging digging... Can't let Mississippi and Alabama keep winnin' the "Worst State" metrics, you know. Sounds like North Korea. Reminds me of this photo==> 12 austin_blue Jul 10, 2016 * 6:26:32pm down 5 up report re: #7 Pawn of the Oppressor Apparently Louisiana spends everything left after the graft, corruption, and mis-management, on military gear for shit cops. Almost won the race to the bottom, gotta keep digging digging digging... Can't let Mississippi and Alabama keep winnin' the "Worst State" metrics, you know. Hey, what about Texas!?!? We're in to win it! 13 scottslemmons Jul 10, 2016 * 6:27:26pm down 11 up report Man, look at those cops. They're terrified of her. 14 SoundGuy 2016 Jul 10, 2016 * 6:27:29pm down 14 up report This really is the Year of the Woman. 15 The Vicious Babushka Jul 10, 2016 * 6:28:32pm down 13 up report STUPIDEST MEME OF THE DAY BY THE SECOND STUPIDEST CARTOONIST ON THE INTERNET==> Man, look at those cops. They're terrified of her. Death ray glasses, maybe? 17 Reality Based Steve Jul 10, 2016 * 6:30:09pm down 4 up report Death ray glasses, maybe? Maybe they think she's Storm, and they are afraid of lighting? 18 Stanley Sea Jul 10, 2016 * 6:34:51pm down 29 up report Baton Rouge home owner "very upset" after police storm her yard arresting protesters who had permission to be there pic.twitter.com/gwE8aRGKfL 19 Ziggy_TARDIS Jul 10, 2016 * 6:38:45pm down 6 up report re: #18 Stanley Sea At this point, the Justice Department needs to come down on the Baton Rouge PD. Also, I think the Eu should think about some sort of action. In theory, couldn't they block arms manufacturers based in the EU from selling to organizations, including Police Departments? 20 makeitstop Jul 10, 2016 * 6:39:42pm down 20 up report I hope everyone in Baton Rouge stays safe. I keep waiting for the inevitable reports of protesters dying at the hands of riot cops. I hope it's a long wait. In other news, I just saw an NRA 'Stop Hillary' ad on History Channel, and it's every bit as repulsive as you'd imagine. The video equivalent of a RWNJ web meme, with unflattering pictures and innuendo, topped with a 'soldier' claiming he 'served in Benghazi and 'his friends didn't make it home.' Fuck the NRA. 21 Skip Intro Jul 10, 2016 * 6:40:36pm down 19 up report Hadn't heard this before. AP: Greg Abbott Given $35K Campaign Donation by Trump after Trump University Probe Dropped https://t.co/gXMa9yb5xF 22 Belafon Jul 10, 2016 * 6:42:14pm down 7 up report Hadn't heard this before. [Embedded content] The same thing happened with another AG, I believe the one from Florida. [Embedded content] 25 Skip Intro Jul 10, 2016 * 6:43:54pm down 4 up report I guess I just focused on that one. Nice to have a foundation funded by others to pay your bribes out of. 26 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 6:44:32pm down 21 up report re: #23 A Cranky One 28 bratwurst Jul 10, 2016 * 6:46:06pm down 9 up report Hadn't heard this before. [Embedded content] 29 Patricia Kayden Jul 10, 2016 * 6:46:13pm down 13 up report re: #15 The Vicious Babushka Yeah because cops are above criticism even when they kill people for no justifiable reason. We're all supposed to just let them keep killing us and keep our mouths shut. Sure. But Tea Baggers can march around with guns unimpeded. re: #29 Patricia Kayden Yeah because cops are above criticism even when they kill people for no justifiable reason. We're all supposed to just let them keep killing us and keep our mouths shut. Sure. But Tea Baggers can match around with guns unimpeded. Branco is saying that Obama is inciting the cop killing. 31 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 6:50:04pm down 13 up report Thanks for the advice, but I think I'd rather tell you to fuck off. @Devvvo100 32 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 6:51:31pm down 8 up report Utterly determined to ignore all this Pokemon marketing shit all over social media. 33 Belafon Jul 10, 2016 * 6:51:32pm down 19 up report re: #31 Charles Johnson I love how these people accept the fact that a cop can shoot them as long as someone finds a good reason later. 34 Skip Intro Jul 10, 2016 * 6:52:44pm down 7 up report The typical description seems to be a black male between the ages of 16 and 60. 35 teleskiguy Jul 10, 2016 * 6:54:12pm down 3 up report I love how these people accept the fact that a cop can shoot them as long as someone finds a good reason later. That's different, they're white after all. 37 Skip Intro Jul 10, 2016 * 6:54:23pm down 9 up report What you don't want to do is go read Greg Abbot's or Dan Patrick's twitter timeline. Just don't do it. And I really wish Obama wasn't going to Dallas this week. 38 Stanley Sea Jul 10, 2016 * 6:55:20pm down 3 up report Very good. The audience seemed quite receptive. hmm 39 Joe Bacon Jul 10, 2016 * 6:55:48pm down 5 up report re: #15 The Vicious Babushka STUPIDEST MEME OF THE DAY BY THE SECOND STUPIDEST CARTOONIST ON THE INTERNET==> [Embedded content] Sick. Just plain sick. This is why I'm dreading Obama going to the funeral on Tuesday. I fear that a lot of police officers will turn their backs on him as he speaks. 40 Belafon Jul 10, 2016 * 6:55:56pm down 12 up report re: #37 Skip Intro What you don't want to do is go read Greg Abbot's or Dan Patrick's twitter timeline. Just don't do it. And I really wish Obama wasn't going to Dallas this week. I wish he were coming here under better circumstances, but I think he knows, like DeRay knows, that you can't let them intimidate you. 41 Stanley Sea Jul 10, 2016 * 6:56:44pm down 11 up report re: #37 Skip Intro What you don't want to do is go read Greg Abbot's or Dan Patrick's twitter timeline. Just don't do it. And I really wish Obama wasn't going to Dallas this week. Remember the Birch flyers before Kennedy's visit. my dog. 42 Skip Intro Jul 10, 2016 * 6:58:28pm down 5 up report re: #41 Stanley Sea VB's post #15 is what worries me. Dallas holds really bad memories for me. 43 Stanley Sea Jul 10, 2016 * 6:59:54pm down 6 up report re: #42 Skip Intro VB's post #15 is what worries me. Dallas holds really bad memories for me. How they twisted his words. Not smart people and their agitators are insanely dangerous. 44 jaunte Jul 10, 2016 * 7:01:44pm down 5 up report BLM protesters have traffic at a standstill on east bound lanes of I-40 (aka "M" bridge) coming into Memphis. #wmc5 pic.twitter.com/kBqbOWW0Oe 45 SoundGuy 2016 Jul 10, 2016 * 7:03:20pm down 5 up report On a YouTube bender and I still can't get my head around the mad brilliance of Jacob Collier: 46 jaunte Jul 10, 2016 * 7:05:12pm down 39 up report The Memphis Police Director is marching arm in arm with #BlackLivesMatterMemphis protestors on the bridge. This is history. -- Antonio Scott ( @AScottNews ) July 11, 2016 Major shout out to the Memphis Police Department tonight. Thanks for not militarizing yourself and truly being here to "protect and serve" -- Antonio Scott ( @AScottNews ) July 11, 2016 47 Patricia Kayden Jul 10, 2016 * 7:06:40pm down 7 up report re: #39 Joe Bacon Sick. Just plain sick. This is why I'm dreading Obama going to the funeral on Tuesday. I fear that a lot of police officers will turn their backs on him as he speaks. If that's the worst thing, President Obama will be fine. My worry would be for his safety. 48 Patricia Kayden Jul 10, 2016 * 7:07:24pm down 6 up report Well, that's nice to hear. Refreshing actually. 49 majii Jul 10, 2016 * 7:08:01pm down 24 up report re: #39 Joe Bacon If there's one thing I know about our president, after watching him for the last seven plus years, is that if some of the police officers do turn their backs to him, he'll keep on keeping on. What many people don't understand about him is that he's withstood worse than they've been throwing at him in an attempt to bring him down since 2009. They just don't know/understand how being born "disadvantaged" in a nation/society can prepare one to withstand what most others cannot. It is a major reason he's maintained his cool through everything that's been thrown his way. It's a learned response to his opponents. LGBTQ Americans, POC, atheists, and others this society relegates to a "disadvantaged" category also possess this strength when dealing with their detractors. It often puzzles others. The reason it does is because they've not had to continue living day after day while facing continued, persistent adversity at almost every turn. 50 jaunte Jul 10, 2016 * 7:09:26pm down 3 up report And how not to do it. (turn down your volume) 51 Reality Based Steve Jul 10, 2016 * 7:09:57pm down 5 up report [Embedded content] I don't have to go over to the fetid cesspool of FreeRepugnant to know that the "Proves race and blood are stronger than Law. Gibmedats always stick together" BS will be out in full strength. They have already stared to refer to BLM as "The BLM Terrorist Organization" most of the time. 52 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 7:10:01pm down 23 up report Powerful image-Interim #Memphis Police Director,arm in arm w/protestors as they march offI40bridge #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/pEbanQg1mO [Embedded content] Some amped up officers are going to end up killing an unarmed protester at this rate...or several. 54 SoundGuy 2016 Jul 10, 2016 * 7:11:49pm down 4 up report And now Collier with a microphone and a piano: not 13 instruments and 19 concurrent tracks to freak you the f out: 56 SteelPH Jul 10, 2016 * 7:12:46pm down 4 up report re: #53 Aunty Entity Dragon Some amped up officers are going to end up killing an unarmed protester at this rate...or several. Exactly as planned, no doubt. 57 Ziggy_TARDIS Jul 10, 2016 * 7:13:00pm down 2 up report 58 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 7:13:11pm down 18 up report I haven't been called a "kike" since leaving Soviet Union in 1989. Thanks to Trump-loving Neo-Nazis for the reminder pic.twitter.com/MknL2Yq164 59 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 7:16:39pm down 4 up report re: #54 SoundGuy 2016 And now Collier with a microphone and a piano: not 13 instruments and 19 concurrent tracks to freak you the f out: [Embedded content] He's such an amazing talent - I really hope he doesn't burn out or self-destruct. 60 ObserverArt Jul 10, 2016 * 7:16:53pm down 5 up report I hope everyone in Baton Rouge stays safe. I keep waiting for the inevitable reports of protesters dying at the hands of riot cops. I hope it's a long wait. In other news, I just saw an NRA 'Stop Hillary' ad on History Channel, and it's every bit as repulsive as you'd imagine. The video equivalent of a RWNJ web meme, with unflattering pictures and innuendo, topped with a 'soldier' claiming he 'served in Benghazi and 'his friends didn't make it home.' Fuck the NRA. That has been running here in Ohio for a month or so. The guy that is saying he served in Benghazi is Mark Geist, a co-author of the book 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi, that later was made into the movie. He was a Marine, but I think by Bengahzi he was working for the Annex Security Team which is a contractor I believe. So, was he really serving in Benghazi, or was he was working there as a CIA contractor? 61 Belafon Jul 10, 2016 * 7:18:06pm down 1 up report If you get a chance, watch the anime The Boy and the Beast . For those of you who are into anime, it's by the same people who did The Girl who Leapt Through Time . 62 retired cynic Jul 10, 2016 * 7:18:52pm down 1 up report re: #54 SoundGuy 2016 And now Collier with a microphone and a piano: not 13 instruments and 19 concurrent tracks to freak you the f out: [Embedded content] These aren't playing for me. I can see the video still, and click on the button, and they go blank and nothing ever happens. Sad! Mac, Yosemite, Safari. 63 bratwurst Jul 10, 2016 * 7:20:02pm down 22 up report Something else Hillary should answer for #13HoursMovie Hillary should answer for dud movies produced by the entertainment arm of the military-industrial complex? 64 retired cynic Jul 10, 2016 * 7:21:08pm down 2 up report re: #62 retired cynic And I can see them if I click the Larger button, and I get a new page on YouTube. That works for me! 65 Reality Based Steve Jul 10, 2016 * 7:21:15pm down 7 up report I've posted the pic (with proper accreditation to Bachman / Reuters) on my FB with just the simple comment "This will be the photo of the year when all is said and done" 66 Frenchy Jul 10, 2016 * 7:21:44pm down 4 up report Fucking pathetic and shameful. O/T Got back a little it ago from the Grandfather Mtn Highland Games. A little cooked around the edges from too much sun. Great Celtic music, fantastic pipe bands all weekend and our clan tent was a good spot to watch the heavy athletics on the main field this year. I was front sword bearer for our clan this year in the parade of tartans and gave the salute to the reviewing stand with a Claidheamh Mor great sword. Saw several friends we hadn't caught up with in years. Still good to be back home with a our own bed to sleep in, though. 68 calochortus Jul 10, 2016 * 7:22:16pm down 4 up report [Embedded content] Hillary should answer for dud movies produced by the entertainment arm of the military-industrial complex? Sure. That seems reasonable. / 69 Belafon Jul 10, 2016 * 7:22:51pm down 16 up report @JohnCornyn Clinton should answer for an embellishment of events? Why, because you couldn't trip her on the real ones? -- ()(Lonnie Mask)() ( @LonnieMask ) July 11, 2016 70 SoundGuy 2016 Jul 10, 2016 * 7:24:22pm down 3 up report [Embedded content] Hillary should answer for dud movies produced by the entertainment arm of the military-industrial complex? John Krasinski is in it as a special forces operative and if you don't believe it here's a boot in your ass you pinko commy wuss. 71 unproven innocence Jul 10, 2016 * 7:24:48pm down 4 up report And how not to do it. (turn down your volume) That's a straight-up massive assault on First Amendment rights. 72 Skip Intro Jul 10, 2016 * 7:25:39pm down 11 up report [Embedded content] Hillary should answer for dud movies produced by the entertainment arm of the military-industrial complex? Ok, I get it. For the next kangaroo court the GOP will play this movie and ask Hillary questions right from the script. 73 calochortus Jul 10, 2016 * 7:25:45pm down 4 up report We were over on the coast today, south of Half Moon Bay (Ano Nuevo for you locals.) There was enough wind to keep the fog offshore where we were-and also enough to just about knock us over from time to time. Still, we had a nice hike, and I think I avoided most of the poison oak. Time will tell. 74 majii Jul 10, 2016 * 7:25:53pm down 10 up report re: #63 bratwurst Thanks for posting this. It confirms my thinking that some right-wingers believe things they see in TV series and movies are true when they're not. One would think that a U.S. senator would know better than to tweet something from a movie and claim a political opponent should answer for what is in it. Cray cray is the only word that comes to mind to describe the reason Cornyn tweeted something so strange. 75 Frankie Five Angels Jul 10, 2016 * 7:25:55pm down 10 up report Hillary should answer for dud movies produced by the entertainment arm of the military-industrial complex? 76 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge Jul 10, 2016 * 7:26:31pm down 20 up report 77 Frankie Five Angels Jul 10, 2016 * 7:27:06pm down 8 up report @JohnCornyn Just because your profile pic is in black and white doesn't make you cool, Johnny boy. 78 Belafon Jul 10, 2016 * 7:28:12pm down 22 up report Over at Amazon, it says two days until "Prime Day." Shouldn't they be holding it on the 11th or 13th instead of the 12th? :) [Embedded content] Hillary should answer for dud movies produced by the entertainment arm of the military-industrial complex? Forget that, she needs to answer why she let aliens attack us on Independence Day. THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE 80 Frankie Five Angels Jul 10, 2016 * 7:30:14pm down 6 up report re: #79 Not a Sparkly Vampire Forget that, she needs to answer why she let aliens attack us on Independence Day. THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE THERE ARE QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED! 81 Skip Intro Jul 10, 2016 * 7:30:59pm down 9 up report re: #79 Not a Sparkly Vampire I'm still pissed off she let John Wayne get killed at the Alamo. Bitch! 82 jaunte Jul 10, 2016 * 7:31:16pm down 17 up report Protesters shaking hands with and hugging OKC police officer. pic.twitter.com/6fHHkmEao0 83 jaunte Jul 10, 2016 * 7:32:10pm down 19 up report Small group with confederate flags is quickly surrounded by BLM protesters. Lots of yelling, no violence pic.twitter.com/Rgt6Bb8ReQ BLM rally and march in OKC tonight was violent free. Police were never aggressive and conflict between opposing groups stayed at shouts. -- Ben Felder ( @benfelder_okc ) July 11, 2016 84 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 7:33:09pm down 7 up report Lee @Stranahan is a shameless, relentless opportunist who will do anything to get some media attention. @elizabeth_joh [Embedded content] Don't they know that this is totally ruining the RWNJ's new tactic of referring to BLM as a "Terrorist Group" who wants to kill the police and see the city burn? 86 SoundGuy 2016 Jul 10, 2016 * 7:34:19pm down 14 up report I'm just loving the juxtaposition between LEO's 'keeping the peace' and the others in siege mentality. It's really awesome. I hope we can all learn from it. 87 freetoken Jul 10, 2016 * 7:34:40pm down 3 up report FWIW, ideologically-compatible-with-Drumpfskind PM of Japan's party got re-elected by a larger than expected margin: 88 Frankie Five Angels Jul 10, 2016 * 7:34:47pm down 17 up report The fact that so many of these cops at these protests are posing for pictures, hugging, smiling with protestors, not only shows their professionalism, I think it shows that maybe they...agree with them? 89 Pawn of the Oppressor Jul 10, 2016 * 7:34:52pm down 4 up report re: #54 SoundGuy 2016 And now Collier with a microphone and a piano: not 13 instruments and 19 concurrent tracks to freak you the f out: [Embedded content] I'm still not a great fan, HOWEVER - I feel that his artistic voice is clearer when it's just him and a piano and I appreciate him a little better this way. KISS Principle. I don't blame him one bit for playing with layered recordings though. There's so much recording and production you can do these days with just a computer, a microphone, and the right software, right in your own room by yourself. If you have the talent, damned right, make cool stuff! If I was him, I'd do things like that too. I can't say why exactly, but he reminds me of Harry Connick, Jr. 90 Skip Intro Jul 10, 2016 * 7:34:53pm down 15 up report It's always good to remind ourselves of the words of John Roberts: "Our country has changed," Roberts wrote in the opinion he delivered that day, Shelby County v. Holder. It has wiped away so much of its racist past that the "extraordinary measures" employed by a key provision of the Voting Rights Act could no longer be justified. 91 ObserverArt Jul 10, 2016 * 7:36:48pm down 5 up report re: #88 Frankie Five Angels The fact that so many of these cops at these protests are posing for pictures, hugging, smiling with protestors, not only shows their professionalism, I think it shows that maybe they...agree with them? Let's hope. I always try to think eventually the goodness in man will win out. Sad part is you always have to go through so much bad to get to the good. We are nowhere near good at this time. 92 mmmirele Jul 10, 2016 * 7:38:43pm down 8 up report re: #90 Skip Intro It's always good to remind ourselves of the words of John Roberts: "Our country has changed," Roberts wrote in the opinion he delivered that day, Shelby County v. Holder. It has wiped away so much of its racist past that the "extraordinary measures" employed by a key provision of the Voting Rights Act could no longer be justified. I'd like to print those words out on a ream of paper--over and over and over again--and serve them to Roberts, C.J., for dinner. And breakfast. And lunch. For as long as it takes for him to eat them. 93 Barefoot Grin Jul 10, 2016 * 7:39:04pm down 2 up report re: #84 Charles Johnson wasn't he the toothless guy against the Steubenville rape victim? 94 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 7:40:11pm down 8 up report That too, definitely. Disturbing to see him trying to ingratiate himself to @deray . @tbogg @stranahan @elizabeth_joh 95 SoundGuy 2016 Jul 10, 2016 * 7:40:37pm down 4 up report re: #89 Pawn of the Oppressor I'm still not a great fan, HOWEVER - I feel that his artistic voice is clearer when it's just him and a piano and I appreciate him a little better this way. KISS Principle. Honestly he freaks me the F out. But after seeing him on a piano and without missing one note, being as refined as many pros with years of experience... he's not as scary any more. Not on the same level, but I saw Chili Peppers in SF around 89 and they were freaking weird to me being a suburban kid bored with metal. I saw them at a show with Primus and Limbomaniacs for the first time, warping me out before RHCP even took the stage. And I realized the best stuff weirds you out a little at first but then you acclimate. 96 jaunte Jul 10, 2016 * 7:41:52pm down 21 up report re: #90 Skip Intro Considering Oklahoma didn't exist as a state during the Civil War, their commitment to "heritage" is impressive. ////////// /// 97 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge Jul 10, 2016 * 7:42:08pm down 4 up report Awesome Tweetstorm by Goldie Taylor here . 98 Belafon Jul 10, 2016 * 7:43:07pm down 6 up report Considering Oklahoma didn't exist as a state during the Civil War, their commitment to "heritage" is impressive. ////////// /// It's that Sooner heritage: Even the rules set on acquiring land taken from the Indians are too much, we're gonna break those as well. 99 Ziggy_TARDIS Jul 10, 2016 * 7:45:06pm down 10 up report My Imam and other members of my Mosque up there attended. 100 gocart mozart Jul 10, 2016 * 7:46:02pm down 17 up report @JohnCornyn Johnny Boy, Hillary had nothing to do with that piece of drek. That shit is on Michael Bay. Are you feeling OK? -- (((gocart mozart))) ( @gocartmozart1 ) July 11, 2016 101 Pawn of the Oppressor Jul 10, 2016 * 7:49:22pm down 3 up report re: #95 SoundGuy 2016 I watched the clip of him in NYC above and I get the feeling the audience wasn't sure what to make of him. :) Seeing him do the technical stuff live is impressive too. He's a bit like a jazz DJ, and his transitions to various instruments are awesome. The only other person I've seen do similar things is Reggie Watts. Come to think of it, I wonder if they could do a short bit together, that would be funky. I was an adolescent with RHCP on the radio (mid-90's) and I knew their hits by sound, not title, but I've gone through all their stuff on iTunes recently and concluded that they're actually my favorite band and I just didn't know it. It's amazing to get to know acts that have been around for DECADES making great stuff. I've been about as musical as a tree stump since I was 14, my voice changed and I lost absolutely all feeling for it, so great musicians are like aliens to me. I don't understand it, I can only dimly grasp the process, but I'm astonished by complexity and dexterity. 102 gocart mozart Jul 10, 2016 * 7:49:24pm down 15 up report re: #100 gocart mozart @JohnCornyn How many Michael Bay movies should Clinton answer for, exactly? -- Ramar ( @Duvisited ) July 11, 2016 103 gocart mozart Jul 10, 2016 * 7:50:13pm down 19 up report @JohnCornyn we as a nation need to apologize for Michael Bay -- laplanck ( @laplanck ) July 11, 2016 104 Pawn of the Oppressor Jul 10, 2016 * 7:51:30pm down 5 up report Pearl Harbor. Never forget! *shakes fist* 105 Stanley Sea Jul 10, 2016 * 7:53:26pm down 22 up report She said she didn't want to raise her son to be a racist so they all came and gave us hugs. Wow. pic.twitter.com/D9ZDc4lby3 106 stpaulbear Jul 10, 2016 * 7:55:36pm down 2 up report re: #89 Pawn of the Oppressor I'm still not a great fan, HOWEVER - I feel that his artistic voice is clearer when it's just him and a piano and I appreciate him a little better this way. KISS Principle. I don't blame him one bit for playing with layered recordings though. There's so much recording and production you can do these days with just a computer, a microphone, and the right software, right in your own room by yourself. If you have the talent, damned right, make cool stuff! If I was him, I'd do things like that too. I can't say why exactly, but he reminds me of Harry Connick, Jr. I wish he would play with a band. Being so self-contained isn't really such a good thing. He could learn a lot from working with other musician. 107 Tigger2 Jul 10, 2016 * 7:56:21pm down 8 up report Hillary should answer for dud movies produced by the entertainment arm of the military-industrial complex? @JohnCornyn You mean she should answer for a shtty movie. I know the movie was lame but the person that made it should answer for it. -- jim ( @jlcoffeecup ) July 11, 2016 108 Joe Bacon Jul 10, 2016 * 7:57:56pm down 13 up report @JohnCornyn You're going to hold Hillary accountable for a work of fiction that's a RAZZIE contender? Shows how hopeless the GOP is! [Embedded content] We'll answer for Michael Bay the moment Germany apologies for Uwe Boll! 110 CriticalDragon1177 Jul 10, 2016 * 7:58:44pm down 5 up report Charles Johnson, Wow! That photo of the girl in the dress and the cops running up to her is real? 111 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 7:59:08pm down 16 up report There are a lot of people who need to answer for inflicting Michael Bay's movies on America, but Hillary isn't one of them. @JohnCornyn 112 Joe Bacon Jul 10, 2016 * 7:59:45pm down 5 up report We'll answer for Michael Bay the moment Germany apologies for Uwe Boll! Yes we RAZZIE members stung Uwe Boll good. And we received this reply! 113 sagehen Jul 10, 2016 * 8:00:03pm down 5 up report Considering Oklahoma didn't exist as a state during the Civil War, their commitment to "heritage" is impressive. ////////// /// Having missed the Civil War, Oklahoma had a lot of catching up to do with their preferred version of race relations: 114 Joe Bacon Jul 10, 2016 * 8:02:31pm down 9 up report @JohnCornyn Congratulations, you proved it again! pic.twitter.com/LZvKqUqzFE re: #23 A Cranky One (Newark 1967/Ferguson 2014) 116 stpaulbear Jul 10, 2016 * 8:05:14pm down 11 up report re: #102 gocart mozart How many Michael Bay movies should Clinton answer for, exactly? I'll vote for her twice if she apologizes for this one: 119 CriticalDragon1177 Jul 10, 2016 * 8:08:47pm down 1 up report Yes, but its hard to believe that its real. 120 VegasGolfer Jul 10, 2016 * 8:11:07pm down 10 up report So who's gotten their Citi Costco Visa? I got it and I was ready to transfer from my chase cards. So I started using it as my daily card. I was booking a couple of hotel rooms in Chicago, and the card wouldn't go thru. After a few tries, I called CS. They said I only had a $1000 limit. (and I had an AMEX Costco for years with way more spending per month than the new limit I was given). I have a Citi mortgage, and other Citi products and they still wouldn't up my limit. So as much as they are boasting how much rebates they are gonna give, if they only approve people for so little credit lines, they don't have to pay out a lot rebates. and before anybody tries to say I don't make enough money or have enough assets, believe me I have more than enough. I think its another way that corporate america scams us and tries to rip us off at any oppotuniy available. 121 Joe Bacon Jul 10, 2016 * 8:13:14pm down 5 up report re: #120 VegasGolfer So who's gotten their Citi Costco Visa? I got it and I was ready to transfer from my chase cards. So I started using it as my daily card. I was booking a couple of hotel rooms in Chicago, and the card wouldn't go thru. After a few tries, I called CS. They said I only had a $1000 limit. (and I had an AMEX Costco for years with way more spending per month than the new limit I was given). I have a Citi mortgage, and other Citi products and they still wouldn't up my limit. So as much as they are boasting how much rebates they are gonna give, if they only approve people for so little credit lines, they don't have to pay out a lot rebates. and before anybody tries to say I don't make enough money or have enough assets, believe me I have more than enough. I think its another way that corporate america scams us and tries to rip us off at any oppotuniy available. I dumped Citibank for a Union Plus card when my Dad passed away. They wouldn't authorize the flight home to Pittsburgh for his funeral. Union Plus did and they gave me a grace period for repayment. I F'N hate Citibank with a passion! 122 BeachDem Jul 10, 2016 * 8:13:40pm down 5 up report Hillary should answer for dud movies produced by the entertainment arm of the military-industrial complex? Something else Hillary should answer for #13HoursMovie OK--Cornyn may have lapped Goehmert for dumbest thing said by a Texan. 123 calochortus Jul 10, 2016 * 8:14:13pm down 2 up report I have heard complaints about their new Costco Visas, but I think they'll take any Visa now, which is handy. I have no idea how much the rebates are for their own cards, though. 124 Joe Bacon Jul 10, 2016 * 8:15:21pm down 1 up report I have no problems using my Union Plus Master Card with Costco when I order merchandise through their web page. 125 VegasGolfer Jul 10, 2016 * 8:15:26pm down 2 up report 126 The Vicious Babushka Jul 10, 2016 * 8:16:16pm down 5 up report HURR HURR HILLARY DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE PREDINEST BECAUSE REASON HURR WHARGLEBARGLE The most incoherent diatribe you will read all day==> Hillary Clinton will win, but she doesn't deserve to: https://t.co/bykLFoL8g3 #NotWithHer pic.twitter.com/QRGbUPydZa 127 Frankie Five Angels Jul 10, 2016 * 8:16:49pm down 6 up report @JohnCornyn You need to answer for that shitty photographer that took your out of focus profile pic. #CheapBastard 128 VegasGolfer Jul 10, 2016 * 8:16:51pm down 1 up report re: #124 Joe Bacon Visa was always accepted. Just not at the warehouse until June 129 Stanley Sea Jul 10, 2016 * 8:17:25pm down 1 up report re: #89 Pawn of the Oppressor I'm still not a great fan, HOWEVER - I feel that his artistic voice is clearer when it's just him and a piano and I appreciate him a little better this way. KISS Principle. I don't blame him one bit for playing with layered recordings though. There's so much recording and production you can do these days with just a computer, a microphone, and the right software, right in your own room by yourself. If you have the talent, damned right, make cool stuff! If I was him, I'd do things like that too. I can't say why exactly, but he reminds me of Harry Connick, Jr. Ah, I love Harry Connick Jr. 130 calochortus Jul 10, 2016 * 8:18:17pm down 1 up report re: #124 Joe Bacon I have no problems using my Union Plus Master Card with Costco when I order merchandise through their web page. Yeah, I think they'll take anything for a lot of stuff on the website, but until now it has been AmEx only at the stores. So until now I've just been writing checks. 131 jaunte Jul 10, 2016 * 8:18:47pm down 3 up report re: #126 The Vicious Babushka She's losing the critical Nick Gillespie demo. 132 The Vicious Babushka Jul 10, 2016 * 8:19:58pm down 8 up report Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Simone Biles lead U.S. Olympic women's gymnastics team https://t.co/stMm9lwbYI pic.twitter.com/qfgG6UV3lH 133 Joe Bacon Jul 10, 2016 * 8:20:18pm down 17 up report Shouldn't the Baton Rouge police be wearing their summer fetish wear--I mean, uniforms--by now? pic.twitter.com/lxm8s5MGhh re: #126 The Vicious Babushka HURR HURR HILLARY DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE PREDINEST BECAUSE REASON HURR WHARGLEBARGLE The most incoherent diatribe you will read all day==> [Embedded content] Even I won't bother reading that one. 135 Stanley Sea Jul 10, 2016 * 8:21:31pm down 3 up report I'd like to print those words out on a ream of paper--over and over and over again--and serve them to Roberts, C.J., for dinner. And breakfast. And lunch. For as long as it takes for him to eat them. clueless asshole in position so high, so far above. He'd change his mind following one black person's account on the twitter. Nah. He's eating lobster in some beautiful paid for resort. 136 Romantic Heretic Jul 10, 2016 * 8:23:35pm down 3 up report Let's hope. I always try to think eventually the goodness in man will win out. Sad part is you always have to go through so much bad to get to the good. We are nowhere near good at this time. Actually there's a lot of good. The problem is what I call 'the turd in the punchbowl effect'. It doesn't take much to make the whole thing unpalatable. 137 BlueSpotinAL Jul 10, 2016 * 8:25:22pm down 1 up report So who's gotten their Citi Costco Visa? I got it and I was ready to transfer from my chase cards. So I started using it as my daily card. I was booking a couple of hotel rooms in Chicago, and the card wouldn't go thru. After a few tries, I called CS. They said I only had a $1000 limit. (and I had an AMEX Costco for years with way more spending per month than the new limit I was given). I have a Citi mortgage, and other Citi products and they still wouldn't up my limit. So as much as they are boasting how much rebates they are gonna give, if they only approve people for so little credit lines, they don't have to pay out a lot rebates. and before anybody tries to say I don't make enough money or have enough assets, believe me I have more than enough. I think its another way that corporate america scams us and tries to rip us off at any oppotuniy available. I have had no problems so far, got a message my limit was X (which is about the same as my previously high Amex limit) after my first payment (it took me a while to figure out that the remaining AMEX bill was part of the current balance on the Costco Visa). It could be a function of what other cards you have. My Costco Visa is the only account I have with with Citi. 138 The Vicious Babushka Jul 10, 2016 * 8:27:14pm down 15 up report Ruth Bader Ginsburg finds New Zealand appealing if Donald Trump becomes president https://t.co/TBGsfzmUly pic.twitter.com/DOwi4K59fD re: #138 The Vicious Babushka This is assuming President-For-Life Trump will let her leave. 140 SteveMcGaziBolaGate RN Jul 10, 2016 * 8:31:02pm down 1 up report re: #138 The Vicious Babushka She damn well better not. If she leaves, that means Trump picks two justices. 141 Stanley Sea Jul 10, 2016 * 8:32:37pm down 3 up report re: #126 The Vicious Babushka HURR HURR HILLARY DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE PREDINEST BECAUSE REASON HURR WHARGLEBARGLE The most incoherent diatribe you will read all day==> [Embedded content] oh, they made her orange. Wonder why. 142 CleverToad Jul 10, 2016 * 8:32:41pm down 1 up report No no no! We'll need her worse than ever if Trump gets in. 143 Stanley Sea Jul 10, 2016 * 8:37:34pm down 3 up report No no no! We'll need her worse than ever if Trump gets in. Talk about a reason to live. 144 GlutenFreeJesus Jul 10, 2016 * 8:40:11pm down 1 up report 145 Reality Based Steve Jul 10, 2016 * 8:40:25pm down 14 up report Night gang, I'm off to bed. Diving today was about what I expected after they got 7 inches of rain in 3 days up there. Bad vis shallow, but better down below the thermoclines around 60 foot or so. Weirdest part was coming up over a ledge into the shallows around 20 foot or so, and there was so much particulate floating in the water and lit by the sun that it was like swimming in a ping-pong ball. Vis was maybe a foot or two, and because light was constant in all directions up, down, left and right you got very disoriented very quickly. Diving with an old buddy who's also a dive master and two new divers, one just got certified last week. Both of them did much better than their experience would suggest, and both learned some good lessons in conditions that were bad, but weren't really threatening. Best part, very good company to be around, we had a lot of fun. I got some practice work in for my upcoming training so that was also appreciated. I"m hoping that the protests that follow will follow the pattern of OK City and Memphis and not Baton Rouge. I hope that all my lizard friends stay safe, warm (but not too hot), and enjoy a nice juicy fly when the oppertunity presents itself. I'm otter here. 146 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 8:40:31pm down 6 up report The Rage Furby couldn't help himself. He's gone public on Facebook again, but he's using his GotNewsDotCom page now. 147 VegasGolfer Jul 10, 2016 * 8:42:17pm down 2 up report 148 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Jul 10, 2016 * 8:42:18pm down 11 up report It took me most of yesterday, but I finally wrote a GotNwes post debunking Chuckie's lies about Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. Thanks to snopes.com , it didn't take as long as usual. As usual, the trouble with Rage Furby, SMOTI and other RWNJs is they know how to package shit to be retweeted and shared widely. By the time sane and honest people manage to debunk their lies, the lies have already become established as RWNJ canon. I paged it , too. 149 Stanley Sea Jul 10, 2016 * 8:42:58pm down 28 up report My kitty, not so new anymore. Is just the piece of work I needed in this life. She's hilarious. She's a tortoise shell, which has a bit of a rep. She'll mew at me for such a long time (with a full bowl of chow) to the point I'm wondering if I'm going to drop down dead in a few. Nah, she's just whack. re: #146 Charles Johnson The Rage Furby couldn't help himself. He's gone public on Facebook again, but he's using his GotNewsDotCom page now. I was waiting to see how long he could last not saying something offensive in either Twitter or Facebook. About a month this time? I'll vote for her twice if she apologizes for this one: [Embedded content] Everything wrong with Armageddon? Apart from the stupid science and a lot of other stuff? The same thing that's wrong with just about every "One Guy Sacrifices Himself For Everyone Else Movie" - people tell him not to. "No, Bruce Willis! Don't sacrifice yourself so all of humanity might survive! Spare yourself, and you can come home to a dead planet where you'll die anyway!" 152 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 8:45:48pm down 1 up report re: #150 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate I was waiting to see how long he could last not saying something offensive in either Twitter or Facebook. About a month this time? Yep, about a month and a half. 153 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Jul 10, 2016 * 8:46:09pm down 5 up report Why does Rage Furby love that burning Hindenburg photo so much? Doesn't he get the connotation that GotNewsDotCom is the airship going down? 154 Tigger2 Jul 10, 2016 * 8:46:19pm down 22 up report Ms. Dowd can be as disrespectful as she wants. Won't change the fact that history will forget her but not him. #PresidentObamaNotBarry 155 Stanley Sea Jul 10, 2016 * 8:48:28pm down 1 up report re: #148 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate It took me most of yesterday, but I finally wrote a GotNwes post debunking Chuckie's lies about Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. Thanks to snopes.com , it didn't take as long as usual. As usual, the trouble with Rage Furby, SMOTI and other RWNJs is they know how to package shit to be retweeted and shared widely. By the time sane and honest people manage to debunk their lies, the lies have already become established as RWNJ canon. I paged it , too. OMG your graphic!!!!!!!!! 156 William Lewis Jul 10, 2016 * 8:48:56pm down 1 up report Good night all. It'll be nice to sleep the night through and know that a certain troll will not be there tomorrow morning stinking the place up. 157 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 8:49:34pm down 7 up report Rage Furby Chuck C. Johnson has gone public on Facebook: https://t.co/s54pvuGAU0 Ranting about suing Twitter again. pic.twitter.com/WxK1CPjYZJ 158 CleverToad Jul 10, 2016 * 8:50:07pm down 6 up report Fire season continues apace in Colorado. The spousal unit just got home awhile ago from taking the kid up for a week at summer camp. Now waiting to hear if the camp will need to be evacuated in the next day or so due to the Hayden Pass fire that's raging a couple of valleys away -- currently at 5000+ acres, 0% containment. They were watching the smoke billow up during the check-in, and hubby came back by a different route than intended to avoid possible detours. Hoping everyone stays safe up there. Hoping the winds don't blow the fire south. It's a very nice, rather old Lutheran summer camp, as in I went there myself in 1969 & 70 and stayed in some of the cabins that are still in use. Would be so hard if they get burned out the same year they finally got to buy the land they've been leasing for all these decades. This is to go with the fires west and north of Denver that Teleskiguy's been posting about. Rocky Mountain summertime. 159 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 8:52:06pm down 4 up report I wonder which civil statute covers suing a company for being "anti-white?" re: #155 Stanley Sea OMG your graphic!!!!!!!!! It's based off one that Rage Furby I think adapted (stole) from one I had used earlier. He conveniently colored his photo blue for me. Chuck's The one I use at GotNwes for "scary {class minority}" articles. 161 plansbandc Jul 10, 2016 * 8:57:45pm down 18 up report Repost from dead thread because I like it. :D 162 teleskiguy Jul 10, 2016 * 8:58:30pm down 7 up report re: #159 Charles Johnson @Green_Footballs You damn fool! UpChuck will be writing the damn case law, for the future of white children, you see? Two eights, yo! I guess I should append a sarc tag here? 163 Stanley Sea Jul 10, 2016 * 9:00:26pm down 5 up report I'm going to sign off. Busy week ahead, I'm going for 9 hours sleep. Everyone should get 9 hrs. 164 teleskiguy Jul 10, 2016 * 9:06:34pm down 2 up report Y'all need to know this if you don't. Dude, Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart is a weird fuckin' album. 165 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Jul 10, 2016 * 9:07:18pm down 2 up report Found on Facebook. Don't mess with armadillos. Texas man shoots armadillo, bullet ricochets back into his face Animal's status unknown because authorities were unable to find it re: #165 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Found on Facebook. Don't mess with armadillos. Texas man shoots armadillo, bullet ricochets back into his face Animal's status unknown because authorities were unable to find it That story is about a year old. I was not aware that armadillo were already ranging into Tennessee until I saw a roadkilled one by the interstate. 167 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge Jul 10, 2016 * 9:14:12pm down 1 up report re: #166 Feline Fearless Leader That story is about a year old. I was not aware that armadillo were already ranging into Tennessee until I saw a roadkilled one by the interstate. Sometime in the '90s we started getting possums here in Washington, most of them like you say, flattened out on the road. I honestly thought they were limited to east of the Mississippi and south of the Ohio. re: #166 Feline Fearless Leader That story is about a year old. I was not aware that armadillo were already ranging into Tennessee until I saw a roadkilled one by the interstate. Sneaky critters, eluding border patrol. Probably trying to steal raccoons' jobs. // 169 calochortus Jul 10, 2016 * 9:17:48pm down 3 up report re: #167 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge We've had possums in CA for many decades, although they're not native. 170 teleskiguy Jul 10, 2016 * 9:26:17pm down 19 up report just want to give it up to all the ladies for not routinely committing mass shootings honestly how do you do it 171 calochortus Jul 10, 2016 * 9:26:57pm down 3 up report Goodnight all. Hasta manana. re: #126 The Vicious Babushka HURR HURR HILLARY DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE PREDINEST BECAUSE REASON HURR WHARGLEBARGLE The most incoherent diatribe you will read all day==> [Embedded content] Wait... I thought the Daily Beast was supposed to be doing the bidding of Chelsea Clinton? 173 Dave In Austin Jul 10, 2016 * 9:36:11pm down 9 up report re: #165 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Found on Facebook. Don't mess with armadillos. Texas man shoots armadillo, bullet ricochets back into his face Animal's status unknown because authorities were unable to find it A story.... I'm working nites at the ol Data Center. Early this morning about 4am, I was making a pot of coffee in the break room and decided to step outside while it brewed. Typically at nite I see skunks working the curb line, a few evenings back I had a family of 7 trash pandas walk by the windows as I had my 2am meal. This morning I saw something moving out in the grass by the curb that was neither skunk not TP. Only 1 thing left in central Texas, Dillo..... I have yet to see one up close. I see dead ones all the time and I think the "Necks" in these part go out of their way to run them down. Lots of Frisbee dillos on the roads around here. Anyway, Dillo is busy foraging in the lawn, his snout is buried to his ears. Poking and rooting, I walked right up to him, he's literally at my feet and still rooting like crazy. I could have snatched him up by the tail but that wasn't my intent. Instead, I just reached out and lightly smacked the rear of its carapace. Dillos head shot up, it made some sort of frightened sound and he was off towards the fence line like a rocket. Strange animal. And the armor they carry is dense and hard. Under the right circumstances and the right angle I could see where if could deflect a low velocity round. Anyway, that was my experience with an armadillo last night. 174 FormerDirtDart Jul 10, 2016 * 9:41:39pm down 10 up report don't look now but the last few days have even Brietbart reporters woke. Yes, that Brietbart pic.twitter.com/auamwlm4Uq this is what Brietbart wrote about me when @ryanjreilly and I were charged for our Ferguson arrests pic.twitter.com/CM4ef2XHqm 175 retired cynic Jul 10, 2016 * 9:42:54pm down 1 up report re: #166 Feline Fearless Leader I read that local law enforcement figured he'd made some booboo with his gun, and made up the armadillo part to make it look somewhat better. Sounds about right! 176 Jenner7 Jul 10, 2016 * 9:44:38pm down 6 up report Such a contrast between Dallas PD, posing and engaging with protesters, and LA PD responding in riot gear, arresting people for no reason. It's so simple. Give respect to the community, and they will respond in kind. But come out looking for a fight, you'll get one. 177 jaunte Jul 10, 2016 * 9:45:02pm down 11 up report Overland Park police officer fired over Facebook threat to Dallas woman https://t.co/AqzEGTapDQ -- Kari Hope ( @TyJuanOn ) July 11, 2016 [Williams] had posted pictures of her young daughter, India, onto Facebook and the man wrote: "We'll see how much her life matters soon.. better be careful leaving your info open where she can be found :) hold her close tonight, it'll be the last time." 178 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 9:51:00pm down 4 up report As someone with experience with Stranahan, I don't believe this for a second. @WesleyLowery @WesleyLowery @EmptyCircle That's good - but it's a huge mistake to give someone like Stranahan the benefit of the doubt, IMO. Any "fervor" he's showing is faked. He's got an ulterior motive, guaranteed. @SouthShoreTwit @WesleyLowery 179 austin_blue Jul 10, 2016 * 9:51:52pm down 5 up report re: #173 Dave In Austin A story.... I'm working nites at the ol Data Center. Early this morning about 4am, I was making a pot of coffee in the break room and decided to step outside while it brewed. Typically at nite I see skunks working the curb line, a few evenings back I had a family of 7 trash pandas walk by the windows as I had my 2am meal. This morning I saw something moving out in the grass by the curb that was neither skunk not TP. Only 1 thing left in central Texas, Dillo..... I have yet to see one up close. I see dead ones all the time and I think the "Necks" in these part go out of their way to run them down. Lots of Frisbee dillos on the roads around here. Anyway, Dillo is busy foraging in the lawn, his snout is buried to his ears. Poking and rooting, I walked right up to him, he's literally at my feet and still rooting like crazy. I could have snatched him up by the tail but that wasn't my intent. Instead, I just reached out and lightly smacked the rear of its carapace. Dillos head shot up, it made some sort of frightened sound and he was off towards the fence line like a rocket. Strange animal. And the armor they carry is dense and hard. Under the right circumstances and the right angle I could see where if could deflect a low velocity round. Anyway, that was my experience with an armadillo last night. You're lucky you didn't get faced. In general, when a 'dillo gets surprised, it's defense mechanism is to jump vertically about three feet, straight up. This is generally effective in a rural desert environment, but disastrous when scared by a Peter-car while crossing a highway. I've got one living under my laundry shed here in South Austin. Can't see shit, has fantastic hearing, and when upset, is as fast as a little organic tank-like object can be. 180 majii Jul 10, 2016 * 9:53:00pm down 9 up report It takes someone with a depraved personality to attack a a helpless, innocent child no matter the child's race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, etc. 181 FormerDirtDart Jul 10, 2016 * 9:53:17pm down 6 up report Anarchists Almost as loathsome as Illinois Nazis 182 Dave In Austin Jul 10, 2016 * 9:57:16pm down 2 up report re: #179 austin_blue You're lucky you didn't get faced. In general, when a 'dillo gets surprised, it's defense mechanism is to jump vertically about three feet, straight up. This is generally effective in a rural desert environment, but disastrous when scared by a Peter-car while crossing a highway. I've got one living under my laundry shed here in South Austin. Can't see shit, has fantastic hearing, and when upset, is as fast as a little organic tank-like object can be. I work over by the airport where I saw this one. I live out near Jonestown in the country and have never seen one, and I have a huge yard and garden. Plenty of trash pandas and fox but no skunks or dillos. 183 austin_blue Jul 10, 2016 * 9:58:01pm down 9 up report It takes someone with a depraved personality to attack a a helpless, innocent child no matter the child's race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, etc. No, that is a full-blown clinical sociopath in a police uniform. It's important to make clear definitions of what the threat is, and that man needs to to be fired and shunned for the societal threat that he surely is. 184 jaunte Jul 10, 2016 * 9:59:54pm down 15 up report Kansas cop fired for threatening random Dallas woman's 5-year-old daughter on Facebook https://t.co/s7B1k6Gdl5 pic.twitter.com/QprUi2RE6c 187 retired cynic Jul 10, 2016 * 10:03:09pm down 4 up report Sick. Not Dave in Austin, but the ex-cop outside Kansas City.... 188 majii Jul 10, 2016 * 10:06:01pm down 8 up report re: #183 austin_blue I chose the adjective concerning his behavior carefully because I didn't want to draw a conclusion about the guy since I don't know him. I do know, though, that he should never be employed in any job in which he has contact with the public since it's obvious that he does not believe in treating everyone he comes into contact with with respect. What angers me most about what he did is that he attacked a defenseless child, the child of a woman who didn't even know him. 189 austin_blue Jul 10, 2016 * 10:08:33pm down 4 up report re: #182 Dave In Austin I work over by the airport where I saw this one. I live out near Jonestown in the country and have never seen one, and I have a huge yard and garden. Plenty of trash pandas and fox but no skunks or dillos. I'm surprised! We've got both red and grey foxes, 'coons (duh), 'possums, and 'dillos here in Bouldin. The odd coyote, white tail, and skunk have been spotted, but rarely. And one morning I woke up and found a dead six-foot no shit Western Diamondback (the justifiably feared Crotalus Atrox in front of my house. Oh, and a flock of peacocks live at the Green Pasture's restaurant. They're a hoot. 190 retired cynic Jul 10, 2016 * 10:10:59pm down 4 up report re: #189 austin_blue ... dead six-foot no shit Western Diamondback (the justifiably feared Crotalus Atrox in front of my house. Nope. 191 TedStriker Jul 10, 2016 * 10:12:24pm down 6 up report re: #189 austin_blue I'm surprised! We've got both red and grey foxes, 'coons (duh), 'possums, and 'dillos here in Bouldin. The odd coyote, white tail, and skunk have been spotted, but rarely. And one morning I woke up and found a dead six-foot no shit Western Diamondback (the justifiably feared Crotalus Atrox in front of my house. Oh, and a flock of peacocks live at the Green Pasture's restaurant. They're a hoot. 192 austin_blue Jul 10, 2016 * 10:12:50pm down 3 up report re: #188 majii I chose the adjective concerning his behavior carefully because I didn't want to draw a conclusion about the guy since I don't know him. I do know, though, that he should never be employed in any job in which he has contact with the public since it's obvious that he does not believe in treating everyone he comes into contact with with respect. What angers me most about what he did is that he attacked a defenseless child, the child of a woman who didn't even know him. Exactly. Imagine the mind that could put those letters together and then post it. That's a classic sociopath. Not a shred of empathy in that human's soul. Just bug-shit crazy. 193 Kragar Jul 10, 2016 * 10:16:59pm down 8 up report #ConservativeBecause I believe in one true GOD! His name is Glortho and he lives in a lake. re: #189 austin_blue I got Coral snakes..... No Rattlers (yet). Lots of coral snakes... 195 retired cynic Jul 10, 2016 * 10:18:29pm down 1 up report re: #194 Dave In Austin I got Coral snakes..... No Rattlers (yet). Lots of coral snakes... Nope. Absolutely not! (Of course, we have copperheads and a few rattlers, but I encourage black snakes!) 196 austin_blue Jul 10, 2016 * 10:23:24pm down 3 up report [Embedded content] We had a twelve inch rain two days before. I took pictures of the rattler and e-mailed them to a herpetologist I knew at UT. He said that they are are very territorial and rarely move more than a couple of miles from where they are born. He suspected that the flooding pushed the snake into the Colorado River from the Wild Basin Nature Preserve and it came back on shore near West Bouldin creek where it was looking for someplace that resembled home when it got gushed in front of my house. NB: Someone had already cut the rattles off of it by the time I found it. In later conversation, my neighbor (the late and dear) Judy Fowler (RIP) said she had walked her dogs down the street 15 minutes before I found the serpent corpse. Everybody got lucky. 197 teleskiguy Jul 10, 2016 * 10:23:26pm down 3 up report 198 Lidane Jul 10, 2016 * 10:38:46pm down 5 up report re: #194 Dave In Austin I got Coral snakes..... No Rattlers (yet). Lots of coral snakes... A friend of mine who recently moved out to the Bellville area posted an image on her FB today of a snake her dogs killed. She wanted to know what it was. It was a coral. 199 teleskiguy Jul 10, 2016 * 10:40:38pm down 5 up report . @DweezilZappa kills it at all times on stage. Them pants are fantastic! RT @McLSucks : @umphreysmcgee pic.twitter.com/odPccBVKTe Apparently those are pants that Frank used to wear and Dweezil found them later. He's playing "Muffin Man" in this photo, or close to it. 200 Dave In Austin Jul 10, 2016 * 10:41:14pm down 2 up report re: #198 Lidane A friend of mine who recently moved out to the Bellville area posted an image on her FB today of a snake her dogs killed. She wanted to know what it was. It was a coral. I probably relocate 2 a year off my place. If you have lots of brown earth snakes, there will be corals about. That's there primary food. 201 austin_blue Jul 10, 2016 * 10:44:43pm down 6 up report re: #194 Dave In Austin I got Coral snakes..... No Rattlers (yet). Lots of coral snakes... The lovely thing about coral snakes is that they are jewel-toned cobras and that you really have to really fuck up to get one of them to get their death juice in you. They have short, fixed fangs and they will invariably flee. The bad things about coral snakes is that if you are stupid enough to get bitten, you've got an hour or so to live. Scarlet king snakes are their natural mimics, for defense from predators. "Red touch yellow, kill a fellow, red touch black, a friend of Jack." I've only seen two Corals since I moved here, both 4-footers in the Barton Creek green belt. Beautiful creatures. Oddly enough, I've never seen a scarlet king snake in Austin. 202 Dave In Austin Jul 10, 2016 * 10:50:04pm down 2 up report re: #201 austin_blue I don't think Scarlet kings are endemic to the area. I've seen them in the pines in Az. I think there are some other types down by the valley. That also got big indigos down there. 203 austin_blue Jul 10, 2016 * 10:51:46pm down 3 up report Apparently those are pants that Frank used to wear and Dweezil found them later. He's playing "Muffin Man" in this photo, or close to it. I've got a copy of Zappa doing the "Muffin Man" at the Armadillo on CD. The intro is Proustian stream o' consciousness and hilarious. 204 Dave In Austin Jul 10, 2016 * 11:01:52pm down 1 up report I swear, "Preacher" on AMC is bizarro world. re: #204 Dave In Austin I swear, "Preacher" on AMC is bizarro world. I watched the first episode, and decided it was not my cup of tea. More interested in watching Dark Matter season 2. 206 Dave In Austin Jul 10, 2016 * 11:16:20pm down 1 up report Is that Netflix? 207 Nyet Jul 10, 2016 * 11:21:31pm down 1 up report Hey, wheatdog, I noticed that Chucky's page has changed - earlier he referenced an alleged post saying "Merry Cripmas" or something like that, it's no longer there. Was it fake? 208 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 11:24:31pm down 10 up report I haven't gone silent at all. There's video. When he pulled the gun nobody was near him, you pathetic liar. @ProgsToday 209 Nyet Jul 10, 2016 * 11:24:33pm down 6 up report Meanwhile I see that the time-outed troll (who has no future here, so that better be a permanent time-out) has lost ~1000 karma points in one day. Must be some sort of a record. 210 austin_blue Jul 10, 2016 * 11:24:50pm down 3 up report re: #202 Dave In Austin I don't think Scarlet kings are endemic to the area. I've seen them in the pines in Az. I think there are some other types down by the valley. That also got big indigos down there. Probably right. More of a west Texas snake. Still, interesting that the vast majority of ringed snakes in the US mimic Corals. Exceptions are the king snakes that don't overlap the coral's range. When I was in pilot training in Del Rio, I caught and cataloged a seven foot, six inch Indigo in Quemado. Gorgeous animal. Upset, but didn't strike once. Got the numbers, released it, no hoo-hoo. Yep. I'm a herp geek. Once had the record for an Eastern Milk Snake in Virginia at 50". I was 14 in 1970. Later that year I got nailed by a Copperhead. Stepped on it in autumn leaves (hunting snakes). If you have never been snake-bit, or given birth, you have no idea what pain is. It's like a glue gun stuffing napalm into the back of your calf. It's just relentless agony. Fortunately, Bethesda was only thirty minutes away. My dad was commanding VMFA-314 in Chu Lai, my mom was frantic, and my lymph system looked like someone had taken yellow highlighters to the insides of may arms, legs, armpits, and groin. 211 teleskiguy Jul 10, 2016 * 11:25:52pm down 2 up report 212 Charles Johnson Jul 10, 2016 * 11:27:40pm down 9 up report Here's unpublished photo of Strickland threatening #BLM rally w/ gun, credit Aaron Liu. @Green_Footballs pic.twitter.com/ZDIOeZkkcz Space, Canadian scifi channel 214 Nyet Jul 10, 2016 * 11:31:32pm down 1 up report Charles, you're still here, so I wanted to bring a small issue to your attention: in a "pop-up" comment window the link at the comment number is not complete. E.g. if I go to the comment #210 above and click on the #202 button, the link in the window will be littlegreenfootballs.com Is that Netflix? Sorry. It's also on SyFy. re: #207 Nyet Hey, wheatdog, I noticed that Chucky's page has changed - earlier he referenced an alleged post saying "Happy Cripmas" or something like that, it's no longer there. Was it fake? Gotnooz still has it. I am pretty sure it was Castile cracking a joke with a friend or a cousin, but who knows? Anyway, it's irrelevant, except to Chuckie who would probably shit his pants if a real Crip said boo to him. 216 majii Jul 10, 2016 * 11:38:11pm down 3 up report re: #208 Charles Johnson Shouldn't those at Progressives Today stay off Twitter and be trying to raise the money for Michael Strickland's bail? Since they're not, I'm going to assume that they really don't give a d*mn that his *ss is locked up and can't get out. He's been a very useful idiot for their cause. 217 Dave In Austin Jul 10, 2016 * 11:38:18pm down 4 up report re: #210 austin_blue We should get coffee (or something stronger) sometime. I had a box of what ever I found under a log in the garage since I was 4. Herps are a 1st line fascination for me, always have been always will be. I finally got my neighbors to quit killing the rat snakes where I live. What is it about Texans and snakes anyway? I've never come across so many pussy's in all my life. I'm thinking it must be something biblical. 218 Nyet Jul 10, 2016 * 11:38:37pm down 1 up report re: #215 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Sorry. It's also on SyFy. Gotnooz still has it. I am pretty sure it was Castile cracking a joke with a friend or a cousin, but who knows? Anyway, it's irrelevant, except to Chuckie who would probably shit his pants if a real Crip said boo to him. Oops, sorry, turns out it's at the very beginning, so I pretty much scrolled down without noticing it. It doesn't matter in terms of the shooting, but it does matter in terms of whether snopes is good with their debunking. 219 teleskiguy Jul 10, 2016 * 11:42:11pm down 2 up report This Facebook post showed up and was scaled correctly in the comment. I embedded the *embed* code. Facebook is weird and whack-a-doodle with their code because they can be. They're the ones with a billion users. And their little nickel-and-dime code bullshit is what it is, total bullshit. They see something like Charles making it easy to post FACEBOOK posts to his own website and FACEBOOK says "we need to make it hard and what the fuck" and I'm all like WHAT THE FUCK?!? Charles is trying to help you, you weirdos! This comment just reeks of Val-Speak. They are showing some of the flooding in China. Is this affecting you? 222 fern01 Jul 10, 2016 * 11:50:39pm down 7 up report re: #37 Skip Intro And I really wish Obama wasn't going to Dallas this week. For many reasons, I also wish he would not go. Too many memories, too much rah rah rah of LE and it is time someone else took over the mourner in chief position. Maybe the GOP in congress could head down there to see what they have wrought. 223 austin_blue Jul 10, 2016 * 11:53:21pm down 2 up report re: #217 Dave In Austin We should get coffee (or something stronger) sometime. I had a box of what ever I found under a log in the garage since I was 4. Herps are a 1st line fascination for me, always have been always will be. I finally got my neighbors to quit killing the rat snakes where I live. What is it about Texans and snakes anyway? I've never come across so many pussy's in all my life. I'm thinking it must be something biblical. Ah, it's Texas. People would rather kill rat snakes than get rid of the wood rats living in their attics.Genesis, dontcha know. Snakes is eeevilll. But please, let's get together the next time you wander into The Big City from Jonestown. Many a Pub available in South Austin for a friendly pint. 224 austin_blue Jul 10, 2016 * 11:57:59pm down 5 up report re: #222 fern01 For many reasons, I also wish he would not go. Too many memories, too much rah rah rah of LE and it is time someone else took over the mourner in chief position. Maybe the GOP in congress could head down there to see what they have wrought. That will never happen. The GOP has no standing. They are the instigators, at a very fundamental level. I don't think the POTUS has a choice. The situation is fraught, and he must speak. Let's just hope that whatever grassy knolls nearby are secured. Seriously. 225 Nyet Jul 11, 2016 * 12:00:12am down 3 up report I notice that while the 2nd amdt. states that the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, it says nothing about any right to manufacture and import arms and ammunition. If it were up to me, the gun problem would be solved within a few decades without infringing on the 2nd amdt. rights. ;) half-/ 226 teleskiguy Jul 11, 2016 * 12:07:38am down 2 up report Hey, @DweezilZappa ! I gotta pick this up, right? pic.twitter.com/mtjTDl2nkC 227 fern01 Jul 11, 2016 * 12:10:08am down 5 up report re: #224 austin_blue That will never happen. The GOP has no standing. They are the instigators, at a very fundamental level. I don't think the POTUS has a choice. The situation is fraught, and he must speak. Let's just hope that whatever grassy knolls nearby are secured. Seriously. He has a choice - he always chooses to do what is right rather than what is best for himself. His security detail will earn their salary many times over on Tuesday. 228 Ia! Ia! Trump Ftaghn! (nee Sophist) Jul 11, 2016 * 12:10:32am down 5 up report re: #175 retired cynic I read that local law enforcement figured he'd made some booboo with his gun, and made up the armadillo part to make it look somewhat better. Sounds about right! The fact that he shot at an armadillo doesn't mean he hit the armadillo. Odds are the ricochet was off a couple rocks, and he has an inflated sense of his own marksmanship skills. They are showing some of the flooding in China. Is this affecting you? Not in my city, but in the towns closer to the Yangtze there are some real problems. One of my students, who comes from Anhui province to the east, says the government deliberately released water from the dams to minimize flooding in Hunan and Hubei, which meant Anhui bore the worst of it. Anhui is a poorer province than Hunan, so she says poor people get the shaft. Not sure if the water release part is true, but I can believe it. 230 Dave In Austin Jul 11, 2016 * 12:35:55am down 2 up report re: #229 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate It seems it's always the same the world over. Be safe. re: #230 Dave In Austin It seems it's always the same the world over. Be safe. Thanks. 232 Dave In Austin Jul 11, 2016 * 12:40:48am down 0 up report J1N4WQBEw3c6ymw4cR5oBsZYWeeisxeIx7WvhOeO0I5nvZoVweeO5C18pwVHWU2KT+jdD1X9R9zDvtxcPvC6ehN0uEZlrDHhD1cyjRlTSiprxaKbk08dlhvVLxmbWnoz2nFPYRznd/k/aQfMUmsoM0MCQIs78vs07Reop2aqNtlwFJZRIVup/P+Odz+seHQRi7fq6FHEAwX8Nk5kUjGWvacigX6KYjtbpAGr2PAYREId9aT6XyAvzWDXnK7bRPS9 233 Nyet Jul 11, 2016 * 12:52:20am down 7 up report Real quote from a brogressive at c99: Former Democrats are linking/quoting National Review and Fox News to each other - You made us do it, DNC! 234 Nyet Jul 11, 2016 * 12:56:46am down 5 up report I think probably a lot of us would happily settle for unbiased news sources accurately reporting actual investigative reporting regarding things which affect us or should, especially in areas we'd otherwise be unlikely to hear about. At any rate, it seems to me that 'right-wing' is now basically a term for pathological corporate culture propaganda while 'left wing' is simply sane and sustainable. Although for the first time, I am, as you've pointed out, reading some FOX stuff and, bizarrely, even something from Breitbart?! without snickering and making faces at the screen. Never thought I'd see the day... She wouldn't stop and think just where her hatred of Hillary brought her... 235 Nyet Jul 11, 2016 * 1:01:54am down 4 up report Agreed, they are absolutely not our "friends"... At best they are allies of convenience. It is unforuntate though that currently we have to rely on some pretty unsavory people to be our allies. Also, very enlightening. 236 Nyet Jul 11, 2016 * 1:10:00am down 3 up report Chomsky not pure enough for them: that really surprised me... i have a hard time featuring someone who identifies as something of an anarchist urging people to vote for a neoliberal warmonger. i would have hoped that he would have gotten behind a real people's uprising and used his gravitas to push hard for it. perhaps he has just run out of optimism about the american public. 237 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 1:16:38am down 1 up report re: #126 The Vicious Babushka HURR HURR HILLARY DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE PREDINEST BECAUSE REASON HURR WHARGLEBARGLE The most incoherent diatribe you will read all day==> There is something behind this argument, namely that if the GOP had been able to nominate anyone of any stature, Hillary would not be the favored candidate right now. But they didn't, and that should say enough in itself... 238 austin_blue Jul 11, 2016 * 1:22:10am down 4 up report re: #225 Nyet I notice that while the 2nd amdt. states that the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, it says nothing about any right to manufacture and import arms and ammunition. If it were up to me, the gun problem would be solved within a few decades without infringing on the 2nd amdt. rights. ;) half-/ Welp, it seems to me that the problems is bullets. The second amendment guaranteed the arms at the time, which were single shot pistols and rifles. I have no problems there. In the 1930's regulations on machine guns were instituted, which have passed muster from the SCOTUS ever since. The problem today is magazines and clips. In WW2, the M1 30.06 semi-automatic rifle had an 8-round en bloc clip. We beat the Nazis. An officer's field weapon was a .45 semi-automatic pistol with a 7-round magazine. We beat the Japanese. My dad was born and grew up in Denver in the 20's/30's. He was a hunter and fisherman before he went to war. My first gun was a single-shot .410 shotgun for pheasant shooting. Back then, pheasants could actually be flushed with dogs. I spent my first shooting day pounding the shit out of my 10-year old shoulder. Late in the day, my dad sat behind me and explained how to lead a bird. One of the dogs flushed one and my dad pulled the trigger over my finger, leading the bird correctly, and the bird fell. The next day, I got three birds in six shots. I eventually graduated to larger guns. We went elk hunting and I used a Remington 700 chambered for 30.06. My dad was clear that if you couldn't make a kill with two rounds you were a shit hunter. Now we have the modern age where shooters have the opportunity to duct-tape three thirty round magazines to each other, decreasing reloading time to two seconds or less. If all internal and external magazines and clips were limited to eight rounds, and possession of clips, or magazines larger than this resulted in an automatic felony conviction resulting in two years in the Federal graybar hotel, do you think this would help? Or we should go Full Australia? 239 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 1:24:46am down 2 up report re: #189 austin_blue I'm surprised! We've got both red and grey foxes, 'coons (duh), 'possums, and 'dillos here in Bouldin. The odd coyote, white tail, and skunk have been spotted, but rarely. And one morning I woke up and found a dead six-foot no shit Western Diamondback (the justifiably feared Crotalus Atrox in front of my house. Oh, and a flock of peacocks live at the Green Pasture's restaurant. They're a hoot. We were just reminiscing about seeing a fox running around in downtown Frankfurt, Germany, last year. Granted, it is surrounded by an extensive green belt, but this was right in the middle of town in front of the opera. 240 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge Jul 11, 2016 * 1:42:30am down 5 up report re: #209 Nyet Meanwhile I see that the time-outed troll (who has no future here, so that better be a permanent time-out) has lost ~1000 karma points in one day. Must be some sort of a record. But how will we get along without his wisdom to enlighten us? Let's see...The invasion of Japan would never have happened anyway, so the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the greatest crimes in history, but when the Israelis nuke somebody, that'll be OK because to suggest otherwise would be anti-semitism. And anybody who wears red or blue are risking getting killed by the Crips or the Bloods respectively. Did I miss any of his hobby-horses? 241 Nyet Jul 11, 2016 * 1:45:32am down 1 up report re: #240 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge but when the Israelis nuke somebody, that'll be OK because to suggest otherwise would be anti-semitism Wow, I missed it. Did he really say it? 242 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge Jul 11, 2016 * 1:48:13am down 4 up report Wow, I missed it. Did he really say it? No, no, that's my extrapolation because everything seems to be anti-semitism. He does seem to think that anything Israel does to "defend themselves" is legit, though. 243 Nyet Jul 11, 2016 * 1:49:19am down 4 up report re: #242 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge And anybody who critiques any policy is a new Hitler. 244 Alyosha Jul 11, 2016 * 1:50:04am down 7 up report Tonight: Host of 'The Dangerous Faggot' tour Milo Yiannopoulos. 7pm on @theboltreport @SkyNewsAust @Nero https://t.co/sVa1NB7gA6 245 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge Jul 11, 2016 * 1:50:19am down 4 up report To be fair, the only one I was awake to participate in was the atomic bomb/Japanese invasion one--I just read the others after the fact. Seems to be a very sensitive soul.... 246 Nyet Jul 11, 2016 * 1:50:58am down 5 up report 247 Nyet Jul 11, 2016 * 1:52:08am down 4 up report "Pro-freedom", uh huh. Except for Muslims. 248 Ia! Ia! Trump Ftaghn! (nee Sophist) Jul 11, 2016 * 1:53:28am down 8 up report Agreed, they are absolutely not our "friends"... At best they are allies of convenience. It is unforuntate though that currently we have to rely on some pretty unsavory people to be our allies. "I'll never vote for Hillary! Working with people who don't live up to your moral standards in order to defeat even worse people is not an acceptable course of action. So, in order to defeat Hillary, we're going to have to work with some pretty unsavory... ...wait a minute..." 249 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 1:54:01am down 6 up report And anybody who critiques any policy is a new Hitler. and don't forget that odd subset of Fundamentalists who think all Jews are going to hell unless they find Jesus, but still need Israel in order to fulfill their Biblical End Times prophecies... 250 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge Jul 11, 2016 * 1:56:07am down 7 up report And anybody who critiques any policy is a new Hitler. When I lost it and flounced from Pharyngula , there was this one constantly-morphing asshole (who never got called on morphing I guess because he always followed his 'nym with AUM in the Devanagari script) who was just the most sanctimonious sonofabitch I've ever seen online. He was gay, so disagreeing with him in any way was homophobia. In fact agreeing with him with insufficient fervor made you worse than Hitler. Every thread would be dominated by his tedious moralizing. I think our boy here was aspiring to a similar position. 251 Ia! Ia! Trump Ftaghn! (nee Sophist) Jul 11, 2016 * 2:00:02am down 3 up report re: #238 austin_blue The second amendment guaranteed the arms at the time, which were single shot pistols and rifles. This is a poor argument, since they can just respond by asking if the 1st Amendment only applies to methods of free speech available it the time. I'd say a better argument is that it only specifies that people be able to keep and bear arms, and not that they get to choose what those arms are. Can you in fact buy, keep and carry a selection of revolvers and bolt action rifles? Then congrats, your right to keep and bear is intact. We'll just be putting all these detachable magazine fed semi-automatics into a furnace now. 252 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 2:02:19am down 3 up report re: #251 Donnie With The Good Hair (AKA Sophist) This is a poor argument, since they can just respond by asking if the 1st Amendment only applies to methods of free speech available it the time. I'd say a better argument is that it only specifies that people be able to keep and bear arms, and not that they get to choose what those arms are. Can you in fact buy, keep and carry a selection of revolvers and bolt action rifles? Then congrats, your right to keep and bear is intact. We'll just be putting all these detachable magazine fed semi-automatics into a furnace now. What part of "Well regulated militia" do you folks not understand? All of it, obviously. 253 Timothy Watson Jul 11, 2016 * 2:02:30am down 8 up report re: #245 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge To be fair, the only one I was awake to participate in was the atomic bomb/Japanese invasion one--I just read the others after the fact. Seems to be a very sensitive soul.... He was too boring to actually engage, so I just downdinged him and moved down the thread the other night/morning. I hope I've never acted anyway as obnoxious (at least since I was a teenager) as he was acting the other night/morning. The condescending and insulting way he was talking to CL really pissed me off for one. 254 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge Jul 11, 2016 * 2:05:16am down 6 up report re: #251 Donnie With The Good Hair (AKA Sophist) This is a poor argument, since they can just respond by asking if the 1st Amendment only applies to methods of free speech available it the time. I'd say a better argument is that it only specifies that people be able to keep and bear arms, and not that they get to choose what those arms are. Can you in fact buy, keep and carry a selection of revolvers and bolt action rifles? Then congrats, your right to keep and bear is intact. We'll just be putting all these detachable magazine fed semi-automatics into a furnace now. My argument is that "Arms...necessary to the security of a free State" nowadays might very well include ICBMs with MIRVed warheads. Does anyone advocate everyone being able to "keep and bear" them? No? Then obviously the 2nd Amendment has nothing to do with individual ownership of arms, which is obvious anyway from its clear text. 255 Timothy Watson Jul 11, 2016 * 2:05:31am down 6 up report re: #252 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State ... There's also the fact that the bolded part of the Second Amendment quoted above has been shown by history to be factually wrong. The militia was useless during the War of 1812. Militia members cut and ran at the earliest opportunity during engagements, and most members didn't bother to maintain the arms they were suppose to. 256 Ia! Ia! Trump Ftaghn! (nee Sophist) Jul 11, 2016 * 2:05:36am down 2 up report re: #252 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) What part of "Well regulated militia" do you folks not understand? All of it, obviously. The part where the Supreme Court rendered that portion of the amendment effectively moot by declaring bearing arms an individual right? 257 Nyet Jul 11, 2016 * 2:08:18am down 5 up report re: #250 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge As for Pharyngla, I soured on PZ and his constant preachiness. 258 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge Jul 11, 2016 * 2:08:19am down 4 up report re: #255 Timothy Watson There's also the fact that the bolded part of the Second Amendment quoted above has been shown by history to be factually wrong. The militia was useless during the War of 1812. Militia members cut and ran at the earliest opportunity during engagements, and most members didn't bother to maintain the arms they were suppose to. George Washington was quite irate at the worthlessness of the "Three-Dollar Militia" during the Revolution, too. They'd enlist, collect their $3, desert, enlist, and so on and so on.... 259 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge Jul 11, 2016 * 2:13:31am down 4 up report re: #256 Donnie With The Good Hair (AKA Sophist) The part where the Supreme Court rendered that portion of the amendment effectively moot by declaring bearing arms an individual right? It may be an individual right, who knows? But if so, the 2nd Amendment has nothing to say about it, and anybody who thinks it does can't read--I'm looking at you, Fat Tony. 260 Nyet Jul 11, 2016 * 2:17:48am down 1 up report re: #259 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge Well, this seems doubtful to me. I'm not going to engage in a lengthy debate, since I have to go away now anyhoo, but strictly from the POV of language, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State," is a purely informational clause. It doesn't put, linguistically, any restraints on "the right of the people to keep and bear arms". 261 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 2:18:00am down 2 up report re: #256 Donnie With The Good Hair (AKA Sophist) The part where the Supreme Court rendered that portion of the amendment effectively moot by declaring bearing arms an individual right? There is a difference between an individual right and an unlimited, God-given right, and that is how the NRA is selling it. 262 Nyet Jul 11, 2016 * 2:20:05am down 1 up report IOW, the 2nd amdt. contains a logical non sequitur. But that's neither here, nor there for determining whether the right is individual or not. 263 Timothy Watson Jul 11, 2016 * 2:24:48am down 3 up report [Embedded content] He was being "menaced" by a "violent mob" of photographers? 264 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge Jul 11, 2016 * 2:28:10am down 5 up report re: #263 Timothy Watson He was being "menaced" by a "violent mob" of photographers? Maybe they were taking videos of him with their phones in portrait mode. That is annoying.... 265 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge Jul 11, 2016 * 2:50:47am down 6 up report re: #260 Nyet Well, this seems doubtful to me. I'm not going to engage in a lengthy debate, since I have to go away now anyhoo, but strictly from the POV of language, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State," is a purely informational clause. It doesn't put, linguistically, any restraints on "the right of the people to keep and bear arms". I find it hard to believe that they wrote one sentence where one half is just random blathering that has nothing to do with the other half. "Bananas being the highest in potassium of all fruits, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed"? 266 Shiplord Kirel Jul 11, 2016 * 2:59:07am down 4 up report I've seen the armored Baton Rouge cops compared to imperial storm troopers, but does anyone else think they also look like Ninja Turtles? 267 Dave In Austin Jul 11, 2016 * 3:38:19am down 2 up report OK........ Lets call it. Who will the Golden Yam select for his 2nd?? I say Pence because True Conservative, Blah Blah Blah. And if Donny get his tit in a ringer, and he will eventually. Republicans have their yes man already in place. 268 Alyosha Jul 11, 2016 * 3:53:03am down 1 up report re: #266 Shiplord Kirel I've seen the armored Baton Rouge cops compared to imperial storm troopers, but does anyone else think they also look like Ninja Turtles? I see up-armoured Foot Clan. 269 Alyosha Jul 11, 2016 * 3:57:00am down 7 up report Good mornin', ladies and gentlemen, boys and mothafuckin' girls. The Bernie Sanders Experience is officially over: pic.twitter.com/ffZj0yY0gb 270 Ming5000 Jul 11, 2016 * 3:58:14am down 0 up report So who's gotten their Citi Costco Visa? I got it and I was ready to transfer from my chase cards. So I started using it as my daily card. I am in the same boat, but I will not use the Citi card. I used Citi once in the far past and have a bad taste in my mouth about them. patooie. 271 Dave In Austin Jul 11, 2016 * 3:59:31am down 0 up report Whats the deal with the Costco card? 272 freetoken Jul 11, 2016 * 4:12:04am down 3 up report re: #255 Timothy Watson There's also the fact that the bolded part of the Second Amendment quoted above has been shown by history to be factually wrong. The militia was useless during the War of 1812. Militia members cut and ran at the earliest opportunity during engagements, and most members didn't bother to maintain the arms they were suppose to. But... but... but... I thought the founding US documents were from God. How could they have been in error??? 273 freetoken Jul 11, 2016 * 4:25:18am down 2 up report 274 Ia! Ia! Trump Ftaghn! (nee Sophist) Jul 11, 2016 * 4:26:28am down 5 up report [Embedded content] The Bernouts will be bereft, aghast, disconsolate. The cries of "betrayal" and "disloyalty" will be deafening. I mean, more so than usual. 275 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 4:26:53am down 1 up report you have the qualities of a pheasant... 276 Tigger2 Jul 11, 2016 * 4:28:14am down 2 up report re: #274 Ia! Ia! Trump Ftaghn! (nee Sophist) Yeah it will be sweet to hear, I have no respect for the hardcore bernouts at all. 277 Emptor scriptor Remorse Jul 11, 2016 * 4:34:43am down 1 up report 278 Tigger2 Jul 11, 2016 * 4:51:04am down 5 up report @DHBerman Why doesn't the GOP just stay out of peoples personal business. -- jim ( @jlcoffeecup ) July 11, 2016 279 freetoken Jul 11, 2016 * 4:57:16am down 5 up report I see that nationalist-anthropology is still in vogue in China: The stone tool cultures, as well as the large volume of ancient human fossils unearthed in China, suggested the modern day Chinese was the result of a seamless evolution in the region. Though the arrival of the African migrants might have introduced some new genes, no replacement or massive extinction had happened, according to Wu and colleagues. The bolded part is the nationalist part. It runs contra to what the DNA shows, which is, that modern inhabitants of China are close relatives to the rest of Eurasians (and native Americans.) Indeed, the reason Denisovan admixture can be detected in East Asians is because the rest of East Asian DNA is so like the rest of the Eurasians and Sub-Saharan Africans, while the Denisovan DNA comes from a lineage which separated from that of us modern humans by about 10x back farther into the past. This nationalist version of human evolution has stuck around China for a long time. 280 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 5:08:39am down 6 up report I see that nationalist-anthropology is still in vogue in China: The bolded part is the nationalist part. It runs contra to what the DNA shows, which is, that modern inhabitants of China are close relatives to the rest of Eurasians (and native Americans.) Indeed, the reason Denisovan admixture can be detected in East Asians is because the rest of East Asian DNA is so like the rest of the Eurasians and Sub-Saharan Africans, while the Denisovan DNA comes from a lineage which separated from that of us modern humans by about 10x back farther into the past. This nationalist version of human evolution has stuck around China for a long time. And the Japanese still refuse to allow any archaeological digs at the tombs of their first Emperors, ostensibly out of respect for their ancestors, but mostly to keep from uncovering the fact that their line of Emperors probably descended from Koreans... 281 Ia! Ia! Trump Ftaghn! (nee Sophist) Jul 11, 2016 * 5:10:26am down 3 up report [Embedded content] "We still think you ought to be discriminated against, but we're not currently asking that it be written into the founding document of our government. So vote for us. We're meeting you f*gs halfway here." 282 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Jul 11, 2016 * 5:13:03am down 5 up report I see that nationalist-anthropology is still in vogue in China: The bolded part is the nationalist part. It runs contra to what the DNA shows, which is, that modern inhabitants of China are close relatives to the rest of Eurasians (and native Americans.) Indeed, the reason Denisovan admixture can be detected in East Asians is because the rest of East Asian DNA is so like the rest of the Eurasians and Sub-Saharan Africans, while the Denisovan DNA comes from a lineage which separated from that of us modern humans by about 10x back farther into the past. This nationalist version of human evolution has stuck around China for a long time. As with a lot of Chinese matters, there are two versions of everything. The nationalist "Chinese have always been Chinese -- except for the Manchu and Mongols (forget them)" is for the domestic market and for the party to disseminate. Chinese scientists, however, have to work on the international stage, and many of them recognize that DNA markers point to the majority of present day Asians inheriting most of their genes from African migrants. It's what happens when political forces control scientific investigation. For H. sapiens to evolve almost independently in two widely separated areas and still remain largely identical genetically defies common sense. If the Chinese model were true, H. sapiens from China would be unable to conceive children with Europeans or Africans, or if they could, the children would be sterile. Such is not the case. In a similar manner, China is trying to convince the world that it has always claimed the South China Sea and the Spratly Islands as Chinese territory since the Han dynasty 2,000 years ago. Forget the fact that five other nations also have had longstanding claims to the same area, which are recognized internationally. China's growing strength needs a smart American president and administration to keep China in check. Electing Trump would either give China free rein in the region, or lead to armed conflict. China is just waiting for the right excuse. 283 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 5:13:23am down 1 up report re: #281 Ia! Ia! Trump Ftaghn! (nee Sophist) "We still think you ought to be discriminated against, but we're not currently asking that it be written into the founding document of our government. So vote for us. We're meeting you f*gs halfway here." "we are not running you out of town on a rail or lynching you, so be grateful!" 284 freetoken Jul 11, 2016 * 5:13:42am down 2 up report re: #280 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) And the Japanese refuse to allow any archaelogical digs at the tombs of their first Emperors, ostensibly out of respect for their ancestors, but mostly to keep from uncovering the fact that their line of Emperors probably descended from Koreans... Some of them, yes, especially the current Abe-philes may like to think that. But the current emperor himself has stated that his ancestors came from Korea. The tombs of which you write, the largest of which is in Osaka-fu, are very interesting. I've travelled by the one in Sakai though I never got there to visit. Population genetics studies on the Japanese have shown a north-south cline, in accordance with the geography. They have also shown high similarity, but with differences, to the current Korean population. It's pretty clear, at least to non-nationalists, that Korean-peninsula migrations immediately before the appearance of metal working in Japan came from the Korea, with additional population flow coming from China. 285 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Jul 11, 2016 * 5:16:01am down 3 up report The First People of Japan, the Ainu, have been there longer than the majority population, IIRC. That would suggest the majority group came from somewhere else. 286 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 5:19:04am down 2 up report It's pretty clear, at least to non-nationalists, that Korean-peninsula migrations immediately before the appearance of metal working in Japan came from the Korea, with additional population flow coming from China. Which again shows that in order to be a fundamentalist and scriptural literalist, you must be prepared to reject science, history and even basic logic. 287 freetoken Jul 11, 2016 * 5:22:07am down 2 up report re: #285 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate The Ainu were not necessarily the first humans on the Japanese islands. This is one of the interesting mysteries of Japan. The Ainu are different than the Oceania populations, which moved north from Taiwan into the Japanese islands. The human past is full of surprises and the more I read about current anthro discoveries the more I get the idea that our population really liked to 1) move around and 2) reproduce, and quickly. One of the interesting bits I learned from the CARTA symposia is that a human female has children more frequently than chimpanzee mothers, and that chimps stay as infants (that is, nursing from their mothers) longer than humans. This is in addition to the observation that humans stay as children longer than chimps do. These two observations don't conflict but tell a really interesting story about us humans - we have relatively large families, compared to the other apes. Which may help explain why we conquered the world. The ultimate irony of this is that "19 Kids and Counting" is an example of human evolutionary advantage, coming from Christian fundamentalists. 288 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 5:23:43am down 3 up report re: #287 freetoken The ultimate irony of this is that "19 Kids and Counting" is an example of human evolutionary advantage, coming from Christian fundamentalists. Yes, especially when you could expect that half of those babies would not survive infancy or early childhood... 289 Joe Bacon Jul 11, 2016 * 5:29:22am down 5 up report H. A. Goodman's head explodes in 10...9...8...7... The Ainu were not necessarily the first humans on the Japanese islands. This is one of the interesting mysteries of Japan. The Ainu are different than the Oceania populations, which moved north from Taiwan into the Japanese islands. The human past is full of surprises and the more I read about current anthro discoveries the more I get the idea that our population really liked to 1) move around and 2) reproduce, and quickly. One of the interesting bits I learned from the CARTA symposia is that a human female has children more frequently than chimpanzee mothers, and that chimps stay as infants (that is, nursing from their mothers) longer than humans. This is in addition to the observation that humans stay as children longer than chimps do. These two observations don't conflict but tell a really interesting story about us humans - we have relatively large families, compared to the other apes. Which may help explain why we conquered the world. The ultimate irony of this is that "19 Kids and Counting" is an example of human evolutionary advantage, coming from Christian fundamentalists. I'm also fascinated by human migration and evolution. We have learned so much in the last 40 years, not only through DNA research but some amazing archaeological discoveries like Denisovans and H. florensis. And Neandertals are no longer seen as brutish and stupid, but as quite sophisticated creatures. 291 Emptor scriptor Remorse Jul 11, 2016 * 5:30:10am down 1 up report A lot of things caused Susie pain: scented products, pesticides, plastic, synthetic fabrics, smoke, electronic radiation - the list went on. Back in "the regular world", car exhaust made her feel sick for days. Perfume gave her seizures. Then she uprooted to Snowflake, Arizona. "I got out of the car and didn't need my oxygen tank," she said, grinning at me in the rearview mirror. "I could walk." There are about 20 households where she now lives. Like Susie, most of the residents in Snowflake have what they call "environmental illness", a controversial diagnosis that attributes otherwise unexplained symptoms to pollution. I think someone wrote a song (not to minimize her pain and suffering) 292 Eventual Carrion Jul 11, 2016 * 5:32:11am down 0 up report [Embedded content] Well, big dog Clinton did talk to Lynch. 293 Ziggy_TARDIS Jul 11, 2016 * 5:33:49am down 4 up report Duterte in the Philippines is proving himself to be a lunatic. "It's not the Middle East is exporting terrorism to America, America imported terrorism": Philippine President. pic.twitter.com/haKBxznVOT The number of criminals that have been killed extra-judicially since he was inaugurated is horrifying. Here is hoping he gets impeached. 294 Joe Bacon Jul 11, 2016 * 5:40:25am down 3 up report re: #293 Ziggy_TARDIS Duterte in the Philippines is proving himself to be a lunatic. [Embedded content] The number of criminals that have been killed extra-judicially since he was inaugurated is horrifying. Here is hoping he gets impeached. He's a preview of what a Trump Presidency would be... 295 Barefoot Grin Jul 11, 2016 * 5:44:49am down 0 up report re: #280 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) And the Japanese still refuse to allow any archaeological digs at the tombs of their first Emperors, ostensibly out of respect for their ancestors, but mostly to keep from uncovering the fact that their line of Emperors probably descended from Koreans... Though this emperor (Heisei) has acknowledged that there is Korean blood in the imperial lineage. eta: sorry, I see that freetoken already posted this. 296 Tigger2 Jul 11, 2016 * 5:46:30am down 4 up report @jwpetersNYT Nanny State GOP. You can only do it the way we want you to. -- jim ( @jlcoffeecup ) July 11, 2016 297 freetoken Jul 11, 2016 * 5:48:04am down 3 up report We often sneer at creationists for their lack of knowledge about biology and other sciences, and sure, why not, let's sneer.... However, it would be wrong to assume that only creationists lack understanding about science and in particular about evolution. An item that has popped up in a couple of general media outlets illustrates this: Have we stopped evolving? Whether the human race is still adapting to our surroundings is heavily debated - and now fresh genetic analyses by Harvard University's Jonathan Beauchamp suggest natural selection still has a part to play. Some people suggest human evolution came to a standstill between 40,000 and 50,000 years ago when modern humans emerged and started to control their surroundings. The problem with this author, who is a journalism student, is that she has equated evolution with natural selection. Natural selection is just one mechanism by which evolution works. She doesn't define evolution. The best contemporary definition of evolution that I can find is change in a population . And by change is meant change as observable in DNA. Second story on this item: Homo sapiens made it this far because evolution -- driven by natural selection -- weeded out the people and their genes that couldn't deal with the pressures of the world around them; think scarce food, unimpressed mates, and rampant disease. But whether modern humans, coddled as we are by grocery stores and expensive healthcare, are still evolving is up for debate. In a new paper published Friday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a Harvard University economist argues that natural selection is still driving human evolution -- at least in a handful of Europeans living in America. Ok, so the problem here is the click-bait headline. But that headline just repeats what the story tells (which I boldfaced.) While the Inverse article author seems a bit more circumspect in discussing evolution than the cosmosmagazine author, the Inverse article strikes me that it too is accepting a definition of "evolution" that is a mere cultural blip and not a real change in H. sapiens. Unfortunately the paper in PNAS is not yet available. 298 Barefoot Grin Jul 11, 2016 * 5:50:45am down 1 up report Takamatsuzuka tomb in Asuka really shows the connections among aristocracy across east Asia. 299 A Mom Anon Jul 11, 2016 * 5:56:48am down 8 up report Back to the photo above, does it look to anyone else like the cops directly facing the young woman are about to fall over backwards? They look like she could just push them over with her index finger. The amount of gear these people are using/wearing is insane. I know tensions are high and shit, but when I see cops dressed like this I don't feel at all safe. I feel like they're trying to start shit. I know they have a shit job sometimes, but at what point is it enough already? 300 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 6:04:57am down 6 up report Greets and saluts from the NYC metro area. Mexico reasserts that they're not paying for any wall. Trump continues to keep that as a cornerstone of his immigration policy (and now has Rudy making all kinds of idiotic statements on his behalf - either justifying them or feeding him the policy positions himself). And Jim Hoft continues to show that he can't help but lie: PHOTO OF THE DAY=> Milo and @AnnCoulter Doing Border Wall Construction @Nero https://t.co/d3EVzzmtud via @gatewaypundit He headlines that Milo and Coulter are doing border wall construction. They're doing nothing of the sort. They're the figureheads/spokeshacks for Breitbart clothing line. They're modeling clothing. It was a photo op that has nothing to do with wall building other than Breitbart trying to make stacks of money off the ignorant rubes that they serve on a daily basis. 301 A Mom Anon Jul 11, 2016 * 6:08:52am down 5 up report Assholes. Meanwhile, people who are really trying to start legit businesses are struggling, kids go hungry because it's summer and there's no school lunches, I could go on. (edit:) That's the closest either of those two creepy fucks will ever get to actually getting their hands dirty. You know, like ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION WORKERS DO. 302 Dr Lizardo Jul 11, 2016 * 6:14:09am down 1 up report re: #151 Blind Frog Belly White Everything wrong with Armageddon? Apart from the stupid science and a lot of other stuff? The same thing that's wrong with just about every "One Guy Sacrifices Himself For Everyone Else Movie" - people tell him not to. "No, Bruce Willis! Don't sacrifice yourself so all of humanity might survive! Spare yourself, and you can come home to a dead planet where you'll die anyway!" Oh, I don't know........the ending of the original Gojira - where the scientist, Dr. Serizawa, sacrifices his own life so that no one else will learn the secret of his weapon, the Oxygen Destroyer, wasn't too bad. He wanted to ensure that his "doomsday weapon" would never be used again, so he used the one and only functioning OD, burned all of his papers and notes, and then took the secret to his grave, destroying Godzilla to boot. 303 jeffreyw Jul 11, 2016 * 6:16:14am down 9 up report 304 William Lewis Jul 11, 2016 * 6:16:37am down 2 up report re: #151 Blind Frog Belly White Everything wrong with Armageddon? Apart from the stupid science and a lot of other stuff? The same thing that's wrong with just about every "One Guy Sacrifices Himself For Everyone Else Movie" - people tell him not to. "No, Bruce Willis! Don't sacrifice yourself so all of humanity might survive! Spare yourself, and you can come home to a dead planet where you'll die anyway!" OTOH, Deep Impact took the same idea and actually made an interesting film out of it. I especially appreciated the end where the two faced the tsunami with honor and courage. 305 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 6:17:20am down 2 up report PHOTO OF THE DAY=> Milo and @AnnCoulter Doing Border Wall Construction @Nero t.co via @gatewaypundit -- Jim Hoft Hoft, Milo, and Coulter, A trio of super derp. 306 Belafon Jul 11, 2016 * 6:18:09am down 0 up report re: #151 Blind Frog Belly White Everything wrong with Armageddon? Apart from the stupid science and a lot of other stuff? The same thing that's wrong with just about every "One Guy Sacrifices Himself For Everyone Else Movie" - people tell him not to. "No, Bruce Willis! Don't sacrifice yourself so all of humanity might survive! Spare yourself, and you can come home to a dead planet where you'll die anyway!" To be a little fair to the movie, someone was going to be sacrificed. Bruce took Ben's place. 307 Tigger2 Jul 11, 2016 * 6:19:41am down 2 up report re: #305 Sir John Barron All of them would probably die if they had to do an honest days work like building a wall. 308 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 6:20:35am down 3 up report re: #289 Joe Bacon H. A. Goodman's head explodes in 10...9...8...7... "Hillary will be indicted, soon...I have been perfectly validated...my sources confirm Hillary to be arrested by State Department...." 309 I Would Prefer Not To Jul 11, 2016 * 6:23:14am down 4 up report re: #146 Charles Johnson The Rage Furby couldn't help himself. He's gone public on Facebook again, but he's using his GotNewsDotCom page now. The comments on his post about suing Twitter are priceless. Barbara Radwan-Wiehe Barbara Radwan-Wiehe So you think you should be allowed to use Twitter to solicit funds to "take out @deray "?? Creep. Like * Reply * 3 * 17 hrs Marty Friese Marty Friese Good luck with that, clown. Like * Reply * 8 hrs Angel Graham Angel Graham You still don't understand how Freedom of Speech works, do you? Twitter is a PRIVATE COMPANY>The 1st Amendment covers you for Free Speech in relation to the GOVERNMENT! Grow up little boy. You're so laced up on something that your shit is sticking to the floor. Like * Reply * 4 hrs Usman Bello Usman Bello Are there lawyers out there that take payment in floor feces? Like * Reply * 3 hrs 310 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 6:24:37am down 0 up report re: #285 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate The First People of Japan, the Ainu, have been there longer than the majority population, IIRC. That would suggest the majority group came from somewhere else. The only reason I know anything at all about the Ainu is because of crossword puzzles. Astonishing really, how often it comes up. 311 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 6:26:38am down 0 up report re: #267 Dave In Austin OK........ Lets call it. Who will the Golden Yam select for his 2nd?? I say Pence because True Conservative, Blah Blah Blah. And if Donny get his tit in a ringer, and he will eventually. Republicans have their yes man already in place. What happened to Newt? Did he contradict The Donald somehow? 312 Ziggy_TARDIS Jul 11, 2016 * 6:27:44am down 3 up report Iris Milano could hardly sleep after she got the news that her family would be kicked out of their two-bedroom apartment in San Jose. "You're always thinking and worrying. It's something that is always with me," said Milano, 47, a skin-care technician who lives with her husband and 14-year-old son in an apartment protected by rent control in the northern California city. "We are being forced to move. This is our home." Milano, who is originally from Venezuela and has lived in the area for 13 years, is one of roughly 670 tenants who are being displaced from their homes in what local housing advocates believe to be Silicon Valley's largest-ever mass eviction of rent-controlled tenants. The 216-unit complex called the Reserve Apartments that is being demolished to make way for a development of market-rate housing - located five miles away from Apple's headquarters, 14 miles away from Google and 20 miles away from Facebook - is the latest example of rising income inequality in a region home to many of the world's wealthiest technology companies. We need more laws in regards to making sure there is affordable housing. 313 GlutenFreeJesus Jul 11, 2016 * 6:28:52am down 2 up report re: #212 Charles Johnson I guess "mobbed" = not being attacked by anybody within 20' of you. 314 Charles Johnson Jul 11, 2016 * 6:30:43am down 3 up report LOL! Victoria Taft is such a credible source: https://t.co/5q0XM1Nq9l @ProgsToday 315 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 6:34:28am down 1 up report re: #314 Charles Johnson Let alone that the video evidence shows there was no mob, no threat other than their idiot extremist co-blogger pulling an unlicensed gun on the crowd. The only one doing the menacing was their co-blogger. 316 Dave In Austin Jul 11, 2016 * 6:36:36am down 5 up report Really?? So you are really going to go all Ben Carson on us. It's a #Fiction John, Fiction. . @JohnCornyn 317 Charles Johnson Jul 11, 2016 * 6:37:23am down 3 up report Hey @Green_Footballs do all failed musicians with pony tails advocate for angry mobs to chase down reporters, or is that just you? [Embedded content] Heh. First you would need a mob. Then you'd actually need a reporter. Since neither were present... 319 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 6:40:31am down 1 up report We need more laws in regards to making sure there is affordable housing. The best way to make sure there's affordable housing, is to build lots more housing. If that 216-unit complex is being replaced by a 640-unit complex, then yes it's sad she has to move but c'mon. 200 families who can't afford desirably-located homes do not outweigh 640 families who can. All they're owed is relocation assistance (enough to cover first&last&security deposit move-in fees for their new place, plus moving costs), and good public transportation so they can stay at their job (even if the commute is going to be longer now). 320 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 6:41:55am down 0 up report re: #1 Frankie Five Angels Correct it to "Photo of the Year." I hope they brought enough police. 321 Belafon Jul 11, 2016 * 6:42:10am down 5 up report The best way to make sure there's affordable housing, is to build lots more housing. If that 216-unit complex is being replaced by a 640-unit complex, then yes it's sad she has to move but c'mon. 200 families who can't afford desirably-located homes do not outweigh 640 families who can. All they're owed is relocation assistance (enough to cover first&last&security deposit move-in fees for their new place, plus moving costs), and good public transportation so they can stay at their job (even if the commute is going to be longer now). Why not have the people who are coming in make the commute? They could build the 640 unit dwelling further out. 322 Decatur Deb Jul 11, 2016 * 6:43:10am down 2 up report Why not have the people who are coming in make the commute? They could build the 640 unit dwelling further out. Been here long? 323 GlutenFreeJesus Jul 11, 2016 * 6:43:51am down 6 up report @JohnCornyn let's see what she does about Megatron first, mmmkay? 324 Ziggy_TARDIS Jul 11, 2016 * 6:44:23am down 2 up report The thing is, this has never actually brought the rents down. They keep building new housing, but the new housing being built is luxury housing. Hence, no new affordable housing is being built, so you have 600 new people in the area, and more people looking for something, or becoming homeless. There need to be restrictions on luxury apartments and housing. We are only building for the richest now. I certainly do not trust the tech industry anymore. This is why I have begun to go more deeply into Socialism. The market is not working. 325 Le Lapin Tueur Jul 11, 2016 * 6:45:17am down 3 up report re: #253 Timothy Watson The condescending and insulting way he was talking to CL really pissed me off for one. And, SteelPH, who is never anything but polite and thoughtful. 326 Mattand Jul 11, 2016 * 6:46:25am down 5 up report re: #302 Dr Lizardo Oh, I don't know........the ending of the original Gojira - where the scientist, Dr. Serizawa, sacrifices his own life so that no one else will learn the secret of his weapon, the Oxygen Destroyer, wasn't too bad. He wanted to ensure that his "doomsday weapon" would never be used again, so he used the one and only functioning OD, burned all of his papers and notes, and then took the secret to his grave, destroying Godzilla to boot. The first Godzilla movie is criminally underrated as a great film, period. People get stuck on the guy in the rubber suit, and shoot past the whole allegory of Godzilla as the contents of the atomic Pandora's Box man has opened. Plus, the acting is superb. No camp is involved. You really believe these people are in a life-and-death struggle with a force of nature that could wipe everyone out. 327 Tigger2 Jul 11, 2016 * 6:47:21am down 5 up report Judge rules that being a #SovereignCitizen does not protect you from being pulled over #sovcit #sovcitpa https://t.co/g3JFQcHf2P 328 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 6:49:20am down 0 up report Why not have the people who are coming in make the commute? They could build the 640 unit dwelling further out. So making 640 people do a long commute is more fair than making 216 do it? I suppose another alternative is building 850 units, and the original 216 can come back (with subsidized rent) in a couple of years when construction is complete. 329 Dr Lizardo Jul 11, 2016 * 6:49:37am down 0 up report re: #326 Mattand The first Godzilla movie is criminally underrated as a great film, period. People get stuck on the guy in the rubber suit, and shoot past the whole allegory of Godzilla as the contents of the atomic Pandora's Box man has opened. Plus, the acting is superb. No camp is involved. You really believe these people are in a life-and-death struggle with a force of nature that could wipe everyone out. The first time I saw the "original", it was the 1956 Americanized version....the one where they added in Raymond Burr as a journalist. But then, many years later, I had the chance to see the 1954 Japanese original, and yes, it really was brilliant as hell. Solid allegorical film. 330 The Vicious Babushka Jul 11, 2016 * 6:51:33am down 6 up report So making 640 people do a long commute is more fair than making 216 do it? I suppose another alternative is building 850 units, and the original 216 can come back (with subsidized rent) in a couple of years when construction is complete. So those 216 people can join the homeless community? I hear they look out for one another, and have secret symbols for finding the best dumpsters to eat out of. 331 unproven innocence Jul 11, 2016 * 6:51:41am down 3 up report Facebook has been forced to restate its live video rules after footage of a black man being shot and killed by police officers during a routine traffic stop in the US was viewed by millions--before being removed and returned under mysterious circumstances. The company insists it will only remove a video of someone's death if it has been "used to mock the victim or celebrate the shooting." It remains to be seen whether this is a good or workable policy. Suppose the next "police shoot and kill X in ..." video were subsequently linked and/or posted all over some/any right-wing hate sites. Would Facebook(tm) then have a clear excuse to remove it? 332 Decatur Deb Jul 11, 2016 * 6:54:16am down 2 up report re: #331 unproven innocence It remains to be seen whether this is a good or workable policy. Suppose the next "police shoot and kill X in ..." video were subsequently linked and/or posted all over some/any right-wing hate sites. Would Facebook(tm) then have a clear excuse to remove it? We can rely on their editorial responsibility to balance sensationalism and the public interest. 333 Belafon Jul 11, 2016 * 6:54:51am down 4 up report So making 640 people do a long commute is more fair than making 216 do it? I suppose another alternative is building 850 units, and the original 216 can come back (with subsidized rent) in a couple of years when construction is complete. So, kicking 216 people out of a place they've established roots and connections is more fair than making new people commute a little bit more? Your argument sounds a bit too much like arguing that taxing the wealthy a bit more is less fair than making sure everyone has "skin in the game." 334 Bass Reeves Jul 11, 2016 * 6:55:19am down 10 up report re: #328 sagehen I do think the better point is that the more housing isn't actually more 'affordable' housing, it's just more housing at a price point that these people can't afford. If you want to set the market price at what the tech industry can afford, you're going to have start paying those people in the service industry a LOT more, or you will have to figure out some way not make people homeless. The 216 people who can't afford 2k a month for rent certainly don't need to add another hour to their commute via public transportation to work at a job that doesn't pay them enough to live near the area where they work. I understand, the 'market' won't do this. The 'market' doesn't have to. But yeah, maybe government (local and state) could work on the issue. 335 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 6:55:42am down 3 up report Judge rules that being a #SovereignCitizen does not protect you from being pulled over #sovcit #sovcitpa t.co -- Wartime Consigliere Crap. What about the Constitution? I am Sovereign, hear me roar! 336 Skip Intro Jul 11, 2016 * 6:56:09am down 3 up report re: #311 Sir John Barron What happened to Newt? Did he contradict The Donald somehow? Yeah, he said something nice about black people. He didn't mean it, but tRump is too dense to get the subtlety. 337 Nyet Jul 11, 2016 * 6:56:13am down 2 up report re: #265 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge I find it hard to believe that they wrote one sentence where one half is just random blathering that has nothing to do with the other half. "Bananas being the highest in potassium of all fruits, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed"? It might seem like random blathering now because the historical circumstances have changed. Back then it made sense in their heads. The fact remains is that the 2nd amdt's language is not restrictive. It doesn't say the right pertains to "the members of the aforementioned well-regulated militia". Even if they intended to restrict this right to militia members - which I doubt - they still wrote something entirely else. They probably assumed that the people keeping arms would be conductive to the existence of a well-regulated militia. But them being a well-regulated militia is clearly not a prerequisite to bearing arms as the text stands. Compare it to marriage whose purpose was long thought to be for child-bearing and rearing, even though childless couples were still allowed to remain married. 338 Decatur Deb Jul 11, 2016 * 6:56:34am down 7 up report re: #334 Bass Reeves I do think the better point is that the more housing isn't actually more 'affordable' housing, it's just more housing at a price point that these people can't afford. If you want to set the market price at what the tech industry can afford, you're going to have start paying those people in the service industry a LOT more, or you will have to figure out some way not make people homeless. The 216 people who can't afford 2k a month for rent certainly don't need to add another hour to their commute via public transportation to work at a job that doesn't pay them enough to live near the area where they work. I understand, the 'market' won't do this. The 'market' doesn't have to. But yeah, maybe government (local and state) could work on the issue. Maybe the coders can learn to clean their own fucking toilets. 339 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 6:57:09am down 0 up report re: #330 The Vicious Babushka So those 216 people can join the homeless community? I hear they look out for one another, and have secret symbols for finding the best dumpsters to eat out of. See my #319. They wouldn't be homeless. 340 Skip Intro Jul 11, 2016 * 6:58:33am down 3 up report I guess "mobbed" = being attacked by nobody within 20' of you. They were armed with loaded flags. He was in fear for his life because all he had was a gun and six clips. See my #319. They wouldn't be homeless. Here is what you said: 200 families who can't afford desirably-located homes do not outweigh 640 families who can. Then you said something about "relocation farther away" which really means "dump them out in the middle of nowhere & make them find their own way back to their low-wage jerbs" 342 Ziggy_TARDIS Jul 11, 2016 * 7:00:05am down 0 up report Oh, so they would need to commute likely more than an hour, and pay out the nose to do so? 343 Ziggy_TARDIS Jul 11, 2016 * 7:01:05am down 2 up report re: #341 The Vicious Babushka You do this is a much nicer way than I do, so I will let you handle it. My way tends to be more personal and harsh, and that causes burned bridges. Go VB! 344 FormerDirtDart Jul 11, 2016 * 7:04:01am down 5 up report THANKS OBAMA.... oh wait... shit... how do I spin this... oh yeah... IT'S ALL LIES... The metrics we've used for decades no longer count... U.S. stocks open at new record. S&P 500 rises 0.3%, surpassing mark set in May 2015. https://t.co/daezy9p1oU 345 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 7:04:38am down 0 up report re: #341 The Vicious Babushka Here is what you said: Then you said something about "relocation farther away" which really means "dump them out in the middle of nowhere & make them find their own way back to their low-wage jerbs" Or build enough new units close by. 346 Joe Bacon Jul 11, 2016 * 7:05:00am down 2 up report re: #311 Sir John Barron What happened to Newt? Did he contradict The Donald somehow? I WANT NEWT!!!!! 347 Skip Intro Jul 11, 2016 * 7:07:30am down 6 up report So this morning the S&P has hit an all time high. Yet today, like every day RW media will keep talking about the horrible Clinton/Obama economy. Want to see what a horrible economy looks like? Go back to 2007 under C+ Agustus. 348 Ziggy_TARDIS Jul 11, 2016 * 7:08:41am down 3 up report But right now, no one is doing that. The focus at this point is on building luxury and high priced housing. Not to mention, how many homes and apartments in the higher priced cities are being purchased by people overseas who never use them as some sort of investment vehicle. Here's an idea. A massive tax/price penalty if someone purchases something other than a primary home in a high density area. 349 Charles Johnson Jul 11, 2016 * 7:09:46am down 2 up report I get it now - you're competing with Jim Hoft for the "Stupidest Man on the Internet" title. You have a real shot at it! @ProgsToday . @Green_Footballs if u can't see the violent mob advancing on the reporter, maybe masturbation does cause blindness. pic.twitter.com/KITHlbQ7qt Or build enough new units close by. There is no profit in building affordable housing when so many wealthy are clamoring for that prime location. 351 Belafon Jul 11, 2016 * 7:11:04am down 3 up report re: #347 Skip Intro So this morning the S&P has hit an all time high. Yet today, like every day RW media will keep talking about the horrible Clinton/Obama economy. Want to see what a horrible economy looks like? Go back to 2007 under C+ Agustus. They can completely ignore it in favor of the new issue: Obama is putting a target on every cop's back. re: #349 Charles Johnson [Embedded content] LOL I see a "violent mob" of 4 (count 'em) people, including one old man. 353 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 7:12:30am down 2 up report THANKS OBAMA.... oh wait... shit... how do I spin this... oh yeah... IT'S ALL LIES... The metrics we've used for decades no longer count... And who do you think controls the Stock Market and Wall Street? Obama and the Clintons. 354 Barefoot Grin Jul 11, 2016 * 7:12:41am down 2 up report re: #352 The Vicious Babushka LOL I see a "violent mob" of 4 (count 'em) people, including one old man. Yep. Looks like PT should cut down on the spanking. 355 FormerDirtDart Jul 11, 2016 * 7:13:17am down 0 up report And, I haven't even checked to see what everyone was saying, just predicted it... re: #344 FormerDirtDart THANKS OBAMA.... oh wait... shit... how do I spin this... oh yeah... IT'S ALL LIES... The metrics we've used for decades no longer count... [Embedded content] 356 Lancelot Link Jul 11, 2016 * 7:13:24am down 3 up report 357 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 7:15:19am down 1 up report re: #356 Lancelot Link Something else John Cornyn should answer for #ManosTheHandsOfFate 358 Alephnaught Jul 11, 2016 * 7:17:05am down 4 up report re: #348 Ziggy_TARDIS But right now, no one is doing that. The focus at this point is on building luxury and high priced housing. Not to mention, how many homes and apartments in the higher priced cities are being purchased by people overseas who never use them as some sort of investment vehicle. What is this stupid meme that wingnuts keep repeating like it is divine Troof? You literally stood in front of the caskets of slain servicepeople and lied to their parents. https://t.co/7QKUdVlSly 361 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 7:20:53am down 2 up report re: #352 The Vicious Babushka LOL I see a "violent mob" of 4 (count 'em) people, including one old man. An old man who's simply taking photos of what's going on... Yeah, that's a mob. 362 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 7:21:47am down 2 up report re: #353 Sir John Barron No... the Stone Cutters... and they're responsible for Steve Guttenberg too. 363 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 7:23:59am down 17 up report Louisiana is at war with its own citizens and for-profit prisons are a big reason why @SiefertCharlie pic.twitter.com/d8jaNNWLSX This is yet another reason to demand consolidation of police departments across the nation, to eliminate private prisons, and reduce the corruption/graft/personal profit from incarcerations. It's an industry that requires a steady influx of people, and when the local cops are benefiting from incarcerations, they do what they have to in order to make sure that they maintain their revenue streams. 364 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 7:24:44am down 4 up report re: #360 The Vicious Babushka You literally stood in front of the caskets of slain servicepeople and lied to their parents. t.co -- Ben Shapiro I guess the order came down from wingnut headquarters to beat the dead Benghazi horse again until morale improves. 365 Kryptik: Just Done With It. Jul 11, 2016 * 7:24:51am down 1 up report re: #293 Ziggy_TARDIS Duterte in the Philippines is proving himself to be a lunatic. [Embedded content] The number of criminals that have been killed extra-judicially since he was inaugurated is horrifying. Here is hoping he gets impeached. I don't have anywhere near the level of contact with family back there as my parents or my older sister do, but I would hope most of them are kind of terrified at this guy. At the very least, my dad would probably disown him as Visayan. 366 Charles Johnson Jul 11, 2016 * 7:27:02am down 5 up report Random wingnut with racist handle chimes in. Yes, @DinduNuffinn , but @Green_Footballs gets off on watching violent mobs attack reporters. #Classy @cdrusnret 367 Charles Johnson Jul 11, 2016 * 7:28:39am down 1 up report @EggwardEggson like I said, get called a racist for the color of your skin long enough you might as well embrace it. 368 Kryptik: Just Done With It. Jul 11, 2016 * 7:28:57am down 5 up report re: #366 Charles Johnson Random wingnut with racist handle chimes in. [Embedded content] Sadly, this is just another demonstration of why video proof is nowhere near as bulletproof as it should be. People will invent alternate realities to explain away the things right in front of their faces to fit it into their perfect narrative. 369 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 7:29:26am down 6 up report re: #366 Charles Johnson Justifiable self-defense with an illegal firearm... Just ignore that he was the one who was inciting others, hoping to spark a conflict, and he's the one who pulled the illegal gun. Other than that... he was in the right... / 370 Belafon Jul 11, 2016 * 7:29:44am down 4 up report re: #367 Charles Johnson There's that three year old mentality from the right we all know and love. 371 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 7:30:08am down 1 up report re: #291 Emptor scriptor Remorse A lot of things caused Susie pain: scented products, pesticides, plastic, synthetic fabrics, smoke, electronic radiation - the list went on. Back in "the regular world", car exhaust made her feel sick for days. Perfume gave her seizures. Then she uprooted to Snowflake, Arizona. "I got out of the car and didn't need my oxygen tank," she said, grinning at me in the rearview mirror. "I could walk." I recall moving from Frankfurt to a small village of 200 souls. Waiting for my daughter with the school bus, I could smell the school bus when it pulled away...then I recalled living on a main road in Frankfurt where at least 200 buses a day went past. 372 SteveMcGaziBolaGate RN Jul 11, 2016 * 7:32:32am down 0 up report There's a college building in China that looks like a giant toilet. 373 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 7:32:49am down 2 up report Judge rules that being a Sovereign Citizen does not protect you from being pulled over You know, if you are going to declare yourself exempt from laws, then you also invalidate your Constitutional rights and protections. Can't have it both ways, you crackerjackers... 374 GlutenFreeJesus Jul 11, 2016 * 7:32:52am down 2 up report re: #360 The Vicious Babushka He meant to link to Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. 375 lizardofid Jul 11, 2016 * 7:37:01am down 8 up report Good morning Lizardom. I don't know if it's been posted here, forgive me if it has, but I find this little opinion piece on the recent events so spot on, on several points. Dale is a local sportscaster. 376 Belafon Jul 11, 2016 * 7:39:43am down 3 up report Good morning Lizardom. I don't know if it's been posted here, forgive me if it has, but I find this little opinion piece on the recent events so spot on, on several points. Dale is a local sportscaster. [Embedded content] I'll have to watch it later, but Dale is the loudmouth guy that gets things right often enough that channel 8 puts up with his abrasiveness and drinking. And I'm glad they do. re: #372 SteveMcGaziBolaGate RN There's a college building in China that looks like a giant toilet. It's an in joke, because the school specializes in wastewater treatment and the like. At least it's not one of the rectangular concrete edifices all over China. Our campus got a new classroom building three years ago, with all new wet, language and computer labs. It's shaped like a big C, with an open air walkway connecting the two arms in the third floor. Compared to the older buildings on campus, it looks modern and not like standard Communist Chinese design. re: #364 Sir John Barron I guess the order came down from wingnut headquarters to beat the dead Benghazi horse again until morale improves. 379 SteveMcGaziBolaGate RN Jul 11, 2016 * 7:43:46am down 0 up report It's only 2 and a half minutes Make time. "Our lieutenant governor is a fool" 380 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Jul 11, 2016 * 7:44:20am down 3 up report Rage Furby was predicting the imminent demise of Twitter as its share price headed to $14. Today it's trading at $17. He might be a Bill Kristol in training. 381 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 7:45:16am down 1 up report But wingnuts know for sure. // Also, one thing we do know for sure, Marco Rubio is a douchecanoe. 382 Belafon Jul 11, 2016 * 7:45:35am down 1 up report re: #379 SteveMcGaziBolaGate RN It's only 2 and a half minutes Make time. "Our lieutenant governor is a fool" It's not me, it's work. 383 lizardofid Jul 11, 2016 * 7:45:50am down 1 up report I'll have to watch it later, but Dale is the loudmouth guy that gets things right often enough that channel 8 puts up with his abrasiveness and drinking. And I'm glad they do. Pretty solid description. I would have to agree. I think Dale is like a lot of us, in that as he got old he started reflecting back over his life, and wasn't real proud of some of what he saw. 384 The Vicious Babushka Jul 11, 2016 * 7:48:33am down 5 up report Trump's 'spiritual advisor' sells eternal life for $1,144 by stealing from Harry Potter https://t.co/1j3atmLteE pic.twitter.com/CUFlAaYf2O 385 Dr Lizardo Jul 11, 2016 * 7:49:13am down 5 up report It's turtles scams all the way down. 386 calochortus Jul 11, 2016 * 7:49:54am down 2 up report re: #334 Bass Reeves I do think the better point is that the more housing isn't actually more 'affordable' housing, it's just more housing at a price point that these people can't afford. If you want to set the market price at what the tech industry can afford, you're going to have start paying those people in the service industry a LOT more, or you will have to figure out some way not make people homeless. The 216 people who can't afford 2k a month for rent certainly don't need to add another hour to their commute via public transportation to work at a job that doesn't pay them enough to live near the area where they work. I understand, the 'market' won't do this. The 'market' doesn't have to. But yeah, maybe government (local and state) could work on the issue. The problem is that this is a highly desirable area to live in with or without high tech jobs. One of the reasons is that we haven't built on every scrap of land, and while we are liberally provided with freeways (which are often gridlocked at rush "hour") we haven't paved over every inch yet. Build more housing sounds great, but then those people need to get to work. Public transit stinks. There are something like 24 transit agencies in the greater Bay Area. Their systems don't link up well, if at all. Fixing it would be massively expensive. I'd be happy to pay into an upgrade, but I don't think even a simple majority is interested. In any event, I'm not sure you could build the area out to where housing costs would drop, and I'm not sure where we would get the water to service those households. For the record, I think housing prices are insane. I think wistfully of when I went to school with daughter of the contractor who built the house I live in, and my best friend's mom up the street was a teacher. These folks couldn't afford to buy a house here now. I couldn't. I don't know how to fix it. Socialism isn't likely to be the answer as it isn't going to change people's desires and unless people buy into it big time, there will be ways around whatever "solution" is found. 387 I Would Prefer Not To Jul 11, 2016 * 7:50:15am down 0 up report re: #380 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Rage Furby was predicting the imminent demise of Twitter as its share price headed to $14. Today it's trading at $17. He might be a Bill Kristol in training. I bought a few shares at 15. so far, I'm making a modest profit (on paper), but hoping for a takeover/buyout of the company. 388 CuriousLurker Jul 11, 2016 * 7:51:42am down 2 up report 389 Franklin Jul 11, 2016 * 7:52:39am down 0 up report I swear, Trump is Gavin Belson from "Silicon Valley". re: #387 I Would Prefer Not To I bought a few shares at 15. so far, I'm making a modest profit (on paper), but hoping for a takeover/buyout of the company. It's inevitable. Twitter will not disappear, because it fills a niche and has too many loyal users to leave out in the cold. The question is, who will buy it? 391 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 7:55:36am down 1 up report re: #390 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Alphabet comes to mind. So too does Alibaba, but I think Alphabet is the better fit. 392 calochortus Jul 11, 2016 * 7:56:03am down 2 up report [Embedded content] So, if I understand correctly, you give her a bunch of money and then God will do whatever He wants anyway. She specifically mentions that if you aren't healed it's because you "prayed out of ignorance" of God's plan. Sounds like solid theology to me. / 393 I Would Prefer Not To Jul 11, 2016 * 7:56:12am down 0 up report Alphabet comes to mind. So too does Alibaba, but I think Alphabet is the better fit. It's what I'm hoping. 394 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Jul 11, 2016 * 7:58:00am down 4 up report I have just finished season 2 of Person of Interest. I can't believe I hadn't paid it any attention before. Strong premise, good writing and acting, and the story arcs are well managed. Amy Acker, whom I've only seen once or twice on TV, is kinda scary as Root. 395 Dr. Matt Jul 11, 2016 * 8:00:17am down 1 up report #ConservativeBecause living life loving guns and hating gays is fulfilling. pic.twitter.com/qQnTuXfxw7 396 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 8:01:06am down 3 up report re: #390 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate It's inevitable. Twitter will not disappear, because it fills a niche and has too many loyal users to leave out in the cold. The question is, who will buy it? Google, of course. Don't they buy everything? Alphabet comes to mind. So too does Alibaba, but I think Alphabet is the better fit. Alibaba has the funds, but I'd be wary of letting a Chinese firm run Twitter. The Chinese government would insist on censoring (or continuing to block) Twitter on the mainland, and even if it didn't, I would use Twitter as an intelligence gathering network on dissidents. Probably they already do that, but Alibaba would be more cooperative in sharing data than Jack Dorsey & Co. 398 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 8:02:20am down 3 up report re: #394 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate I have just finished season 2 of Person of Interest. I can't believe I hadn't paid it any attention before. Strong premise, good writing and acting, and the story arcs are well managed. Amy Acker, whom I've only seen once or twice on TV, is kinda scary as Root. And the pre-Empire Taraji P Henson is awesome. 399 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 8:03:52am down 0 up report And the pre-Empire Taraji P Henson is awesome. Agreed. She does an excellent job playing a straight-arrow cop who is willing to bend the rules quite a bit for the greater good. Digging up Still's body and saving Elias were big surprises for me. 401 FormerDirtDart Jul 11, 2016 * 8:09:39am down 2 up report WATCH LIVE: Dallas Police Dept. gives update on #Dallas shooting investigation: https://t.co/ke3QYsXXxn pic.twitter.com/YYYOR7ToUs 402 FormerDirtDart Jul 11, 2016 * 8:13:03am down 6 up report BREAKING: British PM David Cameron says he will officially step down on Wednesday https://t.co/1RM5xOvdpb pic.twitter.com/u8uwsaTdkv Thought he was hanging on till September. 404 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 8:14:33am down 8 up report THANKS OBAMA.... oh wait... shit... how do I spin this... oh yeah... IT'S ALL LIES... The metrics we've used for decades no longer count... [Embedded content] I remember back when there was a budget surplus under Clinton and Rush Limbaugh came on to tell us that it was immoral for the government to take more money from us than it needs to operate... re: #403 Sir John Barron Thought he was hanging on till September. It seems Teresa May will be the next PM, as her rival quit the race. I guess Cameron wants to get out quick and let her take over. 406 freetoken Jul 11, 2016 * 8:15:35am down 4 up report re: #405 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate It seems Teresa May will be the next PM, as her rival quit the race. I guess Cameron wants to get out quick and let her take over. Rats, ships, sinking, etc. Rats, ships, sinking, etc. If I were a British citizen, I'd be right pissed at the politicians who set this whole Brexit nonsense in motion, and then all bailed when they realized what a total cock-up they made of it. 408 Lidane Jul 11, 2016 * 8:20:16am down 7 up report Caribou Barbie is bleating again: 'These are thugs': Palin demands media quit calling Black Lives Matter protesters 'people' https://t.co/rCtrxCkcId pic.twitter.com/XYOjzidPBq 409 FormerDirtDart Jul 11, 2016 * 8:20:51am down 6 up report Rats, ships, sinking, etc. 410 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Jul 11, 2016 * 8:22:37am down 0 up report Speaking of cock-ups, China is building an enormous "Muslim theme park" in the middle of nowhere in hope of luring wealthy Middle Eastern tourists. It's an expansion of the existing Hui Culture Park. So far, no one's coming. 411 A wild WITHAK appeared! Jul 11, 2016 * 8:26:29am down 5 up report Caribou Barbie is bleating again: [Embedded content] Hey, you know who else called people of a different ethnicity sub-human? 412 Lidane Jul 11, 2016 * 8:27:55am down 21 up report Livetweets from the GOP platform committee meeting: Platform subcommittee amends platform to endorse parental rights protecting parents from UN treaties RNC subcommittee adopts amendment encouraging the Bible be taught as literature elective in schools Subcommittee votes to keep language opposing transgender bathroom use Amdmt to call internet porn a public helath crisis passed As usual, the GOP has its hand on the pulse of America. They're focused on the important stuff. 413 unproven innocence Jul 11, 2016 * 8:28:56am down 1 up report And the pre-Empire Taraji P Henson is awesome. My adult daughter only gave into my urging her to watch Person of Interest when I recently bought her Season1 of Empire . So far, she's not regretting it. 414 Alyosha Jul 11, 2016 * 8:29:39am down 0 up report It might seem like random blathering now because the historical circumstances have changed. Back then it made sense in their heads. The fact remains is that the 2nd amdt's language is not restrictive. It doesn't say the right pertains to "the members of the aforementioned well-regulated militia". Even if they intended to restrict this right to militia members - which I doubt - they still wrote something entirely else. They probably assumed that the people keeping arms would be conductive to the existence of a well-regulated militia. But them being a well-regulated militia is clearly not a prerequisite to bearing arms as the text stands. English is my mamaloshn so I use loanwords whenever I can to hide my ignorance. I couldn't find the non sequitur myself but it makes sense now. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a firmer grasp on the analytical aspects of my own language, let alone be able to tease apart the idiomatic speech of, say, a Russian. But in their own tongue. Do you think in different languages according to need? Since the construct of language itself gives greater definition to thought itself? Sorry to gush XD 415 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Jul 11, 2016 * 8:30:04am down 4 up report Livetweets from the GOP platform committee meeting: [Embedded content] As usual, the GOP has its hand on the pulse of America. They're focused on the important stuff. Small government, just big enough to fit in your underwear. 416 Belafon Jul 11, 2016 * 8:31:52am down 5 up report Livetweets from the GOP platform committee meeting: As usual, the GOP has its hand on the pulse of America. They're focused on the important stuff. If they would use the correct term, Illuminati, rather than UN, their platform would make more sense. 417 austin_blue Jul 11, 2016 * 8:32:37am down 0 up report re: #232 Dave In Austin 418 Lidane Jul 11, 2016 * 8:33:18am down 6 up report Draft GOP platform reinstates "undivided" Jerusalem, removes reference to Palestine in support of 2-state solution https://t.co/NyVMCIpwPU Amdmt to call internet porn a public health crisis passed -- Liz Goodwin ( @lizcgoodwin ) July 11, 2016 Porn is a "public health crisis" but gun-related deaths, murders, and suicides is the price we pay for "Freedom". Fucking assholes. 420 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 8:40:27am down 3 up report Caribou Barbie is bleating again: "Retirement" has not been a good career move for Palin. See also: Schilling, Curt. Rick Perry tells @PeterHamby that Trump's wall will be a "digital" one. https://t.co/xlLpN6JPd5 pic.twitter.com/i6U0SJmp9E 422 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 8:41:47am down 6 up report re: #419 Dr. Matt Porn is a "public health crisis" but gun-related deaths, murders, and suicides is the price we pay for "Freedom". Fucking assholes. Internet porn just killed 5 cops in Dallas, after killing 49 at an Orlando nightclub. 423 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 8:42:27am down 1 up report A digital, virtual wall, made out of Internet material, that will zap people who try to cross. re: #423 Sir John Barron A digital, virtual wall that will zap people who try to cross. I've seen it on TV! 425 unproven innocence Jul 11, 2016 * 8:43:29am down 2 up report I thot he said it was gonna cost just $4b $8b $12b. 426 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 8:43:36am down 4 up report re: #423 Sir John Barron A digital, virtual wall, made out of Internet material, that will zap people who try to cross. It'll be a series of tubes.... 427 Dr Lizardo Jul 11, 2016 * 8:44:26am down 3 up report Yeah, Theresa May will be the next PM. And the Brexiteers are livid. 428 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 8:44:47am down 4 up report re: #419 Dr. Matt Amdmt to call internet porn a public health crisis passed -- Liz Goodwin ( @lizcgoodwin ) July 11, 2016 Can they pass an amendment to call ISIS "Radical Islamic Terrorism"? That will end ISIS for sure. 429 austin_blue Jul 11, 2016 * 8:45:00am down 0 up report Mexican President Happy To Pay For Trump's Digital Border Wall 430 Franklin Jul 11, 2016 * 8:48:30am down 5 up report We can't get high speed internet access to people in rural areas and virtual internet monopolies exist in many areas stifling competition. But yeah, lets build a digital fucking wall. 431 GlutenFreeJesus Jul 11, 2016 * 8:49:08am down 5 up report re: #410 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Maybe if they built an ark... 432 unproven innocence Jul 11, 2016 * 8:50:05am down 1 up report Headline! Mexican President Happy To Pay For Trump's Digital Border Wall Maybe it will just scramble the GPS data on smart phones so no one will be able to figure out which way is North. / 433 Kryptik: Just Done With It. Jul 11, 2016 * 8:50:08am down 5 up report Caribou Barbie is bleating again: "'These are thugs': Palin demands media quit calling Black protesters 'people' Fixed that for you, Raw Story, since that's the obvious end game for them straight up. 434 Skip Intro Jul 11, 2016 * 8:51:22am down 2 up report Or $114.40 or $44.00 but not $11.44. I guess that the processing costs eat into the profit if they go that low. 435 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 8:53:05am down 2 up report re: #433 Kryptik: Just Done With It. Fixed that for you, Raw Story, since that's the obvious end game for them straight up. Can't understand why conservatives do so poorly among minority populations. [Embedded content] Now, now - I'm sure HE felt frightened. After all, he's a chickenshit racist little turd who probably got scared by all those black people being near him. And he probably made an ass of himself to draw negative attention, then thought when he pulled his gun out, the cops would help HIM. 437 Dr. Matt Jul 11, 2016 * 8:53:31am down 5 up report Caribou Barbie is bleating again: Just a few months ago the Palin et al assholes were cheering on the Bundy terrorists. Maybe if they built an ark... Most of the locals would have no idea what it is, unless they had some dim memories of learning "Christian fairytales" in school or if they were Christian or Muslim. Not many Jews around these parts.Only in the big cities. 439 Dave In Austin Jul 11, 2016 * 8:54:12am down 0 up report 440 FormerDirtDart Jul 11, 2016 * 8:54:19am down 4 up report re: #423 Sir John Barron A digital, virtual wall, made out of Internet material, that will zap people who try to cross. re: #424 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Key technologies of the "Wall" systems are being beta tested across the country right now 441 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 8:54:21am down 1 up report re: #434 Skip Intro Or $114.40 or $44.00 but not $11.44. I guess that the processing costs eat into the profit if they go that low. You'd think no one would be stupid enough to pay attention to someone who said goofy stuff like this, but..... 442 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Jul 11, 2016 * 8:55:07am down 2 up report re: #436 Blind Frog Belly White Now, now - I'm sure HE felt frightened. After all, he's a chickenshit racist little turd who probably got scared by all those black people being near him. And he probably made an ass of himself to draw negative attention, then thought when he pulled his gun out, the cops would help HIM. Funny thing is, not all of them were black. It was a pretty diverse group of people. 443 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 8:55:21am down 2 up report re: #437 Dr. Matt Just a few months ago the Palin et al assholes were cheering on the Bundy terrorists. That's different. The Bundys are patriot freedom fighters, just like the Tea Party. 444 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 8:55:34am down 2 up report [Embedded content] well, I hear the Mexicans are pretty good at tunnels when it comes to sneaking across the border. A virtual wall should be a piece of cake for them since the Internet is nothing more than "a series of tubes". Same thing...right? RIGHT??!!?? 445 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 8:56:32am down 6 up report re: #437 Dr. Matt Just a few months ago the Palin et al assholes were cheering on the Bundy terrorists. Remember when Black Lives Matter thugs occupied that nature reserve on federal land for over a month and totally wrecked the place? That was great. 447 Eventual Carrion Jul 11, 2016 * 8:57:27am down 1 up report re: #423 Sir John Barron A digital, virtual wall, made out of Internet material, that will zap people who try to cross. How do we get there? Do you have a plan? ... We Jump. re: #443 Sir John Barron That's different. The Bundys are patriot freedom fighters, just like the Tea Party. Hey, diversity is scary! You know, white genocide and all that because not enough white people are fucking other white people and having white babies. 450 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 8:59:26am down 6 up report . @HillaryClinton to attend @NAACP Convention in #Cincinnati next Monday: https://t.co/YVwzIChmQK pic.twitter.com/8moUiSWKM8 re: #444 Backwoods_Sleuth well, I hear the Mexicans are pretty good at tunnels when it comes to sneaking across the border. A virtual wall should be a piece of cake for them since the Internet is nothing more than "a series of tubes". Same thing...right? RIGHT??!!?? Not if the tubes go through the wall... 452 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 9:00:25am down 7 up report GOP Platform amendment calls for teaching the Bible as part of "American history" 453 FormerDirtDart Jul 11, 2016 * 9:00:30am down 0 up report re: #444 Backwoods_Sleuth well, I hear the Mexicans are pretty good at tunnels when it comes to sneaking across the border. A virtual wall should be a piece of cake for them since the Internet is nothing more than "a series of tubes". Same thing...right? RIGHT??!!?? I've been busy planting a "seed" online, on how to defeat tunnels under the "Wall" @JenniferJJacobs We should build a wall, and a canal. New Panamax capable canal, S.D. to Browsnvile. Build the wall from the canal spoil /s/-- FormerDirtDart ( @FormerDirtDart ) July 1, 2016 454 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 9:01:50am down 8 up report #NYPD stats show for the first 6 months of 2016, shootings down 20%, murders down 6%. More later on @NY1 News The right wing mantra has been that since Ferguson crime rates are up, there's a war on cops, and that stop and frisk was critical to the drop in crime. NYC continues to prove all kinds of evidence that every aspect of the right wing take on criminal justice is wrong. For all that ails the NYPD (particularly on use of force), it still gets some things right - and the NYPD is being forced to address its shortcomings. The NYPD training is in process of being upgraded, and NYPD officers are trained far better than those thousands of local police departments. If anything, the ongoing BLM movement is putting the spotlight on the fact that there's simply too many local departments, and these fiefdoms operate with impunity and as their own money-raisers. Consolidation would improve law enforcement considerably, as well as provide cost savings. We saw this with Ferguson, where seemingly every town/hamlet in greater STL area had own police force, and the STL county police were overlaid on top of that. Consolidating the local police forces would eliminate waste, graft, and could impose better accountability - but only when local governments demanded better accountability. Localities however don't want to lose the revenue gained from having a police force that essentially act like a tax enforcement operation to gin up revenues from fees/fines on minority populations. Just another aspect of the law enforcement/criminal justice system that has to be changed. 455 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 9:02:07am down 7 up report Secessionists raise #ConfederateFlag over SC State House briefly again during Sunday rally https://t.co/ALHGXl5iCY pic.twitter.com/SIUg9tvPGG "But it means Heritage..." 456 Franklin Jul 11, 2016 * 9:02:22am down 9 up report re: #445 Sir John Barron Remember when Black Lives Matter thugs occupied that nature reserve on federal land for over a month and totally wrecked the place? That was great. Yes, but these thugs are blocking traffic!!!!! Where is MLK when we need him?!?!?! Oops! Let's go to @RepJohnLewis for comment: And we all know what happened after that photo was taken. 457 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 9:04:28am down 10 up report #Dallas Police Chief David Brown has a strong message for #Congress . pic.twitter.com/vpcYhCGkdF -- The Daily Beast ( @thedailybeast ) July 11, 2016 Meanwhile, it appears all the weekend talk about Trump's so-called VP vetting is going to come to a head tomorrow. My odds? Newt's at 2-5 Reek (aka Gov. Christie) is 3-1. Pence is 7-1. Palin is 20-1. Ivanka is 10-1. 458 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 9:05:43am down 0 up report re: #410 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate Speaking of cock-ups, China is building an enormous "Muslim theme park" in the middle of nowhere in hope of luring wealthy Middle Eastern tourists. It's an expansion of the existing Hui Culture Park. So far, no one's coming. maybe they should build an ark... 459 Belafon Jul 11, 2016 * 9:07:36am down 0 up report re: #458 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) maybe they should build an ark... There are multiple flood stories. They should build a park for their version. And someone should build a theme park based on the version mentioned in Gilgamesh. 460 Skip Intro Jul 11, 2016 * 9:08:10am down 5 up report I think I see where they got the inspiration for their outfits. 461 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 9:09:08am down 2 up report re: #419 Dr. Matt Porn is a "public health crisis" but gun-related deaths, murders, and suicides is the price we pay for "Freedom". Fucking assholes. Because as Ted Cruz can tell you, genital self-stimulation is not a constitutional right, but gunfucking is 462 I Would Prefer Not To Jul 11, 2016 * 9:10:44am down 0 up report [Embedded content] Meanwhile, it appears all the weekend talk about Trump's so-called VP vetting is going to come to a head tomorrow. My odds? Newt's at 2-5 Reek (aka Gov. Christie) is 3-1. Pence is 7-1. Palin is 20-1. Ivanka is 10-1. He's not picking Ivanka. I'll go with Pence. He needs someone with experience. 463 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 9:11:04am down 8 up report Dallas Police Chief: "We're asking cops to do too much in this country." https://t.co/zMlJzESpaD pic.twitter.com/aRALN4HBb0 464 Alephnaught Jul 11, 2016 * 9:13:15am down 5 up report David Cameron's last act as PM- humming the West Wing theme to himself? Just as well he left the mic on, so we can hear for ourselves... David Cameron: "Thank you very much........................doo, doo, doo, doo. Right...Good." (The End) pic.twitter.com/Z1zHgSlkLf VIDEO: PM appears to sing a little sorrowful tune as he re-enters Number 10 after announcing May handover: pic.twitter.com/9nbszG3pl8 -- Vincent McAviney ( @VinnyITV ) July 11, 2016 To those asking yes it does sound a little like the end of the West Wing theme: https://t.co/9hLcTPqKfA 465 Dr. Matt Jul 11, 2016 * 9:14:24am down 4 up report re: #461 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Because as Ted Cruz can tell you, genital self-stimulation is not a constitutional right, but gunfucking is I'm willing to bet that the person(s) including the anti-porn amendment has an extensive cache of porn hits on their laptop. 466 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 9:16:28am down 1 up report re: #465 Dr. Matt I'm willing to bet that the person(s) including the anti-porn amendment has an extensive cache of porn hits on their laptop. and I don't want to think about what (or who) they have in their cellars... 467 Joe Bacon Jul 11, 2016 * 9:19:51am down 1 up report re: #466 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) and I don't want to think about what (or who) they have in their cellars... They probably have a big stack of bodybuilding magazines with worn out pages... 468 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 9:20:58am down 7 up report A reminder that the House is likely to remain in GOP hands: The Roll Call election guide has the latest on the balance of the House https://t.co/ZZpQ5EW6uK pic.twitter.com/yS0pgqiIgV -- Roll Call ( @rollcall ) July 11, 2016 All the more reason to make sure that turnout helps diminish the GOP stranglehold there. And to keep turning out so that the midterms continue rolling back the GOP hold on Congress... Every election matters. 469 Jebediah, RBG Jul 11, 2016 * 9:21:41am down 9 up report @JohnCornyn You dingbat - you think Micheal Bay makes documentaries? Did you learn about space flight from "The Cow Jumped Over the Moon?" 470 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 9:22:27am down 12 up report Trumps possible VP pick celebrating the great Confederate heritage of Iowa. pic.twitter.com/MfEMawLEmx re: #469 Jebediah, RBG No, Transformers, Dark of the Moon. Or was that Armageddon? 472 Dr. Matt Jul 11, 2016 * 9:24:11am down 4 up report A reminder that the House is likely to remain in GOP hands: All the more reason to make sure that turnout helps diminish the GOP stranglehold there. And to keep turning out so that the midterms continue rolling back the GOP hold on Congress... Every election matters . Democratic Voters can't seem to learn that midterms are just as important as a presidential election. If only the Left were as disciplined as the Right. 473 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 9:25:58am down 0 up report re: #472 Dr. Matt Democratic Voters can't seem to learn that midterms are just as important as a presidential election. If only the Left were as disciplined as the Right. The GOP understands grassroots campaigning and getting people convinced that everything that deviates from their preconceived notions of how America should be is an existential threat. 474 Franklin Jul 11, 2016 * 9:27:37am down 3 up report No, Transformers, Dark of the Moon. Or was that Armageddon? No, Armageddon was a story of how outsourcing govt work to the private sector can save the world from destruction. 475 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 9:27:51am down 5 up report Trump's Pants on Fire tweet that blacks killed 81% of white homicide victims https://t.co/YsKEMoJKDN pic.twitter.com/aUeTztpYKj If Trump says something, particularly a statistic, odds are that it's a pants on fire lie. In fact, that should be the default position - Trump lies, and he should be forced to prove that whatever he says is factually correct. 476 CuriousLurker Jul 11, 2016 * 9:30:37am down 17 up report CNN did an interesting piece on Dallas police chief David Brown over the weekend. He's see a lot of tragedy in his life: He grew up in a rough area in Dallas and understands first-hand what it's like to distrust the police, but decided he wanted to make a difference so he joined the DPD in 1983. Five years later--in 1998-- a former partner died in the line of duty . In 1991, his younger brother was killed by drug dealers in Phoenix. A few weeks after he was sworn in as chief in 2010, a young father and a police officer in nearby Lancaster were gunned down--the killer was his son, David Brown Jr. An autopsy showed he had PCP, marijuana and alcohol in his system The newly minted Dallas police chief was at a loss for words. "My family has not only lost a son, but a fellow police officer and a private citizen lost their lives at the hands of our son," Brown told his department, according to The Dallas Morning News. "That hurts so deeply I cannot adequately express the sadness I feel inside my heart." Now this with the death of five officers. I can't even imagine how much this is breaking his heart. 477 SteveMcGaziBolaGate RN Jul 11, 2016 * 9:31:10am down 0 up report re: #441 Sir John Barron I was listening to NPR one day and they had a story about a study by Microsoft of the people who fall for scams. Basically the scammer (and if you've seen Wolf of Wall Street it touches on this too) is looking for just the right amount of smartness/dumbness to capitalize upon. It's a big enough world that even though the percentage of these people is low, there are enough who think they can make money. Rich people are generally too smart to fall for scams, poor people are too poor to have anything to take. You need just the right mix. 478 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 9:31:31am down 3 up report Could just as well have been Benny Hill theme for how he and the rest of the pro-Brexit idiots have conducted themselves. Not a single one of them is willing to lead the exit. Not a single of them is willing to accept that the Brexit was built on a lie - including the claim that the NHS would benefit from the withdrawal. 479 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 9:32:52am down 10 up report [Embedded content] If Trump says something, particularly a statistic, odds are that it's a pants on fire lie. In fact, that should be the default position - Trump lies, and he should be forced to prove that whatever he says is factually correct. Apparently, Rudy gets his statistics from the same place as Donald: Rudy Giuliani says black children have a '99% chance' of killing each other https://t.co/Qzvb93MxRE pic.twitter.com/cyqlNEd1Nt -- New York Daily News ( @NYDailyNews ) July 10, 2016 480 calochortus Jul 11, 2016 * 9:33:17am down 4 up report re: #477 SteveMcGaziBolaGate RN I was listening to NPR one day and they had a story about a study by Microsoft of the people who fall for scams. Basically the scammer (and if you've seen Wolf of Wall Street it touches on this too) is looking for just the right amount of smartness/dumbness to capitalize upon. It's a big enough world that even though the percentage of these people is low, there are enough who think they can make money. Rich people are generally too smart to fall for scams, poor people are too poor to have anything to take. You need just the right mix. And often the right mix includes just a touch of larceny in their soul. "I need to hide a billion dollars and I'll pay you 1% to help" doesn't appeal to a truly honest person. 481 Dr Lizardo Jul 11, 2016 * 9:33:32am down 2 up report re: #479 Backwoods_Sleuth Apparently, Rudy gets his statistics from the same place as Donald: [Embedded content] 482 calochortus Jul 11, 2016 * 9:35:01am down 2 up report Apparently, Rudy gets failed his statistics class from the same place as Donald: 483 Shiplord Kirel Jul 11, 2016 * 9:36:29am down 1 up report re: #255 Timothy Watson There's also the fact that the bolded part of the Second Amendment quoted above has been shown by history to be factually wrong. The militia was useless during the War of 1812. Militia members cut and ran at the earliest opportunity during engagements, and most members didn't bother to maintain the arms they were suppose to. The most notorious example was at the Battle of Bladensburg in Maryland in 1814. A large force of militia and some regulars, including Marines and sailors from the Washington Navy Yard, confronted a much smaller British force that had landed a few days earlier and was pushing inland. The militia fled practically at the first shot, leaving the regulars in a hopeless position, and moving British officer George Gleig to quip, "Never did men with arms in their hands make better use of their legs." Part of the mob fled through Washington DC, alerting President Madison that his plans for a stand in the city were hopeless, and giving him and his wife Dolley time to escape. The British entered Washington that night and burned the White House and other public buildings. 484 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 9:37:22am down 12 up report Lawyer: Cop who shot Philando Castile thought he was robbery suspect https://t.co/JXtk6TAfqE pic.twitter.com/BV3JTpWUxS Laying the groundwork for a justified homicide - claim that the victim of an officer involved shooting appeared to look like a suspect in a crime - even though the person was never suspected and had no felony record. We see this time and again. Cops will ultimately claim justified use of force for the flimsiest of reasons, and prosecutors and/or juries go along with it. 485 unproven innocence Jul 11, 2016 * 9:37:29am down 2 up report re: #474 Franklin No, Armageddon was a story of how outsourcing govt work to the private sector can save the world from destruction. I thot it had a very simple message. The surviving contractors were motivated in part by a promise of no taxes for life. Therefore, Tax cuts can solve any problem. 486 Lidane Jul 11, 2016 * 9:37:36am down 8 up report re: #479 Backwoods_Sleuth On a related note, Giuliani is free to eat a bag of dicks. Racist asshole. 487 Lidane Jul 11, 2016 * 9:37:46am down 4 up report Huckabee floats "Male Lives Matter" movement https://t.co/rHigZ7hBSd pic.twitter.com/bJoMTK9u3e 488 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 9:38:30am down 4 up report On a related note, Giuliani is free to eat a bag of dicks. Racist asshole. There is a 99% chance that he blows goats... 489 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 9:38:34am down 9 up report . @tperkins introduces conversion therapy amendment, which passes the GOP Platform subcommittee. 490 KGxvi Jul 11, 2016 * 9:38:55am down 2 up report Could just as well have been Benny Hill theme for how he and the rest of the pro-Brexit idiots have conducted themselves. Not a single one of them is willing to lead the exit. Not a single of them is willing to accept that the Brexit was built on a lie - including the claim that the NHS would benefit from the withdrawal. There's going to be a rather large dose of irony when the vote for Brexit leads to the UK being even more integrated into Europe. Luckily, the British are good with irony. 491 Skip Intro Jul 11, 2016 * 9:39:49am down 6 up report re: #465 Dr. Matt I'm willing to bet that the person(s) including the anti-porn amendment has an extensive cache of porn hits on their laptop. Will tRump have to burn his copy of the Paris Hilton video porn that he and his wife liked to watch? 492 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 9:39:57am down 4 up report re: #479 Backwoods_Sleuth The Rudy-Trump convergence has been going on for a while. They're sharing the same fact-free BS for a while. Recall too that in all those photos trying to link Trump to Clinton, you see who else is standing there - Rudy (along with Joe Torre - not pictured in this version, and Bloomberg) - via NYDN: They've been rubbing shoulders for years. And now it appears Rudy's been whispering in his ear on various policy aspects. 493 Stanley Sea Jul 11, 2016 * 9:40:15am down 3 up report re: #462 I Would Prefer Not To He's not picking Ivanka. I'll go with Pence. He needs someone with experience. Not Flynn. Mike Flynn tells me: "If people are going to decide election on abortion issue they should just stay home." Says he is "pro-Life Democrat." -- Jennifer Griffin ( @JenGriffinFNC ) July 11, 2016 494 Lidane Jul 11, 2016 * 9:40:23am down 12 up report [Embedded content] Laying the groundwork for a justified homicide - claim that the victim of an officer involved shooting appeared to look like a suspect in a crime - even though the person was never suspected and had no felony record. We see this time and again. Cops will ultimately claim justified use of force for the flimsiest of reasons, and prosecutors and/or juries go along with it. Somehow, the cop screaming "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" in a panic after he shot Philando Castile doesn't seem to follow his logic. 495 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 9:41:39am down 6 up report Large measles outbreak in Arizona likely aided by vaccine refusal. https://t.co/KVV6SQCyxG pic.twitter.com/S70pz3WdQh 496 Belafon Jul 11, 2016 * 9:42:02am down 4 up report Laying the groundwork for a justified homicide - claim that the victim of an officer involved shooting appeared to look like a suspect in a crime - even though the person was never suspected and had no felony record. We see this time and again. Cops will ultimately claim justified use of force for the flimsiest of reasons, and prosecutors and/or juries go along with it. Which ought not to stand. The only reason the officer should have fired a shot would have been an immediate threat to his life or someone else's. Since the man was sitting in the vehicle, not doing much, there was no reason for the cop to fire. 497 Timothy Watson Jul 11, 2016 * 9:43:07am down 7 up report [Embedded content] Laying the groundwork for a justified homicide - claim that the victim of an officer involved shooting appeared to look like a suspect in a crime - even though the person was never suspected and had no felony record. We see this time and again. Cops will ultimately claim justified use of force for the flimsiest of reasons, and prosecutors and/or juries go along with it. And the "alpha males" of society who allegedly make up the police in this country are scared shitless of any black male they encounter. 498 KGxvi Jul 11, 2016 * 9:44:35am down 1 up report Huckabee has to be pissed that he ran his Christianist/populist campaign eight years too early. 499 calochortus Jul 11, 2016 * 9:45:00am down 10 up report re: #497 Timothy Watson And the "alpha males" of society who allegedly make up the police in this country are scared shitless of any black male they encounter. Pro tip: If you need a firearm to be an alpha male, you're not an actual alpha male. 500 lizardofid Jul 11, 2016 * 9:46:13am down 12 up report re: #476 CuriousLurker CNN did an interesting piece on Dallas police chief David Brown over the weekend. He's see a lot of tragedy in his life: He grew up in a rough area in Dallas and understands first-hand what it's like to distrust the police, but decided he wanted to make a difference, so he joined the DPD in 1983. Five years later--in 1998-- a former partner died in the line of duty . In 1991, his younger brother was killed by drug dealers in Phoenix. A few weeks after he was sworn in as chief in 2010 a young father and a police officer in nearby Lancaster were gunned down--the killer was his son, David Brown Jr. An autopsy showed he had PCP, marijuana and alcohol in his system Now this with the death of five officers. I can't even imagine how much this is breaking his heart. He's been the right person for Dallas, and never more than right now. I don't know if the CNN piece mentioned it, but the chief has had to fend off detractors recently. Thankfully the mayor has had his back. Dallas is better off for it. His programs that promote de-escalation have born fruit. 501 KGxvi Jul 11, 2016 * 9:46:37am down 8 up report Pro tip: If you need a firearm to be an alpha male, you're not an actual alpha male. Bonus Pro tip: If you have to do stuff to prove you're an alpha male, you're not an alpha male. 502 Stanley Sea Jul 11, 2016 * 9:47:47am down 11 up report My never ending question. Was the cop tested for steroids? Doubt it. 503 lizardofid Jul 11, 2016 * 9:51:32am down 4 up report re: #502 Stanley Sea My never ending question. Was the cop tested for steroids? Doubt it. I think you are so correct to ask. 504 Jenner7 Jul 11, 2016 * 9:52:02am down 4 up report I thought he was pulled over for broken tail light? 505 Lidane Jul 11, 2016 * 9:53:42am down 10 up report Wheee! Here's the GOP platform plank that commits the party to protecting against magnetic pulse attacks pic.twitter.com/KXX8zdcYCA I thought he was pulled over for broken tail light? Philando Castile Dispatch Recording: Audio Reveals Cop Pulled Him Over For Having 'Wide Nose', Tail Light Not Out https://t.co/mMouFPxQ3s 507 Skip Intro Jul 11, 2016 * 9:54:08am down 14 up report He was pulled over for driving while black. He didn't have a broken tail light. 508 Eventual Carrion Jul 11, 2016 * 9:54:18am down 17 up report re: #502 Stanley Sea My never ending question. Was the cop tested for steroids? Doubt it. Every cop involved in a discharge of their weapon should be subject to immediate drug and alcohol testing. If you have done nothing wrong you shouldn't have a problem with it, right? 509 BeachDem Jul 11, 2016 * 9:54:30am down 7 up report re: #489 Backwoods_Sleuth [Embedded content] Is the GOP platform also going to include alchemy, witch burning and recognition of the flatness of the Earth? Doesn't seem like much of a stretch for them. 510 ObserverArt Jul 11, 2016 * 9:54:47am down 6 up report re: #489 Backwoods_Sleuth Zeke Miller @ZekeJMiller .@tperkins introduces conversion therapy amendment, which passes the GOP Platform subcommittee. 12:04 PM - 11 Jul 2016 77 77 Retweets 17 17 likes Are they building a political platform or is it more a document to capture the fevered ramblings of a fundamentalist insane asylum? 511 calochortus Jul 11, 2016 * 9:54:51am down 9 up report Will they provide any money to harden the electrical grid? 512 Tigger2 Jul 11, 2016 * 9:55:17am down 9 up report 514 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 9:56:11am down 1 up report [Embedded content] I don't know... I watched Dark Angel back in the day, and looking back, it looks less dystopian than it used to. // (because, obviously) 516 Skip Intro Jul 11, 2016 * 9:56:53am down 3 up report I think moving away from an earth centered universe really pissed god off. The GOP should demand that their Texas subsidiary require all school book publishers to remove this blasphemy and get us right with god. 517 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 9:57:20am down 5 up report Are they building a political platform or is it more a document to capture the fevered ramblings of an fundamentalist insane asylum? GOP platform subcommittee swiftly and unanimously passes language calling 2nd amendment a "natural, inalienable right." GOP draft platform: "We support the public display of the Ten Commandments as a reflection of ... our country's Judeo-Christian heritage." 518 KGxvi Jul 11, 2016 * 9:58:43am down 4 up report Is the GOP platform also going to include alchemy, witch burning and recognition of the flatness of the Earth? Doesn't seem like much of a stretch for them. they can't include alchemy... once we go back to the gold standard you can't have people out there trying to turn lead into gold. And witch burning is a bit too graphic, they'll probably go with the duck test first (due process and all that). As for the flat Earth, just give them time... 519 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 9:58:48am down 5 up report Annie Dickerson of NY offers amdt to GOP platform re: adoption by gays. Objects "to allowing patent discrimination in their right to adopt." -- John R Parkinson ( @jparkABC ) July 11, 2016 Several members of the constitutional issues GOP platform subcommittee have focused on abortion while introducing themselves. One delegate says she's on platform panel because "I wanted to preserve the sovereignty of land ownership." Trump is pro-eminent domain. 520 Franklin Jul 11, 2016 * 9:59:14am down 2 up report 521 danarchy Jul 11, 2016 * 9:59:40am down 2 up report Could just as well have been Benny Hill theme for how he and the rest of the pro-Brexit idiots have conducted themselves. Not a single one of them is willing to lead the exit. Not a single of them is willing to accept that the Brexit was built on a lie - including the claim that the NHS would benefit from the withdrawal. I thought Cameron was anti-brexit? 522 No Depression Jul 11, 2016 * 10:02:06am down 4 up report re: #479 Backwoods_Sleuth Apparently, Rudy gets his statistics from the same place as Donald: [Embedded content] That isn't just racist; it's stupid as fuck too. If black children really did have a 99% chance of killing each other, black people would cease to exist in this country. 523 calochortus Jul 11, 2016 * 10:03:50am down 2 up report OK, time to get back to work. Later, all. 524 A wild WITHAK appeared! Jul 11, 2016 * 10:04:25am down 1 up report 525 Tigger2 Jul 11, 2016 * 10:04:37am down 6 up report @ryanstruyk By seeing all the stupid stuff they are adding to the platform I think everyone on the committee is crazy. -- jim ( @jlcoffeecup ) July 11, 2016 526 Franklin Jul 11, 2016 * 10:04:54am down 0 up report Thank you GOP platform committee...Shit show starting earlier than expected! 527 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 10:05:44am down 9 up report These are pretty cool, but they are so fast, most people never get to see them: Stunning red sprites by Martin Popek on July 10 from Nydek, Czech Republic https://t.co/rGhAPCD2XP cc: @coreyspowell pic.twitter.com/GbR6QOnvhq 528 Franklin Jul 11, 2016 * 10:06:07am down 3 up report re: #522 No Depression That isn't just racist; it's stupid as fuck too. If black children really did have a 99% chance of killing each other, black people would cease to exist in this country. I think he means, a black persons killer has a 99% chance of being black. Stat is inflated, but is consistent for all races (white killing white, etc). 529 gocart mozart Jul 11, 2016 * 10:06:12am down 4 up report re: #366 Charles Johnson @ProgsToday You get off fondling your metallic penis extension and waiving it at strangers in public parks. -- (((gocart mozart))) ( @gocartmozart1 ) July 11, 2016 530 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 10:07:19am down 2 up report I thought Cameron was anti-brexit? Sorta kinda. He offered the referendum as an election promise, to hold off challenges from the right. But he never thought it would pass. 531 CuriousLurker Jul 11, 2016 * 10:07:38am down 1 up report He's been the right person for Dallas, and never more than right now. I don't know if the CNN piece mentioned it, but the chief has had to fend off detractors recently. Thankfully the mayor has had his back. Dallas is better off for it. His programs that promote de-escalation have born fruit. Thanks, no, I wasn't aware of that. Kudos to the mayor for having his back. He deserves it, as do the citizens of Dallas. 532 No Depression Jul 11, 2016 * 10:08:14am down 3 up report re: #528 Franklin I think he means, a black persons killer has a 99% chance of being black. Stat is inflated, but is consistent for all races (white killing white, etc). It ain't my fault he's an inarticulate fucknugget. 533 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 10:09:20am down 10 up report Thanks, no, I wasn't aware of that. Kudos to the mayor for having his back. He deserves it, as do the citizens of Dallas. Brown said that while the Dallas community, mayor and other city officials have given his department "all the support we need," he believes Americans demand too much of local police departments. "We're asking cops to do too much in this country. We are. We're just asking us to do too much," he said. "Every societal failure, we put it off on the cops to solve. Not enough mental health funding. Let the cop handle it. Not enough drug addiction funding. Let's give it to the cops." "Here in Dallas, we've got a loose dog problem," Brown went on. "Let's have the cops chase loose dogs. You know, schools fail. Give it to the cops. Seventy percent of the African-American community is being raised by single women. Let's give it to the cops to solve that, as well. That's too much to ask. Policing was never meant to solve all of those problems." 534 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 10:09:30am down 11 up report Dallas PD chief says Arlington PD will work w/Secret Service on @POTUS security during visit. Worried about "fatigue factor" on his force 535 ObserverArt Jul 11, 2016 * 10:11:34am down 2 up report Just took a look at that Gate Pudnut's image of Milo and Anne Coulter in those nifty t-shirts. That shovel is a great prop. It looks like it hasn't seen actual digging in 50 years or more. Hoft must have found it in someones old barn. The rust color shows it hasn't been used or it would be polished by the dirt/stones, etc. And the edge isn't even sharp and since it looks like it is chipped, I'm thinking it is so rusty that one good thrust into some actual dry soil and it will bust in half. But damn...what fine conservative models! And they have that whole professional model pose going. 536 Belafon Jul 11, 2016 * 10:11:40am down 7 up report It's a lot like asking troops to be nation builders. 537 Franklin Jul 11, 2016 * 10:12:24am down 1 up report re: #532 No Depression It ain't my fault he's an inarticulate fucknugget. That's a Fact. Just looked at some murder statistics : White murder victim: murderer was white 83% of the time Black murder victim: murderer was black 90% of the time. So, nowhere near 99% and wether you are white or black, your murderer is almost exclusively going to share the same skin pigmentation as you. 538 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 10:12:31am down 5 up report He's the nitwit who decided the way to address Brexit was to hold the referendum. So, he's responsible for the ensuing shitshow. 539 Dr Lizardo Jul 11, 2016 * 10:12:32am down 2 up report re: #527 Backwoods_Sleuth That's not that far from here. About 50-odd kilometers (35 or so miles). 540 The Vicious Babushka Jul 11, 2016 * 10:14:29am down 4 up report Baby Whiplash's (aka Asscrack The Insignificant) most insane wharglebargle EVAH in which he claims to know what is "best" for The Blacks and of course what all "Leftists" think. The Buzzword of 'Systemic Racism' Is BS That Hurts Black People https://t.co/VRqNg2XlIB pic.twitter.com/QMMMvR7aPw 541 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 10:15:39am down 5 up report Which further makes sense since the overwhelming majority of homicides are the result of people who know each other - family, friends, colleagues. They're people known to each other. Most people are not assaulted or killed by people who don't know them. The people the gun nuts have to fear are their own family/friends - there isn't some armed horde just waiting over the horizon to come and kill them, rape them, or steal their stuff. But most gun sales are predicated on the threat of The Other. 542 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 10:18:29am down 1 up report re: #510 ObserverArt Are they building a political platform or is it more a document to capture the fevered ramblings of a fundamentalist insane asylum? since they already have a candidate who captures the fevered ramblings of a fundamentalist insane asylum, they should have a platform to match 543 Eclectic Cyborg Jul 11, 2016 * 10:18:29am down 1 up report re: #517 Backwoods_Sleuth Yes, it's so natural for people to walk around in public armed to the teeth... 544 dog philosopher aioau[?] Jul 11, 2016 * 10:18:59am down 8 up report "There's even a greater fear," one Republican National Committee member said. "What if he really gets elected? Now what do we do?" Other Republicans are less shy about that possibility. It would be a catastrophe, they say, and it cannot be allowed to happen. "Whatever Hillary Clinton's faults, she's not ignorant or hateful or a nut," wrote Mark Salter, who was a senior strategist to Arizona Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. "She acts like an adult, and understands the responsibilities of an American president." In such a partisan time, and with as polarizing an opponent as Clinton, relatively few Republicans are likely to openly back the other side. Preventing Trump from remaking the party in his own image, however, is a much more readily accepted goal across the GOP's spectrum. "This is a pivotal moment in history," said Kendal Unruh, the Colorado leader of the "Free the Delegates" movement to encourage fellow delegates to modify the convention rules in the coming week to dump Trump. Yet reaching a consensus on what should replace Trump's agenda could prove more difficult than imagined -- for the same reasons that Trump was able to win the nomination in the first place. Trump's victories in the primaries revealed an enormous gulf between what GOP leaders believe their voters want and what those voters actually want. All of Trump's rivals for the nomination hit the usual themes that appeal to the Republican "three-legged stool." They warned social conservatives about threats to religious freedom, guaranteed economic conservatives big tax cuts and rallied foreign-policy conservatives with promises of a more aggressive use of the military. Meanwhile, Trump smashed the stool until it shattered, focusing his campaign largely on building a wall along the United States' border with Mexico, raising tariffs, and bombing and torturing terrorists and their families. The message resonated with the rarely acknowledged fourth leg of that allegorical stool: a segment of the white population, disproportionately Southern and disproportionately undereducated, that has little interest in lower capital gains taxes or fewer business regulations. Rather, Trump's racially tinged promise to "make America great again" harkens back to a time when a high school diploma, and sometimes not even that, was all that was necessary to make a middle-class living in a country that was overwhelmingly white. "What they want to do is go back to 1956. And it's just not going to happen," said Mac Stipanovich, a longtime Republican consultant who served as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's campaign manager in 1994. "If that's who we are, then we're headed for the ash heap of history." 545 lizardofid Jul 11, 2016 * 10:20:01am down 3 up report Thanks, no, I wasn't aware of that. Kudos to the mayor for having his back. He deserves it, as do the citizens of Dallas. Most of his problems are like every other big city chief in the country. Trying to implement community policing, under budget restraints, spreads the force thin, and that creates friction. Also, moral is a constant battle, when suburban departments are always ready to offer the best you train up, a nice raise to defect. 546 FormerDirtDart Jul 11, 2016 * 10:21:17am down 9 up report I'm pretty damn sure I read yesterday that he specifically said that women should be able to "choose" EXCLUSIVE: LTG Mike Flynn tells me he is "a pro-life Democrat," clarifies abortion comments by phone. "I believe the law should be changed." -- Jennifer Griffin ( @JenGriffinFNC ) July 11, 2016 547 Thanos Jul 11, 2016 * 10:21:31am down 3 up report [Embedded content] There's a whole narrative building in the RW blogosphere right now to discredit Reynolds, they are also trying to say that she lied, that Philando had his gun on his lap, that he was a crip, that he didn't really have a permit, that Reynolds is just a liar etc. etc. The main place it's emanating from is Conservative Treehouse, and SNOPES has done some work to debunk their BS, but it's still spreading widely through the breitbartosphere and Facebook. re: #540 The Vicious Babushka Evidenceless?? Is that even a damn word? 549 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 10:21:56am down 5 up report re: #517 Backwoods_Sleuth GOP draft platform: "We support the public display of the Ten Commandments as a reflection of ... our country's Judeo-Christian heritage." I remember when Dubya came out in favor of that. Then some journalist, who obviously had a couple semesters of comparative religions or linguistics under his belt asked "Which translation". To which Dubya replied, "The standard one", I assume that in his uncritical pea brain that meant the King James translation...he left without expounding on his answer. 550 SteveMcGaziBolaGate RN Jul 11, 2016 * 10:22:23am down 2 up report re: #544 dog philosopher aioau[?] The Republicans' problem is that it isn't just Trump and his minions who want to turn back the clock to an America that never existed, and they can't deal with it. 551 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 10:23:58am down 2 up report re: #549 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) I remember when Dubya came out in favor of that. Then some journalist, who obviously had a couple semesters of comparative religions or linguistics under his belt asked "Which translation". To which Dubya replied, "The standard one", I assume that in his uncritical pea brain that meant the King James translation...he left without expounding on his answer. "The one that I read, OK?!" 552 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 10:24:45am down 1 up report I'm pretty damn sure I read yesterday that he specifically said that women should be able to "choose" "Yeah, well, whatever." 553 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 10:24:59am down 11 up report It's a lot like asking troops to be nation builders. And this stat, "Seventy percent of the African-American community is being raised by single women", is our own fault too. Those unmarried parents, the "single mothers", it's not that the men are a bunch of ex-boyfriends who skipped off. 80% of unmarried black fathers are involved in their children's lives, they buy groceries and read bedtime stories and go to the kids' Little League games. But since black guys are 4 times more likely than white guys to be arrested for drugs (even though they use at the same rate), and anybody with a record the whole family is ineligible for public housing, food stamps, student loans, city and county job training programs, etc, it's just math that the family is better off if Dad and Mom are live-in boyfriend/girlfriend, instead of husband and wife. 554 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 10:25:02am down 2 up report re: #546 FormerDirtDart I'm pretty damn sure I read yesterday that he specifically said that women should be able to "choose" they should be able to choose between being barefoot and pregnant until menopause or going to a nunnery... 555 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 10:25:03am down 17 up report Chief Brown on what he'd like President Obama to say: I'm not gonna chime in on what he should say. He's the President, for God's sake. 556 Belafon Jul 11, 2016 * 10:25:07am down 5 up report re: #544 dog philosopher aioau[?] There's a party that wants to make it easier for people to earn a living, to pay for any education they need, and recognizes the need for a minimum standard of living. What these people are hoping for though, by voting for Republicans instead of Democrats, is that we can go back to the 1950s by being openly mean to minorities again, by reintroducing segregation and sanctifying racism. 557 Tigger2 Jul 11, 2016 * 10:25:39am down 3 up report re: #544 dog philosopher aioau[?] Hope I'm around to put the first shovel full of dirt on the ashes because Stipanovich that is who your party is. 558 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 10:26:24am down 5 up report re: #555 Backwoods_Sleuth Chief Brown on what he'd like President Obama to say: I'm not gonna chime in on what he should say. He's the President, for God's sake. -- meta See how divisive Obama is? 559 Dr Lizardo Jul 11, 2016 * 10:26:30am down 5 up report re: #544 dog philosopher aioau[?] "There's even a greater fear," one Republican National Committee member said. "What if he really gets elected? Now what do we do?" Other Republicans are less shy about that possibility. It would be a catastrophe, they say, and it cannot be allowed to happen. "Whatever Hillary Clinton's faults, she's not ignorant or hateful or a nut," wrote Mark Salter, who was a senior strategist to Arizona Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. "She acts like an adult, and understands the responsibilities of an American president." In such a partisan time, and with as polarizing an opponent as Clinton, relatively few Republicans are likely to openly back the other side. Preventing Trump from remaking the party in his own image, however, is a much more readily accepted goal across the GOP's spectrum. "This is a pivotal moment in history," said Kendal Unruh, the Colorado leader of the "Free the Delegates" movement to encourage fellow delegates to modify the convention rules in the coming week to dump Trump. Yet reaching a consensus on what should replace Trump's agenda could prove more difficult than imagined -- for the same reasons that Trump was able to win the nomination in the first place. Trump's victories in the primaries revealed an enormous gulf between what GOP leaders believe their voters want and what those voters actually want. All of Trump's rivals for the nomination hit the usual themes that appeal to the Republican "three-legged stool." They warned social conservatives about threats to religious freedom, guaranteed economic conservatives big tax cuts and rallied foreign-policy conservatives with promises of a more aggressive use of the military. Meanwhile, Trump smashed the stool until it shattered, focusing his campaign largely on building a wall along the United States' border with Mexico, raising tariffs, and bombing and torturing terrorists and their families. The message resonated with the rarely acknowledged fourth leg of that allegorical stool: a segment of the white population, disproportionately Southern and disproportionately undereducated, that has little interest in lower capital gains taxes or fewer business regulations. Rather, Trump's racially tinged promise to "make America great again" harkens back to a time when a high school diploma, and sometimes not even that, was all that was necessary to make a middle-class living in a country that was overwhelmingly white. "What they want to do is go back to 1956. And it's just not going to happen," said Mac Stipanovich, a longtime Republican consultant who served as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's campaign manager in 1994. "If that's who we are, then we're headed for the ash heap of history." That's exactly what Trump's voters want. To go back in time when even a modest job, such as being a baker - as my father was - meant middle-class success. On a baker's salary, he paid a mortgage (until 1976), my mom was a housewife, I wanted for nothing, and we took trips to Sweden every five years or so during my childhood (and once to Egypt!) and usually every summer, we drove around the USA, seeing something new. Those days are gone. And yes, my dad never even went to college. He was a high-school grad, that's it. But those days won't return, no matter how much Trump's voters may want them to. 560 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 10:26:34am down 4 up report re: #556 Belafon There's a party that wants to make it easier for people to earn a living, to pay for any education they need, and recognizes the need for a minimum standard of living. What these people are hoping for though, by voting for Republicans instead of Democrats, is that we can go back to the 1950s by being openly mean to minorities again, by reintroducing segregation and sanctifying racism. they think there is a causal relationship between minorities advancing and them declining... 561 Lidane Jul 11, 2016 * 10:26:56am down 10 up report LISTEN: On Guns, Dallas Police Chief Tells Legislators: 'Do Your Job' https://t.co/TBIBBFAvy6 562 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 10:27:43am down 5 up report So, nowhere near 99% and wether you are white or black, your murderer is almost exclusively going to share the same skin pigmentation as you. Because your murderer is almost always going to be a family member, neighbor, former friend, or somebody else who you already know pretty well. That's why cops don't go looking for random strangers as suspects until they've already looked at everybody you've regularly spent time with. 563 dog philosopher aioau[?] Jul 11, 2016 * 10:29:19am down 4 up report Are they building a political platform or is it more a document to capture the fevered ramblings of a fundamentalist insane asylum? - constitutional amendment mandating u.s. population cannot be less than 55% european-american - manufacturing required to be brought back to u.s. to provide well paid blue collar jobs to americans while at the same time not impacting profits of manufacturers or increasing prices - solution: china and vietnam will pay for it - medicare part G public health gun program: compulsory subsidized guns required to be issued to all schoolchildren and liberals - phrases "season's greetings" and "happy holidays" crminalized as hate speech 564 Ziggy_TARDIS Jul 11, 2016 * 10:29:53am down 0 up report re: #458 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) China has treated Muslims poorly throughout history. 565 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 10:30:30am down 2 up report re: #540 The Vicious Babushka The Buzzword of 'Systemic Racism' Is BS That Hurts Black People t.co pic.twitter.com -- Ben Shapiro Yeah, black people, listen up. Ben is greatly concerned about your welfare and freedom. 566 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 10:30:42am down 22 up report Rudy Giuliani is angry that America has a #BlackLivesMatter movement. Rudy Giuliani is not angry that America needs one. #BLM 567 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 10:31:00am down 0 up report re: #564 Ziggy_TARDIS China has treated Muslims poorly throughout history. Do they not have their own troublesome Muslim minority in Xinkang province? 568 Eclectic Cyborg Jul 11, 2016 * 10:31:08am down 1 up report re: #563 dog philosopher aioau[?] It would be funny if it weren't so damned plausible. 569 Barefoot Grin Jul 11, 2016 * 10:31:17am down 0 up report [Embedded content] It's been reported that he and his family have received death threats in the past few days. No elaboration on the content of the threats, though. Still, I expect comments like this will have gun-rights folks screaming "he's politicizing a tragedy!" and it wouldn't surprise me if the threats were from such folk. 570 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 10:32:35am down 2 up report re: #563 dog philosopher aioau[?] - constitutional amendment mandating u.s. population cannot be less than 55% european-american - manufacturing required to be brought back to u.s. to provide well paid blue collar jobs to americans while at the same time not impacting profits of manufacturers or increasing prices - solution: china and vietnam will pay for it - medicare part G public health gun program: compulsory subsidized guns required to be issued to all schoolchildren and liberals - phrases "season's greetings" and "happy holidays" crminalized as hate speech I am going to add the "magnum lottery" pension system: buy a lottery ticket every week until you retire. If you haven't won by then, buy a gun and rob a store. Even if you get caught, you have free housing, food and medical care for the rest of your life 571 Barefoot Grin Jul 11, 2016 * 10:33:06am down 1 up report re: #564 Ziggy_TARDIS China has treated Muslims poorly throughout history. There was that period of openness and tolerance in the early Tang dynasty until the An Lushan Rebellion.... 572 Shiplord Kirel Jul 11, 2016 * 10:34:35am down 8 up report Yecchh! Idiot compares Trump to Wendell Wilkie. Before Trump, there was Wendell Willkie The Republican Party once chose a presidential nominee who was successful in business but had never held political office. Who went from being a Democrat to a Republican, but was a maverick in his new party. He would often speak off the cuff, was not much of a churchgoer, had what one historian called "a magnetic personality" and was not always faithful as a husband. He was definitely a dark horse when he began his campaign against veteran candidates but won the GOP nomination in defiance of the political establishment, with what one observer called "a tendency to make his own decisions in his own good way." He wasn't Donald Trump. No, he sure as hell wasn't. Wilkie was an internationalist visionary and a social liberal who helped dismantle Indiana's once powerful Ku Klux Klan, became the first major party presidential candidate to address the NAACP convention, and helped FDR pass Lend-Lease. His book, One World, recounts his travels on behalf of Roosevelt during World War II, and lays out his proposals for a new international order. Some freepers see through it as well: More attempts to spread irrelevant slime on Trump. 573 Ziggy_TARDIS Jul 11, 2016 * 10:36:52am down 0 up report re: #567 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Yep. Also doesn't count the multiple times the Hui have been massacred. Though the Hui are now friendly to the Central Government and are displacing the Uyghurs in Turkestan. 574 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 10:39:24am down 3 up report re: #572 Shiplord Kirel 575 Mattand Jul 11, 2016 * 10:41:22am down 5 up report re: #488 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) There is a 99% chance that he blows goats... It's irresponsible to not ask this question. Repeatedly. 576 gocart mozart Jul 11, 2016 * 10:43:54am down 4 up report @ProgsToday @Green_Footballs I see concerned citizens trying to protect the public from a violent street thug. -- (((gocart mozart))) ( @gocartmozart1 ) July 11, 2016 577 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 10:44:56am down 9 up report Donald is having a veterans rally in Virginia Beach at the moment. Christie is with him: Christie: We need a President who will "restore law and order"; says police should be given benefit of the doubt. -- Sarah McCammon NPR ( @sarahmccammon ) July 11, 2016 578 KGxvi Jul 11, 2016 * 10:45:17am down 3 up report re: #576 gocart mozart shouldn't a "violent mob" be, you know, violent? Or does violent in this case mean "not white"? 579 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 10:46:31am down 3 up report Two officers, one full camo, sit with high powered rifles atop @lmpd hq building in downtown Louisville. pic.twitter.com/aQ0Q7NoOPM 580 nines09 Jul 11, 2016 * 10:46:34am down 4 up report re: #577 Backwoods_Sleuth Donald is having a veterans rally in Virginia Beach at the moment. Christie is with him: [Embedded content] The old "When in doubt fire 8 warning shots into them?" 581 The Vicious Babushka Jul 11, 2016 * 10:46:37am down 7 up report I can give you advice on how to fuck yourself until you die @ornholio 582 Jenner7 Jul 11, 2016 * 10:46:42am down 4 up report MSNBC was in the middle of interviewing DeRay and they told him to hold on while they play Trump, who is talking about cops right now. He's clearly reading from a teleprompter. 583 Jenner7 Jul 11, 2016 * 10:48:04am down 0 up report He's getting better at reading off a teleprompter. 584 jaunte Jul 11, 2016 * 10:48:10am down 9 up report Trump: "it's time for hostility against our police and all law enforcement to end, and end now" -- John Harwood ( @JohnJHarwood ) July 11, 2016 "Let's focus that hostility on immigrants and Muslims" https://t.co/wYES4oFzx1 585 Jenner7 Jul 11, 2016 * 10:48:42am down 0 up report "I am the law and order candidate." 586 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 10:48:55am down 2 up report ahhh...BLM rally in Louisville. Hundred or so people gathered in front of @lmpd hq in downtown Louisville to protest for #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/EsFFyjtwt3 Aerial perspective of rally size pic.twitter.com/dwbQR09Fzc A few officers look on from @LMPD hq window. pic.twitter.com/yBQC5LbXHK re: #581 The Vicious Babushka Wow, they really tried to throw Alex Jones at you? 588 jaunte Jul 11, 2016 * 10:49:30am down 7 up report "I am the law & order candidate." -- @realDonaldTrump What about those rape charges, tho? -- FlorestablishmentTM ( @DeniseFlores ) July 11, 2016 589 Mattand Jul 11, 2016 * 10:50:12am down 4 up report re: #577 Backwoods_Sleuth Donald is having a veterans rally in Virginia Beach at the moment. Christie is with him: [Embedded content] God, you people have no idea how much I despise the fact Christie is our governor. Refusing to vote for this opportunistic jackass twice is one of the more brilliant political moves I've ever made in my life. 590 gocart mozart Jul 11, 2016 * 10:51:01am down 3 up report re: #479 Backwoods_Sleuth @NYDailyNews That fascist thug pig needs to stop disgracing Italian Americans. -- (((gocart mozart))) ( @gocartmozart1 ) July 11, 2016 591 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 10:51:04am down 3 up report Pence: I'll campaign for Trump anywhere, anytime: https://t.co/7olteySzt2 pic.twitter.com/DQaSB4gPg7 -- Local 12/WKRC-TV ( @Local12 ) July 11, 2016 592 KGxvi Jul 11, 2016 * 10:51:34am down 10 up report There is a certain thinking among Republicans/conservatives that part of the problem is that people don't "fear" the police. (I've actually heard this from family members, which is really annoying considering half my family came from Cuba.) Of course, it's lost on many of them that we have a name for societies where people fear the police, they're called "police states." 593 Timothy Watson Jul 11, 2016 * 10:51:42am down 3 up report I don't know... I watched Dark Angel back in the day, and looking back, it looks less dystopian than it used to. // (because, obviously) I also support genetic engineering if it results in more women who look like Jessica Alba. 594 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 10:52:21am down 8 up report Even with a teleprompter, Trump sounds like a bad SNL sketch. Trump seems to think repeating works = presidential. pic.twitter.com/RX01nZR8iL 595 jaunte Jul 11, 2016 * 10:52:32am down 4 up report Trump: I am the candidate of compassion. ...also, we're going to build a wall -- Jordan Ashby ( @JM_Ashby ) July 11, 2016 596 Jenner7 Jul 11, 2016 * 10:53:28am down 9 up report Trump just hit Clinton for reading off a prompter in speeches to Wall Street...while reading off a teleprompter. 597 Jenner7 Jul 11, 2016 * 10:54:09am down 7 up report This Trump press conference is absurd. 598 KGxvi Jul 11, 2016 * 10:54:15am down 1 up report re: #593 Timothy Watson I also support genetic engineering if it results in more women who look like Jessica Alba. Let us also no over look the fact that Dark Angel also gave us Valarie Rae Miller... 599 Jenner7 Jul 11, 2016 * 10:55:09am down 0 up report So, I guess they are done speaking with DeRay. They made it sound they'd come back to him, but now went to Chris Jansing. Ugh. 600 Reality Based Steve Jul 11, 2016 * 10:55:12am down 2 up report re: #593 Timothy Watson I also support genetic engineering if it results in more women who look like Jessica Alba. Yea, but when you modify to get the "Alba Look Gene" activated, you also have the unfortunate side effect of strongly activating the "Alba Acting Ability Gene". I'm not sure that's a trade-off the world is ready for. 601 nines09 Jul 11, 2016 * 10:55:38am down 2 up report There is a certain thinking among Republicans/conservatives that part of the problem is that people don't "fear" the police. (I've actually heard this from family members, which is really annoying considering half my family came from Cuba.) Of course, it's lost on many of them that we have a name for societies where people fear the police, they're called "police states." Yes. Part of the problem is they didn't have enough respect beat into them. Or manhandled enough. It's a whole new world as you speak with the nice officer with his hand on his pistol. And he's apparently had a bad day. Or his wife left. Or ran off with a guy who looks like you. Or something. 602 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 10:55:44am down 4 up report "I am the locked and loaded candidate," @realDonaldTrump says before taking aim at @HillaryClinton . He's loaded with something. 604 ObserverArt Jul 11, 2016 * 10:56:32am down 4 up report So I just flipped to The Don. He is making fun of politicians reading off teleprompters as he badly reads off a teleprompter. This is the state of politics in America. It sure does suck bigly or big league. And they just cut away from him on MSNBC. Good. And we are one week from Cleveland. 605 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 10:57:36am down 2 up report re: #593 Timothy Watson I also support genetic engineering if it results in more women who look like Jessica Alba. I'll withhold support until I know what the men are going to look like. But just as a general rule... I wouldn't want to have to compete with too many Jessica Albas for the available men. 606 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 10:57:36am down 6 up report Trump: "there are two Americas - the ruling class and the groups it favors, and everyone else" 607 KGxvi Jul 11, 2016 * 10:57:40am down 2 up report Yes. Part of the problem is they didn't have enough respect beat into them. Or manhandled enough. It's a whole new world as you speak with the nice officer with his hand on his pistol. And he's apparently had a bad day. Or his wife left. Or ran off with a guy who looks like you. Or something. Or just had some "testosterone therapy" 608 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 10:57:50am down 1 up report Trump: I am the candidate of compassion . Now, now, you just might chase off your Base. 609 Mattand Jul 11, 2016 * 10:58:03am down 3 up report There is a certain thinking among Republicans/conservatives that part of the problem is that people don't "fear" the police. (I've actually heard this from family members, which is really annoying considering half my family came from Cuba.) Of course, it's lost on many of them that we have a name for societies where people fear the police, they're called "police states." Years ago, I read a piece in, I think, the Sunday edition of the Philly Inquirer. They were following a family who had a couple generations of cops. They were from the Northeast section of the city, which is predominantly white. The one quote that sticks with me to this day is one of the younger sons regretting that people didn't fear the police like they did in his father's or grandfather's day. That's really stuck with me over the years. Again, it's been a while and maybe I'm missing context, but to this guy, being a cop meant making people afraid of you. I want to think that's not the norm, but given the rep of the Philly PD since I was a kid, I may be being naive. I'm certainly not looking forward to the convention. The cops went out of there way to piss all over civil liberties for the GOP one in 2000; I can't see this one being any different. 610 Barefoot Grin Jul 11, 2016 * 10:58:09am down 1 up report "Why did you withdraw promised medical help for your nephew?" 611 Reality Based Steve Jul 11, 2016 * 10:58:54am down 1 up report Am seriously considering using a couple of small rubber bands to either pull my beard down into a tight chin ponytail, or possibly forking it into 2 separate ones coming down. That is all. There is a certain thinking among Republicans/conservatives that part of the problem is that people don't "fear" the police. (I've actually heard this from family members, which is really annoying considering half my family came from Cuba.) Of course, it's lost on many of them that we have a name for societies where people fear the police, they're called "police states." That's also their approach to Foreign Policy, that other nations don't respect us because they're not afraid of us. That's why they love Trump's saber rattling, bully boy act. They want a world where everyone else is too afraid not to do what we want. Hell, it's their approach to their own god, that we should be 'godfearing'. And they want a god who punishes the wicked, defined as 'the people who make me uncomfortable'. This is what stupid, scared people want - somebody to make it all better by getting rid of the people and things that scare them, and ideally with a lot of violence. 613 Jenner7 Jul 11, 2016 * 10:59:45am down 5 up report Democratic Party official Seth Rich found murdered in Washington, D.C. https://t.co/NbTCOhfXdO pic.twitter.com/OfijRKRPTO 614 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 10:59:46am down 3 up report re: #611 Reality Based Steve Am seriously considering using a couple of small rubber bands to either pull my beard down into a tight chin ponytail, or possibly forking it into 2 separate ones coming down. That is all. 615 Reality Based Steve Jul 11, 2016 * 10:59:48am down 3 up report I'll withhold support until I know what the men are going to look like. But just as a general rule... I wouldn't want to have to compete with too many Jessica Albas for the available men. Sid Haig. (or me, we're interchangeable) 616 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 11:00:33am down 8 up report Who is going to tell Donald Trump that the thing he is reading off of is called a teleprompter. Yes really. -- Sarah Reese Jones ( @srjones66 ) July 11, 2016 617 KGxvi Jul 11, 2016 * 11:01:07am down 2 up report I'll withhold support until I know what the men are going to look like. But just as a general rule... I wouldn't want to have to compete with too many Jessica Albas for the available men. It'll be like the Twilight Zone episode... we'll have five models to choose from. 618 Mattand Jul 11, 2016 * 11:02:06am down 6 up report re: #611 Reality Based Steve Am seriously considering using a couple of small rubber bands to either pull my beard down into a tight chin ponytail, or possibly forking it into 2 separate ones coming down. That is all. Go the forking route, but grow them longer and tip them with sharp blades. Then when your enemies attack you (as they most certainly will), you can whip your head around and disembowel them before they even know what's happening. 619 jaunte Jul 11, 2016 * 11:02:36am down 8 up report re: #611 Reality Based Steve Am seriously considering using a couple of small rubber bands to either pull my beard down into a tight chin ponytail, or possibly forking it into 2 separate ones coming down. That is all. 621 Tigger2 Jul 11, 2016 * 11:03:18am down 3 up report @jeffzeleny @realDonaldTrump @HillaryClinton I think he meant to say was "He was locked up and was loaded full of shit." -- jim ( @jlcoffeecup ) July 11, 2016 622 Reality Based Steve Jul 11, 2016 * 11:03:38am down 3 up report Two braids with beads on the ends. I've got somebody who has offered to do that for me. 623 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 11:04:06am down 15 up report When @RealDonaldTrump says "I am the law-and-order candidate" he means he's in court a lot getting sued. #Dipshit #DeleteYourCampaign Two braids with beads on the ends. The Khal Drogo look. But can he go shirtless, like the Dothraki? 625 Jenner7 Jul 11, 2016 * 11:05:04am down 0 up report 626 gocart mozart Jul 11, 2016 * 11:05:11am down 13 up report President Trump: an Accident Waiting to Happen https://t.co/zgjlaVvnzW pic.twitter.com/kKknSXAatC 628 KGxvi Jul 11, 2016 * 11:05:43am down 1 up report re: #624 Blind Frog Belly White The Khal Drogo look. But can he go shirtless, like the Dothraki? And here I was thinking the (book version) Daario Naharis . Depending on the original color, the blue could be fairly easy. 629 Kragar Jul 11, 2016 * 11:06:23am down 9 up report Trump: "I'm the Law and Order candidate" - Praises China for Tiananmen Square crackdown - Praises Saddam for gassing civilians #ImWithHer 631 Jenner7 Jul 11, 2016 * 11:06:44am down 3 up report @DinduNuffinn @Green_Footballs @DawnMacc So do I, go fuck yourself before I pop a cap in your ass. -- (((gocart mozart))) ( @gocartmozart1 ) July 11, 2016 "I am the law and order candidate," says, Trump, the man facing a court date under the RICO statute. -- Harold Itzkowitz ( @HaroldItz ) July 11, 2016 635 KGxvi Jul 11, 2016 * 11:09:13am down 6 up report I AM THE LAW!! AND THERE WILL BE ORDER!! THERE WILL BE SO MUCH ORDER, FOLKS, YOU'RE GOING TO GET TIRED OF IT, OK? BELIEVE ME, THERE WILL BE LAW AND THERE WILL BE ORDER. GET IN LINE OR GET PUT DOWN 636 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 11:09:34am down 2 up report Ann Coulter has a new "book" out called In Trump We Trust. The wingnut movement has gone off the rails. If they were ever on any rails to begin with. 637 Reality Based Steve Jul 11, 2016 * 11:10:31am down 0 up report re: #624 Blind Frog Belly White The Khal Drogo look. But can he go shirtless, like the Dothraki? I can, but it's not 'exactly' the same look. Ok, it's not anything like the same look. 638 Tigger2 Jul 11, 2016 * 11:10:59am down 2 up report We have Clinton as roughly a 70/30 favorite in Nevada. She's polling a bit worse than her nat'l numbers there. https://t.co/HpdMgSzGqQ And here I was thinking the (book version) Daario Naharis . Depending on the original color, the blue could be fairly easy. I'm glad that the showrunners decided to go with a different look for him. When I read the description in the book, and how Danaerys finds him so handsome, I was...bemused. 640 ObserverArt Jul 11, 2016 * 11:11:40am down 1 up report Today must be Trump pivot day. 641 Reality Based Steve Jul 11, 2016 * 11:11:45am down 1 up report And that, my friends, is what we call a 'Service Ace' re: #615 Reality Based Steve You look like Sid Haig? That's awesome! [Embedded content] Well, to be fair, that's kinda what George Wallace had in mind in 1968 when he ran as the Law'N'Order candidate. 644 A wild WITHAK appeared! Jul 11, 2016 * 11:13:06am down 0 up report re: #639 Blind Frog Belly White I'm glad that the showrunners decided to go with a different look for him. When I read the description in the book, and how Danaerys finds him so handsome, I was...bemused. I watched S6 first, then started watching from the beginning; I think Daario #1 is closer to the book portrayal (in looks at least) but I think I prefer Daario #2. The difference was a little jarring. 645 jaunte Jul 11, 2016 * 11:13:21am down 7 up report @JeffersonObama @HaroldItz Surprised Trump hasn't tried to smear RICO as biased because it's Latino. -- Adam Carl ( @AdamWho ) July 11, 2016 646 Mattand Jul 11, 2016 * 11:13:28am down 6 up report re: #636 Sir John Barron Ann Coulter has a new "book" out called In Trump We Trust. The wingnut movement has gone off the rails. If they were ever on any rails to begin with. I think the hard part for Coulter when she write a new book is that her doctors only allow her so much finger paint at a time. At this point, for America to be safe, we need the absolute destruction of the Republican party. Bunch of fucking lunatics at this point. 647 KGxvi Jul 11, 2016 * 11:14:34am down 0 up report re: #639 Blind Frog Belly White I'm glad that the showrunners decided to go with a different look for him. When I read the description in the book, and how Danaerys finds him so handsome, I was...bemused. I think it would have just taken too much time to explain the Tyroshi practice of coloring hair when there'd been no real Tyroshi presence on the show. 648 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 11:14:45am down 4 up report I AM THE LAW!! AND THERE WILL BE ORDER!! THERE WILL BE SO MUCH ORDER, FOLKS, YOU'RE GOING TO GET TIRED OF IT, OK? BELIEVE ME, THERE WILL BE LAW AND THERE WILL BE ORDER. GET IN LINE OR GET PUT DOWN Also the Constitution. It's great. All 18 articles. We're gonna follow the Constitution, believe me. 649 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 11:15:11am down 11 up report Trump promises he'll create a 24/7 veterans hotline & he might pick up the phone himself. Sounds like a kid running for class president. I think the hard part for Coulter when she write a new book is that her doctors only allow her so much finger paint at a time. At this point, for America to be safe, we need the absolute destruction of the Republican party. Bunch of fucking lunatics at this point. Trump has allowed Coulter to come out as her true self. Hitherto, she's had to mute her racism, but now she can totally let her (Confederate)flag fly. 651 A wild WITHAK appeared! Jul 11, 2016 * 11:15:58am down 5 up report [Embedded content] "We'll make the principal turn the soda machine back on during school hours!" 652 Franklin Jul 11, 2016 * 11:16:35am down 4 up report re: #643 Blind Frog Belly White Well, to be fair, that's kinda what George Wallace had in mind in 1968 when he ran as the Law'N'Order candidate. Oooohhh, that sounds like it could be a tasty hashtag: "Law and Order" candidate #GeorgeWallaceOrDonaldTrump Oooohhh, that sounds like it could be a tasty hashtag: [Embedded content] Now I want some tasty hash! Preferably corned beef hash. Crispy on the outside. You look like Sid Haig? That's awesome! [Embedded content] 656 KGxvi Jul 11, 2016 * 11:18:25am down 1 up report 657 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 11:19:52am down 10 up report Trump says Hillary Clinton would be first president who couldn't pass a background check. That's not really how they work but ok. -- Sarah Reese Jones ( @srjones66 ) July 11, 2016 658 Jenner7 Jul 11, 2016 * 11:20:22am down 9 up report Trump: "If elected, Hillary Clinton would become the first president of the United States who wouldn't be able to pass a background check." he meant security clearance but doesn't know the difference between the two. (p.s. she can pass both) 659 Dr Lizardo Jul 11, 2016 * 11:20:24am down 1 up report re: #655 Reality Based Steve Yes, you've got that Sid Haig thing going on! Magnificent! 660 dog philosopher aioau[?] Jul 11, 2016 * 11:20:36am down 4 up report i for one welcome our candidate supporting article 12 of the constitution i am however a little afraid of what it will say when he writes it "We have no leadership on lawns. No leadership. Dandelions aren't afraid of us anymore. I'll be the Lawn Order President, okay? Okay? Lawns will be in perfect order, believe me folks! The Garden Gnomes will all be WHITE, and the Lawn Jockeys will all be BLACK. We'll make lawns great again!" re: #655 Reality Based Steve 663 Franklin Jul 11, 2016 * 11:21:58am down 3 up report Trying to start the #GeorgeWallaceOrDonaldTrump hashtag but I think it's a non starter. George Wallace was an asshole, a racist and just about the worst human in America. But that is where the similarities end. Wallace was smart and well spoken. Donald Trump, is neither of those things. 664 Timothy Watson Jul 11, 2016 * 11:22:41am down 2 up report [Embedded content] Didn't the wingnuts say the same thing about Obama? 665 Belafon Jul 11, 2016 * 11:23:51am down 6 up report re: #661 Blind Frog Belly White "We have no leadership on lawns. No leadership. Dandelions aren't afraid of us anymore. I'll be the Lawn Order President, okay? Okay? Lawns will be in perfect order, believe me folks! The Garden Gnomes will all be WHITE, and the Lawn Jockeys will all be BLACK. We'll make lawns great again!" "And cops will be able to remove any protesters from lawns, no matter what the owner says." 666 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 11:24:23am down 10 up report Democrat Evan Bayh expected to run for Indiana Senate seat: https://t.co/YnrXUjQYbd pic.twitter.com/ZrdiOzPxMz -- Local 12/WKRC-TV ( @Local12 ) July 11, 2016 667 Belafon Jul 11, 2016 * 11:24:30am down 0 up report Trying to start the #GeorgeWallaceOrDonaldTrump hashtag but I think it's a non starter. George Wallace was an asshole, a racist and just about the worst human in America. But that is where the similarities end. Wallace was smart and well spoken. Donald Trump, is neither of those things. I think that would require a whole lot of knowledge of history. 668 Reality Based Steve Jul 11, 2016 * 11:24:48am down 1 up report Well, I'm off to Fedex store (Kinkos) to punch holes in a 350 page document to put it in binder. I wonder if they can do it, or if I have to do it 12 pages at a time by hand. Probably stop at the Noodle Express place next door to it for a lunch. 669 InfidelOfFreedom Jul 11, 2016 * 11:25:37am down 3 up report [Embedded content] A fairly conservative Dem, but if it puts a majority in the Senate, I'll take it. re: #668 Reality Based Steve Well, I'm off to Office Depot to punch holes in a 350 page document to put it in binder. I wonder if they can do it, or if I have to do it 12 pages at a time by hand. Probably stop at the Noodle Express place next door to it for a lunch. "I'm sorry, sir. We tried to use a laser to cut the holes, but it lit your paper on fire and now it's all burned up." 671 Jenner7 Jul 11, 2016 * 11:26:26am down 1 up report Welp, gotta get off this couch and clean house. BBL. 672 Tigger2 Jul 11, 2016 * 11:26:59am down 3 up report A fairly conservative Dem, but if it puts a majority in the Senate, I'll take it. Yep, another vote for a good SCOTUS Justice. 673 Franklin Jul 11, 2016 * 11:27:23am down 3 up report Asian-Americans wanted to talk to their parents about anti-blackness & #blacklivesmatter , thus was born https://t.co/4zDq0oZpbo WOW. YES. 674 Kragar Jul 11, 2016 * 11:27:30am down 4 up report Don't try saying I never gave you anything: pic.twitter.com/gw2qjFZD42 676 Franklin Jul 11, 2016 * 11:29:27am down 3 up report I'm literally tearing up reading some of these letters....great stuff. It's true that we face discrimination for being Asian in this country. Sometimes people are rude to us about our accents, or withhold promotions because they don't think of us as "leadership material." Some of us are told we're terrorists. But for the most part, nobody thinks "dangerous criminal" when we are walking down the street. The police do not gun down our children and parents for simply existing. Wasn't that the thing King John signed at Runnymede? 678 Tigger2 Jul 11, 2016 * 11:30:28am down 0 up report 679 Barefoot Grin Jul 11, 2016 * 11:31:15am down 1 up report [Embedded content] I went to a "gourmet" butcher shop (because I was in the neighborhood) the other day and asked if they had hanger steak (expecting the negative). The guy just stared at me blankly. He thought I was making it up. ANyway, I'm making a note of this recipe. Thanks. 680 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 11:32:20am down 2 up report Jews only name after the deceased so all of my Pokemon have names like TruP8iot and SuckItSJWs after the trolls I've killed. 681 FormerDirtDart Jul 11, 2016 * 11:32:39am down 3 up report re: #657 Backwoods_Sleuth Trump says Hillary Clinton would be first president who couldn't pass a background check. That's not really how they work but ok. -- Sarah Reese Jones ( @srjones66 ) July 11, 2016 Yeah, yet another sign Trump doesn't have a clue Personal anecdote: I was approved for a SECRET clearance, before entering active duty, while I was in the 'Delayed Entry Program', because I had a police record and had to request a morals waiver. Donald doesn't understand that Hillary has never actually been charged with a crime 682 jaunte Jul 11, 2016 * 11:32:41am down 2 up report re: #677 Blind Frog Belly White Wasn't that the thing King John signed at Runnymede? His version used lampreys instead of anchovies. re: #679 Barefoot Grin I went to a "gourmet" butcher shop (because I was in the neighborhood) the other day and asked if they had hanger steak (expecting the negative). The guy just stared at me blankly. He thought I was making it up. ANyway, I'm making a note of this recipe. Thanks. Costco's got 'em. 684 Kragar Jul 11, 2016 * 11:33:36am down 4 up report re: #679 Barefoot Grin Gourmet meaning they'll charge you $8 a pound for hamburger meat because they read the cow bed time stories every night before they killed it. 685 Ziggy_TARDIS Jul 11, 2016 * 11:33:47am down 1 up report Yeah. Majority is what's important right now. We will worry about Better Dems later. Besides, he is nowhere near as bad as Tulsi Gabbard. 686 lawhawk Jul 11, 2016 * 11:34:00am down 3 up report Yeah, yet another sign Trump doesn't have a clue Personal anecdote: I was approved for a SECRET clearance, before entering active duty, while I was in the 'Delayed Entry Program', because I had a police record and had to request a morals waiver. Donald doesn't understand that Hillary has never actually been charged with a crime GOP doesn't care that she hasn't been charged. They've already convicted her. 687 Franklin Jul 11, 2016 * 11:34:33am down 11 up report BET is excited to welcome @MHarrisPerry as our NEW @BETNews Special Correspondent! https://t.co/oyoNUSewVY 688 Kragar Jul 11, 2016 * 11:35:36am down 7 up report This would have more impact coming from politicians who don't support militias targeting federal agents @RightWingWatch 689 Eventual Carrion Jul 11, 2016 * 11:35:41am down 2 up report Which further makes sense since the overwhelming majority of homicides are the result of people who know each other - family, friends, colleagues. They're people known to each other. Most people are not assaulted or killed by people who don't know them. The people the gun nuts have to fear are their own family/friends - there isn't some armed horde just waiting over the horizon to come and kill them, rape them, or steal their stuff. But most gun sales are predicated on the threat of The Other. Yeah, bet many of them end up buying and gifting the firearm that ends up killing them. 690 Franklin Jul 11, 2016 * 11:35:57am down 7 up report "Some say" In bashing Donald Trump, some say Ruth Bader Ginsburg just crossed a very important line https://t.co/PA8MMBHhnQ -- Washington Post ( @washingtonpost ) July 11, 2016 Let's just call that person Donald T. Wait, too obvious. OK, how about D. Trump? GOP doesn't care that she hasn't been charged. They've already convicted her. That's the great advantage of just KNOWING who's been bad or good. Saves the trouble of a trial. A wingnut friend of mine once told me it didn't bother him that a number of people condemned to death for murder had been exonerated, because he figured it they'd gotten that far into the criminal justice system, they were probably guilty of SOMETHING. I had no response for that. It was just too mindboggling. 692 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 11:37:19am down 2 up report Let's just call that person Donald T. Wait, too obvious. OK, how about D. Trump? The fainting couches industry is just trying to drum up business. 693 Barefoot Grin Jul 11, 2016 * 11:38:17am down 1 up report re: #684 Kragar Gourmet meaning they'll charge you $8 a pound for hamburger meat because they read the cow bed time stories every night before they killed it. Yep, and pretty much everything was pre-marinaded. 694 Timothy Watson Jul 11, 2016 * 11:38:42am down 6 up report [Embedded content] Let's just call that person Donald T. Wait, too obvious. OK, how about D. Trump? But Alito showed gravitas when he did this: re: #693 Barefoot Grin Yep, and pretty much everything was pre-marinaded. "You want some extra salt with that?" If you have actual 'gourmet' meat, you don't really need a marinade. 696 Timothy Watson Jul 11, 2016 * 11:39:45am down 2 up report re: #693 Barefoot Grin Yep, and pretty much everything was pre-marinaded. Because the last time I had a hamburger, you know what I thought? "This doesn't have enough salt in it." Not. 697 Franklin Jul 11, 2016 * 11:40:46am down 5 up report #BlueLivesMatter hashtag is getting owned right now. And I'm here for it. #BlueLivesMatter Just because he's a space criminal doesn't mean you can execute him on sight!!! pic.twitter.com/63ycu0MG9r Blue Lives DO NOT MATTER b/c they do not exist. Blue skin (unless by some rare medical condition) is not an anatomical occurrence. 698 Decatur Deb Jul 11, 2016 * 11:42:24am down 1 up report I know it's the toughest building in the county, but I hate it when the NWS includes our nuke plant in the severe weather warning. 699 gocart mozart Jul 11, 2016 * 11:42:30am down 3 up report re: #632 gocart mozart @DinduNuffinn @Green_Footballs @DawnMacc I don't want to shoot you, I want you to go fuck yourself. Make love not war. -- (((gocart mozart))) ( @gocartmozart1 ) July 11, 2016 700 Nyet Jul 11, 2016 * 11:42:36am down 6 up report Trump loves veterans. In fact, he loves them so much he'll make sure to create many, many new ones. 701 SteveMcGaziBolaGate RN Jul 11, 2016 * 11:44:44am down 3 up report re: #668 Reality Based Steve Maybe you could find an open carry nut to shoot three holes in your pile of paper. 702 Timothy Watson Jul 11, 2016 * 11:47:24am down 3 up report A central Virginia sheriff's office is warning residents that searching for Pokemon is not a valid excuse for trespassing. Writing on its official Facebook page, the Goochland Sheriff's Office linked a rise in trespassing and suspicious activity reports over the weekend to Thursday's release of the popular Pokemon Go smartphone game. The "augmented reality" game encourages players to wander in the physical world in order to find and catch new Pokemon on their screens. 703 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 11:48:19am down 6 up report ICYMI: A major Trump bulk email vendor cut off his access to their platform for out of control spamming >> https://t.co/IdPRvE8IPf 704 Sir John Barron Jul 11, 2016 * 11:48:47am down 4 up report re: #702 Timothy Watson A central Virginia sheriff's office is warning residents that searching for Pokemon is not a valid excuse for trespassing. Well, that does it. The authorities are completely out of control now. 705 jaunte Jul 11, 2016 * 11:48:57am down 2 up report re: #701 SteveMcGaziBolaGate RN Maybe you could find an open carry nut to shoot three holes in your pile of paper. .223 bullet diameter is 5.7 mm, but the hole punch standard is 6.5mm. 706 Backwoods_Sleuth Jul 11, 2016 * 11:50:52am down 9 up report Getting asked to be Trump's running mate is the new jury duty. 707 jaunte Jul 11, 2016 * 11:51:16am down 1 up report 708 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 11:51:52am down 1 up report It'll be like the Twilight Zone episode... we'll have five models to choose from. Battlestar Galactica had 12. See how technology has advanced? 709 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 11:53:59am down 1 up report re: #592 KGxvi There is a certain thinking among Republicans/conservatives that part of the problem is that people don't "fear" the police. (I've actually heard this from family members, which is really annoying considering half my family came from Cuba.) Of course, it's lost on many of them that we have a name for societies where people fear the police, they're called "police states." It is government tyranny when it is directed at Patriots occupying federal property, but just maintaining Law and Order when it comes to , er, um, other groups... 710 ObserverArt Jul 11, 2016 * 11:55:00am down 1 up report Josh Marshall @joshtpm ICYMI: A major Trump bulk email vendor cut off his access to their platform for out of control spamming >> talkingpointsmemo.com ... 1:14 PM - 11 Jul 2016 17 17 Retweets 14 14 likes The Trump campaign may have a hard time finding anyone to allow them to bulk email. Once you are labeled as a spammer it can be tough getting anyone to touch your emails. It once again displays Trump just does what he wants and doesn't care about any laws, procedures, etc. 711 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light)) Jul 11, 2016 * 11:55:07am down 4 up report re: #611 Reality Based Steve Am seriously considering using a couple of small rubber bands to either pull my beard down into a tight chin ponytail, or possibly forking it into 2 separate ones coming down. That is all. have you considered a chin bun? bound to be the next men's fashion trend 712 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 11:55:47am down 1 up report [Embedded content] Also praised Kim Jong Un, for how well he consolidated his power (by killing his uncles and cousins) 713 dog philosopher aioau[?] Jul 11, 2016 * 11:57:37am down 1 up report re: #611 Reality Based Steve Am seriously considering using a couple of small rubber bands to either pull my beard down into a tight chin ponytail, or possibly forking it into 2 separate ones coming down. That is all. you could study pharaohs for beard control fashion tips 714 Jebediah, RBG Jul 11, 2016 * 12:08:43pm down 0 up report I figured that "The Cow Jumped Over the Moon" is simple enough for him to follow. 715 sagehen Jul 11, 2016 * 12:09:34pm down 3 up report Remind me again how many Palins have been arrested? 716 danarchy Jul 11, 2016 * 12:09:48pm down 1 up report re: #611 Reality Based Steve Am seriously considering using a couple of small rubber bands to either pull my beard down into a tight chin ponytail, or possibly forking it into 2 separate ones coming down. That is all. 717 Eventual Carrion Jul 11, 2016 * 12:15:48pm down 0 up report re: #551 Sir John Barron "The one that I read, OK?!" Well, at least the parts they had read and "explained" to them. 718 Eventual Carrion Jul 11, 2016 * 1:09:11pm down 0 up report re: #657 Backwoods_Sleuth [Embedded content] So now Obama WAS eligible to be president and could have passed the background check? I'm confused, or is The Donald? 719 Romantic Heretic Jul 11, 2016 * 3:57:14pm down 2 up report re: #309 I Would Prefer Not To The comments on his post about suing Twitter are priceless. Angel Graham Angel Graham You still don't understand how Freedom of Speech works, do you? Twitter is a PRIVATE COMPANY>The 1st Amendment covers you for Free Speech in relation to the GOVERNMENT! Grow up little boy. You're so laced up on something that your shit is sticking to the floor. Like * Reply * 4 hrs That's my wife. No wonder I love her so much.

Minutes later, some of the 100 police in riot gear charged the area where protesters were legally gathered, forcing them into the street where they were then arrested for obstructing a highway.

(CNN) -- Nadya Suleman, the Southern California woman who gave birth to octuplets in January, has fired a nonprofit group of nurses charged with helping care for her children, CNN affiliate KTLA has reported. Nadya Suleman, mother of octuplets and six other children, fired a free nursing team, says a CNN affiliate. Suleman accused the nurses, from a group called Angels in Waiting, of spying on her to report her to child-welfare authorities, the affiliate reported Monday. The group was working for free, the affiliate said. Suleman instead will rely on nurses whom she is paying, Suleman's attorney said. She now has four of the octuplets at home, along with her six other children. The other octuplets remain in a hospital, which is discharging them two at a time to ease the adjustment. Suleman -- already a single mother with six young children -- gave birth to the octuplets through in-vitro fertilization , fueling controversy. News of her collecting public assistance for some of her children also outraged many taxpayers. She has not identified the father of the children, but spoke about him in a new video released on RadarOnline.com. Watch Suleman describe donor >> He is a foreign-born man who lives in California and is the father of all 14 of her children, Suleman said. The man was angry when she told him that she was having eight more children, she said. "He was angry at the doctor, like everyone else," Suleman said. "He is a good friend -- a platonic friend. We would not be very compatible. As far as I am concerned, I would never disclose who he is." At one point in the video, a child's voice can be heard asking Suleman the man's name. She did not answer.

Nadya Suleman, the Southern California woman who gave birth to octuplets in January, has fired a nonprofit group of nurses charged with helping care for her children, CNN affiliate KTLA has reported.

I used to carry a gun all the time because of my love of bad guy hunting, but over time I started to worry about the ethics, as the documentary Wreck-It Ralph has shown there is a very real problem with declining bad guy populations and environmental degradation of various traditional bad guy domains. I realized as much as I loved shooting bad guys or people who looked like bad guys or made me feel squiggly inside, maybe if I kept killing bad guys we would one day be left with a world without anyone to pop people's heads between their thighs like sparrow's eggs. Therefore I am an early adopted of the Super Talon Ultra Net Launcher Kit, it has allowed me to move away from a destructing and I believe basically immoral pursuit of the sport of bad guy hunting to a much more protective catch and release method to keep the local bad guy population under control. GulliverFoyle 2016-01-25 22:08:29 UTC #30

I used to carry a gun all the time because of my love of bad guy hunting, but over time I started to worry about the ethics, as the documentary Wreck-It Ralph has shown there is a very real problem with declining bad guy populations and environmental degradation of various traditional bad guy domains.

Photo by Guy Mansfield / panos. Few sitting governments are brought before their own courts, but July 2009 saw St Lucia's Government face charges of granting illegal tax concessions to tourism properties owned by its serving Health Minister. In what's become known as 'tuxedo-gate', the entire cabinet of the ruling United Workers Party (UWP), led by the conservative Stephenson King, was found to have been complicit in allowing duty-free status on private property belonging to a member. With opposition St Lucia Labour Party (SLP) leader Kenny Anthony calling for the Government's resignation, the island's tumultuous local politics awaits either an appeal or an election - whichever arrives soonest. The case is the latest in a string of allegations over nepotism which stretch back a decade - property and tax concessions that have left the population with little confidence in official structures. That most cases involve tourism development comes as no surprise; the issue remains a matter of high controversy, leading St Lucian Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott to chastise regional governments in 2008 for 'selling our land like whores to foreign investors'. St Lucia's stunning beauty, capped by the famous twin peaks of the Pitons, hides a turbulent history. Home to Arawak and then Carib civilizations until their genocide under European settlement in the 17th century, St Lucia was bitterly fought over by the French and British, changing hands 15 times between 1660 and 1814 - when British domination of the Caribbean was finally affirmed. It was the French who introduced sugar to the island in 1760, bringing in thousands of Africans to slave in the lucrative canefields and establishing French patois (Creole) as the colloquial tongue. During the French Revolution slaves were freed and noble landowners executed under radical Republicans, a move which resulted in bands of freed slaves called Brigands instigating a terrifying 10-year guerrilla war against British troops, fearing re-enslavement by the incoming power. Sugar remained the primary crop through abolition and for 120 years after. The island achieved self-government in 1967 and independence from Britain finally in 1979; both events under the enigmatic leadership of long-time Prime Minister John Compton. From the 1960s, preferential access to European markets for bananas maintained St Lucia's economy and, though the number of farmers has fallen to a quarter of what it was in the early 1990s due to increased competition from US farms in Latin America, UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's has ensured a future still exists for the St Lucian banana industry through recent fair trade deals. Tourism has nonetheless replaced bananas as by far the largest economic sector, and recent governments have sought to capitalize on the island's reputation for outstanding natural beauty with the construction of a host of high-end property developments and golf courses. St Lucia's untamed Atlantic coast, home to numerous bird species and a nesting sight for giant turtles, was previously spared development due to its crashing wild waves - but controversial real-estate deals have recently seen the best beaches change hands, with artificial reefs put in to break the surf and local communities excluded. An ongoing theme is the lack of transparency over property deals, with accusations of cronyism and the awarding of concessions based solely on private discussion. Though St Lucia has largely weathered the global recession, a steady increase in violent crime suggests unequal economic development and exclusion of the poorest. Prime Minister King remarkably secured significant World Bank grants in 2009 to mitigate the effects of climate change on its coastline - yet to many the far clearer danger lies from within the island's boundaries. In the words of Walcott, regional development 'is terrifying, all around there are huge hotels we are going to leave as monuments... It is about bribery, it is about corruption... Tell these investors we need a theatre, we need a museum.' With a final punch at tourism policy, he added, 'at least the slaves did not have to smile'. Rob Coates Fact file Leader Prime Minister Stephenson King (unelected following the death of John Compton in 2006) is also Minister of Finance, External Aff Economy GNI per capita $5,530 (Grenada $4,670, UK $42,740). Monetary unit Eastern Caribbean Dollars. Main exports Agriculture now represents only 5% of GDP, with banana exports falling by two-thirds since 1992. Tourism is the major foreign exchange earner while remittances from the overseas diaspora are also significant. People 167,000. Population growth rate 1.1%. People per sq km 269 (UK 250). Health Infant mortality 14 per 1,000 live births (Grenada 15, UK 5). Environment CO2 emissions per capita 2.4 tonnes (US 20.6). St Lucia boasts a stunning natural environment, volcanic peaks, inaccessible rainforest, windswept rocky beaches and long golden sands. Large swathes of the coastline are developed or earmarked for new hotels and golf courses. Famous Grande Anse beach, nesting site for giant leatherback turtles, is currently under offer to British developers. Culture Almost entirely Afro-Caribbean, with tiny white and East Indian minorities. St Lucia's vibrant culture is a mix of African, French and British traditions with a distinctly Caribbean twist. The nation's largest cultural event is Carnival, held in July though originally a pre-Lenten celebration. Religion 70% Roman Catholic, the remainder Anglican, Pentecostal and Baptist, with a few Rastafarians and Hindus. African spiritualist beliefs are widespread. Language English (official), French patois widely spoken. *Human Development Index*: 0.821 (Grenada 0.774, UK 0.942). Country ratings in detail Income distribution Unemployment among young people aged 15-24 is at 40%, and there now exists a large gap between middle class and poor. Low-paid service jobs in tourism are failing to close the gap. Literacy 95%. Primary school enrolment is 98%. While the system is weak in some areas, gains have been made. Life expectancy 74 years (Grenada 69, UK 79). This is around the regional average but more can be done to improve healthcare, especially in infant health. Freedom Despite frequent allegations of government corruption, St Lucia maintains a free press and vigorous culture of debate. Peaceful protest is respected and the legal system generally fair. Position of women There is equal school enrolment, and employment rights are also roughly equal. But women hold few high management positions and only 10% of parliamentary seats. Sexual minorities Same-sex intercourse is illegal (punishable by 10 years' imprisonment) and gays face widespread discrimination. While some tourist resorts openly court the gay market without police reprisal, in normal St Lucian society gays very often live in fear. Previously reviewed 1997 New Internationalist assessment In the past 10 years, St Lucia has pursued economic development based on supplying upmarket rooms to affluent tourists and dismissed other options. Though the real-estate boom has brought wealth to the middle and upper classes, the poor are largely excluded and the local environment has been the largest loser. This article is from the November 2009 issue of New Internationalist . You can access the entire archive of over 500 issues with a digital subscription. Subscribe today >>

In what's become known as 'tuxedo-gate', the entire cabinet of the ruling United Workers Party (UWP), led by the conservative Stephenson King, was found to have been complicit in allowing duty-free status on private property belonging to a member.

Quote: Graphic 3-- Canada vote breakdown -- exactly what the votes were -- without the non-voters included Quote: SJ -- yours is a completely incompetent reading of the graphic. When it says in graph 3 "Without absention," I just assume all non-voters turned out to vote for the purpose of that exercise. Because if it was with absention, then to my mind the graph would have to show that as a percentage, or else, it might be mistaken for the reason why everyone's slice of the pie expanded like it did. Hmmm. This image was part of the announcement made in Campbell River, "the Salmon Capital of the World." The joke for those that don't know their fish is that this is not a Pacific salmon but rather an Atlantic salmon. The wheels on the Harper bus are starting top fall off. This was the same regional tour that included an unethical photo-op with Scouts in uniform.

Canada vote breakdown -- exactly what the votes were -- without the non-voters

School has spent $85 million on diversity over the past 12 years Columbia University is planning to invest $100 million in diversity efforts over the next five years, an amount the president of the school claims is "essential to the evolving needs" of the Ivy League institution. In an email obtained by The College Fix, Columbia's president, Lee Bollinger, wrote that "scholarship and teaching are strengthened immeasurably by having a diverse faculty and student body," that such a goal "is also an imperative of any reasonable conception of justice," and that, of all the steps Columbia may take to realize this goal, "none is more important than the commitment of financial resources to this end." Bollinger notes that Columbia has spent $85 million on diversity efforts since 2005. "I am writing now," the letter adds, "to announce that we are committing an additional $100 million over the next five fiscal years to continue this effort." The financial undertaking "will continue to be a shared obligation," Bollinger writes, "with contributions from the University to be matched by investments from individual schools and their academic departments." The email also notes that, next spring, "the University will be highlighting mid-career awards for faculty who contribute to Columbia's diversity." According to the Wall Street Journal , the university in the past has faced problems with recruiting scholars from minority groups. Officials said only nine percent of its 1,637 faculty members were African-American, Hispanic, Native American or Pacific Islander, of which 30 percent were women. Dennis Mitchell, vice provost for faculty diversity and inclusion for the university since 2014, will help lead the effort to invest in diversity. "I'm thrilled to see us double down on our level of commitment," Mitchell said, according to Columbia's website. "This changes the climate and culture of the University." Mitchell did not respond to requests for comment from The Fix . The Fix reached out to Columbia University to determine how the school defines "faculty who contribute to Columbia's diversity." A Columbia spokeswoman who asked to remain anonymous referred The Fix to two different pages on Columbia's website: the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion , and a statement by Dennis Mitchell titled " Why is Diversity So Important? " It is unclear how either link answered The Fix 's question. The College Fix repeatedly reached out to Columbia's Office of Diversity and Culture. The office did not respond.

Columbia University is planning to invest $100 million in diversity efforts over the next five years, an amount the president of the school claims is "essential to the evolving needs" of the Ivy League institution.

The Obama administration continues to stumble in its effort to dramatize the impact of sequestration. During a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing Tuesday morning, Representative Andy Harris (R., Md.) challenged the White House over misleading claims about sequestration's impact on vaccines for children. Harris asked Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), whether or not he was consulted by the White House regarding its state-by-state report on the negative impact of sequestration. Frieden, curiously, was unable to answer the question. "I would have to get back to you on that," he said. In keeping with the administration's campaign to scare the American public, the report claimed that thousands fewer children would receive vaccinations as a result of the cuts. In Harris's home state of Maryland, the White House claimed that 2,050 fewer children would be vaccinated. Harris then noted that the relevant federal program -- known as the 317 Immunization Program -- had its budget cut by $58 million in President Obama's most recent budget request, a cut that was opposed by the National Association of County and City Health Officials. That figure is nearly double the amount that must now be cut under sequestration (about $30 million). "Can I assume that the president's proposed cut would have reduced funding to 4,100 children in Maryland?" Harris asked. Once again, Frieden said he would "have to get back to you on that," but ultimately suggested that CDC would have been able avoide reductions in child vaccinations under the president's lower budget numbers, but not under the smaller cuts mandated by sequestration, which as Harris noted, is a "very interesting" claim. Andrew Stiles -- Andrew Stiles is a political reporter for National Review Online. He previously worked at the Washington Free Beacon, and was an intern at The Hill newspaper. Stiles is a 2009 ... @AndrewStilesNRO

The Obama administration continues to stumble in its effort to dramatize the impact of sequestration.

A teenage boy from Wheatfield Township, Michigan, has been accused of fatally shooting his mother, Lisa Marie Willson, because she did not allow him to own a puppy. The 19-year-old named Andrew has been arrested and charged with felony firearm possession and murder. According to the Lansing State Journal, Andrew used a family firearm, a .22 Magnum rifle, to shoot his mother in the head while she slept during the early hours of the morning. Lansing authorities have reported that Andrew called 9-11 shortly after he shot and killed his mother, whereupon he told local police that he had arrived home and discovered his mother dead in bed. When deputy sheriffs and police officers arrived at the boy's house, located in 200 block of Linn Road, they quickly determined that the boy's mother had been fatally shot in the back of the head. Charles Buckland, a detective for Ingham County Sheriff's Department, has told the DailyMail that there were no other people who entered the Willson residence the night Ms. Willson was murdered. According to Mr. Buckland, the incident that triggered Andrew's violent behavior was his mother's demand that her son leave a young puppy - that he allegedly found abandoned in the neighborhood - at his father's Dansville home. Andrew found the puppy several weeks before murdering his mother and arguments about the dog's future became a frequent event in the Willson home. Despite Andrew's misleading tale, Ingham County police officers quickly realized that the boy's story didn't make any sense. For starters, veteran investigators noticed that Andrew's description of events kept changing. When authorities located the murder weapon, firearm analysts determined that a spent shell casing and live round were still loaded in the Magnum rifle. Judge Mark Blumer oversaw Andrew's arraignment in the 55th District Court, where he was denied bond and scheduled for a Court appearance in September. The online response to this incident has reignited the perpetual debate on gun violence in America. One Fox News commenter, named 'v3ngence', highlighted the problem and blamed Republicans for the high rates of gun-related violence, sarcastically writing: "But not a gun problem right? How would a good guy with a gun have worked here? Mom should have been packing heat right? You RepubliCons still love getting killed by your guns more than joining us in the middle class!" Another user has denied that gun laws are relevant to this incident, writing: "After a life time of getting what he wanted, never having to face his misdeeds, gold stars in government schools for occasionally being in his seat, the poor snowflake was not prepared for rejection. Our laws are enabling this behavior." This view was supported by 'realist304', who blamed the incident on the soft upbringing of modern American teenagers. "Maybe, at 19, he should have moved out of mommy's house, then he could have all the dogs he wanted. Spoiled little brats!" emphasized the outraged commenter. Source: MailOnline , Fox News Photo: YouTube, Fox10 News

A teenage boy from Wheatfield Township, Michigan, has been accused of fatally shooting his mother, Lisa Marie Willson, because she did not allow him to own a puppy.

Oh boy. Lots of angst and frustration. But what exactly did we expect? For those few that haven't formed an opinion yet who are watching, or will watch excerpts, I doubt Strzok will convince any fair-minded individual. So there's still a tiny positive out of this dog and pony show. The REAL battle is in the federal courts, and there we are winning BIGLY. And not just with the SC, though that is THE most powerful entity in the land. For the first time in 80 years the pendulum is swinging back away from progressive judge majorities, and the progressives are powerless to stop it. THIS is the really important battle. So don't be too distracted by the the silliness on your screens. And there will be at least one further nomination to come that will change a narrow Conservative majority to a "super-majority" of 6-3 (or even 7-2 if things go well). So yeah, the scum are sneering and dodging. And may never come to justice. Did you expect anything better after 80 years of filling the DOJ/FBI Washington ranks with leftist attorneys and other slime? Be confident that the truth will out. Maddeningly slowly, frustratingly oozingly, but gradually it is coming. This is Donald Trump's game, people. He knows everything. Trust him. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Join 122,078 other followers

For those few that haven't formed an opinion yet who are watching, or will watch excerpts, I doubt Strzok will convince any fair-minded individual.

Conservative fiscal hawks express concern over an increase to the deficit; Brit Hume reacts to the criticism of President Trump's budget blueprint. President Trump's recent budget moves could complicate his relationship with the House Freedom Caucus and other fiscal conservatives, with his recent signing of a $400 billion spending deal and a budget blueprint that contains rising deficits. "The swamp won, and the American taxpayer lost," Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a founding member of the caucus, said on "Fox News Sunday." While these lawmakers largely blame congressional leaders for the free-spending attitude, the gloomy outlook is a turnaround from 2016. The 2016 Trump campaign chant of "drain the swamp" was like a melody to members of the small-but-influential Freedom Caucus, started in 2015 to push House leadership to a more fiscally and socially conservative agenda. Former Freedom Caucus member Mick Mulvaney now leads the White House budget office. (AP) Trump, in fact, made Freedom Caucus co-founder and then-South Carolina GOP Rep. Mick Mulvaney one of his first Cabinet-level nominations, as director of the Office of Management and Budget. This weekend, Jordan still boasted that caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., is perhaps Trump's closest Capitol Hill ally. "I would argue our chairman, frankly, is probably the member closest to the president, closer than probably any other member in the House or the Senate," Jordan told "Fox News Sunday." But the deficit-heavy fiscal outlook is presenting challenges. The two-year budget deal signed Friday by Trump raises the cap on military spending by roughly $160 billion. It also lifts the cap on domestic spending by about $128 billion and is projected to increase the federal deficit to roughly $1.2 trillion by fiscal 2019, which has roiled Freedom Caucus members and closely aligned groups including Tea Party activists and donors. Further, the fiscal 2019 budget plan unveiled Monday no longer calls for balancing the budget over the next decade. Mark Meckler, co-founder of Tea Party Patriots, said Monday that "many hopeful-but-naive patriots believed D.C. would change under Donald Trump. Many thought he could drain the swamp without us. Friday morning painfully showed those same patriots that such a plan is nothing but fantasy." However, Meckler, now president of the political activist group Citizens for Self-Governance, didn't heap all the blame on Trump or argue that he is creating such a divide. "I don't think there was ever an expectation that Trump was a conservative. He didn't run as one," said Meckler, adding that if House members, including those in the chamber's conservative caucuses, had taken a stronger stance on fiscal responsibility, "Trump would have followed." Trump administration officials and Republican leaders of the GOP-controlled Congress argued that passing last week's budget deal was essential to protect soldiers and keep Americans safe -- and end a very-brief government shutdown. House Speaker Paul Ryan argued that 80 U.S. service members were killed last year in accidents and training incidents, roughly four-times more than in combat. "Our government has no higher responsibility than to support our men and women who are in harm's way," the Wisconsin Republican said hours before the voting on the bipartisan budget bill began last week. "This budget agreement delivers on that commitment. ... With better training and equipment, many of these deaths could have been prevented." Jordan argued the House submitted a budget bill to the Senate that funded the military for a full year, only to have it laden with domestic spending to get Democrats' votes. "Instead of standing firm, our leadership said ... let's just spend more on everything," he said Sunday. "Let's just grow government, give into the Democrats instead of ... doing what the people elected us to do. They gave into the Democrats and we got this boondoggle that we passed." Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder and national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots, said Monday that fiscal conservatives were fully behind the president's recent tax cuts and argued that the budget agreement alone "might not be a problem." However, she suggested that Trump's failure to repeal ObamaCare and plan to grant what she calls "amnesty" to illegal immigrants as part of upcoming immigration-reform negotiations could be a different story, particularly as Republicans try to keep control of Congress during this year's elections. "The base could simply not vote," Martin said. "They could simply say, 'Republicans didn't keep their promise.' " Jordan sees opportunity for Trump and conservatives to come together in the immigration debate, considering their preferred, hardline bill matches Trump's demands. The bill by Virginia GOP Rep. Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, includes money for border security; changing a federal immigration program from a lottery-based to merit-based one; ending so-called "chain migration" that allows people to bring extended family into the country; and a legislative solution to the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that protects hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought into the U.S. illegally as children. "A big debate [is] coming, the debate on immigration. And the Freedom Caucus is going to be in the middle of that," Jordan said. "The legislation that is consistent with the mandate of the 2016 election."

The 2016 Trump campaign chant of "drain the swamp" was like a melody to members of the small-but-influential Freedom Caucus, started in 2015 to push House leadership to a more fiscally and socially conservative agenda.

On May 1st, Hamilton's anarchists and anti-capitalists gathered in Beasley Park for a march and a block party. Weather was cold and rainy, so the turnout was lower than in previous years, but we had a lot of energy and for whatever reason, the police were a lot more hands-off than they usually were (May Day has tended to be a bit fighty in the past), which is probably just as well. We took to the streets and marched North towards the Barton Jail. There was a speech highlighting the role prison plays in society and how the greedy rat-bastard screws at the jail have been using the many deaths due to bad conditions there as a bargaining chip in their negotiations with the province. We then marched west to James St N, the heart of gentrification in Hamilton, setting off smoke bombs, throwing up stickers and laughing at the surprised hipsters taking breaks from their $20 burgers to watch the demo. A speaker highlighted the work of the Hamilton Tenants Solidarity Network in fighting evictions throughout the city and supporting tenants organizing against displacement. Down James and West on King brought us to the Ellen Fairclough building, site of many settlement services for refugees and other migrants. Speakers described organizing political solidarity and support for migrants in the city talked about grassroots efforts to make municipal services available to all and to continue pressuring the federal government to continue allowing refugees and their family members to settle in Canada. Around the block and back to Gore Park for a speech in front of a lovely statue of Queen Victoria digging into the crimes of empire, the colonial nature of the Canadian state, and what Indigenous sovreignty and autonomy would mean. Finally, we marched on back to Beasley Park after two hours for a big meal, courtesy of Hamilton Food Not Bombs, a free store, music performances from Mother Tareka, Lee Reed and Marshia Celina, poetry from Klyde Broox, and a speech from a Syrian anarchist about support for the revolution in Syria. A post shared by The Tower InPrint (@the_tower_inprint) on May 4, 2016 at 2:42pm PDT Anarchists circulated a beautiful zine called "Steal City: Thoughts on some everyday struggles in Hamilton." See text below, from The Hamilton Institute : A Steal City... Far and wide, Hamilton is known as the steel city. Historically, the largest producer of steel in the country, our solidly working-class city has been built around the steel industry. For better or worse, steel has been integral to what it means to be a Hamiltonian. Against this backdrop, we want to make a slightly different proposition - we propose that in practice Hamilton is a stolen city. Hamilton is a city built on the widespread theft of indigenous lands. Hamilton is a city where everyday bosses steal the profits made by their workers and landlords steal hard earned money from tenants. Hamilton is a city where politicians embezzle funds, as police rob us of our freedom and in some cases our lives. The only appropriate response to these realities is to take our city back. As part of this year's annual May Day celebrations, the intentions of this modest publication are twofold - to call into question some of the taken-for-granted institutions and values that shape our city, and perhaps more importantly, to encourage action. Written by a handful of people inspired by anarchist ideas, the pages that follow discuss issues related to policing and immigration, the environment and colonization, violence, democracy, and private property. Against these systems of domination, we propose autonomy, solidarity, internationalism, and direct action as ways to build our collective power in this city. Living in Canada, or rather, in the territory controlled by the Canadian state, colonization is an ongoing process essential to the way power works here. We live in Hamilton, Ontario, a city built by settlers who invaded the traditional territory of the Chonnonton people, as well as of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinabec and Wyandot peoples. The history of colonialism is often made invisible, like the graves and homes of the all-but-forgotten Chonnonton that are now covered by subdivisions and factories. Ongoing colonization often remains unseen, even as a process that implicates everyone on this land. In the 1500s, various European powers initiated a process of colonizing peoples in what they would call Africa, Asia, and North and South America. Some places, like India or West Africa, the colonizers maintained a military presence to control the local population and oversee the collection of natural resources, agriculture, or slavery without settling many Europeans there permanently. In other places, like Brazil or the Caribbean, Europeans enslaved and killed local Indigenous populations to the such an extend of mostly erasing them as distinct cultures and then importing (mostly African) slaves to do the labour. In places like Canada, South Africa, or Algeria, the colonizers tried to establish permanent settlements of Europeans. All of these different colonial strategies lead to different political situations in the 21 st century. For us here in so-called Canada, it's the last strategy of settler colonialism, that continues to shape our reality. It might feel surprising for Canada to be lumped in with Algeria and South Africa, places where the white-supremacist domination of the peoples indigenous to those areas sparked massive international outrage and saw successful national liberation movements. However, the only difference is how far the genocide went here in North America and how successfully the settlers have been able to maintain control. That Canada can now presents itself as a peace-loving, progressive country is entirely due to how successfully it has hidden its unending campaign of violence and land-theft against Indigenous peoples. Still, resistance to colonization by Indigenous peoples has been constant for hundreds of years. This in spite of a genocide that saw, by some estimates, the number of Indigenous people in the US and Canadian territories drop from 15-20 million in 1500 to about 1-2 million by the mid 1800s. Today, as Indigenous resistance continues to swell across the Canadian territory, many non-Indigenous people are feeling inspired by the practices of autonomy, collective struggle, land defense, healing, and cultural revival being put into practice. Many of us in settler communities share certain values and practices with Indigenous people who set out to defend and restore their territories and communities. Collaborations between settler and Indigenous groups have been important in resisting the expansion of the Tar Sands and other extractive infrastructure across the continent, as well as in other struggles. Anarchist and other anti-authoritarian currents in settler communities have long tried to ally themselves with Indigenous peoples against their common enemies. However, these collaborations often happen without challenging the broad ignorance among settlers about colonialism and Indigenous cultures. This support can also conceal the differences in goals and priorities between Indigenous resistance and settler radicals. For example, Indigenous peoples often engage in struggle with the Canadian state to ensure the survival of their communities and to regain or maintain autonomy within their territories, a foundation for action that few (if any) settlers share. Even if as anarchists, we consider ourselves opposed to the Canadian state, we still contribute to its project of settler domination of these territories. Resistance to colonialism demands that we situate ourselves within the long history of settlement and resistance here, that we orient ourselves relative to the ever-expanding frontiers. It invites us to imagine new ways of relating to the land and of thinking about autonomy and solidarity. Guard Dogs of Capitalism As a pillar in society, police are tasked with the role to serve and protect. But we have to ask ourselves, serve and protect whom? The reality is that the institution of policing serves the interests of a few, at the expense of the rest and plays a role in both creating crime and punishing it. From racketeering charges against Hamilton's anti-poor task force, The ACTION Team to murder on the job, we are told these are just a few bad apples. But anyone living in targeted neighbourhoods will know those are just a few of the abuses perpetrated in the name of the police. No, it's not just a few bad apples; it's a rotten logic that informs policing. Police enforce laws that have been set out to govern actions that have been deemed undesirable by lawmakers, politicians and property owners. These laws prohibit certain actions with the belief that by making something illegal, it will no longer happen. More often than not, this structure of control serves to preserve class interests - the police protect the rich and their property. When we understand the logic of policing, it gives new meaning to the Hamilton Police Services motto, "Excellence in Policing". . We have seen this 'excellence' carried out by several police officers in Hamilton who's resumes have made headlines for killing, beating and abusing the community they proclaim to be protecting: Officer Ryan Tocher killed 2 men, Soun Saing and Phonesay Chanthachak in 2007 and 2012 respectively. He hospitalized Po La Hay in 2010 after wrongly identifying La Hay's home address as the home for which they had a drug trafficking warrant. As a result of these murders and other faulty conduct he has gone through four separate SIU investigations, all of which found his actions justifiable. Derick Mellor was a Hamilton officer who used his status and power to engage in sexual relations with several women involved in human trafficking, sex work and domestic violence cases that he was working on. Hamilton police shot and killed Steve Mesic, a 45-year-old man with mental health issues after they received a call about a man walking in traffic. Nineteen-year-old Andreas Chinnery was shot at the door of his apartment by two police officers that were responding to a noise complaint. It doesn't take great mental leaps to see that the people whom the police target are largely low-income, indigenous, black and new immigrants. From its roots, policing in Canada began as a force of colonization when the RCMP was formed to combat indigenous resistance to colonization and settler encroachment, specifically the Metis uprising in the Prairies. Policing continued to play a key roll in enforcing British, then Canadian, colonial rule and the physical and cultural genocide that continues to this day against indigenous people. It is the majority white police force with a wealthy white elite who serves to benefit from upholding and perpetuating white supremacy In addition to physical police confrontations, policing extends intimately into our everyday lives in unsuspecting ways. With Google logging your IP address when checking your email to phone companies tracking when, where and who you're contacting while using your cell phone to the facial recognition software installed in CCTV cameras, it seems that surveillance is everywhere. These are only a few examples of how businesses collect data and make a business of helping the police and private sectors keep an eye on us. Surveillance and data tracking technologies are instrumental tools of social control that impede our ability to move through the world unnoticed by the watchful gaze of the police state. None of this information is new to most of us. If the cops have ever stopped you, you don't need it explained to you why the police are the enemy. If you've been handcuffed, spent a night in jail, ticketed for something, done time or been id'd for crossing the street then you probably have some distaste for or hatred towards cops. The police are nothing more than the guard dogs of capitalism and continue their colonial and white supremacist agenda. The more the police and the state harass us and attempt to control our lives the more important it becomes to find ways to push back. Talking about why we hate the police with our friends, showing up and organizing to resist police killings, confronting police when we see them harassing people on the street and finding ways to solve our problems without calling the cops are just a few examples of the ways we can undermine the authority that the police attempt to enforce. To put it simply, a popular punk anthem once stated "All Cops Are Bastards." We do not disagree. Today We're Forecasting Crisis You can scan all the weather channels, but the forecast is bleak. At the moment, we are in the midst of the biggest extinction since the dinosaurs disappeared, oceans are on the rise, and the places we live are barren, polluted and unhealthy. Everything we need to survive on this planet - clean water, soil, other living things - is being degraded at a nearly unimaginable rate. Most of us have grown up with this alarming narrative about the environment. If there were a TV forecaster reading this news, they'd be ready to jump out the window. We are aware of the forecast and yet the dominant culture's solutions are wholly inadequate and self-serving. Bring a reusable bag. Buy overpriced coffee that somehow "helps" this endangered species featured on the label. Use 30% recycled toilet paper. At best, these avenues allow business to expand as we keep pace with the alarming forecasts. At their worst, these consumer choices lead to feelings of complacency and powerlessness, while failing to even address the alarming storm warnings. We are encourages to wait for governments, businesses or the UN to invent new products, energy sources or institute policies to unify the divergent interests of governments and industries to save the world But these solutions aren't coming. It is the insatiable growth of Capitalism - The exploitation of the natural world and the constant excessive growth necessary to the continuation of capitalism - that caused this problem in the first place. What's worse, as the natural world continues to degrade it's the poor and global south who feels the burn. The weatherman predict that it will only get hotter, leaving scorched earth and desertification around the equator and flooded metropolises. These predictions show an impending loss of arable land and displacement of the global poor in the near future. Even today, we see this in our own backyards where the life expectancy of folks living in the polluted Hamilton core is twenty years shorter than those living up-mountain, in Westdale or Dundas. No matter how bad things get there will always be a group of privileged people who don't have to feel the crisis. Capitalism is killing us every day, but it's not killing all of us. We are familiar with the unending list of false solutions handed to us, top-down. Once we accept them as dead ends, it opens up space to come up with more creative solutions that build off our power, bottom up. Connecting with each other in our communities and neighbourhoods, forming relationships and exchanging knowledge about the world around us are all powerful ways to build power for ourselves and collectively, while not forfeiting it to someone else. We can act now, with our bodies and stop projects that devastate our land base from happening. This is the substance of a core anarchist value, called autonomy. We build autonomous power when we occupy their worksites and break their shit. When we work with our neighbours to tear up concrete and plant a garden. Facing the bleak forecast of the environment crisis and its false solutions, the only sane response is to act now, building autonomy in Hamilton and scaling up. The weatherwoman forecasts a push back against Capitalism, which will shake it to its core. PROPERTY IS THEFT It's the first of the month, and like many Hamiltonian renters, you begin a dance. That dance might start elated as paychecks stuff your wallet with the fruits of a month's worth of hard work. The second is dreary and crestfallen, as you surrender the bulk of it to your landlord: the bully in the schoolyard demanding your lunch money. Every month it's repeated, and if you're like many of Hamilton's residents, the shakedown is preceded by uncertainty of whether your landlord will demand more than you can afford this month, or kick you out altogether. In a city hit by some of the largest rent increases in the country, this dance is getting harder. This routine has become so commonplace that it may seem absurd to ask: "Why do we pay rent?" The simple answer to that question is that your landlord owns the building, thus you have to pay to live there. However, that answer opens up further questioning. What is ownership? What is property? These questions may seem absurd, but their answers are revealing. The most basic form of property is, of course, land. If I happen upon an unclaimed piece of land, I can build a house on it, and call it my own. I can grow crops; I can raise livestock. The land on which I live, and produce my livelihood I call "mine". That all sounds reasonable. However, let's say I happen upon a piece of unclaimed land, and I decide not do anything with it and leave, can I still call it "mine"? Now let's say I built a house on said land, and left immediately after I was finished never to return. Could I still call it "mine"? If after I die, someone decides to live in that house, are they trespassing? What about while I'm alive, living somewhere else, with no intention to move into the former house? Are they then trespassing? The answer to these questions would obviously be "no". Just like at the bar, when you sit in your chair, you call it "yours" for the time being. If you get up to use the bathroom, and someone sits in "your" chair while you're gone, your friend may say "excuse me, that's my friend's seat" and the expectation would be that the person mistakenly sitting would find another chair. However, once you leave the bar, or switch seats, it would be ridiculous to continue to consider that chair "yours". So how does that line of reasoning apply to housing and rent? Let's say I'm a landlord. I pay to have a house built. I don't live in that house, I live somewhere else. While I live somewhere else, what is to stop someone from just squatting in the first house? The answer should be obvious: as soon as the squatter is found out, they're told they are trespassing on "private property", and they're hauled out by police. If this were the bar, it would be like me claiming multiple chairs as "mine", but only sitting in one. By what authority can I do that? In the real world, by owning private property, you have at your disposal a team of enforcers known as the police. So, as long as the state or city recognizes that I "own" a piece of property, they will prevent others from using it at my request. Continuing the analogy of stools at a bar, if I have claimed most of the stools at a bar, and I have some tough guys enforcing that for me, I can then begin to charge people to sit in those chairs. If they don't pay, they have to stand; if they try to sit without paying, they get beaten up. The question then must be asked, "Is this moral?" In the analogy of the bar, this sort of "bar stool rent" would seem like a pretty mean-spirited thing to do and pretty immoral. The only reason I can get away with it, is that I have some tough guys enforcing it. In the housing market, this practice is seen as normal, but again, it's not a moral practice, it's just that landlords have a bunch of paid tough guys (the police) enforcing it for them too. If someone were to claim all of the stools at a bar, you may say, "What the fuck? You stole all the chairs!" and you'd be right. So why when thousands of Hamiltonians struggle to pay rent do we not all stand up and shout at the landlords, "What the fuck? You stole all the houses!" The landlords didn't build those houses, some carpenters did. They didn't wire the houses, some electricians did. They didn't actually contribute to the houses' construction at all. What they did was hand over some slips of paper (money) and said, "This is mine." Then they left, never intending to live in those houses. All they do is use that concept of "mine" to take money from you, because you need a place to live, and don't have enough slips of paper to call another building "yours". So if the landlord is just taking money from you without contributing anything to society, just owns things, what does that make him? A parasite. Likewise, what does that make rent? In the eyes of anarchists, the answer is simple: Rent is theft! We want a world where private property is abolished; where no one can claim ownership over more than they themselves can use. In the here and the now, this means aggressively fighting against the gentrification of our city and the related rent increases. This can look like many things - the targeted trashing of property management firms; confrontational harassment of real estate agents, landlords, developers, and other leaches; the squatting of abandoned spaces; or the organizing of rent strikes in our buildings and broader neighbourhoods. We want to steal back all that has been taken from us. Casting Aside The Ballot " If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal". ~Emma Goldman Democracy is often talked about as a near universal good - it is held up as the political ideal for societies to strive towards. At the international level wars are waged under the illusion of creating a liberatory democratic state. While at the local level it is presented as the single answer to any and all social problems. If you have an issue in your neighbourhood, the prescribed solution is to get in touch with your local city councilor. If you're interested in seeing broader societal change, the common advice is to vote for a change in government. But, do any of these avenues actually work? Is democracy worth all of the hype? Those in power, our 'democratic representatives' do not serve the interests of most of us. Living under capitalism means living in society defined by massive divisions between the rich and poor, and democracy is the playground for the wealthy. For those of us who struggle everyday to get by, who have to work and take care of families, there is little time and even fewer opportunities to be involved in the functioning of government. Even less likely, is the prospect of any of us ascending to the role of elite politician. Not just anyone can be Prime Minister or even a local councilor for that matter - it takes having resources and a lot of them, being born into the right family and given particular opportunities, getting the right education, and having the proper connections. Within this context, we're presented with the option of voting for one affluent candidate over the other. Whoever wins, we lose. Some people may object. What if there's a politician who wants to shake things up? What if a political party is formed to fight for the marginalized? The history of social movements is a history of struggles that once recuperated into the realm of electoral politics loose all potential for meaningful change. Capitalizing on social discontent and unrest, politicians and political parties make extensive promises to get into office. These promises rarely, if ever, come to fruition. The individual politician however sincere and well meaning, gains political authority by entering into a system whose foundation is the overarching power imbalance between those who govern and those who are governed. The political party however radical in its mandate succumbs to the pressure of winning and maintaining power, bowing to the influence of dominant economic interests. So-called progressive politicians, like Hamilton's Ward 3 City Councilor Matthew Green use the momentum of grassroots initiatives to gain political traction. Green boasts on his website: "I am YOUR advocate at city hall, so that I can help us foster real, lasting, positive change in our neighbourhoods". Green notes that all across the city people are involved in making their neighbourhoods better and all that "we need now is coordination". This coordination of course, is to be provided by him. Exploiting language of community engagement and social justice, Green positions himself as the professional representative and ultimately the gatekeeper of social change in the city. Similarly, in the riding of Hamilton Center NDP politicians David Christopherson (MP) and Andrea Horwath (MPP) position themselves as leaders fighting for the rights of working families in the city. Christopherson claims to have "led the charge to defend Hamiltonians from the fallout of Stelco's 2007 foreign takeover by U.S. Steel". While Horwath brags of being a community organizer who has helped facilitate the revitalization of Hamilton's downtown core. Yet, the steel industry and its workers have been devastated, and revitalization has meant nothing more than the import of hip businesses at the expense of the mass displacement of poor Hamiltonians. Meaningful change does and cannot come from any level of government. Politicians do not defend our interests - we must defend ourselves and defend our city. Putting aside the question of politicians, political parties, and who they serve, the act of voting is in and of itself a problem. Democracy, contrary to popular characterizations, is innately disempowering. It creates a pacifying situation in which we give up our responsibility and our power - in all matters we defer to our elected representatives. As individuals and within our communities, our capacity to take action, to shape our lives and our surroundings, is severely hindered by the logic of democracy. We're taught that decision-making and collective problem solving is a matter for the professionals, rather than each and everyone one of us. The passive act of casting a ballot is not the epitome of political participation, but a hollow substitute. Anarchists want more. We want decisions to be made by those most intimately affected by them. We want our daily lives to be shaped by our personal desires and our communities shaped by our collective will. We possess the capacity for so much more agency than democracy gives us credit for. When we abandon the democratic reasoning of representatives and stop pleading to those in power, we open up incredible possibilities as we move from asking to acting. A problem in your neighbourhood shifts from an issue to bring to city council to an issue to be dealt with by neighbours themselves. A desire to see some sort of social change moves from a matter of petitioning and voting to a matter of taking direct action. And as we act, we build the relationships, skills, and knowledge necessary to take control over our lives. Returning to the original question: Is democracy worth all of the hype? For anarchists, the answer is a resounding no. A Divided City Along Race, Status and Class. Hamilton is a divided city, built by migrant's labour and maintained by separation. As new immigrants and refugees move in, they're stuck settling into the same destitute and precarious conditions that affect many of us. In a city where 20% of the population is broke and living mostly down-mountain or in high-rises across the city, half of Hamilton's newest immigrants are living in poverty. Our city has long been known as a landing pad for refugees, with percentages double the national average. Social service industries have been established or moved here to encourage this, influencing how the city grows, including its racial make up and its economy. Thanks to racist political maneuverings, refugee boards continue to reject applicants forcing many to choose to go undocumented rather than be deported. With few options available for supporting themselves, many people who find themselves in this situation turn to work in unregulated jobs. In these precarious situations, migrants and refugees become subject to their bosses, landlords and other parasites who prey on the dubious legal status of these newcomers to steal their wages, benefits, security and personal safety. The rejection of refugees' claims isn't a broken system, but rather one part of a government process which has always propped up economies and undercut laws which claim to provide a basic standard of living. Truthfully, in Canada, the state and capitalism produce a subdivided underclass, along lines of race and citizenship, which guarantee rights to some at the expense of others. These lines of exclusion aren't limited to status. We can point to income gaps between new migrants and those born in Canada in the Canadian workforce or the state violence and underdevelopment of black, afro-caribbean and indigenous communities across the GTHA which force many into the risky, unregulated economies of drugs and B&E's. With the refugee crisis grabbing headlines in 2016, lines have further been drawn in Hamilton as anti-immigrant sentiment is batted around like it's ones patriotic duty. We argue that this crisis is a manufactured one, caused by the forced displacement of peoples from conflicts in the Middle East, Colombia and Central/Eastern Africa. The individual causes of displacement and migration are many, stemming from historical or ethnic conflicts dating back to the start of empires; land theft and border militarization of indigenous lands; devastating resource extraction or the political collapse of economies and workplaces. Yet all of these problems find their roots in the motives and influences of a wealthy minority who exploit conflicts, territories, and lives to make profits, do business and maintain a pool of exploited labourers. Contrary to popular conception, global migration is in large part NOT to wealthy nations but rather, migration crosses the globe forcing people to remain uprooted in the global south as a precarious, exploitable workforce that represents a global war against the poor. Part and parcel of this war is the pitting of people against each other across the lines of nationality. In Canada, nationalism is more commonly referred to as patriotism, and everyone is conditioned from a young age to believe that loving your country is one of the most important, natural things you can do. Nationalism relies on grand, unifying narratives to bind populations together in pursuit of a common destiny. Canadian nationalism came from mostly French and British settlers who forged a new collective national identity, born of the shared experience of racial domination over Indigenous nations, enslaved Africans and the intense exploitation of Chinese migrants. Rather than limiting ourselves to the narrow perspective of nationalism, anarchists put forward the competing concept of internationalism. This flows from the realization that borders and nations are artificial constructs meant to divide us, and that struggles for freedom and dignity waged anywhere in the world are deserving of our solidarity and support. That rather than fighting and dying in wars for the sake of the rich and powerful, oppressed people should unite to wage war against our common oppressors. And finally, that for humanity to reach its full potential, and come together to confront the problems that we face as a species, we require nothing less than a global revolution against state and capitalism. Let's have each other's backs... 'Divide and conquer' is a strategy as old as time. A tool of those in power to sow social division, it facilitates domination and weakens the possibility for collective action. There are more of us than there are of them. Those who rule are an elite minority, There are more workers than bosses, and far more everyday people than there are politicians. Given this issue of numbers, much energy has historically and continues to be put towards keeping us divided. Divisions within our society act to create a hierarchy of the oppressed under which those who are otherwise exploited can exercise power over others in their daily lives. The unemployed, women, people of colour and indigenous folks generally fall near the bottom of this hierarchy. Serving the interests of those in power, we compete amongst ourselves to be more like our shared enemy to become wealthier, more influential. We do this by trying to separate ourselves from the people we have shared interests with. We complain about immigrants taking 'our jobs'. We hate on 'those people' on social assistance, people with disabilities, single moms doing their best to raise children with minimal resources. We reject people trying to get through the day by using drugs or alcohol to cope, people who may not conform to rigid gender roles or forms of sexuality, people who do sex work as a means to support themselves. We enforce and perpetuate social hierarchies against our shared interest. Hand in hand with the creation of capitalism in 15th century Europe, came the creation of new divisions and hierarchies. Acts of resistance were demonized. Agitators were persecuted, as in the widespread witch-hunts. Communities were divided and ripped apart by superstitious fear of witches, propping up the development of governments 'need to protect people' and a 'justice system' to make things 'fair.' Part of this process involved demoting women to non-persons in the eyes of the law, kicking them out of professions, and banishing them to the family home. Women became the property of husbands who were responsible for their control. Violence within families was framed as righteous discipline with the help of the church. Suspicion and fear destroyed strong community bonds, squash people's revolts against the feudal system. People had less time to organize against the state because they had to be suspicious of their neighbours and concerned about following the rules to avoid death or torture. People had to focus on making sure those within their own family followed the rules as well. The family became a 'mini-state' with the father as chief and affairs governed internally, no longer the business of the community. This allowed for men to work long hours selling their labour, while women did the unpaid labour taking care of them. Women obeyed husbands and made sure the children followed the new rules so they too could go on to create their own future families of disciplined workers. Family violence, though pre-existing, was institutionalized with laws such as the 'rule of thumb' which stated women were only to be beaten with sticks no broader than the husband's thumb. (Disciplining of children took on a similar form.) Women were no longer seen as competent people with rights, but as sexual objects who were responsible for bearing children andproviding pleasure. They were then castas weak, foolish, and lusty, and thus in need of men's supervision and discipline. Over time this became the new 'normal'. This whole process was brought to the 'New World' and intensified. Colonization cast indigenous people as uncivilized and deserving of genocide. this barbaric process of 'civilizing and re-educating' involved shaming, torture, and sexual violence which has long been used as a tactic of subjugation. African slaves were seen as demons and used to work the stolen Native land for the benefit of wealthy Europeans and the settlers that participated in the process. This environment of hierarchy is still present today not only in the government who rules us, but within our daily lives. Those who sign our paycheques and who have the power to evict us from our homes exert power and control over us. In our workplaces and in our neighbours we need to fight against this exploitation, but we also must simultaneously wage a battle at the level of the family and our personal relationships. Domination flourishes when we are willing to disempower others for small gains whether we are aware or not of our choices and their impacts on others. As we begin to root out the ways hierarchy exists within our actions and relationships, we begin to take responsibility for ourselves with dignity. We build real power to stand for ourselves and to work with others doing the same. Recognizing our unity is a threat to the capitalist system and the state that maintains its inherent inequality. Anarchists know that power corrupts, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. The popular notion of 'anarchy' is 'chaos' but in actuality it means 'against rulers.' Anarchism believe in people's capacity to create order together in a cooperative and equal way where we all benefit and get a say, and no one is dominated. Liked it? Take a second to support It's Going Down!

On May 1st, Hamilton's anarchists and anti-capitalists gathered in Beasley Park for a march and a block party.

Ask a Christian these days what the devil looks like and the answer you'll probably get is "child molester." One of the toughest moral dilemmas facing churches nationwide is what to do when a sex offender, released from prison and seeking a place to worship, comes knocking at the door. "We get calls every day now about this," says Greg Sporer, a born-again Christian, psychotherapist and co-founder of Keeping Kids Safe Ministries in Nashville, Tenn., a group that advises churches how to deal with offenders in their congregation. "We train about 50 churches a week," he says. "Most found out about a sex offender and have panicked." And although it's Christians who are most publicly grappling with the issue, the panic Sporer talks about would -- and has -- hit congregants in many other religions and denominations. The rabbi of an Ohio synagogue, who asked not to be identified, reports that he has dealt with this issue twice. Rather than bring it to the congregation, the temple's executive committee made the decision about how -- and whether -- to welcome offenders to its temple. The verdict: The men could worship with them -- "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all Peoples," explained the rabbi, quoting Isaiah 56:7 -- but could not have any contact with children. Rabbi Elie Spitz of Congregation B'nai Israel in Tustin, Calif., faced the same problem many years ago, when he was rabbi of another temple. In that case, the offender, just out of prison, had molested children in a neighboring community. "I told him I wouldn't prevent him from coming to services, although I would rather he didn't. He came to worship and there were people in the congregation to whom it was so deeply upsetting to have him there, they couldn't pray. People came to me in pain over it," recalls Spitz. After that initial reaction, Spitz did some research into the nature of sex offenders and consulted a psychologist who specialized in the subject. "I wound up writing [the offender] a legal letter saying he was not welcome." Spitz is doubtful it would be different with his current congregation. "Realistically, I do think it would be a problem. A congregation is a very big family and some people are more secure in dealing with danger than others." For Muslims, it's likely the decision would be equally vexing. Ebrahim Moosa, an associate professor of Islamic studies and director of the Center for the Study of Muslim Networks at Duke University, says that the integration of sex offenders simply is not discussed in mosque communities. But, he says, it's likely it would be difficult to allay the fears of parents. At the same time, says Moosa, in Islam there is a requirement of both justice and compassion. "In Islam, there is a doctrine that says someone who repents from their sin, it is as if they have no sin anymore. This is the tension you have with the issue. Can religious communities overcome their fear of this man's psychopathology and accept that he has paid society's penalty or does he have to suffer the consequences of his crimes forever?" It's the same question facing a group of Protestants in Carlsbad, Calif., right now, members of the Pilgrim United Church of Christ who learned in late January that 53-year-old Mark Pliska, a convicted sex offender, wanted to worship with them. The normally progressive, welcoming congregation balked at the notion, and the resulting firestorm forced pastor Madison Shockley to tearfully ask Pliska not to come to services until the church could sort things out. (Shockley says he will announce the church's decision in mid-May.) "Nothing in my almost 30 years of ministry has prepared me to turn somebody away," Shockley told the local paper. But Shockely's biggest surprise wasn't that a sex offender wanted to worship, but that so many members of his congregation had been sexually abused as children; he estimated one in four of female congregants and one in 10 men. Having an offender in the pews with them on Sunday -- even one who had served his time, registered with the authorities and voluntarily identified himself to the pastor -- was too big a hurdle for these former victims, Christians or not. The irony is that barring sex offenders who come forward and identity themselves from attending services may not guarantee a congregation's safety, since it's likely there are child molesters in the church anyway -- they just aren't talking about it (or haven't yet been found out). When Greg Sporer was working in sex offender treatment programs in prisons throughout the 1980s, he was alarmed by the high percentage -- generally more than 50 percent -- of sex offenders in the program who had been churchgoing before they got caught. Sporer began informally surveying colleagues treating sex offenders to see what percentage of their patients had been churchgoing. He says it was always more than 60 percent. By coming forward, Pliska, who has given interviews to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the North County Times and the New York Times, took a big risk and, so far, has lost. Not only is he still locked out of the Carlsbad church, but after a parent at Pilgrim's preschool began a petition drive objecting to his presence -- and a local news crew showed up at Pliska's home -- he was evicted. Then he lost his job as an auto mechanic. Coming forth for the safety of the community has only served to isolate Pliska, but he says he is going to stay in San Diego and won't abandon his hope of attending church. "You can't keep moving forever," he told the North County Times. "I put my faith in the Lord right now and hope things will turn around for me." Pliska has been in counseling for years now and estimates he spent half his income in the first five years after his release in the 1980s on personal and group therapy. He became religious about six years ago. "It's been a guiding light for me," he said. "To me, I'm changed. I'm trying to become an acceptable member of society. It's an ongoing process." Pliska attended church last year at the First Congregational Church in Santa Cruz, having agreed to be escorted at all times and with no access to the education building. He moved to San Diego in December looking for work, and wanted to continue going to church. "I'm not a threat to children anymore," he said. For his part, Pilgrim's Rev. Shockley takes Pliska at his word. "He's human, just like everyone else," he says, "and he strikes me as sincere in his quest to worship with us." Prisons have long been sites of passionate Muslim and Christian awakening and conversion. And, throughout history, houses of worship have been places of refuge and redemption; they have sheltered the disenfranchised and the discarded, from runaway slaves and political dissenters to poor immigrants, the homeless, the orphaned and the diseased. So in the case of sex offenders especially, doesn't it make more sense for religious leaders to establish protocols governing how these men can join congregations -- something Pilgrim is in the process of doing -- than to treat the offender as a pariah? I asked Jimmy Akin, director of apologetics at Catholic.com to respond. He paused before answering. "Catholics have the same human nature as everyone else, and there is a delicate balance that has to be struck between offering forgiveness and reconciliation to everyone and taking sensible precautions to protect the community," says Akin. Dennis Mikulanis, vicar for ecumenical and inter-religious affairs for the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego and pastor of San Rafael Church in Rancho Bernardo, Calif. -- not far from Carlsbad -- says he can't speculate on how a particular congregation would react. ("Look," he said, "the Catholic Church has obviously had its problems with sex offenders.") But Mikulanis did say he "could understand how a congregation would react" the way those at Pilgrim church have and that it's likely whatever decision they come to will be criticized. "In this society today the church can't do anything right, and people of religion can't do anything right," says Mikulanis. The Rev. Kenneth Munson, an evangelical minister (who is also my father-in-law), holds a weekly Bible study at a halfway house in Buffalo, N.Y., for those recently released from prison. Munson said Christ was, indeed, a friend to those considered sinners. "Jesus said, 'A physician doesn't come to the healthy, he comes to those who are sick,' and 'I didn't come to call the righteous, but I came to call sinners to repent,'" says Munson. But he also says sex offenders aren't like other sinners because the public believes they are incurable. "To be honest," he says, "it would probably be easier for a congregation to accept a former murderer." Britt Minshall, pastor of Cathedral Church of St. Matthew in Baltimore and a former police officer, says his racially mixed congregation includes several members who went to prison and after release came back to church, including former prostitutes, drug dealers, thieves and murderers. "We had a member who served 25 years in a federal penitentiary for conspiracy to commit murder and when he came to us he was very accepted. He worshipped here until he died. But if I brought a sex offender to worship at our church, it would be blown apart," said Minshall. "And this is probably one of the most accepting congregations in the country." The faithful, of course, are not perfect just because they have faith. They can be hypocrites like everyone else. "We want to be like Jesus, but we know we're not there yet," explains Alan Duce, a minister and professor of pastoral ministry at Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs, Colo. Minshall says it doesn't help that in the last couple of years the media has whipped society into a paranoid frenzy over registered sex offenders. When a 60-year-old sex offender wanted to worship at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Reno, Nev., last month, the Rev. Rebecca Schlatter, the associate pastor at the church, said, "Clearly, we are called to love. But is it safe to love this particular person up close?" One of the congregants, Mary Carlson, the mother of an 8-year-old girl, was quoted as saying she was astonished that "this individual had already been worshipping among us and that we were unaware of it. Evil has already touched our lives." It has become so bad, says Minshall, that "There is no way for society to see these people as redeemed, the way they do other criminals. I'm certainly not defending sex offenders, but this is hysteria." The uncharitable tenor of the sex-offender debate is disheartening to many church leaders, and goes against their scriptural beliefs and ministerial training. Sadullah Khan, imam of the 1,500-member Islamic Center of Irvine in Irvine, Calif., says, "[I believe] anyone who wants to come and worship, and whose presence in the mosque is not directly harming anyone, should be permitted to come," Khan explains. "If you had only perfect people in the mosque you wouldn't have any worshippers." The Rev. Shockley at Pilgrim said barring Pliska from their sanctuary has implications beyond its effect on the man. "We have to consider not only what it means to receive him, but what it means to send him away." About two years ago the Rev. Steve Nickodemus of Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Sandpoint, Idaho, found himself in the same position as Shockley at Pilgrim church. A 40-year-old man who had served time for child molestation (involving a stepchild) wanted to worship at the church. "He found out from his probation officer what he would need in order to worship here and he agreed to chaperones and to attend only certain services. He's an honest man, he wrestles with feeling condemned all the time," says Nickodemus. "He said if he wasn't a Christian, he would want to leave society and isolate himself. I felt compassion for him. I think he had a real transformation in prison." Nickodemus' congregation struggled with the issue, and some left. But others who had judged this man harshly at first later apologized to him, and these were people with young children. "They ended up asking his forgiveness, and I think we as a congregation are better for it. We have been tested many times and this time we asked ourselves: Are we going to be authentic Christians in terms of confession and forgiveness? Because this is what it means," says Nickodemus. "This is real."

One of the toughest moral dilemmas facing churches nationwide is what to do when a sex offender, released from prison and seeking a place to worship, comes knocking at the door.

Thousands of Palestinians assemble along the Gaza-Israel border during the 'Great March of Return' on April 13. Heroic demonstrations against the Israeli occupation of Gaza continued on April 28 for the fifth week. Every Friday since March 30, the Great March of Return has brought thousands of demonstrators, armed only with their unbreakable resolve, to the militarized fence surrounding the Palestinian enclave. The demonstrations are scheduled to continue until May 15, the day of the "Nakba" or "Catastrophe," when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced to flee their homes in the 1948 war that established the state of Israel. According to Reuters, three Palestinians were killed and another 600 wounded by the Israeli Defense Force on the last Friday. This brings the total casualties since the beginning of the Great March of Return to 42 Palestinians dead and over 5,000 wounded. Israel has deployed snipers and tear gas against the unarmed demonstrators since the demonstrations began. Conditions in Gaza have been described as "the world's largest open-air prison," as Israeli occupation forces have blockaded the small strip by land and sea since 2007, restricting the supply of key necessities, including medicine. The territory, which depends on Israeli-controlled power plants for electricity, receives only about four hours of energy a day. The Great March of Return has demanded not only an end to the siege conditions experienced in Gaza, but the right of all Palestinians to return to their homes and villages in what is now Israeli-controlled territory. The images of thousands of unarmed protesters confronting occupation soldiers week after week in defiance of the violence used against them is reminiscent of the struggle against South African apartheid. Israeli authorities have attempted to lay the blame for the horrific scenes coming out of Gaza at the feet of Hamas, the Palestinian organization that controls the territory. But it was the Israeli state that ordered snipers to fire on unarmed demonstrators, authorized the use of live ammunitions and tear gas, and intentionally deprived the people of Gaza of electricity and medicine. It was also the Zionist project that forced Palestinians from their homes in the first place, and has continued to expand deeper and deeper into Palestinian territory. Progressive people in the United State must unite not only to condemn the crimes of the Israeli government, but also to end the complicity of the U.S. government in those crimes. In addition to weapons sales and billions in yearly military aid, the U.S. has long protected Israel from international consequences, for example, by using its veto power in the United Nations Security Council to block an investigation into Palestinian deaths, days after the Great March of Return began. Israel returns the favor by acting as the Pentagon's attack dog against countries in the area that refuse to surrender their sovereignty, like Syria, Iran and Yemen. Through military aid, diplomatic support and economic ties, the U.S. has enabled the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. Washington has dropped all pretenses of neutrality since the election of Donald Trump, who in February announced he would move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. On April 13, the same day the IDF gunned down unarmed protesters, the imperialist militaries of the U.S., Britain and France launched a total of 105 missiles at Damascus to "punish" the Syrian government for alleged chemical attacks. In truth, these missiles made it impossible for international investigators who arrived the next day to determine what had happened. But the imperialists were silent when Israel used white phosphorus against Gaza in 2009, and of course, there has been no talk now from the capitalist politicians of any "humanitarian intervention" to protect the Palestinian people. The hypocrisy of the U.S. government is rarely so blatantly exposed as when it remains silent about the crimes of Israel. As the Palestinian people continue their heroic resistance against Zionist occupation, it is the duty of progressives living in the belly of the beast not only to continue to draw attention to their struggle, but to demand an end to U.S. support for Israeli apartheid.

Thousands of Palestinians assemble along the Gaza-Israel border during the 'Great March of Return' on April 13.

A BBC presenter was unable to finish a serious report about drugs after he stood too close too a burning pile of heroin and cannabis. Quentin Sommerville, the corporation's Middle East correspondent, got the giggles when he was trying to explain the significance of the scene. He posted the video to YouTube with the headline "don't inhale", as a Christmas present to his viewers. He wrote: "Dear tweeps, it's been a year of bullets & bloodshed. You've earned a xmas laugh, at my expense." Sommerville was trying to say: "Burning behind me is eight and a half tonnes of heroin, opium, hashish and other narcotics." However, he kept having to stop due to laughter, suggesting that the smoke may have taken its toll on the normally serious journalist. His cameraman proved to be little help, as he kept laughing as well. It is not clear when the footage was filmed, or the location, but it is believed that Sommerville was an accidental drug user after he got too close to the 'blue haze'. It is likely his giggles came from the weed smoke, rather than the heroin. A recent study discovered smoking weed increases the blood flow to the right frontal and left temporal lobes as well as the cerebellum. This is believed to be why mundane daily activities can seem hilarious after inhaling the smoke. In contrast heroin creates a sense of euphoria, and ultimately causes the user to sleep. Whatever the exact reason for the giggles it is clear that he had a good time. Being based in the Middle East he probably does not have that many opportunities to have a MERRY Christmas, so perhaps it's only fair he got 'smacked up and monged out' instead! Everyone deserves a bit of escapism from time to time.

A BBC presenter was unable to finish a serious report about drugs after he stood too close too a burning pile of heroin and cannabis.

The Values Voter Summit happens every fall at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, the premier venue for conservative conventions in Washington, DC. (For those of you keeping score, it goes Omni, Grand Hyatt, Mayflower. We do not attend conventions at sub-Mayflower hotels.) The Omni is a sprawling mass perched over Rock Creek that goes forever in all directions, and on these magical few days it is packed to its unironic chandeliers with the upper conservacrust of American politics and media. You could come around the corner and run into the entire Duggar family or find yourself passing through a heavenly gate formed by the homophobic houseflipping Benham twins (right). Rick Santorum is doing man-on-the-street interviews next to the shoe-shine stand. Mike Huckabee is appearing in two to four separate locations simultaneously at any given moment. Seriously, those twins, though. They were everywhere. The morning program started with a back bench congressman so latecomers wouldn't miss anyone they actually wanted to see. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio warned that the Supreme Court could start oppressing Christians again real soon since the Hobby Lobby case was decided 5-4. Too close! Better be sure they don't get any more liberals on the high court, which could happen any day now. (We were somewhat amused by Rep. Jordan's implication that President Obama could get even God himself confirmed to the Supreme Court over a filibuster by the Senate Republicans.) With the opening act done, we buckled in for an all-day cavalcade of conservative stars. Ted Cruz belted out an animated half-hour speech that had audience members calling out "amen!" and "shame on them!" He tossed his Biblical comfort food with a few jokes about his "soft-spoken" father Pastor Raf and a White House fence-jumper gag he ripped off from Jimmy Fallon, then got serious on the increasing threat to freedom from left-wing extremists. Did you know that Democrats just recently took turns micturating upon the precious First Amendment right on the Senate floor? Ted is not afraid, though! He will fight them using their own beloved idols. These are dangerous, extreme, radical times. You know, in 1997, the Democrats tried something similar, and that famed right-wing activist, Ted Kennedy, spoke against it. He stood up and said, in over 200 years, we haven't amended the Bill of Rights; now is no time to start. I gave a floor speech on the Senate floor with a giant poster of Ted Kennedy's face, and that quote next to it. (Lots of laughter and applause.) Scared my father to death. He turned on C-SPAN and said, good God, my son's gone native. Don't want the Bill of Rights destroyed by flaming liberals? Better get the Republicans back in control of the Senate. Time to swipe all the bright red paint in your kids' art boxes, patriots! How do we turn this country around? We offer a choice, not an echo. How do we turn this country around? We don't paint in pale pastels, we paint in bold colors. We're 39 days away from a pivotal election. If you want to defend the First Amendment, our free speech, our religious liberties, vote Harry Reid out. If you want to defend our Second Amendment, our right to keep and bear arms, vote Harry Reid out. If you want to defend the Fourth and Fifth Amendments, our right to privacy -- if you want to defend the 10th Amendment, then vote Harry Reid out. Ted then did a quick rundown of the various wars the United States had won with the help of God and closed with this heartening refrain: "Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning." (Speak for yourself, Senator. Some of us have to be back here for the second day.) Would it be enough for Ted to pull off a presidential straw poll victory for the second year in a row? Spoiler: Yes. Did you think for a second that anyone else could possibly win? Rand Paul, rocking the blazer/jeans combo that made the ladies swoon at CPAC this year, wasted no time in declaring that while he is confident America is going to be just fine, we'd all better watch out for traffic at this ideological crossroads. America, I believe, is in a full-blown crisis, a spiritual crisis... We've arrived at a crossroads. We've arrived at a day of reckoning. Will we falter or will we thrive and rediscover our mojo? America has much greatness left in her, I'm convinced of it, if we believe in ourselves, if we believe in our founding documents, if we believe in the system that made us the richest, freest and the most humanitarian nation ever. But cracks are evident. The sand is shifting. Our moral compass is wavering. We messed up our moral compass! If we keep standing too close to our giant sin magnet, George Washington's going to come back and take our democracy away. Freedom can only be realized when citizens know self-restraint, or put another way, virtue. This parallels what - George Washington's belief, that democracy requires a virtuous people. Think American Revolution versus the French Revolution. Laws don't ultimately restrain people. Ninety-eight percent of the people will follow a virtuous course with or without laws. Now, this isn't to say that we shouldn't have laws or that we - that we don't need laws, but what we need is something more than laws. We need something that civilizes a nation, and that is virtue. What America needs is not just another politician or more promises. What America really needs is a revival. Ooh, is this the kind of revival that happens in a tent with the red-faced preachers and the speaking in tongues and all? We're in! Can we RSVP on EventBrite for this? Also hypothetical President Rand Paul would certainly have gotten congressional permission to attack ISIS. It is a tragic thing for our nation that we will never find out the many other great things that would have been possible if he'd deigned to run in 2012. Michele Bachmann's final speech at VVS as a sitting congresslady was a hodgepodge of everything we love about her. She is a "normal real person," just like she was before she came to Washington! (We are from Minnesota. While her normality might be debatable, we can confirm that she has not changed. ) We did get somewhat distracted by her chilling reminder that she's been serving the past few years on the House Select Committee on Intelligence, doing a "deep dive" into the leading "foreign policy and national security issues of our day." What we have seen is one disaster after another from the Obama-Clinton foreign policy team. And in their fantasy world, a smaller, diminished, less-powerful United States is somehow supposed to bring about global tranquility! Well Mr. Obama, Mrs. Clinton, we want our 1980s foreign policy back! Peace through strength! We don't want your failed Russian reset! We don't want four Americans dead in Benghazi! It was a tragedy to release the five top Taliban leaders from Guantanamo Bay. Perhaps nothing will change the world more than your foolish lifting of sanctions on Iran as they are racing toward completing nuclear weapons, and they will, if we stay the course as President Obama and Hillary Clinton have laid forward. And unthinkably, we have the first anti-Israel president in American history. That's the Obama-Clinton legacy. What's next for Michele now that her last term is drawing to a close? "While it's true that I am leaving Congress, I want you to know that I am not leaving the fight." As for the party's immediate future, she's sure of one thing: "We need to expose Hillary Clinton's record of failure and we will defeat her in 2016. Of that I have no doubt." Rick Santorum recapped all his visionary moves in the Senate and reminded the crowd that leaders as brave as him are not easy to come by, so conservatives shouldn't let them get away (cough) 2012 primary (cough). Many people have criticized me in the past for going out in front on some issues, saying, oh, this will never be a problem in America. When I forced in 2004 and again in 2006 in the United States Senate something that everyone said is premature -- why are you even talking about this? This will never be an issue in America. Go back and read the debate. What was it on? A federal marriage amendment. If you look clearly through the prism of the struggle that is at hand, it is easy to see why I introduced the Workplace Religious Freedom Act 12 years ago, to protect the very people that we now are seeing in court cases like Hobby Lobby. It's easy to see where we are going if you know what the fight is. And that's why it's important, ladies and gentlemen, to elect leaders and to have leaders within our movement, which we frankly do not have many of, particularly in the Republican establishment, who understand the existential struggle that is in America today, and then are prepared to engage that struggle because when we lose these battles, when we lose these precious freedoms that I talk about, then everything else will start to fall because now government has gotten more intrusive and bigger and dictatorial, and the secular statists who control government are the ones who will be dictating not just how you practice religion, but how you run your business, who you do business with and how. Rick understands this struggle for our precious freedoms! He's not like these other Republicans today, who are too flexible and quick to give in. If you look at the current conservative movement, Republican Party, there are issues that we aren't even - we haven't even lost yet and we're talking about giving up. We're not even willing to fight the fight, to stand for what we say we believe in because we think well, history is moving in a different way. History? We are the determiners of history, not history the determiner of history. (Enthusiastic applause.) We are not to look to history, this amorphous concept, to judge us. We have somebody else that we need to pay attention to when it comes to judging us and it's not history. Shorter Santorum: you could've picked Rick in 2012, but it's not too late! He came in second to Mittens in the primary and the two runners-up before him -- McCain and Mittens himself -- wound up on the GOP ticket their next time around. Rick'll just be over here making right-wing movies with his new fan club Patriot Voices when you're ready for him to be your Man to Beat. It would not be a conservaparty without Sarah Palin. She came out swinging, ready to fight for all those voters' values! Values like truth! And Sarah knows all about it, as a victim of constant lies by the media. Truth is a value. Oh, man, I know all about that difference between truth and the lies that they can tell about you. Well, nearly every day I know my family sees something in the paper that, goodness gracious, we would never have known about us had we not read it in the paper, you know? And there are other victims of lies, as well, besides the Palins! All conservatives should understand her pain, since "I'm speaking to the most slandered group in America today." For instance, anyone who criticizes the president is called a total racist. Why do liberals have to keep playing the race card when all the Republicans want to talk about is tax policy? And pulling that race card, pulling the race card, how much longer do you think they're going to -- oh, it's just -- it's not even smart. It's not even smart, when one simply wants our government to live within its means and to not tax us to and beyond death, not to mortgage our kids' future, and that being for today's selfish wants. Because of that, we're racists? Well, what isn't smart is when they try to slap that on Colonel Allen West and Dr. Ben Carson (delighted laughter from the crowd) and J.C. Watts and Rafael and Ted Cruz and my husband, Todd Palin. [ No idea what she's talking about here. Is Todd 1/32nd Native American or something? -ed. ] Yeah, no, those truly prejudiced folks - just remember this - they scream racism just to end debate. Well, don't retreat: you reload with truth - which I know is an endangered species at 1400 Pennsylvania Avenue. BREAKING!! Sarah's blown the lid off the crippling lack of truth at the park across from the Willard Hotel. After reassuring conservatives that getting called racist is a sign that you're winning the argument, she set them free to plunge ahead with their Battle For America. It's time. All you mama grizzlies out there, rear up and charge against this lawless imperial president and his failed liberal agenda and the lying lapdogs in the media. And you strong men, it's time to get off the hind end and expand our ranks and inspire others. I think we've all fattened up enough for what's up ahead. So it is time to stand and fight like your country's future depends on it, because it does. And take time to rejoice. Rejoice. In two years it's going to be the end of an error, the Obama error. (Big applause.) All that hopey changey stuff that just did not work, not even a smidgen. (Knowing laughter.) Remember the Greek columns and the stadiums full of fainting fans and all that dream weaver stuff, promising that, ah, the planet's going to chill out, remember? And the seas - he'd calm the seas. He'd sink every putt. And you could keep your health care. And Sarah's had it up to here with everyone on the other side who wants to divide people up into different sides. It's time to end the politics of division, the left politics of demographics and identity groups and their tactic of distraction. The status quo has got to go -- united, we will be able to stand. Because here is what they've done, these Alinsky-loving, Orwellian, out of touch command-and-control elitists who've been running the show. Well, you know, they used to rail against Big Brother government and the man. Remember that? They are the man. Their MO is to play the politics of personal destruction against anyone that they would deem a threat to their power. And they distract, bebopping from one scandal after another, knowing that there are so many that you can't keep up with all of them. So no one's ever held accountable, from the IRS corruption to you being spied on to, gosh, Benghazi, to bailouts, to, oh, Bush's war was bad, but Barack's bombs? Oh baby, those red lines, the strategery there that was thought up on the back nine? Barack's bombs? Oh, they're the bomb. Gosh, you're right, Sarah! Conservatives would never act like the same thing was either fine or an outrage, depending on the president. THE REST OF THE CONSERVACRAZY There were some other speakers in there, since people have to go to the bathroom and grab their swag sometime. Gov. Bobby Jindal got to talk about how his mother ( A LEGAL IMMIGRANT ) smuggled him from India to America in her belly. "I was what you'd call a pre-existing condition!" (He was not an anchor baby, because his parents were legal immigrants, got it?) Rep. Marlin Stutzman told a story about a pregnant teen in his home state who would've had an abortion if she'd gotten a ride to Kalamazoo, and it turned out it was his mom and he got a standing ovation for being carried to term. Doctor/Congressman John Fleming got a teensy bit carried away preaching against the madness of decriminalization or legalization of marijauna (though he made some excellent points about the dangers of putting edible marijuana into cookies or candy -- such a thing nearly killed our dear Editrix! ). David Dewhurst, newly primaried out of office as lieutenant governor of Texas, warned that "if we don't stop the bad guys at the border today, they'll be in your neighborhoods tomorrow." And the panels! There was one on Common Core and one on foreign policy (according to Maj. Gen. Bob Dees, "If Israel goes down, we all go down"). Then came the surprisingly dramatic Marriage in America presentation, featuring Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of a now-shuttered bakery called Sweet Cakes By Melissa that was the subject of a civil-rights complaint with the state of Oregon after they refused to bake a cake for two women who were getting married. We guess Melissa really loved making her wedding cakes, since she broke down in tears on stage while describing how she used to sit with brides and ask all about the couple and the wedding and where they were honeymooning. We didn't get why she wouldn't be twice as happy to sit down with two brides. (For the record, the Kleins were not shut down by the state; the free market felled them when, as Aaron explained, people who used to refer couples to them stopped after Aaron and Melissa refused to destroy straight marriage by baking a blasphemous cake.) Standing O for the anti-gay bakers from Willamette! During the dinner break, we tried to meet the natives, but found ourselves somewhat hobbled by our Scarlet A (actually schoolbus yellow) press badge. We were rebuffed at the door of a reception with Cantor-toppler Dave Brat, and when we attempted to mix with the values-voting youth at their free-pizza mixer, we were only allowed in for a few pictures after a handler from the press office agreed to follow us around to make sure we didn't talk to anyone. The room had signs on every table designed to start conversations around different issues, with the Drugs and Guns and Obamacare tables well-attended. And what do you know, there at the Sexuality table were the Bobbsy Twins again. At least one of them did not seem pleased to see us. At 7:00, it was time for Mike Huckabee's presser in a little room behind the bathrooms, announced by email blast from his PR lady. After a reporter in the front row needled him into refusing to say whether he's running in 2016, we got to ask the former governor: what should the GOP do to get votes from young and single women, not just the marrieds? After conceding that men and women might be more "passionate" about different issues, he launched into a spiel about everyone caring about whether their kids can go to college, which would certainly be of concern to the women without kids we were asking about. At about our 12-hour mark, the Duggar children played us out from the ballroom stage with choral music performance and we slunk home for an ideological mini-cleanse (one hour of Rachel Maddow). The second day of the Values Voter Summit is usually much quieter than the first, with appearances by luminaries of conservative media like perennial speechmaker Star Parker, radio talker Mark Levin, and patriotic-book writer Todd Starnes. We took the opportunity to wander through the exhibition hall. There was so much to see and learn! We found a well-stocked table for Run Ben Run, the "draft Ben Carson" PAC that saturated CPAC with advertising in March, and at least three booths for conservative movie-production companies, including Santorum's Patriot Voices. We found out what National Right To Life thinks a fetus would look like at various stages if it was cast in Caucasian-colored plastic and nestled into a box with a bottle of baby powder. We picked up helpful literature to guide us in the event that we were to meet someone in a house of worship whom we suspected of being a non-heterosexual. Doesn't anyone practice what they preach anymore? This booth should not even have chairs, NRA. We expected the highlight of the afternoon to be Glenn Beck and his chalkboard, but he did not bring the crowd to their feet as much in the past, despite saying he'd decided we could burn the other schoolbooks after reading the Bible cover to cover for the first time and realizing it's all in there. After Beck there were two rounds of breakout sessions, with panels featuring the likes of Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown. We will not lie to you, Wonketteers. Up until this time we were gamely swimming with the conservafishes, but we could not picture ourselves in a tiny meeting room hearing Kathryn Jean Lopez talking about the GOP's millennial messaging strategies. We were wonked out. Goodbye, Values Voters! We imagine most of you will be back next year, when the straw poll will be binding and the GOP primary posturing will be fervent. And now we ask you, Wonkitariat: who pre-presidented it best this weekend? Ted Cruz? Rick Santorum? Rand Paul? (snicker) Bobby Jindal? Glenn Beck, with his bold book-burning platform? Or Scott Walker, for skipping this whole conservacluster? Weigh in in the comments! You can follow Beth on Twitter. She will be tweeting only pictures of kittens for a few days while she recovers.

The Values Voter Summit happens every fall at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, the premier venue for conservative conventions in Washington, DC.

THESTINGER liked last night's episode. It was not as good as last week's Smackdown, but it was good enough. THESTINGER is a big fan of Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan seems to really care about the animal rights aspect: [www.youtube.com] Part of why THESTINGER is such a supporter of Daniel Bryan is that he is a leftist. Anyone that reads Chomsky or Howard Zinn is a friend of THESTINGER and it is not hard to believe that someone that reads people like that would also come around to the ethical side of being a vegan. THESTINGER is unsure that John Cena is a heel. You are right about a lot of your analysis but if Cena was a heel they would not have him crassly trying to cash in on Zack Ryder's popularity. If Cena was not a heel they would not try to have CM Punk's popularity rub off onto him in September. Had Cena been pushing, on screen at least, for Ryder or someone else to get more airtime it would be one thing. Instead, Ryder becomes popular on his own terms and now Cena is trying to rub off on it. THESTINGER knows that it is a dick move, but it's not played as a heel move. Or hell, maybe Cena is a heel. THESTINGER remembers the night where Cena fought Rey Mysterio for the WWE Championship after Mysterio had already had a match to win the belt and then Cena Five Knuckle Shuffles Rey Mysterio. Seriously, that's just a jackass thing to do to anyone, but to do it to Rey Mysterio after he's already wrestled once before? Cena has become a chimera and THESTINGER believes anyone can see what they want in him. THESTINGER agrees that HHH (or Triple H as his friends call him) makes the show worse. He was never interesting. THESTINGER may be alone in this but the Attitude Era was more bad than good. At this point THESTINGER should stop. Great column, Brandon. THESTINGER is most thankful for the days when rasslin' is good and your column makes THESTINGER laugh. Even still, THESTINGER is thankful for when you can bring laughter even if the show was awful.

Part of why THESTINGER is such a supporter of Daniel Bryan is that he is a leftist.

2/3/2012 3:56 PM ET Traditional print media, Soros-funded outlets unite to blast Komen, while networks ignore pro-Komen side. 1/17/2012 9:52 PM ET Miss New York gives mild support for OWS, judges award her runner up 1/11/2012 7:13 PM ET New comedy, based on comedienne's life, focuses on alcoholism, crude sex jokes. 12/22/2011 9:20 PM ET NFL team declines to partake in 'It Gets Better Project'; liberal fingers point at Tebow. 12/13/2011 5:34 PM ET Relax, attacks on Christmas are made up by Fox News and the sinister 'Christian Right.' 11/28/2011 9:22 PM ET Pop icon Miley Cyrus says she smokes 'way too much weed' and media fail to report 11/15/2011 7:48 PM ET The famous Arkansas mom is getting heat for her 'clown car' uterus. 11/9/2011 3:15 PM ET Teens pursuing sex for mercenary and trivial reasons is celebrated by media as 'loving and responsible.' 11/4/2011 2:02 PM ET Online media praise Conan O'Brien for officiating 'history-making' on-air same-sex nuptials. 10/21/2011 4:39 PM ET Gay activist and sex columnist wants GOP frontrunner to prove being gay is a choice 10/6/2011 12:07 PM ET 'Glee' creator pushes every boundary in new FX drama 'American Horror Story.' 9/23/2011 3:26 PM ET Reality singing competition subjects millions to man's exposed genitalia; to media, there's no news. 9/20/2011 4:59 PM ET Disney-owned ABC selected Dan Gainor as one of the dissenting voices. 9/12/2011 2:56 PM ET 'The Boy with Pink Hair' is a children's story containing an adult discussion of sexuality. 9/7/2011 2:18 PM ET News show wishes to 'advance the discussion' with transgender contestant, but labels those opposed 'hate' groups. 8/23/2011 2:40 PM ET Lefty media website says tea party members have "'officially gone 'Down the Rabbit Hole.'" 8/22/2011 1:46 PM ET Networks turn to one night stands, playboy bunnies and the immature hookup culture to draw viewers this autumn. 8/10/2011 8:18 PM ET Joe Levy suggests rapper Kanye West could have also compared himself to the Minnesota Congresswoman. 8/10/2011 3:35 PM ET Unflattering Newsweek Queen of Rage Bachmann cover is latest character assassination. 8/5/2011 7:54 PM ET A secretive panel of adults has, once again, picked raunchy material for teens award show

Gay activist and sex columnist wants GOP frontrunner to prove being gay is a choice

When Paul Combetta aka " stonetear " woke up yesterday morning, it's doubtful he would have suspected a two year old archive written under his Reddit pseudonym would have been on his mind. Full Day One Discovery Thread HERE However, someone must have alerted him asap because within hours of our story hitting the web (04:45am EDT) Combetta began furiously deleting his Reddit postings, user information, and various media forum histories. In addition to secondarily confirming his real-life identity, in legal-speak such behavior is called: " consciousness of guilt ". Day #1 - Was essentially the outline of Hillary Clinton's Email custodian Paul Combetta, who worked for Platte River Network, and his engagement on a July 24th 2014 Reddit forum where he was seeking advice/recommendations for how to delete email addresses from email files prior to export. ( see day #1 for all citations ) The confirmation of actual identity to the pseudonym used is now 100%. The scope of the evidence affirming that Combetta is "stonetear" is vast and extensive . There simply is no way "stonetear" is not Paul Combetta. Period. So we move on to Day #2: Discovering Combetta's July 24th, 2014 Reddit thread is significant because his commentary clearly shows an intention to modify the records of his "VIP client", who we now know was Hillary Clinton. Those records, as a consequence of their ownership by Secretary Clinton, are federal records. In essence, Paul Combetta, a private citizen, was seeking assistance on a public forum for how to modify federal records prior to export to an unknown entity (presumably Cheryl Mills). As the weight of the discovery begins to shake out, and with more media beginning to understand the potential scope of the issue(s) inherent within the date of activity, on this thread we look at the timeline. The absolute best researched timeline of the Hillary email scandal was done, and is being maintained, by Sharyl Atkinsson ( see here ). Using this timeline, along with information from congressional testimony, we can add the discoveries centering around Paul Combetta and provide a new perspective on the motives therein. June 30, 2013 : Hillary Clinton's (long-term) technical assistant, Brian Pagliano's server email accounts are transferred to the new Platte River Network Server where Paul Combetta is the Clinton custodian. July 18, 2013 : The Clintons sign formal deal with Platte River Network (PRN) for new email server services. [Platte River Network's main office is in Denver CO; Paul Combetta works from a satellite office in Rhode Island, 145 miles away from Chappaqua, NY] Early 2014: Monica Hanley (Hillary Clinton aide) says she finds Apple MacBook laptop from Spring of 2013 at her home and tries, but fails, to remotely transfer Hillary email archive to Platte River Network server. Feb. 2014: Hanley ships Apple MacBook laptop to unidentified person who transfers Hillary email archive to Gmail address, then to PRN server. Hanley instructs unidentified person to delete and/or wipe Hillary email archive from Apple MacBook and Gmail. Unidentified person ships Apple MacBook via US Postal Service or UPS to unidentified female Hillary associate who later tells FBI she never received it. Nobody can find the Apple MacBook or thumb drive containing Hillary archive email. May 8, 2014: House Benghazi select committee is established. Trey Gowdy is Chairman. Summer of 2014: The State Dept. notifies Hillary aide/lawyer Cheryl Mills that it will be requesting Hillary's work emails. July 22, 2014: Paul Combetta and wife Danielle Dirocco purchase a new home for $290,000 in Narragansett, Rhode Island. (Just an fyi - tax records/deeds) July 23, 2014: Congressional Benghazi committee reaches agreement with State Dept. on production of records. Then, the very next day... July 24, 2014: Platte River Network Paul Combetta (aka " stonetear ") appears on Reddit with the following question (s): FIRST : Hello all- I may be facing a very interesting situation where I need to strip out a VIP's (VERY VIP) email address from a bunch of archived email that I have both in a live Exchange mailbox, as well as a PST file. Basically, they don't want the VIP's email address exposed to anyone, and want to be able to either strip out or replace the email address in the to/from fields in all of the emails we want to send out . I am not sure if something like this is possible with PowerShell, or exporting all of the emails to MSG and doing find/replaces with a batch processing program of some sort. Does anyone have experience with something like this, and/or suggestions on how this might be accomplished? SECOND : As a PST file or exported MSG files, this could be done though, yes? The issue is that these emails involve the private email address of someone you'd recognize, and we're trying to replace it with a placeholder address as to not expose it . THIRD: I think maybe I wasn't clear enough in the original post. I have these emails available in a PST file. Can I rewrite them in the PST? I could also export to MSG and do some sort of batch find/replace. Anyone know of tools that might help with this? Later July 2014: Clinton Aide/Attorney Cheryl Mills initiates review of any Hillary work emails with .gov addresses that were transferred from Pagliano server to Platte River Network server. The emails don't include the Jan-March 2009 emails lost on the missing Apple server. The .gov work emails are put in a file on laptops of Cheryl Mills and Hillary attorney Heather Samuelson. These laptop email files would later be wiped using BleachBit so they could never be recovered. The FBI was unable to review them. August, 2014: State Dept. provides House Benghazi Committee with eight emails to or from Clinton that show her use of a private email account. Sept. 15, 2014: Sharyl Attkisson reports on State Dept. official who said he witnessed Benghazi document sorting session with Hillary aides in State Dept. basement in 2013. Late Sept. 2014: Mills and Samuelson review the rest of the available Hillary emails, besides the .gov. These email files would later be wiped using BleachBit so they could never be recovered. The FBI was unable to review them. Selected emails are printed in Mills' office and reviewed again by attorneys Samuelson, Mills and Hillary attorney David Kendall of Williams & Connolly. "Non-work" emails are shredded. "Work" emails were printed and provided on USB drive to Kendall. However, we can infer from the timeline segment above that Combetta was able to export the "clinton.com" email files by some method for Cheryl Mills and Heather Samuelson to sort, review and print - Between July 24, 2014 and late September 2014. Now Watch Jim Jordan : Dec. 2014: Hillary and Abedin begin using new email accounts on the domain hrcoffice.com. Dec. 5, 2014: Hard copies of Hillary work emails are given to State Dept. Dec. 2014 : Hillary instructs her staff she no longer needs to keep the remaining "personal" emails. Dec. 2014 or Jan. 2015: Mills and Samuelson request unidentified person to delete the Hillary email files from their laptops. Software called "BleachBit" is used so it can never be recovered. Unknown Hillary staffer also wants Hillary email archive removed from PRN server. Mills asks for shortened email retention for clintonemail.com account because Hillary decides she no longer needs emails older than 60 days. July 10, 2015: FBI begins investigation Hillary email situation after U.S. Intelligence Community Inspector General refers the case of possible improper handling of classified information. March 2, 2015: NYT article exposes fact that Clinton used personal email account exclusively for state business. PRN technicians conduct work on Pagliano server at Equinix datacenter. Mills later tells FBI they were working on the server because she asked them to conduct an equipment inventory. March 3, 2015: House Benghazi committee requests Hillary attorneys at Williams & Connolly to preserve and produce all documents and media related to her two clintonemail.com known addresses March 4, 2015: House Benghazi committee privately subpoenas all Hillary emails related to Benghazi terrorist attacks. Clinton does not disclose the subpoenas but tweets, "I want the public to see my email. I asked State to release them. They said they will review them for release as soon as possible." March 9, 2015: Mills emails PRN and makes reference to the preservation request from Congress. A PRN technician would later tell FBI he doesn't remember seeing it. March 10, 2015 : Clinton answers questions about her email practices for the first time. She tells reporters: It was more convenient to use the private server. "I wanted to use just one device for both personal and work emails instead of two." Last year, she deleted nearly 31,000+ emails that were "private." She will not turn over her personal email server. She "fully complied" with the law. She has turned over to the State Dept. 55,000 pages of work-related emails. There were 62,320 emails in her account: 30,490 were public business; 31,830 were private. March 25, 2015: Platte River Network (PRN) has conference call with Bill Clinton's staff. Platte River Network technician later tells FBI that, at this point, he realized he'd forgotten to shorten Hillary's email retention (that Mills requested in Dec. 2014), so he now deletes the Clinton archive mailbox from PRN and uses BleachBit to permanently delete files holding the emails. FBI says one Platte River Network technician gave three conflicting stories but acknowledged that, when he made deletions, he knew of Congress' preservation request and knew he should not delete Hillary's email data on PRN server. The FBI says somebody also manually deleted backups of the PRN server during this time frame. Clinton and Mills say they were unaware of these deletions. March 31, 2015: There's a conference call among Platte River Network, Kendall and Cheryl Mills. Later, Platte River Network would exert attorney-client privilege and refuse to comment on conversation. This means Hillary's attorneys are representing the Platte River Network technician, too. Now who do you think that Clinton-attorney-represented Platte River Network technician might be? Remember, prior to our discovery of the July 24th 2014 Reddit discussion, Mr. Combetta was comforted by an immunity agreement with the FBI. If the FBI was aware of the Reddit information, then why would Combetta need to scrub it? Short answer, he wouldn't . You might also want to refresh your memory on the previous Clinton story and explanation from the FBI and Clinton lawyers regarding Paul Combetta: "As the F.B.I.'s report notes," Mr. Fallon said, "neither Hillary Clinton nor her attorneys had knowledge of the Platte River Network employee's actions. It appears he acted on his own and against guidance given by both Clinton's and Platte River's attorneys to retain all data in compliance with a congressional preservation request." ( link ) ( timeline continues ) TPW on August 11th - 2018 Presi... JMC on August 11th - 2018 Presi... CNN_sucks on Saturday August 11th - O... JX on August 11th - 2018 Presi... blind no longer on August 11th - 2018 Presi... Emeraldstar on August 11th - 2018 Presi... upper379 on August 11th - 2018 Presi... patrickhenrycensored on August 11th - 2018 Presi... Howie on August 11th - 2018 Presi... TatonkaWoman on August 11th - 2018 Presi... ezpz2 on August 11th - 2018 Presi... oldschool on August 11th - 2018 Presi... Orygun on August 11th - 2018 Presi... nikkichico7 on Saturday August 11th - O... Trish in Southern Il... on August 11th - 2018 Presi...

In essence, Paul Combetta, a private citizen, was seeking assistance on a public forum for how to modify federal records prior to export to an unknown entity (presumably Cheryl Mills).

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Allen Andrade gets life sentence plus 60 years for Angie Zapata murder. Cher turns back time to get back into black bodysuit. Gay athletes to get 'Pride' safe house at 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Just Jared interviews Katy Perry. Actor Steve G... Read After France beat Romania to move into the quarter finals of the Davis Cup on Sunday, Frenchmen Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet apparently need to blow off some steam. And blow it off they did. Tsonga and Gasquet hit a strip club in Sibiu, Rom... Read There's been a major upset at the Australian Open. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France has risen through the draw and overnight the #38-ranked player in the world put away #2 Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-3 6-2 in less than two hours to face either Roger Federer or No... Read In a lengthy interview with Outsports, Martina Navratilova says she believes she has lost over $10 million in endorsement deals because of openness about her sexuality, but doesn't know why there are no openly gay men in professional tennis:... Read Frenchman Richard Gasquet, recently immortalized as a terra cotta warrior for his appearance at the Shanghai Tennis Masters Cup, gave an interview following his matches there, Outsports reports, and reaffirmed the fact that he's not gay, even t... Read Novak Djokovic In September I posted about the upcoming Shanghai ATP Tennis Masters tournament and the Chinese warrior statues that were being created by French sculptor Laury Dizengremel in the likenesses of the tourney's "elite eight". The warriors... Read Missed this one back in April. But then again, at that point Frenchman Richard Gasquet hadn't leapt onto the Wimbledon radar. This past week, Gasquet vanquished Andy Roddick to face Roger Federer in the semi-finals. In April, French magazine Le... Read

Frenchman Richard Gasquet, recently immortalized as a terra cotta warrior for his appearance at the Shanghai Tennis Masters Cup, gave an interview following his matches there, Outsports reports, and reaffirmed the fact that he's not gay, even t...

The work of economic thinker and political activist Karl Marx, born 200 years ago on May 5, 1818, continues to inspire contemporary seekers of justice for working people. May 8 In the first debate of the Ontario election campaign, the NDP's Andrea Horwath was cogent and kept smiling, Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne was defensive, and Tory Doug Ford was absent for long periods May 4 The Liberals have introduced a bill to make elections fairer and more accessible to all, but it is very late in the day. The next election is in October 2019. May 3 We need to support a free and independent media; efforts to undermine them are on the rise, and we need to hear a diversity of voices and opinions more than ever. Check out our 2018 campaign. May 2 A review of Breaching the Peace: The Site C Dam and a Valley's Stand Against Big Hydro Apr 30 We must stand in support of Palestinians demanding the right to return to their ancestral homes and the ability to leave the Gaza Strip. Apr 27 There is little or no discussion of how much public funding are in play, whether there is good value for subsidies, and whether other industries could provide as much or more economic return Apr 26 In her spring report, federal Environment Commissioner Julie Gelfand takes the federal government to task for failing to adequately regulate and supervise the salmon farming industry. Apr 25 Shortly after the horrific events in Toronto, some folks took to social media complaining about our 'weak' government. They claimed the suspect belongs to a group they distrust and fear. Apr 23 Follow these and the promise of Mammon is yours Apr 19 Ontario's three provincial parties have chosen very different strategies for portraying themselves to the voters. For some of them, one has to hunt around to find anything of substance. Apr 18 The Feds do not favour request. Why? The reasons extend to Transport Canada decisions. Apr 17 Maybe their plight would get more attention from the West if they put on a production of Jesus Christ Superstar to show what real suffering can be Apr 16 By launching airstrikes without UN approval, the U.S. has once again flagrantly violated international law, and Ottawa immediately supported the U.S. bombing. Apr 13 With an Ontario election coming, all major parties still refuse to consider abolishing the costly and archaic denominational school system, even though others did so long ago. Apr 12 rabble.ca's cofounder talks about her new memoir about her life as an activist while coping as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Apr 11 Part Two excerpt from rabble co-founder Judy Rebick's memoir, with a look at the court battle to support Dr. Henry Morgentaler, and Rebick's own exploration of her mental health Apr 10 Activist, feminist and co-founder of rabble.ca, Judy Rebick shares her life in this excerpt about her support for Dr. Henry Morgentaler's Toronto abortion clinic. Apr 9 St. John's Centre MHA Gerry Rogers aims to grow party for 2019 Apr 6 The government and Catherine Tait have committed to making local programming a priority for CBC. That will be hard, given the devastation local services have suffered over a number of decades. Apr 5 In 1968 when an assassin killed Martin Luther King, the civil rights leader was becoming more radical. Today, prisons are at the heart of a new Jim Crow. Apr 4 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of history's great orators, was murdered 50 years ago today, on April 4, 1968. Apr 3 Transparency shouldn't be optional -- especially when you carry a gun Apr 2 In Canada, July 1, 2018, could be the implementation date of Bill C-45, which could make marijuana legal in Canada for the first time in 94 years. Mar 30 'A good reminder of why you're doing it': Ceremonies and teaching followed a week of demonstrations where 173 people were arrested in Burnaby. Mar 29 If protests in Burnaby continue to grow, and British Columbians continue to line up to be peacefully arrested, this is when Canadians will learn the real power of social license. Mar 28 Polls show Doug Ford's Conservatives winning big in Ontario. A majority victory would not be all his doing, however. It would largely be a product of the electoral system. Mar 27 Julie Lalonde talks about stalking, gendered violence, and the Outside of the Shadows project. Mar 26 By behaving like children in Parliament, the Conservatives have proved Opposition leader Andrew Scheer is no Stephen Harper, and indeed that he is not much of leader at all. Mar 23

The work of economic thinker and political activist Karl Marx, born 200 years ago on May 5, 1818, continues to inspire contemporary seekers of justice for working people.

The past week in Trump Land has been a roller coaster of bizarre tales and absurd explanations. Most of which were provided by Donald Trump's newly minted lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. In a whirlwind tour of Fox News programs, Giuliani tried to offer justifications for Trump's web of lies related to his affair with Stormy Daniels and the subsequent hush money payoff to suppress news of the incident. But he only made things worse by blurting out admissions to potential criminal activity that hadn't been raised before. On Saturday night Giuliani resumed stumping for Trump with a visit to "Judge" Jeanine Pirro of Fox News. And true to form, he only succeeded in stirring up more trouble for his client who is already in a fairly deep legal bog. Giuliani's wild-eyed raving made little sense and his grasp of the law was laughably off kilter. And if he thought he was advancing the interests of Trump, he was insane as well. One of the first things out of his mouth was speculation that a case before the Virginia grand jury involving Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort, might just be an attempt to "flip" him into providing testimony against Trump. Of course there would nothing to worry about on that account unless there was something to flip. So Giuliani introduced that notion on his own. He followed that up with the false claim that the judge in that case called it a "witch hunt." He didn't. Giuliani went on for awhile about how "Attorney General Jeff Sessions should step up and dismiss this entire investigation." He asserted that "There is no evidence of collusion with the Russians. Gone. There is no evidence of obstruction of justice." But there have already been dozens of indictments and five guilty pleas that suggest that the investigation has merit and should continue. And then he launched into a full blown manic episode (video below): "The President of the United States did not in any way violate the campaign finance law. Every campaign finance expert, Republican and Democrat, will tell that if it was for another purpose, other than just for campaigns, even if it was for campaign purposes, if it was to save his family, to save embarrassment, it's not a campaign donation. "And second, even if it was a campaign donation, the President reimbursed it fully with a payment of $35,000 a month that paid for that and other expenses. No need to go beyond that. Case over. That case should be dismissed by the Southern district of New York. At least with regard to President Trump." First of all, it is preposterous to say that every campaign finance expert would say that there was no campaign finance violation. Lots of them are saying that there is. Just turn on the TV like your boss does all day long. More to the point, Giuliani asserts that there is no violation even if the funds were used for campaign purposes if it was to "save his family, to save embarrassment." Is he listening to himself? If it was for campaign purposes it was unambiguously a violation. And Giuliani's next point asserts that even a campaign donation would have been legal because Trump paid it back. But if it was paid back without disclosing it in his campaign finance reporting, that's illegal. And as Giuliani says, "No need to go beyond that. Case over." It also isn't especially good lawyering when your counsel says on national TV that "I'm not an expert on the facts." And repeating a previous slander of the FBI as Nazi Storm Troopers hardly seems like positive messaging. Even if he falsely claims that "the judge basically said that." He didn't. And asking for the case in New York to be dismissed, "At least with regard to President Trump," makes no sense at all. That case is against Michael Cohen, not Trump. Giuliani appears intent on proving that he's utterly incapable of handling a parking ticket, much less a case as complex and legally hazardous as this. But one of the most peculiar comments in this interview came when Giuliani attempted to belittle testimony given by Hillary Clinton (who was interviewed by both the FBI and Congress for eleven hours). He stroked his own hand and said: "Nice nice nice. Poor little Hillary. We gotta be nice to her. No under oath. We'll take that now." Setting aside Giuliani's embarrassing playacting, if he's willing to agree to an FBI interview without being under oath, no doubt Robert Mueller would be as well. After all, you don't have to be under oath to be required to tell the truth. And lying to either the FBI or Congress is crime even without taking an oath. So shut up already and present your client (who says no one wants to talk more than he does) for the interview, and we can get this thing over with. What are you all afraid of? How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock: Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance. Available now at Amazon.

In a whirlwind tour of Fox News programs, Giuliani tried to offer justifications for Trump's web of lies related to his affair with Stormy Daniels and the subsequent hush money payoff to suppress news of the incident.

Obama Condemns Islamophobia in Final State of the Union Jan 13, 2016 President Obama delivered his seventh and final State of the Union address Tuesday night. Obama defended his record, including his historic deals with Iran and Cuba, while implicitly criticizing the Republican candidates who seek to succeed him. While mostly avoiding specific policy proposals, Obama spoke out against stigmatizing marginalized communities, including Muslims. President Barack Obama : "When politicians insult Muslims, whether abroad or our fellow citizens, when a mosque is vandalized or a kid is called names, that doesn't make us safer. That's not telling it what--telling it like it is. It's just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals. It betrays who we are as a country." We'll have more on Obama's State of the Union address after headlines. Iran Releases 10 U.S. Sailors Who Entered Iranian Waters Jan 13, 2016 Iran has released two U.S. Navy patrol boats carrying 10 crew members hours after detaining them for entering Iranian waters. The Obama administration says the boats drifted after experiencing mechanical problems. The detention came just days before a landmark nuclear deal between Iran, the U.S. and other world powers is set to be implemented. Pakistan: Suicide Bomber Attacks Polio Center, Killing 15 Jan 13, 2016 In Pakistan, a suicide bomber attacked a U.N.-backed polio eradiction center in Quetta, killing 15 Pakistani security forces and wounding 24 people. Militants have targeted polio campaigns after it was revealed the CIA used a fake vaccination program in its effort to locate Osama bin Laden. Turkish Authorities Blame ISIS for Deadly Attack in Istanbul Jan 13, 2016 Turkish authorities have blamed a suicide attack that killed at least 10 people Tuesday in Istanbul on the self-proclaimed Islamic State. Most of the attack's victims were German tourists. Iraq: 2 Journalists Shot Dead in Diyala Province Jan 13, 2016 In Iraq, two journalists with the independent Al Sharqiya TV station have been shot to death near Baquba, the capital of Diyala province. Saif Tallal and his cameraperson, Hassan al-Anbaki, were reportedly killed while returning from a reporting trip. Iraq is among the deadliest countries in the world for journalists. Saudi Arabia Arrests Top Human Rights Activist Samar Badawi Jan 13, 2016 Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally, has arrested a leading human rights activist. Samar Badawi is the sister of blogger Raef Badawi, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison and received 50 lashes in a public square last year. She also campaigned for women's rights and the release of her husband, attorney Waleed Abu al-Khair, who is serving a 15-year sentence related to his activism. Amnesty International calls Samar Badawi's arrest "the latest example of Saudi Arabia's utter contempt for its human rights obligations." United Methodist Church Pension Board Blocks Investment in 5 Israeli Banks Jan 13, 2016 In what's being hailed as a historic victory for the global campaign to boycott and divest from Israel over its occupation of Palestinians, the pension board of one of the largest Protestant denominations in the United States has blocked investment in five Israeli banks. In a statement, a group within the United Methodist Church said it was the first time a major church pension fund has "acted to preclude investment in Israeli banks that sustain Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian land." The church still invests in other Israeli companies. Israeli Air Raid Kills 1 in Gaza; Soldiers Kill 3 Palestinians in West Bank Jan 13, 2016 In the latest from the Occupied Territories, an Israeli air raid today killed a Palestinian in Gaza and wounded three. Israeli officials said the men were plotting an attack. On Tuesday, Israeli soldiers fatally shot three Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including one accused of trying to stab a soldier. Denmark Poised to Pass Law to Strip Refugees of Their Possessions Jan 13, 2016 Denmark is set to pass a law to confiscate refugees' possessions, in a move that has drawn comparisons to Nazi Germany and condemnation from the United Nations. The law would force refugees to surrender anything over about $1,500 in valuables in order to pay for their stay as they apply for asylum. Meanwhile, a new United Nations analysis reveals the number of people migrating to foreign countries increased by 41 percent over the past 15 years to 244 million in 2015; of those people, the U.N. considers 20 million to be refugees. France: Calais Refugees Vow to Peacefully Defy Eviction of "Jungle" Camp Jan 13, 2016 In France, residents of the Calais refugee camp known as the "jungle" have vowed to peacefully resist authorities' efforts to evict them and bulldoze parts of the camp. Thousands of refugees live in makeshift tents in Calais as they seek to enter Britain through the Channel Tunnel. But French authorities want to resettle about 1,500 of them in storage containers which the refugees say resemble a prison and lack common areas--like the makeshift kitchens and places of worship in the camp. Authorities have given the residents until tonight to move before they bulldoze a third of the camp on Thursday. In a statement, the residents said: "We, the united people of the Jungle, Calais, respectfully decline the demands of the French government with regards to reducing the size of the Jungle. We have decided to remain where we are and will peacefully resist the government's plans to destroy our homes." To see our report from the Calais refugee camp in December, go to democracynow.org . The Yes Men Denounce War in Hoax at European Parliament Jan 13, 2016 The culture jamming prankster group The Yes Men has struck again. On Tuesday, in the European Parliament in Brussels, a so-called defense and security consultant calling himself "Archibald Schumpeter" delivered a presentation about how drone killings, mass surveillance and military action fail to address terrorism. "Archibald Schumpeter" : "Unfortunately, responses that we've seen so far have not been very intelligent. In fact, it's been pretty much stupid all the time. As far as terrorism is concerned, France's attacks are like fighting fire with gasoline. It's guaranteed to generate more terrorists, just as the U.S. attacks on Iraq have. For war to work against terrorists, you would have to kill everyone in the country, and as we know, that's just not possible." The presenter was actually Andy Bichlbaum of The Yes Men. After dismissing attempts to address terrorism through military action, he presented an "industrial" solution--an "ENDURAsphere," he said would allow citizens to shelter inside a "fully-defended orb" to withstand any terrorist attack. A person inside an "ENDURAsphere" costume appeared in the Parliament as he described the invention. Bichlbaum says the prank was aimed at "highlighting that there really is no solution to terrorism within the defense and security paradigm." Report: New, Smaller U.S. Missiles May Increase Likelihood of Nuclear War Jan 13, 2016 A new report reveals how the Obama administration has upgraded the U.S. nuclear arsenal to create smaller, more precise nuclear bombs. The New York Times reports that despite his advocacy for a "nuclear-free world," President Obama's administration has potentially increased the likelihood of a future president deploying a nuclear weapon by creating more precise warheads whose explosive force can be dialed up or down. A former top nuclear strategist for Obama, General James Cartwright, acknowledged "what going smaller does is to make the weapon more thinkable." The B61 bomb is part of a fleet of new warhead types planned under an effort that will cost up to $1 trillion over three decades. Russia has called U.S. tests of the missile "irresponsible" and "openly provocative." The U.S. is the only country ever to use a nuclear weapon in war. Sanders Leads Clinton in Iowa; MoveOn Endorses Him by Record Margin Jan 13, 2016 A new poll shows Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders leading by five points over rival Hillary Clinton in Iowa. Just weeks before the Iowa caucuses, the survey from Quinnipiac University found 49 percent of likely Democratic caucusgoers back Sanders versus 44 percent for Hillary Clinton. Meanwhile, the latest New York Times/ CBS News poll shows Clinton's lead over Sanders nationally has virtually disappeared. And members of the progressive advocacy group MoveOn have voted to endorse Sanders by the largest margin in the group's history. A record 78.6 percent of more than 340,000 MoveOn voters backed Sanders. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has taken aim at Sanders' plan for single-payer healthcare, calling it "risky." At a campaign event, Clinton's daughter, Chelsea Clinton, claimed that Sanders wants to dismantle Obamacare. Sanders attributed the attack to his surge in the polls, saying the Clinton campaign is "in serious trouble." NYC : Protesters Target Bill Clinton over Conditions in Haiti 6 Years After Earthquake Jan 13, 2016 Tuesday marked six years since a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, killing an estimated 300,000 people. Tens of thousands of Haitians are still living in tents. Here in New York City, a group of Haitians gathered in front of the Clinton Foundation to protest former President Bill Clinton's role as head of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission. Activist Dahoud Andre was among them. Dahoud Andre : "Today is the 12th of January 2016, six years after the earthquake. And for us, it was important to be in front of the Clinton Foundation, because Bill Clinton, as head of the IHRC , Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, was responsible for the $6 billion that came into his hands. He had unlimited control of this money. Six years after the earthquake, not much has changed, and as a matter of fact, Haiti is in worse condition than it was in 2010. Only Bill Clinton can tell the world what happened with this money." Topics: earthquakes Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder Deploys National Guard over Flint Water Crisis Jan 13, 2016 Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has deployed the National Guard to help distribute water and filters in Flint amid a crisis over the lead in the city's water. The poisoning began after an unelected emergency manager appointed by Governor Snyder switched the city's water source to the long-polluted Flint River in a bid to save money. Residents have reported lasting health impacts, including cognitive impairment. Residents have called for Governor Snyder's resignation and arrest. Los Angeles Police Chief Backs Charges Against Officer Who Killed Homeless Man Jan 13, 2016 Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck has recommended criminal charges against an officer who fatally shot an unarmed African-American homeless man in the back last year. Police say Officer Clifford Proctor shot 29-year-old Brendon Glenn while Glenn was on his stomach trying to push himself back up. Officer Proctor is African-American. Prosecutors have not said whether they will file charges against him. Pennsylvania: Constable Fatally Shoots 12-Year-Old While Trying to Evict Her Family Jan 13, 2016 In Pennsylvania, a state constable has fatally shot a 12-year-old girl during an attempt to evict the girl's family from their home. Police say the girl's father pointed a gun at Pennsylvania State Constable Clarke Steele, so he opened fire. The bullet hit the father's arm, then struck 12-year-old Ciara Meyer, killing her. Oregon: Judge Says He'll Bill Militia $70,000 Per Day for Refuge Occupation Jan 13, 2016 And in Oregon, Harney County Judge Steve Grasty says he'll bill the right-wing militia members who have occupied a federal wildlife refuge up to $70,000 a day for their cost to the public. Grasty says shuttered schools and closed government offices as well as increased security are costing taxpayers. The militants have torn down a fence and say they have been going through government documents at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. They occupied the refuge earlier this month in support of two ranchers sentenced to prison for setting fires that burned federal land. The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License . Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Obama Condemns Islamophobia in Final State of the Union Jan 13, 2016 President Obama delivered his seventh and final State of the Union address Tuesday night.

Meeting local Jews was one of the goals of my visit to Iran. Besides curiosity and scholarly interest, practical concerns such as finding kosher food and celebrating the Sabbath and the holiday of Purim also brought me in contact with Iranian Jews. Besides, I was invited to give academic lectures on the way Jewish law ( halakha) treats Islam and Muslims. Compared with many other Jewish communities in today's world, Iranian Jews seem safe. There are no guards at the entrances to synagogues and Jewish institutions, just as it used to be when I first came to know Jewish venues in Montreal, Baltimore and Paris. My memories, admittedly vague, of the synagogue in Leningrad during my youth do not include any image of guards, let alone armed soldiers who guard synagogues in major European cities . Most of the Jewish homes that I visited are quite modest. This, of course, did not prevent them from being very hospitable. (Photo: Yakov Rabkin) My discovery of Jewish life in Iran began on the Sabbath. On Friday afternoon I walked to the synagogue along the Palestine Avenue. The street leads to the Palestine Square in the middle of which stands a monument to the Palestinians' struggle. On the way I also saw a picture of a tank accompanied by a quote from Khomeini "Israel must be omitted from the world" (sic). This sentence was written on a large firewall facing the street. This sentence had been mistranslated and manipulated, leading to a panic, real or feigned, in Israel and among its fans elsewhere, who mistook it for a call "to wipe the country off the map" and thereby annihilate its population. Nearby stands a spacious building of the main synagogue, which also houses a Jewish school, a kolel and a kosher restaurant. The door was wide open, and I saw congregants were getting ready for the afternoon services. There was a portrait of Hofetz Haim prominently displayed at the entrance, and a few phrases from his book against bad mouthing. But a local friend took me across the street to a smaller synagogue, the floor of which was entirely covered with carpets. This is the custom of almost all of the synagogues I saw in Iran. After taking off shoes we were seated in a place of honor, and the prayers began. (Photo: Yakov Rabkin) In about a dozen of synagogues that I attended during my stay in Iran, the prayers, whether on the Sabbath or weekdays, were never rushed. The morning service of Purim in one of the synagogues in Yazd lasted three hours, including the reading of the Book of Esther. There was a feeling that everything read should have a sense. The showing of the Torah scroll to the congregation, often rather perfunctory in other countries , is taken seriously in Iran; the scroll is exhibited slowly so that everyone can actually find the verse they are about to hear. Every service includes a few minutes of Torah comments made by one of the congregants. Exceptionally, this time, a young man read out the results of the parliamentary elections that had taken place that week. A medical doctor, whom I would meet later, had been elected as the representative of the Jewish community. The pronunciation of the prayers is quite close to the Sephardi one, but some tunes remind me of the Yemenite ritual. When I was subsequently often invited to conduct the services in several synagogues, the congregants found my style quite congenial, except for a few ayin and het , which Persians do not articulate. The decorations of the synagogues are functional and include the texts of the kaddish, modim, and a few Psalms, most often Esa einai el he-harim (Psalm 121), which is exceptionally popular here, perhaps, because of the proximity of the mountains. The following day I went to another synagogue, an even smaller one, rather cozy and comfortable. People feel quite at home there, serve tea in the beginning of the services, and wine with a variety of cookies right before the reading of the Torah. Like in most non-Ashkenazi synagogues, congregants lead the services and read the Torah without the help of hired manpower. There was a lot of back-patting and kissing, and, the women are seated in the back, without a partition (with the exception of the main synagogue that does have a partition about 80 cm high). Women participate in all the three daily services, not only on the Sabbath, and most of them pray and seem familiar with the liturgy. My friend took me home for both meals with his parents and sister. Unlike my friend and his sister who speak fluent English, their parents speak only Persian and we could exchange just a few words, usually borrowed from prayers or the Torah. The atmosphere in Iran is propitious for religious observance. Jewish children who attend public school (a Jewish school exists only in Tehran) are exempt from classes of Islam. They are sent instead to study with a rabbi who is obliged to grade their performance and send the results to the school. This way, all Jewish children receive traditional Jewish education so long as they go to school. I was moved in Shiraz when a boy of seven or eight years old interrupted me as I was about to lead the congregation to a grace at the conclusion of the last Sabbath meal. He said: mayim aharonim hova , reminding me of the custom of rinsing one's fingers and lips before saying the grace after meals. In Tehran, there are four kosher restaurants, a Jewish school, a yeshiva and a kolel as well as fifteen synagogues. One of the rabbis is a graduate of Baltimore's Ner Yisroel yeshiva, where he spent eight years. The community is also in touch with Iranian Jews in Los Angeles and New York, where they get most of the prayer books and bilingual editions of the Pentateuch. Some have lived in the States and in Israel and have come back, sometimes to get married to a fellow Iranian. (Photo: Yakov Rabkin) People were always helpful and generous with me. After one morning service in the main synagogue in Isfahan, a fellow congregant when I asked where to get a cab, took me to my hotel on a motorcycle. On another occasion, when I went to the synagogue complex to get kosher food and found the restaurant locked (it was Iranian New Year, Nouruz , ) a synagogue attendant offered me a meal instantly prepared by his wife. In Isfahan I often heard that the city had been founded by Jews exiled from the Holy Land in the First Exile. The city used to be called Dar al-Yahud. No wonder that I went to explore the old Jewish quarter Jubare. As I wandered, I saw a small Star of David hand-painted on a gate. I pushed it and found myself in front of two elderly women. I tried to explain to them that I was Jewish but they remained in doubt. I tried to speak with them in Hebrew, again no avail. Finally, I uttered Torah tsiva lanu Moshe , and they joyfully responded morasha kehilat Yaakov. This is traditionally the first verse of the Torah taught to a child: "Moshe commanded us the Torah, the inheritance of the community of Jacob." ( Deuteronomy 33:4) The contact was made, and they promptly put me on Skype with a relative who spoke Hebrew. Apparently, she was in Israel but insisted she was in America. Soon a young man with a kipa showed up in the street. I uttered tefilat minha, "afternoon prayer", and he led me to a synagogue clearly marked in Hebrew and Persian above the front door. The synagogue was small and cozy, at least a century old. It was decorated with quotes from the Psalms, parts of prayer. Men sat in one corner and women in the other. I was invited to lead the services, and was afterward treated to fruit and cookies in memory of a deceased congregant, whose anniversary happened on that day. When we left the synagogue, a familiar scene took place, even though I did not understand what was being said. It was Thursday night, and several people argued who would invite me for the Sabbath meals. I gave up all attempts to influence the events, and it was only on Friday night that I was actually led to the home of the parents of the young man with the kipa, who inhabit a spacious home not far from Palestine Square where the main synagogue is located . Besides the young man and his parents, there were two of his sisters as well as a man who spoke English since he had spent a few years in Queens. We all sat on the carpet, making a Kiddush, partaking of fruit and vegetables prior to breaking bread in order to augment the number of blessings. We ate mostly with hands. After a while I was asked to say a few words of Torah, and, inspired by a weekly broadcast from Akadem, I spoke about the two names of the tabernacle, mishkan and mikdash, which teach us about the pitfalls of excessive closeness and possessiveness. The man from Queens interpreted, and the "audience" applauded. They applauded again when I told them that before a public lecture in Tehran, in response the Islamic invocation bismillah , "in the name of God", I said in Hebrew be-ezrat ha-shem ve-yeshuato , "with the aid of God and his salvation" . The atmosphere was joyful throughout the evening, and I left close to midnight to walk to my hotel. On the way, I crossed the park Hasht behesht, full of couples and groups of teenagers visibly having a good time. The next morning I walked to Jubare in search of the synagogue where my host for the second meal was to meet me. I got lost and walked into another synagogue, where nine men were anxiously awaiting the tenth one. Under the circumstances I had to stay. The floor was covered with blankets, rather than carpets, and the synagogue looked poorer. An old man asked me to lead the services, and once again, here I was reciting prayers before members of the oldest community in the world. It was moving to pray in the minuscule synagogue, surrounded by verses and old ornaments. After the services, the old man who was commanded respect in the synagogue took his bicycle and headed home. Then I saw another Jew on a bicycle, which I had never seen among observant Jews. I would later find that Ben Ish Hai (1832-1909), a major authority in Jewish law from Baghdad, authorized the use of the bicycle under certain conditions. My host easily found me since everyone knows each other in Jubare. I was hosted for lunch by a family: the parents and a son in his 30s. Trained as an engineer, he sells clothes at a relative's store, earning significantly more than he would in his profession. Later I met a mathematician who was selling carpets in the city's famous bazaar. These are signs of demodernization, partly caused by Western sanctions meant to stop the non-existing nuclear weapons program in Iran. The burly head of the family, with a few teeth missing in his mouth, spoke some French, since he had once studied at the Alliance school in his neighborhood. He was hospitable, albeit not always punctilious of the Sabbath observance, and his wife had to discipline him from time to time. A one-gallon whiskey bottle full of homemade wine dominated the table full of meats, stews and vegetables. The host told me that the bottle was a vestige of pre-revolutionary times. The lunch was copious, and included, to my surprise, Salade Olivier , which, thanks to Russian influence, became quite popular in Iran. By then I knew that hosts often offer their guests spacious shalvar , cotton pants that one uses to sit at the meal and, if needed, to take a nap afterwards. This turned out to be the case, and after the nap I changed back to my clothes and went out to explore the city. Returning to the neighborhood, I was greeted Shabbat shalom by a Jew who had keys to a few more synagogues, which he kindly showed to me. They are open only on Shabbat. Friends in Isfahan introduced me to Mr. Sasson, artist, architect and owner of the gallery where we met him. He is also the only Jew to work as an official building assessor in the city. As one enters the gallery, one sees an ornate picture of Jerusalem with the biblical verse in Hebrew " If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget her cunning" (Psalm 137:5). He remains committed to Judaic practice and mentioned that he had seen me in the synagogue. His son teaches Iranian music. An amiable refined man, Sasson extended me a warm welcome and patiently answered all of my questions about the Jewish community, gave me advice about travel in the country as well as a few contacts. He has taken part in over 40 exhibits, traveled around the world, while his gallery is situated on the ground floor of the house that used to belong to his parents, a few hundred meters from the main synagogue. Like several intellectuals I have met, he resigned from his position of professor of architecture during the years of Ahmadinejad, when universities reportedly experienced a sharp decline. At the same time, he believes Khomeini did a lot of good to the Jews, repeatedly referring to them as equal and "pure" Iranians. Several non-Jewish Iranians, including business people, mentioned to me that Jews have an excellent reputation for honesty and reliability. Their word is as good as a written contract. This image appears at variance with the European image of the Jew, often considered "cheap", "dishonest" and "rapacious". One Jewish businessman, a carpet dealer, came to see me in the hotel and spoke with me in Hebrew without lowering his voice or feeling otherwise uncomfortable. He effusively greeted me shalom as he was leaving and was not in the least embarrassed to do so. In fact, Iranian salam often sounds very much like Israeli shalom . I met Sion Mahgerefte, the head of the Jewish community of Isfahan, in the lobby of Hotel Kowsar, one of the most prestigious in the city. The New Year decorations were splendid, and we found a quiet corner nearby. A friend interpreted as he spoke only Persian. He told me that most Jews work in the clothing industry, usually in retail. There are a few professionals and intellectuals but most earn a living in business, often inherited from father to son. Sion has a company of safety equipment (helmets etc) but his children study to be professionals. (Photo: Yakov Rabkin) Shiraz welcomed me early in the morning and I settled in hotel Niayesh (meaning "prayer"), which turned out to be located not only near the city's main shrine but also across the street from a small building marked Bet ha-knesset ha-hadasha (sic), "The new synagogue". Soon I met a local Jew, a well-spoken graduate student at the University of Shiraz, according to him, one of the best schools in the country. When I asked him if there was a synagogue service to say gomel , a blessing usually uttered in public after travel, he remarked that Shirazis are proverbially lazy, and that there would be a late - fifth - minyan (prayer quorum) in the main synagogue. Indeed, we were on time for the 9:30 service, with about 30 young people, mostly in jeans, making the congregation. I later sent a photo of the service to a few friends who did not know where I was, and none guessed it was Iran, saying that the picture could be taken anywhere in the world. The building also houses a kolel. After the services, I saw a group of boys studying the initial sentence of Mishna Berakhot under the tutelage of a young teacher . Someone explained to me that these were Jewish pupils from public schools who are obliged to study Judaism in synagogues. The rabbi teacher regularly examines them and sends the results back to school. Thus, concluded my Jewish interlocutor, the Islamic republic creates a religious framework that makes it easier to be a Jew. Several local Jews told me about their disappointment with the non-observance of so many Jews in Israel. One said that if he were to move there he would choose Bnei-Brak, the Haredi bastion next to Tel Aviv. Iranian Jews do not cover their heads, many are quite worldly and modern, while at the same time punctiliously observant. This contrasts with the use of the code word "modern" to denote less and non-observant Jews among the Ashkenazim. Here the modernity does not clash with Judaic observance. On the way back, my friend showed me rows of clothing stores, many of which Jewish-owned. When I took that street on the Sabbath, quite a few stores remained closed in spite of the brisk business the rest of them were doing on the eve of the New Year. I also found a Jewish campus consisting of an old age home, a matzah bakery, a wedding and festivities hall, a few offices and two take-out snack bars, a dairy and a meat one. The entrance to the courtyard was wide open, and over the entrance one could see a slogan with a photo of Khomeini and his words about the inclusive character of Iranian society. As usual, there was no guard, and anyone could drive a truck through. I later went there to savor delicious kebab served with rice and grilled vegetables. At breakfast in my hotel on Friday I met a Lithuanian, who had become so impressed with Persian mysticism, that she moved to Shiraz and started a business bringing groups of her compatriots to visit Iran. She showed me around and by the end of the day, as we reached the hotel, I told her, in Russian, that I would check out, pay (I was leaving on Saturday evening) and then go the synagogue. Suddenly a middle-aged lady to my left questioned me in French: " Vous avez dit synagogue? Is there a synagogue in the city?" and asked me to take her and her son there. On the way, she began to deplore the fate of Iranian Jews - whom she had never met by then - who must live under an "anti-Semitic government." On the way I tried to explain to her that opposition to Zionism need not be anti-Semitic, but did not make much headway. She considers herself a proud secular Jew and an unconditional supporter of Israel. Her son is doing a master in contemporary history in Berlin, is multilingual and otherwise worldly. (Photo: Yakov Rabkin) In the synagogue, the young man was lost since he could barely follow the prayers. After the prayers, they could not understand why total strangers would invite them for supper to their home. I did what I could to provide them some information about Jewish customs but I left before that story ended. The contrast between local Jews and these fiers juifs laics, proud secular Jews , could not be starker. My last "Jewish" stop was Yazd, a town known for its sweets and beautiful mosques (as well as the birthplace of the disgraced Israeli president Moshe Katsav). Since I was in the south, I decided to forego the opportunity of reading the Book of Esther at her supposed tomb in Hamadan and to spend Purim with Jews in the small community of Yazd. My friends were driving there anyway, and I caught a ride with them. As the sun began to set, the traffic became impossible, and I concluded it would be faster to walk to the synagogue. The son of an Iranian friend was asked to accompany me, and we spent nearly half an hour struggling through holiday crowds swarming in the commercial streets. He must have asked for directions over a dozen of times, and most merchants knew there was a synagogue nearby and told us how to reach it. In fact, there turned out to be two synagogues, one disaffected (but with a Hebrew inscription over the door) and the other that I was by then desperately seeking. I reached it just as the congregation was about to begin the reading. I found a place and a book and followed with the rest of about fifty people gathered. The reading was solemn and measured, and nobody was rushing out to eat after a day of fasting that precedes Purim. At the end of the services, the head of the community approached me and invited to break the fast in his home. On the way, we could barely understand each other but at his place, full of relatives and their spouses and children, a few people spoke some English and French. The house was was warm and hospitable. As the local custom wants, I was offered a shalvar. Two sons of the head of the community were proud to work as accountants for one of the wealthiest men in town. The wife of one of them works as a tour operator. The atmosphere was joyful and relaxed, people were coming and going, sitting down to eat and drink, and then leaving again. (Photo: Yakov Rabkin) I inquired if a non-Jewish Iranian friend, who studies Persian influences on the Talmud, could attend the morning services; he gracefully agreed, suggesting, though, that she should not say she was not Jewish. As it turned out, she responded she was Kurdish, and this was just fine for a few curious ladies among whom she sat. The following morning the entire community of about 50 people was again gathered at about 7 a.m. to hear the megila , the Book of Esther. As I mentioned earlier, the service lasted about three hours, and I was given the honor of carrying the Torah scroll from the arc. After the services, a community meal was put together with a variety of Iranian dishes (again including Salade Olivier ) brought in by families. Homemade wine was also flowing freely since Purim is the only holiday on which Jewish tradition encourages abundant libations and even drunkenness. Of course, nobody got drunk at 10 am in the middle of an Iranian city. Back in Tehran, I was invited to give a lecture about Jewish opposition to Zionism since several members of the community knew my book on this subject that had been translated and published in Farsi. It took place Tuesday evening, and the audience in the little synagogue where I had prayed on a previous Shabbat, consisted of about fifty members of the community, mostly professionals. This time nobody removed the shoes: apparently this is done only during prayers. Before the talk, I was introduced to Dr. Siamach, the Jewish member of Parliament who had just bought my book in Persian and was passing it around. Collective pictures were taken from a good dozen of cameras, and the atmosphere was warm and friendly by the time I began to speak. (Yakov Rabkin) There was a lively interest to the history of Zionism, to rabbinical objections to it, particularly since most referred to Ashkenazi rabbis and to a world of ideological division and conflict that Iranian Jews have never experienced. (They knew, however, serious personality clashes between rabbinical authorities. One such conflict about kosher food a century ago resulted in physical violence. A shelter was built in the old Jewish neighborhood of Tehran to provide haven for Jews threatened by other Jews. Finally, it was an ayatollah, who restored peace among Jews.) There were four or five people, including the MP, who asked most questions, and it was truly moving to discuss this topic in Tehran with Iranian Jews, who need not to be convinced that Zionism is not equal to Judaism. If there is a country where Jews really appreciate my book it is Iran. I felt that it is for this Jewish community, the oldest in the world, where it is vitally important to distinguish between Judaism and Zionism, that I had really written my book. This made me feel privileged to have been able to meet them. The following day, Marjan and her father, former head of the Jewish community and film producer, showed me several old synagogues, the Jewish hospital and other Jewish landmarks. One was the oldest in the city in continuous use. He showed me a few, including one decorated with Psalms, another with ancient rimonim (silver ornaments) and other synagogue utensils, protected by police alarm. One of the synagogues is called "Polish" in memory of the Jewish refugees, children and adults, who landed in Tehran during the Second World War. Another synagogue, Bet ha-knesset he-hadash, or the new synagogue, was built in 1879 as an imaginary Jerusalem temple. (Photo: Yakov Rabkin) Marjan mentioned that her father Yeshayai used to be close to Communists and other political dissidents prior to the Islamic revolution. It was during that time that he befriended a Muslim revolutionary who ended up emigrating. He returned years later, and his name was Ayatollah Khomeini. The two would keep up their relationship, and Yeshayai continued to head the community. He had to resign under Ahmadinejad because he had accused, in a journal article, the new president of fascist tendencies. The article was published, the author was not arrested but had to leave the post of the head of the community. However, at 84, he continues to be involved, and had the keys to all the synagogues he was showing me. Marjan also told me about her work, which includes a report on the health impact of the Western sanctions on Iran. She has since sent it to me, and it makes for very sad reading. Marjan also "warned" me that she is not religious, but I found her quite competent in matters Jewish. In the courtyard of one of the synagogues there was a lonely bush growing, apparently planted to make havdala around it. It has a pleasant smell and she suggested I made a blessing atsei vesamim , a blessing over fragrant substances usually pronounced at the end of the Sabbath but meritorious whenever one feels a sweet scent. (Photo: Yakov Rabkin) We also saw the Jewish hospital. It is clearly marked as such with a Torah verse in the original: "And you shall love your neighbor like yourself". Unlike Montreal, where the Jewish hospital was a response to the anti-Semitism of the medical milieu that would not hire Jewish doctors in the 1920 and 30s, the Jewish hospital of Tehran is a Jewish charity work. It began as an infirmary at a synagogue, later a few houses were donated, and finally an entire hospital was built. Located in a former Jewish neighborhood (most Jews have moved to better areas), the hospital treats all patients equally. The neighborhood, and its Jews, had played an important role during the Constitutional Revolution of 1906-1911. (Photo: Yakov Rabkin) The last stop in the guided tour was a pleasant caravanserai that used to house the first Jewish bank and currency exchange counter. It is now a (non-kosher) restaurant but the building carries a commemorative plaque. After the walk through the neighborhood we ended up in a kosher restaurant for lunch. Nothing is written about it being kosher but people know, and, according to Marjan, most customers were Jewish, albeit only a handful of men had their heads covered. While practically all observe kosher regulations, they may not necessarily adhere to the custom of saying the grace after the meal. I was told that practically all Iranian Jews are observant. Judaic practice is the foundation of their Jewish identity; this is what one does if one is Jewish. There are no substitutes for Torah commandments as a linchpin of the Jewish identity, no Zionism, no secular Jewish literature, no Israeli dances and, of course, no school courses on Israel advocacy. In this sense, Jewish community finds itself as a part of a millennial continuity while many of its members are nowadays electronic engineers, medical doctors and other professionals. They do not follow an ideology, be it Rabbi Hirsch's Torah im-derekh erets (Torah and worldly pursuits) or Rabbi Soloveitchik's teachings; they simply continue to "live Jewish" while remaining Iranians and engaging in modern professional pursuits. In a conversation with Tehran Jews I mentioned Jeffrey Goldberg who did not visit the country but published an offensive comment comparing Iran's Jews with a petting zoo. My Jewish interlocutors in Tehran were aware of the article but simply shrugged it off. The warmth and authenticity of Iranian Jews I was lucky to meet deeply impressed me. In Iran I found committed Jews who go about modern life in a seemingly natural manner, without the self-consciousness and identity-splitting of their Ashkenazi brethren. The fact that this happens in a conservative Muslim country points at drastic differences between the history of Jews in the countries of Islam and that of European Jewry. One should not idealize the life of Jews in Iran who have had their share of challenges. But their life stands in contrast to a well-oiled campaign to besmirch the history of Jewish-Muslim relations in order to suit a political agenda, the agenda of those who argue that there is no safe place for Jews except Israel.

Meeting local Jews was one of the goals of my visit to Iran.

Everyone is waiting anxiously for the outcome of the first round of the Egyptian presidential election. It might be a decisive vote in terms of such elections in Egypt; if one of the candidates receives more than 50 per cent of the votes, he will be President. So who will be the lucky one to take his seat in the presidential office? An arguably more important question is whether Egypt will be able to repeat this democratic experience - the first of its kind in modern history - when the new president's first term expires. I believe that it will; the Egyptian people who overthrew the biggest of tyrants are the same people who rid Egypt of Western occupation, strived to defend the dignity of their country against aggressors, and did not keep quiet about the corruption of their rulers. They look forward to a wise, conscious and honest leadership which can solve their problems, move the country to safety and compensate the people for all they've been deprived of over the past few decades. Today, the Egyptians seek to exercise their freedom, become independent and develop self-rule through the ballot box. This is where new Islamic influences have surfaced with reform and development plans capable, they believe, of overcoming the country's crises, even in the long term. Perhaps the most important of these influences is the Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party. The Brotherhood has a long history of solidarity, social security and addressing poverty and destitution and using religious tax funds for such purposes. It's members are the successors of the organisation's legendary founder, the martyr Hassan Al-Banna. The Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate, Dr. Mohamed Morsi, therefore, carries the greatest weight in Egyptian society. Its cadres and leaders are capable of moving Egypt in a few years from the ranks of poor and powerless countries to a real international player able to benefit from the experiences of other countries such as Brazil and Turkey; and all in the interests of Egypt's citizens. I think that the participation of the Muslim Brotherhood in the presidential election is based on solid political reasoning. The organisation does not want to leave matters to the remnants of the previous regime which exhausted the people with poverty and unemployment, and plundered the resources of the country. That is one aspect. In addition, the Brotherhood is not satisfied with the Ganzouri government and Egypt's current military rulers who are using the same approach as the previous regime and not giving any attention to the elected parliament. It is true that the group was initially hesitant about joining the Presidential race, which weakened its position in voters' eyes. This is because of the Brotherhood's fear of a monopoly on power; it is not related to external policy or any fear of sanctions from abroad if its candidate wins. The organisation only has to look at neighbouring Gaza to see what happened to Hamas which won the 2006 Palestinian election, although there is no comparison between the two cases. Circumstances in the Arab Republic of Egypt are different to the situation in Palestine for a number of reasons, including the ongoing Israeli occupation, the political split amongst Palestinians and the resultant double government, and the lack of dependable resources in Gaza. In addition, we have seen the international conditions linked to financial assistance, etc., which have all played a direct role in strengthening the blockade against the Palestinian people. Hence, when we talk about the Brotherhood and its candidate Dr Morsi, we are talking about the Renaissance plan, which took 15 years to be developed by more than a thousand experts in all areas of life, and which is based on active participants in Egyptian society, represented across state institutions, civil society and the private sector. In order to achieve the desired balance between the three areas, the plan puts reform mechanisms into both strategic and operational levels which contain specific groups of plans, reforms and operational policies. These are divided into three phases as a first step on the road to renaissance and development which is represented in building the political system, then shifting to economic development, community empowerment, overall human development and building a strong security system. Leadership in foreign affairs and other issues, such as women's empowerment, the independence of Al-Azhar University, minority rights (especially the Copts) and the protection of the environment are all included in the plan. Nobody can devalue the Muslim Brotherhood due to its contribution to society, value, political clout, strength and influence in Egypt. It represents a wide segment of the Egyptian people across religious, social and political levels and maintains good relations with all Egyptian parties as well as regional and international bodies. It also has the most seats in the People's Assembly and Shura Council (Parliament), so it is bearer of decision-making and legislative ability; it's quite supporters trust its ability to affect change and improve the living conditions of ordinary Egyptians. The Brotherhood is also in receipt of a lot of support from the Arab and Islamic Spring in neighbouring countries led by Islamists; on Arab and Islamic issues it has never sided with one party against another. The main external causes for Brotherhood support are mainly Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya. For all of these reasons, I believe that Dr. Mohamed Morsi is the most suitable candidate for the Egyptian presidency. *The author is a Palestinian writer The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor. This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License . If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them. What does that mean? For permissions beyond the scope of this license, please contact us . Spotted an error on this page? Let us know

Everyone is waiting anxiously for the outcome of the first round of the Egyptian presidential election.

The Major Jewish American Organizations Defend Israel's Humiliation of America James Petras Middle East April 8, 2010 "The Government of Israel has insulted the Vice President of the United States, and spat in the face of the President ... they wiped the spit off their faces and smiled politely ... as the saying goes: when you spit in the face of a weakling, he pretends that it is raining" Uri Avnery Israeli Jewish journalist 13/3/2010. "We (Israel) possess several hundred atomic warheads and rockets ... most European capitals are targets of our air force ... the Palestinians should all be deported. Two years ago, only 7 or 8 per cent of Israelis were of the opinion that this would be the best solution, two months ago, (January 2010), it was 33 percent and now according to a Gallup poll, the figure is 44 percent". Martin Van Crevel Israeli, professor of military history at Hebrew University at Jerusalem and top adviser to the Israeli Armed Forces, March 2, 2010. When Israel announced a major new Jews-only building project of 1600 homes in occupied East Jerusalem, it was not only " spitting in the face " of visiting Vice President Biden, it was demonstrating its power to humiliate America and Americans. Netanyahu was sending a message to world: Israel backed by its billionaire-financed Presidents of the 51 Major American Jewish Organizations , leads the US by the nose. The Jewish State can make an agreement with the White House one day and revoke it the next (with characteristic arrogance), US public opinion be damned. No sooner did the Obama Administration react to this most public show of impudence with Biden privately telling the Israeli Prime Minister that, " What you're doing here undermines the security of our troops who are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. That endangers us and it endangers regional peace ," than Netanyahu openly called on the "American Jewish community" (the major Zionist organizations) to come to the defense of Israel and its claim on all of Jerusalem. And respond they did: turning the insulted victim (America) into the bully and blaming the US, not the Israeli government, for the "crisis" and for the breakdown of Israel's agreement not to expand colonial settlements on occupied Palestinian land. As we shall describe, the entire Zionist power configuration in the United States (with a few notable exceptions) defended Israel's effrontery and condemned any attempt by the US government to peacefully resolve a conflict, which threatened US lives, economic interests and prestige. This just confirmed world public opinion, which sees an American electorate willing to be humiliated by this economically insignificant state. The Bigger Issue: Beyond the Biden - Netanyahu Caper Whatever the insults and crimes of the moment, the conflict between Israel and the US is not about Netanyahu's hyper-arrogance or a new series of Jerusalem land grabs, or even the frothy spittle on Vice President Biden's face. It is, in essence, about the relation between states or, better still, the relation between peoples where one group (Israeli Jews and their powerful one percent fifth column agents in the US) exacts tribute and imposes wars in its own interests on another group (the US tax payers, soldiers, workers and businessmen). It arrogates power, not merely yesterday or today, but for the last 50 years. In a broader historic context, the public humiliation of Vice President Biden in Tel Aviv pales in comparison to the Israeli's cold blooded sneak attack, which killed and wounded over 200 American servicemen on the USS Liberty in June 1967. An arrogant and homicidal Israel humiliated the US through this attack, confident that then-President Lyndon Johnson would not retaliate but would even silence the survivors from ever telling their story to the American people. When Netanyahu calls on the "Jewish Communities" in the US he is not referring to the majority of American Jews. He, in fact, is addressing the Zionist power configuration whose strategically-placed members designed and promoted the Iraq war policy, which has caused the deaths and mutilation of thousands of US soldiers as well as over one million Iraqi civilians. In essence, the US soldier victims of the invasion of Iraq lost their lives, limbs and sanity for the interests of the Zionist "homeland". It is not merely that American Zionists defend the illegal construction of another Jews-only neighborhood in the middle of Palestinian East Jerusalem; the announcement was calculated to humiliate the visiting US Vice President. It's not just a matter of US Zionist support for Netanyahu's sabotage of a US peace initiative; nor is it about the unconditional ZPC support for Israeli crimes as they were being denounced by the United Nations and the peoples of the world. The fundamental issue is that the ZPC in the United States is turning our country and its people into defenders of Israel's sordid crimes, casting the American people as accomplices to ethnic cleansing and degrading our moral sensibilities before the whole world. Today and Yesterday: Castrating America Netanyahu's symbolic spitting in Biden's face was a calculated act of grave significance. It marked out Israel's ' will to power ' - its willingness to publicly humiliate US leaders and flaunt its power over the US before the world. Israel exposed US impotence in the Middle East and beyond. This incident has world-historic consequences for anyone who is not blind. The US is a declining power, which cannot create a secure environment for its soldiers, corporations and citizens anywhere in the Middle East or beyond. No European, Asian, Latin American or Muslim country can look at the US and its citizens without thinking, " Here is a country at the feet of Israeli leaders and at the throat of Israel's designated 'enemies' . It is an understatement to say that the US, as a nation and as a people, has "lost prestige". Israel has a long and ignoble history of sabotaging peace talks in favor of grabbing land. From its very foundation, Tel Aviv undermined peace offers through unprovoked military attacks. Israel, along with Britain and France, launched a full-scale surprise invasion of Egypt to grab the Suez Canal, after it had promised to consider Egyptian President Nasser's proposal to negotiate. In more recent times, as soon as Arafat agreed to formally recognize Israel as a state and sign a peace agreement, Jewish tanks and jets attacked the West Bank killing hundreds and surrounding Arafat's headquarters for months. At the same time it increased the number of the Jews-only settlements in the West Bank ten fold to accommodate over 500,000 fanatical paramilitary Jewish settlers . When the elected Hamas administration implemented a unilateral cease fire, Israel launched a major military assault, ultimately devastating Gaza and killing 1400 mostly unarmed Palestinians. Israel's actions, past and present, including land grabs, Jews-only apartheid roads and settlements and military invasions of Palestinian refugee camps and towns have destroyed the possibility of a negotiated peace agreement, which would compromise the Zionists' vision of an ethnically-cleansed "Greater Israel". Given this spiteful history, it not surprising that Israel's current apologists claim that the current land grab to build more Jews-only apartment blocks in Jerusalem is " nothing new ", that it is " part of our history ", that Jews " need the living space " and that " three thousand years of Biblical history tells us that all this land is ours " (quotes from the Daily Alert , March 15 -17, 2010, official mouthpiece of the Conference of Presidents of the Major American Jewish Organizations). The humiliation of Biden was not the first time that Israel acted publicly to embarrass the Obama Administration. In his first meeting with President Obama, Prime Minister Netanyahu openly rejected any freeze in new settlements. Indeed, Israel escalated its settlement building right after Obama addressed the Muslim-Arab world in his 'Cairo Speech'. What is behind Netanyahu's perverse behavior and his US supporters' overweening arrogance? How can the US media, hundreds of Congressional Representatives and all the leading Jewish American organizations, support an extremist racist regime, which attacked and humiliated our country with impunity? How can the American Zionists side with a foreign country over issues detrimental to basic US security interests and not be viewed as traitors by other Americans? In the first place, Netanyahu has the support of 80% of the Israeli-Jewish population as he pursues the policy of evicting the Palestinians and expanding exclusively Jewish settlements on occupied lands despite US President Obama's 'peace overtures'. Humiliating the visiting US Vice President on a 'peace mission' from Obama only increased Netanyahu's popularity with Israelis. Secondly, this impudent projection of Israeli power over the reputed American 'superpower' appeals to the self-image of the far-right religious settlers whose leaders form the backbone of the current governing coalition (especially the Shas party). Thirdly, insulting a gentile President and Vice President would find approval among the supporters of Netanyahu's gangster Foreign Minister, Avi Lieberman and with the tough Eastern European Hasidic youth who routinely spit on elderly Christian monks and priests in their ancient Armenian and Greek quarters of Jerusalem. It might seem strange for Israelis, who face increasing isolation throughout the Middle East and are condemned throughout Europe for their brutal colonial crimes, to glorify their thuggish leader as he heaps contempt on their most important military ally and economic supporter, its elected leaders and its citizens. Accumulated Israeli political resentment against world condemnation for their war crimes found an emotional outlet by identifying with Netanyahu's antics: His relentless brutality against the ' Untermenschen ' of Palestine and his willingness to openly defy the US Administration, even as Israel extracts $3 billion dollars a year from the Americans, re-enforces their sense of superiority. It is clear that Netanyahu's totalitarian policies have a mass popular base among Israelis and his swaggering arrogance faithfully reflects the national psyche of Israel. Netanyahu and his ministers calculated that no matter how hard they squeeze the hapless US taxpayers, themselves caught in the a profound economic crisis, and no matter how often the Israelis threaten to provoke a wider regional war and cause more American soldier casualties, they can always count on the unconditional support of the Zionist Power Configuration in the US to promote Israel's interest. The entire US mass media applauded the Great Humiliator and even attacked the few American public figures as they (at least temporarily) defended American dignity against Israeli insults. The major Zionist leaders all rushed to support Israel's humiliation of the US and to denigrate its critics. An endless parade of US politicians, editorial writers, columnists, opinion-makers, "think" tankers, and TV commentators demonstrated their special loyalty to Israel against an American president who was timidly seeking a negotiated peace in the Middle East. The recent 'conflict' between Israel and America over peace in the Middle East -brought on by a crude Israeli provocation - exposed far more profound issues: At the center of power in America, there is an influential group of power-brokers willing to exploit and humiliate the American people in the service of a foreign power. In the past, patriots would have called them 'traitors'. Netanyahu's Hubris 'Rebuked' In response to the official Washington show of anger, Netanyahu issued a half-hearted " explanation ": The problem was not the policy of building new settlements in violation of their agreement with Washington; the problem was the timing of the announcement. It was a regrettable " error " by a minor functionary in the Israeli Interior Ministry who made his announcement right after US Vice President Biden had finished groveling at Netanyahu's feet and was busy pressuring the Palestinian Authority collaborators to rejoin the peace charade sponsored by Washington. According to the Israeli media and their US mouthpieces it was a public relations breakdown , not a matter of strategic political and military significance affecting the US in the Middle East. In other words: With Biden out of Israel and collaborator Abbas back at the 'table', any announcement violating the "freeze on settlements" would be merely an Israeli "internal policy" and a "continuation of past practices". Netanyahu Comes to Washington: Backhanders for Obama, Cheers from AIPAC Netanyahu, fresh from spitting on Vice President Biden in Tel Aviv, administered a series of humiliating 'back-handed' slaps in the smiling face of President Obama, right under the glaring lights of the mass media in the US capital. Bibi Netanyahu delivered a rabble-rousing speech to over 7,000 cheering Zionists at the annual AIPAC conference in Washington, DC. He asserted Israel's will to construct Jews-only housing throughout occupied Arab East Jerusalem and the West Bank, repeating Israel's illegal claim that Jerusalem was the undivided capital of the Jewish people. He then demanded and secured a two-hour meeting with Obama, despite his arrogant insult against the US Administration. Adding further humiliation to the already weak US President, the Israel government announced another Jews-only housing project in Arab East Jerusalem to be built on confiscated Palestinian property. This announcement, just hours before the planned Bibi-Barack meeting, carried an additional threat that the White House charade of ' peace negotiations ' would be put off the table if the Americans protested this new round of illegal construction. Netanyahu, demonstrating his utter contempt for the White House and the America people, went straight to the Zion-colonized US Congress and secured the House Majority leader Pelosi's ' unconditional support... ' for Israeli expansion. And, as if to celebrate its victory and establish its own definition of ' peace ', the Israeli military assassinated four un-armed Palestinians, two impoverished job-seekers and two young teenage protesters. Loyalty to the Israeli masters was evident when thousands of Zionists fanatics jumped to their feet and cheered Bibi Netanyahu's crude repudiation of the American efforts to protect its soldiers' lives by promoting a peace initiative. Hillary Clinton's call for a ' peace settlement based on two states for two people ' was met with dead silence. The entire Zionist-dominated media and all the leading Jewish organizations backed an unprecedented series of humiliations directed against the elected US Administration and the American people. Netanyahu's demagogic display of Israeli power over the US Congress and the American mass media and his crude willingness to degrade US political leaders in the nation's capital mocks the very notion of the American people having any voice in their nation's policies and subordinates America's military high command over issues of war and peace in the Middle East. For Pelosi and the Zionized Congress, the thousands of campaign shekels from the AIPAC crowd to fund their re-elections are far more crucial to their careers than the lives and limbs of thousands of US soldiers lost to an agenda of Israel and its domestic Fifth Column. Israel's Arrogance Prejudices US Interests Israel's leaders not only raised their domestic prestige by undermining the US Administration's peace initiatives, they also managed to extract billions of dollars from the US taxpayers. The humiliation of the Obama regime derailed efforts by the Pentagon and the State Department to regain influence and credibility among the conservative Arab regimes, non-Arab Muslim nations and among hundred of millions of Muslims around the world. This humbling of the US Administration by a sneering Netanyahu further jeopardizes the work and security of American businessmen and officials operating in the Middle East and undermines relations with their Muslim and Arab counterparts. There will be major setbacks for the US in its efforts to gain support for its wars in the Middle East and South Asia and its propaganda campaign to discourage young Muslims from joining the anti-US resistance in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. The symbolic image of Vice President wiping away Israeli spittle during an official visit will encourage thousands of young Muslims to resist US occupation, which they view as promoting Israel's agenda. If an economically insignificant Israel state can defy the superpower, why can't they? The logic is simple: The greater the Israeli land-grab, the more submissive the Obama regime, the more extended and profound the hostility of the Muslim people against the Americans, the more emboldened the armed resistance movements and the greater the number of dead and maimed American soldiers stuck in wars promoted by the Zionists. While the losses of American soldiers in the Middle East have never figured in Tel Aviv's policy moves, nor influenced the activities of its Fifth Colum in the USA, these losses do affect millions of American families and over 200 million American taxpayers. Even an occasional American General finds the courage to point out that Israel's colonial dispossession of the Palestinian people has prolonged the war, tied up hundreds of thousands of US troops and undermined the capacity of the US armed forces to successfully operate on multiple fronts to promote US imperial interests. When the head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), General Petraeus' team of senior officers, identified " Israeli intransigence" as "jeopardizing US standing and the lives of American solders in the region (Middle East) " in a briefing before the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on January 16, 2010, Petraeus met an onslaught of severe questioning from the ZPC. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Mullens received the same rebuke from the powerful Israel-Firsters. This was not the first time US military and security considerations were subsumed to Israel's agenda. Only two years earlier in 2007, the ZPC denounced and successfully buried the annual National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) prepared by 16 US military and civilian intelligence agencies, which had concluded that Iran was not developing nuclear weapons and did not pose a major threat to the US, in favor of Israeli disinformation arguing the opposite. And the same ZPC has been taking the Obama regime to task for daring to criticize Netanyahu. Over 300 members of the US Congress signed an extraordinary letter supporting Israel against their own Administration, pledging their commitment to "the unbreakable bond that exists between [U.S.] and the State of Israel" . Hundreds of congress men and officials joined the over 7,000 participants at the March 2010 AIPAC conference to cheer Netanyahu and witness the US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton hail the leader of the Israeli settler state - who had pledged " to continue building in all of Jerusalem just as it does in Tel Aviv ". General David Petraeus, whose senior officers had expressed his concern about Israel's policies undermining US military interests to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mullins, was no match for the AIPAC. The CENTCOM commander contacted his Israeli counterpart General Gabi Ashkenazi to repudiate his own criticism of Israeli policies and, in effect, pledge his unconditional support to the Jewish state even when it jeopardizes US troops. In January, General Petraeus correctly identified how Israeli intransigence had damaged US interests and operations in the Middle East, infuriated Arabs and ultimately increased attacks on American troops. But in March, the politically ambitious General hastened to retract his briefing before the Joint Chiefs of Staff. There are few more cravenly disloyal spectacles in US military history than this bemedaled American general prostrating himself for the Zionist lobby. And yet, for a brief moment, a few desperate anti-Zionists leftists, looked to General Petraeus and Admiral Mullen as potential allies against Israeli-Zionist control of US policy in the Middle East. They ignored the fact that these are the commanders in charge of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and were preparing to confront Iran. Petraeus' difference with Israel was over specific policies as they undermined the smooth operations of the US war machine in the Middle East and his 'recantation' before the Israelis has certainly thrown cold water of this romantic fantasy of a 'nationalist' US General. The tradition of 'civilian supremacy' in the US ensures that the military will never confront the issue of Zionist control over the Congress and White House. Petraeus' briefing will be soon forgotten and the General's subsequent repudiation is an eloquent example of the grotesquely opportunistic nature of the American high military command. When civilian leaders point out how Israel's oppression of 5 million Palestinians jeopardizes American lives and interests in the Middle East, the Zionist power configuration deflects attention from Israel and blames the US (and its 'permissive' society) for having instigated the growing Islamist movement, Arab hostility and attacks. When American military leaders, strategists and intelligence officers assert that Israel's policy toward the Palestinians is a leading cause of regional conflict based on their decades of field expertise, the arm-chair Generals among the Zionists re-interpret this straightforward identification of Israeli policy with attacks on American interests and troops as " another point of view ". In the meantime the ZPC rounds up the usual Congressional or White House Israel Firsters to "disown" their own military. Israel's narrowly conceived colonial policy, the eviction of massive numbers of Palestinians and the land grabs to construct Jews-only colonial settlements, undermines US authority in the Middle East among its allies. Israel's brazen willingness and ability to openly bash President Obama, thoroughly discredits the contention among liberal Zionist apologists like Noam Chomsky that Imperial Washington is "in command" of Western policy in the Middle East and is acting on behalf of much broader Euro-American interests. In a wider context, Israel's arrogance damages attempts by US private investors to broker oil deals for multi-national corporations. Arab oil countries, which see themselves as threatened by a regional militarist power like Israel, with its colonial expansion and hegemonic ambitions, are unlikely to cooperate with the American, especially when the superpower is impotent to curb Israel's worst excesses. Israeli Colonial Ambitions and US Strategic Interests For Israel and its Fifth Column backers none of the US strategic concerns are as important as the Jewish state's colonial conquests and its regional projections of power. Nor are the interests of the American people given much consideration when they come in conflict with Israeli expansionist colonial goals. The ZPC never considers or even discusses the fact that Americans have suffered major losses as a result of Israel's relentless pursuit of military-driven power in the Middle East. Israel's primary goal of grabbing land and dispossessing Palestinians goes against the post-colonial ethos of the American people, who experience increased hostility overseas. The only beneficiaries of Israel colonial expansion are the small but powerful 51 American Jewish Zionist organizations which identify with and are loyal to the Israeli state. Israel's unilateral military aggression and threats against neighboring countries, including Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Iran and its cross-border covert assassinations, most recently in Dubai, are of great importance to Israeli militarists as Israel projects power in the Middle East. The self-esteem of Israel's militarized citizens is directly linked to their policy of aggression and assassinations without regard to national sovereignty. On the other hand, Israeli power projections have undermined the US efforts to diplomatically expand its own sphere of influence and negotiate multi-billion dollar military sales, trade and investment agreements in the Middle East. The fact that Israeli policies have jeopardized millions of jobs for American workers is an issue of no importance to the Jewish state and its affluent Israel First backers in the US. Israel's invasion of Lebanon forced the pro-US Harari faction to form a coalition with the anti-imperialist Hezbollah political-military movement. Israel's attempt to impose its will on Lebanon through its bombing campaign, torpedoed US diplomatic and political efforts to consolidate its influence with President Harari. Netanyahu's successful bullying of Obama and Biden simply reinforced the ties between the pro-Western Lebanese and the anti-colonial Muslim left, in the face of Washington's incapacity to constrain the Israeli 'wildmen' or resist the 'internal rot' eroding an independent American initiative: Better to join forces with Hezbollah, which after all fought Israel to a standstill in 2006. Israel's loyal accomplices in the US government have caused enormous damage to the US economy and threaten even greater loss of American lives, as the Israel seeks to direct US policy toward Iran. Under the forceful and aggressive direction of Israel Firsters and the powerful Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Stuart Levey, every major US oil and gas company, bank, petroleum exploration and drilling firms and countless other business concerns have given up hundreds of billion dollars in lucrative economic trade an investment deals in the interest of Israel, which has extracted over $60 billion dollars of US taxpayer money and handouts and aid during the last decade. Iran, which backed the US imperial attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq, provided the US military with far more strategic assistance than all the Israeli advisers, 'experts' and contracted 'interrogators' in Baghdad and Iraqi 'Kurdistan' put together. Despite the US recognition of Iranian assistance in Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran is demonized as 'the enemy' by Israeli agents within the US because Tehran opposes Israel's ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians. Israel's Fifth Column churns out hundreds of articles a month demanding brutal economic sanctions against Iran and a pre-emptive military blitz aimed at destroying the Iranian economy and a nation of over 70 million. Every US military commander in the Middle East has acknowledged that an attack on Iran will expand the war, cut vital shipping of oil in the Persian Gulf plunging the world economy into recession, and threaten the lives of scores of thousands of American soldiers. They also are aware that the prospect of thousands of American casualties would not deter the 51 Presidents of the Major American Jewish Organizations, the AIPAC-controlled US Congress members, or the likes of Undersecretary of Treasury Stuart Levey from promoting or provoking a war with Iran. The leading Israel-First advocates for war with Iran are unconcerned with the inevitable thousands of US military casualties and the millions of American jobs lost, as they promote the expansion and supremacy of "Greater Israel" in all its arrogance and glory throughout the Middle East. Zionist Power Configuration: How Dare You Resist Humiliation! Is it any wonder that, when visiting American leaders are openly insulted by the racist regime of Prime Minister 'Bibi' Netanyahu, American Zionists automatically side with Israel and condemn those who protest in defense of American dignity? The Daily Alert , principle bulletin of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, provides a useful compilation of the articles, editorials and government documents, defending Israel against the US Administration's efforts to seek diplomatic solutions. From March 15-19, 2010 the Israeli-ZPC juggernaut released a remarkable propaganda offensive, vividly underscoring the immense power of the Zionist power configuration in the US. As soon as the White House publicly rebuked Prime Minister Netanyahu for insulting Vice President Biden during his official visit to Israel, the Zionist power configuration, claiming to speak for all the "Jewish communities", came out in defense of Israel and attacked the Obama Administration. A barrage of articles, editorials and press conferences materialized overnight, with the usual parade of zombie-like Congressional mouthpieces parroting the Zionist line and applying direct pressure on the White House. This multi-prong Zionist offensive, under Netanyahu's direction, was successful in persuading the White House to return to its characteristic belly-crawl: Clinton, Biden and the rest of their gang retreated, reasserting the US " unconditional defense of Israel ", declaring the ' non-existence ' of the crisis and asserting the ' rock solid ' American relation with Israel. The chain of command is revealing: The Israeli state orders the Zionist power configuration into action; the mass media disseminates the line; Congress marches lock-step for the Zionists and the White House retreats. Delighted with their success, Zionist propagandists roll out their own polls claiming the US public support for Israel - a public saturated with Israeli manufactured and American Zionist trumpeted propaganda. Clearly what such "polls" measure is the effectiveness of a monolithic mass media campaign. The propaganda tactics utilized in this blitzkrieg media campaign involved placing blame on the insulted victim and attacking "the Administration for sparking a full blown crisis" ( Wall Street Journal , March 14, 2010). It went on to denounce the US Administration officials for " condemning " and " pushing " Israel ( Washington Post , March 15-19, 2010). Other publications accused President Obama of ' playing into the hand ' of Arab extremists and " fanning the flames ", ( Fox News and Christian Science Monitor , March 18, 2010). It was the US President, who had been " hindering the peace talks " by " encouraging Palestinian intransigence ". Haaretz , the Israeli's liberal newspaper, which has published articles critical of the Israeli Occupation, released a series of articles, opinion pieces and editorials by 'experts' and 'military strategists' accusing the US Administration of " orchestrating the crises " (March 14, 2010) and called for the Israeli government not to ' grovel ' by apologizing to the US Vice President (March 15). CBS claimed that " Obama was pushing the US-Israeli alliance to the brink " (March 15). And on March 17, the Boston Globe accused Obama of " aggravating Israel's mistake ". AIPAC methodically contacted its usual Congressional flunkeys to denounce the White House for rebuking the Israeli government. By March 19, the Washington Post had published over a dozen diatribes calling for US acceptance of Israel's settlement expansion. Zionist think tanks and front groups with deceptive names, like the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies , blamed the displaced Palestinians for sabotaging " the peace process " by protesting the accelerated Israeli land confiscation and settlements (Scripps - Howard and Fox News , March 18, 2010). Predictably, the New York Times provided a slightly liberal gloss by calling for reconciliation and an end to the crises, while never mentioning the public Israeli humiliation of Vice President Biden or considering how Israel's latest grab of Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem might endanger US lives and interests. The Times ignored General Petraeus testimony before Congress and his briefing, critical of Israeli policy, before the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, while giving prominence to Netanyahu's " peace talks " (March 18, 2010). A few fissures have appeared in the pro-Israel monolith: David Axelrod, Obama's chief adviser, condemned Netanyahu's provocation as an "insult"; New York Times top columnist, Thomas Friedman, described the Israeli leaders as " drunken drivers "; and a leading US rabbi called for a building freeze in Jerusalem. These few liberal Zionist critics were overwhelmed by scores parroting ZPC ' talking points ': Bronner and Sanger of the New York Times , Walter Mead of American (SIC) Interest and Goldberg of the New Yorker , among others. The craven capitulation, led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was inevitable. On March 16 Secretary Clinton declared that, " we have an absolute commitment to Israel's security. We have a close unshakeable bond between the United States and Israel and between the American and Israeli people ". To prove her fealty to Israeli and Zionist interests, Clinton became featured speaker at the APAC Conference, March 21-26, 2010, sharing the platform with a triumphant Bibi Netanyahu. Israel had to openly humiliate the US as a show of its power. Given Israel's strategic domination of the US political system and the ZPC control over mass media and their enormous wealth, a Zionist-controlled administration, like Obama's, would have to capitulate. Israeli and US Zionist pressure forced the American leaders to subordinate their international image and national self-respect and accept the unlimited expansion of Jews-only settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, no matter how this might undermine US standing in the region and jeopardize US troops. By 'whipping' the Obama Administration into line, Israel has set the stage for the launching of its top priority: Forcing a direct US military confrontation with Iran in Israel's strategic interests. It is clear that the entire ZPC will stand with Israel as it promotes its militarist agenda against Iran, regardless of the consequences to the United States. It has been proven beyond a doubt by the recent events, that the ZPC has the ultimate say with the Obama Administration, against the advice of top US military officials and against the basic interests of the American people. In plain English, we are a people colonized and directed by a small, extremist and militarist 'ally' which operates through domestic proxies, who, under any other circumstance, would be openly denounced as traitors. Can the ZPC be defeated? They are the "most powerful lobby in Washington", to whom Presidents, Administration officials, Generals and Congress people must submit or risk having their careers ruined and being ousted from public office. Meanwhile, outside of the United States, the international community openly despises Israel as a brutal, racist colonial state, a war criminal and chronic violator of human rights and international law. The Middle East Quartet, made up of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, has condemned Israel's plan to build another 1,600 homes exclusively for Jewish extremist settlers in Arab East Jerusalem. The Quartet demanded " the speedy creation of a Palestinian state and the end to provocative actions ". But the 'Quartet' is powerless to stop Israeli plans. The Presidents of the Major American Jewish Organizations tell their followers that global "anti-Semitism " motivates the 'Quartet'. The huge AIPAC "Hail Israel" Conference in Washington D.C. in late March celebrated the triumph of unfettered Israeli expansionism. Nevertheless, some Israelis are beginning to express unease. After their initial euphoria over Netanyahu's slap-down of Biden and face-up to Clinton, there is growing fear of Israeli being ' weaned ' away from the American treasury and losing their unfettered access to the US latest military technology. A poll published on March 19 in Yedroth Ahronoth , one of Israel's biggest dailies, revealed that 46% of their readers responded that the government should freeze settlement building in East Jerusalem, much to the chagrin of the US Israel Firsters, who might in other circumstances, have labeled these Jews anti-Semites. Fissures in the Zionist monolith are beginning to appear. These would deepen if and when the American public realizes that Israel's' dispossession of Palestinians is raising havoc with American lives and with American interests in a vital part of the world populated by 1.5 billion Muslim. As more issues arise, the critical choice between following the lead of the ZPC in pledging unconditional allegiance to Israel and enduring its provocations and humiliations, or standing up for the dignity, basic interests and integrity of America, will have to be made. More fissures will appear and the AIPAC and other members of the ZPC will be seen for what they are: Swaggering bullies acting on behalf of a foreign power .

It is, in essence, about the relation between states or, better still, the relation between peoples where one group (Israeli Jews and their powerful one percent fifth column agents in the US) exacts tribute and imposes wars in its own interests on another group (the US tax payers, soldiers, workers and businessmen).

The Syrian troops have tightened the noose around Takfiri terrorists in the town of Khan al-Shih, known as the stronghold of al-Nusra Front, in Western Ghouta. Following the Syrian army's success to take control of a nearby air defense base, the terrorists are now stuck in Khan al-Shih with no option but to surrender, local forces said. The army launched a major offensive to liberate Khan al-Shih on October 1. Elsewhere in the north, fierce clashes are underway between the Army and the terrorist group in western neighborhoods of Aleppo. As Syrian fighter jets continue to target al-Nusra Front positions near al-Hamdaniya neighborhood southwest of Aleppo, the Army has been deploying more equipment to the area. Aleppo, once Syria's commercial and industrial hub, has been divided roughly in two since 2012, with the government controlling mostly the west and terrorists the east. Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it. According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country's pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.

The Syrian troops have tightened the noose around Takfiri terrorists in the town of Khan al-Shih, known as the stronghold of al-Nusra Front, in Western Ghouta.

Gary weighs in on Rand Paul & the GOP's Stupid Drug Policy. The concept of the "peace officer" is a myth. Those so-called "peace officers" were, like today's police, enforcing arbitrary legislation, operating based on the claimed... Sure flattening monkey bars, shortening slides, and rubberizing pavement may not actually make kids safer (and it may leave them less prepared for the real,... The Libertarian Republic has a produced a video for our audience that ranks the top five most libertarian presidents. These five weren't always considered "great"... Could it be that all conservatives ... ARE SECRETLY LIBERALS!?! Find out in this shocking video from #CPAC 2014 LEAP's Speakers Bureau Director, Mike Smithson, talks about being on the Navy ship that made the first ever drug bust in international waters. Intellectual property lawyer Lawrence Siskind, David Koepsell (Center for Study of Innovative Freedom and Stephan Kinsella (author of "Against Intellectual Property") discuss the morality and... Net Neutrality is "a solution that won't work to a problem that doesn't exist," says Ajit Pai, a commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).... Texas secessionist group 'Republic of Texas' is arguing that its right to assembly was violated due to a federal agent's raid during the group's meeting.... In a letter to D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, two Republican congressmen Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee,... Tech companies are now challenging the ability of the government and intelligence community to gather and access encrypted data, with Yahoo's chief information security officer,... "Torture didn't work, and it was morally wrong," ex-CIA officer John Kiriakou told Breaking the Set's Abby Martin in an exclusive interview. Discussing the spy... How did Timothy McVeigh, O.J. Simpson, Monica Lewinsky, and the Netscape IPO all shape the word we live in today? American University professor of journalism... LEAP co-founder, Peter Christ, appears on WGRZ-TV in Buffalo, NY and takes on all aspects of our disastrous War on Drugs. Captain Christ is vice-chair... We can only be kept in the cages we do not see. A brief history of human enslavement - up to and including your own. Penn Jillette explains his philosophical road to libertarianism to John Stossel. This Sunday's Oscar ceremony awarded CitizenFour, which takes a look at the controversy and situation following NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, with the Best Documentary. RT's... The push for police body cameras is just the latest attempt to salvage public opinion and perceived legitimacy. Such an investment just convolutes the underlying... "All the logic that we are seeing in the Net Neutrality debate is assuming that nothing has changed; it's assuming that it's 1995. What's actually... Two bills were introduced on Friday, February 20, in the U.S. House of Representatives, that would legalize and tax adult-use marijuana federally. By Jay Syrmopoulos... Fair DUI Flyer video going viral on social media. South Florida attorney Warren Redlich made a video of himself making it safely through two Florida... Barack Obama has admitted to "using marijuana and maybe a little blow" in his book "Dreams From My Father". All the while Barry has... After watching you'll immediately trash your bong. Not really though... How is it that pop culture has known for years that marijuana is no big... Ron Paul debates Half Baked & Bio Dome actor Stephen Baldwin on Marijuana Legalization and ending the Drug War on Larry King Live. The Bitch... There's no way to appreciate fully the contributions of Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman (1912-2006) to the growth of libertarian ideas and a free society.... Judge Napolitano makes the case that the IRS seizing assets before charging or convicting of a crime is unconstitutional. Martha Boneta (owner of "Liberty Farm") and Marty Kotis ("Pig Pounder" brewery owner) join John to discuss how and why government creates obstacles for small... The billionaire Koch brothers have pumped their inordinate wealth into yet another pet project -- raising awareness of the plight of Weldon Angelos, a rap... Krist Novoselic is best known as the co-founder and bassist of Nirvana, one of the most influential music groups of the past quarter century. The... Video compilation of the some of the very best of Michael Badnarik. According to Wikipedia "Michael J. Badnarik (born August 1, 1954) is an American...

The concept of the "peace officer" is a myth.

In 1981, John Walsh was just a hotel marketing executive, but that all changed when his wife, Reve, and son, Adam, visited the Hollywood Mall in Florida. Reve left six-year old Adam in the toy section of the Sears department store, the young boy content with pounding his fingers away on the video game systems on display. When she returned from a minutes-long shopping excursion, Adam was gone . Two weeks later, his severed head was found in a canal, the rest of his body never to be found. Without hard evidence, several theories and suspects floated around the Hollywood, Florida police department. One probability occurred in 1991, when a serial killer was arrested in Wisconsin with 17 murders to his credit. After his picture was posted in newspapers, several people contacted the authorities claiming they had seen that man at the Hollywood Mall around the time of of Adam Walsh's disappearance. That man was Jeffrey Dahmer. He had been working only several minutes away from the mall when Adam was taken. FBI agent Neil Purtell interviewed Dahmer about Adam's case, the killer denying any connection at all to the crime . "You know, Neil," said Dahmer, "anyone who killed Adam Walsh could not live in any prison, ever." Agent Purtell took that as an admission of guilt. Police had one other suspect though, and that was Ottis Toole. Toole was already in prison by 1983 -- for murder -- when he admitted to cutting the child's head off with a machete. He would later deny the confession on tape, but in 1991 Toole admitted to the murder once again. Detectives found blood in his vehicle, but DNA tests could not prove if it was Adam's. Then, once again, Toole denied having killed Adam. Witnesses at the mall that day corroborated Toole's confession, saying they saw him at the mall, one witness saying he even saw him talking to Adam. In September of 1996, Toole's travel companion and fellow serial killer Henry Lee Lucas -- he claimed the two committed over 200 murders together -- admitted to police that Toole had shown him Adam's body . This confession, though, occurred just days after Toole had died in prison from cirrhosis. Share This Video In 2008, after 27 years, police finally closed the case of Adam Walsh, claiming they had enough evidence to pin the murder on Toole. "If Ottis Toole were alive today, he would be arrested for the abduction and murder of Adam Walsh," Hollywood police chief Chadwick Wagner stated. "What was there was everything that was in front of our face for years. This case could have been closed years ago." Several weeks ago, at an event hosted by Starz, John Walsh came forward with a heartbreaking detail about his murdered child following the tragic discovery of his remains . People don't know this, but [police] kept Adam's severed head in the morgue for 27 years, saying you can't bury your child because it's an open capital murder. We could never get Adam's remains while the case was botched. In 1984 -- in memory of his son -- John Walsh started the Adam Walsh Child Resource Center, and helped start the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. America's Most Wanted debuted in 1988, and his efforts, combined with police resources, rescued over 130,000 children while putting more than 1,000 criminals behind bars. Now check out... Back Off Man, These Are Peter Venkman's Top 'Ghostbusters' Quotes by Jason Tabrys Whether you like or don't like Paul Feig's Ghostbusters reboot, you have to admit that it's going to feel weird to see Bustin' going on without the presence of Dr. Peter Venkman. Thankfully, however, we'll always have the first two films (back off, man, I'm classifying Ghostbusters 2 as a good thing) to remind us of Murray's dominance in what may be his greatest role. So, with that in mind, here are Peter Venkman's best quotes from the first film. "I don't know. I don't know." As Ray freaks out about the gang's dimming career prospects in light of getting canned from the university, Pete has a crazy, "let's join the circus" kinda look on his face that is only enhanced when he takes slugs off of a bottle of bad idea juice. Where's the money coming from? He doesn't know, but he has faith in a robust return on the adventure they're about to throw themselves into.

Whether you like or don't like Paul Feig's Ghostbusters reboot, you have to admit that it's going to feel weird to see Bustin' going on without the presence of Dr. Peter Venkman.

Today, 300,000 women had a baby and 120,000 had an abortion. What such figures add up to is the need for family planning to be made available to all who want it - not to reduce the numbers of the poor but to give them more control over their own health and their own lives. WAY back in 1974, when the New Internationalist ran its first cover story on world population, it was generally agreed that rapid population growth was one of the greatest threats to the global environment and one of the main causes of world poverty. The New Internationalist opposed that view and opposes it still. Drawing heavily on the wisdom of colleagues like Pierre Pradervand and Tarzie Vittachi - people who refused to be thrown off balance by the talk of population 'explosions', 'timebombs', and 'juggernauts' - we presented to our readers what we still believe is a saner view of a major world issue. Since that time, the New Internationalist has been frequently attacked for being ,opposed 'to family planning'. So let us state our position bluntly. We are strongly in favour of family planning - and faintly suspicious of the family planning lobby. First of all, the issue is not world population - it is their population. It is about the fact that black and brown skinned people have twice as many babies as we do and account for 90 per cent of world population growth. In twenty years from now, Asia alone will hold 6 out of every 10 people in the world. There may be many reasons for worrying about this, but the environment isn't one of them. As the article on page 14 points out, the average person born in the industrialised world will consume and pollute approximately 30 times as much in his or her lifetime as the average person born into Africa, Asia or Latin America. According to the faithful pocket calculator, that means the rich world's 16 million babies a year are four times more of an environmental worry than the poor world's 119 million a year. So the cause for concern must be poverty. They are poor because they have too many children. Their economic growth is being wiped out because it has to be divided amongst ever more people. Lyndon Johnson once said that a dollar invested in family planning does more to alleviate poverty than a hundred dollars in any other kind of aid. And it did for , the family planning lobby what picking up a beagle by the ears did for the ASPCA, Oh to be a fund-raiser, now that pills are here - persuading the rich that they are making a big contribution to the alleviation of poverty and at the same time allaying their own fears about the rising black and brown tide which laps around the shores of white affluence. For many of the family planning charities in the rich world, it was the sales pitch of the century - combining concern for the persistence of their poverty with concern f or the preservation of our wealth. Such an approach begins by absolving the rich and blaming the poor - and ends by substituting condoms for justice. And it is founded in a convenient misunderstanding of the relationships between population growth and economic wellbeing. Millions of people in the developing world want large families. Where there are no old-age pensions, no medical services, and no unemployment pay, children are the main source of economic security. Where the task of fetching wood and water and tending animals takes up to twelve hours a day, children are an asset in the family's struggle for survival. Where infant mortality rates are high, many children are necessary to ensure the survival of some. Preaching small families to people who need more children is not only insensitive; it is also ineffective. 'Unless at least a latent motivation towards smaller families exists,' says University of Michigan expert Ronald Freedman, 'providing the means and the services will have little effect.' Several hundred new population studies published in recent years have played the spotlight on the various factors which lead men and women to want fewer children. Chief amongst them are better health and lower infant mortality; rising incomes and greater economic security; the spread of education and the emancipation of women. Such changes do not depend for their justification on their contribution towards lowering the rate of population growth. They are the aim and the measure of development itself. And it was after living standards began to rise for the majority of people - and before the advent of cheap, safe, and effective contraceptives - that population growth rates plummeted in today's industrialised countries. If and when rising living standards provide the motivation for smaller families, then family planning can provide the means. But family planning itself needs to be seen not as an independent venture motivated by concern for the problems of population growth, but as an integral part of improved health services motivated by concern for the problems of people's lives. There are many commonsense reasons for merging family planning with health services - it helps to avoid duplicating personnel and administration where resources are scarce; it helps in the many cases where contraceptives themselves have adverse effects on health; it helps that there is a relationship of trust between people and their health workers. But most important of all, family planning is one of the numbers in the code which releases the combination lock of community health. Perhaps because it has long been considered a 'woman's problem', this link between family planning and health has only been given priority, not money. Yet the contribution which family planning could make to health is so great that the expenditure it requires would be amply justified even if population growth itself were not a problem. Every year in Africa and Asia alone, half a million women die from pregnancy, childbirth and after-birth effects - leaving behind over 1 million motherless children. In Latin America, illegal abortion is now the number one killer of women between the ages of 15 and 39. World wide, 25 million women a year suffer serious illness or complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Fifteen million of the 125 million babies born every year will not reach their first birthday. And these deaths are just the tragic tip of an iceberg of illness which affects every other aspect of the struggle for economic development. Nutritionists like Professor Derrick Jeliffe call it the 'maternal depletion syndrome'. Village women in Bangladesh call it 'shutika'. But both are talking about the same thing - the fact that being pregnant, giving birth and breast feeding are exhausting processes for a woman's body. And it takes time to recover. If the recovery time is too short, then health pays the price. Infants are more likely to be malnourished. Mothers suffer from anaemia, toxaemia and plain exhaustion. Babies are prone to low birth weights - carrying with it 20 times the risk of death in infancy. And often the next youngest child suffers as well: 'kwashiorkor', the wasting disease of malnutrition whose symptoms are known throughout the developing world; is a Ghanaian word meaning 'the illness of a baby deposed from the breast too soon'. The age of the mother, as well as the frequency of birth, is also a strand in the web which links family planning to health. Outside the age band 20-35, there is a higher incidence of unwanted pregnancy, a higher risk to the mother, and a higher rate of mortality among the infants born. And roughly one-third of all births in the world are to mothers younger than 20 or older than 35. The womenwho are at thesharp end of this 'depletion syndrome' know better than anybody else how it affects their own and their family's health. And it is not just the lack of family planning which prevents them from taking their own fertility and their own health into their own hands. It is often the fact that they live in societies where men take the decisions and women take the consequences. The availability and acceptability of family planning, by both men and women, could be crucial in reducing this heavy toll on human health. But above all, family planning needs to be, and be seen to be, a service which improves people's health and increases their power over their own lives, and not an imposition which is insensitive to their circumstances and contemptuous of their rights. An improved quality of life for poor people is the aim of development. When achieved, it is normally reflected in a desire for smaller families and a reduced rate of population growth. Similarly, family planning is an essential part of improved health services. And when available, it also reduces family size, where the motivation exists, and leads again to a lower rate of population growth. It is the weaving together of these two strands which leads the New Internationalist to conclude, just as we did in our first cover story six years ago, that the sane view of the population issue can be summed up in one sentence: 'Look after the people and the population will look after itself'. This article is from the June 1980 issue of New Internationalist . You can access the entire archive of over 500 issues with a digital subscription. Subscribe today >>

And it was after living standards began to rise for the majority of people - and before the advent of cheap, safe, and effective contraceptives - that population growth rates plummeted in today's industrialised countries.

In the Struggle for Health Care Justice: Interview with Marianne Hoynes World News Trust -- An independent, non-profit news media project. Monday, August 19, 2013 Occupy the First Amendment What the 1% calls order is threatening all life on the planet and thus requires the 99% to embrace militant noncompliance" pronto. Friday, August 16, 2013 (5 comments) Which Side Are You On? How much more can you tolerate? Silence your cell phones, your TVs, silence the noise in your head... and just listen. Listen carefully. Can you hear it? It's a cry from the future, a mournful plea begging us to capture this moment. Can you hear it? Will you hear it? Or have you gotten so accustomed to losing that you choose instead to cover your ears, bury your head -- finding endless excuses and myriad methods to ignore and/or discredit... Tuesday, August 13, 2013 (1 comments) From Stop & Frisk to Ecocide: Revolution or Reform? Stop & Frisk is not some anomalous flaw in an otherwise fixable system. It's a symptom. Saturday, August 10, 2013 (1 comments) We All Have a Job to Do Exactly what job would you suggest for a socially aware and compassionate human? Friday, August 2, 2013 New York Times: Guilty Of 'Aiding the Enemy' | Mickey Z. - World News Trust If you've ever wondered why someone like Bradley Manning gets far less media coverage than, say, a "royal" birth or a mayoral candidate's penis, well" you can always count on the "newspaper of record" to reveal the method behind the madness. Monday, July 22, 2013 Action (and Organizing) is Better Than Hope | Mickey Z. - World News Trust No matter what bullshit you hear from Wall Street-funded, ecocide-perpetrating war criminals, remember this: Action is always better than hope. Tuesday, July 16, 2013 (4 comments) After Trayvon: 40 Reasons to Hit the Streets Every Day We must ask ourselves: In this global crime spree called "our way of life," will I be an accomplice or will be a monkey-wrencher? Friday, July 12, 2013 (3 comments) Preserving the Future is Not a "Lifestyle" | Mickey Z. - World News Trust Everywhere I look, our dominant culture is soaked in the blood of non-humans but almost all my fellow activists are seemingly happy to participate in, support, and even laugh about the carnage. Tuesday, July 9, 2013 (2 comments) School's Out" Forever You don't need a college degree to change the world and preserve the future" Tuesday, May 10, 2011 (1 comments) Earthlings Unite? In the name of holistic justice and planetary rebellion, I am an earthling. Thursday, April 7, 2011 5 Reasons Why Technology Can Never Be Neutral Technology can never be neutral and industrial civilization can never be sustainable. Tuesday, February 15, 2011 Always do the right thing (because 99 is not 100) Never lose sight of the big picture but always do the right thing. Wednesday, February 2, 2011 "Love in the Time of Dinosaurs": An interview with author Kirsten Alene "I think every time love sneaks into a conversation or a story and changes someone, it's a little triumph for people." Saturday, January 29, 2011 "America Plops and Fizzes": An interview with poet, Andrew Rihn Some guy named Percy Shelley once said poets were the " unacknowledged legislators of the world." Wednesday, January 26, 2011 (1 comments) Why are you so negative? (and other FAQ) What does the term "negative" mean in this context anyway? Sunday, January 23, 2011 (7 comments) "We need to stop this culture before it kills the planet": A conversation with Derrick Jensen Even if every single person in the US made every single change suggested in the movie An Inconvenient Truth, carbon emissions would fall by only 21%. Thursday, January 20, 2011 (1 comments) Beat Your Daisy Cutters Into Daisies Green-spirited seed bombs and mean-spirited Daisy Cutters. Take a wild guess which one is illegal here in the land of the free. Tuesday, January 18, 2011 (2 comments) Downsize or Modify? A Conversation with Noam Chomsky What will happen if activists don't kick things up a few thousands notches and provoke massive changes in the way humans currently live? Sunday, January 2, 2011 (1 comments) Are You Ready for the Revolution? f you agree that fitness--both mental and physical--is a crucial component for any serious subversive, read on... Tuesday, December 14, 2010 (2 comments) The United States of War Criminals Roughly one million tax dollars per minute are spent to fund the largest military machine (read: global terrorist operation) the world has ever known. Monday, November 22, 2010 Stone Age Brain, Space Age Culture We each possess a physiology that evolved to negotiate the Stone Age. Inconveniently, we live in the Space Age. Monday, November 1, 2010 (1 comments) Why aren't you happy? You're not anti-American, are you? Friday, October 29, 2010 (1 comments) When Criminals Vote Whatever side we choose in these fabricated conflicts, human society maintains its steady, relentless path toward mass homicide/suicide. Self Defense for Radicals: Collective Soul + Activist Heart We are on the brink of social, economic, and environmental collapse. Monday, June 14, 2010 (3 comments) When will direct action blossom? How much more are we willing to tolerate before we take direct action? Ask not what your eco-system can do for you All we have is right now. How are you making it count? Saturday, May 1, 2010 (1 comments) The Tea Party Sideshow We have to challenge right wing hatred and intolerance at every turn, of course, but do so without defending President Obama. Monday, March 15, 2010 Animal Rights/Vegan Issues: Where's the Left? Where are the "real" progressives on dark green issues pertaining to animal rights, veganism, and the environment? Wednesday, November 11, 2009 More Militant Vegans, Less Ethical Butchers Becoming a butcher in the name of animal welfare is like joining the Marines to promote peace. Saturday, September 26, 2009 (3 comments) Revenge Of The Dammed 5 Reasons Why Large Dams Have to Go Now; 5 Ways to Help Make That Happen Monday, September 7, 2009 (2 comments) The world's worst polluter: U.S. military It's time to embrace a much darker shade of green Humans vs. Birds: Hitchcock in reverse It's Hitchcock in reverse as the planet's most destructive species systematically slaughters everything in its path. Sunday, August 2, 2009 (1 comments) Urban Cavemen (living life out of balance) We each possess a physiology that evolved to negotiate the Stone Age. Unfortunately, we live in the Space Age. Wednesday, July 29, 2009 (1 comments) Poverty draft? The US military is far more dangerous than any street gang or Mafia family Sunday, July 5, 2009 (5 comments) Humans are the cancer of the planet If you think that's harsh, just wait till the chemotherapy kicks in. Sunday, June 7, 2009 (2 comments) Tuesday, May 26, 2009 (4 comments) Activism 101 Okay, short attention span crowd: Grab your remote (or mouse) and get ready to click, click, click... Tuesday, May 12, 2009 (5 comments) Obama and the denial of genocide This April, President Barack Obama broke campaign promise #511 Monday, April 6, 2009 (2 comments) A starling taught to speak Humans are the species that can be correctly labeled "invasive" and a "health risk" Monday, March 23, 2009 (19 comments) Five reasons why Americans won't resist Why aren't activists ramping up the pressure and looking beyond tactics that are allowed by those in power? Wednesday, March 18, 2009 (5 comments) Obama and His Dick (Cheney) Here's how well they have us trained... Michael Greenwell interviews Mickey Z. Who Is the Biggest Waste of Oxygen on the Planet? Friday, March 6, 2009 (1 comments) Saturday, February 28, 2009 (1 comments) Monday, February 23, 2009 (2 comments) Radical Love: An interview with Natty Seidenverg It takes a strong heart to love deeply and freely at the same time. Monday, February 9, 2009 (1 comments) Monday, January 26, 2009 (7 comments) Obama, Guantanamo, and US hypocrisy Snapshots from the United States of Incarceration... Wednesday, January 21, 2009 (1 comments) Saturday, January 17, 2009 (13 comments) Planet of Lost Souls "Maybe we're not all individual souls, but maybe we're all part of one big soul." Wednesday, January 14, 2009 (9 comments) Obama Nation upholds US terror The United States of America is a rogue state built on and maintained by terror Sunday, December 21, 2008 (7 comments) Waves of hope and change There seems to be no shortage of well-dressed humans cavorting, laughing, and spending freely. Wednesday, December 17, 2008 (1 comments) If Obama coached the Knicks Barack Obama just might be the Mike D'Antoni of national politics.

Occupy the First Amendment What the 1% calls order is threatening all life on the planet and thus requires the 99% to embrace militant noncompliance" pronto.

Ed Miliband has finally snuck his list of donor's dinners out. A Friday afternoon data dump is always a sure sign that you don't want too much digging to be done. The meetings are overwhelmingly with his union paymasters but there are at least two "predators" welcomed in to break bread in his own home. With just one glance there are glaring gaps in the list, for example it shows a meeting with on 9 February with PS100,000 donor Assem Allam, but not the meeting he had with him on the 10 March. The one we know about because he was photographed arriving at it in a Royles Royce instead of attending an NHS rally. How many other donors did not make the cut? There is still no mention of Ed's secret off the record meeting with the shady spinmeister Roland Rudd. Rudd organised meetings between Ed and business types and is a Labour donor through his firm Finsbury. Why has this not been reported here, and why when Ed promised live on TV to release the list of attendees, has this still not happened? Labour insiders are clucking this morning as the news from Bradford sets in. As Guido mentioned earlier plenty of blame is being dripped out in the direction of General Secretary Iain McNicol, but others are fighting back. One man seems to be suspiciously quiet on the subject and has been all campaign: Tom Watson. As Labour's "Deputy Party Chairman and Campaign Coordinator", he was in charge of this spectacular cock up. Questions are being asked about why he has spent the week frothing about Panorama damp squibs and sitting around on Twitter instead of leading from the front. Given the number of Mayor and Police Commissioner elections coming up that will involve current MPs, the list of by-elections this year is growing. Too late to do anything about it now though... UPDATE: Re two Labour source quotes I've posted - seems to be serious consternation in Labour over Bradford loss - and real anger in some quarters -- Sophy Ridge (@SophyRidgeSky) March 30, 2012 UPDATE II: Witnesses report that Tom Watson spent the day in the House yesterday. He was spotted having a long chat with disgraced former Labour MP Denis MacShane. Why wasn't he on the ground getting out the vote? UPDATE III: Instead of campaigning in Bradford in the all important weekend before polling, Watson went to the "Guardian Open Weekend" and shared a platform with fellow media luvvies Amelia Hill, Alan Rusbridger and Nick Davies. He cares more about self promotion than his job as Campaign Coordinator. While the polls were still open in Bradford early yesterday evening, broadcasters were notified that Ed Miliband would be doing a walk about outside the City Hall at 07:45 this morning. Funnily enough it didnt happen. Fingers of blame from high up in the party are already being pointed at the General Secretary. Iain McNicol told the leader's office to prepare for a comfortable victory and told staffers not to go to Bradford and instead focus on campaigning in London. Team Ed are furious with McNicol for predicting victory so confidently earlier in the week and thus destroying any chance to do expectation management briefing. The normally loyal Labour bloggers are not happy and speaking to Labour staffers this morning, loyal to both Milibands, there seems to be an acceptance that Ed's problems run deeper than most thought. A defeat after "this week's circus" and while ten points ahead has sent a mighty shockwave right through the professional party. Galloway shamelessly appealed to Asian youth with a radical anti-imperialist stance, attacking Labour over Iraq and Afghanistan. It will give many a pause for thought, Ken Livingstone in London is running a similar electoral strategy, courting Muslim voters over Gaza and promising at the Finsbury Park Mosque to make London a beacon for Islam. Labour's traditional Jewish voters are deserting Livingstone who has cynically calculated that Muslim voters out number Jewish voters 4 to 1 in London. Most Londoners will not want to see the Bradford Spring translated into Ken running a an anti-imperialist London twinned with Gaza...

Ed Miliband has finally snuck his list of donor's dinners out.

That was the question asked by Denver University Professor Alan Gilbert during the morning panel. Here is the answer I gave, as best as I can reconstruct it: The question is: "Is there hope for the rule of law in America?" My answer is: No. Begin with the assassination of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham and Prime Minister to King Charles I Stuart, on 23 August 1628. Nobody at the time doubted the king's power to torture the confessed assassin, John Felton, on the rack--the king's father James I Stuart had tortured Guy Fawkes and the other Gunpowder Plot suspects. But the king's power to torture was part of his prerogative powers of state, and Charles I Stuart sought to reserve his prerogative powers for use in more important arenas--that is, to raise money with them. Thus Charles I asked his judges to authorize the torture of John Felton not as an act of state under the royal prerogative but as part of the process of the criminal law. And let's let William Blackstone pick up the story at IV, 25, 326 of his Commentaries on the Laws of England: [T]rial by rack is utterly unknown to the law of England; though once... [the] ministers of Henry IV [Lancaster]... laid a design to introduce the civil law into the kingdom as a rule of government... erected a rack for torture, which was called in derision the Duke of Exeter's daughter, and still remains in the Tower of London; where it was occasionally used as an engine of state, not of law, more than once in the reign of queen Elizabeth. But when, upon the assassination of Villiers, duke of Buckingham, by Felton, it was proposed in the privy council to put the assassin to the rack in order to discover his accomplices, the judges, being consulted, declared unanimously, to their own honour and the honour of English law, that no such proceeding was allowable by the laws of England... With the Great Revolution of the 1640s the prerogative powers of the monarch of the United Kingdom shrank. And with the Glorious Revolution they shrank again. And with the accession of the German-speaking Hanover dynasty they shrank yet again. And by 1789, when James Madison and company moved the then-powers of the monarch of the United Kingdom to make them the powers of the President of the United States, there were no prerogative powers left: the President was 100% Chief Magistrate with the power and the duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and 0% princeps legibus solutus . So things stood for 200 years--save for Abraham Lincoln's arrogation to himself of Congress's Art. I SS9 power to suspend the "privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in "cases of rebellion or invasion" but only when such suspension was "required" for the public safety. So things stood until John Yoo. Now John Yoo is an interesting case. In 2000 he was arguing at the Cato Institute that the President's powers as commander-in-chief were extremely crabbed and narrow--and that President Clinton had, in fact, exceeded his c-in-c powers and undermined the rule of law by ordering American soldiers to obey the orders of a British NATO general. That the president--or, indeed, that any commander--does not have the power to place American soldiers under allied command would have been a great shock to Dwight D. Eisenhower, or Harry S Truman, or Franklin D. Roosevelt, or Woodrow Wilson, or William McKinley, or indeed George Washington himself. Yoo's claim in 2000 had absolutely no warrant in the constitution, in the law, in precedent, or in history. But that is how it is with Yoo. Sources who should know and whom I believe to be reliable tell me that when his tenure case moved through the University of California at Berkeley, historians objected to his use of history in his published articles: "What the frackity-frack is this?" they asked. "This isn't history. This isn't how it happened. This isn't history wie es eigentlich gewesen ." The response of then then-Dean of Berkeley Law School, a response that was convincing to the then-Chancellor of the University of California is said, by sources I believe reliable, to have been that history plays a special role in legal academia and argument. In legal academia, one's claims about history do not have to be true, the argument went. Indeed, a major mode of legal argumentation and academic debate is to make false claims about what the law has been in past in the hope that those claims will then shape what the law will be in the future. By 2001, with a Republican as president, John Yoo had reversed field from his 2000 position by 180 degrees. He was making a very different set of false claims about what the law of America had been. He was then claiming that the president's commander-in-chief powers contained within them prerogative powers to torture and kill outside of legal procedure that would have astonished George III Hanover, and even exceeded those of William I Conqueror. When William I Conqueror tortured or killed his tenants-in-chief, he agreed he owed his barons at least an after-the-fact accounting of why, if not any before-the-fact procedural checks. Backed by John Yoo and company, George W. Bush claimed that he did not owe even an after-the-fact accounting. And Barack Obama holds to the same line. So I see no hope.

Here is the answer I gave, as best as I can reconstruct it: The question is: "Is there hope for the rule of law in America?" My answer is: No.

Much has changed since Gerson Sher traveled to Yugoslavia to research his dissertation amid the political and intellectual ferment of the late 1960s. For one thing, the idiosyncratic country that captured his imagination no longer exists . Nor does Praxis , the group of Marxist humanist philosophers Sher studied. But this is not the only reason he responds warily to a request for an interview: "I am appalled," he says, "that you should be interested in Praxis at this time." Why? After all, according to the Harvard political theorist Seyla Benhabib, "the name Praxis has a distinguished history. It was used by dissidents against Stalinism and identified with the project of democratic socialism." Sher's dissertation, later published as Praxis: Marxist Criticism and Dissent in Socialist Yugoslavia (Indiana, 1977), explored what seemed a promising strain of humanist thought emerging from the University of Zagreb and the University of Belgrade. In the 1960s and 1970s, a glittering roster of Western intellectuals attended the Praxis group's yearly retreats on the Adriatic island of Korcula: Jurgen Habermas, A.J. Ayer, Norman Birnbaum, Lucien Goldmann, and Herbert Marcuse were just a few of those who gathered around the Yugoslav group and served on the editorial board of its eponymous journal. Strange, then, that today the term "Praxis" and the names of some of its leaders are just as often associated with the notoriously anti-humanist rhetoric of Serbian nationalism and the murderous politics of Slobodan Milosevic. History, the Praxists urged, "is made neither by objective forces nor dialectical laws; it is made instead by people, who act to transform their world within the limits of historical possibilities." So wrote Sher in 1977. In the precarious decade to follow, the Praxis philosophers would indeed transform their world. But the way they did so was not, at that time, imaginable to academics in the West. Who could have known that one of the Praxis philosophers would later become vice president of Milosevic's party -- and its chief ideologue during the Bosnian war? Or that another member, once a passionate critic of nationalism, would sign a 1996 petition calling for the Hague to drop war-crimes charges against the brutal Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, whom the petition dubbed "the true leader of all Serbs"? Not all of the Praxists followed their leaders down the dark road of Serbian nationalism. The Croatian members cleaved to their humanist principles through the bloodiest years of the Yugoslav wars. And in Serbia, some of the most courageous and lonely expressions of dissent have come from former Praxists and their students. The fault lines along which not only Praxis but the Yugoslav nation would later splinter were invisible to the group's foreign admirers back in the 1960s. After all, to progressives abroad, Tito's Yugoslavia stood for something uniquely inspiring: Not only was it less authoritarian than the Eastern-bloc countries, but Tito had adopted a uniquely ambitious program of worker self-management that promised to help Yugoslavia realize the most utopian Marxist project any country had yet attempted. To the extent the Praxis group spoke of nationalism, it was to oppose it as an atavistic threat to the universalistic principles of humanism and Marxism. The region's grim history and simmering internal rivalries were the last thing on anyone's mind. Norman Birnbaum, now a law professor at Georgetown University, explains, "When we went to Yugoslavia at that time, we did think the nationality question had been solved. It was the Titoist truce, or illusion, or parenthesis." Croatian-born historian Branka Magas puts it differently. The Western leftists who took up with Praxis as late as the 1980s and early 1990s, she says, "never really saw Yugoslavia. They saw self-management. They only saw the country through the lens of what interested them." Looking back on Yugoslavia during the Tito years, writes Tim Judah in The Serbs: History, Myth, and the Destruction of Yugoslavia (Yale, 1997), one "cannot fail to be struck by just how inconsequential some of the great debates of the past have turned out to be." Indeed, it might seem today that Marxist humanism and self-management were just a couple of blind alleys off the highway to Sarajevo. But when Praxis coalesced around these concerns in the 1960s, they looked for all the world like the yellow brick road to a utopia where democracy would at last nourish socialism. It was time for the communist bureaucracies that had ossified in Eastern Europe to give way, the Marxist humanists argued, and let a dynamic, participatory socialism flower. At its inception, the philosophical journal Praxis was merely the successor to Pogledi, a political journal issued from Croatia's capital, Zagreb, in the 1950s. Pogledi was a casualty of state interference: It lasted only three years. Chief among the defunct journal's contributors had been the University of Zagreb sociologist Rudi Supek, who participated in the French Resistance as an emigre during World War II and later led an underground prisoners' organization when he was interned at Buchenwald; and the University of Zagreb philosopher Gajo Petrovic, a Serb from Croatia who gravitated toward the early Marx, existentialism, and Heidegger. Birnbaum remembers, "Supek and Petrovic were impressive for their moral rigor, their utter disdain of careerism. They were people you loved to be around." From the ashes of Pogledi, Supek, Petrovic, and their colleagues went on to start their summer school on Korcula in 1963 and a new journal, Praxis, in 1964. The group that formed around these ventures consisted of a close-knit circle of friends and colleagues -- some from Supek's and Petrovic's departments at the University of Zagreb and another eight from the philosophy department at the University of Belgrade. The philosophers published their new journal in a Serbo-Croat Yugoslav edition and in a multilingual international edition. And its editorial collective adopted an agenda that was more unified than anything Pogledi had ever set forth: The Praxis group advocated freedom of speech and of the press, and they believed that Stalinist authoritarianism had to be redressed in practice and rooted out of Marxist theory itself. To this end, they prescribed a return to Marx's romantic early writings, particularly the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844. Marx's more influential later work would emphasize the iron laws of historical determinism. But the 1844 Manuscripts waxed lyrical about the creative potential of human activity, through which man might realize his "species being." This orientation was hardly a Yugoslav invention. If anything, the Praxists took their cue from neighboring Hungary, where Georg Lukacs had amassed a following of like-minded dissidents. Like Lukacs, the Praxists were captivated by the early Marx's theory of alienation. In an ordinary capitalist or a Stalinist socialist society, man was alienated from himself by the commodification of his labor and by the overweening power of a small, privileged class and its institutions. A utopian Marxist society, the Praxists imagined, would overcome that alienation; it would unleash human creativity -- or "praxis" -- by doing away with the ruling class through self-management. The workers would directly control not only their workplaces but also social and cultural institutions -- even local political parties and governing bodies. The state, given enough time, would of its own accord "wither away," just as Marx had predicted. Yugoslavia, despite Tito's bold initiatives, fell far short of this ideal. In Yugoslavia's hybrid economy, the much-touted self-managing enterprises were exposed to market pressures, on the one hand, and capricious state control, on the other. Regional oligarchies took root: In the end, local power brokers manipulated and ignored workers' councils in much the way managers do everywhere. But the Praxists saw these problems as evidence that self-management had not gone far enough. They were at once self-management's most passionate exponents abroad and the Yugoslav system's fiercest internal critics. That Tito tolerated Praxis at all is remarkable. Virtually no other Communist country, with the possible exception of Hungary, allowed as much vocal dissent as Yugoslavia did in Tito's day. But there were limits to Tito's tolerance. At a philosophy faculty meeting in 1967, Ljubomir Tadic, a Praxis philosopher at the University of Belgrade, instigated a particularly perilous game of chicken with the authorities. In the antiauthoritarian spirit of Praxis, Tadic publicly criticized the constitutional provision that allowed Tito to remain in office for longer than his eight-year mandate. When the renegade professor came under government investigation, the faculty stood united behind him, and he was permitted to keep his job. With the enthusiastic support of the Belgrade Praxists, student demonstrations convulsed the University of Belgrade in June 1968. The students protested their poor living conditions and demanded an end to authoritarianism, unemployment, and, for good measure, the Vietnam War. Local Serbian authorities urged Tito to send military troops onto the Belgrade campus. After all, it was that same summer that Soviet tanks would put an end to popular protests in Prague. But unlike his ham-fisted counterparts in Moscow, Tito deployed a feline cunning to dispense with his foes. In a televised appeal, he proclaimed himself deeply sympathetic to the activists' concerns. In fact, he said, it was only Yugoslavia's bureaucracy that stood in the way of the agenda he and the students shared. If the bureaucrats did not allow him to meet these students' demands, he declared, he would resign. Of course, the demands were not met, and Tito did not resign. In fact, only two weeks after he gave this speech, he urged the University of Belgrade to dismiss its Praxis philosophers on the grounds that they were "corrupting" students. The plight of those philosophers, known as the Belgrade 8, became a matter of international concern. That summer was particularly memorable at Korcula. Richard Bernstein, now a political philosopher at the New School for Social Research, recalls, "Everybody who was a significant leftist, in the East or in the West, came to the 1968 meeting. All the leaders of the student movements in Germany, Eastern Europe, and the United States were there." But even as the editorial boards of Praxis and the New Left Review sunned themselves on the beaches of Korcula, the Belgrade 8 held on to their jobs by a slender thread. Throughout this period, the Yugoslav government was undergoing a subtle but significant shift. From the end of World War II until 1966, Tito's main challenge had been to consolidate his unwieldy multinational state. Even within his inner circle, debates raged over whether Yugoslavia's six constituent republics -- Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia -- should be granted greater autonomy or tethered more firmly to a central authority. History had taught that in the Balkans one ignored these questions at one's peril: The short-lived first Yugoslavia (1918-1941) opted for a rigid centralism; the state was governed by a Serbian monarchy and the country's military, culture, and politics were overwhelmingly dominated by Serbs. Throughout those years of oppression, Croatia smoldered with resentments -- and during World War II, the latent animosities exploded. Under fascist leadership, Croatia pursued a genocidal campaign against Serbs as well as Jews. The savagery of the killings shocked even German SS officers stationed in the Balkans. With this history in mind, Tito's regime walked a fine line between a strong central state, which was by and large favored by Serbs, and a loose confederation of republics, which was generally favored by Croats and Slovenes. Centralism prevailed in the early postwar years, but momentum started to build in the other direction in the mid-1960s. A new set of constitutional arrangements slowly took shape, offering greater autonomy to each republic. But this did not appease those who favored a looser confederation. A Croatian nationalist movement was born of the sentiment that the reforms of the late 1960s had not gone far enough. Among the activists' grievances was that Croatia, which was more industrialized and generally wealthier than Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia, carried more than its share of Yugoslavia's economic burden. Extremists advocated Croatian secession. Students, intellectuals, and even local Communist authorities gathered around a Croatian cultural society called Matica Hrvatska until Tito disbanded the group, purged its participants from political life, and arrested student leaders. Watching the growing nationalist militancy of their fellow Croatian academics, the Zagreb Praxists were horrified. And for this very reason, Tito suddenly found these Praxists indispensable: After all, nationalism was a greater threat to the fragile nation than Marxist critique would ever be, and the members of the Zagreb group were outspoken and eloquent against the greater evil. So even while the Belgrade Praxists, who were associated with student unrest, appealed to the international community for protection, their Zagreb counterparts, who were associated with the fight against Croatian nationalism, continued their work in peace. Against this backdrop, Praxis published a special issue on nationalism in 1968. It was the high tide of the journal's resistance to the politics of ethnic identity. In one essay, Ljubomir Tadic, himself a Bosnian Serb, argued that nationalism contradicted the very notion of universal humanity. In place of justice, the nationalist asserts the right of the strong to dominate the weak and the power of violence to resolve conflict. "One quickly forgets," Tadic wrote, "that Serbian and Croatian nationalisms ... have remained militant, despotic ideologies that lack political and cultural creativity in all their forms." Where social justice and political liberty were in decline, Tadic theorized, nationalism would emerge ascendant. But socialist Yugoslavia had demonstrated "the superiority of proletarian class-consciousness over nationalist consciousness, [and] the advantage of democratic unity over imposed unity or forced disintegration." Other contributors were equally impassioned. Danko Grlic, a Croat, vividly evoked the irrationality of nationalism. Once unleashed, he warned, it would be impervious to logic: "You do not reason or theorize about the nation; for the nation you only struggle and die; you love the nation as the flesh of your flesh, as the essence of your being, drinking it with your mother's milk; it is body and blood ..." The Praxis philosophers were at once the Yugoslav system's most passionate exponents abroad and its fiercest internal critics. Issue of Praxis, 1970. Otvoreni Magazine. The allegiance of Praxis to a united Yugoslavia seemed clear enough. But given the ever present threat of government censorship, there was little that Yugoslav intellectuals published in those years that was completely transparent. The Zagreb philosopher Zarko Puhovski, the youngest Praxist by about twenty years, says that the group's disputes over politics and ideology were often disguised as conversations about less controversial questions of aesthetics or ontology. "One kind of debate functioned as a replacement for other kinds of debate," he recalls. This was particularly evident when Puhovski himself edited a special issue of Praxis in 1973. He received a submission from the well-known Serbian novelist Dobrica Cosic. It was a short piece that argued that true socialism was not possible in an unenlightened society and that faith in the people -- of which Cosic claimed to have little -- was the "last refuge for our historically defeated hopes." Which people and what hopes? The article did not specify. But Puhovski detected a disturbing nationalist message all the same. Nor was he impressed with the article's argument or its rigor: "I had the junior approach of believing that philosophy and sociology were specialized fields," he recounts with a touch of sarcasm. "I didn't think Cosic's piece was up to the level. It was bad nationalist propaganda." He turned it down. His elders chided him that he simply did not understand how important a figure Cosic was. Cosic was best known as the author of Yugoslavia's most celebrated Partisan war novel, Far Away Is the Sun (1950), in which a company of Partisan soldiers affirm their commitment to Yugoslavism and Communism by executing a Serbian nationalist in their midst. But Cosic's colors had begun to change: In 1968 he had been expelled from the Central Committee for accusing the regime of fostering Albanian separatism in Kosovo. Even so, he would not be widely considered a nationalist writer until the late 1970s and early 1980s, when he published a series of novels that explicitly addressed Serbian history and grievances. At that time, he cut such a distinguished figure in Belgrade that he was frequently called the father of the Serbian nation. As the 1973 issue of Praxis neared press time, Puhovski was on his own: the editorial board split seven to one in Cosic's favor. The appearance of nationalist tensions within the Praxis group was a harbinger of tensions that would soon spread across the country. Years later, when war raged in Kosovo, American newspapers would plug 1989, the year Milosevic revoked Kosovo's autonomy, as the beginning of the end of Yugoslavia. But many Serbs would say the country's fate was sealed as early as 1974. That was the year a controversial revision of the Yugoslav constitution went into effect, devolving broader powers than ever before to the six republics and granting full autonomy to two provinces within the republic of Serbia: Kosovo and Vojvodina. Since the Serbs were scattered across the republics -- more than a million lived in Bosnia and at least 500,000 in Croatia -- these constitutional reforms were to feed a growing sense of grievance among the Serbs. In Belgrade, two strains of protest greeted the 1974 constitution. A student strike seized the university campus in the name of Marxist ideals: Where, the students asked, were the pan-Yugoslav interests of the working class reflected in this new constitution? The students feared that the reform, with its emphasis on divisions among the republics, would weaken Yugoslavia's socialist unity by opening a Pandora's box of ethnic grievances and demands. As if to prove the students right, other critics of the constitution, including Dobrica Cosic, protested that it unfairly disempowered the Serbs. In subsequent years, Serbian nationalists would bitterly complain that Tito's policy had been "A weak Serbia is a strong Yugoslavia." But why shouldn't it have been? Of the country's six official nations, the Serbs were far and away the most populous, outnumbering the Croats two to one. If multinational Yugoslavia's culture and politics were to be governed by majority rule, the country would not survive: The non-Serb populations had strongly developed national identities and long, distinct histories of their own. Not only that, but they occupied more compact territories than did the Serbs. If they felt overly dominated, they could be tempted to secede. So Tito restrained the potentially overweening influence of the Serbs by dividing Yugoslavia into territorial units and constantly readjusting the internal balance of power. Today, some critics blame the constitution of 1974 for the growth of nationalist movements in Croatia and Slovenia. More likely, it was a response to the nationalist movements that were already stirring. In any case, the most scathing criticism was leveled by the Serb nationalists: The new constitution rested on a double standard. If Yugoslavia's units of political participation were its ethnic groups, or "constituent nations," then the Serbs in Bosnia and Croatia, who were represented by Muslim and Croatian leadership, respectively, went unrepresented. But if the units were territorial, then why was Serbia the only republic whose territory included autonomous provinces over which it had little control? The truth was very simple: in multinational Yugoslavia, Tito had deliberately redistributed power from the strong to the weak. And if his belief really was that a strong Yugoslavia required a weak Serbia, perhaps he was not mistaken. Much later, in 1989, when Milosevic finally did enforce Serbian control of its provinces, Serbia emerged strong -- and Yugoslavia fell to pieces. The terrible irony in all of this is that the geographically dispersed Serbs may have benefited more than anyone from the years of Serbia's weakness. For of all the Yugoslav nations, only the Serbs needed a unified Yugoslavia more than it needed them. If 1974 marked the beginning of Yugoslavia's national crisis, it also augured the end of the Praxis group's legal existence. Tito purged the Belgrade 8 from the university the following year. The six-year-long struggle between the state and the professors had simply exhausted itself. Not only were the Belgrade 8 suspended from teaching, but the journal Praxis was also banned. This time, the protests of American academics (including Daniel Bell, Noam Chomsky, and Stanley Hoffman) fell on deaf ears. For more than a decade, the Belgrade 8 -- Mihailo Markovic, Svetozar Stojanovic, Ljubomir Tadic, Zagorka Golubovic, Dragoljub Micunovic, Miladin Zivotic, Nebojsa Popov, and Trivo Indjic -- wandered the globe, accepting visiting professorships abroad and meeting secretly in Belgrade. Only Indjic accepted the government's offer of a low-profile post at an institute. The others insisted on nothing less than a full return to the University of Belgrade, which was not forthcoming. Markovic, the group's best-known member abroad, took a part-time philosophy post at the University of Pennsylvania. Stojanovic taught at Berkeley and at the University of Kansas. Meanwhile, in Zagreb, the situation was slightly less dire. "There were pressures," remembers Zarko Puhovski. "I couldn't publish for two years. But it was nothing remotely like the situation in Belgrade." The rest of the 1970s and the early 1980s were disappointing years for the Belgrade 8. They organized what they called the Free University, which mostly consisted of seminars held in private homes, but they could not advertise these meetings, and they were constantly on guard for police interruption. At least one Free University session convened at the novelist Dobrica Cosic's house. Neither a Marxist nor a philosopher, Cosic was a personal friend and shadowy influence on the Praxis group although never an actual member. In the 1980s, his ties to Praxis pulled tighter; but to what extent the Praxists already shared his incipient nationalism remains a mystery. Cosic collaborated with Tadic on two projects in the early 1980s: One, a proposed journal that would criticize bureaucracy and champion freedom of expression, was immediately suppressed by the government; the other, a petition against censorship laws, was also swiftly defeated. The government press denounced Cosic and his Praxis friends as "hardened nationalists and open advocates of a multi-party system," but the group continued to convene as a committee to promote freedom of expression. Meanwhile, Yugoslavia had gone into a deep economic slump: Foreign debt had skyrocketed to $19 billion, unemployment was up to 17.5 percent, inflation topped 120 percent, and the standard of living precipitously declined. The Yugoslav experiment no longer enjoyed the prestige in the West it once had. And in 1980, Tito's death left the rickety multinational structure leaderless and volatile. In Kosovo, the Albanian majority, which was largely poor, uneducated, and powerless, had grown restive. The Albanians had never had the status of Yugoslavia's other "constituent nations": Tito's regime reasoned that because there was an Albanian homeland outside Yugoslavia, they should be considered a "national minority" instead. The Kosovars countered that fully 40 percent of the world's Albanian population resided in Yugoslavia. Demonstrations swept the province in 1981, demanding first and foremost that Kosovo be granted the status of a republic, including the right to secede. The movement reached a fever pitch: Serbs and Montenegrins were attacked and threatened, Orthodox holy sites were desecrated, and some activists began to call for secession and union with Albania. Yugoslav police squelched the riots, imposing a state of martial law whose severity scandalized Croatian and Slovenian intellectuals. A great many Albanians languished as political prisoners in Kosovo's jails. Meanwhile, the province's Serb minority felt increasingly scapegoated and threatened. "The question of ethnicity was irrelevant," recalls Seyla Benhabib. "They were all Yugoslavs, to us outsiders, it wasn't even like asking, 'are you Italian American or Irish American?' It was more like asking, 'are you Bavarian or from Berlin?'" Josip Broz Tito in cesar Haile Selassie v Ljubljani, August 19, 1959. Wikimedia With Praxis driven underground, the Korcula summer school, needless to say, was long since over. But something new had begun: The Inter-University Center, in the majestic Croatian city of Dubrovnik, was an international institution that sponsored conferences and short courses run by intellectuals from all over the world. Because it was not managed by Yugoslavs, it was relatively free from government interference. Once again, prominent Western leftists crossed the Adriatic. One of the Praxists approached Jurgen Habermas about teaching a course in Dubrovnik as a way of reviving the spirit of Korcula. The revered German philosopher and heir to the Frankfurt School returned to Yugoslavia with Richard Bernstein to co-teach a course in 1979. The Praxis group, however dispirited, reconvened in Dubrovnik, where it encountered a new set of sympathetic leftists from the West. Seyla Benhabib remembers that she went to Dubrovnik in 1979 in order to get to know Bernstein and Habermas. That she also encountered the Praxis group was merely a happy accident. All she knew about the Praxists' activities at that time was that "they had been expelled and gone into the opposition." It was in Dubrovnik that Habermas, Bernstein, and German philosopher Albrecht Wellmer hatched a plan to revive the Praxis journal that had so interested them in the 1960s. To provide the disfranchised dissidents with a new, international forum for their work could only do the cause of democratic socialism good, the Western philosophers figured. Together with Markovic and Stojanovic, they launched Praxis International in 1981. The new journal attempted to pick up where the old one had left off but with a less Yugoslav focus: It included many Praxis -style theoretical essays on Marxism and, as the 1980s wore on, it covered Eastern European countries in transition. Produced mostly in the United States and published by Blackwell, the journal was far more eclectic than the first Praxis had been: Contributions in the late 1980s and early 1990s addressed the political thought of Cornel West, the relationship between feminism and socialism, and other topics of general interest to left-leaning intellectuals. By this time, Mihailo Markovic was clearly the Yugoslav group's leader, and he came to play a crucial role in the revived journal. A fluent English speaker, he was gregarious, cosmopolitan, and urbane. Both his anti-Stalinist and his antifascist credentials were impeccable: He had fought in Tito's Partisan army during World War II and prided himself on extending aid to Yugoslav Jews. In his philosophical work, Markovic emphasized Marx's commitment to human dignity, freedom, and self-realization. Bernstein and Markovic became close friends over the course of their joint stewardship of the journal. David Crocker, a philosopher at the University of Maryland and the author of Praxis and Democratic Socialism: The Critical Social Theory of Markovic and Stojanovic (1983), also came to consider Markovic a personal friend. Only Andrew Arato, a professor of sociology at the New School, had an instinctive dislike for the elder Serb. Markovic reminded him of an apparatchik. "He was clearly an authoritarian personality. I remember once he kept me outside in a snowstorm for forty minutes, trying to convince me that political parties were a bad thing," Arato says with a laugh. "He wouldn't let me in the restaurant -- as if by the sheer force of his personality, he would persuade me that democracy didn't need to work through parties." Other Belgrade Praxists, he says, were very much in Markovic's thrall. "But when they were not together with Mihailo, one could talk to them about everything. They were more flexible and more Western." Of the Zagreb Praxists, very few of the old-timers were enthusiastic about the Belgrade group's new publishing venture. Zagreb's elder statesmen, Rudi Supek and Gajo Petrovic, attended the first meeting. Supek was amenable to the new journal; but Petrovic felt strongly that the name Praxis should not be used. Praxis, Petrovic argued, connoted a joint Belgrade-Zagreb publication, whose international component came at the Yugoslavs' invitation. This new journal, however, was to be published in English and dominated by Belgraders and Americans. It was international before it was Yugoslav, and for this reason, he insisted, it should have a new name and a new identity. Perhaps Petrovic also sensed that his Belgrade colleagues had changed and that political consensus was a thing of the past. If he did, he did not say so. Praxis International 's American editors were not particularly perturbed that, with the exception of Supek, they had lost the Zagreb contingent. Says Seyla Benhabib, "The question of ethnicity was irrelevant. They were all Yugoslavs. To us outsiders, it wasn't even like asking, 'Are you Italian American or Irish American?' It was more like asking, 'Are you Bavarian or from Berlin?'" Yugoslavia's six republics and two autonomous provinces were already on a collision course by the mid-1980s, but even the most astute Western observers did not perceive what lay ahead. The most visible sign of trouble was in Kosovo, where martial law had only stoked the flames of ethnic strife. The Serb minority clamored for Belgrade's attention: In 1985 Kosovo's Serbs sent a petition to the central government, claiming that Serbs had been raped, murdered, and driven from their homes by the province's ethnic Albanians. Couldn't Belgrade do something? To what extent Kosovo's Serbs were persecuted remains debatable. To be sure, they were outnumbered, and there is no reason to doubt that they faced threats, vandalism, harassment, and even the occasional act of criminal violence from an Albanian majority that deeply resented Slavic rule. But to Yugoslavs outside Serbia, complaints of anti-Serb discrimination in Kosovo were incomprehensible. After all, Serbs were hardly an oppressed group in the nation as a whole, whereas the Albanians formed something of an underclass. So it was a surprise to many of the Belgrade Praxists' admirers when three key members of the group -- Markovic, Tadic, and Zagorka Golubovic -- signed a 1986 petition in support of the Kosovo Serbs. Cosic also signed. It was not just that the petition painted a florid picture of Serbian suffering in the southern province. It was also that the signatories obliquely urged the government to revoke Kosovo's autonomous status -- something Serbian nationalists had been pushing the parliament to do. After all, the petitioners reasoned, with its "unselfish" aid to the impoverished province, Serbia had amply demonstrated that it took the Albanians' interests to heart. Ominously, the petition's authors intoned: "Genocide [against Kosovo's Serbs] cannot be prevented by ... [the] politics of gradual surrender of Kosovo ... to Albania: the unsigned capitulation which leads to a politics of national treason." When Branka Magas, a historian who had emigrated from Yugoslavia in 1961, saw the petition, she was alarmed. She republished it, along with her own devastating critique, in the British journal Labour Focus on Eastern Europe. Magas's essay was called "The End of an Era," and she signed it with an assumed name that disguised her Croatian background. "This unexpected, indeed astonishing, alignment of Praxis editors with nationalism," she wrote, "has aroused considerable dismay among their friends and sympathizers, for it delineates a complete break with the political and philosophical tradition represented by the journal." According to Magas, the editors of Labour Focus were skeptical. Mihailo Markovic's reputation as a humanist preceded him. Could there be some mistake? The editors sent Magas's piece to the Praxists for a response. Markovic, Tadic, and Golubovic were outraged. They had not abandoned their ideals, they wrote. They pointed out that they continued to publish Praxis International, a journal dedicated to democratic socialism, and that they served on Cosic's committee for freedom of expression. They insisted that they spoke out against repression, no matter what the victims' ethnic background: "Are we nationalists because we also write on national issues (which are very acute in Yugoslavia now), or because we, being Serbs, also defend Serbian victims of repression?" To Magas, this exchange sent up a red flag. The rhetoric of Serbian victimhood, she noticed, was disturbingly similar to the rhetoric of a document that had recently been leaked to the Yugoslav press: the draft Memorandum of the influential Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences. The Memorandum was what the New York Times reporter Roger Cohen has called "an incendiary catalog of Serbian resentments and ambitions." Its authors claimed that Serbs outside Serbia were in grave danger, that Yugoslavia was disintegrating, and that despite Serbia's superior contribution to the winning side in World War II, its people were divided and underrepresented in post-1974 Yugoslavia. Many analysts have described the seventy-four-page document as the catalyst for Milosevic's rise to power: It provided the conceptual blueprint for a Greater Serbia. Magas later discovered that one of its authors was Mihailo Markovic. In 1989, Seyla Benhabib took over the American editorship of Praxis International. At the time, she knew that conflict was brewing over Kosovo, but she did not yet understand its history or its dimensions. Her Praxis colleagues were little help. It was curious, she thought, that Svetozar Stojanovic, her Yugoslav co-editor, never wrote about recent developments in his own country. Virtually all of Praxis's Western collaborators remember Stojanovic as the most ideologically flexible of the Belgrade group. While Markovic cleaved to Marx's 1844 Manuscripts, Stojanovic explored the possibility of a limited free market. He was the only Praxist seriously to investigate liberalism, and in a 1971 Praxis essay , he had dared to criticize Tito as a "charismatic leader." Remembers Arato, "Stojanovic was more talented than Markovic, and Markovic was the boss." But when Benhabib brought up Kosovo in 1989, Stojanovic seemed annoyed and stunned. "Why do you want to know about Kosovo?" he asked. Benhabib replied, "There is a conflict there, and we don't understand what that conflict is about." Said Stojanovic, "Have we ever written about the Palestinian conflict in Praxis ?" It was Benhabib's turn to be uncomfortable. "Sveta," she remembers saying, "what are you talking about?" "Well, you know," he reasoned, "a lot of our editorial board members are Jewish. There are just some issues we don't touch." But, Benhabib protested, Praxis International did not avoid the Palestinian conflict because some of its editors were Jewish. It did so because the Middle East did not fall within its purview. Questions of nationality in Marxist countries, on the other hand, were obviously germane. Stojanovic relented. However, Benhabib notes, "When the article about Kosovo was written, Sveta, who was a moderate man, did not write it himself. It was Mihailo." Publishing Markovic's Kosovo article, Benhabib says now, is the one editorial decision she truly regrets. The piece, which appeared in 1990, begins in an eminently reasonable tone. Nationalists on both sides of this debate, Markovic declared, have failed to listen to each other's arguments. It was time to evaluate the facts. The Albanians, Markovic calmly explained, are a backward, clannish people who have proven incapable of lifting themselves from poverty. The other Yugoslav republics have poured endless funds into Kosovo, but without results. The reason for this is both simple and sinister: Albanian nationalists have adopted a rapid birthrate as a demographic weapon against the Serbs. As a result of this scheme and of fiscal mismanagement by corrupt Albanian leaders, there are simply too many Kosovar mouths to feed. Compounding these economic problems is an ideological rift. The ethnic Albanians did not fight alongside the Yugoslav Partisans in World War II; for this reason, Markovic lamented, the populace never accepted the socialist revolution, and worse, it nurtures fascist tendencies left over from the Axis occupation. But the most incredible piece of Markovic's argument was yet to come. It might seem, Markovic mused, that the Albanians are just a small, poor, oppressed minority. But the truth is that throughout history the Albanians have had great powers on their side, while Serbia limped along on her own two feet. And just who were the Kosovo Albanians' powerful protectors? The Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, Italy, the Vatican, Great Britain, the Comintern, the United States, Pan-Islamic fundamentalism, Albania, and a cabal of bureaucrats in the Yugoslav government. Some extreme solutions might suggest themselves, Markovic noted: violent police repression and compulsory family planning, for instance, or a partition and "exchange of population" that would leave the mineral-rich north of Kosovo to Serbia and the rest to Albania. But Markovic drew back from these possibilities. He proposed instead that autonomy be maintained, that investment in the province be scaled back, and that family planning be instituted "in a gentle and psychologically acceptable way, and by the Albanians themselves, using primarily educational means." In today's light, the article is chilling. Benhabib is most struck now by the passage about the Albanians' birthrate and their subsequent abject poverty. "This is cliche neofascist thinking, racist thinking about an oppressed group. You will find racists everywhere saying the same thing." But back in 1990, the alarm bells somehow failed to sound. Benhabib knew very little about Kosovo, and to find out more, she had asked Stojanovic to commission a piece. "Sometimes I felt like webs were being spun around me," Benhabib says now. Not long after Markovic's article appeared, Yugoslavia began its bloody disintegration. In 1991, Slovenia and then Croatia declared independence, touching off the Serbo-Croat war. Benhabib was in Frankfurt then, and people started approaching her about her colleague Markovic, who by this time was vice president and ideologue of Milosevic's socialist party. "We'd run into individuals who would say, 'Are you aware of what you are doing?'" she recalls. But it was after Bosnia ignited in 1992 that Benhabib became really uncomfortable. "We were being instrumentalized for prestige and credit," she now believes. The last straw was an interview Markovic gave the New York Times in August 1992: "I don't understand why there is so much opposition to cantonization," he told the reporter, regarding the partition of Bosnia. "The alternative is creation of a Muslim state in the heart of Europe. Perhaps the Americans want to support this. ... But we find this very disturbing." By 1993, Benhabib says, "we found that the situation had gotten too dirty, morally and politically." The only way out was to stop publishing the journal and to cut ties with Stojanovic and Markovic. Praxis International published its last issue, "The Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia: Stations of a European Tragedy," in January 1994; it included Slovenian, Croatian, and Serbian perspectives on Yugoslavia's disintegration. Richard Bernstein's friendship with Markovic was shattered by the Bosnian war. As for Benhabib, she has not kept in touch with Markovic or Stojanovic: Since the breakup, she says, "I have an aversion to following their careers." If Mihailo Markovic was not who his Western friends and collaborators had thought he was, who was he? Did he jettison his humanist beliefs to cozy up to a new regime? Or had he been a wolf in sheep's clothing all along? "Many people have read Markovic as being a cynic and a betrayer of Praxis," says Bernstein. But in Markovic's distorted vision, Bernstein suspects, "Serbia represented the progressive element of Yugoslav society" -- the element bent on keeping Yugoslavia united and on preserving its socialist structure. Over time, he lost all perspective. "That's the tragedy of Mihailo Markovic," says Bernstein. "Instead of seeing the dark and ugly side of Serbian nationalism, he committed himself to it." The full measure of that commitment was apparent when Markovic became the vice-president of Milosevic's party in 1991. David Crocker saw his old friend at a conference in Africa that year. Why, Crocker asked, had he joined the Serbian government? The philosopher's answer was simple: "I got involved in politics to save the Serbs in eastern Croatia." Otherwise, Markovic claimed, "they will be slaughtered." What on earth had made him think such a thing? But he was not alone. By 1992, the terms of political debate in Yugoslavia had undergone a dramatic shift. No longer was it a question of exactly how tightly the six republics and two autonomous provinces should be yoked to Belgrade's central authority. As Communism crumbled across the former Eastern bloc, the Yugoslavs began to revive their own pre-Communist paradigms. But in Yugoslavia, these paradigms were extreme and unworkable, drawing on the country's ugliest memories and worst fears: a Serb-dominated unitary state, which non-Serbs remembered bitterly from the first Yugoslavia; and the fratricidal killing fields of World War II, in which Serbs were overwhelmingly victimized. It seemed increasingly impossible for the country either to stay together in multinational form or to break apart without apocalyptic destruction. Looking back now on the 1968 nationalism issue of Praxis , what appeared to be an antinationalist consensus starts to take a more ambiguous shape. Both the Serbs and the Croats repudiated the then-ascendant Croatian nationalist movement and supported the continuance of a united Yugoslavia. For the Croats, this stance was explicitly opposed to that of Croatian nationalism. But for the Serbs, the position was compatible with both a principled anti-nationalism and their own national interest: After all, Yugoslavia was really the only viable option for keeping the Serbs in one state. This is to say not that Markovic, Tadic, and the others were hoping to create a Greater Serbia back in 1968 -- but that they didn't need such a hope. Yugoslavia was perfectly comfortable. The Croats may have seriously grappled with the issues of ethnicity and nation in Yugoslavia in 1968. But the Serbs who blithely upheld Yugoslavism did so with all the arrogance, however well intentioned, of any majority. Furthermore, whatever else the Praxists were, they were Marxists. In Croatia, to go on being a Marxist -- or a Yugoslavist -- placed one in opposition to the right-wing nationalist regime of Franjo Tudjman. And indeed, many of the Croatian Praxists have remained strong supporters of human rights: Zarko Puhovski, who is now vice-president of Croatia's Helsinki Committee on Human Rights, has raised his voice courageously against the Croatian army's ethnic-cleansing campaigns. And the economist Branko Horvat ran for president in 1992 on an antiwar, anti-authoritarian platform. But for the Serb Praxists, the situation was different: To continue to support the country's socialist forces was to ally oneself with Milosevic's government, and to oppose Milosevic, it seemed, was to oppose what was left of Yugoslav communism. "His world fell apart," Benhabib says of Markovic. "Liberalism was unacceptable. He did not want free-market capitalism." Certainly, the new opposition parties, most of which were not only nationalist but also right wing or royalist, would not be acceptable to a Communist of Markovic's generation. He apparently decided that Milosevic represented the future of Yugoslav socialism. After all, Milosevic had inherited the Communist Party apparatus, and his governing socialist party was among the last ones standing in Eastern Europe. Of course, Milosevic had mixed that deadliest of cocktails: socialism and nationalism. Markovic became one of the regime's most outspoken and unrepentant apologists. And then, in 1995, he was purged from power -- the government, it seems, had come to see his nationalist views as too extreme. Of the Belgrade 8, none disgraced himself as thoroughly as Markovic, but there can be no question that nationalism captured the hearts and minds of many other Praxists. Consider the case of Svetozar Stojanovic and his ally, Dobrica Cosic. In his 1997 book, The Fall of Yugoslavia: Why Communism Failed , Stojanovic wrote that the revolution in his thinking occurred in 1990, when mass graves from Jasenovac, Croatia's World War II-era concentration camp, were disinterred for reburial. Stojanovic found himself confronted by his children's anger: He had never talked to them about Jasenovac before. After all, such memories were suppressed during the Tito years. From that moment on, Stojanovic declared, he decided that his political work should be dedicated to the memory of Jasenovac. Stojanovic's political career would rise in tandem with that of his close friend, Cosic. In 1992, Milosevic appointed Cosic to a figurehead presidency of the rump Yugoslavia, and Cosic brought Stojanovic in as his top advisor. Many observers inside and outside Yugoslavia hoped that the presence of such reputable, if openly nationalist, figures marked a change of political course. Instead, it bought Milosevic a year of improved public relations abroad, while within the government, the moderates' hands were tied. In his book, Stojanovic condemns the Milosevic regime's criminal activity on nationalist grounds: If one shares in collective pride, he reasons, one must also share in collective shame. And he claims that Cosic protested Milosevic's deployment of brutal paramilitary formations in Croatia and Bosnia. At the same time, however, Stojanovic and Cosic did support Milosevic's territorial aims. Yugoslavia could not be dismembered along the frontiers of its onetime republics, Stojanovic and Cosic argued. A "deeper map," they believed, lay submerged beneath the map of Tito's Yugoslavia; and this true map would account for the swaths of Croatian and Bosnian land that had been populated by Serbs for hundreds of years. Cosic and Stojanovic were open to various solutions: Croatian independence might have been acceptable, Stojanovic implies, if Croatia had been willing to guarantee substantial autonomy to its Serb-populated territories. In practice, critics would object, such solutions were untenable. There would be autonomy for the Serbs in Croatia; and within that autonomy, should there be autonomy for the Croats in Serbian Croatia? And what, then, of the Serbs in Croatian Serbian Croatia? It is tempting to see this line of reasoning, which leads ineluctably to a reductio ad infinitum, as a sophistic device whose real purpose was to force Yugoslavia's reintegration on Serbian terms. Cosic's presidency lasted only a year, and when he was ousted in 1993, Stojanovic left politics as well. Six years later, in the eerie silence following the Kosovo war, the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences reconvened to consider the Serbian national question. At the June 1999 meeting, Cosic spoke at length of the ruin suffered by the Serb nation. "I appeal to Slobodan Milosevic's patriotic consciousness and civic responsibility to resign in order for indispensable changes in Serbia and the federal state to begin," he concluded. Markovic took a harder line: "Our tragedy lies not in the fact that this or that person was head of the state. Our tragedy lies in the fact that the great powers have decided to destroy our country." "This unexpected, indeed astonishing, alignment of Praxis editors with nationalism," Branka Magas wrote, "delineates a complete break with the political and philosophical tradition represented by the journal." Ivo Andric with Dobrica Cosic, date unknown. Stevan Kragujevic / Wikimedia Although only Stojanovic and Markovic served in the government, most of the Belgrade 8 have been politically active in the 1990s, and only a few have explicitly opposed the politics of Serbian nationalism. Ljubomir Tadic and Dragoljub Micunovic formed Serbia's first democratic opposition party, the DS, in 1990. Although its founders' ties to Praxis gave it the reputation of being the left wing of Serbia's movement for liberal democracy, the DS established strategic alliances with parties on its right, including royalists and hard-line nationalists. The party's leaders explained that these compromises allowed them to make a credible showing in parliamentary elections. But the conversion of Tadic, at least, to nationalism nevertheless seemed complete. He lent his uncritical support to the Bosnian Serbs, even meeting personally with their leader, Radovan Karadzic. With Markovic, Tadic signed a 1996 petition urging The Hague to drop its charges against Karadzic, "the true leader of all Serbs." This was a remarkable act for a man who had written so eloquently in 1968 about nationalisms as "militant, despotic ideologies." Gerson Sher, who remembers Tadic's 1967 book, Order and Freedom, as a "masterpiece" of humanist thought, says ruefully, "Tadic is the greatest mystery of them all." Tadic's colleague in the DS, Micunovic, maintained a more moderate reputation. He remained visible in public life until his former student Zoran Djindjic ousted him from the DS leadership in 1994. Djindjic, who also studied with Habermas and contributed to Praxis International, is today a presidential hopeful and favorite in the West. Micunovic now heads a pro-democracy nongovernmental organization. David Crocker, who saw him 1998, recalls, "He seemed a man who had given up in despair. The opposition had fragmented, nothing had come of it, and Milosevic was more powerful than ever." It is typical of recent Serbian politics that those Praxists who sought power were the ones who differed least with the ruling regime. Other Belgrade Praxists kept a greater distance from politics but continued to agitate for a genuinely democratic future. It was a member of the Belgrade 8 -- Nebojsa Popov -- who co-founded one of Serbia's most principled and least popular parties, the Civic Alliance of Serbia, in 1991. Among its stated aims was "to overcome nationalist and class collectivism." As the little brother of the two largest opposition parties, the Civic Alliance joined the Zajedno coalition that led protests at the University of Belgrade in 1996 and 1997. In one of the more surreal scenes to emerge from 1990s Belgrade, Popov appeared on Nikola Pasic Square with a pot of beans in February 1997. He and his colleagues were cooking beans for "all those hungry for freedom, truth, and democracy." They pledged to continue "beaning" for 330 days or until Milosevic was deposed. Among Popov's allies are members of another Praxis offshoot: the Belgrade Circle, a small nongovernmental organization. Its president, Obrad Savic, was one of the students the Praxists led in the protests of 1968. Savic has been unsparing in his criticism of Markovic and Tadic's turn to nationalism; in return, Tadic has denounced him as the founder of "anti-Serb mondialism." Some of the same people who were once drawn to Praxis and Praxis International -- Habermas, Richard Rorty, Chomsky -- today publish in the Belgrade Circle Journal, whose special issue on human rights will be published as a book this month by Verso. Ultimately, it is story of the Belgrade Circle's founder, the Praxis philosopher Miladin Zivotic, that sheds the starkest light on the Yugoslav tragedy. The foreign intellectuals who were drawn to the Praxis vision of self-managing socialism back in its halcyon days did not take great notice of young Zivotic, whose attentions were devoted mostly to culture. By the 1980s, Zivotic and his students formed a vanguard of poststructuralist scholarship in Belgrade, turning away from the Praxis fascination with Marxism in favor of Foucault and Derrida. Together with the aging dissident Milovan Djilas, Tito's onetime heir apparent, they founded the Belgrade Circle in 1992. According to Richard Bernstein, "There came a point when Marxism, even Marxist humanism, was old hat. It no longer spoke to the right issues. The Belgrade Circle allowed the younger generation to rebel against the stale cliches of the older generation." But Zivotic and his followers made their real reputation as peace activists. During the war years, the Belgrade Circle expanded to include a motley array of workers, filmmakers, intellectuals, and artists. At its height it had five hundred followers, who convened every Saturday for public events geared toward interethnic dialogue and peace. In 1993, Zivotic traveled to besieged Sarajevo, slipping through Bosnian Serb lines to meet with the city's Muslim leadership. Back in Belgrade, he received a series of anonymous telephone calls from strangers who threatened to slit his throat. He spoke out in solidarity with Kosovo's Albanians, and when Muslims in Serbia's Sandjak region came under threat, he went to live with them in protest. Against ethnic cleansing he proclaimed, "If living together is impossible, then life itself is impossible as well." Although he had been permitted to return to the University of Belgrade in 1987, Zivotic was no longer happy there by 1994. He told the New York Times, "I could not stand to go to work. I had to listen to professors and students voice support and solidarity for these Bosnian fascists, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, in the so-called Republic of Srpska. It is now worse than it was under Communism. The intellectual corruption is more pervasive and profound." A friend remembers that Zivotic "was physically destroyed by the time and the evil amid which he lived." In 1997, Zivotic gave a talk in London about the anti-Milosevic demonstrations that were then taking place at the University of Belgrade. He knew that the West had high hopes for the activists, but he also knew that their leaders were themselves nationalists. Branka Magas was at this talk. "He was very disappointed with the Praxis people," she says. "He was a humanist." Two weeks later, Zivotic was dead. "He was extremely tormented by what had happened," says Magas. "He died of a broken heart, I think." Adapted from "Testaments Betrayed" . (Lingua Franca) Share this article Facebook Twitter Email

But this is not the only reason he responds warily to a request for an interview: "I am appalled," he says, "that you should be interested in Praxis at this time." Why? After all, according to the Harvard political theorist Seyla Benhabib, "the name Praxis has a distinguished history. It was used by dissidents against Stalinism and identified with the project of democratic socialism."

Last July, Wisconsin's far-right state government declared victory for its "free market" agenda when it announced that it would transfer $3,000,000,000 in taxpayer-funded corporate welfare to Foxconn, in order to tempt the company to open a factory in the state -- despite the company's long history of broken promises and outright lies about the jobs and spending in other places that had welcomed it in. As part of the corporate welfare package, Wisconsin has agreed to secure a vast tract of land in Racine County for Foxconn's complex. The state is securing this land through eminent domain -- the process by which governments can force a sale of land for some public purpose, like building roads or clearing the way for power-lines. Eminent domain is rife with potential for hard feelings (no one will ever feel good about being forced to sell their homes and move) and outright abuse, but even by those standards, the Wisconsin maneuver is dirty as hell. To save money on the seizure of the homes of working people in Racine County, the county has declared the homes to be "blighted" -- that is, in such poor condition that they are effectively worthless -- allowing it to seize the land for pittances, leaving the former owners of the homes with massive mortgage debts on houses that no longer exist, with no cash to buy a new place to live. They are being wiped out. The homeowners of Racine County were each given three minutes to speak at a town meeting, where their objections were recorded and disregarded. The speakers reminded the town that it had approved permits for costly renovations to their homes after it had privately promised Foxconn that it would knock those homes down; they pointed out that Wisconsin law prohibited this kind of eminent domain abuse; they vowed to sue. Foxconn's already opened a small plant in Wisconsin. The workers there earn $14/hour. The jobs there were staffed through a national hiring agency that did not recruit from Wisconsin. Most of the workers there are classed as temps. Kim and James Mahoney had been in their dream home less than a year when notified it was going to be razed for the Foxconn development. They're still waiting for an offer, even as the process to condemn their property as "blighted" is underway. Most of the speakers were homeowners who were still holding out hope that they could keep their properties, or at least obtain better offers. Others were just frustrated that they had yet to receive offers despite months having passed since the village-sponsored auditors had completed their assessments. They spoke of their history in these homes, the care and expense they'd lavished on their properties. Many brought pictures. "We spent our life savings on this thing, and now we gotta move," said Alfredo Ortiz, an 18-year resident. "It's an insult," he added, reflecting the general mood of the testimonies. It was extremely personal for these residents; having your carefully maintained residence, or in at least one case, recently built dream home, designated as blighted. In Racine County, neatly maintained homes and dream houses are being designated 'blighted' to make way for Foxconn [Lawrence Tabak/Beltmag]

o save money on the seizure of the homes of working people in Racine County, the county has declared the homes to be "blighted" -- that is, in such poor condition that they are effectively worthless -- allowing it to seize the land for pittances, leaving the former owners of the homes with massive mortgage debts on houses that no longer exist, with no cash to buy a new place to live. They are being wiped out. The homeowners of Racine County were each given three minutes to speak at a town meeting, where their objections were recorded and disregarded. The speakers reminded the town that it had approved permits for costly renovations to their homes after it had privately promised Foxconn that it would knock those homes down; they pointed out that Wisconsin law prohibited this kind of eminent domain abuse;

"The purpose of this suit is to find out the cause of fine dust and to set a milestone for the two countries to lead Asia in the new era based on mutual efforts." A South Korean, sick of sucking in polluted air -- literally -- has sued the Chinese and South Korean government for their inaction concerning the environment. Choi Yul, president of the Korean Green Foundation along with his attorney Ahn Kyung-jae, motivated five other individuals to lodge a joint lawsuit against Seoul and Beijing on Wednesday for physical and mental damages caused by the "fine dust" particles filling the air. Fine particulate matter can cause health risks if inhaled and can increase risks of heart and lung diseases, according to the World Health Organization. The petitioners submitted documents that showed Ahn was diagnosed with asthma after hiking Mount Bongui, late last month when air pollution levels were high. "Our bodies are being harmed because of the ineffectiveness of our government; because of their inaction and carelessness, we suffer," Yu told the Guardian. "The pollution has affected my family, my son is coughing, I'm also coughing, and I feel the smog caused this. I am suing as a victim." Each of the plaintiffs are demanding 3 million South Korean won ($2647) in compensation, but they say the money is only symbolic -- what they really want to accomplish is to induce the two governments to reduce toxic smog, a result of too much dependency on carbon fuels and millions of cars. Initially, the environmentalist filed the case to the Seoul Central District Court against China only. "The extent of air pollution caused by fine dust has reached unbearable levels. As a member of the international community, China bears responsibility to keep air pollutants under control. But, it has failed to do so," they said in the petition. Read More Northern China is frequently obscured with thick clouds of smog which is linked to almost 33 percent of all deaths in the country. Although China has taken note of the problem, many believe progress is too slow. Meanwhile South Korea's air has gotten filthy over the last few years and its neighbor, China, has been burdened with much of the blame, particularly since yellow -- and sometimes radioactive -- dust blows in over the border from China's deserts. "As a member of the international community, China has the obligation to control pollutants at an acceptable level," the plaintiffs charged, claiming that China had neglected this duty. However, health experts have pointed out that South Korea should also take on some of the blame for the worsening air quality because of his dependability on diesel fuels and coal factories. "What you have is the combination of what is being generated within Seoul and within the broader, very industrial environment of Korea, added onto by transport of pollution from China," Dr. Jonathan Samet, an epidemiologist who heads the Institute for Global Health at the University of Southern California, said . "So, yes, Koreans can point the finger at China -- but you know it has to be pointed internally as well." In fact, Professor Kim Dong-sool at Kyung Hee University said China is to be blamed for only 30 percent of fine particulate matter. "Most of the pollutants come from our living environment but the government has been blaming cars, China and even cooking mackerel fish for years," he said . However, experts believe Korea should shut down its coal-powered plants and invest in new and eco-friendly alternatives to reduce the harmful emissions. And now Choi and Ahn are suing their own country too, accusing the government of not adequately informing the public of the cause of the low air quality in the Seoul. "The purpose of this suit is to find out the cause of fine dust and to set a milestone for the two countries to lead Asia in the new era based on mutual efforts," they said in the petition. "The Korean Constitution states every man has the right to pursue happiness, and the air pollution issue is demonstrating the government is failing to deliver that to the people," they added. Read More

The purpose of this suit is to find out the cause of fine dust and to set a milestone for the two countries to lead Asia in the new era based on mutual efforts." A South Korean, sick of sucking in polluted air -- literally -- has sued the Chinese and South Korean government for their inaction concerning the environment.

Louis C.K. has just addressed claims by 5 women that he either asked to expose himself, masturbated in front of them, or did so over the phone. He acknowledges the women were all telling the truth, and goes on to explain his conduct and the error of his ways. "I want to address the stories told to the New York Times by five women named Abby, Rebecca, Dana, Julia who felt able to name themselves and one who did not. These stories are true. At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my dick without asking first, which is also true. But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your dick isn't a question. It's a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly. I have been remorseful of my actions. And I've tried to learn from them. And run from them. Now I'm aware of the extent of the impact of my actions. I learned yesterday the extent to which I left these women who admired me feeling badly about themselves and cautious around other men who would never have put them in that position. I also took advantage of the fact that I was widely admired in my and their community, which disabled them from sharing their story and brought hardship to them when they tried because people who look up to me didn't want to hear it. I didn't think that I was doing any of that because my position allowed me not to think about it. There is nothing about this that I forgive myself for. And I have to reconcile it with who I am. Which is nothing compared to the task I left them with. I wish I had reacted to their admiration of me by being a good example to them as a man and given them some guidance as a comedian, including because I admired their work. The hardest regret to live with is what you've done to hurt someone else. And I can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt I brought on them. I'd be remiss to exclude the hurt that I've brought on people who I work with and have worked with who's professional and personal lives have been impacted by all of this, including projects currently in production: the cast and crew of Better Things, Baskets, The Cops, One Mississippi, and I Love You Daddy. I deeply regret that this has brought negative attention to my manager Dave Becky who only tried to mediate a situation that I caused. I've brought anguish and hardship to the people at FX who have given me so much The Orchard who took a chance on my movie. and every other entity that has bet on me through the years. I've brought pain to my family, my friends, my children and their mother. I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want. I will now step back and take a long time to listen. Thank you for reading."

Louis C.K. has just addressed claims by 5 women that he either asked to expose himself, masturbated in front of them, or did so over the phone. He acknowledges the women were all telling the truth, and goes on to explain his conduct and the error of his ways.

I think the Republican establishment should be thanking Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. Why? Because the real existential danger to the Republican Party is neither Ted Cruz nor Donald Trump, but rather a viable conservative third party rising up from the grassroots. Since 1856 was the last year that a major political party was replaced in the US, many American readers might be forgiven for being skeptical. But as a Canadian conservative, I have seen it happen with my own eyes. I keep returning to the Canadian Federal Election of 1993 because it holds so many lessons for the current American political scene. To understand how, a little history is in order. In the 1984 federal election, Brian Mulroney won the highest majority government in Canadian history. But in 1993, his successor in the Prime Minister's office, the hapless Kim Campbell , proceeded to lose in the biggest landslide in Canadian history after a mere four months in office. In that year, the Canadian Parliament had 295 seats and the Mulroney-led Progressive Conservative (PC) Party held 169 of them. After election night, they were down to two. You read that right; they retained only two seats. So what happened? The short answer is hubris. Mulroney's government took conservative voters for granted, adopting a where-can-they-go-they'll-just-hold-their-nose-and-vote-for-us-at-the-end-of-the-day attitude. Sound familiar? To elaborate, after signing the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement in 1988 , Prime Minister Mulroney did nothing further even remotely conservative. Instead he enacted draconian gun control laws; he instituted a widely despised a value added tax; he ran up huge deficits year after year; and to top it all off, he attempted twice to change Canada's Constitution. With the latter attempt, the Charlottetown Accord , his MO was to buy off every special interest group in sight. As a result, his amendment would have constitutionally enshrined multiculturalism, left-wing labor laws, socialized medicine, and an apartheid regime for our natives. Through absolutely heroic efforts by a small number of opponents (including a young Stephen Harper), the Charlottetown Accord was defeated in a popular referendum in 1992. Seeing the writing on the wall, Mulroney resigned. This led to the rise of the genuinely conservative Reform Party , which led to vote splitting on the right for the next 10 years. But in the end, a decade of Liberal rule was worth it because for the first time in a long time, Canada had a real conservative party. I know my American readers will find what I am about to say hard to believe, but Mulroney's Progressive Conservatives were even worse than today's GOP. That's right, worse . Think of the Republican Party but with no Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, Jeff Sessions, or even Marco Rubio. Nothing but interchangeable John Boehner and Mitch McConnell clones as far as they eye can see. It was that bad. But we got over it, as you will. The new Conservative Party (sans the 'Progressive' in its name) was built largely by Stephen Harper from a merger of the Reform Party and the old Progressive Conservative party (with the old PC's being very much the junior partner in this arrangement). Now one can object that the US political system is quite a bit different from Canada's. True, but the two most relevant details that enabled all of this are the same. The first is that the Mulroney PC establishment was widely hated and despised by the base (and indeed, everybody else). And second, both countries have a first-past-the-post voting system - ideal for vote splitting. The US however has one big advantage. Individual congressmen are much freer with regard to their own domestic and foreign policy. In Canada, party discipline rules. As a result, all PC Members of Parliament appeared fungible to the public, so all were punished equally. In the US, voters can tell the difference between Jeff Sessions and Paul Ryan. All of this is to say that the most important objective for the Republican leadership should be to prevent a right-wing populist third party from arising. Insisting that Donald Trump declare his loyalty to the Republican Party was okay. But when it started to look like Trump might win, the establishment took leave of its senses. The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol promised to leave the GOP and Jeb Bush promised to sit out the election. What fools! If they actually did what they are threatening, they would only be furthering the end of the Republican Party. There were even reports that the RNC might conspire to prevent Trump from getting the nomination. This would be the absolute pinnacle of folly. Nothing would precipitate their demise more than if the party establishment stabbed the voter-selected winner in the back -- and was seen doing so. It would be like Henry Clay's "corrupt bargain" with John Quincy Adams , which propelled Andrew Jackson to the White House four years later (and created the modern Democratic Party). In order to head off this fate, the GOP must run its nomination contest absolutely scrupulously. Any trickery, or even perception of trickery, would be fatal because of the little trust the public has in them. If the Tea Party thinks that the Republican Party refused to give them a fair shake, then it's goodbye, GOP. Another historical analogy would be the 1968 Democratic Convention, which elected Hubert Humphrey even though he had not entered a single primary. As I recall, that didn't end well for the Democrat Party's New Deal establishment . In a recent USA Today column, Glenn Reynolds claimed that the liberals have chosen Donald Trump as their Destructor . For the Republican Establishment, they only have to look in a mirror to see their own Destructor.

I think the Republican establishment should be thanking Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. Why? Because the real existential danger to the Republican Party is neither Ted Cruz nor Donald Trump, but rather a viable conservative third party rising up from the grassroots.

An abortion industry watchdog is looking for ways to convince Ohio to take action against an abortion clinic with a problem history. On March 17, an ambulance was called to Preterm abortion facility in Cleveland to transport a woman to a hospital emergency room for treatment. Operation Rescue 's Cheryl Sullenger obtained 911 records, which indicate the woman was bleeding heavily and clinic staff could not stop it - but Sullenger says that's not the only injury on record. "We've documented at least a dozen such incidents in the last few years, including the death of one abortion patient, Lakisha Wilson, who died in 2014," she adds. The surgeries are done on the fourth floor at Preterm, and when the elevator is not working or being repaired, patients needing transport to hospitals for injuries must be carried down four flights of stairs to the ambulance. Sullenger laments that "all through this entire process that we've gone through with this abortion clinic of reporting these incidents, multiple injuries to women, we've never been able to get the Department of Health or the Medical Board in Ohio to actually take any action." ( See earlier article ) Operation Rescue isn't sure why that's the case, considering the fact that the state has done an excellent job of citing or shutting down abortion clinics that can't maintain minimum safety and health standards.

An abortion industry watchdog is looking for ways to convince Ohio to take action against an abortion clinic with a problem history.

Because parties don't really exist unless someone is there to photograph it, Autostraddle's First Annual Rodeo Disco boasted three fabulous photographers: Our very own Robin Roemer , the incredible Dese'Rae Stage and Sin Garcia . You'll see Dese'Rae's shots later this week when they'll be available for viewing and ordering online and more of Robin & Sin's shots in our upcoming massive Pride Recap Post ... but in today's Autofocus we present just a few of our most favoritist shots from the greatest night on earth! Sexy Cowgirls - Check. only punk can tear Uh Huh Her apart girls make passes at girls who wear glasses dj carlytron says let's get loud hey good lookin' what you got cookin' that girl knows how to autostraddle so much intern love high on life like party time professional rugby is good practice for mechanical bullriding the crowd goes somewhat wild Dese'Rae Stage was there snapping pics of the bull riding competitions and frenzy. These will be available for viewing and ordering online soon!! Check out Dese'Rae's website !

Because parties don't really exist unless someone is there to photograph it, Autostraddle's First Annual Rodeo Disco boasted three fabulous photographers: Our very own Robin Roemer , the incredible Dese'Rae Stage and Sin Garcia .

Much gloom abounds amongst the Eurosceptic tribe at the moment. David Keighley opined on these pages that David Cameron's renegotiation was little more than a hollow sham, whereas the ever doom-laden Peter Hitchens warned us that the whole referendum exercise is nothing but a cruel trick , just like the previous referendum was in 1975. Not for the first time, Dan Hannan wailed that Cameron's stance is a terrible missed opportunity . It is an enduring theme of this blog that many of the problems in the effectiveness of modern conservatism stem from a failure to understand the psychology of the Conservative Party, and the question of 'Europe' is certainly no exception. At its core the party is not conservative, but Tory: its conservatism begins and ends with preserving its own social status at life's top tables. It is very important to note that this obsession is not the same thing at all as a lust for raw power, and that is why the strong arguments made by eurosceptics like Dan Hannan, that Britain would actually be more powerful outside the EU, have absolutely no impact: brought up with a sense of elite entitlement, Tories like David Cameron simply can not imagine being outside the club , or, to use a cricketing metaphor, playing in life's 2 nd XI. Those of us who want out of the EU must work and pray for our victory in the referendum, but, if we are not successful, then we had better do some serious thinking about the laying the groundwork for if and when the opportunity comes again. The reality is that, barring a spectacular Ukip surge, full conversion of the Tory Party to the cause would seem necessary. If you accept the above analysis of Tory vanities, then the only way to do that is to dangle the carrot of membership of an even grander and more prestigious institution than the European Union. History gives an interesting analogy: during the decline of the British Empire and the passing of world leadership to America, the Tory Prime Minister, David Cameron's personal hero Harold Macmillan, likened the relationship between Britain and America, in his marvellous de haut en bas way, as akin to that between ancient Greece and Rome: Rome provided the vulgar power, whereas Greece provided the wisdom and culture. This delusion was central to the so-called 'Special Relationship' between the two countries, an insulting concept as it is was supposedly built on shared values, but snobbishly excluded others who also had a very strong claim to their inheritance - most notably Canada, Australia and New Zealand. That said, the fantasy that Britain remained at the pinnacle of social prestige probably did do a great deal to smooth our retreat from Empire, which otherwise may have been an altogether much more bloody affair. So what institution could fulfil a similar function today? The Commonwealth would seem the obvious choice, full today as it is with rising economic stars and according to the former Conservative minister Michael Ancram, once revitalised, the institution would prove ideal for the modern networked world . Sadly, strengthening our ties with the Commonwealth is too easily caricatured as a Colonel Blimp hankering after the past, and the institution is probably too freighted with historical baggage, not least Britain's callous betrayal of it's ex-colonies when it joined the EU. A better bet would be a formal Anglosphere club of Commonwealth members, the United States and Ireland. Many advocates of the Anglosphere strongly argue that today's ongoing cultural melding of our countries is essentially an organic, bottom-up process brought about by a combination of cultural familiarity and modern communications and are understandably wary of setting up another formal supra-national institution which may, intime, become as degenerate and autocratic as the EU is today. Very true, but rational argument alone never has and never will never wean the Tories off EU membership: their lust for social prestige must first be sated. Let's get to work on that new top table.

Much gloom abounds amongst the Eurosceptic tribe at the moment. David Keighley opined on these pages that David Cameron's renegotiation was little more than a hollow sham, whereas the ever doom-laden Peter Hitchens warned us that the whole referendum exercise is nothing but a cruel trick , just like the previous referendum was in 1975. Not for the first time, Dan Hannan wailed that Cameron's stance is a terrible missed opportunity . It is an enduring theme of this blog that many of the problems in the effectiveness of modern conservatism stem from a failure to understand the psychology of the Conservative Party, and the question of 'Europe' is certainly no exception. At its core the party is not conservative, but Tory: its conservatism begins and ends with preserving its own social status at life's top tables.

- Friday night, April 23: " CBS Frames Arizona's Anti-Illegal Alien Law Through Eyes of Opponents: 'Veto Racism '" The MRC's Brad Wilmouth corrected the closed-captioning against the video to provide transcripts of the two stories from Friday night, April 30: NBC Nightly News: BRIAN WILLIAMS: State of Arizona finding itself at the center of a growing storm over its tough new immigration law. Activists across the country are planning a series of May Day protests tomorrow against the law. This morning in Phoenix, the well-known local sheriff, knowing it would attract attention, was already out picking up illegal immigrants. Our own George Lewis is there tonight. GEORGE LEWIS: Sheriff's deputies say halfway through their raid they rounded up 63 illegal immigrants. They've done this 14 times before. Critics accuse Arizona authorities of racial profiling. SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO, MARICOPA COUNTY: We don't racial profile. I'm an equal opportunity guy. I lock everybody up. I don't care what color their skin is. LEWIS: Latino activists are suing the state and urging Americans to boycott Arizona, even if it hurts pocketbooks here. ALFREDO GUTIERREZ, LATINO ACTIVIST: We hope that this propels this state to the shocking realization of what their state government has done. LEWIS: Other activists are planning marches and rallies for tomorrow. Those May Day protests are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people into the streets from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., to here in Arizona. Republican Governor Jan Brewer, who signed the immigration law last week, today told NBC affiliate KPNX her administration will defend the measure. GOVERNOR JAN BREWER (R-AZ): We feel it's very constitutional, and we will push back, and we will fight it in the courts. LEWIS: Last night on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger disagreed with Brewer. GOVERNOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R-CA): As governor here, I would never do that in California, passing laws like that. No way. LEWIS: The turmoil caused by the Arizona law shows no sign of letting up. George Lewis, NBC News, Phoenix. CBS Evening News: KATIE COURIC: Arizona's new immigration law has touched off demonstrations all over the country. Tomorrow, rallies are planned in cities like Los Angeles, Dallas, and New York to protest the law that empowers police to demand proof from anyone that he or she is in this country legally. But, as Bill Whitaker tells us, supporters of the law are equally passionate. BILL WHITAKER: Recent polls show more than 60 percent of Arizonans support the state's tough new immigration law. If outsiders wonder why, Arizonans point to Rob Krentz. He was gunned down this month on his ranch near the border. Investigators believe his killer was an illegal immigrant or drug smuggler. Long-simmering rage about border security became outrage. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: When something like the murder of Rob Krentz happens, it should be game on. WHITAKER: Since the federal government tightened up the California border 15 years ago, Arizona has become the favorite illegal gateway to the U.S., 105 people caught crossing from Mexico Wednesday, almost 700,000 in the last two and a half years. SHERIFF PAUL BABEU, PINAL COUNTY, ARIZONA: Crime is that bad here. WHITAKER: Paul Babeu is sheriff of Pinal County just south of Phoenix. BABEU: Assaults against police officers, officer-involved shootings, home invasions, carjackings, violent crimes, and you ask: Why is that? We can clearly point to the flow of illegal immigrants. WHITAKER: Phoenix is the kidnap capital of the U.S., most tied to Mexican drug smugglers. BABEU: We're not going to tolerate it anymore. WHITAKER: That widespread sentiment spurs widespread support for the new immigration law. MARK ALLEN, RESIDENT OF PHOENIX, ARIZONA: You can't blame all the crimes on illegal immigrants, but it's certainly not helping the matters. MARK ZEMEL, THEFT VICTIM: This is our state. These are our borders. WHITAKER: Mark Zemel had his vehicle stolen by smugglers ferrying immigrants across the border illegally. ZEMEL: This bill will help Arizona. This is a safe neighborhoods act, and it is truly going to serve that purpose. WHITAKER: But protesters out again today say the atmosphere in Arizona casts all immigrants as criminals. PHIL GORDON, MAYOR OF PHOENIX, ARIZONA: We don't support the racism- WHITAKER: The mayor of Phoenix plans to sue to overturn the law. He says the backlash will hurt the economy more than the law hurts real criminals. GORDON: We're really pleading with everyone not to boycott Arizona. WHITAKER: Both sides say this wouldn't be such a hot issue if the federal government took effective steps to stop the illegal flow, like put up the, put up the fence, or put out the National Guard.

CBS Frames Arizona's Anti-Illegal Alien Law Through Eyes of Opponents: 'Veto Racism '" The MRC's Brad Wilmouth corrected the closed-captioning against the video to provide transcripts of the two stories from Friday night,

Well, I was around during the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon years so I don't think I can call this the "most serious corruption scandal" in my lifetime. But yes, the evidence is mounting that elements within our Federal agencies conspired to disrupt the election process. Believe there are laws against that sort of thing. I do think any actual Russian involvement was minimal. No doubt the left--meaning most Democrats, plus the left's useful idiots like McCain--will continue to assert this is all "fake news" and that Trump needs to be ousted. I think witnessing most Democrat members of Congress, at State of the Union address, refusing to acknowledge even such good news as "the lowest Black unemployment," tells us all we need to know: Re, the Dems placing their political interests above the interests of those they were elected to represent. No, I can't say the World is soft-pedaling anything about this story. Practicing good journalism means, in part, refusing to publish unproven allegations as fact. Unfortunately a rare journalistic trait these days. Thanks, World!

Well, I was around during the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon years so I don't think I can call this the "most serious corruption scandal" in my lifetime. But yes, the evidence is mounting that elements within our Federal agencies conspired to disrupt the election process.

A professor at Occidental College said an essential way to "survive" President Trump's tenure is for activists to "be as suspicious of males who strongly identify as men as we are of white people who strongly identify as white." Lisa Wade, the author of "American Hookup" and a sociology professor at Occidental in Los Angeles, wrote in a recent essay that "masculinity itself" may need to be undermined if feminists are to "finish the gender revolution." Her Public Books op-ed, "The Big Picture: Confronting Manhood after Trump," theorizes that feminists are culpable for Mr. Trump's election because they have been "too delicate" in their approach to "dangerous ideas." "Trump's masculinity is what we call a toxic masculinity," she wrote, educational watchdog Campus Reform first reported Monday. "In the pre-Trump era, the modifier was used to differentiate bad masculine ideals from good ones. Toxic masculinities, some claimed, were behind sexual assault, mass shootings, and the weird thing where men refuse to wear sunscreen, but they didn't reflect masculinity generally, so one had to leave that idea alone. But we can only give masculinity so many modifiers for so long before we have to confront the possibility that it is masculinity itself that has become the problem." The instructor then posited that "rage, self-hatred and suffering" are caused by men who believe they should be "superior to women and other men." You Might Like "If we're going to survive both President Trump and the kind of people he has emboldened, we need to attack masculinity directly," she continued. "I don't mean that we should recuperate masculinity -- that is, press men to identify with a kinder, gentler version of it -- I mean that we should reject the idea that men have a psychic need to distinguish themselves from women in order to feel good about themselves. This idea is sexist on its face and it's unsettling that we so rarely think of it that way."In fact, we should be as suspicious of males who strongly identify as men as we are of white people who strongly identify as white," she wrote. "We are here in Trump's America in part because we have been too delicate in our treatment of dangerous ideas. The problem is not toxic masculinity; it's that masculinity is toxic. Its appeal is its alluring promise that if we obey it, we can all bask in a sense of superiority over someone. It's simply not compatible with liberty and justice for all." The author, whose work has been reviewed by The New York Times and The Huffington Post, did not respond to Campus Reform's request for comment prior to publication. (c) Copyright (c) 2017 News World Communications, Inc. This content is published through a licensing agreement with Acquire Media using its NewsEdge technology. VN:D [1.9.6_1107]

A professor at Occidental College said an essential way to "survive" President Trump's tenure is for activists to "be as suspicious of males who strongly identify as men as we are of white people who strongly identify as white." Lisa Wade, the author of "American Hookup" and a sociology professor at Occidental in Los Angeles, wrote in a recent essay that "masculinity itself" may need to be undermined if feminists are to "finish the gender revolution."

Kathryn Moody : Investors, Are You Ready for the Next Global Crisis? Manuel Schiffres Mutual Fund Rankings, 2014 Meghan Streit : Pitching In When Caregivers Need Help Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D.N., F.A.N.D : How to prevent a second (and first) heart attack thru diet The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington : Caprese is a light, fresh salad; the perfect quick and easy accompaniment to any summer meal Mark Steyn : You Want Nazis? Jonathan Tobin : Care about the Jewish state's future? Obama, in interview, reveals even more reasons to worry Alan M. Dershowitz : Confirmed: Needless death and destruction in Gaza Katie Nielsen : As a mother, I'm all I need to be Cameron Huddleston : 18 Retailers That Offer Price Adjustments Nellie S. Huang : The Best Health Mutual Funds to Buy Now Brierly Wright, M.S., R.D. : Try these 'secret-weapon' foods to boost your changes of losing weight The Kosher Gourmet by Jessica Yadegaran : Take some relish in pickled goodies (5 recipes!) Kimberly Lankford : 50 Ways to Cut Your Health Care Costs James K. Glassman : Investors, Are You Ready for the Next Global Crisis? The Kosher Gourmet by Nick Malgieri : Chocolate molten delight with creme anglaise is a simple yet elegant make-ahead dessert Whenever I read about Hollywood's disappointing box office for what was expected to be blockbuster films, I'm amazed that the studios haven't figured out what's happening to the film industry. Right now, the number one film is Finding Dory, not the Independence Day sequel. That's not much of a surprise because G and PG films geared at children always perform well. But major stars like George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, and Julia Roberts aren't bringing in the big bucks anymore. There are several reasons why people aren't driving to see feature films anymore but the main reason may be that all of these movies are streaming for free online. I might be more sympathetic to Hollywood's plight if I had any respect left for the entertainment industry but it deserves to hit bottom considering the trash it keeps churning out. I used to be a real movie junkie and when my husband and I were childless and living in Manhattan, we'd go to the movies once, even twice a week. We used to have Academy Awards parties where we'd print out the list of nominees and guess the winners awarding prizes to the best guessers. Now it's been years since I've even watched the overlong, overblown, disinteresting competition. So what went wrong? Creativity is a rare commodity in the studios today and one has to wonder if the alleged heavy use of drugs in LaLa land is behind this drought of originality. Everything coming out now is a remake of a former blockbuster only the characters' ethnicity or gender is changed to promote diversity. What this really connotes is that the studios believe that persons of color have nothing of interest so let's just stick their faces on something that worked before. The Harry Potter play in London has a black girl playing Hermione. Why? What was wrong with having an original black wizard introduced? So the Ghostbusters are now all women. Whoopedoo- and having one of them be the stereotypical angry black woman is the typical mindset of the closeted racist misogyny of major studios. I'm not planning on seeing that movie so that I don't know if they will inject the ubiquitous gay character to promote its LGBT agenda as has been its wont for the past decade. That agenda has reached the level of hilarity for many as any person who's watched the TV program 'Wayward Pines' knows. Introducing a gay character in a futuristic series that's about repopulating the human race makes absolutely no sense except for pure tokenism. There is nothing coming out in the films for senior citizens. The products are geared for either children; sophomoric young adults; or those with no taste at all. Full disclosure, I like action films with handsome stars so my last venture to the cinema was to see Captain America: Civil War. I loved it and this was one of the few films this year that earned what was expected. Amazingly, I read a moronic article by a writer complaining that Captain America and his buddy were too macho. Tweeters then started a campaign to find Captain America a boyfriend. Sigh! Several years ago, an elderly friend of mine went with me to see a film that starred many of our favorite British stars; "Love Actually"a film with several vignettes about couples in love. Unfortunately, to our dismay, one of those couples were porno actors and naturally we had to watch them having sex. I'm sure the producers thought this dispassionate sex scene was amusing but I just felt pity and embarrassment for the actors involved. My friend swore off films unless they had a religious theme and the following year was rewarded with "The Passion of the Christ". As I mentioned before, all films currently playing in theaters can be watched online because someone has either filmed it in a theater or a studio worker has downloaded a DVD of the film and uploaded it online. In spite of the fact that the FBI has warnings on DVDs about piracy, one can still find sellers offering the current movies for $5 outside many grocery stores. Another reason for the decline of Hollywood appeal is that there are very few real stars. The Oscars used to celebrate the talent in the industry but now the only films that seem to be nominated are rarely ones that the public even gets to watch. How many actually saw the film, "Room" which won Brie Larson an Oscar for Best Actress? Last week, Olivia DeHavilland, one of the only surviving stars of "Gone with the Wind", celebrated her 100th birthday. I can't imagine her or any of the glamorous stars of yesterday, posing on the red carpet showing a side boob or half an exposed derriere like today's skanky starlets. Another reason theater going is becoming rarer is because it has become dangerous. Lots of unarmed visitors sitting in a darkened theater are prime targets for terrorists and lunatics. Most recently, a theater in Germany was attacked by an armed gunman who held hostages until he was shot dead by police. Ironically, it is the theaters in the gun-free zones that are sitting ducks by jihadists inspired by Isis. Many industries are going the way of the buggy whips thanks to modern technology and the film industry is one of the endangered species. I am logged onto one of the internet sites that provide links to movies still playing in theaters and appearing on the menu are The BFG, The Shallows, Independence Day Resurgence and even some films that haven't even debuted here in the states. Another cherished entity bites the dust but I really can't mourn what actually died from a self inflicted wound years ago. If film piracy laws had actually been enforced maybe the industry would have survived longer; if outlandish salaries hadn't been doled out to mediocre talent so that theater going was less costly, maybe the cinema would still be an option for dating. Maybe, woulda, shoulda doesn't matter anymore. It's over. I prefer bridge anyway. BTW, I am not going to share the name of that site but there are actually several available and they are free. Just ask your child or grandchild and they will clue you in. Comment by clicking here.

Chocolate molten delight with creme anglaise is a simple yet elegant make-ahead dessert Whenever I read about Hollywood's disappointing box office for what was expected to be blockbuster films, I'm amazed that the studios haven't figured out what's happening to the film industry. Right now, the number one film is Finding Dory,

By ERRIN HAINES WHACK, AP National Writer ATLANTA (AP) -- On April 4, 1968, a movement lost its patriarch when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed on a hotel balcony in Memphis. Yolanda, Martin, Dexter and Bernice King lost their father. The loss has not gotten easier in 50 years, but his three surviving children each bear it on their own terms. "That period, for me, is like yesterday," said Dexter King, now 57. "People say it's been 50 years, but I'm living in step time. Forget what he did in terms of his service and commitment and contribution to humankind ... I miss my dad." His children cling to the few memories they have left of him. For years, they have had to publicly mourn a man who was among the most hated in America at the time of his death -- a task they have been reluctant and, at times, angry to carry out. Now that King is among the most beloved figures in the world, his heirs are forced to share him with the multitudes who have laid claim to his legacy. For more than a decade, they have had to do this without two of the family's cornerstones: their mother, Coretta Scott King, who died in 2006, and eldest child, Yolanda, who died in 2007. As adults, the siblings have earned a reputation over their infighting, which has spilled into rancorous lawsuits over heirlooms including their father's Bible and Nobel Peace Prize. Today, the three say they are in a "good place" and have managed to compartmentalize their differences and come together as a family in times of difficulty. Their recollections are a reminder that at the center of this tragedy was a young family, robbed of a loving husband and father, who was just 39. All are older now than King was. The tributes to their dad -- from the buildings and streets that bear his name, to statues in his home state and in the nation's capital -- are points of pride, but also constant reminders of the void he left. ___ Martin Luther King III's eyes crinkle into a smile as he recalls the happier times: in the pews at Ebenezer Baptist Church on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta helping his dad greet new members, tossing a football or baseball on the lawn of the family home, swimming lessons at the YMCA. When he came home from the front lines in the fight against racism, King's somber expression would give way to smiles and a playful mood. For them, he was not an icon, but a buddy. King III and his brother also traveled with King. Months before he was killed, they accompanied King as he mobilized people in South Georgia to attend his upcoming Poor People's Campaign in Washington. "That was our time for camaraderie," recalled King III, now 60. King III said he can still get emotional around his father's death. If he listens too closely to King's "Drum Major Instinct" speech, in which the preacher muses about wanting to live a long life, he still gets moved to tears. For years afterward, King III tensed whenever he saw a news bulletin like the ones that told him his father was killed, or that his uncle, A.D. King, had been found dead in his swimming pool, or that his grandmother had been killed by a madman while playing the organ at Sunday service at Ebenezer -- all while he was still a child. "I was afraid, because I was like, 'Is this going to be something else that happens to our family?'" he said. ___ Bernice King, the youngest, was once envious of her siblings, who had many more memories of King. Shared stories from her mother, sisters and brother, as well as home movies, helped humanize her father. Nicknamed "Bunny," Bernice King said she cherishes the scant moments she remembers sharing between father and daughter, like the "kissing game" they would play. "That stayed with me so vividly," said Bernice, now 55. "I'm glad I had that, because everything else, other than a few memories of being at the dinner table, I don't recall. I wish I knew him more." She admitted to struggling with having to share her parents with strangers over the years. "It bothered me," she said. "It's hard to have the private moments ... It's like everybody else has a part of him, and that's always hard to deal with. But I won't let it get in the way of what they have done and what they mean to the world." ___ That night and the days that followed the killing remain frozen in Dexter King's memory. He remembers his mother telling them something had happened to their father as she prepared to head to the airport. After Coretta Scott King left, their caregiver answered the kitchen telephone, started screaming and fell backward. Dexter, then 7, knew the worst had happened. When King's body returned to Atlanta, Dexter remembered running up and down the aisle of the airplane, and seeing his father's coffin on the floor. "I asked my mom, 'What's that?'" he said. "She explained, 'Your dad is going to be sleeping when you see him and he won't be able to speak with you. He's gone home to be with God.'" Dexter King spoke of his father's warmth and playfulness, a departure from the serious approach he took to his work. Seeing him in his roles as pastor and civil rights leader, Dexter King said he and his siblings were aware that their father's work was important. "You saw the interaction and the energy, just the way people reacted to him," he said. He was again struck by the people's reaction at his father's funeral, as a seemingly endless sea of mourners formed a funeral procession through Atlanta. "There's Dad, and there's the leader the world owns," Dexter continued. "Generally, I accept that. But he had a family. As kids, we did not choose this life. And I don't know that my dad chose it. It really chose him. We're human, and in some ways, we're still grieving." ___ Errin Haines Whack is The Associated Press' national writer for race and ethnicity. Follow her work on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/emarvelous ___ For AP's complete coverage on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, go to https://apnews.com/tag/MartinLutherKingJr Villanova won all six games by double digits over this tournament run, joining Michigan State (2000), Duke (2001) and North Carolina (2009) in that rare air. "I thought we played our best game in the championship game," coach Jay Wright said.

On April 4, 1968, a movement lost its patriarch when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed on a hotel balcony in Memphis. Yolanda, Martin, Dexter and Bernice King lost their father. The loss has not gotten easier in 50 years, but his three surviving children each bear it on their own terms. "That period, for me, is like yesterday," said Dexter King, now 57. "People say it's been 50 years, but I'm living in step time. Forget what he did in terms of his service and commitment and contribution to humankind ... I miss my dad." His children cling to the few memories they have left of him. For years, they have had to publicly mourn a man who was among the most hated in America at the time of his death -- a task they have been reluctant and, at times, angry to carry out

54th Sydney Film Festival--Part 6 Turkish films: mostly serious but lacking lasting impact By Ismet Redzovic 6 August 2007 This is the sixth in a series of articles on the 2007 Sydney Film Festival, held June 8-24. Part 1 appeared on July 4, Part 2 on July 10, Part 3 on July 11, Part 4 on July 12 and Part 5 on July 24. Turkish cinema dates back to 1914, when the first local film was made. But the first major movie-- Bir millet uyaniyor , a nationalist epic directed by Muhsin Ertugrul about the formation of modern Turkey following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1919--was not produced until 1932. Ertugrul, who had worked as an actor and director in Germany, dominated Turkish cinema until 1939, adapting plays, operettas and novels for local screens. Film studios emerged in the 1940s, and in 1948 a reduction in local taxes on films provided a real boost to the industry, helping create the conditions for the first Turkish film festival. According to film historians and critics, the number of productions rapidly increased over the next three decades, although the technical and artistic quality was generally regarded as poor. In fact, the Istanbul Film Festival in 1976 decided that no local movie was considered worthy of its Best Film Award. During the 1990s the number of locally-made movies declined--outside the major cities there were few cinemas and so most features were made for television--but the quality of the work improved. While only 20 movies were produced in 1997, that year saw the most successful and critically acclaimed local films, nationally and internationally. Since then Turkish movies have become regulars at international film festivals and frequent award winners. This year the Sydney Film Festival screened 11 Turkish films, a positive addition to its program and one that provided a small window into this extremely diverse and socially-polarised country. The majority I viewed were serious works, grappling with questions of social inequality, poverty, religion, among others. While they were honest and at times sensitive efforts, most failed to profoundly move or leave a lasting impression. A truck driver commits a crime Forty-eight-year-old director Tayfun Pirselimoglu is an accomplished painter and screenwriter. His directorial debut, In Nowhere Land --about a Kurdish mother's journey to find her son who has disappeared under suspicious circumstances--was produced in 2002. His latest film Riza is about low-paid owner driver, Riza, who is on an economic treadmill, barely keeping his head above water. His truck breaks down and he has no money to repair it. If he doesn't work the truck will be repossessed. What follows is a series of futile attempts by Riza to obtain the money he needs. First he steals from the pockets of a dead colleague, but the amount he takes is not enough to repair the vehicle. He plays the lottery; appeals to a former lover (Melissa Ahmedi) whom he left suddenly one morning years before; and tries stealing from a bar. He then becomes acquainted with a generous Afghan immigrant and his daughter-in-law, who are living in the same boarding house as Riza. Desperate and frustrated, he considers stealing the Afghan's money. After the two men return to the boarding house together one night, Riza kills the Afghan and hides the body. The dead man's daughter-in-law, who does not speak any Turkish, is waiting to hear from her husband who is living in Italy as an illegal immigrant. Riza flees the boarding house, but stricken by guilt returns and decides to help the young woman return to Afghanistan. The only other resident who may know about his crime leaves the morning before Riza heads off in his now repaired truck. The film ends without making clear whether Riza succeeds in helping the daughter-in-law. Despite its serious subject matter--poverty and murder--Pirselimoglu's movie is not particularly effective or moving. The problem is that Riza, despite a commendable performance by Riza Akin as the driver, never acquires any depth as a character. Extended close ups of Riza's face and slow camera pans are no substitute for real character development. Pirselimoglu provides context and motive for Riza's crime, but his film fails to create any sense of the social inevitability of his actions, thus preventing audiences from developing any empathy for the driver's plight. The movie's strongest element is its exposure of the poverty and misery suffered by the protagonists, captured well in the appalling condition of the boarding house. Capital punishment To Make an Example Of (Ibret Olsun Diye) is an intelligent and well-made documentary by Necati Sonmez. It humanises the victims of capital punishment in Turkey and thereby mounts a strong case against the barbaric practice. Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2002, but from 1920 to 1984, when executions were legal, 712 people, including 15 women, were hanged. Sonmez's 52-minute film explores the issue by first exposing the horrendous conditions in a Turkish jail infamous for the number of hangings carried out there. The jail, which is now a museum, was below sea level and therefore dark, damp and rat-infested. According to one former prisoner, there were so many rats that they would crawl into the prisoners' mouths as they slept. In another sequence, a retired lawyer breaks down crying as he tells the filmmakers about one particular hanging, which took tens of minutes for the victim to die because the noose was not properly tied. But the film's most affecting moments are narrations of victims' last letters to their families. Hidir Aslan, the last prisoner executed in Turkey on October 25, 1984, writes: My dear brother, I'm not going to write a long letter. I've prepared myself for this day. My last journey must be as good as my life. Grieving? No, I don't want to be grieving, my dearests. I don't feel like speaking wisely. Everything must be clear and simple as it was in my life. While writing this letter I am drinking tea and smoking. Very slowly. Fully enjoying ... I am not uncheerful. I'm trying to recall the fragments of my life on paper. In a very short time, for this moment. Once you asked me to write my will. I didn't do it. Nevertheless we have enough time now. Take the side of goodness and truth. This is my last wish ... for all of you. I would like to say many things. But the time is limited. I have only ten minutes left. I am embracing and kissing you all, with all my heart, and with all my honourable might. I will be with you again when those glorious days come. Your uncle, brother and friend ... The film ends with the chilling fact that 69 countries and territories still retain, and use, the death penalty and over 20,000 people languish in death row cells around the world, awaiting execution. To Make an Example Of is an important contribution to the fight against state-sponsored murder. Religious exploitation A Man's Fear of God ( Takva )--Ozer Kiziltan's first feature--has won numerous awards, including the prestigious International Federation of Film Critics prize at this year's Berlin Film Festival. Written by Onder Cakar, the film attempts to deal with the hypocrisy of institutionalised religion, in this case Islam, and how it cynically betrays the trust of its adherents. Muharrem (Erkan Can), a lonely, middle aged and deeply religious man is asked by a Sufi Islamic sheik (Meray Ulgen) to help with the sect's financial and administrative work. This involves collecting rent and organising maintenance for the scores of apartments, shops and storage spaces that the sect owns. Muharrem is honest, kind and naive and wants to assist; his naivety a little reminiscent of Myshkin in Dostoyevski's The Idiot . Some weeks later, Muharrem is invited to live at the seminary and reluctantly agrees. He is given access to a car and driver, a suit, watch, mobile phone and other material goods he has never had. These things are all "made by heathens", Rauf (Guven Kirac), the cleric's right-hand man, declares, but necessary for the sect's business dealings. What follows is the transformation of Muharrem, from a simple but devoutly religious man, into an efficient and calculating businessman--a process that deeply disturbs him and places him on the path to a mental breakdown. Muharrem is unable to deal with the contradiction between his faith and the sect's business operations. Distraught about collecting haram or "impure" money from a tenant who drinks alcohol, Muharrem is assured by Rauf that this client "pays his rent on time". Muharrem is also concerned about being given preferential treatment wherever he goes, but is told by sect leaders that he is serving god and therefore his time is more important than that of others. When the Sufi cleric discovers that Muharrem has waived the rent for a poor family whose father is dying, he says that "there have always been rich and poor people" but the organisation's work provides for the education of new religious disciples who will help the poor. A Man's Fear of God is a well-intentioned film about an important subject but is weakened by some heavy-handed work. Muharrem has recurring dream/nightmare sex scenes that are overdone and become implausible. His reaction to bribery and the sect's coexistence with it lacks complexity. Likewise his descent into madness is far too rapid and mechanical. Commenting on his film, director Kiziltan, who claims to be an atheist, told one journalist that he could see "no difference" between religion and atheism. Notwithstanding this confused comment, A Man's Fear of God indicts religious hypocrisy and points to the insidious and reactionary role that organised religion plays in social life. A more nuanced approach to his subject matter, however, would have produced a more powerful film. Failed relationship Nuri Bilge Ceylan is an internationally acclaimed director. He made two features-- The Small Town and Clouds of May in the late 1990s before winning a Grand Jury Prize at Cannes in 2003 for his film Distant . Ceylan has a visually poetic style and has been compared to imaginative filmmakers like Michelangelo Antonioni and Andrei Tarkovsky. Climates ( Iklimer ), his latest movie, is about a failed relationship between Isa, an architecture teacher, and Bahar, an art director currently working on a TV series. We are introduced to the couple (played by director Ceylan and his wife Ebru), holidaying on the Turkish coast. There is constant tension between them and while they are together supposedly enjoying their vacation, they are miles apart emotionally. Bahar makes a vague reference to Isa's former affair with Serap. Her expressions range from brooding to teary and unhappy, with an occasional forced smile at her partner. After a motorcycle accident the couple breaks up and the two return separately to Istanbul. Isa resumes his affair with Serap (Nazan Kirilmis), a relationship that appears to be purely sexual. He discovers through Serap that Bahar is shooting her television series in a remote and cold part of Turkey, and decides to spend his vacation there. He meets Bahar at a hotel and pleads with her to quit her job and return with him to Istanbul, claiming to be a changed man. She refuses to leave the television shoot, even though she still loves him. Isa makes arrangements to return to Istanbul but falls asleep, only to be woken by Bahar and they spend the night together. The next morning Bahar relates a dream she had, but Isa bluntly responds that she'll be late for the morning's shooting. Shocked by this curt dismissal, Bahar leaves and not long after Isa is on a plane back to Istanbul. Climates is preoccupied with visual atmospherics at the expense of any real character or plot development. While the performances of Ceylan and his wife are adequate enough, the movie fails to evoke much of an emotional response. In fact, this tepid relationship saga does not add up to much at all. In comparison with other Turkish movies screened at the Sydney Film Festival, Climates reveals the least about social reality in modern day Turkey. For the most part it is a highly-stylised and largely empty work, where nothing of any real significance happens. Fight Google's censorship! 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Turkish cinema dates back to 1914, when the first local film was made. But the first major movie-- Bir millet uyaniyor , a nationalist epic directed by Muhsin Ertugrul about the formation of modern Turkey following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1919--was not produced until 1932. Ertugrul, who had worked as an actor and director in Germany, dominated Turkish cinema until 1939, adapting plays, operettas and novels for local screens. Film studios emerged in the 1940s, and in 1948 a reduction in local taxes on films provided a real boost to the industry, helping create the conditions for the first Turkish film festival. According to film historians and critics, the number of productions rapidly increased over the next three decades, although the technical and artistic quality was generally regarded as poor.

Climate change isn't just a fixation for liberals in the U.S. It's also a basis for anti-American extremism abroad. The idea is that Western countries--the U.S. especially--have become wealthy by unfairly exploiting poor countries, which has changed the climate change to the detriment of these undeveloped regions. That's why Warmism (aka, "climate change" ideology) is part of the school curriculum in countries like Kenya, South Africa, and Vietnam. The same ideology is also a major part of radical Islamism. Osama bin Laden--killed by U.S. Special Forces in 2011--left behind a letter "to the American people" calling for "a great revolution for freedom." According to bin Laden, it's imperative "to free Barack Husayn [Obama] so he can implement the change you seek. It does not only include improvement of your economic situation and ensure your security, but more importantly, helps him in making a rational decision to save humanity from the harmful gases that threaten its destiny." In 2010, he wrote a similar letter claiming that "talk of climate change isn't extravagant speculation; it is a tangible fact." Bin Laden has even referred to climate change as a judgement from Allah, an ideology underpinning his assault on the countries that supposedly perpetuate it--the U.S. in particular. Apparently, that message isn't falling on deaf ears. A core pillar of Warmism is that developed countries like the United States should pay poor countries reparations for exploiting them. That's another idea that bin Laden liked, and the Green Climate Fund is projected to collect $100 billion a year in taxpayer money from the developed world by 2020. That money will "help wean the worldwide victims" of climate change, distributing the West's wealth to poor countries--on the taxpayer's dime. If only the U.S. had the same commitment to fighting ISIS and murderous terrorists like bin Laden--who continue to plague the Middle East. For more, you can read the April edition of "Green Watch" here . This blog post was adapted from the April edition of Capital Research Center's "Green Watch," by Steven J. Allen.

Climate change isn't just a fixation for liberals in the U.S. It's also a basis for anti-American extremism abroad.

'No longer are our debates about government. They are about the nation. Do we have one? What are its interests? Who benefits from it?' Yet another sense-demolishing instance of campus lunacy was reported last week in The New York Times. As the various ways of undressing in public have proliferated, the relationship of the naked female form to ideas of freedom remains unclear. 'Oh no, I just said cops are pigs; Who's gonna help me get my stuff? Why did I listen to Colin Kaepernick; He's not even any good...' Should schools be allowed to replace a higher math course requirement with a course on financial literacy? "It may be time for public educators and policymakers to reassess who and what represents the homeschooling movement of today." The relativism among those who teach the humanities places a cognitive abyss between the subjects being taught and the people teaching them. If Americans continue to avoid reading, will our nation be filled with people ill-equipped and unprepared to lead the next generation? September 8, 2016 | Annie Holmquist | Culture , Education , History , Literature , The West

'No longer are our debates about government. They are about the nation. Do we have one? What are its interests? Who benefits from it?' Yet another sense-demolishing instance of campus lunacy was reported last week in The New York Times. As the various ways of undressing in public have proliferated, the relationship of the naked female form to ideas of freedom remains unclear. 'Oh no, I just said cops are pigs; Who's gonna help me get my stuff? Why did I listen to Colin Kaepernick; He's not even any good...' Should schools be allowed to replace a higher math course requirement with a course on financial literacy?

Sydney (AFP) - Lounging on a sofa in his flowing robes, a gold crown resting on his snowy hair and a stuffed white toy tiger at his feet, Paul Delprat looks every bit a monarch. Delprat, 76, is the self-appointed Prince of the Principality of Wy, a micronation consisting of his home in the north Sydney suburb of Mosman. Micronations -- entities that have proclaimed independence but are not recognised by governments -- have been declared around the world. One of the latest is Asgardia, started by Russian scientist and businessman Igor Ashurbeyli, who in late June declared himself leader of the utopian "space nation". But the pseudo-states are particularly popular in Australia, with the island continent home to the highest number in the world, about 35, out of an estimated total of up to 200. "For me, it's a passion, it's an art installation," Delprat, a fine art school principal, tells AFP as a large painting of himself decked out in full regalia with his wife and children looms above his head. "My favourite artist is Rembrandt, who loved dressing up. In a world where we haven't sorted out our differences, art is the international language... the philosophy of Wy is live and let live and above all, laugh if you can." Delprat's homemade kingdom, filled with monarchical and historical paraphernalia, is, like some micronations, born out of a dispute with authorities. Blocked by the local council for more than a decade from building a driveway, Delprat seceded from Mosman in 2004. Instead of drawing the ire of authorities, he became a local celebrity -- even attracting adoring fans from Japan. - Disdain for authority - The rise of micronations hasn't just stemmed from the relaxed attitude of Australian governments willing to tolerate the tiny fiefdoms as long as they pay taxes. Australians' healthy disdain for authority -- a source of national pride -- has also fuelled the phenomenon, says constitutional law professor George Williams. "In Australia, there's a strong streak of people wanting to thumb their noses at authority," Williams of the University of NSW tells AFP. "There is a bit of a larrikin (maverick) streak here, a sense that this can be a bit of fun... and often they are hobbies that have got wildly out of hand." Establishing a micronation is not without its hazards. John Rudge, the Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Avram in Australia's southern island state of Tasmania, issued his own notes and coins in 1980 after writing a PhD thesis about setting up a central bank. The government disputed his use of the word "bank" on the notes and took him to court, although the case was eventually dismissed, Rudge tells AFP. The country's oldest micronation, the Principality of Hutt River, 500 kilometres (300 miles) north of Perth, was set up by Leonard Casley in 1970 after a row with the Western Australia state government over wheat quotas. Prince Leonard, who owns some 75 square kilometres (29 square miles) of farmland -- an area larger than that of more than 20 bona fide states, territories or dependencies -- was last year ordered by a court to pay Aus$3 million (US$2.2 million) in taxes. Even so, the property reportedly makes a tidy sum for the now-retired prince -- who handed over the reins to his youngest son Graeme last year -- as a tourist attraction. - Message for real-world nations - Other micronations use their realms to talk about good governance. George Cruickshank, aka Emperor George II, established the Empire of Atlantium as a teenager with his two cousins after being horrified by "confrontational" attitudes during the Cold War. The 51-year-old has built a government house, post office and even a pyramid on a 0.76-square-kilometre patch of farmland 300 kilometres south of Sydney. He markets the empire on Airbnb as the only country in the world that people can rent for just Aus$100 a night, and uses his fame to promote his progressive, globalist agenda. "The moment I put on medals and a sash and I become George II, Emperor of Atlantium, suddenly the media is interested by what I have to say," Cruickshank, who runs a Facebook group for micronation leaders, tells AFP. "I think the world generally is taking a temporary step backwards with this nativism, localism, Trumpism, Brexit. "Micronations offer a possibility to say, 'Stop, take a step back, how could things be made better than they are now?'." The concept of sovereignty has also been a source of contention for Australia's Aboriginal population. The "First Nations", whose cultures stretch back tens of thousands of years, were driven off their lands when British settlers arrived in 1788. Two micronations -- the Murrawarri Republic straddling Queensland and New South Wales states, and the Yidindji nation in Queensland -- have sought treaties with Australia that acknowledge their land rights. "They've never agreed to be dispossessed from those lands. In fact, many still reject the idea that the Australian nation was created on their lands," Williams says. "They do often look at asserting their sovereignty through micronations and the like, because they want a better and more just settlement for them and into the future."

Lounging on a sofa in his flowing robes, a gold crown resting on his snowy hair and a stuffed white toy tiger at his feet, Paul Delprat looks every bit a monarch. Delprat, 76, is the self-appointed Prince of the Principality of Wy, a micronation consisting of his home in the north Sydney suburb of Mosman. Micronations -- entities that have proclaimed independence but are not recognised by governments -- have been declared around the world.

Imad Mughniyeh (also spelled Mughniyah) was the most deadly, notorious and elusive Hezbollah terrorist, responsible for killing more Americans in terror attacks than anyone else prior to 9/11. Mughniyeh was behind just about every Hezbollah terror attack. His terror credits included the 1983 Beirut Marine and Embassy bombings, the capture and torture... The United States and Argentina are to work together to cut off Lebanese terrorist outfit Hezbollah's funding networks in Latin America. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Argentinian Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie declared their intention to cooperate in this regard during a press conference in Buenos Aires on Sunday. Argentina is home to a... Lebanese-based terrorist group Hezbollah, a functionary of the Iran, has engaged in international drug running and other crimes to help finance its terror activities worldwide. As exposed late last year, the Obama administration was aware Hezbollah was running cocaine into the U.S., but disrupted law enforcement plans (Project Cassandra) to shut down... So far there is near silence from the mainstream media about the blockbuster Politico Magazine investigative report on how the Obama administration from the top down interfered with U.S. law enforcement efforts to take down Hezbollah's drug running of cocaine into the U.S. in order to facilitate the Iran nuclear deal. Lebanon-based terrorist outfit Hezbollah is in the middle of a financial crisis, recent intelligence assessments reveal. "Tehran's vassal is on the verge of bankruptcy," leading German newspaper Die Welt reported citing Western intelligence sources. Despite a steady flow of funding from Iran, the "Party of Allah," as the terrorist group is called...

As exposed late last year, the Obama administration was aware Hezbollah was running cocaine into the U.S., but disrupted law enforcement plans (Project Cassandra) to shut down... So far there is near silence from the mainstream media about the blockbuster Politico Magazine investigative report on how the Obama administration from the top down interfered with U.S. law enforcement efforts to take down Hezbollah's drug running

After Ted Cruz dropped out of the Republican presidential race on Tuesday night, leaving just Donald Trump and John Kasich in the race, all signs point to Trump becoming the GOP nominee. So if he were to win the presidency, what would Trump do to the economy? In short, the outlook is bleak. Tremendous tax cuts Early on, Trump released a tax plan that he promised would provide " major tax relief " for the middle class while going after rich people like himself -- but it ended up looking like standard conservative fare. He would lower the highest tax bracket from its current level of 39.6 percent to just 25 percent, cut the capital gains rate paid on investments rather than salary income to 20 percent, and get rid of the estate tax that's paid by the wealthiest 0.2 percent of Americans. He did follow through on promises to make hedge fund managers pay by ending the carried interest loophole that allows them to count the income they make at work as investments. But all in all, the rich would make out far better than everyone else under Trump's plan. Within a decade, the richest 1 percent would capture 40 percent of the benefits of his plan, leaving just 16.4 percent for the bottom three-fifths of the country. That richest slice of America would pay $400,000 less in taxes, while the poorest Americans would see just $209 in relief. Trump's tax plan also includes reducing the corporate tax rate to 15 percent, lower than what some of his former running mates were proposing. Trump has promised that the entire tax package will generate economic growth of at least 3 percent a year but as much as 6 percent, "growth that will be tremendous." Beyond the fact that the country hasn't seen growth rates like that in some time, the details of his plan are unlikely to get the country there. Research has not backed up the idea that tax breaks for the rich translate into growth for everyone. In the post-war period, the economy has grown at a faster rate when the top marginal tax rate was higher and lower when rates were lower. Studies have found that Ronald Reagan's tax cuts didn't spur growth , nor did George W. Bush's . Trump's plan would, however, cost the economy $9.5 trillion in revenue over 10 years. He's waffled about whether and how quickly he would seek to balance the budget , but to do so without making any changes to Social Security and Medicare, as he's promised, would require cutting all other government spending by more than three-quarters . That includes programs that keep people out of poverty, support economic activity, and a huge range of other important initiatives. Terrifically questionable trade policies The other big plank of Trump's economic plan centers on trade. He's railed against trade deals that he says have been weak and have cost American jobs. The evidence backs up this point: one study found that the U.S. lost about 2 million jobs to trade competition with China between 1999 and 2011, or 10 percent of all job losses in manufacturing. Another found that employment and wages in American communities hit hard by competition with China remained depressed for at least a decade. The trick is what Trump would actually do to address this, and whether it would ultimately be helpful or harmful for the economy. He's promised to levy huge tariffs on imports to supposedly give domestic industries a boost, either targeting specific countries like China or Mexico or individual companies that say they're going to move jobs overseas. He promises to go after China for manipulating its currency, artificially bringing it lower than the dollar and thereby making its own goods cheaper than ones made here. And he's promised to toss and renegotiate trade agreements like NAFTA or the Trans Pacific Partnership . Some economists think these actions, if done the right way, could have a positive impact . Tariffs could be imposed temporarily as a way to bring China to the negotiating table over currency manipulation and other harmful trade policies. But if Trump were to drop blanket tariffs on an entire country indefinitely, he would be in violation of a number of trade agreements, which could result in sanctions from the World Trade Organization -- not to mention potential retaliation from China with tariffs of its own, potentially leading to a trade war. One model built by Moody's for the Washington Post found that hitting Mexico and China with stiff tariffs would cost somewhere between 3.5 million to 7 million jobs and risk a recession, although there are reasons to think those numbers may be overly inflated . One thing does seem clear, however: "ripping up" existing trade agreements, something Trump has discussed, would almost certainly mean a trade war and seriously harm the economies of some countries who are party to the agreements. Huge loss of immigrant workers Trump has also spent a lot of time railing against immigrants, promising to build a wall along the border with Mexico and deport 11 million undocumented people. While he doesn't always link this issue to the economy, it could have serious economic ramifications. Mass deportation and blocking immigrants from coming into the country could reduce GDP growth by $1.6 trillion . Immigrants are projected to provide nearly all of the growth in the labor force over the next 40 years. Deporting them, on the other hand, would shrink it by 6.4 percent . It would also cost a lot to deport immigrants: somewhere between $400 and $600 billion.

After Ted Cruz dropped out of the Republican presidential race on Tuesday night, leaving just Donald Trump and John Kasich in the race, all signs point to Trump becoming the GOP nominee.

Around 30 sub-groups of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have unified under the banner of the country's "National Army", the Syrian interim government announced on Saturday. The announcement came after the head of the interim government, Jawad Abu Hatab, met the subgroup leaders in the northern city of Azaz. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Abu Hatab noted their primary aim as keeping hold of the area liberated from Daesh through Operation Euphrates Shield and defending people by standing against the Assad regime and terror groups like Daesh and the PKK/PYD. In the wide-ranging Euphrates Shield Operation launched last summer, the Free Syrian Army -- with the support of the Turkish army -- had cleared 2,000 square kilometers (772 square miles) of land along the Turkish-Syrian border of terrorist elements. Abu Hatab said they have unified three army corps through the project totaling 22,000 soldiers. "First army corps is the one trained in Turkey. The second and the third consists of nearly 30 groups," he said, adding that the most important matter is to form an army from the whole region. "This is possible with Turkey's support," Hatab said, who also recalled Turkey's efforts through Operation Euphrates Shield, which let thousands of Syrian refugees to return to their country. Chief of General Staff of the interim government Col. Haitham Ofeisi said the formation of the "National Army" was the result of the unification of three corps. "First we took this decision in the Euphrates Shield Operation Zone. Of course, we have made this decision with the support of Turkey," he said adding that they would continue the process in remaining places. Ofeisi vowed that they would clear Daesh and PKK/PYD terrorists group as well as Assad forces from the region while more army corps would be formed under the General Staff in the freed areas. "We believe that the future of Syria will be good and we will go to all lengths of this revolution that we have started in 2011. He said one of the targets "is to give all type of struggles against the division of our lands by Daesh and PKK/PYD terrorist organizations". This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License . If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them. What does that mean? For permissions beyond the scope of this license, please contact us . Spotted an error on this page? Let us know

Around 30 sub-groups of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have unified under the banner of the country's "National Army", the Syrian interim government announced on Saturday. The announcement came after the head of the interim government, Jawad Abu Hatab, met the subgroup leaders in the northern city of Azaz.

You're sitting in a bar. You are surrounded. A man is talking. Do you know what he is saying? Does he want you to know what he is saying or does he just enjoy saying it? You pick up on words you've heard in passing, skimmed over in books, spent hours trying to grapple with, rip off the edge of his tongue as if he was raised with them. They fall out his mouth, words like eschatological, ontological, dialectical . A friend, a woman, tries to break in and ask what they mean. She is ignored. You break in and ask what they mean and wish you never had. This is the Left as I experience it. Where revolution is planned and conducted in lecture theatres, chess moves towards liberation made between essay plans and summer trips abroad with the family. Middle class students looking at three years of reading and hoping for some action before graduation is swept away by job offers and internships and a Labour membership form drops through the letterbox. "Our priority right now is Corbyn." I have heard every one of them say 'Class does not exist, it is a social construct and to talk about it is divisive'. This is the gentrification of revolution. Those conversations above used to exclude those who haven't studied Derrida or Deleuze into remaining quiet, asked to forget our lived experiences in poverty so that we can be rescued by those who can be trusted to make change, those who say 'let's not get into identity politics' just so they can focus on respectability politics. Class is a social construct. So is racism and sexism and queerphobia. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist and it doesn't mean that people like me haven't been subject to the material conditions that construct provides. Here's the thing. I don't know what those words mean. Why? Because I can't afford the books that tell me what they mean and even if I could, I couldn't afford the time to focus on them because, y'know, I actually have to work. Forty hours a week. At minimum wage. To survive. Hardly enough time to even think about revolution or social justice or, even, how one goes about guillotining Ian Duncan Smith. We as the working class are silenced. We are dehumanised by the overread minds of the middle class. We're considered reckless in our behaviours, sometimes violent, which stem from a heightened propensity to mental illness, or childhood trauma or some sort of other lack of safety that you often find in well to do families. We're turfed out of our homes for stadiums we can't afford to go to, cereal bars we can't afford to eat in and universities we can't afford to learn from. We're locked up for lashing out, for taking direct action away from theory and when we do sit back and listen to people who say they want change just as much as we do, we're bored fucking senseless. On average, the poorest of us are more likely to suffer from depression. According to Poverty.org.uk: Depression is one of the most common forms of mental illness. Its effects can spread into all dimensions of a person's life including their work, home and social environments. Possible triggers identified for development of this illness include unemployment, redundancy or the threat of it, and financial difficulties. A poor working environment and social isolation are also factors which heighten the risk of depressive illness. The chosen indicator of mental health shows those classified as being at high risk of developing mental illness, where this proportion dif fers substantially by level of household income. When we can't work, we're dependent on the State to help us until we are. This, if you've been paying attention, has become almost impossible since 2010. When we can work, we're more likely (university educated or not) to have less access to jobs with higher salaries. When we can't, we're scroungers, leeching off the middle classes who, let's not forget, are made wealthy by the labour that we sell for pittance. Our work is precarious or non-existent. Our identities are fractured by our ever changing working environments, but thank god for transferable skills, eh? Revolution in this context for the students who aim to practice it their way falls down to one thing: They want to be us, but they don't want to see us. They'll live in filth, lie about which private school they went to, they'll drop their t's and they'll complain about how poor they are (all the while the family unit pays their rent). They'll live that experience to the best that they can recreate it, but when it comes to crippling depression or personality disorders, when it comes to a higher suicide rate or getting their hands dirty before the police and the state, often with devastating consequences, they'll step back out of their voluntary poverty and they'll remember their roots. Talking about class is divisive. It divides those who live the through the unerring darknesses of austerity, who lose loved ones, their homes and their rights as workers, from those that don't. These people, who might complain about the hunt but still allow them on their land, are the very same people who complain about capitalism but allow it to pull them up by pushing us down. And we are done with them. PS: Fuck Jeremy Corbyn.

This is the Left as I experience it. Where revolution is planned and conducted in lecture theatres, chess moves towards liberation made between essay plans and summer trips abroad with the family. Middle class students looking at three years of reading and hoping for some action before graduation is swept away by job offers and internships and a Labour membership form drops through the letterbox.

Democrats have fought Trump's zero-tolerance policy of prosecuting border crossers and the separation of families at the border, with Waters saying Trump officials should be harassed in public. He said they only know how to oppose him. "They're only good at one thing--what's their term? 'Resist,'" he said. "This has become the party of Maxine Waters and Nancy Pelosi." Pelosi, the House minority leader, condemned Waters' comments about harassing Trump officials, although she blamed Trump for the climate of hostility. Pelosi has been a vocal critic of Trump in her own right, but Waters has taken several positions that are more extreme, including calls to impeach Trump. Following Trump's executive order to keep families intact, various Democrats have called for families not to be detained at all, and some, such as Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.), have even said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be abolished . Trump said the party does not support law enforcement at all. "And the Democrats don't like ICE -- these are great, brave, tough people," Trump said. "They don't like border patrol, they don't like your police, they don't like anybody." "They want to protect illegals coming into the country much more so than they want to protect you, and that's not where we're coming from," he added. "The Democrats want open borders and they don't mind crime. We want very tight, very strict borders." He said they don't want to allow a border wall to be built because it would be effective and a "symbol," and he said the party has become gone to extremes. Grow your email list exponentially Dramatically increase your conversion rates Engage more with your audience Boost your current and future profits

Democrats have fought Trump's zero-tolerance policy of prosecuting border crossers and the separation of families at the border, with Waters saying Trump officials should be harassed in public. He said they only know how to oppose him. "They're only good at one thing--what's their term? 'Resist,'" he said. "This has become the party of Maxine Waters and Nancy Pelosi."

M y adopted hometown will soon be the base of operations for a new Netflix movie starring aging elitist hippies Robert Redford (estimated net worth: $170 million) and Jane Fonda (estimated net worth: $120 million). A state economic-development commission unanimously voted last week to fork over $1.5 million in taxpayer-funded "incentives" for the liberal duo's romantic flick, arguing that it will generate "great publicity." But given the fierce opposition so many men and women in uniform in this proud military community have to Hanoi Jane Fonda, I'll bet many of my friends and neighbors wish they could pay to keep the traitorous Commie propagandist as far away from the Rockies as possible. The same goes for Redford, whose last big directing foray was The Company You Keep , a domestic-terrorism-glamorizing hagiography of the Weather Underground movement. The Colorado panel's got a lousy track record when it comes to picking winners. It last dumped $5 million into cop-bashing Quentin Tarantino's box-office disappointment, The Hateful Eight . On a broader policy level, the entertainment corporate-welfare racket should offend all taxpayers. Government officials make phony-baloney claims that their public-private "investments" will pay for themselves. But study after study, on both the progressive left and the free-market right, shows that the economy-stimulating effect of public subsidies for private corporate preferences (movies, sports stadiums, malls, hotels, you name it) is negligible. Loan guarantees. Refundable tax credits and rebates. Tax increment financing. Tax-exempt bonds. All of these enticements dangled by thirsty bureaucrats before wealthy developers, sports-team owners, and Hollywood moguls who don't need them amount to blatant redistributions of wealth. The independent California Legislative Analyst's Office found that for every dollar California spent on the $100 million annual film subsidy it created in 2009, the state treasury received 65 cents. In South Carolina, film incentives returned just 19 cents in taxes for each dollar paid out in rebates. That's "a net loss in revenues equal to 81 percent of expenditures on rebates," as the Tax Foundation pointed out. Maryland barely managed to recoup 6 cents on every dollar spent on its tax-incentive program for movie production. A child-advocacy group in Connecticut reported that only 11 percent of the $113.2 million in state revenues lost through the film tax-credit program subsidized production expenses that were classified as "actual Connecticut expenditures." Eight subsidized productions received nearly $10 million in tax credits despite reporting zero actual production spending in Connecticut. A 2009 report by the Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee found that the state lost nearly $59 million on its $75 million film tax-credit and grant program. Michigan's $500 million spent on film subsidies since 2008 resulted in fewer film jobs than when the program started. Astonishingly, the conservative Mackinac Center in Michigan determined that the state's $500 million spent on film subsidies since 2008 resulted in fewer film jobs than when the program started. And after reviewing Hollywood handout programs in more than 40 states, the left-wing Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that subsidies reward companies for production that would have happened anyway; most of the top jobs "created" by the "incentives" go to out-of-state industry veterans, and the revenue generated by economic activity supposedly tied to the subsidies "falls far short of the subsidies' direct costs to the state." Perspective: The nearly $1.5 billion in direct Hollywood giveaways doled out every year since 2010 by state governments is equivalent to "the salaries of 23,500 middle-school teachers, 26,600 firefighters, and 22,800 police-patrol officers." It's the same story north of the border. Canadian Taxpayers Federation analyst Jordan Bateman reported that British Columbia's treasury "likely lost $220 million or more" in public film-production funding "that should have gone to education, health care, or tax cuts." This legalized bribery is a perfect recipe for pay-to-play and political corruption. Hacked Sony e-mails showed corporate executives embracing five-figure campaign donations to New York governor Andrew Cuomo because he's a "strong protector of the film incentive." Cuomo massively expanded the program, which now doles out nearly half a billion dollars every year in tax money to entertainment special interests. In Iowa, six officials were fired or forced to resign over allegations that they squandered film tax-credit funding on personal luxury goods, including a Land Rover, and steered the subsidies to unqualified recipients. Louisiana's top film official went to prison for accepting bribes from a movie producer in exchange for state tax credits. This whole stinking enterprise is a crime. When Big Hollywood and Big Government conspire to turn Jane Fonda and Robert Redford into welfare mooches at ordinary Americans' expense, it's time to yell "Cut!" -- permanently. Michelle Malkin -- Michelle Malkin is the host of Michelle Malkin Investigates on CRTV.com. Her email address is writemalkin@gmail.com. @michellemalkin

M y adopted hometown will soon be the base of operations for a new Netflix movie starring aging elitist hippies Robert Redford (estimated net worth: $170 million) and Jane Fonda (estimated net worth: $120 million). A state economic-development commission unanimously voted last week to fork over $1.5 million in taxpayer-funded "incentives" for the liberal duo's romantic flick, arguing that it will generate "great publicity."

Pleading the cross The American Humanist Association (AHA) is not so coy as to invoke an organizational mascot like the Satanists. Claiming they are "good enough without god" the group has won the latest round in its challenge to remove the World War I memorial Bladensburg Peace Cross in Maryland. In an 8-6 decision, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on March 1 denied an en banc appeal and upheld the court's three-judge panel ruling that the 40-foot memorial stands in violation of the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution. First Liberty Institute, which represents the American Legion and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, said it would appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. Writing for the majority, Judge James Wynn said that in order to allow the cross to remain, the court would have to deny the symbol's historic context "of advancing the Christian faith." But three dissenting opinions argue the majority ignores the context in which the cross was erected, and U.S. Supreme Court precedent allows sacred symbols in an otherwise secular context. The cross, Judge Paul Niemeyer wrote, became a common grave marker in Europe during World War I, and similar markers, including many in Arlington National Cemetery, exist within a 40-mile radius of the disputed monument. A win by the atheists could threaten the existence of war memorials across the nation, the dissenting judges said. --B.P. Bakers push forward appeal As Christian business owners working in the wedding service industry await a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, former bakery owners in Oregon are moving ahead with their own legal fight. Melissa and Aaron Klein, former bakery owners who faced fines for declining a cake order for a same-sex wedding, appealed to the Oregon Supreme Court on March 1. Attorneys with First Liberty Institute filed the Kleins' appeal despite the pending decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission expected by mid-June. The ruling could affect the outcome of the Kleins' case and those of other Christian business owners whose convictions conflict with the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalized same-sex marriage. --B.P. Civics 101 Some lessons are "better caught than taught." Students at Edina High School in Edina, Min., learned a civics lesson from filing a lawsuit against the school district last semester and hammering out a settlement March 1. The Edina Public School Board approved the settlement between the EHS Young Conservatives Club and district administrators. It included minor addendums to district policy as it relates to students' speech rights. The students sued the school district in December, claiming administrators threatened to disband the unofficial club after members criticized student protests during a Veterans Day ceremony on campus. The district denied that accusation and others from the lawsuit in a statement released after reaching the settlement. --B.P. Share this article with friends.

Pleading the cross The American Humanist Association (AHA) is not so coy as to invoke an organizational mascot like the Satanists. Claiming they are "good enough without god" the group has won the latest round in its challenge to remove the World War I memorial Bladensburg Peace Cross in Maryland.

Former treasury secretary Henry Paulson is calling for a "fundamentally conservative" carbon tax to address the risks of a climate bubble. Writing in the New York Times , Paulson relates his time in office to today's climate, writing that "I was secretary of the Treasury when the credit bubble burst, so I think it's fair to say that I know a little bit about risk, assessing outcomes and problem-solving." "Looking back at the dark days of the financial crisis in 2008," he adds, "it is easy to see the similarities between the financial crisis and the climate challenge we now face." But it's laughable to say that the future state of the global climate should be a concern akin to the financial crisis in 2008. Paulson argues the burning of fossil fuels is the driver of irreversible global warming and climate observations are ahead of what climate models predicted, such as melting Arctic and West Antarctic ice could lead to 14-foot level sea increases. Let's set the record straight on Paulson's climate assertions. First, sea level is increasing, but accelerating sea-level rises is not what the data tell us . Second, all sea ice around the world is actually above average and, for this time of year, it is at its highest level in 30 years , which is the third-highest on record. Third, climate models haven't been so great at projecting what a doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will actually do to global temperatures. The models didn't get the past 17 years right , who's to think they can accurately project 100 years out? Fourth, even if the purported sea level rise Paulson speaks of is accurate, it will occur over centuries , leaving ample time to adjust as necessary. A carbon tax is not going to mitigate warming and won't make a lick of difference when it comes to natural disasters. Paulson's other climate arguments fall short, too, as he points to "a future with more severe storms, deeper droughts, longer fire seasons and rising seas that imperil coastal cities." The problem with that argument is largely twofold. As indicated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, there haven't been significant trends for hurricanes, droughts, floods or tornadoes. The case that manmade emissions are driving more frequent and intense weather events is bogus . But let's pretend Paulson isn't wrong on the problem. His purported solution of a carbon tax would be an enormously high, regressive energy tax that would needlessly destroy jobs and economic growth for no noticeable impact on global temperatures . A carbon tax is not going to mitigate warming and won't make a lick of difference when it comes to natural disasters. Further, an assumption exists that if the United States takes the lead, other developing nations will follow suit. But if we play follow the leader, we're going to turn around and find no one there. Paulson claims that without a carbon tax, we'll all be paying for the damage of climate change "many times over" and that we're going to leave the world in a worse state for our grandchildren. But in fact, a carbon tax would hurt our grandchildren. More than 80 percent of America's energy needs are met through carbon-emitting conventional fuels. If we have less access to those fuels, our economy will suffer. As my colleague David Kreutzer writes , "With or without the carbon policy, future generations will be considerably wealthier than the current generation, but future generations will suffer disproportionately larger losses. In either absolute dollars or fraction of income lost, a carbon policy would impose greater hardship on future generations." Paulson is correct in saying there's uncertainty in the risk and magnitude of climate change:The climate is always changing and there's uncertainty with regard to the drivers and magnitude of climate change. But the reality remains that the planet is not heading toward catastrophic warming. And even if it were, an exorbitant, un-conservative carbon tax would cripple us economically without impacting climate whatsoever.

First, sea level is increasing, but accelerating sea-level rises is not what the data tell us . Second, all sea ice around the world is actually above average and, for this time of year, it is at its highest level in 30 years , which is the third-highest on record. Third, climate models haven't been so great at projecting what a doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will actually do to global temperatures.

For more than a week now, we've been trying to figure out what the hell's going on with WWE Superstar Titus O'Neil. He touched WWE chairman Vince McMahon during Daniel Bryan's retirement celebration and a weird shoving match occurred , leading to him being fined and suspended for 90 days, later reduced to 60. Word was that Vince wanted to straight-up fire him over it and had to be talked out of it. Some former stars like Batista have said Titus should leave the company based on how he's been treated. Who better to weigh in on the subject of "touching Vince McMahon against his will" than Stone Cold Steve Austin? On a recent episode of The Steve Austin Show , Austin shared his thoughts on the incident and the popular opinion around it, from the severity of the suspension to the Internet's suggestion that it could be racially motivated. He says the punishment was a little much, but the accusations of racism are "bullsh*t." "The whole racist thing really irritated me because any time you hear about anything these days it's racist, and, man, it's 2016. I'm not saying racism doesn't exist, but, I mean, to play that card in this situation was total B.S. from my perspective ... racism and that? Absolutely not. It was a reprimand for something that didn't need to happen at that time. End of story. "If you're going to suspend somebody, I think 30 [days]. I think 60 is still a little overreacting. Did something need to happen, a come to Jesus meeting or a stern talking to backstage? Something needed to happen because I do believe it was inappropriate. It was the wrong person, at the wrong time." Austin goes on to mention that John Cena's probably the only person on the roster who could've gotten away with grabbing McMahon in a moment like that, and tries to explain the situation from Vince's POV: "Vince is 70 right now and that was a serious moment for him. He was totally in character. He cares about Daniel Bryan. He gets jerked pretty forcibly over there to Titus O'Neil and it was completely inappropriate ... This may be pro wrestling, sports-entertainment, whatever you want to call it, but that was a serious moment. It's not a time to be shucking and jiving out there, so lay some type of punishment down. Fine him, this, that, or whatever. I don't know. Something was appropriate, but when I started hearing the racism things, I was like, 'I've got to roll my eyes and I've got to call complete and utter bullsh*t in this one.'" I guess it's back to staring at this GIF for another week and trying to figure out what happened. Now Watch: Watch The Incident That Got Titus O'Neil Suspended For 90 Days

For more than a week now, we've been trying to figure out what the hell's going on with WWE Superstar Titus O'Neil. He touched WWE chairman Vince McMahon during Daniel Bryan's retirement celebration and a weird shoving match occurred , leading to him being fined and suspended for 90 days, later reduced to 60. Word was that Vince wanted to straight-up fire him over it and had to be talked out of it. Some former stars like Batista have said Titus should leave the company based on how he's been treated. Who better to weigh in on the subject of "touching Vince McMahon against his will" than Stone Cold Steve Austin? On a recent episode of The Steve Austin Show

President Trump's recent tirade against immigrants from "shithole countries" has apparently reinvigorated Ann Coulter 's enthusiasm for the MAGA brand, if only temporarily. Coulter, who enthusiastically endorsed Trump mainly because of his stance on immigration, has been notably outspoken against the President for seemingly dragging his feet on the promised border wall among other campaign promises. But when news of of Trump's comments during a bipartisan Oval Office meeting broke, Coulter and her fellow anti-immigrant pundits have been going to town on the term "shithole," saying it describes a hard truth about the problems of immigration and has nothing to do with racism. The logic goes something like this: If these countries aren't shitholes, then why are immigrants so eager to leave them? Today, Coulter tweeted out this gem: Announcing the opening of Shithole Air -- Free, 1-way travel, back to the country of your choice! -- Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) January 12, 2018 Naturally, it prompted a strong response: https://twitter.com/FaridTheDeafGuy/status/951849090823802880 What flight are you leaving on? -- Jerome Dawson (@JeromeDawson3) January 12, 2018 -- HLBarrus (@HLMullaney) January 12, 2018 I am genuinely sad for you...what you must say in order to remain relevant is a travesty. -- Jo Dee (@JoDeeAdelung) January 13, 2018 Looking at images of Native Americans. Didn't see anyone resembling you. Where you flying to? -- ted washington (@tedwa) January 12, 2018 But one of the most biting responses came from model and activist Chrissy Teigan , who retweeted Coulter's failed joke and told her that playing to a racist following is something she'll regret later in life. "I don't believe you really believe all the things you say," Teigan tweeted to Coulter. "You found an opening in the racist, hateful marketplace and secured it. But when you're old, you will not be proud of the life you lived. Of anger and hate. Pandering to the angry and hateful. It really is a shame." I don't believe you really believe all the things you say. You found an opening in the racist, hateful marketplace and secured it. But when you're old, you will not be proud of the life you lived. Of anger and hate. Pandering to the angry and hateful. It really is a shame. https://t.co/py7rt7qQRv -- christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) January 12, 2018 A shame indeed.

President Trump's recent tirade against immigrants from "shithole countries" has apparently reinvigorated Ann Coulter 's enthusiasm for the MAGA brand, if only temporarily.

Researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Western Australia have today confirmed that a knobbly, brown fossil contains the first example of fossilised soft tissue from a dinosaur brain. The news has sparked a wave of dino-dippy enthusiasm: "the idea that this fossil might contain Dinosaur brain tissue blows my mind," tweeted C rystal Dilworth PhD. The organ is most likely a relative of the 135 million year-old Iguanodon (the bulky herbivores with the long tails). It was pickled after the animal died in swampy, sedimented, conditions. "The preservation of brain tissue in this way is so unbelievably unlikely that it just shouldn't have happened - yet here it is," said Martin Smith from the University of Durham. No mention has been made about the possibility of using the fossil to bring dinosaurs back. Though others have previously suggested that the genetic manipulation of birds could, in theory, allow dinosaurs to roam the earth again as soon as 2050. This latest announcement is only likely to fuel our growing raptor-rapture. T ake the success of sleepovers in the Dinosaur Gallery of the Natural History museum, the boom in dino-based virtual reality , and not one but four Jurassic Park films about their genetically engineered return. But are hopes of revivial as dangerous as they are headline-grabbing? Not because of what might return but because of what we are already about to lose. Far from dying out with the dinosaurs, extinction is alive and well in our present time. Just yesterday, a report warned that the world is on track to lose two-thirds of our wild animals by the end of the decade. Pollution, hunting, and the destruction of habitats by humans - be that directly through deforestation or indirectly through climate change - produced a 58% decline in animal populations between 1970 and 2012, with losses set to rise to 67% by 2020. While extinction rates are estimated to be 1,000-10,000 times normal background levels. Reversing this decline will require a full-scale change in how we consume resources, says WWF's Mike Barrett , from reducing meat consumption to ensuring our products come from sustainable supply chains . Fantasising over T-rex risks rendering us complacment about, or at least distracted from, the extinction crisis we currently face. So hold your tyrannosauruses and spare a thought for the species that we still have time to save. > Let's seize our chance of a progressive alliance in Richmond - or we'll all be losers

Researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Western Australia have today confirmed that a knobbly, brown fossil contains the first example of fossilised soft tissue from a dinosaur brain.

"The Constitution is not neutral. It was designed to take the government off the backs of the people."--Justice William O. Douglas Justice in America makes less sense with each passing day. A Michigan couple that has been raising chickens in their backyard as a source of healthy food for their family could get up to 90 days in jail for violating a local ban on backyard hens. A Kentucky prison guard who was charged with 25 counts of sexual abuse against female inmates, trafficking controlled substances, and 50 counts of official misconduct walks away with no jail time and seven years' probation. A 53-year-old Virginia man is facing 20 years in jail for kidnapping, despite the fact that key evidence shows him to be innocent and his accuser a liar, yet the courts claim they're unable to do anything about it. Meanwhile, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court's recent refusal to hear the case of Jones v. U.S.,judges can now punish individuals for crimes of which they may never have been convicted or even charged. With every ruling handed down, it becomes more apparent that we live in an age of hollow justice, with government courts, largely lacking in vision and scope, rendering narrow rulings focused on the letter of the law. This is true at all levels of the judiciary, but especially so in the highest court of the land, the U.S. Supreme Court, which is seemingly more concerned with establishing order and protecting government agents than with upholding the rights enshrined in the Constitution. read on...

"The Constitution is not neutral. It was designed to take the government off the backs of the people."--Justice William O. Douglas Justice in America makes less sense with each passing day. A Michigan couple that has been raising chickens in their backyard as a source of healthy food for their family could get up to 90 days in jail for violating a local ban on backyard hens.

Orlando: A shooting has erupted inside a nightclub packed with hundreds of people in the city's tourist district, killing two people and injuring 10 others, authorities said. It was the second mass shooting at a Florida nightclub this weekend. The shooting took place just before 1 am (local time) yesterday with about 300 people inside the Glitz Ultra Lounge. Three off-duty Orlando Police Department officers were working security at the club when the shooting started, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Representative image. AFP Police spokeswoman Michelle Guido said it's not clear what prompted the shooting or if any of the off-duty officers fired their weapons. As many as three shooters are being sought. One person was shot and killed inside the club, police said yesterday. Nine were taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds. Of those, one died at the hospital, one is in critical condition and the rest are being treated for injuries that were not life-threatening. Two others including one with a gunshot wound were seen at another hospital. In addition to the off-duty officers, the club has its own security, police said. Detectives are reviewing security video from the club in hopes of gleaning clues. In Tampa, eight people were shot at a strip club on Saturday. A 21-year-old man died. No arrests have been made in that case.

A shooting has erupted inside a nightclub packed with hundreds of people in the city's tourist district, killing two people and injuring 10 others, authorities said. It was the second mass shooting at a Florida nightclub this weekend. The shooting took place just before 1 am (local time) yesterday with about 300 people inside the Glitz Ultra Lounge.

At an event for Iowa's largest anti-gay group The Family Leader, 2012 presidential hopeful Herman Cain told Marie Diamond of Think Progress that he would not have a problem appointing an openly gay person to his cabinet -- because at least they're not a Muslim ! Said Cain: Nope, not at all. I wouldn't have a problem with that at all. I just want people who are qualified, I want them to believe in the Constitution of the United States of America. So yep, I don't have a problem with appointing an openly gay person. Because they're not going to try to put sharia law in our laws. Watch the clip, AFTER THE JUMP ... Cain made the comments while standing next to anti-gay activist Bob Vanderplaats, whose campaign last year successfully ousted three Supreme Court judges for their rulings legalizing marriage equality. The Des Moines Register made note of other portions of Cain's speech : "The retired Georgia businessman wove several references to God into his speech to 140 Pella-area conservatives, saying that laws come from God and that 'the biblical purpose for government is to punish evil and encourage good.' He later quoted the book of Matthew." On a side note, Chris Barron of gay conservative group GOProud offered Cain "kudos" for the support . Previously... Cain, Palin See Big Gains in Presidential Polling in Iowa [tr]

At an event for Iowa's largest anti-gay group The Family Leader, 2012 presidential hopeful Herman Cain told Marie Diamond of Think Progress that he would not have a problem appointing an openly gay person to his cabinet -- because at least they're not a Muslim !

The Senate is about to vote on the biggest overhaul of our immigration system in nearly three decades. This bill would effect every single Californian in one way or another. Each Senator should be concerned with how their constituents feel about the massive bill, and how the bill would impact their state. California has the highest population of illegal immigrants and therefore, our lawmakers should spend extra time considering how this bill would impact Americans in California. Especially the fiscal impacts of the bill on Americans and the implications for the unemployed Americans in California. Demand that Senator Barbara Boxer hold a town hall or similar public forum to discuss S 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act BEFORE she votes on the bill in May

The Senate is about to vote on the biggest overhaul of our immigration system in nearly three decades. This bill would effect every single Californian in one way or another. Each Senator should be concerned with how their constituents feel about the massive bill, and how the bill would impact their state. California has the highest population of illegal immigrants and therefore, our lawmakers should spend extra time considering how this bill would impact Americans in California. Especially the fiscal impacts of the bill on Americans and the implications for the unemployed Americans in California.

Veterans have given so much only to come home to face disrespect at the hands of employers. Show support for all veterans and thank them for what they have done by helping show solidarity for my wife Julie, an Iraq war veteran, who was literally slapped in the face by her former store manager then disrespected on veteran's day. Sterling Jewelers CEO Mark Light and other executives at corporate have refused to admit any wrong doing, and have continually refused to personally apologize and make things right. Nothing was done to the manager that slapped my wife and corporate said that it was "inappropriate touching", not assault, even though there were numerous witnesses to corroborate the incidents. The share holders must be made aware of how poorly these executives run the company and how badly employees are treated. This company puts profits over it's people. This is the same company sued by the EEOC in 2009 for pay discrimination. Evidence suggested that female employees were paid less than their male counterparts Since Julie has reported this to corporate and has refused to back down they have refused her a promotion, refused to give her a small raise on her anniversary, forced her to do the job of the second assistant manager for several months while they left the position unfilled (a position she posted for and was qualified for), she was not compensated for the excessive hours and extra work she had to do, and they threatened her on veteran's day with unemployment if she does not sell more jewelry by Dec 31st. That only scratches the surface of the disrespect they have continually shown her. Boycott all jewelry stores owned by Sterling (Kays, Beldens, Jareds, etc). Send them a strong message that we will not allow our veterans to be disrespected any day, let alone the day they are meant to be honored and thanked. Once the deadline is reached this petition will be forwarded to the board of share holders at Signet Jewelers, which owns Sterling Jewelers, and media outlets. *Sterling Jewelers is NOT an anti-veteran company and we do not allege that they are. These actions were NOT committed out of retaliation because Julie is a veteran, rather out of retaliation for standing up for herself and not giving in to them by pretending nothing happened and accepting their harassment. What we demand is that they admit fault and publicly apologize for the disrespect with which they have treated her on Veteran's day and all days previously. Mark Light is so arrogant that rather than respond to several requests I have made that asked him to personally apologize to my wife, or at least pretend he has any compassion for his employees, he decided to notify his attorney, Steve Zashin, who then threatened me with arrest for harassment if I kept contacting the CEO of a publicly held company about company issues. Being a Police Officer I knew they had no grounds and called them out on their idle threat and they since have not been able to muster any courage and do the right thing. Imagine the arrogance it takes to threaten a man who is defending the honor of his family. As of January 07th 2012 (one week after the cut off date they gave her) Julie is still employed with Sterling. She has contacted not only her manager, but corporate HR and Mark Light himself inquiring as to if she is going to be fired or if she will continue to have a job. She was told they are still looking into it and one week later have not given her any answer what-so-ever. She advised them she would like to know so that she can begin job-hunting and so that she can arrange child-care. Not one person from corporate has taken the initiative to give her any answer one way or another. Several employees still have vacation time they need to take, one will be out on maternity leave very soon, and they have inventory coming up. Is it a coincidence that they are now back peddling, and delaying the inevitable, since they realized they will be severely under-staffed for a few weeks? UPDATE 01/12/12. After sending Sterling CEO Mark Light an email demanding that they stop hanging Julie out to dry and at least tell her what their plans are they finally gave her a definitive answer, "you're fired". We can now thank Sterling Jewelers for plunging our family into the circumstance of the many others that they have put into unemployment and financial ruin. We are now basically a one person income household for no reason other than complete arrogance on the part of Mark Light, Sterling Jewelers, and Signet Jewelers. These people owe the hundreds of former employees they have sent out onto the streets for no other reason than not meeting over inflated selling goals a major apology. It is time to step down and reflect on what you have become and how you treat others.

Show support for all veterans and thank them for what they have done by helping show solidarity for my wife Julie, an Iraq war veteran, who was literally slapped in the face by her former store manager then disrespected on veteran's day. Sterling Jewelers CEO Mark Light and other executives at corporate have refused to admit any wrong doing, and have continually refused to personally apologize and make things right.

By Tom Blumer | May 17, 2015 11:52 PM EDT On May 5, PolitiFact's Louis Jacobson kept with the alleged "fact-checking" web site's actual role as pack of leftist hacks by issuing a fundamentally dishonest "Half True" ruling on a statement made by CarlyFiorina.org's cybersquatter. I raise the matter now because the web site's critics, while raising most of the relevant points, haven't gone far enough in tearing apart Jacobson's work. As his headline states, the cyberquatter "accuses Carly Fiorina of wishing she'd laid off 30,000 employees more quickly" during the Republican presidential candidate's tenure as Hewlett-Packard's CEO which ended a decade ago. The squatter is lying. She didn't make that statement in connection with H-P's layoffs. That should have been the end of it, but Jacobson still pretended that the lie is "Half True" in his evaluation.

PolitiFact's Louis Jacobson kept with the alleged "fact-checking" web site's actual role as pack of leftist hacks by issuing a fundamentally dishonest "Half True" ruling on a statement made by CarlyFiorina.org's cybersquatter.

Led by Saudi Arabia, several states in the Middle East and Africa have severed ties with Qatar since June 5, accusing the gas-rich Gulf state of supporting terrorism and Iran. Qatar denies the allegations. After cutting all transport ties with Qatar, Saudi Arabia says the rift is a bigger political issue than airspace rights and cannot be resolved at the UN's aviation agency, June 16, 2017. ( TRT World and Agencies ) Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and several other Sunni-majority countries have severed relations with Qatar since June 5, accusing the Gulf state of supporting terrorism based on its ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and the Taliban. Another point of departure is Qatar's ties with Iran, with whom it shares one of the world's biggest gas fields. Qatar has denied the accusations and called the collective decision " unjustified ." Kuwait, Turkey and the US have all urged a political solution as the bloc isolates Qatar using various ad hoc sanctions, including shutting down their airspace to Qataris and blocking import routes. The dispute began in May when Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani was reported to have made statements on the state news agency supporting Iran. Doha said the statements were fabricated and disseminated via a hack (Read more here ). Al Jazeera on June 8 reported a massive cross-platform cyberattack. Here are the latest developments in the crisis: June 19, Monday Qatar won't negotiate until economic boycott ends Qatar will not negotiate with Arab countries that have cut economic and transport ties with it unless they lift their measures against Doha, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani said. "Qatar is under blockade, there is no negotiation. They have to lift the blockade to start negotiations," he told reporters. "Until now we didn't' see any progress about lifting the blockade, which is the precondition for anything to move forward." Turkish troops hold exercises in Qatar in show of support Qatar held military exercises with Turkish troops on Monday, demonstrating one of its few strong alliances after more than two weeks of ostracism and economic isolation imposed by neighbours. Qatar's state-funded pan-Arab news channel Al Jazeera showed footage of a column of armoured personnel carriers moving through the streets. Qatar's diplomatic isolation could "last years": UAE A senior United Arab Emirates (UAE) official said powerful Arab neighbours could continue to isolate Qatar "for years" if it did not change course in its policy of supporting extremists and militant groups. Speaking to a small group of reporters in Paris, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said a list of grievances Arab nations had with Qatar would be completed in the next few days, and that Doha needed to move beyond its state of "denial". Gargash also urged Turkey, which has been supportive of Qatar, to remain balanced in the crisis and understand that it was in its interest to support Arab efforts. Qatar hits out at neighbours as rift enters the third week Qatar hit out at four Arab nations for cutting diplomatic ties and transport links over Doha's alleged support for terrorism, accusing them of a "publicity stunt" aimed solely at attacking its image and reputation. "The blockade has been ongoing for two weeks and the blockading nations have offered no formula for resolving the crisis," Qatar's Government Communications Office Director Sheikh Saif Bin Ahmed al Thani said in a statement. June 18, Sunday Turkish troops have arrived in Qatar for long-planned joint military exercises, Al Jazeera reported. The channel posted a video on its website of a column of armoured personnel carriers moving through streets. It said the troops had arrived on Sunday. Turkey's parliament on June 7 fast-tracked legislation to allow troops to be deployed to a military base in Qatar, two days after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Doha in the worst diplomatic crisis in the region in years. Kuwait's ruler calls for Gulf unity Kuwait's ruler called on Gulf Arab states to overcome a diplomatic dispute with Qatar that has led to the worst regional split in years, saying all parties had a duty to preserve regional unity. Sheikh Sabah al Ahmad al Jaber al Sabah, who is leading mediation efforts in resolving the Qatar crisis, said he hoped it could be solved through dialogue. For more on Sunday's developments click here. Source: TRTWorld and agencies

Led by Saudi Arabia, several states in the Middle East and Africa have severed ties with Qatar since June 5, accusing the gas-rich Gulf state of supporting terrorism and Iran.

Brazil unfurled a vast canvas celebrating its rainforest and the creative energy of its wildly diverse population in welcoming the world on Friday to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, all to the pulsating beat of samba, bossa nova and funk. Brazil's interim President Michel Temer declared open the first Games ever in South America. But in a display of the deep political divisions plaguing Brazil, he was jeered by some in the crowd at the famed Maracana soccer stadium. The opening ceremony was decidedly simple and low-tech, a reflection of Brazil's tough economic times. In one of the world's most unequal societies, the spectacle celebrated the culture of the favelas, the slums that hang vertiginously above the renowned beaches of Rio and ring the Maracana. There was no glossing over history either: from the arrival of the Portuguese and their conquest of the indigenous populations to the use of African slave labor for 400 years. The clash of cultures, as the ceremony showed, is what makes Brazil the complex mosaic that it is. Home to the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, Brazil used the ceremony to call on the 3 billion people watching the opening of the world's premiere sporting event to take care of the planet, plant seeds and protect the verdant land that Europeans found here five centuries ago. Unlike the opening ceremonies in Beijing in 2008 and London 2012, a financially constrained Brazil had little choice but to put on a more "analog" show, with minimal high-tech and a heavy dependence on the vast talent of Brazil and its Carnival party traditions. While the Rio 2016 organizing committee has not said how much the ceremony cost, it is believed to be about half of the $42 million spent by London in 2012. The show drew homegrown stars, like supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who walked across the stadium to the sound of bossa nova hit "Girl from Ipanema" and Paulinho da Viola, a samba songwriter who sang the national anthem with a string orchestra. Everyone performed for free. Loud cheers erupted when Brazil's beloved pioneer of aviation Alberto Santos-Dumont was depicted taking off from the stadium and flying over modern-day Rio. The joyful opening contrasted with months of turmoil and chaos, not only in the organization of the Olympics but across Brazil as it endures its worst economic recession in decades and a deep political crisis. Temer, flanked by dozens of heads of state, played a minor role in the ceremony, speaking just a few words. The leader who was supposed to preside over the Games, President Dilma Rousseff, was suspended last May to face an impeachment trial and tweeted that she was "sad to not be at the party." The $12 billion price tag to organize the Games has aggrieved many in the nation of 200 million and in Rio, where few can see the benefits of the spectacle or even afford to attend the Games. Due to Brazil's most intense security operation ever, some among the 50,000 attendees faced two-hour-long lines as Brazil staged its most intense security operation ever. PEOPLE ON THE PERIPHERY The creative minds behind the opening ceremony were determined to put on a show that would not offend a country in dire economic straits but would showcase the famously upbeat nature of Brazilians. It started with the beginning of life itself in Brazil, and the population that formed in the vast forests and built their communal huts, the ocas. The Portuguese bobbed to shore in boats, the African slaves rolled in on wheels and together they plowed through the forests and planted the seeds of modern Brazil. "They're talking about slavery? Wow," said Bryan Hossy, a black Brazilian who watched the ceremony in a bar in Copacabana. "They have to talk about that. It's our story." The mega-cities of Brazil formed in a dizzying video display as acrobats jumped from roof to roof of emerging buildings and then on to the steep favela that served as the front stage for the ceremony. From the favela came Brazilian funk, a contemporary mash-up of 20th century rhythms, sung by stars Karol Conka and 12-year-old MC Soffia. "This is a conquest. The people on the periphery are having an influence, it's a recognition of their art," said Eduardo Alves, director of social watchdog Observatorio de Favelas. Before the entry of a few thousand of the 11,000 athletes that will be competing in the Games, the playful rhythms of the ceremony gave way to a sober message about climate change and rampant deforestation of the Amazon. Actresses Judi Dench and Fernanda Montenegro lent their voices for a classic poem about hope for the future. Each athlete will be asked to plant seeds that will eventually grow into trees and be planted in the Athletes Forest in Rio in a few years. Brazilian runner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima lit the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony. Banner and thumbnail credit: Reuters, Kai Pfaffenbach

Brazil unfurled a vast canvas celebrating its rainforest and the creative energy of its wildly diverse population in welcoming the world on Friday to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, all to the pulsating beat of samba, bossa nova and funk. Brazil's interim President Michel Temer declared open the first Games ever in South America. But in a display of the deep political divisions plaguing Brazil, he was jeered by some in the crowd at the famed Maracana soccer stadium.

"At 87, Clint Eastwood is not only trying new things, he's trying daring new things, and his new film 15:17 to Paris represents one of the most audacious gambits of his career. To dramatize the tale of three Americans who tackled and subdued a heavily armed Islamist terrorist on a train out of Amsterdam in 2015, Eastwood cast the young men, none of whom had professional acting experience, as themselves. It's a decision with little precedent in the entire history of motion pictures." RAINBOW CITY, Ala. -- The small Alabama town of Rainbow city will be hosting an event Friday night to support law enforcement officials in light of the attack on police officers in Dallas, Texas. Held at Rainbow City's town hall, the night of prayer and thanks will start at 7:45 PM. On Thursday night, five police officers were shot and killed in a sniper-like attack in Dallas. The killings occurred at the same time as a protest against the use of deadly force by police against African-Americans and immediately fueled an already divisive national debate. In Rainbow City, police officers and any other first responders in attendance will be considered honored guests for the night. The event will feature prayer time for the recent victims of violence and a singing of "God Bless America." Rainbow City representative Mack Butler (R) advertised the event on his Facebook page. "[It is] to show support for our law enforcement officers and first responders, to pray for the families of our fallen law enforcement brothers in Dallas, to pray for our nation and ask God to heal our land. Please come tonight and join us as we pray and sing for God to Bless America. We hope to send a message from Northeast Alabama that will reverberate across the nation," he wrote . This is not the fist time Butler or Rainbow City have hosted a support event like this. Back in December of 2014, the town was targeted by an out-of-sate atheist group called The Freedom From Religion foundation that was seeking to remove the local nativity scene. Public support for the Nativity scene was so overwhelming that local church leaders organized a "Rally at the Manger" that was attended by hundreds of local residents in spite of the frigid weather. "This is 'Rainbow City,' a city with a name that indicates (the) promise (from) Genesis 9:13, 'I will set my bow in the clouds as a covenant between me and the earth,' State Sen. Phil Williams, who represents the town in the Alabama Senate, said. "The so-called 'Freedom From Religion' foundation is welcome to stay in Wisconsin and avoid being offended." "The Freedom From Religion Group from Wisconsin has strengthened the faith of our community," said Rep. Butler (R-Rainbow City). "I'm thankful to be a Christian," added Rainbow City Mayor Terry John Calhoun. "I'm honored to be your mayor. And as long as I'm mayor, I'm not removing that manger scene." Unlike the previous event, tonight's is not Rainbow City-specific. Anyone supporting law enforcement is encouraged by officials to attend. In one local example last August, an Alabama cop was pistol-whipped with his own gun . Instead of lending a helping hand, a crowd of bystanders posted photos on Facebook and Twitter that included some anti-police captions. Later, the officer said he didn't try to shoot his attacker because he didn't want the media to label him as a racist. Hoover City Police officers Eric Myers and Mike Davis were having breakfast Friday morning and got a pleasant surprise when they asked the waiter for the check. "We were at The Egg and I in Hoover off of Montgomery Highway," Myers told Yellowhammer. "When we completed our breakfast the waiter walked over to the table. I requested the ticket, but he handed me a note. Not thinking the note said 'I covered your meal,' I asked the waiter again. He pointed to the note and smiled." Upon opening the envelop, Myers and Davis found a note that said, "Thanks for your service. Have a safe day and cover your 6. Blue lives matter." (Photo: contributed) The letter did not include an individual's signature. "I'm not sure who bought it because it was fairly crowded in the restaurant," Myers explained. But it did close with the name of a motorcycle club, "Punishers LE/MC." A quick online search reveals that Punishers LE/MC is, according to their website, "a Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club whose members consist of current law enforcement, retired law Enforcement, firefighters, active and retired Military and a select few like-minded individuals, all of which possess the highest moral and ethical values; uncompromising integrity, trust and dedication." Punishers LE/MC has dozens of chapters around the country, including two in Alabama. In addition to riding with each other, the group raises money for charitable organizations, particularly those that benefit police officers, firefighters and their children. "It humbles me to know people still care for police," officer Myers said. The motorcycle club's decision to cover the cost of two Alabama officers' meal comes at a time when the relationship between law enforcement and the public has become a focus of the media nationally. In August, an Alabama cop was pistol-whipped with his own gun . Instead of lending a helping hand, a crowd of bystanders posted photos on Facebook and Twitter that included some less than police-friendly captions . Later, the officer said he didn't try to shoot his attacker because he didn't want the media to label him as a racist . U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) recently introduced the Thin Blue Line Act , which enforces harsher penalties on individuals targeting police officers and first responders. "The alarming spike in violence directed against the men and women entrusted with ensuring the safety and order of our society must be stopped," said Sen. Sessions. "The Thin Blue Line Act will help protect our officers by bringing harsher penalties to criminals committing these vile acts and by extending the protections afforded to federal officers to our local police and first responders. This legislation honors the message sent by law-abiding Americans that we cannot stand idly by as attacks are waged upon those who serve and protect our communities." Motorcycle club picks up restaurant tab for Alabama cops: 'Blue lives matter' https://t.co/kUnwTrJcFI -- Cliff Sims (@Cliff_Sims) December 4, 2015

The small Alabama town of Rainbow city will be hosting an event Friday night to support law enforcement officials in light of the attack on police officers in Dallas, Texas. Held at Rainbow City's town hall, the night of prayer and thanks will start at 7:45 PM. On Thursday night, five police officers were shot and killed in a sniper-like attack in Dallas. The killings occurred at the same time as a protest against the use of deadly force by police against African-Americans and immediately fueled an already divisive national debate.

Felicia L. Montalvo is the 2016 Technology Writing Fellow at Bitch Media . For 40 years, London's entirely volunteer-run Feminist Library has served as a vital public access point for free literature, zines, periodicals, classes, and community events focused on the preservation of women's history. Over the last year, the library has faced impending closure; organizers recently announced that they have until October 2016 to either find the funds to pay rent or find a new home. Unfortunately, the Feminist Library isn't the only library in the U.K. under threat--library campaigners predict nearly 1,000 closures will take place by 2016 . If you're like many people, you might think: Okay, but who needs libraries now that we have Google? Indeed, our favorite commercially owned, public tool for finding information took in $74.5 billion dollars in revenue in 2015 . With approximately 64 percent of the global search engine market in its pocket, Google has become the primary source for discovering, filtering, and preserving information about our history and our world. But as Librarian Karen Coyle argued in her incredibly prescient 1994 talk, " Access: Not Just Wires ," more files and more tech won't necessarily give us better access to information. Library automation and the rise of commercial interests that govern the dissemination of public information under the guise of "public tools" don't just threaten the value of information received by the public. They also have a profound effect on the roles of librarians and regulators of public information--roles that have for decades been taken up by women. "Information is a social good," notes Coyle, and over more than a century of tendering society's information resources, "the library profession has understood its responsibilities in both a social and historical context." The importance of the library profession and women's place within it is not just about presiding over valuable information. It's also about providing crucial spaces for community building and learning. As noted in a recent study by the Pew Research Center , women, minorities, those in poorer households, and those ages 30 and over are more likely to say libraries serve their needs very well. Women in particular were "more likely than men to be library users...and more likely to have the most positive views about the role of libraries in community and personal learning activities." Photo by BigOak (Creative Commons) The social responsibilities of librarianship--informed collection, selection, preservation, organization, and dissemination of information--are critical tasks in an information society. It's not enough to serve up information in listicle form, with sources ranked according to a mysterious algorithm . Part of the social responsibility involved in creating information systems, Coyle notes, lies in collecting sources that "support, complement, and even contradict each other"--it's necessary, for instance, to be able to tell the difference between "a piece on nuclear physics by a Nobel laureate and a physics diorama entered into a science fair by an 8-year-old." Commercially interested information systems have no such responsibility to their users. As Google notes on its algorithms info page : "algorithms are computer programs that look for clues to give you back exactly what you want." Within commercial systems, information is not a social good, it's bait to keep you loyal to the platform. The best information is the type that privileges advertisers and keeps you Googling. Even Larry Page and Sergey Brin themselves noted in their 1998 paper on the Google prototype that they "expect that advertising funded search engines will be inherently biased towards the advertisers and away from the needs of the consumers." In contrast, public library information systems are not governed by commercial entities and have a demonstrated interest in addressing the social and political context of the information they provide. Last year, after being approached by students at Dartmouth College and immigrants rights groups , the American Library Association proposed a resolution to the Library of Congress to change the index subject heading on immigration literature from "illegal aliens" to "undocumented citizens," noting that the former had become a dehumanizing, pejorative term "associated with nativist and racist sentiments." In response, the Library of Congress cancelled the term and replaced it with "noncitizens" and "unauthorized immigration," arguing that "undocumented immigrants" was also not an entirely accurate term as many immigrants do have documents. Can you imagine a company that recently made a move into selling political polling tools to media outlets and presidential campaigns publicly taking a side on an issue as polarizing as immigration? Me neither. Nevertheless, we continue to outsource our most precious resource, public information, to man-made machines, with the tacit understanding that such systems are inherently superior to those built and nurtured by women. When I spoke to Coyle recently, she pointed out that in the late 19th century, "libraries were seen as these sort of nanny institutions, almost entirely run by women." Yet as technology and early computing became integral to the field, the study of librarianship fractured into disciplines such as "information science," which created a legitimate path for men to enter the space without fear of association with fussy, shushing old biddies. Today, a quick search on the U.K. National Careers website yields a pretty gendered profile, pay range, and overall view of the careers of librarians and information scientists. Suzanne Hildenbrand, professor emeritus of Library and Information Studies at University at Buffalo, noted in her 1999 paper, "The Information Age Versus Gender Equity? ," the identification of technology with males offers a way to favor men while evidently advancing librarianship. "Industries founded on new skills are sex-typed." But the creation of information technology is not a distinctly male pursuit. It's a pursuit that has become the guiding force of digital capitalism and, as such, a key source of power. And as a key power source, information technology has been stripped of its history, a history that is embedded in the social work of female librarians, teachers, and computer programmers. It has instead evolved on the terms of those who define legitimate forms of information technology as faster, "intelligent" man-made machines that de-prioritize social responsibility in favor of information acquisition. As Coyle notes, "when compared to a library, Google appears masculine." Swaddled in the robes of intelligent data science and nurtured by myths of scientific objectivity, that commercially driven masculine power quickly somersaults into political power--which has the capacity to acquire, regulate, and disseminate public information. As the shadow of technoempire eclipses our last bastions of socially responsible information systems, women's libraries and women librarians need our support now more than ever. Commercial systems cannot be trusted to preserve our history. We need people who lived it, learned it, taught it, debated it--and who aren't interested in selling us Dove deodorant after we search for it. Last name Zip Code Email *

Felicia L. Montalvo is the 2016 Technology Writing Fellow at Bitch Media . For 40 years, London's entirely volunteer-run Feminist Library has served as a vital public access point for free literature, zines, periodicals, classes, and community events focused on the preservation of women's history. Over the last year, the library has faced impending closure; organizers recently announced that they have until October 2016 to either find the funds to pay rent or find a new home.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte began his anti-narcotics campaign in June last year, in which around 4,000 people have died so far. Neighbours of slain teenager Kian Loyd de los Santos light candles at his crypt on Wednesday. His murder by the police in President Rodrigo Duterte's so-called war on drugs has sparked protests and condemnation from civil society groups and prompted an investigation by the Philippine Senate. November 1, 2017. ( AP ) The families of thousands of victims in the Philippines' bloody war on drugs mourned on Wednesday at gatherings in churches and cemeteries in the capital, Manila, to call for justice. Priests at a special Catholic service on a gloomy All Saints Day prayed for and blessed photographs of those killed, and some relatives held a protest outside a police station whose officers have been blamed for deaths. President Rodrigo Duterte unleashed his signature anti-narcotics campaign immediately after taking office in June last year. Human rights groups believe many of the 3,900 deaths in police operations were summary executions. The police deny the accusations, saying the drug suspects were armed and had violently resisted arrest. Thousands of Filipinos flocked to cemeteries on All Saints' Day, known as "Todos Los Santos," to pay their respects to the dead by cleaning tombstones, placing flowers and lighting candles. "One important reason for celebrating 'Todos Los Santos' with the families is to remember their loved ones and draw inspiration and courage to seek truth and justice for those killed because of this war on drugs," Catholic priest Gilbert Billena said during the service. Nearly 80 percent of the Philippines' population of 100 million is Catholic, the vast majority of whom still practice with enthusiasm. Relatives sang hymns and wept, surrounded by placards calling for justice beside photographs of the slain, while a poster nearby read, "Address the roots of drug addiction." Normita Lopez, whose second-born Djastin Lopez was gunned down by police in May, mourned over her son's tomb at Manila's largest public cemetery. "Sometimes I talk to him, I tell his picture, 'Son, please visit me. I want to see you. I want to hug you, because I wasn't able to,'" Lopez said. "I really miss him now. I miss him so much. I miss his laugh. I miss his company." Lopez said her 25-year-old son had been accidentally caught in a police anti-drug sweep near their slum community in Manila and was allegedly framed for the death of a resident they did not know. There was no immediate response to a Reuters' text message to a police spokesman to seek comment. Police have earlier said those targeted in anti-drugs operations were involved in the drug trade or figured on a drugs watchlist. Last month, Duterte ordered police to withdraw from the anti-narcotics campaign and leave all operations to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, following scrutiny of police conduct. Source: TRTWorld and agencies

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte began his anti-narcotics campaign in June last year, in which around 4,000 people have died so far. Neighbours of slain teenager Kian Loyd de los Santos light candles at his crypt on Wednesday. His murder by the police in President Rodrigo Duterte's so-called war on drugs has sparked protests and condemnation from civil society groups and prompted an investigation by the Philippine Senate.

Attorneys for an Oregon couple who were punished by a state bureaucrat over a wedding cake are reviewing a federal appeals court decision. The Associated Press reported Dec. 28 that the Oregon Court of Appeals upheld a decision by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries that resulted in a $135,000 penalty against Aaron and Melissa Klein, who owned the bakery Sweetcakes by Melissa, located in Gresham. The Kleins refused to take an order for a same-sex wedding cake and the legal battle that ensued marked one of the country's first cases that pitted a business owner's religious views against non-discrimination laws that include homosexuals and lesbians. The Kleins argued that a liberal labor commissioner, Brad Avakian, violated their religious rights and free speech rights when he imposed the staggering fine for causing emotional distress to the lesbian couple. Avakinan garnered national attention for issuing a gag order to silence the Kleins and even demanding that they pay the fine using personal assets and not their business, The Washington Times has reported. Avakian was also known for advocating for homosexual rights, and the Kleins argued that he should have stepped away from their case after he issued a 122-page order that claimed the lesbians suffered 80 symptoms -- resuming smoking habits, weight gain, doubt, and worry -- from the incident that they described as "mental rape." Yet the Kleins failed to prove their case against Avakian, the AP story reported, and Avakian proclaimed the court ruling shows Oregon is "open to all." The decision against the Kleins comes just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Colorado baker Jack Phillips. That decision is expected next June. Writing about that pending decision at National Review, Kevin Williamson warned about the legal consequences if Christians are forced by "government bayonets" to perform a duty they are morally opposed to. He wrote : Telling a black man that he may not work in your bank because he is black is in reality a very different thing from telling a gay couple that you'd be happy to sell them cupcakes or cookies or pecan pies but you do not bake cakes for same-sex weddings -- however much the principle of the thing may seem superficially similar. If the public sphere is infinite, then the private sphere does not exist, and neither does private life. "Obviously this is a blow for the Constitution and the rule of law in this country, and I think it's a sad day in this country when people can be punished for their religious beliefs," says Mike Berry, the attorney at First Liberty who represents the Kleins. Asked about the Phillips' case, Berry says it's too early to know how that outcome will affect the Kleins. "It would really depend," he says, "on how broad or narrow of a ruling the Supreme Court issues in that case." Firsthand observers of the oral arguments left the courtroom predicting that Justice Anthony Kennedy (pictured at right), known as a swing vote, could side with Jack Phillips. First Liberty, in fact, is seeking what Justice Kennedy pointed out during the oral arguments. "Tolerance is really a two-way street in this country," says Berry, "and if we truly are going to be a nation that values diversity of all points of view and all beliefs, then tolerance really does have to run both ways."

Attorneys for an Oregon couple who were punished by a state bureaucrat over a wedding cake are reviewing a federal appeals court decision. The Associated Press reported Dec. 28 that the Oregon Court of Appeals upheld a decision by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries that resulted in a $135,000 penalty against Aaron and Melissa Klein, who owned the bakery Sweetcakes by Melissa, located in Gresham. The Kleins refused to take an order for a same-sex wedding cake and the legal battle that ensued marked one of the country's first cases that pitted a business owner's religious views against non-discrimination laws that include homosexuals and lesbians.

Is it time to consider raising the age of adulthood to 25, across the board? #AdultAt25 Adulthood and age requirements have gotten a lot of media attention lately. Buying guns, drinking alcohol, serving in the... Read More The legislation, called the Assault Weapons Ban of 2018, was introduced less than two weeks after the deadly shooting at a Parkland, Fla., high school that left 17 people dead. The gunman allegedly used an... President Trump has proposed raising the age requirement to 21 for purchasing so-called "assault weapons." Like the one Nikolas Cruz, 19, legally purchased and used to kill 17 people at a Florida high school on Feb. 14.... Another school shooting, more calls for gun control and President Trump. Two days of back to back presidential listening sessions, broadcast live and uncensored is an unprecedented first in American history. We are used to... Facebook just purchased a startup company, with technology that allows for quick verification that someone's identification documentation is authentic. Facebook has confirmed to TechCrunch that it has acquired the startup company, Confirm.io. The startup created an... On day three of the government shutdown, the Senate reached a deal to reopen the government, the House concurred on the short-term spending bill and President Trump signed, leaving Democrats pretty much empty-handed. President Trump... Coverage of the Senate fight to continue funding the government changed within minutes of shutdown. The liberal media propaganda machine kicked into gear. As I watched the countdown to shutdown last night, I noticed a... President Trump promised in his first inaugural address that his administration would be guided by one "crucial conviction: that a nation exists to serve its citizens." President Trump went on to say that "every decision on... DoD Official: Gen. Mattis Announces New National Defense Strategy To Rebuild Dominance, Enhance Deterrence WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2018 - The National Defense Strategy -- announced today is aimed at restoring America's competitive military advantage to deter Russia... A last-ditch battle to avert a looming US government shutdown moved to the Senate on Friday, where Democrats angered by the collapse of immigration talks have vowed to block a stop-gap funding bill. A government... HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHP) - A US Marshal was killed and another was injured after being ambushed by an unidentified gunman while serving an arrest warrant in a Harrisburg neighborhood Thursday morning, according to Dauphin County... President Trump revealed the winners of his self-proclaimed Fake News Awards Wednesday night on Twitter with The New York Times topping the list. Before naming the full list of Fake News Award "winners," the website... Apple accelerates US investment and job creation, $350 Billion Contribution to US Economy Over Next Five Years. Cupertino, California -- Apple today announced a new set of investments to build on its commitment to support the... An ongoing Battle of the Presidents on the economy has actual economists weighing in on the subject. Former President Obama regularly blamed his predecessor, George W. Bush, for economic woes. Often claiming he had "inherited"... DOJ, DHS Report: Three Out of Four Individuals Convicted of International Terrorism and Terrorism-Related Offenses were Foreign-Born Departments of Justice and Homeland Security Release Data for the First Time on Terrorism-Related Activity. Today, the Department... Japan; NHK posts online messages urging people to take shelter, days after similar error in Hawaii Japan public broadcaster, NHK, mistakenly sent an alert warning citizens about a North Korean missile launch and urging them... Iranian protestors spoke with Fox News via a social media app. They thank Trump and America for the support of their cause. They are risking their lives to bring freedom to Iran, and vow to... Private debt collectors cost the IRS, Internal Revenue Service, $20 million in the past fiscal year, but brought in only $6.7 million in back taxes. That was the assessment of the IRS agency's taxpayer advocate as reported... "You shouldn't be able to zone the 2nd Amendment out of the Bill of Rights." Businessmen and gun rights advocates filed a 2nd Amendment petition with the Supreme Court to overturn a zoning law in... Executive Allegedly Paid Bribes to a Russian Official So His Company Could Win Highly Sensitive Nuclear Fuel Transportation Contracts An 11-count indictment was handed down on Friday connected to the alleged Russian bribery, Uranium One, case...

Facebook has confirmed to TechCrunch that it has acquired the startup company, Confirm.io. The startup created an...

Statement from USI-AIT declaring its participation in the co-ordinated general strike of Italian base unions on June 22nd, and laying out both its political and social demands. The USI-AIT, together with its unions in the sectors - USI-Health, USI-Post Office, USI-LEL, USI- Social Cooperatives and USI-IUR - declares a general strike in the public and private sector for the entire day of 22 June 2012, with the exception of the Emilia Romagna region 1 for the . Given the continuing economic crisis, we demand that the government guarantees all income and services to continue living in dignity, recover resources lost by tax evasion and taxing higher incomes and eliminating wasteful spending such as on the military, spreading the available work, expanding social safety nets to all workers on an ongoing basis. The general strike is called: for the immediate withdrawal and cancellation of the so-called "Fornero Reform" of employment law and pensions; against any attempt to put the costs of the crisis only on workers with increasing the retirement age and freezing wages relative to inflation; for the renewal of employment contracts blocked by the government; for strong wage increases unrelated to productivity, and pensions and guaranteed income for all and adequate services; for the restoration of the rising income scale; for a drastic overall reduction in working hours for equal pay (less work but everyone works); for the abolition of the outside contract, so that all workers are directly employed by the company; cancellation of all prescription charges and free public health for all; for the elimination of school and university fees, frees chool text books for those with low incomes to ensure public and secular education; to ensure public transport (trains and city buses) free of charge for the unemployed and for low income earners; to ensure housing for all, especially public housing at fair rents; for the elimination of all forms of precarious employment and permanent employment of all temporary and illegally employed workers, because work is an important investment in security; for the elimination of military spending and against the logic of the police state; the savings resulting from these unnecessary expenses may be used to create new jobs and provide services such as health and education; for the abolition of all anti-strike legislation antisciopero; cancellation of large-scale investments (TAV, Messina Bridge, nuclear power plants, etc.). for the regularization (residence permit) of all immigrants and migrants. The National Secretary USI-AIT, Enrico Moroni 1. This is due to the earthquake which hit the region not so long ago and has made it difficult for USI's unions to get themselves prepared for the strike. - libcom ed.

Statement from USI-AIT declaring its participation in the co-ordinated general strike of Italian base unions on June 22nd, and laying out both its political and social demands.

A wave of optimism has swept across South Africa since Jacob Zuma resigned as president of the country last Wednesday. There was a collective sigh of relief that the 9-year scandal-ridden presidency of Zuma was finally over. Middle-class commentators said that a 'new dawn' has arrived. But Marxists have explained many times that the crisis facing South Africa is not that of an individual, a single political party nor one section of the ruling class. The political crisis is only an expression of the crisis of the capitalist system as a whole. And as long as the system survives, changes at the top will not result in changes of anything fundamental.

There was a collective sigh of relief that the 9-year scandal-ridden presidency of Zuma was finally over.

Free sign up cp newsletter! Actor and comedian Robin Williams was found dead in his home on Monday, and many have wondered about Williams' faith and how it played a role in his life and death. Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in the Episcopal Church. He often used his faith as a punchline in his comedy routines. "I don't understand the whole fundamentalist thing; you see, I'm an Episcopal; that's Catholic Light. Same religion, half the guilt!" he joked . Yet later on in life, Williams cited his faith and the idea of "mind over matter" as helping him get over his drug and alcohol addictions. He also noted that open-heart surgery, which he underwent in 2009, helped crack his facade and realize his own mortality, which he said was a blessing. "Oh, God, you find yourself getting emotional," he told The Guardian . "It breaks through your barrier; you've literally cracked the armor. And you've got no choice, it literally breaks you open. And you feel really mortal." Williams battled depression and addictions to alcohol and cocaine, and his publicist noted that he had "been battling severe depression of late." However, that has not stopped people from criticizing the comedian's death or mental illness. "You don't think that my life has been hell and I've had so many ups and downs now?" actor Todd Bridges told TMZ . "If I did that [commit suicide], what am I showing my children [is] that when it gets tough, that's the way out. You gotta buckle down, ask God to help you. That's when prayer really comes into effect. Rest in peace Robin Williams, I hope you found what you were looking for." Ironically, Williams spoke about the immortalization of celebrities once they pass away just four years before his own death. "In America, they really do mythologize people when they die," Williams told The Guardian. Perhaps one of the hardest things to accept is that behind all the laughter and smiles was someone dealing with immense pain and suffering. "It's hard because people want to know you're a certain thing," he told The L.A. Times in 1991. "They still say, 'That's the little manic guy. He's the little adrenaline guy. Oh yeah, he touches himself. He doesn't do that anymore. But wait a minute. He's the little manic guy who played the really quiet guy and then the really scary guy. Oh, no, wait ...'" "He was always in character," Jamie Masada, founder and chief executive of the Laugh Factory said. "I knew him 35 years, and I never knew him." The Laugh Factory paid tribute to Williams on Monday night, with their marquee reading, "Robin Williams Rest in Peace. Make God Laugh."

Actor and comedian Robin Williams was found dead in his home on Monday, and many have wondered about Williams' faith and how it played a role in his life and death. Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in the Episcopal Church. He often used his faith as a punchline in his comedy routines. "I don't understand the whole fundamentalist thing; you see, I'm an Episcopal; that's Catholic Light. Same religion, half the guilt!" he joked . Yet later on in life, Williams cited his faith and the idea of "mind over matter" as helping him get over his drug and alcohol addictions. He also noted that open-heart surgery, which he underwent in 2009, helped crack his facade and realize his own mortality, which he said was a blessing. "Oh, God, you find yourself getting emotional,"

For those who haven't heard of Nimisha Bhanot, Nimisha is an Indo-Canadian artist whose work "critiques the societal role and perception of South Asian women from a bicultural lens." At a time where we are facing the consequences of what many are calling a "feminist backlash" (see Susan Faludi if you haven't heard of the term before,and because she's genuinely badass), any art of resistance is important to support and talk about. It is also amazing to see that women are not taking the consequences of 2016 lying down, and 2017 has seen a surge in political activism. Part of that activism is about the importance of letting women be seen, and shown. We need to see the faces of all women (and not the privileged few). Hear their voices. Feel their pain and their happiness. Basically, we need to realize that all women have emotions, but they are also more than them at the same time. Nimisha's art does exactly that while giving her women a gaze that would make Mulvey proud, something which is particularly present in the two series of paintings she initially gained fame for: "Badass Brides" and "Badass Indian Pinups." I am lucky that I actually managed to have the pleasure of meeting Nimisha in London recently. I started by asking about one of her latest paintings, "The Shameless Menstruating Goddess," (top) a painting she has "wanted to do for a very long time." The painting was always something Nimisha wanted to paint because of all the "different cultural practices around menstrual shame" she heard growing up. Ever since she was young, Nimisha told me she would go to the temple. However, "when you're on your period, you're supposed to worship from far away. Whereas, normally in our ceremonies, you're supposed to touch the god's feet and participate in the prayer. When you're on your period you're not allowed to touch anything." She also told me this was especially confusing considering her religion worships a female goddess, so found herself asking herself questions like, "so does God get a period?" However, for now, let's go back to the work that started it all, which was from the collection "Badass Brides," and is entitled "OG Badass Bride" and is of Nimisha herself smoking a cigar. After that painting came the painting "Bad Ass Cop" (2012, oil on canvas, 36x48 inches), painted while Nimisha was still at university, along with the painting "Bride." Nimisha told me that those paintings were for her graduate exhibition, and became a series, which she created 3 more paintings for and became, "Badass Brides." Bad Ass Cop (2013) Oil on canvas, 36x48 inches via www.nimishabhanot.com Bride (2013) Oil on canvas, 36x48 inches via www.nimishabhanot.com Badass Indo-African Bride (2015) Oil on canvas, 36x48 inches via www.nimishabhanot.com Badass Indo-Candian Bride (2015) Oil on canvas, 36x48 inches via www.nimishabhanot.com After that, came the other series that Nimisha is perhaps most known for "Badass Indian Pinups." Originally, the pinups were intended as a break for Nimisha, as she said, "doing photo realistic paintings is...straining." The pinups in comparison were "a little bit more cartoony, a little more illustrative looking." However, what started out as something that was to give her a break became something she ended up "really liking," and it was something that other people reacted strongly to, and "really like it too." Now, Nimisha says she just does them for fun. She will, though, be "continuing the style of working from photographs" with her larger work. Nagini (2015) Oil on canvas, 30x48 inches via www.nimishabhanot.com What is particularly striking about both Nimisha's "Badass Brides" and "Badass Indian Pinups" collection is that they show Indian women taking part in things that would be considered taboo. Nimisha told me, "Indian girls will never smoke a cigarette outside in public and they won't drink boldly in front of everyone... at family weddings." While they do still engage in behaviors like smoking and drinking, it is something they will "always hide." They are also "discouraged from talking back and looking back so my girls look back." As well as "talking back." It is the title that does the talking back, as "It's meant to confront those people that stare and scrutinize." It for that reason that Nimisha focuses so much on the gaze in her paintings. Something she continued for her "Badass Bahus" series. Karvachauth (2015) Oil on canvas, 36x48 inches via www.nimishabhanot.com What Nimisha is also clear on is that the poses you see "are not sexualized for the male gaze. These are just women in their everyday life." What is different is that "they're looking directly at the viewer." The purpose of which is to make "you assess your own...limitations." They make you think why are you looking at these women like that because there is someone there "looking right back." Serving Looks, Not Nashtha (2015) Oil on canvas, 36x48 inches via www.nimishabhanot.com This gaze, then, as Nimisha describes it, is nothing if not "very confident." These women know they are "being judged," however, they "don't give a fuck." Sweeping Patriarchy Under The Rug (2015) Oil on canvas, 36x48 inches via www.nimishabhanot.com Her pin-up art is also about showcasing South Asian women, as although pin-up art has spread all around the world, you rarely if ever see "a woman of color in those paintings." Therefore, Nimisha thought, "It'd be really good to create work that is more reflective of the North American woman who is not just a white woman with blonde hair." I Love My India/ Watan Mera India (2015) Oil on canvas, 20x40 inches via www.nimishabhanot.com It's important as well that she shows these women wearing the Bindi and tattoos, and therefore, "appropriating this staple American art and showing brown women wearing henna...our jewelry, but also wearing Western clothing like jeans." Ironing Out Wrinkles In Your Perception (2015) Oil on canvas, 36x48 inches via www.nimishabhanot.com Free Download: Great Dames! Get inspired by some of our favorite interviews, featuring Dolly Parton, Solange, Tina Fey, Jessica Williams, Kathleen Hanna, Laverne Cox, the Broad City gals, and more! Plus, keep up with the latest from BUST. Nimisha stressed that this is significant in particular because of the cultural appropriation that is happening in the US especially; where Western fashion fetishizes Indian culture into what Nimisha refers to as "Indo-chic"; something that she feels has gained particular popularity at places like Coachella. After all, festivals, especially Coachella, have now become synonymous with celebrities, such as Kendall and Kylie Jenner and Vanessa Hudgens famously appropriating the Bindi. Selena Gomez also received criticism for wearing a Bindi during her performance of "Come and Get It" at her MTV Music Award performance, a move that was widely criticized by Hindu leaders. Nimisha's art, then, "is a talk back to that culture of appropriation. No, you can't just take these things that our community has faced violence for wearing...and make into some kind of fashion statement, and not have to bear or remember...all of the pain that came with the history of that." NoDoubtVevo/YouTube Gwen Stefani famously popularized the Bindi in the 1990s. Cultural appropriation, like many subjects, has become something of a sticky wicket nowadays, as many are criticized for it bringing up, even when the criticism is just. Much like how calling yourself a "feminist" still is treated within society. One of my defining moments of understanding how feminism is still treated was when a friend of mine told me that they were not a feminist because they believed in equal rights for both men and women. It upset me that feminism had become linked with solely promoting some sort of man-hating, misandry agenda, even though, for most people who define themselves as feminists, that is not the case (of course, there is always exceptions to the rule, but feminists have become defined by the exceptions rather than the majority). Nimisha, however, is a "loud and proud feminist." She actually was shocked when I asked her, telling me that "no one's ever asked me flat out" before, "because the work is quite self-explanatory." She totally believes that feminism is about "letting people live their lives how the want to and giving people a choice." This is, of course, self-evident in her pinup series. It is the women in the paintings choice how they dress or act, which is why the paintings are so deliberately provocative. They're shouting out to stop forcing women into one box. Beauty Of The Orient At Your Elbow (2015) Oil on canvas, 20x40 inches via www.nimishabhanot.com You'd think by now this would be just common sense, but the recent criticism that Emma Watson faced over her "topless" photoshoot for Vanity Fair shows that it is still not. Something which Nimisha understandably thought was ridiculous and said Emma Watson could "do a full nude photoshoot" if she wanted to and it still wouldn't "make her any less of a feminist". "For so long patriarchy has told us no, this is the right way and this is the wrong way but feminism is about understanding that we all have a choice," she says. Nimisha is also passionate about celebrating the in-between zone, especially in light of her bi-cultural heritage. She said that being a 1st or 2nd generation woman living in North America is not easy when you "go home to your Indian life," but then when you go outside, to school and to work, you "participate in something else." She describes herself and these women as occupying the spaces in-between: "We always live in between. Some days we're a little bit more Indian, some days we're a little bit more North American, and it's never the same every day and there's no way you can be too white or too brown, because it changes." Her paintings then are about "celebrating that in-between." What then is next for Nimisha? She told me that at the moment she is "booking photoshoots with models because I'm planning my complexion and body image series. I've been talking about it non-stop for ages and now I'm actually going to be starting it." This is something that she told me she has taken her time on because she wants it to "be different from a lot of the stuff I've seen already." She also has her "fingers crossed for... a solo show outside of Toronto sometime this year." I, for one, am beyond excited to see what she is going to do next to smash the patriarchy and expectations of what a woman (especially women of color) are and can be. Not Your Mom's Bahu (2015) Oil on canvas, 20x28 inches via www.nimishabhanot.com April is a Masters student studying Journalism and Media Communications at the University of Hertfordshire, who is pursuing a career in Journalism. She is passionate about issues surrounding women's rights and LBGTQ+ rights, and this can often be seen in her work. That, and her love of literature and film so expect to see a lot of posts about how pop culture and issues of representation intersect. Follow her at www.aprilisthecrullestmonth. org , on Facebook @ aprilisthecruellestm onthblog , onTwitter @aprilcruelmonth , and on Instagram @aprilisthecruellestmonth .

For those who haven't heard of Nimisha Bhanot, Nimisha is an Indo-Canadian artist whose work "critiques the societal role and perception of South Asian women from a bicultural lens." At a time where we are facing the consequences of what many are calling a "feminist backlash" (see Susan Faludi if you haven't heard of the term before,and because she's genuinely badass), any art of resistance is important to support and talk about. It is also amazing to see that women are not taking the consequences of 2016 lying down, and 2017 has seen a surge in political activism.

Just so we're clear: Eight years of rising anti-Semitism on college campuses and abroad. Eight years of French Jews too scared to wear their kipot (yarmulkes) on the streets and observe their religion openly. Eight years of Jews fleeing France for Israel, at a record-setting pace. Daily stabbings of Jews, including American Jews, a kosher butcher slain in his market, with no mention by our then-President Obama. The Holocaust museum in Washington assaulted by a white supremacist, a stabbing at a temple in Brooklyn, Jewish college kids heckled and assaulted on college campuses, and utter silence. Eight years and nothing. Then, one month and everything? You want to blame the anti-Semitic rise on a President? Well, here is the name of the President you should be blaming: Barack Obama. For just a second, forget about his anti-Semitic treatment of Israel and his absolute dereliction of speech regarding France. Under his watch, college campuses became a breeding ground for anti-Jewish sentiment. Under his watch, college students were forced into silence. And, even more so, absolute silence from "Jewish" groups like the ADL and other leftist Jewish political organizations. The former president's laissez-faire attitude toward a regime that not only denies the Holocaust but, ironically, calls for another one is what gives anti-Semitism legs to stand on. It is not President Trump denouncing a defunct organization like the KKK, but it is calling a Jewish prime minister of a Jewish state a "chicken s--t." That is what breeds anti-Semitism and allows it to fester. It is not an anomalous one-time omission of Jews by President Trump at a Holocaust speech but rather an administration that signs a dangerous treaty with Iran. The rise of the anti-Semitic BDS movement occurred under whose watch? Calls for bands not to play in Israel occurred under whose watch? Barack Obama's anti-Israel policy, and by proxy anti-Jewish policy, has set Jewish security around the world back to the 1930s. It was an anti-Semitic, anti-Israel bigot who presided over which president's wedding? But facts don't matter to the media and the left, do they. As a Jew, this isn't easy for me to talk about. I don't like to break ranks, but the mock outrage and the self-loathing that are coming out now, from groups like the ADL is nauseating and repulsive. The outrage from leftist Jews across America, who represent about 75 percent of my people, is downright dangerous. Did you really think eight years of anti-Jewish foreign policy wouldn't breed hatred in America? Have you learned nothing? Did you really think hurling insults at a prime minister would have no adverse reaction? And yet, you said nothing, and now your words mean nothing. You stand for nothing, and you fall for everything. Where was this outrage, when it needed to be addressed? Why were you not calling for Obama to say something? It just didn't fit your myopic narrative, plain and simple. Now "WE" in the United States have tombstones overturned and community centers being targeted. And now that it is "HERE," you finally raise your voice? Well, many of us have two words for you, ADL: Shut up. You are complete and absolute phonies and an arm of the Democratic Party. You are allowing yourselves to be used as pawns, right now, in a proxy war in your party. Keith Ellison is about to become the chair of the DNC and again we have SILENCE. You choose to go after "so-called threats," and yet not after an "acknowledged threat." If you don't think that this lazy attitude toward radical Islam is a principal cause of the rise in anti-Semitism and that it's the fault of the newly elected president, then you are as responsible as the past president for this anti-Semitic mess. Not once, Abraham Foxman, have you called out George Soros. Take out of the equation his collaboration with the Nazis. But his funding of the BDS movement and his funding of the anti-Semitic Black Lives Matter are unacceptable. Your silence hasn't been deafening, it's been sadly telling. Soros funds every protest, and each protest almost always has anti-Semitic, anti-Israel propaganda being bandied about. Where were your calls of righteous indignation, when the Palestinian flag was being flown at the DNC? Of course, they were nowhere. The difference between a liberal Jew and a conservative Jew is that "a liberal Jews claims to love Jews and hates Israel, and a conservative Jew 'hates' Jews but loves Israel." Ironic, isn't it, that President Trump treats Bibi and Israel with respect and dignity, whereas Obama treated Israel as the enemy. Now who's the anti-Semite? Yes, these current threats are horrible, but not for a second can the blame fall on President Trump. It's easy, it fits a narrative, but for a people who claim to be intellectuals, you are being stone-cold idiots. This isn't a Trump problem; it's an Obama leftist Jew problem. You were silent, and now they are getting louder. Moreover, since the left of all ilk claims intellectual prowess, consider eight years of rising anti-Semitism and a president in power for only a month. Is math all of a sudden not your strong suit?

Just so we're clear: Eight years of rising anti-Semitism on college campuses and abroad. Eight years of French Jews too scared to wear their kipot (yarmulkes) on the streets and observe their religion openly. Eight years of Jews fleeing France for Israel, at a record-setting pace.

Butler News in Pennsylvania identified this man as John Pisone, seen here harassing a group of anti-fracking protestors and making incredibly racist remarks and monkey noises to the black cameraman. In the video, the man repeatedly boasts that he works for a living and accuses the others of being lazy parasites. From Raw Story : "Have you actually done something with your life, have you had any kind of a job?" the man asks one of the older activists, who laughs in his face. "Just like this chimp right here," the man continues, motioning at the camera. "What did you say?" one of the activists asks. "Yeah, chimp," the man replies. "A f*cking n****r right here with a mop on his head. I don't give a f*ck. He's milking my f*cking tax dollars." "We're peaceful, we do not need your antagonism," one of the protesters says. The man responds by mocking the group with chimp-like noises. He goes on to explain that he had time to "tease" activists because his job was rained out that day. But after the video was posted, someone recognized him and alerted his employer, MMC Land Management, who promptly fired him . They said in a statement: Today, we were disgusted to learn that one of MMC's former employees used racial slurs and made racially charged comments during a peaceful protest in Mars, Pennsylvania, outside of work hours at a location with which we have no affiliation. We are sorry that this incident occurred. Whether at work or not, we do not condone hate speech - EVER. Read the rest

Butler News in Pennsylvania identified this man as John Pisone, seen here harassing a group of anti-fracking protestors and making incredibly racist remarks and monkey noises to the black cameraman. In the video, the man repeatedly boasts that he works for a living and accuses the others of being lazy parasites.

If you are the sort of person who likes guessing games, you may wish to spend the next few moments pondering which of the preceding explanations seem to have merit and which don't. Hint: of the seven major explanations on the list, only three can be shown to have contributed to the drop in crime. The others are, for the most part, figments of someone's imagination, self-interest, or wishful thinking. Further hint: one of the greatest measurable causes of the crime drop does not appear on the list at all, for it didn't receive a single newspaper mention. Think back for a moment to Romania in 1966. Suddenly and without warning, Nicolae Ceausescu declared abortion illegal. The children born in the wake of the abortion ban were much more likely to become criminals than children born earlier. Why was that? Studies in other parts of Eastern Europe and in Scandinavia from the 1930s through the 1960s reveal a similar trend. In most of these cases, abortion was not forbidden outright, but a woman had to receive permission from a judge in order to obtain one. Researchers found that in the instances where the woman was denied an abortion, she often resented her baby and failed to provide it with a good home. Even when controlling for the income, age, education, and health of the mother, the researchers found that these children too were more likely to become criminals. The United States, meanwhile, has had a different abortion history than Europe. In the early days of the nation, it was permissible to have an abortion prior to "quickening"-that is, when the first movements of the fetus could be felt, usually around the sixteenth to eighteenth week of pregnancy. In 1828, New York became the first state to restrict abortion; by 1900 it had been made illegal throughout the country. Abortion in the twentieth century was often dangerous and usually expensive. Fewer poor women, therefore, had abortions. They also had less access to birth control. What they did have, accordingly, was a lot more babies. In the late 1960s, several states began to allow abortion under extreme circumstances: rape, incest, or danger to the mother. By 1970 five states had made abortion entirely legal and broadly available: New York, California, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii. On January 22, 1973, legalized abortion was suddenly extended to the entire country with the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade. The majority opinion, written by Justice Harry Blackmun, spoke specifically to the would-be mother's predicament: The detriment that the State would impose upon the pregnant woman by denying this choice altogether is apparent. . . . Maternity, or additional offspring, may force upon the woman a distressful life and future. Psychological harm may be imminent. Mental and physical health may be taxed by child care. There is also the distress, for all concerned, associated with the unwanted child, and there is the problem of bringing a child into a family already unable, psychologically and otherwise, to care for it. The Supreme Court gave voice to what the mothers in Romania and Scandinavia-and elsewhere-had long known: when a woman does not want to have a child, she usually has good reason. She may be unmarried or in a bad marriage. She may consider herself too poor to raise a child. She may think her life is too unstable or unhappy, or she may think that her drinking or drug use will damage the baby's health. She may believe that she is too young or hasn't yet received enough education. She may want a child badly but in a few years, not now. For any of a hundred reasons, she may feel that she cannot provide a home environment that is conducive to raising a healthy and productive child. In the first year after Roe v. Wade, some 750,000 women had abortions in the United States (representing one abortion for every four live births). By 1980 the number of abortions reached 1.6 million (one for every 2.25 live births), where it leveled off. In a country of 225 million people, 1.6 million abortions per year-one for every 140 Americans-may not have seemed so dramatic. In the first year after Nicolae Ceausescu's death, when abortion was reinstated in Romania, there was one abortion for every 22 Romanians. But still: 1.6 million American women a year who got pregnant were suddenly not having those babies. Before Roe v. Wade, it was predominantly the daughters of middle or upper-class families who could arrange and afford a safe illegal abortion. Now, instead of an illegal procedure that might cost $500, any woman could easily obtain an abortion, often for less than $100. What sort of woman was most likely to take advantage of Roe v. Wade? Very often she was unmarried or in her teens or poor, and sometimes all three. What sort of future might her child have had? One study has shown that the typical child who went unborn in the earliest years of legalized abortion would have been 50 percent more likely than average to live in poverty; he would have also been 60 percent more likely to grow up with just one parent. These two factors-childhood poverty and a single-parent household-are among the strongest predictors that a child will have a criminal future. Growing up in a single-parent home roughly doubles a child's propensity to commit crime. So does having a teenage mother. Another study has shown that low maternal education is the single most powerful factor leading to criminality. In other words, the very factors that drove millions of American women to have an abortion also seemed to predict that their children, had they been born, would have led unhappy and possibly criminal lives. To be sure, the legalization of abortion in the United States had myriad consequences. Infanticide fell dramatically. So did shotgun marriages, as well as the number of babies put up for adoption (which has led to the boom in the adoption of foreign babies). Conceptions rose by nearly 30 percent, but births actually fell by 6 percent, indicating that many women were using abortion as a method of birth control, a crude and drastic sort of insurance policy. Perhaps the most dramatic effect of legalized abortion, however, and one that would take years to reveal itself, was its impact on crime. In the early 1990s, just as the first cohort of children born after Roe v. Wade was hitting its late teen years-the years during which young men enter their criminal prime-the rate of crime began to fall. What this cohort was missing, of course, were the children who stood the greatest chance of becoming criminals. And the crime rate continued to fall as an entire generation came of age minus the children whose mothers had not wanted to bring a child into the world. Legalized abortion led to less unwantedness; unwantedness leads to high crime; legalized abortion, therefore, led to less crime. This theory is bound to provoke a variety of reactions, ranging from disbelief to revulsion, and a variety of objections, ranging from the quotidian to the moral. The likeliest first objection is the most straightforward one: is the theory true? Perhaps abortion and crime are merely correlated and not causal. It may be more comforting to believe what the newspapers say, that the drop in crime was due to brilliant policing and clever gun control and a surging economy. We have evolved with a tendency to link causality to things we can touch or feel, not to some distant or difficult phenomenon. We believe especially in near-term causes: a snake bites your friend, he screams with pain, and he dies. The snakebite, you conclude, must have killed him. Most of the time, such a reckoning is correct. But when it comes to cause and effect, there is often a trap in such open-and-shut thinking. We smirk now when we think of ancient cultures that embraced faulty causes-the warriors who believed, for instance, that it was their raping of a virgin that brought them victory on the battlefield. But we too embrace faulty causes, usually at the urging of an expert proclaiming a truth in which he has a vested interest. How, then, can we tell if the abortion-crime link is a case of causality rather than simply correlation? One way to test the effect of abortion on crime would be to measure crime data in the five states where abortion was made legal before the Supreme Court extended abortion rights to the rest of the country. In New York, California, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii, a woman had been able to obtain a legal abortion for at least two years before Roe v. Wade. And indeed, those early-legalizing states saw crime begin to fall earlier than the other 45 states and the District of Columbia. Between 1988 and 1994, violent crime in the early-legalizing states fell 13 percent compared to the other states; between 1994 and 1997, their murder rates fell 23 percent more than those of the other states. But what if those early legalizers simply got lucky? What else might we look for in the data to establish an abortion-crime link? One factor to look for would be a correlation between each state's abortion rate and its crime rate. Sure enough, the states with the highest abortion rates in the 1970s experienced the greatest crime drops in the 1990s, while states with low abortion rates experienced smaller crime drops. (This correlation exists even when controlling for a variety of factors that influence crime: a state's level of incarceration, number of police, and its economic situation.) Since 1985, states with high abortion rates have experienced a roughly 30 percent drop in crime relative to low-abortion states. (New York City had high abortion rates and lay within an early-legalizing state, a pair of facts that further dampen the claim that innovative policing caused the crime drop.) Moreover, there was no link between a given state's abortion rate and its crime rate before the late 1980s-when the first cohort affected by legalized abortion was reaching its criminal prime-which is yet another indication that Roe v. Wade was indeed the event that tipped the crime scale. There are even more correlations, positive and negative, that shore up the abortion-crime link. In states with high abortion rates, the entire decline in crime was among the post-Roe cohort as opposed to older criminals. Also, studies of Australia and Canada have since established a similar link between legalized abortion and crime. And the post-Roe cohort was not only missing thousands of young male criminals but also thousands of single, teenage mothers-for many of the aborted baby girls would have been the children most likely to replicate their own mothers' tendencies. To discover that abortion was one of the greatest crime-lowering factors in American history is, needless to say, jarring. It feels less Darwinian than Swiftian; it calls to mind a long ago dart attributed to G. K. Chesterton: when there aren't enough hats to go around, the problem isn't solved by lopping off some heads. The crime drop was, in the language of economists, an "unintended benefit" of legalized abortion. But one need not oppose abortion on moral or religious grounds to feel shaken by the notion of a private sadness being converted into a public good. Indeed, there are plenty of people who consider abortion itself to be a violent crime. One legal scholar called legalized abortion worse than either slavery (since it routinely involves death) or the Holocaust (since the number of post-Roe abortions in the United States, roughly thirty-seven million as of 2004, outnumber the six million Jews killed in Europe). Whether or not one feels so strongly about abortion, it remains a singularly charged issue. Anthony V. Bouza, a former top police official in both the Bronx and Minneapolis, discovered this when he ran for Minnesota governor in 1994. A few years earlier, Bouza had written a book in which he called abortion "arguably the only effective crime-prevention device adopted in this nation since the late 1960s." When Bouza's opinion was publicized just before the election, he fell sharply in the polls. And then he lost. However a person feels about abortion, a question is likely to come to mind: What are we to make of the trade-off of more abortion for less crime? Is it even possible to put a number on such a complicated transaction? As it happens, economists have a curious habit of affixing numbers to complicated transactions. Consider the effort to save the northern spotted owl from extinction. One economic study found that in order to protect roughly 5,000 owls, the opportunity costs-that is, the income surrendered by the logging industry and others-would be $46 billion, or just over $9 million per owl. After the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, another study estimated the amount that the typical American household would be willing to pay to avoid another such disaster: $31. An economist can affix a value even to a particular body part. Consider the schedule that the state of Connecticut uses to compensate for work-related injuries. LOST OR DAMAGED BODY PART COMPENSATED WEEKS OF PAY Finger (first) 36 Finger (second) 29 Finger (third) 21 Finger (fourth) 17 Thumb (master hand) 63 Thumb (other hand) 54 Hand (master) 168 Hand (other) 155 Arm (master) 208 Arm (other) 194 Toe (great) 28 Toe (any other) 9 Foot 125 Nose 35 Eye 157 Kidney 117 Liver 347 Pancreas 416 Heart 520 Mammary 35 Ovary 35 Testis 35 Penis 35-104 Vagina 35-104 Now, for the sake of argument, let's ask an outrageous question: what is the relative value between a fetus and a newborn? If faced with the Solomonic task of sacrificing the life of one newborn for an indeterminate number of fetuses, what number might you choose? This is nothing but a thought exercise-obviously there is no right answer-but it may help clarify the impact of abortion on crime. For a person who is either resolutely pro-life or resolutely pro-choice, this is a simple calculation. The first, believing that life begins at conception, would likely consider the value of a newborn versus the value of a fetus to be 1:1. The second person, believing that a woman's right to an abortion trumps any other factor, would likely argue that no number of fetuses can equal even one newborn. But let's consider a third person. (If you identify strongly with either person number one or person number two, the following exercise might strike you as offensive, and you may want to skip this paragraph and the next.) This third person does not believe that a fetus is the 1:1 equivalent of a newborn, yet neither does he believe that a fetus has no relative value. Let's say that he is forced, for the sake of argument, to affix a relative value, and he decides that 1 newborn is worth 100 fetuses. There are roughly 1.5 million abortions in the United States every year. For a person who believes that 1 newborn is worth 100 fetuses, those 1.5 million abortions would translate-dividing 1.5 million by 100-into the equivalent of a loss of 15,000 human lives. Fifteen thousand lives: that happens to be about the same number of people who die in homicides in the United States every year. And it is far more than the number of homicides eliminated each year due to legalized abortion. So even for someone who considers a fetus to be worth only one one-hundredth of a human being, the trade-off between higher abortion and lower crime is, by an economist's reckoning, terribly inefficient. What the link between abortion and crime does say is this: When the government gives a woman the opportunity to make her own decision about abortion, she generally does a good job of figuring out if she is in a position to raise the baby well. If she decides she can't, she often chooses the abortion. But once a woman decides she will have her baby, a pressing question arises: what are parents supposed to do once a child is born? 2 (current)

Nicolae Ceausescu declared abortion illegal. The children born in the wake of the abortion ban were much more likely to become criminals than children born earlier. Why was that? Studies in other parts of Eastern Europe and in Scandinavia from the 1930s through the 1960s reveal a similar trend. In most of these cases, abortion was not forbidden outright, but a woman had to receive permission from a judge in order to obtain one. Researchers found that in the instances where the woman was denied an abortion, she often resented her baby and failed to provide it with a good home. Even when controlling for the income, age, education, and health of the mother, the researchers found that these children too were more likely to become criminals.

The FDA is finally putting a stop to food companies trying to tempt customers who can't distinguish baking ingredients from symbolic forms of affection. Officials from the US Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to the owners of Nashoba Brook Bakery warning them the company was violating label regulations by listing "love" as an ingredient in its granola, according to Bloomberg News . "Love" is not a common or usual name of an ingredient, and is considered to be intervening material because it is not part of the common or usual name of the ingredient," the FDA wrote in the letter. John Gates, CEO of Nashoba Brook Bakery, said the FDA's warning about the granola "ingredient" was "silly." "I really like that we list 'love' in the granola," Gates said in a telephone interview with Bloomberg News Tuesday. "People ask us what makes it so good. It's kind of nice that this artisan bakery can say there's love in it and it puts a smile on people's face. Situations like that where the government is telling you you can't list 'love' as an ingredient, because it might be deceptive, just feels so silly." The letter also warned food products were "prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth, or whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health." "Some of FDA's observations, particularly on some of the sanitation issues, were helpful," Gates said.

The FDA is finally putting a stop to food companies trying to tempt customers who can't distinguish baking ingredients from symbolic forms of affection. Officials from the US Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to the owners of Nashoba Brook Bakery warning them the company was violating label regulations by listing "love" as an ingredient in its granola, according to Bloomberg News .

Tuesday, January 13th, 2015 Tuesday, January 13th, 2015 Poland's Shale Gas Boom Halted by 400-Day Blockade of Chevron Drill Site Zurawlow, in south-eastern Poland, where people successfully campaigned against drilling by Chevron. The protest banner reads: 'Poland has gas, America has profits.' Photograph: Stanislaw Wadas/Demo by Arthur Neslen / The Guardian "Whenever Chevron organised anything, we demonstrated," said Barbara Siegienczuk, 54, leader of the local anti-shale gas protest group Green Zurawlow in south-eastern Poland. "We made banners and placards and put posters up around the village. Only 96 people live in Zurawlow - children and old people included - but we stopped Chevron!" For 400 days, farmers and their families from Zurawlow and four nearby villages blockaded a proposed Chevron shale drilling site with tractors and agricultural machinery. Eventually, in July, the company abandoned its plans. The Zurawlow blockade influenced the UK's anti-fracking protests at Balcombe in the summer of 2013, and similar battles have flared across Poland since the country became Europe's front line for shale gas exploration. A soon-to-be-updated study by the Polish Geological Institute in March 2012 estimated that recoverable shale gas volumes under the country at between 346bn and 768bn cubic metres - the third biggest in Europe and enough to supply the country's gas needs for between 35 and 65 years. Bordering volatile Ukraine and heavily reliant on gas from Putin's Russia, the promise of secure domestically-produced energy made politicians sit up. A year earlier, in September 2011, the country's then-president Donald Tusk made a bold claim that the shale industry would begin commercial drilling in 2014. "After years of dependence on our large neighbour (Russia), today we can say that my generation will see the day when we will be independent in the area of natural gas and we will be setting terms," he said, adding that well conducted exploration, "would not pose a danger to the environment." But things haven't turned out that way. Plans for a shale gas-fuelled economic revival appear to be evaporating as test wells have not performed as expected or have suffered regulatory delays. Foreign investors have pulled out and sustained environmental protests like that in Zurawlow have hampered drilling plans. Officials privately talk of the shale experiment as a 'disaster'. In September, 3Legs Resources became the latest firm to call a halt on investments after disappointing results. Six weeks before, its chief financial officer, Alex Fraser, had said they were "potentially on the threshold of a very significant result," involving "potentially hundreds of wells". Barbara Siegienczuk, leader of the local anti-shale gas protest group Green Zurawlow, with her husband and co-activist, Andrzej Bak. Photograph: Stanislaw Wadas/Demotix "Companies' expectations were very high and now we learn that this is a long term process," said Pawel Mikusek, a spokesman for Poland's environment ministry. "The experience of the US is that it also took a long time to reach industrial use - 10-15 years - so we need to be more patient. We don't have such high expectations as two or three years ago." But with falling oil prices, continued supplies of cheap coal and EU pressure to increase cost-competitive renewable power generation, the shale gas industry needs positive results fast, and less controversy. 2015 will be a "pivotal" year for the Polish industry, according to industry group Shale Gas Europe. Multi-billion dollar tax incentives are in the pipeline and a new law should soon speed up permitting processes that can take years. But this has already sparked an EU legal action for allowing firms to drill at depths of up to 5,000m without first assessing environmental risks. Seven of the 11 multinationals which invested in Poland - including Exxon, Talisman and Marathon - have already pulled out, citing permit delays and disappointing results. Most shale activity is now being led by Poland's state-controlled PGNiG, and by Orlen and Lotus. Just 66 wells have been drilled to date - 12 involving horizontal fracking - and permits for a further 27 drills were put on hold in the southeastern Tomaszow Lubelski region last month, pending the outcome of a lengthy inquiry. Analysts blame regulatory hold-ups for fraying investors nerves, but in Tomaszow Lubelski, which is home to a forest protected under Europe's gold-standard 'Natura 2000' scheme and a proposed Unesco biosphere, environmental protestors claim credit for throwing a pitchfork in the industry's wheels. Poland's environment ministry says that shale gas is hugely popular but mobilisations against it were impressive and fuelled by claims that damage had already been done. "Roads were damaged and destroyed when seismic tests were done with heavy machinery," said Slawomir Damiluk, 50, a farmer in nearby Rogow. "The fact is that people's houses had cracks in their walls afterwards. When Chevron tried to start up with their machinery, I was one who was involved. We blocked the entry roads." Supported by urban greens, anarchists, squatters and vegans, villagers set up a colourful protest camp - complete with a cinema, online live-streaming, samba bands and installation art - and occupied the site around the clock. "The women who lived here began learning how to cook without meat because during the protest we had agreed that nobody would go hungry," Siegienczuk said. "We opened our minds and hearts to people who looked and ate differently, from another culture." Dozens of protesters were arrested in the 14-month campaign, and many more were filmed by mystery cameramen whose stills were used in subsequent court cases. Siegienczuk believes that her phone was tapped. "Once, I heard several people talking on the line and a male voice asked 'are we going to tap this woman's phone too?' I was terrified and passed my phone to other protestors who heard the same voices. After that, my mobile phone turned off," she said. Sally Jones, a spokesperson for Chevron, told the Guardian: "Chevron respects the right of individuals to express their opinions, however it should be done within the law. Chevron remains committed to building constructive and positive relationships with the communities where we operate." But local people in the area covered by Chevron's concession, claim that such relationships went beyond what might be reasonably termed constructive. Villagers allege that one woman whose water well became polluted at the same time that seismic tests were being conducted in the area received a building renovation paid for by Chevron, and promptly stopped complaining about the issue. Shortly after that, a local protest leader dropped out of the movement and took up work as a Chevron security guard, leading to accusations that he had been bought off. Wojciech Zukowski, the recently re-elected mayor of Tomaszow Lubelski town, in Poland's southeast, said that he saw no conflict of interest in accepting private or public gifts from multinationals. "I'm not trying to hide that some forms of sponsoring and support takes place here," he told the Guardian. "We are open for it," he said, adding that a town sports club with 250 members would benefit from corporate sponsorship. Chevron declined to respond to the villagers' claims but insisted that "we comply with laws and regulations in all counties we do business in." The company has donated to several charities in the US and Romania, where it has also invested in shale exploration. In southeast Poland, it has provided charity services to villages at Christmas and offered gifts to residents' children such as fluffy tigers carrying Chevron logos, and sweets. "We demonstrate our commitment to the communities where we operate by creating jobs, employing local workforces, and developing and sourcing from local suppliers," a company statement said. The Tomaszow Lubelski district has been hard-hit by unemployment and jobs have been a key persuader for the industry. Close to the exploratory shale drill in nearby Susiec, Jacek, a 40-year-old shop worker said that the shale gas plans "are going to be good as there will be jobs for us and gas will be cheaper. It's a jobs issue. Possibly my kids might have jobs there." Deer run across an icy field in Majdan Sopocki, a village in Tomaszow Lubelski county, south-east Poland. Photograph: Stanislaw Wadas/Demotix The town's pro-shale mayor ran a campaign on the economic benefits that shale gas could offer the depressed town, hanging a 'Putinologists - bugger off!' banner in the town square. But in a regional trend, he was deposed in favour of a more shale-sceptic opponent in November, who advanced an alternative geothermal energy-based plan. "We don't need shale gas," said Maria, a 39-year-old worker in the same store as Jacek. "It's one big scam. Nobody informed us about what's happening. The ex-mayor was useless. He just promised work for everyone but there was nothing. We are not going to work on the well. The people who have agro-tourism businesses know that it's not beneficial as the environment will be destroyed and people won't come here anymore." On the Natura 2000 site that borders the Susiec well, Narnia-style pine tree forests are frosted in ice and snow. Deers and eagles flit in and out of the fog like phantoms. But at the fence marking the shale well, the deer tracks abruptly stop and double back on themselves. Fears that one of Poland's last remaining redoubts of biodversity could be damaged have mobilised local feeling, as polarisation and bitterness have spread across the Tomaszow Lubelski district. Zukowski suggested that village protesters were being manipulated by dark forces. "It could be said that their actions were inspired by the government of Mr Putin," he said. "I don't have such knowledge but [the protests] went hand in hand with the Kremlin's intentions. Gas and oil are a useful tool for Russia to get involved in other countries' energy security. It is a proxy to pressure authorities to take certain decisions along the Kremlin's lines. It is like a political secret. Everyone knows it but no-one wants to name it." Jones at Chevron described such claims as speculation. But similar accusations have been levelled by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the secretary general of Nato, and by pro-shale officials in Romania and Lithuania, as cold war-style tensions have ratcheted. Officials privately talk of the shale experiment as a 'disaster'. But with falling oil prices, continued supplies of cheap coal and EU pressure to increase cost-competitive renewable power generation, the shale gas industry needs positive results fast, and less controversy. But even the patriotic case for pressing ahead with shale gas has been dented by claims from campaigners in Pomerania that toxic waste from shale drills was dumped in a rural stream. Environmentalists believe that water tainted by shale salts may have entered the Radunia river used for supplying water to Gdansk, the birthplace of Poland's Solidarity movement. In November, the French water company, Veolia, was ordered to stop processing shale effluent in a nearby water purification centre because of permitting infractions. The Polish environment ministry denies that Gdansk's drinking water was ever put at risk, but such allegations undercut the energy independence case for shale gas, and feed nationalist objections. "The people of Zurawlow might have liked shale gas investment but the issue was these were Americans," Damiluk said. "We don't want foreign investors on a land that belongs to us." Chevron, the last of the big multinational shale investors is still holding on to its sole concession in Zwierzyniec, which was extended for a year in December. However, the decision's small print limits future drilling to a small parcel of land the company has already explored. "If Chevron's partner PGNiG wins permission to drill in Tomaszow Lubelski, I hope the people there will use the same tactics to block new drills that we did," Siegienczuk said. "We are open and ready to give any support we can." Share this: One response to "Poland's Shale Gas Boom Halted by 400-Day Blockade of Chevron Drill Site" Vera Scroggins says: Thank you to all the Brave, persistent Polish Citizens keeping Chevron out of their land and area and resisting this dangerous, risky, polluting energy; go for clean energy like solar , etc... blessings from US....

oland's Shale Gas Boom Halted by 400-Day Blockade of Chevron Drill Site Zurawlow, in south-eastern Poland, where people successfully campaigned against drilling by Chevron. The protest banner reads: 'Poland has gas, America has profits.' Photograph: Stanislaw Wadas/Demo by Arthur Neslen / The Guardian "Whenever Chevron organised anything, we demonstrated," said Barbara Siegienczuk, 54, leader of the local anti-shale gas protest group Green Zurawlow in south-eastern Poland.

Graeber is 100% correct in describing the Spanish conquest of the Americas as a brutal, ugly, terror-filled genocide, wreaked predominantly by disease but secondarily by violence and tertiarily by disruption-induced famine. But there is this phrase Graeber inserts in the middle: priests and friars... committed in principle to the belief that the extermination of the Indians was the judgment of God... That is wrong. There were priests and friars who believed that the conquest was the judgment of God (how could what happened, whatever it was, not be the judgment of God?). There were priests and friars who believed that the plagues that brought so much depopulation were the judgment of God (not necessarily that depopulation was good in itself, but that it was part of what would in retrospect with full knowledge be seen as a necessary part of an infinitely-greater good). But extermination? I am aware of none. Even Sepulveda would not go further than to argue that it was good not that the Amerindians should be exterminated , but merely that they should be enslaved , because: they were Aristotelian slaves by nature, and so slavery was to their benefit; war against them and subsequent enslavement was just, because they had practiced the "crimes that offend nature" of idolatry, sodomy, and cannibalism when they had ruled themselves; and they could more easily be taught the gospel, and thus brought to salvation and eternal life in Heaven, if they were under the tight control of enslavement. And Supelveda was an outlier. The consensus of the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century was not that the extermination of the Amerindians was the judgment of God, but rather that, as Paul III wrote in Sublimus Dei : The enemy of the human race... invented a means never before heard of... [to] hinder the preaching of God's word of Salvation to the people: he inspired his satellites... to publish abroad that the Indians... should be treated as dumb brutes created for our service, pretending that they are incapable of receiving the Catholic Faith. We, who, though unworthy, exercise on earth the power of our Lord and seek with all our might to bring those sheep of His flock who are outside into the fold committed to our charge, consider, however, that the Indians are truly human, and that they are not only capable of understanding the Catholic Faith but, according to our information, they desire exceedingly to receive it... That one phrase from Graeber is enough for the day. He's a fscking anthropologist , for the sake of the Holy One Who Is. It's his job to enter into and accurately enter into and present the mental universes of those he tries to study. Yet as far as the Catholic Church of the sixteenth century is concerned, he doesn't even try to try. The absence these days of what I regard as high-quality critiques of my writings on the internet poses me a substantial intellectual problem, since I have this space and this feature on my weblog: the DeLong Smackdown Watch. So what should I do with it? Counter-smacking inadequate and erroneous smack downs is, after all, not terribly satisfying. The fun is in absorbing and rethinking issues in response to cogent and interesting critiques. But there is one task left undone, from April Fool's Day 2013. Then I dealt with chapter 12 of David Graeber's Debt: The First 5000 Years in the manner that that chapter richly deserved to be dealt with. But nobody has taken an equivalent look at the earlier chapters. So, henceforth, now, until and unless my critics step up their game, I'm going to devote the Monday DeLong Smackdown space to a close reading of chapter 11 of David Graeber's Debt: The First Five Thousand Years . Let's go! As you may or may not remember, my initial assessment of David Graeber's Debt: The First 5000 Years , gained from skimming the first several chapters, was rather positive: Economic Anthropology: David Graeber Meets the Noise Machine... : ...and is annoyed at having his summary of anthropological findings dismissed as "nonsensical": David Graeber: On the Invention of Money: I mentioned that the standard economic accounts of the emergence of money from barter appears to be wildly wrong... this contradicted a position taken by one of the gods of the Austrian pantheon.... Credit and debt comes first, then coinage emerges thousands of years later and then, when you do find 'I'll give you twenty chickens for that cow' type of barter systems, it's usually when there used to be cash markets, but for some reason--as in Russia, for example, in 1998--the currency collapses or disappears." Indeed. It really looks from the anthropologists that Adam Smith was wrong--that we are not animals that like to "truck, barter, and exchange" with strangers but rather gift-exchange pack animals--that we manufacture social solidarity by gift networks, and those who give the most valuable gifts acquire status hereby... He soon fixed that positive assessment: David Graeber: Apple Computers is a famous example: it was founded by (mostly Republican) computer engineers who broke from IBM in Silicon Valley in the 1980s, forming little democratic circles of twenty to forty people with their laptops in each other's garages... And then he gave three contradictory and inconsistent explanations of how he came to write such a sentence demonstrating a previously-unseen total cluelessness about the economy in which he lived: The Very Last David Graeber Post... : (1) Graeber claimed that it was perfectly true, but not of Apple but of other companies (none of which he has ever named).... (2) Graeber, when questioned about the Apple passage by Mark Gimein, said that he believed he had been misled by Richard Wolff.... (3) And Graeber claimed that it was his editor/publisher's fault... Things went downhill from there. And so when I finally got the change to read Graeber's chapter 12, on the post-1971 world, I read it with a jaundiced eye: dozens upon dozens of simple mistakes: The Federal Reserve is not a council of eighteen private bankers plus a presidential appointee as their chair. Korean-American shopkeepers do not long to treat everybody else in Brooklyn the way Saul and Samuel treated the people of Amalek. That people are happier to hold the debt of the Swiss than the US government shows that it is not fear of being bombed by the US Air Force that makes people eager to hold U.S. Treasuries. The Federal Reserve is perfectly constitutional--as is the FDA, the FCC, the EPA, the FTC, etc. Nixon did not close the gold window because of the mounting costs of the Vietnam War. There is nothing that makes Iraq more likely than any other corner of the world to be the source of the next forward leap in human society. The Federal Reserve does not lend private banks money at the prime rate--you really don't know whether to laugh or cry at passages like: "For those who don't know how the Fed works: technically, there are a series of stages. Generally the Treasury puts out bonds to the public, and the Fed buys them back. The Fed then loans the money thus created to other banks at a special low rate of interest ('the prime rate')..." And dozens upon dozens more in chapter 12 alone. I looked, but could not find anybody masochistic enough give a similarly jaundiced reading to David Graeber's earlier chapters. So we began in on chapter 11. We had noted: Graeber's lumping together of five eras--the Waning of the Middle Ages, the Commercial Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the First True Era of Globalization, and the Drive to High Mass Consumption--in his one chapter on "The Age of the Great Capitalist Empires, 1450-1971", mixing not just apples and oranges but apples, yeast, giant redwoods, and tyrannosaurs. Such a macedoine is highly unlikely to produce anything coherent. Graeber's starting his chapter in 1450 and ending it in 1971. Richard Nixon's 1971 abandonment of the Bretton Woods system is not the end of or the beginning of any important story. And what does 1450 mark? The Fall of Constantinople to Mehmet II? But that happened in 1453. Graeber's long introductory quotation about debt peonage. As Marx knew better than anyone else, capitalism is three things--(i) wage labor, (ii) the separation of private property in land from thick-tie social relationships, and (iii) markets--that together a world in which people are the puppets of market forces transmitted through the equilibrium prices at which they buy and sell. Debt peonage is when there is one and only one person from whom you have to buy--the patron, the latifundista--one and only one person to whom you can sell--again, the patron--and, soon and inevitably, one and only one person to whom you try to pay the interest on your debt. What does debt peonage have to do with the creation of great capitalist empires? Very little. How does debt peonage require a great capitalist empire to support it? It doesn't. How do great capitalist empires depend on debt peonage? They don't. Graeber's writing that it is "odd to frame [1450-1971] as just another turn of an [ongoing] historical cycle". He is right. It is odd. Graeber's claiming that the amount of bullion and precious-metal coinage in Europe underwent some sort of inflection point in 1450. It did not. Graeber's claiming that starting in 1450 we see a "turn away from virtual currencies and credit economies" back to bullion. We do not. The funded, liquid, traded debt of the Dutch Republic in 1600 as it fought off Spanish-Habsburg conquest vastly exceeded the debt that Philippe IV Capet could issue in 1300. And the virtual credit flows later on in the 1450-1971 period absolutely dwarfed those before 1450. Graeber's writing of "the 1400s... [as] a century of endless catastrophe: large cities were regularly decimated by the Black Death". The 1400s saw a very substantial rebound in urban life after the disasters of the 1300s: Europe's largest cities in 1500 look to have been half again as numerous as they had been in 1400. Graeber's writing of how in the 1400s saw "knightly classes squabbl[ing] over the remnants, leaving much of the countryside devastated by endemic war..." The 1400s saw rather less endemic warfare than the centuries on either side of it had. It was the 1300s that had the bulk of the Hundred Years War. It was the 1500s that had first the French-Spanish struggles over Italy and then the Wars of Religion. Wars, yes. Chevauchee, yes--urning out of the countryside as a way to get the opposing knights to come out of their castles. But only par for the late-medieval course. Graeber's claiming that in the 1400s "Christendom was staggering, with the Ottoman Empire... pushing steadily into central Europe..." Here Graeber has simply lost his mind. The 1400s do not see the Ottoman Empire anywhere in central Europe--in the 1400s it conquers Constantinople, acquires a very loose acknowledgement of vassalage from the Khan of the Crimea, establishes naval bases and outposts at the site of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, wins a somewhat stronger acknowledgement of vassalage from the Princes of Wallachia and Moldavia, and conquers (a) Bosnia, (b) Albania, (c) Attica, and (d) the Peloponnese count either. If conquering Bosnia is a steady push into central Europe that causes Christendom to stagger, that is news to everyone except the Bosniaks. The first of the two unsuccessful Ottoman attempt to conquer Vienna came in 1529. The conquest of Buda and Pest did not, IIRC, occur until 1541. The attack on Malta in 1565 might count as an incursion into southern Europe--if Malta were in southern Europe, that is, and if the attempt to conquer Malta had not been a failure. The Ottomans did conquer Cyprus in 1570-1. The Ottoman high-water marks took place at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 on sea, and in the first half of the 1600s on land. Perhaps Graeber simply doesn't look either at maps or dates? Let's mock Graeber again on his claiming that in the 1400s "Christendom was staggering..." Western Christendom does shrink along its borders with the Ottoman Empire. But everywhere else things are different: The 1400s see the ethnic cleansing of Muslims and Jews from the Spanish peninsula by Castile. The 1400s see the advance of the Portuguese forces of Dom Henrique Aziz and his successors from Cueta south along the coast of Africa and into the Indian Ocean. The 1400s see Cristobal Colon and his Spanish company leap across the Atlantic in the last eight years of the century. The 1400s see Casimir IV Jagiellon of Poland on the offensive deep into the Ukrainian steppe. They see Ivan III Rurik of Muscovy subdue the Khanate of Kazan. My considered and sober judgment is that a California high-school student cribbing from Wikipedia would have done considerably better. And let us mock Graeber for forgetting that just a couple of pages after he writes about how in the 1400s "the commercial economy sagged... whole cities went bankrupt, defaulting on their bonds..." with the knightly classes "squabbl[ing] over the remnants" he writes that the 1400s saw "so much wealth was flowing into the hands" of people outside the knightly feudal hierarchy that "government... forbid... the lowborn to wear silks and ermine". You see the problem? The "lowborn" wearing silks and ermine are the burghers and guild masters of the cities that Graeber claimed--only two pages before--had been depopulated by plague and were defaulting on their debt because economies had "sagged" and, in places, "collapsed". This is word salad. Note that up to this point in the chapter, with its many errors and misconceptions, Graeber has managed to drop only one footnote. Does the footnote explain or justify any of his more bizarre claims? No. It simply notes Dyer (1989), Humphrey (2001), and Federici (2008) as sources for the changing level of English real wages and the changing quality of English "festive life". (I would note that were Graeber to talk in the presence of the Londoners of the days of Charles II Stuart (1660-1685) of how "Medieval festive life, with its floats and dragons, maypoles and church ales, its Abbots of Unreason and Lords of Misrule" was in the "next centuries" after 1450 "destroyed" would have evoked their surprise and laughter. There was a reduction in "festivity" as the so-called Little Ice Age and the down-phase of the Malthusian population cycle took hold: with fewer growing days and smaller farms you did need to put in more working hours. But Graeber's religious-ideology claims are greatly overstated. In general in early-modern Europe Reformers were not Calvinists, Calvinists were not Puritans: And even Puritans were not culturally hegemonic for much more than a decade anywhere other than Scotland and New England. You can talk about a privatization and a desacralization of celebration and spectacle. But I really do not think you can talk of any sort of destruction of feast and festivity...) Graeber's inability to do arithmetic leaves him unaware of how badly the numbers on the price revolution he presents undermine his own thesis on post-1450 seeing a relative shift from credit to bullion. Graeber's inability to understand why economic historians have shifted from Jean Bodin's monetary wage-stickiness understanding of declining real wages in Europe post-1400 to demographic-Malthusian ones. Graeber's sudden declaration that "the place to start" if you are looking for "the origins of the modern world economy" is "not in Europe at all"--meaning that he started the chapter in the wrong place, and then couldn't get his act together to rewrite it to start it in the right place, China. Graeber's failure to understand that the Chinese abandonment of paper money for specie is hardly "the place to start" in understanding a modern world economy that makes and has made immense use of paper money and other financial instruments for half a millennium. Graeber's strange claim that the Ming Dynasty saw American silver as something that made their task of ruling easier, and that they welcomed. Graeber's strange belief that the Chinese economy boomed during the Ming Dynasty because of a mid-Ming shift to pro-market pro-silver policies rather than favorable agricultural capital and agricultural technology. Graeber's strange belief that the Ming continued Mongol feudalization and tax policies as a reaction against the Mongols. Graeber's reliance for Ming economic history on Brook (1998), a cultural history that fails to recognize that for most Chinese inhabitants the replacement of Mao by Deng came as a profound liberation. Graeber's failure to understand that Europe exported precious metals rather than furs, foodstuffs, and artifacts not because it was absolutely unproductive but because it controlled a greater proportion of metal mines than of population--hence it had a comparative advantage in the production of precious metals. Graeber's failure to understand that as of 1500 Portuguese and Spanish (and shortly thereafter the Dutch, and eventually the English and the French) ships were technologically more advanced than Middle Eastern, Indian, and East Asian. Graeber's bizarre and wrong belief that: "entire project of American colonization [would have] foundered, had it not been for the demand [for silver] from China." Graeber's mysterious claim: "Many of these Chinese products ended up in the new cities of Central and South America" at a time when there were at most 200,000 people--0.03% of the world's population in a world in which China was 25%--in the cities of Central and South America. Graeber's wrong belief that the seaborne trade around the Cape of Good Hope was "the most significant factor in the global economy" of the seventeenth century. It was the sixth-most at best: behind the engine of commercial development, the Columbian Exchange, the sugar and molasses to rum and guns to slaves triangle "trade" (if you want to call it that, which you should not), the general demographic expansion, and the beginning of the European settlement diaspora. Graeber's wrong claim that Italian merchant bankers "became fabulously rich" after 1500 because they controlled the ultimate levers of the trades from Lisbon and Amsterdam to Asia. A look at the map would convince you that, as was the case, Italian merchants and merchant bankers lost heavily as trade with Asia was redirected from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic after Portuguese navigators rounded the Cape of Good Hope Graeber asks: "How did the new global economy cause the collapse of living standards in Europe?" It didn't. The collapse of living standards in Europe had other, Malthusian causes. Graeber's bizarre belief that the European price revolution impoverished workers. It didn't. It impoverished those who had transformed their income streams into fixed amounts of silver and gold. Graeber's strange belief that Spanish sailors could become better fighters by fighting Turkish sailors in the Mediterranean naval wars, but that Turkish sailors could not become better fighters by fighting Spanish sailors. Graeber's bizarre claim that the Ming Dynasty was not a murderous tyranny.

Graeber is 100% correct in describing the Spanish conquest of the Americas as a brutal, ugly, terror-filled genocide, wreaked predominantly by disease but secondarily by violence and tertiarily by disruption-induced famine. But there is this phrase Graeber inserts in the middle: priests and friars... committed in principle to the belief that the extermination of the Indians was the judgment of God... That is wrong.

As this season's competition on CW's America's Next Top Model heats up and lesbians--and straight men--everywhere play the semi-annual game of is-she-or-isn't-she to spot the queer girl in the midst (our money was on Ren), Curvemag.com revisits classic interviews with four former Top Model contestants-- Kim Stolz , Megan Morris, Michelle Babin and Michelle Deighton --as well as the magnificent supermodel turned judge Janice Dickenson . Model Citizen: Out Lesbian Megan Morris Written by: Diane Anderson-Minshall I've said it before but it's even truer now than it was just a year ago: the CW's America's Next Top Model is the gayest show on television. With a host of super gay men--including drag queen-turned-runway trainer "Miss J." Alexander and non-plussed but fabulous, silver-topped art director Jay Manuel--the show is gayer than Queer Eye for the Straight Guy . But let's not forget, this is a show about girls. And plenty of them bat for our team. Every year, thousands of women line up around the country to become one of 10 finalists who make it into the Top Model mansion for what essentially becomes a 12-week girlie slumber party. From season one, when black, bald dyke Ebony Haith lost out to tomboy Adrianne Curry, a decidedly bi-curious, Gia-like model who engaged in an awful lot of faux-lesbian frolicking with butchy smart girl Elyse Sewell, to the current season where not one, but two, openly lesbian women made plus a whole lot of bi-curious girls made it into the house, Top Model has been the only reality TV show to present a lesbian, bisexual or flamboyantly bi-curious girl to the airwaves every single season. Some, like Sewell, who one said producers saw her short haircut and brought her on the semifinals as "a potential token lesbian," have suggested that producers have a lesbian mandate. Others, well, we're just damn happy with whoever is orchestrating this dykey little dramality. Since Haith's reign, Top Model has introduced some of the more interesting queer girls on TV, including season five's pixie butch Kim Stolz, season four's Midwestern bisexual wrestler Michelle Deighton and season six's bisexual law student Leslie Mancia. And while women like Stolz laud the show for helping make changes in an industry where out lesbians are vastly underrepresented, lesbians are thankful for something altogether different: America's Next Top Model offers up a televised vision of androgyny, even outright butchness, where at least slight masculinity appears to be requisite for actually winning (think of winners Naima Mora, Eva Pigford, Yoanna House). This season there are actually two lesbians in the house, and, says finalist Megan Morris--who was sent packing after episode two--a whole lot of lesbian curiosity. Morris, who survived a plane crash at 9 (in which her mother died of hypothermia while saving her daughter's life) and has little interest in becoming the next Tyra Banks, may just be one of the most interesting women yet to grace the show. Too bad viewers saw so little of her. We sat down with the part-time model, full-time business owner, to get the skinny on the woman who could have been America's next top model. America's Next Top Model kicked her off, but lesbian animator Megan Morris has a lot more in store for us. I wish you could have strut your stuff a little more before you got cut. I know! I guess I needed to make out with somebody or something to add drama. One of the things you said as you were leaving is that you wish you would have let the judges see more of your personality. Well, in front of the judges I was trying to be a little bit more reserved, and really take in their feedback. I wasn't as much myself. Judging day seems really difficult for the women since it's a bit like you're in the interview process at the same time you're about to be judged on your week's work. It's true, and ... it's on television so it's just so different from like going to [a regular audition]. It's much more high pressured. What surprised you the most about the experience? Going into it I had these expectations--I knew that they were going to put us in the most awkward of possible situations ... to get a reaction from us. So what surprised me was ... the actual shoots that they had us do ... the themes of the shoots, like the wigs. It was just like, what's next? Like, what the hell is a weavologist? Right, right, exactly. I was actually pretty excited about that shoot, because when they took us there, I was like OK, this is totally off the wall, they've got these crazy wigs that they want us to wear and this is going to be a really fun photos hoot because we can pretty much do whatever we want and ... I was thinking that the photographer would want us to do something a little more off the wall and wild. But that wasn't what happened. Actually the photographer [Tracy Bayne] was looking for the models to be very soft ... very like quiet and like beautiful, you know? And I was like hoping that we could do something a little wild ... more facial expression and, you know, things like that. I was pretty excited about it, so I was disappointed with ... what she was telling us to do, versus what I really wanted to do in that shoot. I was also taking 99 percent of direction from the photographer because I was like, alright, well this is how she's going to do it, this is how she wants it. I'm just going to do what she says. And I think that's also why I went wrong on that photo shoot--just listening to her so much, not [following]my own [instincts]. You gotta listen to yourself. Were you modeling before this? Yeah, I did do some modeling. Nothing huge. Like I was going to sign up with some agencies but I had been moving around a lot -- I've lived in Oklahoma and Utah, and then different parts of California and New York -- and so I wasn't about to just like, find this one agency. That's a lot of places for your age. Are you a bit of a nomad, or are you still finding yourself or what? I think I am a nomad, but no, that's not the reason why I moved. Initially it was for my dad's business. He was an attorney, and he had different businesses in the United States and so we kind of followed him too, and you know, he ended up shutting down some of them and we'd kind of like stay in one place for a couple years, and then stay in another place for like six years as he was kind of like closing down different businesses, and after that, I ended up moving to Maryland to live with my aunt and uncle my senior year of high school and then I went to college in San Francisco so I ended up moving to San Francisco. One of the things that the judges really liked was that you had this personal trauma in your background. How did you feel about talking about your mother's death on TV? I knew they would ask about that, but it's not a hard thing to talk about. It was hard in general, at first, just to talk to the judges for the first time. They kind of throw you in there, and they don't tell you who you're about to talk to, because you go through a series of interviews ... before the show starts. I like to tell the story because I think it's not something that a lot of people would ... relate [to]. People just haven't really [met] a lot of people who've been in a plane crash and survived, so I guess I don't mind telling the story at all. It's a pretty interesting one I guess. How old were you when you and your mother were in the plane crash? That was in 1992, so I was almost 9. That must have been really hard, losing your mom so young. Yeah, it didn't make it any easier, that's for sure. It's weird too ... it seemed like it wasn't as hard for me when I was younger, but getting older and through college and things like that seemed to be the hardest part of not having a mom, because I ended up not being quite as close to my father. [You just need] somebody to confide in, to talk about things and help you make plans. And to have somebody who's ... in the back of your head like this person's always gonna be there. You know, that seemed like the hardest part really was when I got older, not having her. I put a lot of pressure on what I'm going to do with my future. And what am I going to do with my life? It would have helped to have a mother in my life. Do you feel like you learned something from having gone through that? I really do. I feel like it's made me, I don't know, maybe appreciate life more. But I'm definitely the type of person who's willing to risk a lot more than a lot of people I know. I just, I feel that, you know. I feel like taking risks in life is really important and experiencing as much as possible is one of the most important parts of life, and that's kind of one of the reasons I ended up going on the show because it's like one of those opportunities ... you don't come across every day. You know, I'm not a fan of reality TV; I'm not a fan of television in general. I don't even own a TV. And yet you seem pretty savvy about it and recognize that there is a certain degree of arranged drama in reality TV. Yeah, I guess. Also, it could have helped that I'm a media studies major. I majored in media studies and minored in African studies. I hadn't seen the show before but I knew like what kind of stuff they were looking for. Being a media studies major, do you feel like you were able to really utilize that kind of media savvy to your advantage? I feel like I went in there knowing a little bit more out in the world ... I also went in it, into the whole show, in a different mind state than a lot of the girls. A lot of the girls going into it, well, their life dream is to become a model, and that's always been how it is them, and for a lot of the girls trying out for the show. But for me, it wasn't. I mean, modeling is something that's really fun but it's not as important to me as other things, like career. [Modeling] is not what I look for as a career. So I went into it with a very laid-back state of mind. We'll see what happens, and ... see how far I can get in it and it doesn't matter what happens either way. I was just excited to see what would happen, what would come of it, and that was the most exciting part for me. Tell me about your new project. I started a medical animation studio so it's geared toward the medical industry especially for pharmaceutical companies ... to show how any kind of [medication] functions in the body on an intracellular level. It's really important to me. Most people are so unaware of what goes on in their body. A lot of people skipped out on anatomy and physiology classes just because it's not interesting to them, and so, hearing that sort of thing, I wanted to create some sort place where people could go and they could find information but that's actually visually interesting. How fascinating. Were you doing this before you were on Top Model? Yeah. I'm still looking for investors right now because we'd like to get a nice studio and things like that, but right now we're doing start-up stuff. You say, "we." Is that you and a business partner or? Me and a couple other people. I have a couple animators. I also have a collective that a friend and I started. It's a collective of 15 individuals who specialize in different things, from computer animation to any kind of post-production. It's basically like a post-production house. And that's in San Francisco? The collective? We're all over the states. Some of us are in New York, some in L.A. and in San Francisco. I'm surprised that they didn't mention that at all on the show. That seems like so much more of an interesting moniker than just "bartender from San Francisco." Right! You know, it's so funny, because, I feel like they did end up creating these characters so that, you know, people could relate to them. Like, I was, "Megan, 23, bartender." I'm not really, Megan, the animator, Megan the filmmaker, and you know, that kind of thing. [ Laughs] One of the bloggers for Entertainment Weekly described you as "Kim, but less gay." Did you expect to get comparisons to Kim Stolz? I thought about it. I mean, it had crossed my mind but ... it did surprise me a little bit. I'm like, wow, I didn't know people would really pick up on [me being lesbian]. In the past it seems like contestants have had sort of mixed reactions to like, lesbian or bi contestants. What was the response from the girls that you were in the house with? It was actually kind of funny. Everyone seems so fascinated. They're like, "Lesbian? What is this lesbianism?" It was like, OK, yes! They asked me questions ... and it was kind of cute. I swear, like 40 percent of the girls were bi-curious at least. One [woman] was like, "If I wasn't getting married next year, I would, you know, totally date you." I was completely open about it on the show and I felt like, so much of the conversation with the girls was just like, "Tell me about lesbianism." And they didn't show any of that [on TV] and I was like, hmm, I wonder why. I'm guessing that they didn't want another Kim on the show, which is understandable because they need to make it different every time. They did at least show you talking with your girlfriend on the phone. Yeah, they did it subtly. It was still kind of ambiguous to some people. I think that [viewers] could be like, "Is it like a close friend? Is it girl whose a friend?" Are you and your girlfriend still together? Yeah, we are still together. What can tell me about your girlfriend? She's a fabulous, intelligent, beautiful girl. She graduated from the same university that I graduated from [University of San Francisco], but a year after me. She's 22. She's in PR and marketing and ... she's a very gregarious person. I feel like she's my PR [person]. She's a pretty awesome person. Did she encourage you to go on the show? A little bit. We were both kind of like, "Oh, should I do it? You know, it could be fun just to see what happens." And she was like, "Yeah, do it! It'll be awesome. You know, just go." And I was like, alright. I called her up waiting in line and I'm like, "You know, there's like 2,000 people here right now, I don't know if I want to do this." She's like, "Just keep doing it, just see how far you get!" [Laughs] I was like, alright. Yeah, she's great. She encourages me, and she's the most supportive person in the world, which helps me so much, just [by] believing in me. Since she's in public relations, is she helping you figure out how to utilize your 15 minutes of fame? Actually, it's kind of funny. Like last night, I'm in New York right now and she's in San Francisco. And she sent me an e-mail and she's like, "You need to get contact information from every publicist who's asked you questions and you want a copy of this and that." And I'm like, OK, OK. So she kind of tries to play that role sometimes. When did you know you were gay? Well Courtney, the girl I'm with right now is actually the first girlfriend I've ever had. It was kind of funny how it worked out. [We got together] three and a half years ago, so I guess it was when I was 20. I had been dating guys before that. I was just like, nah, this is boring. I didn't find a guy I ever liked, and then I saw this woman around campus and I was like, wow, this girl, she's just so beautiful. It was kind of funny, because, a friend of mine had had a class with her ... and she went up to her without telling me one day, and was like, "You know what? I have this friend, she's tall, she has blond hair and she kind of likes you." And she's like, "Hmm, OK. Does she have a name?" "Well, her name's Megan." "Wait, I think I know who you're talking about!" She had been seeing me like 6 months ... noticing me, and I guess she like liked me as well, so it was kind of weird. Out of everybody at school, or anywhere, we both like, kind of noticed each other, and so we hit it off. Like, in three days, it was like we were together. In great lesbian fashion. Yeah, yeah, really! [ Laughs ] Did you come out to your family at the same time? Not at the same time. It took me a little bit longer to tell my family just because, I didn't, you know obviously I didn't know how they would react. I came out to my dad like a couple years ago ... about a year after Courtney and I began dating. Did your family's reaction surprise you at all? They were really supportive. My dad, yeah, it surprised me majorly. I was so scared to talk to my family about it and I was scared even, to tell my brother because ... I didn't want to lose their respect in any way. And I wanted them to know that just because of your sexual orientation, you're still the same person, yada yada yada, that sort of thing. Once I told them, they were like, "You know what? Whatever makes you happy, I just want you to be happy." They were a little bit surprised. But at the same time, over time, it was just like, it just is. It wasn't so much as, oh, my sister or my daughter is a lesbian." But more like, oh, OK, she has a girlfriend, and that's that. So it's much easier now. What part of Megan before Top Model is different from Megan now? I don't think it's really affected me that much. I'm pretty much the same person I was before. One thing that always disappoints me is when girls who make the top 10 cry when they get sent home and say, "I can't believe I failed at this." And I'm always thinking, out of all those people, you made it to the top 10! Yeah, it's true. Yeah, it's good to strive for the best ... but, it's a reality TV show ... this isn't your modeling career. What was really disappointing was seeing how, like Monique for instance, seeing how some of the girls acted. This is such a good opportunity for them and they're taking it so far as to having such bad behavior. I was so, just, taken back. I was like, wow, I can't believe that they would act like this. I was like, embarrassed for them. I was like, how could you do this? You have such a good opportunity and you're being a crazy person. Is there recourse for the women on there who are nasty and sabotaging other women? They have certain limits. They want that kind of stuff on there. Like they want Monique there. But you're not allowed to hit anybody. If you hit anybody, you're out. That's good, at least. Yeah, no fights. We did end up telling one of the directors and the producers about Monique and they were like, "As long as she doesn't hit you, we can't do anything." That's about all they do, say, "Hey you live with them, you put yourself in the situation so you've got to fight it out in front of the camera. Give us some entertainment." A few of the things that you've done are things that fill people full of dread, like coming out, being on a reality TV show, surviving a plane crash. Is there anything that you fear? Obviously there are things that scare me but nothing ultimately scares me. There's always recovery in any situation. Whether anything happens, I feel like there's always a bright side to it, so it's hard to say what one big fear of mine would be because there is always a positive you can make out of any bad situation. What are your hopes and dreams? At this point, I have a list of goals ... things I have to do before I die. Get my business up and running. I really want to make a difference in the medical industry. There's definitely a huge need for it. I've been reading a lot of literature on it. I'm also in the midst of writing a screenplay; it's kind of based on my life and certain things that have happened. I'm partially into that, about halfway, so I want to get that finished and written by next May, and then I'd like to put out a feature-length film of that screenplay by the time I'm 27. See, I've got like little age goals. Maybe it'll happen, maybe it won't, but it's what I'm shooting for. I'd like to continue modeling ... but it's definitely not the ultimate thing. It's not that I have to model; it's something that I enjoy doing. It's more of a hobby. You're not expecting to be Cindy Crawford. Exactly. Those are some lofty goals. It's better to have one of those must-do-before-I-die lists when you're 23 versus when you're 40 so you have more time to get stuff done. I suppose so. I'm looking at it at the point where well, if it doesn't happen at least I have time to do something ... more realistic. Tell me what would surprise people to know about you. I don't know if it would ... but I'm definitely the type of person who's willing to do almost anything within certain [boundaries]. That's not surprising enough. Well, being willing to do almost anything legal is pretty surprising. I want to go hang gliding. I've always wanted to do that. People think that's scary. But then I wouldn't go skydiving. Some people think it's not [safer], but there's something about [hang gliding] that sounds better than just dropping. Like those roller coaster rides that just go straight down and you're sitting in a chair? I'm not in to that at all. Out on the Catwalk with Kim Stolz Written by: Jocelyn Voo Photo: Jason Willheim/UPN It's hard not to admire a girl who unapologetically eats Big Macs three times a week despite its artery-clogging composition and questionable meat sources. It's nearly impossible when that girl is also a model. Kim Stolz is the latest lesbian to brave Tyra Banks' reality television catwalk and emerge relatively unscathed from the unforgiving lens. America's Next Top Model , soon to be in its sixth season, has featured queer girls before -- out contestant Ebony in the premiere cycle and bisexual wrestler Michelle in season four -- but perhaps unlike the previous girls, Stolz worked her masculine tendencies to her advantage from day one. "My sexuality is definitely a source of confidence and feeling different in a good way," the 22-year-old says. "I feel great about it." As an only child growing up in Manhattan, Stolz got her first taste of the industry when she accompanied her model mother to fashion shows. At 7 years old, she watched a videotape of Anne Klein's 1972 runway show in which her mother was a part of. "In the finale when all the models walk out together, she was leading the pack," Stolz remembers. "She looked so confident and so beautiful, and I thought to myself that maybe this would be something I'd really enjoy doing." But at her parents' insistence, it wasn't until Stolz graduated from Wesleyan University that she seriously turned an eye on modeling as a career. Earlier, she had focused on athletics and academics -- being co-captain of her varsity soccer, basketball and softball teams during her senior year in high school, and churning out 180 pages for her thesis on international government policy in college. In fact, prior to her audition for Top Model , Stolz had never had any formal runway training at all (which might explain why no one ever tied her to a chair to restrain her from frequent McDonald's runs). Yet despite her lack of existing modeling credentials, her wit and butchy Kewpie-doll-meets-Charlize Theron-like looks still landed her one of the 13 spots on the show. Almost immediately, you knew where reality TV producers wanted Stolz's subplot to go: Can Kim ever be girly enough to win? And the answer, proven by her marked improvement with every challenge: Hell yeah. Stolz's androgynous looks and ability to blend boyishness with feminine attributes proves that a girl rocking a necktie and fauxhawk can stand her ground in the high-fashion modeling industry. In one episode, the contestants met Jenny Shimizu, the butch lesbian icon probably equally known for her bare-chested CK One ads and the 4-inch tattoo of a sexy pinup girl straddling a crescent wrench on her upper arm. "All the challenges and photo shoots and teachers we'd had so far were very much geared toward looking feminine or acting in a sort of girlish way," Stolz said. "To me, [meeting] Jenny Shimizu and having her tell us about her boyish look, how it helped her in the runway and in photo shoots and her uniqueness -- I mean, that was really exciting for me because finally I saw someone as a potential role model for the kind of model that I want to be." Indeed, Stolz, who was axed in the ninth round of competition, remained faithful to her sense of self, rarely repressing her boyish tendencies outside of photo shoots and still conveying an undeniable beauty. It's not bravado; it's honesty. The fact that it even shone through the warping properties of reality television says something. After her elimination, Stolz returned to her New York stomping grounds to develop a modeling and acting career. However, at least for me, she'll always be that masculine/feminine girl who left the Top Model house wearing a striped rugby shirt, a double string of pearls around her neck and a cigarette tucked behind one ear. Interview with Out Lesbian Michelle Babin Written by: Diane Anderson-Minshall Her queerness certainly wasn't a Top Model first, but before she came out as a lesbian on prime time, b-baller turned model Michelle Babin was still two of the show's firsts: She and her twin sister, Amanda, were the first siblings to make it to the finals and the first twins in Model history. For Babin, the show was a turning point, leading the self- professed tomboy to a new career and worldwide fame. The babes, we assume, will soon follow. While making it to the final five was exciting for the novice, the fun for fans was watching her squeak by the competition one week (as when she expertly recreated both halves of lesbian couple Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi) and falling flat the next (as when she had to canoodle with hunky male model Fabio). Though an angry bull couldn't take down this Cypress College athlete, some self-doubt finally did. CURVE caught up with Babin for a quick one-on-one about confidence, bi-curious girls and coming out. I was actually secretly hoping to see you and Amanda would be the first siblings to win Top Model together. I think a lot of people were hoping that. That was kind of cool. Was it hard leaving while your sister Amanda was still there? Yeah it was hard. I was definitely disappointed to leave. But I was glad she got to stay and represent us, so that was cool. It seems like the judges thought that you sabotaged yourself so that Amanda could stay. I don't think I purposely sabotaged myself; maybe a little subconsciously. I might have been worried about how she was doing and how her performance was, because I know Nigel and Jay didn't give her very good critiques on her photo shoots, so she was kind of in jeopardy coming into it. But I don't think I went in there purposely thinking that I was going to sabotage myself so she could stay. Every time it came to final judges, final challenges, I didn't do that well. I would just be honest and apparently they didn't like that. I think they want people who are extremely self-confident, and it's hard to be self-confident when you're not sure of things. Yeah. When the judges asked you who had the most potential, you didn't say Amanda though. My sister was kind of struggling with second-guessing herself and so, at the time ... she needed to pick herself up. And CariDee just kind of won the hearts of the judges through her personality, and in today's world personality means a lot. Was that an area you didn't excel at? I don't think they disliked my personality, but I didn't have that bubbly, attention-grabbing personality like CariDee or Melrose. On the show, and I'm sure in real life, you and Amanda got compared a lot. Do you have parts of your life where that isn't the case? Actually yeah, basketball is kind of my thing and then theatre is her main thing. I was reading your stats. It's amazing; you're like a six-foot tall basketball MVP with a state champion team. I was wondering why you weren't thinking about the WNBA instead of modeling? I'm not the star player. I'm just kind of one of the background players, so I'm OK, and I enjoy it, but it's not something that I'm probably good enough to keep going on to the next level. But I do it for fun, and I enjoy it. You came out on Top Model , saying that you didn't know if you were gay or bisexual. Was that spontaneous or planned? Yeah, it was kind of random. The directors were talking about Megan and stuff, and they brought up the question of my sexuality, and I just answered honestly. It wasn't that big of a deal for me. I mean I guess it is a big deal, but to me it was like, it's who I am, it's part of me, and I don't really care who knows. Was it a weird experience having thos e conversations initially with people on camera? Many people struggle to have them in real life. It was interesting, but it just happened. And it just wasn't that big of a deal. I was kind of worried about how the girls would take it, but they all seemed pretty cool and they took it really well, so it was. I got lucky. Megan Morris, another lesbian contestant, told me all the girls in the house had curiosity about lesbians and bisexuals. Yeah, there were a couple of people who said they weren't opposed to experimenting or whatever, but they definitely still thought they were straight. But they weren't opposed to experimenting a little. Do you think that's it's different for your generation than it was for girls your age 10 or 20 years ago? Well it's getting a lot more accepted in today's culture. So it's kind of talked about a lot more than it used to be. In the past it was like a hush-hush thing like, if you're [gay]... don't talk about it -- kind of like the military. Don't ask. Don't tell. Don't ask, don't tell. Now it's something that's talked about. It still sets off a bad light in certain people's eyes but, for the most part, people are getting a lot more accepting about it, so it's kind of easier to talk about it. One thing that's interesting is how often message boards that just start out as fan boards about you generally can turn into debates about sexuality. Oh yeah. I have read some stuff, like on LiveJournal and CW. And it seems like for the most part a lot of people are OK with it. Any time someone has a problem there seem to be a dozen other people who reply with, "I like Michelle! Leave here alone. It's OK no matter who she is." Yeah, it seems like some people are like, oh I would never do it, but it's OK if someone else does. Some people are, oh hell no! I'd never do it, but it's OK if someone else does. Which is kind of cool. Have your feelings about sexuality changed since you made that proposition on TV? No it's much about the same. I'm kind of shy when it comes to relationships so I haven't done a lot of exploring since. I don't know, I get shy when it comes to relationships. So, no dating yet? No, not really. That's amazing in a world where there are thousands of women dying to meet you right now. Yeah, I know, I get shy I don't know [laughs] . I'm really a friendly person when it comes to being in a friendship. It's really easy for me to be outgoing with friends, but when it comes to someone I like, I just get shy or something. Is your sister shy, or is she outgoing? Uh, no. She's pretty outgoing. We're both pretty outgoing, but she's a little more outgoing than I am. Were you a fan of reality TV before you were on Top Model ? Yeah, I like reality TV. I think some of the shows are pretty entertaining. Some of the dating shows are kind of funny. It seems like with your skill set that there are other reality shows that you may have been better on, like Survivor or something more physical. Oh yeah, I like Survivor , too. Survivor would have been cool to go on. So is Top Model your last foray into entertainment or are you Hollywood bound now? We'll see. I haven't really decided. I'm not going out searching for the next reality TV show that will take me, but if something comes my way I would be open to it. Right now, I'm in school playing basketball. Since you grew up in Anaheim, Calif., the TV industry must not be too foreign to you. No, it's not that new. My oldest sister actually graduated from [the American Film Institute] in set design. What does the world not know about Michelle? I'm actually pretty basic. I'm a lot younger than Megan, so I haven't experienced a lot in life yet. As a tomboy being on the show, did Top Model make you rethink masculinity and feminity in any way? No. Before Top Model , all through high school, I was a complete and utter tomboy to the end. But as I got to my senior year and in college, well, I still dress like a tomboy but I'm cool with wearing some girly things. I wouldn't say I'm a full-on tomboy anymore but I'm still tomboyish. I won't wear the really short skirts or the spaghetti straps, like never . I'll go outside with a tight pair of jeans and a wife-beater. It's not like I'm a full-on tomboy, but I still got the tomboy style. I think that's more popular right now, actually. Yeah I do too. I think girls are lucky in that way because they can wear more masculine clothes and get away with it, and men can't ever wear feminine clothes. Yeah, it's looked down upon. Back to TV. Do you think it's doing a good job of reflecting diversity and modern women? It still is TV. I mean some of the times we'd get into great conversations on the show -- I remember during casting we got into a great political debate and ... of course, they [only] showed the drama. A lot of the girls had many more sides to them; they had opinions and they had things they would love to talk about. We'd get into arguments about random things and they were all interesting things and I was like, oh, I'd like to see that on TV. But most people would rather see Monique crushing chips and talking on the phone for hours. That's definitely a sad statement about our culture. Well, it's entertainment. They definitely showed people accurately -- their personalities -- but editing is a big part [of Top Model ]. I think they're doing an OK job. I'm interested by how fascinating Top Model is to queer women and feminists who would never be caught dead reading fashion magazines. Have you noticed that? Yeah, a lot of people who I wouldn't expect are fans of Top Model . Like some guys who are totally straight, hard-core guys are like, oh yeah, I watch it with my girlfriend, it's pretty entertaining. Why do you think it has that universal appeal? Um, I think it appeals to girls because of the fashion aspect and guys because they like girls. Because they like hot girls. Maybe that's the appeal for lesbians as well. And it is real people so I guess that's kind of a cool aspect. How does it feel to go from just months ago saying, "Gee, maybe I think I'm gay or bisexual" on TV to being featured in the largest lesbian magazine? It's pretty cool. I guess I'm an inspiration to some for coming out on TV, but to me it wasn't a really big deal. It was just me being honest. I'm glad I could do that. Strike a Pose: Janice Dickinson Photo: Oxygen Media I was a little nervous to speak with Janice Dickinson, self-proclaimed the world's first supermodel, former lover of Mick Jagger and Jack Nicholson, with legions of drooling female admirers. She partied hard core with beautiful bad girl and lesbian model Gia Carangi, graced the cover of Vogue nearly 40 times and authored an autobiography entitled Everything About Me Is Fake ... and I'm Perfect . I was expecting to meet the ultimate prima donna, an eccentric, unpredictable dyed-in-the-wool diva ready to cut me in half with her stiletto-sharp tongue. I was admittedly a little disappointed to meet a kind-hearted, thoughtful, mostly normal -- all things considered -- mother of two, the kind of woman who is quick with a compliment and leaves with a cheerful "God bless!" Despite her divalicious on-screen persona, Dickinson is friendly, sincere and (at times) surprisingly humble. Though she was discovered at the tender age of 14, Dickinson claims not to have taken her superstardom for granted, stating that no one could have predicted her success at the beginning of her career. "I absolutely had to claw my way to the top," she admits. "I had to struggle more than anyone." After some years of relative underexposure to the public eye, Dickinson's umpteenth return to the spotlight came with a role on falling-star reality show The Surreal Life , and as a judge alongside Tyra Banks on America's Next Top Model . Unsatisfied with Banks' approach toward the biz, in 2005 Dickinson launched her own agency, with, of course, its own reality TV show of the same name, The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency , on the Oxygen Network. So what sets Dickinson apart from Banks as the ultimate reality TV model scout? "If you look at the Top Model winners, they haven't really done anything," she explains. "My models are already booking A-list jobs; for example, French Vogue . They're getting high money jobs. ... It's the real deal." She prides herself on finding models with longevity and that certain je ne sais quoi , something she calls "that capital I-T quality." So who in the celebrity world has this 'I-T quality'? Celebrities who nail that would be Angelina Jolie, Sharon Stone, Cameron Diaz, Kathy Griffin. She has it, believe it or not. In fact Kathy Griffin, if she were a little bit taller, should be absolutely a supermodel. Other than that "I-T quality", would you say there are any personality traits that you need for success in the industry? There are no personality traits that we look for. ... Models are at the top of the food chain. They're separate realities. ... I'm not impressed with people that don't have a real personality, but you know it's important just to sparkle. The camera doesn't lie. What do you find sexy? Oh, a good smile, a washboard stomach, a tight butt, manicured hands and feet, a personality, humor, wit. You've done so many different things, I mean you've been a photographer, a model of course, a writer ... An editor, a soccer mom. What haven't you conquered yet? It's politics next for me. Politics. I will definitely run for office. What kind of office? A public office. I want to be of service. ... My big gifts for the holidays are feeding the homeless. Wow. I've heard that you've also done a lot of AIDS activism. Well, millions. I just don't, well, I don't broadcast it. I just do it. ... You know, I don't need the press. The most important thing is saving a life. On TV you seem very, very comfortable with sexuality; you're very sexually open. I have a lot of sexual energy, that's true. Yeah. Have you ever identified as anything other than straight? I have. ... I've [written] about being with women. Are you kind of fluid? Oh, I'm all over the place. What do you think people would be surprised to know about you? That I have a very generous spirit. I've always loved helping people, giving back to society, giving back to people who have less than I do ... but I don't subscribe to bullshit. I mean if someone's being a dick, I'll be the first person to call them out on it. And that's that. Out of all the different roles that you've been in your life, what makes you feel the most sexy or the most powerful? When I'm clean. When I'm clean, and I've got a good hair going ... then I'm most sexy. Yeah! Great. [Laughs] Yeah, I'm real sexy . You know what else, you know what else I really want to do? I want to go help the troops... I would do something for the troops. The troops need helping. In what kind of way? How do you see yourself helping them? I think I'm going to arrange a lingerie fashion show for the troops. That would be great. That would be something different. I want to pass out sleeping bags to the homeless ... you know, deck them out, in you know, designer sleeping bags. What do you most want to be remembered for? I want to be most remembered by just being honest ... don't you? For being honest? Yeah, absolutely. And also that I've made a difference. That I've written books about incest. That I've written books about incest, sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll... I do care about people out there, even though if I tell them, "You're not quite it, you don't have the goods to be a model," but I do care about their feelings, you know? Oddly enough, I just do. A Bi Top Model: Michelle Deighton Written by: Malinda Lo Photo: Tracy Bayne/UPN A reality series about girls who want to be supermodels doesn't seem like it would be particularly gay-friendly, but UPN's America's Next Top Model , hosted by gay-boy favorite Tyra Banks, has become one of the queerest unscripted shows on prime time. There's modeling coach Jay Manuel with his perfectly coiffed silver locks; judge Nole Marin, who comes complete with his pet Pomeranian; and runway trainer J. Alexander, who can walk better than most women in a pair of 4-inch heels. And then there have been the contestants themselves. The first season included out African-American lesbian Ebony Haith, who invoked the homophobic wrath of her conservative Christian loft-mates when she brought her girlfriend over for a visit. This past season, 19-year-old Michelle Deighton, a former wrestler from Terre Haute, Ind., came out as bisexual in an on-air confession to the other contestants. This time, none of the girls even blinked an eye before offering Michelle acceptance and support. The series has been open to queer contestants from the very beginning. According to casting director Michelle Mock-Falcon, the show's 14-page application has included an option for contestants to indicate whether they have a boyfriend or a girlfriend since the first season, in 2003. During the months-long audition process, when thousands of supermodel hopefuls are winnowed down to a final 14, the producers search for a unique blend of personality and style but aren't concerned with sexual orientation. "'Look' has nothing to do with that," Mock-Falcon explains. Michelle Deighton made it through to the top six, but was eliminated after the judges concluded that she didn't have the nerve to survive the cutthroat world of professional modeling. I chatted with her while she was taking some time off with her family in Indiana before moving to New York in June to pursue her modeling career. When you first auditioned for the show, did you come out as bisexual? No, actually, they had no idea about it. No one knew. What was it like coming out on the air? I really didn't think about it, and when I did start talking to Noelle, that was not my intention. But I ended up coming out and she's like, oh, well, that's not a big deal. ... I was actually floored by their reaction, because I thought I was going to get a lot of negative feedback ... and they were like, that's no problem. So that was really amazing. On the show it seemed like you didn't really get along with the other girls. Did you feel like an outsider? Kinda sorta. I have one or two friends and I hang out with them, and that's about it ... and between my family and wrestling, that takes up a lot of time. I don't really have much time to go out and party and hang out and stuff. So I'm definitely trying to spread my wings now and go do that, but at the time, on the show, I just tried to stay to myself, keep out of the drama, keep out of the little catfights and tiffs and all that. But obviously I didn't stay out of the drama too good [ laughs ]. Did your parents know you were bisexual when they saw you come out on TV? They didn't know at all. So we sat down and had a talk about it, and it ... kind of shocked them at first. They're not completely accepting of it, but they're kind of like 50/50. They still love me for who I am. So the show prompted you to come out to your family? Oh, yeah. I never even considered telling anybody and I think that's where my low self-confidence came from also. Because ... hiding that I was bisexual also hid a lot of my other emotions that I needed to express, so when I did come out as bisexual, that helped me ... be who I am. It made [me] a lot happier. How do you feel about coming out to the public? I'm kind of glad that everyone knows. I had one person walk up to me and be like, oh my God, what you did is really amazing. And I'm like, what, really? I didn't really think about it before, but that's really awesome. Has it helped you get any dates? Not so far, but I'm working on it. [ Laughs. ] Are you dating now? No, but I'd like to. Because I've been hiding that I'm bisexual for so long ... I just dated mainly guys, so it wouldn't be obvious that I was into women. But now I think I'm ready for a relationship with a woman. Definitely. Of course, plenty more queer women have stood in line for 16 hours to get their chance at Top Model fame, including Curve 's former editorial assistant Yana Tallon-Hicks. Her humorous look at the audition process for Cycle 13 (aka the short girl season) will have you thinking twice about reality TV stardom. America's Next Top Lesbian Model Written by: Yana Tallon-Hicks Trying to evoke the model walk I'd practiced across the sales floor at my day job, I entered a room full of model wannabes. Their stares hit me like a brick wall, as each of them attempted Tyra's signature "fierce" look through CoverGirl mascara. "Are you here for the casting?" the director barked, looking every inch the person I'd imagined, with her steel-frame glasses and a Starbucks latte clutched in her fist. Her name was probably something castrated, like Chris. I became wannabe No. 24. I sat down next to No. 23 to check out the competition. Now, I'm certainly a faux-hawked dyke, but I'm also a femme. In this room, however, I could've come straight from a Leslie Feinberg novel. Bouncy locks, curled eyelashes and acrylic nails were everywhere. I searched for someone with short hair. Nothing. No. 23 opened a hot-pink binder to reveal six laminated pages of professional headshots and "candids" featuring an overflowing leopard-print bra. I tried to smooth out the "headshot" I'd printed straight off Facebook. How did I get myself into this? Like any good narcissist, I've always blamed my nonexistent modeling career on my nonexistent height: 5'2". So the Craigslist header "Petite models wanted!" naturally warranted a click. But when the window opened to reveal that America's Next Top Model was casting girls 5'7" and under, I knew I'd hit the jackpot. Shorties? Really? I know it's unlucky Cycle 13, but how desperate could they be? More importantly, how could I apply? Photo: Jim DeYonker Two pictures, a personal questionnaire and a phone call expressing a love for "my look" later, I received a VIP casting invite. And here I was. "Have you done this before?" No. 23 asked me. I laughed, "No." Her stare was blank. "Yeah, me neither." Her foot jiggled nervously. I ate a Tums. Why was I nervous? This was No. 23's life. I was just in it for fun. I could leave right now. "OK!" Chris snapped. "You all need to line up in numerical order and follow me!" I ate another Tums. "Numerical! 1,2,3--is it really that hard?!" Real-life me laughed at this woman. Reality TV me began to sweat. I fought an urge to hold No. 23's hand. In the next room, Chris ordered us into a semicircle facing the casting team, the spotlights and a camera. Taped under its lens was a picture of Tyra's eyes. In real life, this would've been hilarious. Instead, my stomach flipped. We stuck our numbers to our shirts and waited under Tyra's stare for 45 minutes. Nothing could've cut the tension in that room. At the half-hour mark, No. 25 quietly started to cry. My heart thudded in my ears. Shiny smiles were cracking left and right when Chris finally commanded that at our turn we were to step toward the camera and say three interesting things about ourselves. I have this in the bag, I thought. First of all, I sell sex toys for a living, and second of all, I'm a lesbian. Hello, ratings! A microphone made its way around the circle of girls producing two go-go dancers, a sky diving instructor and a legit princess. Whatever. I'm a dyke. Princesses have nothing on me. If sleeping with girls can get me anywhere, it's straight to reality TV, right? No. 20 stepped up and my palms began to sweat. Suddenly I understood why everyday people turn into the stereotypes that the camera wants them to be. It's like that psychological syndrome where the kidnapped start caring for their captors. No. 23. No. 24. The mic was handed to me and I stepped forward, saving my Sapphic declaration for last. No one batted a perfect eyelash. No one cared. Chris cued in her sensitive side for the first round of cuts. "Now ladies, just because your number doesn't get called now doesn't mean that you didn't make it onto the show. These clips go to Tyra and she'll tell us if we missed someone." I found myself willing No. 24 into Chris' mouth. Only five girls were called. Chris skipped the 20s altogether. No. 25 cried again. The reality rejects and I headed to the lobby to trade our stilettoes for sneakers. Maybe I wasn't butch enough to create the classic lesbians-can't-walk-in-heels drama. Or maybe it seemed unlikely that I'd try to seduce my naive castmates in the limo. Or maybe it really is possible that being a lesbian just isn't that cutting-edge anymore. After MTF transgender Isis competed in Cycle 11, dykes became old news. And maybe this isn't such a bad thing. Nowadays, LGBT-identified people are not only reality TV stars but are hosting shows on CNN and even advising the president. I guess I'll just have to wait until America's Next Top Lesbian Model runs out of media attention and decides to go short. Until then, Tyra, I'm still waiting for your call.

As this season's competition on CW's America's Next Top Model heats up and lesbians--and straight men--everywhere play the semi-annual game of is-she-or-isn't-she to spot the queer girl in the midst (our money was on Ren)

Mesut Ozil's statement and his resignation from the German national football team has triggered one of the biggest debates on racism and integration in Germany. The Mesut Ozil case is a watershed in Germany, a fatal signal to millions of young people with a migrant background. This case reinforces their feelings of not being welcome in Germany. If even a national football player and world champion is exposed to racism and does not receive support from politicians, society and the German Football Association, many ask themselves: what should we do to be accepted as full members of this society? For young Muslims in Germany, the feelings of exclusion are especially acute. They feel disadvantaged not only because of their origin, but also because of their religion. In his letter of resignation Mesut Ozil asks whether there are criteria for being German, which he does not fulfil. "My friends Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose are never called German-Polish, so why am I German-Turkish? Is it because it is Turkey? Is it because I'm a Muslim?" What Ozil says in his resignation statement is not new. Ozil merely describes what many people with a migrant background have always thought and how they have always felt. It is not new, but it has now been put into words by someone who has a broad audience beyond German borders. The whole world is suddenly discussing the inner life of Muslims in general and German Muslims with Turkish migration background in Germany: "I am German, if we win, if we lose, I am an immigrant" In Germany and Europe, we have been experiencing increasing xenophobia for many years, which is particularly evident when it comes to Muslim communities. Muslims are in the public spotlight like no other community in Europe. In public disputes, they are often portrayed as a supposedly backward, unenlightened, uneducated, and violent group to be feared. Numerous studies have already investigated and revealed the negative consequences of these public debates. As it stands, many people are afraid of Muslims, avoiding any contact if they can. And these are not only people from the political far right, but rather even ordinary people from the modest centre. In daily life, people experience the effects in almost all walks of life. They are disadvantaged in their search for work and housing, and are not allowed to wear headscarves in public due to legal regulations in some federal states. It is not uncommon that Islamophobia manifests itself through violent and criminal acts targeting Muslims, especially those speaking for a peaceful coexistence. The rejection of people of Muslims has reached a point where there are no longer even given any expressions of solidarity when arson attacks are carried out on mosques or when women are attacked on the street for wearing a headscarf. The extent of the rejection of Muslims can now be seen even in the reception of refugees, the majority of whom also come from Muslim-majority countries. According to a representative survey , German society would be more receptive if refugees in general are from a different belief. It looks as if there will be no resignation on the part of the German Football Association. In a statement, DFB President Reinhard Grindel admitted mistakes in dealing with the case, but he does not speak of personal or professional consequences. This also reinforces the fatal impression among ethnic and religious minorities that everything is not so bad , because in the end 'it's all about a Turk'. Despite the adversity, we must not bury our heads in the sand. Ozil's case has only brought something to light, made something visible. We can see this as an opportunity and finally have an open and honest debate on racism in Germany and Europe. We can transform indignation at the way Ozil is treated into energy and discuss together how it was possible to elect an extreme right-wing party like the AfD in Germany to the Bundestag and why right-wing extremists sit in almost all parliaments throughout Europe. We can also use this opportunity to question ourselves. For example, we can ask ourselves whether and what mistakes we Muslims have made that Islamophobia could increase so much. Self-reflection and self-criticism are virtues and signs of strength, not weakness. We can use this opportunity to get into conversation with our neighbours, friends and all the other people around us. For us Muslims in Germany and Europe, there is no alternative to this dispute. We must have discussions, demand debates and, over and over again, oppose all forms of racism. For us, the fight against xenophobia and anti-Muslim racism is without alternatives simply because we live in Europe, are rooted, and see our future here. The romantic idea of Muslims of Turkish origin fifty or sixty years ago who went to make and save some money to only go back to Turkey, no longer exists. It must therefore be our goal to struggle for a diverse and pluralistic society until everyone, regardless of their origin, language, colour or religion, can live on an equal footing and free of discrimination - regardless of whether they see themselves as Muslims, Christians, Jews, Turks, Germans or German-Turks. Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of TRT World. We welcome all pitches and submissions to TRT World Opinion - please send them via email, to opinion.editorial@trtworld.com

Mesut Ozil's statement and his resignation from the German national football team has triggered one of the biggest debates on racism and integration in Germany.

ellisonz (27,186 posts) Toons: Cardboard Box Equity, Thirty Minutes of Fame, The Pitchman and More. - 2/13/12 By Jimmy Margulies, The Record of Hackensack, NJ - 2/13/2012 By Daryl Cagle, MSNBC.com - 2/12/2012 By RJ Matson, Roll Call - 2/11/2012 By Martin Sutovec, Slovakia - 2/13/2012 By Manny Francisco, Manila, The Phillippines - 2/13/2012 By Mike Luckovich, February 12, 2012 By Ted Rall, February 13, 2012 By Tom Toles, February 13, 2012 By Steve Breen, February 11, 2012 By Jeff Danziger, February 13, 2012 (I think that is supposed to be Clinton) By Jim Morin, February 14, 2012 Note: Thank you to all who have given hearts for Planned Parenthood! Credit: Cagle Cartoons, Universal UClick. P.S. Whitney Houston Toons posted by n2doc. Toons: Cardboard Box Equity, Thirty Minutes of Fame, The Pitchman and More. - 2/13/12 (Original post) ellisonz Feb 2012 OP

Cardboard Box Equity, Thirty Minutes of Fame, The Pitchman and More.

Parents, teachers and students oppose New York City school closings By Steve Light, Alan Whyte and and A. Woodson 14 March 2013 The New York City Panel on Educational Policy (PEP) ignored the anger and opposition of parents, teachers and students at its meeting on Monday night, approving the closing of 22 public schools and the "co-locations" of 40 others. Many audience members were from schools facing closures and co-locations The 22 closings are in addition to 142 already closed or being phased out over the past decade under New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Most of the large, comprehensive high schools and many large elementary and middle schools have each been replaced by several smaller charter schools, many of them private, that receive public subsidy. Many are co-located in the same building, as the Department of Education (DOE) tries to save money at the expense of overcrowding. Twenty-six co-locations have already been approved since the beginning of the school year and another five are on the agenda for March. These school closings are part of a wave of similar measures across the country, part of a campaign for the privatization of public education in the name of "reform." The PEP is a rubber stamp for the Bloomberg administration, with most of its members appointed by the mayor. Most parents, students and teachers are well aware that its votes are a foregone conclusion, and this was reflected in the attendance on Monday night. In an auditorium that has held 3,000 parents, teachers and students at several PEP meetings in the past few years, there were 1,000 in attendance on Monday. Parents protest school phase-outs and co-location plans Some schools brought delegations that loudly protested and waved signs at officials speaking on the podium who defended Bloomberg's policies, while others had little or no representation. It was clear to most that this was no democratic forum, but that its policies had been decided in advance and were endorsed by the whole political establishment, including President Obama, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and the billionaire mayor. Nor do any of the Democrats competing to take Bloomberg's place in this year's election have any principled opposition to his policies of breaking up schools and school communities. The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) did not have an official presence at the hearing. There was a small group from a UFT caucus called Movement of Rank-and-File Educators (MORE), which is dominated by the fake-left International Socialist Organization (ISO). The ISO's political agenda is to cover up for the UFT and its alliance with the Democratic Party. A major demand supported by many of the prospective mayoral candidates, along with the UFT and MORE, is for a moratorium that could supposedly delay the closings and co-locations until Bloomberg left office. A motion to this effect was made at Monday's meeting by the four PEP members appointed by the Democratic borough presidents. It amounted to a phony show of opposition to Bloomberg, since it is well known that the eight members appointed by the mayor always carry the majority. A moratorium would at most have brought more hearings that would merely provide dishonest election campaign material for the Democrats, none of whom renounce mayoral control of the schools and none of whom oppose the continuing attacks on education. The World Socialist Web Site interviewed parents, teachers and students at the PEP hearing, discussing the program of the Socialist Equality Party for the independent mobilization of the working class against school closings and for socialist policies to provide all the teachers, resources and buildings needed for a quality education for all. Gregory Delts, a worker at the Office of Children's and Family Services, explained, "They plan to close PS 285 in the Bronx. I have two children, one in the third grade and one in pre-kindergarten in that school. I am also the vice-president of the Parent-Teachers Association. This school has been improving steadily. Then they suddenly changed the standards making it impossible for the school to meet the new standards. They want to replace PS 285 with four smaller schools. I think that there is money involved in this since it is very likely that they want to create charter schools. "The teachers put in a great deal of effort to teach the students. It is not fair to the students and teachers to disrupt all the work that they have been putting in together as a team. Now the students will have to start from scratch. I also think this will produce a certain feeling of inferiority amongst the students since it is telling them that the schools are closing because they are a failure. "Some parents support charter schools because they appear to be better. When the school can pick the students, then you get better results. But when you have the same students for public schools and charter schools, there is no difference in performance. If they turn every school into a charter school that hands-picks its students, then education will be elitist. I doubt anything will change from this meeting. They are committed to closing schools. They hold these public meetings to meet certain legal requirements." Don Cerrone Don Cerrone, a visual arts teacher for 10 years, was formerly in the motion picture industry and now runs the media program at Jonathan Levin High School, targeted for closure. "I want to give the kids a shot like I had. I went to public school, grew up in a public housing project. Teachers gave me the motivation to get moving. I hope they won't close the school but we'll continue the fight to keep the needs of the community in mind, to help the kids. At Levin, they put in more English language learner students in the last few years. But when you introduce students in the 11th grade who don't speak English and still hold them to the state standard, they have low test scores and graduation rates. "I believe that the people who consider themselves in charge need uneducated, obedient people to do what they want without regard to what anyone wants. You can see that the funding goes down, teachers leave, nothing is fixed. I am sure there is quite a bit of money in it that they manage to profit from. The Democrats and Republicans are close, not much of a well-defined difference. What is needed lies in the voice of the people. I would like to see that but it takes a long time. There needs to be more equality." Asked about the role of the teachers union, Cerrone said, "People usually don't understand that unions support the unions, not necessarily the teachers, as people think." The UFT chapter leader at De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx, Kate Martin-Bridge, has been a math teacher for nine years. Asked to explain the co-locations planned for Clinton, she responded, "There is no explanation. They asked us for feedback. No teachers, parents, students, community members ever said co-locate 2 more high schools into the school because that will help us improve. They have closed schools in other cities, too, but the grades have not gone up. They should acknowledge that New York City is truly a melting pot and reach out. This is where public education can make a real difference." A mother from East New York whose daughter attends JHS 292, which is being phased out, explained, "Our school has been around for 100 years. If the school is not doing well, it is because Bloomberg has not supported it. Anytime he makes a decision he doesn't really want to hear what you have to say. He just wants to cut, cut. He was wrong by not providing school buses for the kids when he stopped the EPP job protection for the drivers. He is just a selfish businessman who doesn't care about hurting parents and the children." Victor Martinez and Carlos Cabeza Two Brooklyn College students, Carlos Cabeza and Victor Martinez, explained why they were at the meeting protesting the closings. Victor said, "We used to go to Eastern District High School. It was closed, broken into three high schools. The school upstairs gets A's because it has better administration and teachers involved with students, more serious programs, as opposed to the school downstairs that had three principals in eight years. I was in that school." Carlos continued, "The top school gets the most funding, it isn't really an evaluation of how the students could be doing. They can't say it is not possible to run large schools because Brooklyn Tech and Stuyvesant are large schools." Asked how they saw the larger social situation, Victor answered, "Now the student loan bubble will burst. It is the biggest debt. Troops are coming back and not being helped and getting jobs they deserve and adding to the unemployment." Carlos stated, "I identify myself as a socialist. It means people not accepting top-down leadership. With the Democrats and Republicans there is a stalemate. There is no way anybody is going to win." Sign up for the WSWS Teacher Newsletter The WSWS urges teachers and supporters to sign up for the Teacher Newsletter for frequent updates and to leave your comments or questions. To do so, click here .

Parents, teachers and students oppose New York City school closings By Steve Light, Alan Whyte and and A. Woodson 14 March 2013 The New York City Panel on Educational Policy (PEP) ignored the anger and opposition of parents, teachers and students at its meeting on Monday night, approving the closing of 22 public schools and the "co-locations" of 40 others.

June 26, 2013 ( blog.heritage.org ) - The release of the State Department's latest Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) revealed that Asia is home to some of the worst perpetrators of illegal human trafficking. China has now joined the ranks of Russia, North Korea, Iran, and a handful of other countries as Tier 3 violators of human trafficking laws. Afghanistan, Burma, Cambodia, Malaysia, Maldives, Micronesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand were placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for their lack of compliance with human trafficking laws. China's designation as a Tier 3 country authorizes the U.S. to place sanctions on non-humanitarian and non-trade-related aid. Whether President Obama imposes such sanctions will be determined over the next 90 days. Sanctions could impact U.S. support for aid from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as well as some aid coming directly from the U.S. to China. Click "like" if you are PRO-LIFE ! China has been on the Tier 2 Watch List for nine years. The past two years, China has a received a waiver and maintained its Tier 2 Watch List status due to efforts at implementing new anti-human trafficking laws. This year, due to its failure to take remedial action, it slipped to Tier 3. China is a source, transit point, and destination for trafficking victims. Forced labor has been documented at an estimated 320 state-controlled Chinese re-education camps. According to the TIP report, Chinese women were trafficked to every continent. North Korea has long been designated as a Tier 3 country due to its labor camps that imprison 200,000 or more people. These prisoners are subjected to both forced labor and unimaginable brutality. Women and children trying to escape into neighboring countries are often trafficked as sex workers or brides, making freedom nearly unattainable. Worldwide, there are an estimated 27 million people caught in the mire of human trafficking--including an estimated 1.2 million children. From persecuted religious minorities in Burma (such as the Rohingya) to sex slaves in Cambodia, the atrocities are innumerable. Reprinted with permission from blog.heritage.org

he release of the State Department's latest Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) revealed that Asia is home to some of the worst perpetrators of illegal human trafficking. China has now joined the ranks of Russia, North Korea, Iran, and a handful of other countries as Tier 3 violators of human trafficking laws. Afghanistan, Burma, Cambodia, Malaysia, Maldives, Micronesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand were placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for their lack of compliance with human trafficking laws.

Clarke Peters as Albert Lambreaux playing the tambourine in Treme You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation's journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation's journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Most Popular Only perfunctorily concerned with plot, Treme offers little of what draws viewers to prestige programs like The Sopranos . It's an indulgence. Simon and Overmyer use the scope of serialized narrative to evoke a sense of lived experience; the show provides evidence of its creators' humbled intelligence, one not constantly seeking the causes that explain the effects. It eschews the tidy coincidence and smug oversimplification of a "network narrative" and never tries to make New Orleans seem smaller than it is. Whereas The Wire 's 200 or so speaking characters all seemed to cross paths, the narrative interconnectedness of Treme cannot be reduced to a flow chart. For all The Wire 's departures from the NYPD Blue crime drama format, it was still tightly scripted, rigorously controlled, always juggling several narratives in progress from point A to point B. But even when introducing a subplot about government corruption or police brutality, Treme continues to shuffle along amiably, generating a kind of ambient suspense through a lack of incident. Many of those who applauded The Wire 's revivification of an American social realist tradition have felt out of step with Treme 's quirky narrative ramble, even though the show sacrifices little of Simon's crusading liberalism. (One of season three's plotlines follows the research and development of an investigative article for The Nation .) In its emphasis on spaces seemingly untouched by institutional power, the show favors a different but no less vital kind of politics--a form of everyday resistance that's messy and rhythmic, and affective rather than staunchly materialist. "As good as it is at effects," wrote New Orleans native Nicholas Lemann in The New York Review of Books , " Treme isn't so good at causes--of the immediate disaster, and of its seemingly never-ending aftermath. To explain that, Simon will have to move outside the appealing and tight cultural frame in which the action thus far has taken place." Hurricane Katrina, the causes of institutional collapse-- explain that . The political scientist Adolph Reed called the show an "abysmal failure," saying that its cultural tourism "cannot help us make sense of the social forces that have produced New Orleans and its patterns of social relations and that will shape its and its residents' future." Simon, help us make sense . For Dave Thier at The Atlantic , "the most obvious problem with Treme is that it is boring.... Simon could ask all the same questions about New Orleans that he did about Baltimore, but his infatuation with the city clouds his eye." Ask the same questions . A travelogue show that loudly insisted on the authenticity of New Orleans and the accuracy of its own depiction would rightly be deemed insufferable. Simon was up front about his desire to get the details right, to shoot on location, cast a bunch of locals and ensure that every "lagniappe" receives a spot-on pronunciation. But on the day of the show's premiere, he published an open letter in The Times-Picayune warning the "fact-grounded literalists" that "we have trespassed throughout our narrative.... And [we] will be subject to the judgment of you whom we have trespassed against." (Dave Walker's Treme Explained blog at the T-P website has approvingly and entertainingly annotated the show's local references in real time.) It's clear that Simon and Overmyer's bid for local respect is less dependent on deploying proper place names than on cultivating a serious respect for the hard work that props up an ecosystem saturated by earthly indulgences, and a sensitivity toward the ways the city's traditions have been so easily grifted and commodified. In its dramatization of love and theft, Treme is one of the least condescending depictions of cultural labor that I've seen on-screen. Treme 's pivotal figure is the Mardi Gras Indian chief Albert Lambreaux, played by Clarke Peters, a distinguished Wire alum who also brought a turbulent intensity to Spike Lee's Red Hook Summer . Albert is the leader of an esoteric and very real secret society, the Guardians of the Flame. Chanting in a distinctive patois, this working-class Afrocentric tribe appropriates its aesthetic from Native American traditions--not to usurp their power, but to acknowledge their shared social marginality. The Mardi Gras Indian tradition, over a century old, also pays tribute to the Native Americans who harbored runaway slaves. Every year, the Guardians spend an entire year hand-stitching their colorful, breathtakingly ornate beaded costumes, vying to be deemed the "prettiest" on Mardi Gras day. Albert is unfailingly sour and stubborn--"Won't bow, don't know how" is his trademark intonation, and one that succinctly defines his relationship to the law--but the show affords his obsession an uncommon measure of respect. "Will the Guardians suit up for Mardi Gras this year?" is the common narrative thread of each Treme season. "Will the cops let them?" is the other. In the second season, the Big Chief's son Delmond (Rob Brown), a popular New York jazz trumpeter who has developed a modern hard-bop sound, gives up fighting his father's intransigence and records an album incorporating Albert's Indian traditions. (Christian Scott's 2012 Christian aTunde Adjuah is the album's acclaimed real-world corollary.) Still, Albert's locally well-recognized place atop a tribal hierarchy does next to nothing for his social capital. The aging artist earns his keep by plastering renovated homes purchased by the wealthy, work that takes a serious toll on his health. The tavern owner LaDonna (fiercely embodied by Khandi Alexander), who eventually hosts the Guardians' raucous rehearsal sessions, is the show's long-suffering avatar of implacable, inexplicable fortitude. In season one, she seeks information about her missing brother, who was taken into police custody when Katrina hit the city, and is stymied at every turn. Later, after being victimized by a violent crime, she refuses to leave her bar behind, even as her solid dentist husband in Baton Rouge encourages her to quit the city and join him for good. Touchingly, he eventually realizes that the defiance and pride she musters in the face of unending humiliation and despair is the source of their romantic spark. She stays in New Orleans. He moves. The show's ensemble includes all manner of headstrong hustlers and knights of the spirit: musicians of every stripe, DJs, chefs, baristas, district attorneys, impresarios, developers, journalists, cops, shrimp boat captains, united only by their uncommon resilience and a faith that compels them to hunker down in a battered and thoroughly dysfunctional place. The excessive preaching these folks do on behalf of New Orleans' proud exceptionalism cannot be easily separated from willful self-delusion. Not by accident, the series' two most exasperating characters are the ones who bear the closest resemblance to Simon's bumptious public persona: Davis McAlary (Steve Zahn), the grating and unflappable goofball, and Creighton Bernette (John Goodman), the hectoring, self-righteous, profane Tulane professor. Both are self-appointed shamans (and privileged white men) who try to wrangle personal control of the city's post-Katrina malaise by publicly disseminating their paeans to the city's cultural heritage. Davis the DJ is a politically naive, musically challenged Garden District blue-blood turned Treme resident and full-time booster, constantly seeking novel ways to harness the local mystique for self-serving ends. Creighton, who when not ostentatiously thumbing copies of The Awakening or The Moviegoer can be found posting first-person political harangues on YouTube, is eventually revealed as not just shallow but tragically unbalanced. The ongoing, unsubtle auto-critique of dewy-eyed views serves as Simon's obvious rebuke to anyone who might accuse him of shilling for the tourist bureau. The dramatic experiment of Treme emerges from the absence of structure in the tragic, temporary cessation of law and order. Simon's navigation of the flood's aftermath stakes out a territory somewhere between Naomi Klein's gloomy, methodical warnings of a post-disaster neoliberal "shock doctrine" and Rebecca Solnit's fascination with "the ability of disasters to topple old orders and open new possibilities." As Solnit writes: "In the moment of disaster, the old order no longer exists and people improvise rescues, shelters, and communities. Thereafter, a struggle takes place over whether the old order with all its shortcomings and injustices will be reimposed or a new one, perhaps more oppressive or perhaps more just and free, like the disaster utopia, will arise." Simon doesn't share Solnit's faith in the possibility of a paradise built in hell, but it's bracing to watch one of America's most prominent doomsayers cast an approving eye on those who wrap their troubles in dreams. The revelry of blissful abnegation bears a proud historical tradition: in the antebellum era, the Treme neighborhood was a place where, on Sundays, slaves gathered in the town square for song and dance. The city's monumental musical tradition is Treme 's subject as well as its pulse, though the show's lengthy performance sequences--approximately fifteen minutes of every episode--have become a sticking point for impatient viewers. Loving Treme means developing a tolerance, if not an affinity, for traditional brass-band jazz, not to mention hard bop, sissy bounce, alt-country and zydeco. Yes, the music can be oppressive, a sign of too-muchness, and some of it is just awful. But there's an admirable poise in the camera's staunch refusal to cut away from a jam session in the middle of a song, and the majority of these musical interludes reward close attention. Character development on Treme often rests upon a jazzman's discovery of a new sound, or a fleeting instance of transcendent creative symbiosis. The rewards are minor but deeply felt. Though Simon proudly claims that the show delivered a $3.5 million boost to the local music community, New Orleans is a city where any success hits a low ceiling--you can actually make a career, it seems, provided that all you want to do is play, eat, mess around and get high. The show's boisterous democratic spirit is best embodied by a man who can live with this deal: Antoine Batiste, played by the irresistible New Orleans native (and Wire alum) Wendell Pierce, is something like the seventh-best trombone player in the city, kept in regular brass-band rotation but never famous enough not to always be hustling for that next gig. Simon's shows thrive on a kind of artful imbalance; he likes to mix amateurs and professionals. The never-ending flow of musical cameos includes Dr. John and Trombone Shorty, Irma Thomas and Allen Toussaint, Juvenile and Big Freedia, if not Lil Wayne. Sometimes he hires or casts professionals as amateurs. Bad-boy food tourist Anthony Bourdain was drafted to write the majority of the dramatically stagnant if superficially appetizing scenes that follow chef Janette Desautel (Kim Dickens) through the kitchens of New Orleans and Manhattan. One result is that Momofuku's famously hotheaded David Chang comes off as blandly, unfailingly generous. In season two, former New Orleans City Council President Oliver Thomas, who resigned his seat after taking $20,000 in bribes and kickbacks, is cast as a sympathetic version of himself, a role he originated in a biographical play he co-wrote and performed after leaving prison. One regular cast member, Juilliard-trained violin prodigy Lucia Micarelli, plays a French Quarter street fiddler turned roots-rock sensation, but she can't carry her dramatic scenes as skillfully as she handles her instrument. I also don't share Simon's enthusiasm for the lefty singer-songwriter Steve Earle, who (at least in spirit) reprises his Wire role as a kind of gritty, saintly street poet. Though nearly all of Treme 's artists are tested by compromises over idealism and creative control, the show is less interested in who's keeping it real than, as ever, who pockets the profits. New Orleans' insistence on an exceptionalism that exempts it from both federal law--this is the land of the to-go cup and the drive-thru daiquiri, where fine distinctions are regularly drawn between vice and sin--and the bustle of big business is exactly what makes its cultural heritage such a valuable commodity for speculators. The predicament of Treme 's good citizens is an almost exact illustration of what Lauren Berlant calls "cruel optimism," whereby the hopes and attachments we grasp at to compensate for life's inadequacies are what keep us from flourishing. For these survivors caught in the precarious aftermath of trauma, finding new ways to do more with less ensures that less is all they'll ever get. Treme can't be mistaken for an op-ed, but Simon never fully abandons the soapbox. The flood initially serves as a deus ex machina , a disastrous wallop that throws a city and a way of life out of whack. But in Treme 's later seasons, the calamity reveals as much crippling infrastructural damage as it caused; all of a sudden, post-Katrina New Orleans, a playground for opportunistic fraudsters and disaster capitalists awaiting the threat of more violent weather on the horizon, begins to seem like a synecdoche for post-crash America. This convergence might allay the concerns of season one's most ardent critics, but it sometimes clashes with the underdetermined, do-whatcha-wanna hospitality of Treme 's approach. Thankfully, Jon Seda's ruthless, quick-stepping, wildly improvisatory Texan real-estate speculator Nelson Hidalgo, who swoops into town bragging about his ability to "sell a sandbox to Saddam," develops into one of the show's liveliest and least dismissible characters. The Africanist scholar and blogger Aaron Bady, in the most convincing analysis I've read of Treme 's early episodes, sees the apparent absence of The Wire 's critique of neoliberalism as a deliberate withholding; the show's "focus is so intensely fixed on the things that make life worth living as to lose a sense for why it became so hard, so suddenly, to do so." Simon isn't denying that structural and social factors can limit basic access to status, wealth and power; rather, he's dramatizing an attempt to live, and live well, despite the nonnegotiable inevitability of injustice and devastation. All is not in vain, at least not always, at least not now. The show's ensemble contains no self-conscious political revolutionaries, but its characters forge plenty of strategic alliances and engineer a surprising amount of ground-level social change. I'm not going to argue that Treme is a more essential show than The Wire , but it's a rare thing indeed: an understated and deeply melancholic patchwork of American stubbornness, charged by an unlikely patriotism. Its only real sin--or is it a vice?--is trying to avoid too many conventions at once. As much as I love the show, I can't say I saw any urgent need for a fourth season. There weren't any narrative loose ends to tie up, not that I think the show would have been interested in doing so. The considerable life-affirming pleasures of Treme , and the unlikely gift of its existence, gives rise to its own form of cruel optimism: it's a show so good you can't help but wish it was even better.

Clarke Peters as Albert Lambreaux playing the tambourine in Treme You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation's journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported

TEHRAN - The Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee chief said on Monday that the committee receives quarterly reports on foreign trade from the customs and the Foreign Ministry to oversee its growth. 2018-07-24 11:40 By Syed Zafar Mehdi Mehr Tarar is a Pakistan-based senior journalist, political commentator and author. She was formerly op-ed editor of Daily Times. In her interview with Tehran Times, she spoke about the general election in Pakistan and why it will be bitterly contested. 2018-07-24 10:54 Even as the speculation over whether India will cut oil imports from Iran under the U.S. pressure grows, there is some good news for the votaries of stronger India-Iran bilateral ties. 2018-07-24 09:56 TEHRAN- Iran exported 5.356 million tons of petrochemical products worth more than $3.158 billion during the three-month period from the beginning of current Iranian calendar year (March 21), IRIB reported citing the data released by National Petrochemical Company (NPC). 2018-07-24 09:55 TEHRAN - Indian refineries are getting worried about the risks that U.S. sanctions on Iran could impose on their profitability, Economic Times reported citing Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL). 2018-07-24 09:52 TEHRAN - Italian Ambassador to Iran Mauro Conciatori said Rome is trying to maintain its positive trade ties with Tehran despite U.S. sanctions, IRNA reported. 2018-07-24 09:46 TEHRAN- As Iran's Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade has announced, 2,861 permits have been issued for establishment of industrial units during the two-month period from March 21 to May 21, which indicates 23 percent growth compared to the same period of time in the past year. 2018-07-24 09:46 TEHRAN- Iran's 1st Exhibition on Designing and Manufacturing Aviation Components inaugurated on Monday at Mehrabad International Airport, Fars news agency reported. 2018-07-24 09:42 TEHRAN -- Hepatitis C has been eradicated in patients with hemophilia in three provinces of Lorestan, South Khorasan, and Gilan, respectively west, east, and north of the country, head of Iran's Hepatitis Network Moayyed Alavian has said. 2018-07-24 09:42 By Seyed Mahdi Mirghazanfari Iranian traditional medicine (also known as Persian medicine) helps address difficulty sleeping. 2018-07-24 09:40 TEHRAN -- Two per 100 people suffer congestive heart failure in Iran, Iranian electrophysiologist Masoud Eslami has said, IRIB reported on Sunday. 2018-07-24 09:34 TEHRAN - A magnitude 5.9 quake that rattled parts of the western province of Kermanshah on Sunday caused no damage to historical sites across the province. 2018-07-24 09:32 TEHRAN - A new round of restoration project has recently started on the centuries-old Saint George Church, which is located in Haftvan village, northwestern West Azarbaijan province. 2018-07-24 09:31 TEHRAN - On Sunday, an exhibition of hand-woven kilims and traditional textiles opened its doors to the public at the Carpet Museum of Iran. 2018-07-24 09:29 TEHRAN - Iranian exporters of handicrafts are no longer required to exchange their export currencies at the Forex Management Integrated System, locally known as NIMA. 2018-07-24 09:28 TEHRAN - Hamedan will be hosting a tourism summit of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue from August 27 to 29. 2018-07-24 01:01 Pro-reform Hope faction backs Rouhani's strong warning against Trump TEHRAN - President Hassan Rouhani on Monday praised support for his government by the pro-reform Hope parliamentary faction. 2018-07-23 21:49 Our neighbors should not have any misunderstanding about Iran TEHRAN - Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani on Sunday likened diplomats to "guerrillas in suit" who can play an effective role in economic sphere. 2018-07-23 21:46 TEHRAN - In a ceremony on Monday, Iran unveiled the mass production of a medium-range air-to-air missile, dubbed Fakour. 2018-07-23 21:45 'The Iranians have never given in to the foreigners' bullying policies' TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Monday that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's "disgraceful" and "hypocritical" remarks are manifestations of the U.S. frustration. 2018-07-23 21:44 TEHRAN - The Iranian Army Ground Force chief on Sunday supported President Hassan Rouhani's threat to close the Strait of Hormuz if Iran would not be able to export its oil, saying the strait must be open to all or no one, Mehr reported. 2018-07-23 21:43 TEHRAN - In response to U.S. President Donald Trump's threatening tweet against Iran, former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohsen Rezaei hit back soon, warning Trump to be "cautious". 2018-07-23 21:42 TEHRAN-Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak met Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh in Moscow on Monday and discussed energy cooperation between the two countries and through OPEC, Russia's Energy Ministry said. 2018-07-23 19:04 TEHRAN - The Saba Art and Cultural Institute in Tehran is playing host to an exhibition of posters on the theme of children's rights. 2018-07-23 18:50 TEHRAN - The renowned Iranian vocalist Shahram Nazeri and his son, Hafez, will tour Canada during October. 2018-07-23 18:48 TEHRAN - Lian led by its vocalist and neyanban virtuoso Mohsen Sharifian will give a concert featuring the rhythmical Bushehri music of southern Iran during WOMAD, a music festival in London, on July 29, the organizers have announced. 2018-07-23 18:47 TEHRAN - "Dictator in Love", a comedy about Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and his mistress Eva Braun whom he married later, went on stage at the Independent Theater of Tehran on Monday.

The Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee chief said on Monday that the committee receives quarterly reports on foreign trade from the customs and the Foreign Ministry to oversee its growth.

Lear's lefty activism, his life's work, his patriotism, and the foolishness of the human condition are all woven together, like an American flag. April 25, 2017 (c) 2018 Conde Nast. All rights reserved. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 5/25/18) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 5/25/18). Your California Privacy Rights . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Conde Nast. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products and services that are purchased through links on our site as part of our affiliate partnerships with retailers. Ad Choices (c) 2018 Conde Nast. All rights reserved. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 5/25/18) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 5/25/18). Your California Privacy Rights . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Conde Nast. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products and services that are purchased through links on our site as part of our affiliate partnerships with retailers. Ad Choices

Lear's lefty activism, his life's work, his patriotism, and the foolishness of the human condition are all woven together, like an American flag.

Police have accused Richard Jordon McEachern, 22, of forcing a runner to the ground Friday and sexually assaulting her on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail near East Avenue and Cummings Street on Friday around 5:46 a.m. . . . the woman told police she was headed east on the trail early Friday when she heard loud steps approaching behind her. The document said the woman reported that the attacker put his hand over her mouth and kept saying "shh, it's me baby, it's me" as she struggled to scream and use a whistle she carried to call for help. . . . Another jogger who was carrying a flashlight and a handgun heard the victim scream and ran over to help. The affidavit said the jogger told police he shined his light in the direction of the screams and saw the victim on her back and the attacker on his left side on top of the victim. The jogger pointed his gun at the suspect and demanded he get off the victim. The attacker stood up and was naked from the waist down, the affidavit said. Atlanta police tell news outlets the shooting happened Tuesday night, when a driver delivering Chinese food was stopped by two women in northeast Atlanta and two men then approached from behind.

Police have accused Richard Jordon McEachern, 22, of forcing a runner to the ground Friday and sexually assaulting her on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail near East Avenue and Cummings Street on Friday around 5:46 a.m.

Bill O'Reilly's Fox News career now swims with the fishes. The conventional wisdom is that after the NY Times exposed a history of sexual harassment settlements, and two new accusers came forward, advertisers "fled" the show, forcing the hand of News Corp and the Murdochs. That conventional wisdom is only partially correct --... On today's Fox News Sunday , Rush Limbaugh said that "embeds" by former President Obama and Hillary Clinton in the "deep state"--the permanent bureaucracy--are "absolutely" behind the leaks about ties between the Russians and the Trump campaign. Rush added that "the left, which is run by Obama and Hillary and the hierarchy of the Democrat... In the wake of the horrifying and incomprehensible shootings in Dallas that left four police officers and one rapid transit officer dead and another seven people wounded, Heather MacDonald appeared on Rush's radio show. She shared statistics and asserted that the entire Black Lives Matter movement is "based on a lie." As longtime readers know, Media Matters was the driving force behind the attempt to force Rush Limbaugh off the airwaves through secondary boycotts of advertisers. Unlike more noble boycotts in American history, the Limbaugh boycott movement did not urge consumers to boycott Limbaugh's show, it sought to undercut Limbaugh's platform by scaring advertisers away from the... First , yesterday the 200,000th comment was posted at Legal Insurrection:

Bill O'Reilly's Fox News career now swims with the fishes. The conventional wisdom is that after the NY Times exposed a history of sexual harassment settlements, and two new accusers came forward, advertisers "fled" the show, forcing the hand of News Corp and the Murdochs. That conventional wisdom is only partially correct --... On today's Fox News Sunday , Rush Limbaugh said that "embeds" by former President Obama and Hillary Clinton in the "deep state"--the permanent bureaucracy--are "absolutely" behind the leaks about ties between the Russians and the Trump campaign.

We've been assured that the Parkland students " changed the gun debate " and that the gun-control argument may be " forever changed ." The only really noticeable change at this year's National Rifle Association's Annual Meeting in Dallas was that it seemed more crowded than usual, even in a convention center with 650,000 square feet of exhibit space. This morning, the NRA confirmed a new record for attendance, 87,154 members . The previous record was 86,228 in Houston in 2013; most years the attendance is around 80,000. Once again, there was no mass shooting, or any shooting at all, at the convention. We won't know the crime statistics for a few weeks, but past cities have seen crime rates briefly dip during the convention. Stay Updated with NR Daily NR's afternoon roundup of the day's best commentary & must-read analysis. There were protests, but no clashes between protestors and attendees. The New Yorker offered its usual Gorillas-In-The-Mist can-you-believe-people-really-live-this-way coverage . There was a minor controversy when a nearby restaurant, Ellen's, announced that some of the proceeds from customers that week would be donated to organizations "dedicated to implementing reasonable and effective gun regulations." The NRA urged its members to boycott the establishment. I strolled by on Sunday, in the midday brunch period, and the restaurant didn't seem to have trouble attracting customers; of course, it's impossible to know if those were locals or what their views on gun control were. If the gun debate is forever changed, you couldn't tell in Dallas.

We've been assured that the Parkland students " changed the gun debate " and that the gun-control argument may be " forever changed ." The only really noticeable change at this year's National Rifle Association's Annual Meeting in Dallas was that it seemed more crowded than usual, even in a convention center with 650,000 square feet of exhibit space. This morning, the NRA confirmed a new record for attendance, 87,154 members .

Iraqi security forces lost 2,300 Humvee armoured vehicles to the Islamic State in Mosul last summer, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi revealed. "In the collapse of Mosul, we lost a lot of weapons. We lost 2,300 Humvees in Mosul alone," Al-Abadi said, pointing out that "several Russian and American maintenance companies and contractors left the country because of the deteriorating security situation in Iraq." Last year, the US State Department approved the sale of 1,000 Humvees with increased armour, machine guns, grenade launchers, other gear and support, estimated to cost $579 million. This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License . If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them. What does that mean? For permissions beyond the scope of this license, please contact us . Spotted an error on this page? Let us know

Iraqi security forces lost 2,300 Humvee armoured vehicles to the Islamic State in Mosul last summer, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi revealed. "In the collapse of Mosul, we lost a lot of weapons. We lost 2,300 Humvees in Mosul alone," Al-Abadi said, pointing out that "several Russian and American maintenance companies and contractors left the country because of the deteriorating security situation in Iraq." Last year, the US State Department approved the sale of 1,000 Humvees with increased armour, machine guns, grenade launchers, other gear and support, estimated to cost $579 million.

A judge in Maricopa County, AZ, found that there is evidence that state Senate candidate Olivia Cortes is a sham candidate in the election to recall Senate president Russell Pearce. Cortes, who dropped out of the race but will still appear on the ballot, was accused of being recruited by Pearce supporters who wanted to split the vote for Pearce's opponent, Jerry Lewis, particularly in the Hispanic community. Cortes had kept a low profile throughout the campaign -- she dodged reporter questions, had no campaign events and only a few signs, and launched her website pretty late in the game. And then there were accounts by local reporters that paid signature gatherers for Cortes' candidacy admitted that she was supposed to split the anti-Pearce vote. "She's running on her own," one petitioner reportedly said. "But the whole purpose is to split the vote. So that everyone who [is] against [Pearce] will vote for two people instead of one, and that way [Pearce] will get the most votes." And, from the New York Times : Greg Western, a Pearce ally who is the chairman of the East Valley Tea Party, was a central figure in the scheme and became Ms. Cortes's campaign adviser. Soon, signs promoting Ms. Cortes's candidacy appeared on street corners, bearing the motto made famous by Cesar Chavez of the United Farm Workers: "Si, Se Puede!" Additionally, Pearce's nieces were revealed to be collecting signatures for Cortes, accompanied by one of his brothers. Cortes agreed to pull out of the race before Pearce's relatives would have to face subpoenas, the Times reports. "The court finds that Pearce supporters recruited Cortes, a political neophyte, to run in the recall election to siphon Hispanic votes from Lewis to advance Pearce's recall election bid," wrote Superior Court Judge Edward O. Burke, though he did not take her off the ballot. Burke wrote: "The court assumes that candidates have run for office for less than the noble motive of serving the public, which could include getting a better-paying job, pension benefits, achieving a position of perceived importance, boredom, or no reason at all." "Divining candidates' motives and acting on them is more properly the role of voters," he said. Pearce is facing a recall election based on a petition by the group Citizens for a Better Arizona, which objects to his co-authorizing of the state's immigration law, his opposition to the 14th Amendment, and his flirtations with birtherism and tentherism. Pearce repeatedly denied that he has any connection to Cortes.

A judge in Maricopa County, AZ, found that there is evidence that state Senate candidate Olivia Cortes is a sham candidate in the election to recall Senate president Russell Pearce. Cortes, who dropped out of the race but will still appear on the ballot, was accused of being recruited by Pearce supporters who wanted to split the vote for Pearce's opponent, Jerry Lewis, particularly in the Hispanic community. Cortes had kept a low profile throughout the campaign -- she dodged reporter questions, had no campaign events and only a few signs, and launched her website pretty late in the game

Tennis phenom Venus Williams is not a feminist and she's not afraid to say it. As I've discussed before, the term feminist is deceptive. Feminism in the 50s and 60s was all about women's empowerment and creating an equal playing field for both genders. Both genders -- not "all" genders. There are only two. But today's iteration of feminism is all about man-bashing, emasculating the male gender and elevating women, such that they hold more power than men, not equal power. Feminism has morphed from an aversion to gender-inequality to an aversion to men in general. This is not a misunderstanding of the movement. It is a clear and verifiable observation. Feminists have become an inverted version of misogynists. I have been very fortunate to have remarkable and honorable men in my life. I'm surrounded by them. My male counterparts here at The Rebel, my colleagues at the PAC I represent, my male family members and my male friends are all spectacular people in general, and they happen to be men. Yes, there are crappy men out there. There are also crappy women. A reluctance to recognize this coupled with habitual victimhood has led to what new-age feminism is in 2018. But Venus Williams wants no part of it. In an interview, Venus Williams was asked if she was a feminist and this was her response: "I don't like labels...though I do think as women we have much more power and opportunities in our hands than ever before. We truly don't know how powerful we are. There's nothing like a powerful woman walking into a room; her presence is like nothing else." It's almost as if we as women have elevated ourselves without the aid of this new-age faux-feminist movement. It's like Venus feels as though she worked hard, was committed to her sport and training, and was justly rewarded for her successes. Venus Williams is a tennis superstar. She didn't become that by bashing men and clawing her way into the spotlight, demanding she be given titles and championships. Good for her and good for women. Good for people. And more good news coming down the pike for the Trump administration: If any of you stayed up past the 3am hour Wednesday night, you had the privilege of watching history unfold. Three men who have been held as prisoners in North Korea came home. Our President, who the left would have you believe is a warmonger, along with his 12-day fresh Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, negotiated the release of Kim Hak Song, Kim Dong Cul and Kim Sang-Duk. The image of those three stepping off the plane, at the top of the stairs with the President and the First Lady, will be one of the high points, and bragging chips, of this administration. But there is yet another victory that took place this week with positive implications in the fight against terrorism and murderous regimes: As stated by Iraqi officials on Wednesday, five high-ranking Islamic State officials were captured in a complex operation carried out by U.S.-Iraqi coalition forces. The process leading up to the victory for counterintelligence efforts involved phone applications, and the hacking of secret bank accounts and communication codes that were carried out over the course of three months. President Trump tweeted the accomplishment saying this: "Five Most Wanted leaders of ISIS just captured." One of the five captured is Ismail Alwaan al- Ithawi, who is a top aide to Abu Bakr al-Bahgdadi, and who had previously resided in Turkey but was captured and transported to Iraq in February. Al-Bahgdadi is the declared leader of the Islamic State's caliphate and he is still at large. Ithawi, upon capture, was compelled to lure several of his ISIS contacts across the border to join him in Iraq. Compelled how, you might ask? Interrogation. Waterboarding? Who knows? Maybe not... maybe they just played Maroon 5 on repeat, which might be worse. The others who were captured are Syrian Saddam al-Jammel, Abu Abdel al-Haq, Mohamed al-Qadeer, Omar al-Karbouli and Essam al-Zawbai. I wonder how we can extract more intelligence from these bad hombres... anybody have any water and a washcloth they can borrow...? Who doesn't love Dennis Miller? He's hilarious and I've never found an instance where he wasn't 100 per cent spot on, or very close to it. It's nearly impossible to give off a cool vibe if you're constantly crying, whining and generally throwing a fit. No one likes a brat or a crybaby. On SiriusXM on Wednesday, Dennis Miller said this: "If you're going to be the cool kids (which we all know, the left tries desperately to be) you cannot be hysterical every day. If you're saying the guy is Hitler-like or he's a hooker junky, you're missing the point. Because eventually the boy who cried wolf syndrome takes over and people go 'Geez, it seems to me that Trump won on November 8 and every single day it's the end of the world." And he's exactly right. What I've observed is that it's growing exponentially more difficult to convince Americans that Trump is bad for America -- especially when their paychecks are fatter, their taxes-owed are shrinking, and the people around them who used to be unemployed, are now back to work. Confidence and support for politicians tends to be spurned by domestic issues. People care how much money they have. Foreign policy issues tend to take a back seat to the issues people vote on. But with such visible signs of foreign diplomatic successes like North Korean negotiations and ISIS-held territories shrinking by 98%, you can see why President Trump's approval rating is on the rise. 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Tennis phenom Venus Williams is not a feminist and she's not afraid to say it. As I've discussed before, the term feminist is deceptive. Feminism in the 50s and 60s was all about women's empowerment and creating an equal playing field for both genders. Both genders -- not "all" genders. There are only two. But today's iteration of feminism is all about man-bashing, emasculating the male gender and elevating women, such that they hold more power than men, not equal power.

By: Diane Sori and Craig Andresen / Right Side Patriots In trying to decipher Hillary Clinton's medical issues, and she obviously has medical issues, there are two codes, if you will, that must be cracked. First, there is the matter of the official Hillary team explanation regarding what transpired over the weekend at Sunday's 9/11 event. By now everybody knows about Hillary leaving the event early, being helped from the venue to a spot near the curb while she and her handlers...or spotters as the case may be...waited for Hillary's custom van/ambulance to arrive and second, there was the whole aspect of Hillary's spotters catching her as she went limp and then was literally dragged and loaded into that van. As to the official story... Hillary's people put out to the press that Hillary's now called 'episode' was because of the heat. It's a cover story that willing members of the mainstream media ran with and MSNBC went so far as to call the weather in NYC last Sunday morning... "horrible." It was hot, uncomfortably hot they said, coupled with extreme humidity. MSNBC also went to great lengths to blame Hillary's clothing for her obvious "overheating episode," calling into question her long jacket, what may well have been a long sleeved blouse, and the dark color of her ample pantsuit, as the culprits in her 'down goes Hillary' caught on tape moment. See Hillary's 'episode' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSTaOka3Z9k Here's the skinny on what MSNBC and other media outlets called the "horribly hot" weather in NYC last Sunday morning...the temperature at the time Hillary had to leave the 9/11 event early was a stifling 79 degrees, just 7 degrees over what is considered to be 'room temperature.' The skies were a mix of sun and light clouds, the humidity was an anything but 'horrific' 54%, and there was a light breeze at 9 MPH. Obviously, it was not the heat that took Hillary Clinton out last Sunday, but what about her pantsuit? As we looked at all the still images and videos from Sunday's 9/11 event, we clearly saw all manner of men, many sitting near Hillary herself, wearing dark suits, long-sleeved shirts, dark pants, and neck ties. And the women were conservatively dressed in dresses, stockings, blazers, and pants as well. Now here's what you do not see in those pictures or videos...people sweating. Nobody seems to be battling the heat. Nobody seems to be on the verge of passing out. Nobody, not those speaking, not those in attendance, and none of the first responders in uniform or wearing suits, was anywhere near suffering a heat related 'episode...nobody except Hillary that is. Oh yes, there is one more bit of direct evidence that completely dispels the excessive heat cover story...when Hillary walked out of Chelsea's apartment building, not long after her 'episode' and when asked by members of the press how she was doing...Hillary's response completely blew the "horrible" heat cover story out of the water... "Enjoying a beautiful day in New York," she said, with no reference whatsoever to the supposedly "horrible" heat that caused her now infamous 'episode.' So, what was quickly needed was a second cover story as the first one held water like a screen door on a submarine, and the next story to surface was that since last Friday, Hillary has had, "a touch of pneumonia," a hastily concocted story by Hillary's personal doctor, Dr. Lisa Bardack, who apparently is now traveling with Hillary everywhere. First of all...no one has a "touch of pneumonia" ...one either has pneumonia or one does not have pneumonia, but no one has a "touch " of pneumonia. Second, Hillary had apparently spent time at Chelsea's apartment before going to the 9/11 event, and after having been dragged into her 'mobile health center' from the curb, back to Chelsea's she went. Now ask yourself this...who with a "touch" of pneumonia or with a full-blown case of pneumonia goes to a home where an infant and young child reside ...as in Hillary's grandchildren...and who upon emerging from said location, if she indeed does have pneumonia, beckons to and then touches and poses for a staged photo with a young child...no one with an ounce of concern for others would ever do such a thing. Not only that, but someone managed to grab a photo of Hillary outside the 9/11 event and presumably after she was assisted from the venue but before her custom 'mobile care center' arrived, Hillary can clearly be seen squeezing the fingers of Dr. Lisa Bardack. Here's the first clue...squeezing of fingers is not normally done in conjunction with an already 3-day old being treated bout of pneumonia....squeezing fingers is, however, a normal procedure for someone suffering from a neurological issue. So, if it was not the heat...and clearly it was not as the temperature was only 79 degrees...and if her clothing had nothing to do with her 'episode'...which again obviously it did not as Hillary never removed her jacket or untied the tight ascot on her blouse both something someone 'overheating' would immediately do...and if it was not pneumonia which seems more than highly unlikely...what then is wrong with Hillary Clinton? Hillary Clinton is not well, that is obvious to anyone who has seen her physical condition deteriorate over the past few years. With a decades long history of falls, confusion, vision issues, and actual collapses...as in Hillary's fainting during a luncheon speech in Buffalo, N.Y. in 2005...Hillary's medical history that we know of includes breaking her right elbow in a fall in a Department of State parking garage in 2009; collapsing in 2011 while boarding a flight in Yemen; and her 2012 infamous 'boo-boo' that turned out to be the result of a fall in her Chappaqua N.Y. home. And it was this last incident that was the turning point for her now downhill health spiral that seems to be more noticeable by the day. Remember, this is the incident where Hillary passed out in the bathroom and hit her head on the toilet which turned into a concussion complete with a blood clot...a cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT)...in a vein being found between the brain and the skull behind her right ear. Not knowing if the concussion caused the blood clot or if the blood clot was what led to the fall, Hillary was put on blood thinners to dissolve the clot and to prevent other clots from forming, and she remains on blood thinners to this very day...Coumadin to be exact...and it's Coumadin (warfarin sodium) that is the key to what really ails Hillary for Coumadin is used in the treatment of specific conditions only and is counterproductive when treating other conditions...especially those some speculate she has. To date, Hillary has had three episodes of venous thrombosis (clots in veins) and in 1998 she was first prescribed the blood thinner/anti-coagulant Lovenox to treat 'supposed' blood-clotting problems happening in her legs on extended plane flights while Secretary of State and she was still on said drug in 2009 when she broke her right elbow. Replaced with Coumadin in 2012, after her 'boo-boo' fall, Coumadin is a very powerful drug that if given in too high a dose can cause one to hemorrhage and even bleed to death, and if given in too low a dose clots will continue to form. This means that Hillary could hemorrhage or worse from even a minor fall or other accident if her Coumadin dose is not adjusted on a regular and routine basis...that's why at times you see her being held upright by her handlers. And adjusting Coumadin translates into a blood test being a must every two to four weeks to make sure her blood is 'thinning' to the acceptable levels as per international normalized ration (INR)...which is simply a measure of how quickly her blood coagulates... and that said levels remain within a safe range without bleeding complications compromising her treatment and overall health. After the above said fall in her bathroom, Hillary was given tests while in the hospital which found she has a genetic predisposition to form blood clots...along with her documented thyroid problems which in and of themselves can lead to hypercoagulability...either of which puts her at a higher risk for strokes and/or heart attacks than it does the general population. It also means that long and numerous plane flights are a no-no as it's a well-documented fact that flying for extended periods of time... especially if one does not get up and walk or at least stretch...is a major cause of blood clots, especially in those predisposed to them. And like we said above, a genetic disposition to blood clots means Hillary Clinton will be on Coumadin for the rest of her life as she has five times the chance of a woman her age developing another blood clot, especially a pulmonary embolism which can cause sudden death. And this five times the chance actually translates into a 20% chance over the next 10 years of her having a major stroke...and those 10 years started in 2012 when she first started taking Coumadin meaning with it now being 2016, four of those 10 years have already gone by as her risk increases over the next six years...six years that would fall during her presidency if she is elected. So what conditions is Coumadin (also Warfarin or Lovenox) prescribed for and what are its side effects besides hemorrhaging if the dose is too high? First and most obvious is that the blood thinner/anti-coagulant Coumadin (and the others mentioned) is used to prevent further strokes and/or heart attacks in a person who has already had such an event as well as it being a stabilizer of an irregular heartbeat. But those important benefits comes with serious side effects including the previously stated excess bleeding from even a minor wound, bleeding gums, blood in the urine, chest pain, peeling skin (makes one wonder if that's why Hillary is always wearing long sleeve, high necklines, and pants), serious bone loss, a vitamin K deficiency, calcification of the arteries, as well as blurred vision and confusion...with the last two issues 'We the People' being privy to as we've witnessed it with our own eyes. First the blurred vision that seems to be a recurrent issue...remember back to January 2013 when Hillary testified before the Benghazi committee and that she was wearing glasses. But those were not regular run-of-the-mill prescription glasses...they were what's called 'medically modified' eyeglasses. Attached to each lens by transparent adhesive tape was a Fresnel prism designed to treat the double vision resulting from the concussion, the blood clot, and her already long-term use of the blood thinner Lovenox as well as her now being on Coumadin. And these eyeglasses have resurfaced at various times during the ensuing years meaning episodes of blurred vision are still an ongoing occurrence. Now for the confusion...Hillary's top advisor and BFF, Huma Abedin, has claimed that Hillary was often very confused and at times even had trouble thinking for herself. Abedin even sent an email to that affect to other staff members that you can see here. And remember when Hillary looked like a deer caught in the headlights during an August rally when she appeared confused and fearful and her aides and F.B.I. agents had to sort of 'kick-start' her speech...you can that incident here for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azUpfzDNxpw Now let's not forget her refusing to speak to the press and her sometimes incoherent TV town hall appearances...here's just one from this past July https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqrSJi0aYZA ...all of which both separately and together paint a picture of a woman who is not 'quite right' both physically and mentally. Could this all be caused by her Coumadin use or does Hillary have a deeper more serious medical condition than just blood clots that Coumadin is being prescribed for? Some folks have speculated that Hillary Clinton is hiding the fact that she has either multiple sclerosis (MS) or Parkinson's disease, but it's our opinion that she has neither for while some of the symptoms do seem to overlap in Hillary's physical presentation, the fact is that Coumadin is not prescribed for either condition and in fact is somewhat counterproductive in Parkinson's and outright dangerous in someone with MS. And why...because Parkinson's disease is treated specifically with dopamine agonists, MAO-inhibitors, and COMT-inhibitors and if one must be on both at the same time...which is not recommended... Coumadin (warfarin sodium) can seriously affect how the liver metabolizes the Parkinson's drugs, thus affecting the control of Parkinson's symptoms...not an ideal scenario. As for Coumadin (warfarin sodium) being used to treat MS...simply put...taking said drug is a big no-no as the drug can seriously interact with the high-dose corticosteroids used in the treatment of MS leading to a rapid progression of the disease as it complicates therapy to a potentially life-threatening level. This means that with Hillary's admitting to be taking Coumadin the chances of her having either Parkinson's or MS are slim as no knowledgeable doctor would have her on Coumadin (or warfarin sodium or even Lovenox) while treating either one of those two diseases. Bottom line...Hillary Clinton's medical condition...her confusion, blurred vision, instability when walking, occasional detachment from reality (see such a moment here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMHOcmDVBP0 ) among other things, has been caused by the concussion, the blood clots, and we believe a series of mini-strokes which fits her symptoms and medications to a tee. Mini-strokes...also known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA)... happens when part of the brain experiences a temporary lack of blood flow due to a blood clot...and know that sometimes small clots dissolve on their own. The only difference between an actual stroke and TIA is that with a TIA the blockage resolves within 24 hours or less and the attack itself lasts for 5 minutes of less, usually lasting only a minute. And unlike with a stroke, a TIA does not kill brain tissue or cause serious permanent damage or disabilities but is a warning sign, if you will, of a major stroke happening with a short period of time...usually a year or less...if the person is not treated with clot-busting drugs like Coumadin. And a mini-stroke shares symptoms with a major stroke but to a lesser and short lived degree. Some symptoms include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding (all of which Hillary has had); sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes (remember Hillary's special medically modified eyeglasses); sudden trouble walking, dizziness, lack of balance or coordination (as witnessed by Sunday's 'episode'); and sudden severe headaches with no known cause (Hillary has been reported to have had severe headaches from time to time). And know that mini-strokes can occur many times but the Coumadin would help to keep them in check thus aiding in keeping a major stroke at bay. But even a drug like Coumadin...if not properly taken and adjusted as previously mentioned...cannot keep a major stroke from happening in some cases. And this is a legitimate fear with Hillary Clinton as we witness her health deteriorating almost daily and with the possibly of her not only having had mini-strokes but with actually having had a mild to moderate stroke already. If you look closely at the triptik photo below you will see a leg brace used in patients who have had a mild to moderate stroke and are now experiencing weakness in a leg on the affected side...in Hillary's case it's the right leg (just like it was the right elbow that she broke) and it's the right leg that gave-out as she was entering the van on Sunday. Look at the folds in the right leg of Hillary's pants suit, they match exactly the contours of the brace shown. Now look at the medal 'pin' on the brace closings and what dropped out of the leg of her pants suit's right leg during her entering the van...again a match. All a coincidence...we surely do not think so. So, to put this all together in a tidy little package, there are three things you need to know with regard to Hillary's 9/11 'episode' and those are that she suffers from not one but two different afflictions that as you will quickly see lead to a conclusion. First...Hillary Clinton is neither suffering from Parkinson's nor MS as some have speculated. While there are some aspects of Hillary's symptoms that are shared with both those illnesses there are factual elements of Hillary's medical record that have been established for several years that prove neither of those speculated illnesses are consistent with her current medical issues. Hillary's current 'episode' and so many previous 'episodes' point directly to a series of small strokes that are now occurring one after another in more and more rapid succession, simply meaning that Hillary's current 'episode' was neurological in nature. The second of Hillary's afflictions is pathological in nature as she, without question, is a pathological liar. As evidenced last Sunday, in New York City, Hillary and her team first issued a false cover story that she had succumbed to the intense heat of a beautiful 79 degree morning...lie number one soon to be followed by lie number two that she was suffering from pneumonia. We can tell you unequivocally that her Secret Service detail's first and foremost action after Hillary went completely limp and had to be loaded into her van should and would have been to rush her to the nearest hospital, but either Hillary herself or one of her handlers ordered her to be taken to Chelsea's multi-million dollar apartment instead....an apartment complete with small children which no doctor... especially Dr. Lisa Bardack, an Internal Medicine practitioner...would have been in favor of had Hillary actually been suffering from pneumonia. And finally...the inescapable conclusion... Hillary and her team, the same Hillary Clinton and the same team that have been lying for years regarding her emails...as in which of them have been turned over and how none of them ever contained classified or top secret information...the exact same Hillary Clinton and team who started lying about Benghazi while the attacks were still under way...are now telling us that they are about to release Hillary's medical records. Oh really...we're supposed to believe that just as she expected us to believe she had turned over every last email...we don't think so. It now seems quite clear that Hillary is not physically capable of serving even one term as President and Sunday's 'episode' caught on video and indisputable regardless of how many lies she and her team try to foist on the American public with the help of a willing mainstream media proves it, and the only question remaining at this point is...what will happen first? Will Hillary drop out of the 2016 race for the White House or will she try to convince all of us that the true reason for her 9/11 'episode' was some obscure YouTube video about mohammed? Only time will tell.

In trying to decipher Hillary Clinton's medical issues, and she obviously has medical issues, there are two codes, if you will, that must be cracked. First, there is the matter of the official Hillary team explanation regarding what transpired over the weekend at Sunday's 9/11 event.

The following evening, at the Fernies' house in south Boulder, Linda Arndt approached John Ramsey, but Ramsey's lawyer friend Mike Bynum cut off the conversation, telling Arndt that legal advisers had been retained to speak for the Ramseys. The next day the police were informed that the Ramseys had nothing more to say and would answer no further questions. Although John Ramsey was a lifelong conservative Republican, he turned to Haddon, Morgan & Foreman, a law firm almost synonymous with Colorado's Democratic political machine. "Take a look at their offices here in Denver," says Chuck Green, a columnist at The Denver Post , referring to the gated mansion that houses the firm. "Then take a walk over to the Governor's Mansion a few blocks away and tell me which one is bigger, and I'll tell you which one is more powerful." During the 70s and 80s, Hal Haddon ran Gary Hart's campaigns for senator and was an adviser on his presidential campaign. Haddon became known as a power broker and kingmaker, and had a reputation for socializing with clients such as Hunter S. Thompson. Governor Roy Romer, former governor Richard Lamm, and Congressman David Skaggs are all political allies of Haddon's, as is Alex Hunter, Boulder's longtime district attorney. Haddon's partners, Bryan Morgan and Lee Foreman, by arguing a controversial intruder theory, won an acquittal in the celebrated 1980 trial of Lee Bibb Lindsley, who was accused of murdering her husband, a prominent Colorado pediatrician. "On a ratio of 12 to 1, child murders are committed by parents or a family member," says F.B.I. veteran Gregg McCrary. Ramsey decided that his wife should have her own lawyers, and he retained Patrick Burke and Patrick Furman. Within a week of the murder, a media consultant named Pat Korten was also brought aboard, later to be replaced by Rachelle Zimmer and Laurie Wagner. In July, Denver's premier publicist, Charles Russell, was added to the payroll. In addition to his lawyers' team of private investigators, Ramsey retained the Denver firm of H. Ellis Armistead, as well as a former F.B.I. criminal profiler and two handwriting analysts. After the police tried to question Ramsey's first wife in Atlanta, he also hired a lawyer there named James Jenkins. Comparisons are inevitably made to O. J. Simpson, but John Ramsey is far wealthier. And unlike the Simpson Dream Team, Ramsey's lawyers have sought invisibility. (Ironically, two Simpson defenders, Barry Scheck and forensic scientist Henry Lee, have made themselves available to the Boulder D.A.--some say in an effort to refurbish their post-Simpson image.) The one press conference Haddon's team has permitted the Ramseys, in the Boulder Marriott on May 1, was so elaborately orchestrated that it was called the "Ramsey infomercial" by Denver talk-radio host Peter Boyles. The Ramsey team of lawyers and publicists stood against a back wall, but the selected reporters had agreed not to question them. It was not the first time that a carefully packaged appearance had backfired. On Sunday, January 5, media consultant Pat Korten had arranged to have television crews outside St. John's Episcopal Church in Boulder. During the service, "there was a special handout--personalized for the Ramsey family, offering prayers for them," says a parishioner who was present. "We were appalled, because a lot of people had qualms about believing them by then." Outside the church was a throng of photographers waiting to capture a sobbing Patsy, exiting on the arm of Barbara Fernie. "They totally used the church as a photo opportunity," says the parishioner. The Ramseys' appearance on CNN in Atlanta on January 1 had also raised questions. Why would a grieving couple go on national television while refusing to speak to the police? What did John Ramsey mean by saying, "I don't know if it was an attack on me, on my company . . ."? Eight months after the murder--to the bafflement of the public, the F.B.I., and the police--Haddon's team has been singularly successful in dissuading Boulder D.A. Alex Hunter from filing charges. "The public perception--whether true or not--is that Hal Haddon can knock out Alex Hunter blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back," says columnist Chuck Green. Hunter's team is led by trial attorney Peter Hofstrom, a former prison guard at San Quentin who has worked with Hunter for 23 years; Trip DeMuth, Hofstrom's handsome assistant; and Lou Smit, a retired homicide detective. The police followed up their initial ineptitude by rapidly assembling a group of six experienced detectives. Led by Tom Wickman, they were Ron Gosage, Jane Harmer, Melissa Hickman, Steve Thomas, and Tom Trujillo. Hofstrom's and Wickman's teams are supposed to be working together in their high-security war room, but trust between the two was quickly shattered. Peter Boyles, whose daily coverage of the Ramsey case has won him national celebrity, has an admittedly personal interest. Pioneer talk-radio host Alan Berg, his "best friend and mentor," was gunned down in 1984 by neo-Nazi thugs. Ramsey lawyers Pat Burke and Lee Foreman represented two of the accused. Boyles says that Alex Hunter, whom he calls Monty Hall (of Let's Make a Deal fame), "has never met a criminal he thinks is fit for jail." Chuck Green, who calls Hunter "Mr. Plea Bargain," has savaged his office as "the Hunter-Ramsey team." To gain some insight into the pageant world, I went to the Little Miss Hawaiian Tropic pageant in Denver in June, held in one of the banquet rooms of the Red Lion Hotel. A small stage and runway, decorated in purple, turquoise, and green tinsel palm trees, took up almost half of the room. About 50 moms, many of them seriously overweight, and a scattering of men watched as girls from infants to teenagers--several of whom had competed against JonBenet--paraded before the judges. In an adjoining banquet room, the girls changed from costume to costume for the various events--swimwear, formalwear, sportswear. Anxious mothers fussed over them, spraying their hair, lavishing makeup on their faces, and whispering tips and encouragement. Some of the women, incensed over the bad press pageants have been getting, sought to disabuse me of "the lies you may have read." Others simply confirmed the criticism. "JonBenet wanted to do it. She loved it," insists Pam Paugh. "JonBenet would have done a pageant every day if Patsy had let her, but Patsy said no: 'Church comes first on Sunday, and the other days we'll do pageants or whatever.' . . . But wouldn't we--mother and aunt, former Miss America contestants--be doing less than we should if we didn't get her ready? Get her dressed and have her look her most exquisite?" JonBenet's former nanny recalls otherwise: "She would say to me, 'I don't want to walk down the runway. It scares me.' She liked to perform but didn't want to have to compete." The pageant videos of JonBenet strutting seductively down runways, which were played ceaselessly on television, scandalized many viewers who were unaware that child pageants even existed. JonBenet has been variously described as looking like "a six-year-old Lolita," "a pint-sized sex kitten," and "daddy's little hooker." Her mock vamping has been called "kiddie porn." The Ramseys were flabbergasted at the outrage over JonBenet's pageant photos and videos. At the Ramseys' May 1 press conference, Patsy minimized her daughter's pageant life as just "a few Sunday afternoons." But Marilyn Van Derbur Atler, a former Miss America who has gone public with her story of incest, says, "That's when I knew this woman was in serious denial. Pageant life is full-time. There are dance teachers and singing teachers and costume fittings, rehearsals, makeup, and hair. It is not a hobby. It is a career." JonBenet began competing by age four. Pam Paugh is indignant over the coverage of her niece. "They said she went for French manicures once a week. That is a lie! The night before every pageant--and I was at every single one of them--we would do what we call the 'pageant scrub,' " she says. "And it was a fun time in the bathroom. . . . Scrub up the knees. Make sure the nails are cleaned, neat, and trimmed. We washed her hair, and Aunt Pam would do the little French manicure, and that was that. Patsy and I did her hair. I am a Chanel makeup artist . . . and that child wore so little makeup, because she didn't need it." Paugh concedes that JonBenet's hair was lightened, which Patsy always denied. The former nanny says JonBenet's hair was a light golden brown which suddenly turned platinum blond. "I said to her, 'So who's dying your hair, JonBenet?' She was all goshed. 'You're not supposed to say anything about that.' I said, 'O.K., it will be our little secret.' " "By the way," says Paugh proudly, "I designed most of her clothes. . . . And they were professionally made . . . and they are very ladylike. JonBenet won top honors in her wardrobing every place we went. . . . I worked with JonBenet on all her music. She had a lovely voice. Now, for 'Cowboy Sweetheart' she had a little routine that was taught to her by Miss Kit, who was a dance instructor. . . . Patsy designed the 'Cowboy Sweetheart' outfit, and Pam Griffin made it. I designed the 'black-and-white Chanel' sportswear outfit with the little polka-dot underskirt." Griego, Griffin, and another mom, Tamme Polson, say that they never saw any signs that JonBenet was not enjoying herself. Others say they had glimpses of a strain on the child. One often-told story took place at Pasta Jay's, a restaurant run by the Ramseys' close friend Jay Elowsky. According to one version: "It must have been some kind of dress-up affair or pageantry thing, because JonBenet was all dressed up with makeup and a gown. She got cold and went up to her mother and said, 'Mommy, I'd like to wear my jacket. I'm cold.' And Patsy said firmly, 'Not now, honey, you're still on display.' " Jim Clemente and Laura Richards look into a replica of JonBenet's bedroom. Photo: Courtesy of CBS. Laura Richards, Dr. Werner Spitz and Jim Clemente. Photo: Courtesy of CBS. A replica of the steps on which the ransom note was found. Photo: Courtesy of CBS. A portion of the Ramsey house, as reproduced for The Case Of, including the room in which JonBenet was found. Photo: Courtesy of CBS.

The following evening, at the Fernies' house in south Boulder, Linda Arndt approached John Ramsey, but Ramsey's lawyer friend Mike Bynum cut off the conversation, telling Arndt that legal advisers had been retained to speak for the Ramseys. The next day the police were informed that the Ramseys had nothing more to say and would answer no further questions.

A giveaway to what's coming is found in the show's magical opening sequence (featuring an artistic blend of owls, gold leaves, and the image of actress Amybeth McNulty, who plays Anne) where a singer croons, "You are ahead by a century." A century is right. It's hard to imagine TV writers of past decades using lines like, "A skirt is not an invitation," or, "How can there be anything wrong with a life if it's spent with the person you love?" As one of the first shows to capitalize on our post-#MeToo world, this one seems not to know how to handle it. It fumbles with dialogue like an awkward teenager. The writing is bad (see above), the plotlines contrived. Writers might think they're bravely breaking barriers, but they're really just taking their values--the good and the bad--and cracking them over our heads like a school slate. Not every storyline is insidious. But nowhere does the show feel more forced than with the character of Cole (Cory Gruter-Andrew), a sensitive and artistic classmate who supplants Diana (Dalila Bela) in Anne's life--in essence, replacing her kindred spirit with a gay best friend. Cole attracts attention not only from the class bully, but from attendees at a "queer soiree" (the producers' term), who drape pearls around his neck. Even his male teacher in Avonlea, the one engaged to Prissy Andrews, has some sort of awakening during a moment of sexual tension with Cole. Eventually Cole is symbolized by a fox being hunted by the whole town, and moves in with Diana's Aunt Josephine (Deborah Grover)--hinted to be a lesbian last season, and now confirmed to be so. Redeeming plotlines: a sweet love story, and performances by Geraldine James and R.H. Thomson, who play Marilla and Matthew and shine as the strongest stars of the cast despite some seriously silly storylines of their own. We also get a semi-satisfying ending to the school bully situation. It's unclear but possible that Cole is basically written out of the show, since, by the end of Season 2, he lives in faraway Charlottetown. No doubt producers think Anne with an E champions the marginalized. But it won't stand the test of time--not simply because it politicizes Avonlea, but because it's poorly written. And Anne would never stand for that.

As one of the first shows to capitalize on our post-#MeToo world, this one seems not to know how to handle it. It fumbles with dialogue like an awkward teenager. The writing is bad (see above), the plotlines contrived. Writers might think they're bravely breaking barriers, but they're really just taking their values--the good and the bad--and cracking them over our heads like a school slate.

CHRIS MATTHEWS : How does this president regain his historic, heroic stature which he had? I'm not saying he was ever super popular with more than 50-some-percent of the country, but he was seen as a hero to a lot of people. I think he's lost that for a while and I'm trying to figure out how does he champion the election and re-election of his friends in the Senate especially in the south in red states, and that's what we're talking about here, even in the case of Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, North Carolina, all red states. How does he go down there? Like today he is visiting North Carolina and talked about employment. And Kay Hagan says she is in Washington, too busy to join him. It's only an hour ride in a plane. It has been more than two weeks since ISIL seized control of Fallujah and half of Ramadi and as far as I can tell the Iraqi government is no closer to taking them back. Via France 24 : A wave of bomb attacks in Iraq, including a series of coordinated car bombings in Baghdad, killed at least 46 people on Wednesday as Islamist militants took more territory from Iraqi security forces in Anbar province. Authorities are grappling with Iraq's worst period of unrest since the country emerged from a sectarian war that killed tens of thousands, just months before landmark parliamentary elections. ... In Anbar province, Iraqi forces lost more ground as Sunni gunmen, including those linked to al Qaeda, overran two key areas when police abandoned their posts. The losses mark a second day of setbacks for government forces and their tribal allies as they try to retake territory on the capital's doorstep from militants who hold all of the former insurgent bastion of Fallujah and parts of the nearby provincial capital, Ramadi. The crisis marks the first time militants have exercised such open control in major cities since the height of the insurgency that followed the US-led invasion of 2003. "We gave ourselves up, and we gave up our arms to Daash," one policemen, who did not want to be named, told AFP from the town of Saqlawiyah, referring to the commonly used Arabic name for the al Qaeda-linked group ISIL. "They have very heavy arms, which are much stronger than what we have. Our police station was not very well-protected, and they surrounded us. Even when we called for support, nobody came . Now, some of us have gone home, others have gone to other police stations," he said. Militants overran the police station in Saqlawiyah, a town just west of Fallujah, and took control of the entire area after using mosque loudspeakers to urge policemen to abandon their posts and their weapons. They also retook the station and surrounding neighbourhood of Malaab, a major district in Ramadi, after security forces trumpeted their successes in the area just days earlier. "If you reduce the role of money in politics and increase the level of civility in the debate, more women will run for office," Pelosi pointed out. "And that's a very wholesome thing." MSNBC Chief Phil Griffin is accepting responsibility for a spate of recent gaffes that have led to anchor apologies and exits at the news network. "These were judgment calls made by some of our people," Griffin tells THR. "We quickly took responsibility for them and took action. They were unfortunate, but I'm not going to allow these specific moments of lack of judgment to define us." The embarrassments began when host Alec Baldwin was caught on camera allegedly using a gay slur. Baldwin parted ways with MSNBC on Nov. 26 after only five shows. Eight days later, hostMartin Bashir resigned after criticism for a crude scatological suggestion involving Sarah Palin. Weekend host Melissa Harris-Perry is still at MSNBC after a heartfelt apology for ridiculing Mitt Romney's adopted black grandson during a Dec. 28 segment. [...] Griffin is known as a hands-off manager, but MSNBC disputes a report that star host Rachel Maddowis taking a role in management decisions and that an executive has been asked to review scripts in the wake of the gaffes. "We don't rely on one person to look at all scripts -- there are too many scripts," says Griffin, adding that he meets with producers daily. "Of course I've talked to everybody in the building about it -- and we move on. Some of these mistakes are being played out far more inside the media world. I don't think it hurt us in any way." That's how we roll here in the People's Republic. MEDFORD -- State Representative Carlos Henriquez was sentenced to serve six months in Middlesex County House of Correction today after he was convicted of charges that he choked and punched an Arlington woman he was dating in July 2012. A Cambridge District Court jury convicted Henriquez on two assault and battery charges, but acquitted Henriquez, a Dorchester Democrat, of a third assault and battery charge, one count of intimidation of a witness, and one count of larceny under $250. The victim, Katherine Gonzalves, testified about the events that unfolded on July 8, 2012, and underwent a rigorous cross-examination by Henriquez's defense attorney, Stephanie Soriano-Mills. Following the verdict, Judge Michele Hogan expressed concern that Henriquez was not accepting responsibility for the actions the jury convicted him of. Speaking from the bench, she also told him that he should have ended his interactions with Gonzalves early that morning when she told him she was not interested in having intimate relations. [...] Henriquez joins a roster of Democratic state lawmakers convicted of crimes in recent years. Former senator Anthony D. Galluccio of Cambridge was jailed in 2010 for violating the terms of his house arrest by drinking alcohol after he was involved in a hit-and-run accident; former senator J. James Marzilli Jr. of Arlington was convicted in 2011 of accosting a woman; former senator Dianne Wilkerson of Boston was sent to federal prison in 2011 for taking bribes; and former House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi is serving an eight-year prison sentence after he was convicted of conspiracy, fraud and extortion in 2011. Fort Carson soldiers in Kuwait are keeping a wary eye on Iraqi unrest as they work to train America's allies in the region. Soldiers with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team are preparing for three major training exercises in the next 40 days, with the biggest matching their tanks against a Kuwaiti battalion. The training allows the 3,800-soldier unit to fulfill its mission of helping America's friends while honing skills that leaders hope deter threats in the roiling region. "It has taken on increased significance and meaning, many of us in the brigade are veterans of Iraq," said Col. Omar Jones, brigade commander and a veteran of fighting in Fallujah, Baghdad and Mosul. The brigade deployed to Kuwait in the fall, replacing Fort Carson's 1st Brigade Combat Team for a nine-month stint. Keeping Fort Carson troops at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, near the Iraqi border is seen as a safeguard against violence that could spread beyond Iraq. The Colorado Springs soldiers also are the nation's first responders if trouble arises in the Persian Gulf region. While Pentagon leaders in recent days have dismissed the idea of using U.S. troops to help quell violence in Iraq, they have been sending piles of equipment to the Iraqi military. The Iraqi strife is centered on the western Anbar province and is thought to be tied to border-crossing Syrian militants with ties to Al Qaida. Iraq remains a top concern, but most of the brigade's work is focused on training -- old school training that's focused on armored battles rather than guerrilla warfare. The military's training regimen has shifted in recent months to fighting that could come after America's role in the war in Afghanistan ends. "We're focused at being experts at our tanks, experts at our Bradley and experts at our Paladins," Jones said Tuesday in a telephone interview. With temperatures staying at what locals call frigid -- in the 60s and 70s -- winter is the best time for desert warfare training. In a couple of months, the mercury could top 120 degrees. Buerhing, located in the baby-powder sand near Kuwait's Udari Range training area, offers an endless supply of desert terrain. Troops also work on keeping the brigade safe from cross-border attacks and terrorist strikes that remain a concern in the region. Jones wouldn't talk specifics about security. "I will say that I feel very comfortable and satisfied that we're taking the right force protection," he said. When they're not training, the brigade's soldiers can relax on a post that offers good food, recreation opportunities and Internet and phone service to keep them connected with their families. "This is the best quality of life we have seen on a deployment," Jones said. In addition to training with Kuwaiti troops, the soldiers are getting the chance to know Kuwaiti civilians, with occasional field trips to coastal Kuwait City, known as one of the most modern cities in the Gulf region. "It is an absolutely amazing place," Jones said. The biggest distraction for soldiers? The National Football League playoffs. Jones said his brigade is loaded with soldiers from Colorado and others who have adopted the Denver Broncos as their home team during their time at Fort Carson. Halfway across the globe, games start at midnight in Kuwait and the final gun comes in the wee hours of the morning. But the time difference hasn't kept soldiers away from the television. Sunday's AFC championship is expected to draw a crowd at the desert base. "There will be a lot of weary eyes from soldiers staying up to watch the game," Jones said. No more jihad for you. Mustafa al-Gharib, a 22-year-old Canadian-born Muslim convert who left Calgary for Syria in November 2012, has been killed by Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces during rebel infighting, CBC News has confirmed. Jabhat al-Nusra was designated a terrorist group by the Canadian government in November 2013. The first public indication of al-Gharib's death came on social media on Tuesday night, when a Twitter account claiming to be run by a rebel fighter who knew al-Gharib personally tweeted a martyrdom notice. The notice uses the name Abu Talha al-Canadi, another of al-Gharib's monikers. Finally an ad tying Hagan to Obama. Odd she was a flee bagger today. Via Hot Air It wasn't so very long ago -- as in, last September -- that Democratic senator and enthusiastic ObamaCare cheerleader Kay Hagan was posting fairly comfortable margins leading all of the Republican challengers to her reelection bid this year. Cue the ObamaCare initiation sequence, however, and that all started to change pretty quickly. These past few months have been whittling away at her erstwhile lead, and even as the Republican primary race is starting to solidify, Public Policy Polling's latest update indicates that all of her potential opponents are seriously gaining on her: For the first time in our polling of the North Carolina Senate race, presumptive frontrunner Thom Tillis has opened a little bit of space between himself and the rest of his opponents in the Republican primary. Tillis now leads the field with 19% to 11% for Greg Brannon and Heather Grant, 8% for Mark Harris, and 7% for Bill Flynn. ... 39% of voters in the state say they approve of the job Hagan is doing to 49% who disapprove. She has 1 or 2 point deficits against each of her potential GOP foes. She's down by 1 to Heather Grant (42/41) and Thom Tillis (43/42), and trails by 2 against the rest of the field (43/41 against Greg Brannon and Mark Harris, 44/42 against Bill Flynn.) Hagan's main issue is that with independents she has a 30/56 approval rating and trails all of her opponents by double digits. Unpopularity of the Affordable Care Act seems to be driving much of her trouble. Only 38% of voters in the state overall support it to 48% who are opposed, and independents are more against it than the overall electorate at 31/57. As of PPP's mid-December poll, Hagan was still leading the now-frontrunning Tillis by two points, but he's already been campaigning hard against her ObamaCare record and it would appear that all of her recent attempts to temper her longstanding support for President Obama's crowning legislative achievement have been for naught. I'm sure Hagan is mighty glad to have the Senate in-session as an excuse not to show up and support President Obama when he hits North Carolina for his umpteenth economic pivot today, but Republicans certainly won't let her off the hook that easily. Hence the reason Obama to this day continues to blame all of his woes on the previous administration. ROBERT GATES : I think the book is clear that when the president responded to Hillary's comments that he was vaguely agreeing that opposition to the surge broadly had been political. And I absolutely believe that, having lived through that in the spring of 2007 up on the Hill. There are two things that made me remember what Hillary had said. The first was that I was on the opposite side of the table. Admiral Mullen and I used to joke, particularly in the first months of the Obama administration, when kind of every meeting in The Situation Room, everybody would trash the Bush administration and everything the Bush team. You know, what a bunch of bums the Bush team were and everything. And we're sitting there thinking, what, are we invisible? We were integral members of that team, and so the fact that she would say something like that. DHS, FBI, TSA and the CIA need to follow the lead of Shin Bet. Via Jerusalem Post The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) thwarted an attempt by a Hamas-affiliated group to set up a terrorist cell in the West Bank for the purpose of kidnapping Israelis, security forces announced on Wednesday. The terror plot was directed by Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli prisons, the Shin Bet added. "Those involved were in their first stages of planning the attack," the Shin Bet said in a statement. The domestic intelligence service named Muhammad Bel, 24, of Zeitoun in Gaza, doing time in the Eshel prison since 2008, as a suspect who recruited two Palestinian prisoners from the West Bank for the plot. The recruits have been named as Ali Harub, 21, of Dora, near Hebron, serving a sentence for being a member of a military terrorist cell, planning attacks, and manufacturing bombs and Molotov cocktails, and Rajab Salah Al-din, 53, of Hamza, near Ramallah, a former member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, in prison since May 2012 for three failed kidnapping attempts. The three suspects confessed to the plot during questioning, the Shin Bet stated, and were charged in late December with terrorist offensives as the Beersheba District Court. The investigation revealed that the highest levels of the Kataib Al-Mujahadin (Holy Warriors Brigades) terror group were involved in the planning stages of the attacks. Bel was in touch with a liaison in Gaza, named as Amar Khalil Kassam, 29, who is in charge of dealing with prisoners and who answers directly to the head of the organization. A security source told The Jerusalem Post that the point of the plot was to enable a Gaza-based terror group to gain operatives from the West Bank, who could then use their own contacts outside of prison to organize a kidnapping. "The Holy Warriors Brigade is a terror group that splintered off from the Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, and adopted extremist Islamic characteristics," the Shin Bet said. It is headed by Asad Abu Sharia, 36, a resident of Gaza and terror operative, who took over the group in 2007 after his brother, Omar Abu Sharia, the former leader, was killed in an IAF strike in Gaza in 2006. The group is in close touch with Hamas in Gaza, and has been involved in recent years in rocket attacks on Israel, shootings against the IDF, and setting off bombs on the Gaza - Israel border, among other activities. Cooperation with Hamas includes cooperation, training, and assistance, as well as financial support and weapons transfers for attacks, and the smuggling of arms to Gaza.

How does this president regain his historic, heroic stature which he had? I'm not saying he was ever super popular with more than 50-some-percent of the country, but he was seen as a hero to a lot of people. I think he's lost that for a while and I'm trying to figure out how does he champion the election and re-election of his friends in the Senate especially in the south in red states, and that's what we're talking about here, even in the case of Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, North Carolina, all red states.

"With the right white man, you can do anything,"John David Washington says as Ron Stallworth--the black Colorado Springs, Colo., police officer who went "undercover" in the Ku Klux Klan--in Spike Lee's latest joint, BlacKkKlansman . This sentiment is also an entire mood. Oh, AmeriKKKa. A little more than four months has passed since Charlottesville, Va., native Heather Heyer was killed after a car plowed through a group of people protesting a horrific, and ultimately deadly, white supremacist rally there. The Charlottesville, Va., police chief who received widespread criticism over his department's handling of this summer's white nationalist rally that left a counterprotester dead announced Monday that he will be retiring, effective immediately. Twenty-year-old DeAndre Harris of Charlottesville, Va., has had all felony charges dropped in connection with an alleged attack during August's white supremacist rally where he was actually beaten by poles in a parking lot. An independent investigation into the white supremacist protests in Charlottesville, Va., has confirmed what was immediately obvious to many: that the Charlottesville Police Department and Virginia State Police royally fucked up in their response to the deadly protests. The man who planned the rally that resulted in the death of Heather Heyer and led the president of the United States to whitesplain away an incident of white supremacist terrorism is back at it again. Jason Kessler has submitted a special-event application request to Charlottesville, Va.'s Parks & Recreation... Corey Long, the black man captured in the most iconic photo from the white nationalist march on Charlottesville, Va., two months ago, has been arrested on charges of assault and battery and disorderly conduct. Over the last two months, social media has done the job the Charlottesville, Va., Police Department and the FBI couldn't. With the aid of Shaun King, they've single-handedly tracked down several members of the angry white mob of racists that attacked DeAndre Harris in a Charlottesville parking deck during the infamous... Deandre Harris, a 20-year-old black man who was viciously attacked by white supremacists at the Charlottesville, Va., white supremacist rally almost two months ago, is now a wanted man after a local magistrate issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with the same Aug. 12 incident that left him bloody and... Like a cockroach that just won't die, Richard Spencer and his white nationalist tiki-torch-bearing friends once again descended on Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday, the bicentennial of the University of Virginia. It's easy to dismiss "fringe" media like Alex Jones or Breitbart News or other decidedly racist, anti-Semitic or "alt-right" blogs as the rantings of kooks and those outside the mainstream, except we now have a man in the White House who exploited and stoked the fires of these outlets all the way there. The Rev. Robert W. Lee IV, a direct descendant of the Civil War general whose name has become synonymous with the Confederacy, appeared on television and spoke out against racism and the riots in Charlottesville, Va., that happened during protests about the removal of a statue of his famous ancestor. Now Lee says...

The Charlottesville, Va., police chief who received widespread criticism over his department's handling of this summer's white nationalist rally that left a counterprotester dead announced Monday that he will be retiring, effective immediately. Twenty-year-old DeAndre Harris of Charlottesville, Va., has had all felony charges dropped in connection with an alleged attack during August's white supremacist rally where he was actually beaten by poles in a parking lot. An independent investigation into the white supremacist protests in Charlottesville, Va., has confirmed what was immediately obvious to many: that the Charlottesville Police Department and Virginia State Police royally fucked up in their response to the deadly protests.

The Values Voter Summit happens every fall at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, the premier venue for conservative conventions in Washington, DC. (For those of you keeping score, it goes Omni, Grand Hyatt, Mayflower. We do not attend conventions at sub-Mayflower hotels.) The Omni is a sprawling mass perched over Rock Creek that goes forever in all directions, and on these magical few days it is packed to its unironic chandeliers with the upper conservacrust of American politics and media. You could come around the corner and run into the entire Duggar family or find yourself passing through a heavenly gate formed by the homophobic houseflipping Benham twins (right). Rick Santorum is doing man-on-the-street interviews next to the shoe-shine stand. Mike Huckabee is appearing in two to four separate locations simultaneously at any given moment. Seriously, those twins, though. They were everywhere. The morning program started with a back bench congressman so latecomers wouldn't miss anyone they actually wanted to see. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio warned that the Supreme Court could start oppressing Christians again real soon since the Hobby Lobby case was decided 5-4. Too close! Better be sure they don't get any more liberals on the high court, which could happen any day now. (We were somewhat amused by Rep. Jordan's implication that President Obama could get even God himself confirmed to the Supreme Court over a filibuster by the Senate Republicans.) With the opening act done, we buckled in for an all-day cavalcade of conservative stars. Ted Cruz belted out an animated half-hour speech that had audience members calling out "amen!" and "shame on them!" He tossed his Biblical comfort food with a few jokes about his "soft-spoken" father Pastor Raf and a White House fence-jumper gag he ripped off from Jimmy Fallon, then got serious on the increasing threat to freedom from left-wing extremists. Did you know that Democrats just recently took turns micturating upon the precious First Amendment right on the Senate floor? Ted is not afraid, though! He will fight them using their own beloved idols. These are dangerous, extreme, radical times. You know, in 1997, the Democrats tried something similar, and that famed right-wing activist, Ted Kennedy, spoke against it. He stood up and said, in over 200 years, we haven't amended the Bill of Rights; now is no time to start. I gave a floor speech on the Senate floor with a giant poster of Ted Kennedy's face, and that quote next to it. (Lots of laughter and applause.) Scared my father to death. He turned on C-SPAN and said, good God, my son's gone native. Don't want the Bill of Rights destroyed by flaming liberals? Better get the Republicans back in control of the Senate. Time to swipe all the bright red paint in your kids' art boxes, patriots! How do we turn this country around? We offer a choice, not an echo. How do we turn this country around? We don't paint in pale pastels, we paint in bold colors. We're 39 days away from a pivotal election. If you want to defend the First Amendment, our free speech, our religious liberties, vote Harry Reid out. If you want to defend our Second Amendment, our right to keep and bear arms, vote Harry Reid out. If you want to defend the Fourth and Fifth Amendments, our right to privacy -- if you want to defend the 10th Amendment, then vote Harry Reid out. Ted then did a quick rundown of the various wars the United States had won with the help of God and closed with this heartening refrain: "Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning." (Speak for yourself, Senator. Some of us have to be back here for the second day.) Would it be enough for Ted to pull off a presidential straw poll victory for the second year in a row? Spoiler: Yes. Did you think for a second that anyone else could possibly win? Rand Paul, rocking the blazer/jeans combo that made the ladies swoon at CPAC this year, wasted no time in declaring that while he is confident America is going to be just fine, we'd all better watch out for traffic at this ideological crossroads. America, I believe, is in a full-blown crisis, a spiritual crisis... We've arrived at a crossroads. We've arrived at a day of reckoning. Will we falter or will we thrive and rediscover our mojo? America has much greatness left in her, I'm convinced of it, if we believe in ourselves, if we believe in our founding documents, if we believe in the system that made us the richest, freest and the most humanitarian nation ever. But cracks are evident. The sand is shifting. Our moral compass is wavering. We messed up our moral compass! If we keep standing too close to our giant sin magnet, George Washington's going to come back and take our democracy away. Freedom can only be realized when citizens know self-restraint, or put another way, virtue. This parallels what - George Washington's belief, that democracy requires a virtuous people. Think American Revolution versus the French Revolution. Laws don't ultimately restrain people. Ninety-eight percent of the people will follow a virtuous course with or without laws. Now, this isn't to say that we shouldn't have laws or that we - that we don't need laws, but what we need is something more than laws. We need something that civilizes a nation, and that is virtue. What America needs is not just another politician or more promises. What America really needs is a revival. Ooh, is this the kind of revival that happens in a tent with the red-faced preachers and the speaking in tongues and all? We're in! Can we RSVP on EventBrite for this? Also hypothetical President Rand Paul would certainly have gotten congressional permission to attack ISIS. It is a tragic thing for our nation that we will never find out the many other great things that would have been possible if he'd deigned to run in 2012. Michele Bachmann's final speech at VVS as a sitting congresslady was a hodgepodge of everything we love about her. She is a "normal real person," just like she was before she came to Washington! (We are from Minnesota. While her normality might be debatable, we can confirm that she has not changed. ) We did get somewhat distracted by her chilling reminder that she's been serving the past few years on the House Select Committee on Intelligence, doing a "deep dive" into the leading "foreign policy and national security issues of our day." What we have seen is one disaster after another from the Obama-Clinton foreign policy team. And in their fantasy world, a smaller, diminished, less-powerful United States is somehow supposed to bring about global tranquility! Well Mr. Obama, Mrs. Clinton, we want our 1980s foreign policy back! Peace through strength! We don't want your failed Russian reset! We don't want four Americans dead in Benghazi! It was a tragedy to release the five top Taliban leaders from Guantanamo Bay. Perhaps nothing will change the world more than your foolish lifting of sanctions on Iran as they are racing toward completing nuclear weapons, and they will, if we stay the course as President Obama and Hillary Clinton have laid forward. And unthinkably, we have the first anti-Israel president in American history. That's the Obama-Clinton legacy. What's next for Michele now that her last term is drawing to a close? "While it's true that I am leaving Congress, I want you to know that I am not leaving the fight." As for the party's immediate future, she's sure of one thing: "We need to expose Hillary Clinton's record of failure and we will defeat her in 2016. Of that I have no doubt." Rick Santorum recapped all his visionary moves in the Senate and reminded the crowd that leaders as brave as him are not easy to come by, so conservatives shouldn't let them get away (cough) 2012 primary (cough). Many people have criticized me in the past for going out in front on some issues, saying, oh, this will never be a problem in America. When I forced in 2004 and again in 2006 in the United States Senate something that everyone said is premature -- why are you even talking about this? This will never be an issue in America. Go back and read the debate. What was it on? A federal marriage amendment. If you look clearly through the prism of the struggle that is at hand, it is easy to see why I introduced the Workplace Religious Freedom Act 12 years ago, to protect the very people that we now are seeing in court cases like Hobby Lobby. It's easy to see where we are going if you know what the fight is. And that's why it's important, ladies and gentlemen, to elect leaders and to have leaders within our movement, which we frankly do not have many of, particularly in the Republican establishment, who understand the existential struggle that is in America today, and then are prepared to engage that struggle because when we lose these battles, when we lose these precious freedoms that I talk about, then everything else will start to fall because now government has gotten more intrusive and bigger and dictatorial, and the secular statists who control government are the ones who will be dictating not just how you practice religion, but how you run your business, who you do business with and how. Rick understands this struggle for our precious freedoms! He's not like these other Republicans today, who are too flexible and quick to give in. If you look at the current conservative movement, Republican Party, there are issues that we aren't even - we haven't even lost yet and we're talking about giving up. We're not even willing to fight the fight, to stand for what we say we believe in because we think well, history is moving in a different way. History? We are the determiners of history, not history the determiner of history. (Enthusiastic applause.) We are not to look to history, this amorphous concept, to judge us. We have somebody else that we need to pay attention to when it comes to judging us and it's not history. Shorter Santorum: you could've picked Rick in 2012, but it's not too late! He came in second to Mittens in the primary and the two runners-up before him -- McCain and Mittens himself -- wound up on the GOP ticket their next time around. Rick'll just be over here making right-wing movies with his new fan club Patriot Voices when you're ready for him to be your Man to Beat. It would not be a conservaparty without Sarah Palin. She came out swinging, ready to fight for all those voters' values! Values like truth! And Sarah knows all about it, as a victim of constant lies by the media. Truth is a value. Oh, man, I know all about that difference between truth and the lies that they can tell about you. Well, nearly every day I know my family sees something in the paper that, goodness gracious, we would never have known about us had we not read it in the paper, you know? And there are other victims of lies, as well, besides the Palins! All conservatives should understand her pain, since "I'm speaking to the most slandered group in America today." For instance, anyone who criticizes the president is called a total racist. Why do liberals have to keep playing the race card when all the Republicans want to talk about is tax policy? And pulling that race card, pulling the race card, how much longer do you think they're going to -- oh, it's just -- it's not even smart. It's not even smart, when one simply wants our government to live within its means and to not tax us to and beyond death, not to mortgage our kids' future, and that being for today's selfish wants. Because of that, we're racists? Well, what isn't smart is when they try to slap that on Colonel Allen West and Dr. Ben Carson (delighted laughter from the crowd) and J.C. Watts and Rafael and Ted Cruz and my husband, Todd Palin. [ No idea what she's talking about here. Is Todd 1/32nd Native American or something? -ed. ] Yeah, no, those truly prejudiced folks - just remember this - they scream racism just to end debate. Well, don't retreat: you reload with truth - which I know is an endangered species at 1400 Pennsylvania Avenue. BREAKING!! Sarah's blown the lid off the crippling lack of truth at the park across from the Willard Hotel. After reassuring conservatives that getting called racist is a sign that you're winning the argument, she set them free to plunge ahead with their Battle For America. It's time. All you mama grizzlies out there, rear up and charge against this lawless imperial president and his failed liberal agenda and the lying lapdogs in the media. And you strong men, it's time to get off the hind end and expand our ranks and inspire others. I think we've all fattened up enough for what's up ahead. So it is time to stand and fight like your country's future depends on it, because it does. And take time to rejoice. Rejoice. In two years it's going to be the end of an error, the Obama error. (Big applause.) All that hopey changey stuff that just did not work, not even a smidgen. (Knowing laughter.) Remember the Greek columns and the stadiums full of fainting fans and all that dream weaver stuff, promising that, ah, the planet's going to chill out, remember? And the seas - he'd calm the seas. He'd sink every putt. And you could keep your health care. And Sarah's had it up to here with everyone on the other side who wants to divide people up into different sides. It's time to end the politics of division, the left politics of demographics and identity groups and their tactic of distraction. The status quo has got to go -- united, we will be able to stand. Because here is what they've done, these Alinsky-loving, Orwellian, out of touch command-and-control elitists who've been running the show. Well, you know, they used to rail against Big Brother government and the man. Remember that? They are the man. Their MO is to play the politics of personal destruction against anyone that they would deem a threat to their power. And they distract, bebopping from one scandal after another, knowing that there are so many that you can't keep up with all of them. So no one's ever held accountable, from the IRS corruption to you being spied on to, gosh, Benghazi, to bailouts, to, oh, Bush's war was bad, but Barack's bombs? Oh baby, those red lines, the strategery there that was thought up on the back nine? Barack's bombs? Oh, they're the bomb. Gosh, you're right, Sarah! Conservatives would never act like the same thing was either fine or an outrage, depending on the president. THE REST OF THE CONSERVACRAZY There were some other speakers in there, since people have to go to the bathroom and grab their swag sometime. Gov. Bobby Jindal got to talk about how his mother ( A LEGAL IMMIGRANT ) smuggled him from India to America in her belly. "I was what you'd call a pre-existing condition!" (He was not an anchor baby, because his parents were legal immigrants, got it?) Rep. Marlin Stutzman told a story about a pregnant teen in his home state who would've had an abortion if she'd gotten a ride to Kalamazoo, and it turned out it was his mom and he got a standing ovation for being carried to term. Doctor/Congressman John Fleming got a teensy bit carried away preaching against the madness of decriminalization or legalization of marijauna (though he made some excellent points about the dangers of putting edible marijuana into cookies or candy -- such a thing nearly killed our dear Editrix! ). David Dewhurst, newly primaried out of office as lieutenant governor of Texas, warned that "if we don't stop the bad guys at the border today, they'll be in your neighborhoods tomorrow." And the panels! There was one on Common Core and one on foreign policy (according to Maj. Gen. Bob Dees, "If Israel goes down, we all go down"). Then came the surprisingly dramatic Marriage in America presentation, featuring Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of a now-shuttered bakery called Sweet Cakes By Melissa that was the subject of a civil-rights complaint with the state of Oregon after they refused to bake a cake for two women who were getting married. We guess Melissa really loved making her wedding cakes, since she broke down in tears on stage while describing how she used to sit with brides and ask all about the couple and the wedding and where they were honeymooning. We didn't get why she wouldn't be twice as happy to sit down with two brides. (For the record, the Kleins were not shut down by the state; the free market felled them when, as Aaron explained, people who used to refer couples to them stopped after Aaron and Melissa refused to destroy straight marriage by baking a blasphemous cake.) Standing O for the anti-gay bakers from Willamette! During the dinner break, we tried to meet the natives, but found ourselves somewhat hobbled by our Scarlet A (actually schoolbus yellow) press badge. We were rebuffed at the door of a reception with Cantor-toppler Dave Brat, and when we attempted to mix with the values-voting youth at their free-pizza mixer, we were only allowed in for a few pictures after a handler from the press office agreed to follow us around to make sure we didn't talk to anyone. The room had signs on every table designed to start conversations around different issues, with the Drugs and Guns and Obamacare tables well-attended. And what do you know, there at the Sexuality table were the Bobbsy Twins again. At least one of them did not seem pleased to see us. At 7:00, it was time for Mike Huckabee's presser in a little room behind the bathrooms, announced by email blast from his PR lady. After a reporter in the front row needled him into refusing to say whether he's running in 2016, we got to ask the former governor: what should the GOP do to get votes from young and single women, not just the marrieds? After conceding that men and women might be more "passionate" about different issues, he launched into a spiel about everyone caring about whether their kids can go to college, which would certainly be of concern to the women without kids we were asking about. At about our 12-hour mark, the Duggar children played us out from the ballroom stage with choral music performance and we slunk home for an ideological mini-cleanse (one hour of Rachel Maddow). The second day of the Values Voter Summit is usually much quieter than the first, with appearances by luminaries of conservative media like perennial speechmaker Star Parker, radio talker Mark Levin, and patriotic-book writer Todd Starnes. We took the opportunity to wander through the exhibition hall. There was so much to see and learn! We found a well-stocked table for Run Ben Run, the "draft Ben Carson" PAC that saturated CPAC with advertising in March, and at least three booths for conservative movie-production companies, including Santorum's Patriot Voices. We found out what National Right To Life thinks a fetus would look like at various stages if it was cast in Caucasian-colored plastic and nestled into a box with a bottle of baby powder. We picked up helpful literature to guide us in the event that we were to meet someone in a house of worship whom we suspected of being a non-heterosexual. Doesn't anyone practice what they preach anymore? This booth should not even have chairs, NRA. We expected the highlight of the afternoon to be Glenn Beck and his chalkboard, but he did not bring the crowd to their feet as much in the past, despite saying he'd decided we could burn the other schoolbooks after reading the Bible cover to cover for the first time and realizing it's all in there. After Beck there were two rounds of breakout sessions, with panels featuring the likes of Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown. We will not lie to you, Wonketteers. Up until this time we were gamely swimming with the conservafishes, but we could not picture ourselves in a tiny meeting room hearing Kathryn Jean Lopez talking about the GOP's millennial messaging strategies. We were wonked out. Goodbye, Values Voters! We imagine most of you will be back next year, when the straw poll will be binding and the GOP primary posturing will be fervent. And now we ask you, Wonkitariat: who pre-presidented it best this weekend? Ted Cruz? Rick Santorum? Rand Paul? (snicker) Bobby Jindal? Glenn Beck, with his bold book-burning platform? Or Scott Walker, for skipping this whole conservacluster? Weigh in in the comments! You can follow Beth on Twitter. She will be tweeting only pictures of kittens for a few days while she recovers.

The Values Voter Summit happens every fall at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, the premier venue for conservative conventions in Washington, DC. (For those of you keeping score, it goes Omni, Grand Hyatt, Mayflower.

In dominant American discourse, white people are always the protagonists. Their problems and dilemmas, pleasures and pain, are treated as everyone's primary concern. Even if you are not included in this narrative, you're forced to reckon with it. While we anarchists would like to see a world in which no character is a caricature, in which people are not divided by race and only take delight in our differences, we are all currently obliged to pay attention to the problems of white people because, in their pain, they frequently lash out at those they perceive as their enemies. The opioid crisis is a prime example. In an interview on National Public Radio, author Margaret Talbot describes a scene she witnessed at a softball practice in West Virginia: "There were a bunch of middle school-age girls sitting on the ground comforting each other and crying, there were two little kids running around crying and screaming, and there were a lot of adults trying to help them and escort them away from the scene because two parents who had come to their daughter's practice, a man and a woman, had both overdosed simultaneously and were lying on the field about six feet apart and in obvious need of resuscitation. Their two little younger children who had come with them were trying to get them to wake up. So Michael and his colleague were able to revive the parents using Narcan, which is the antidote to opioid overdoses--reverses them. But as is increasingly the case, it took several doses to revive them because they had probably had heroin that was cut with something stronger, possibly fentanyl. And so this was the scene that was witnessed by many people in this community who were at this softball practice on an afternoon in March." Some of those adult witnesses, Talbot says, were encouraging the EMTs to let the parents die. This inhumanity is shocking; it's no mystery why people like the ones in this story are trying to get high. Few people feel like their lives are worth much these days; constant low-level stress over money, family, relationships, social disorder, health, and work are features of everyone's lives. When you're poor, and perhaps socially isolated, those things compound. Poverty is only occasionally dramatic or joyful; mostly, it's crushingly boring and stressful. If you are prescribed pain medication because of an injury or chronic pain, the euphoria and floating freedom may be the best you've felt in years. This is how most people now start their opioid addictions. In the 1990s, US doctors were reconsidering their beliefs about pain. Recognizing the toll that constant, low-level pain can take on the body--much like the effect of poverty upon the spirit--doctors began to prescribe pain medication more freely, believing that being free from pain might speed recovery, as well as being a boon in itself. Pharmaceutical companies told doctors that their latest pain medications were not likely to be addictive. This claim is true for some--some people can take opioids for a couple of days after surgery and then switch to over-the-counter medicines without a hitch. But opioids hit other people's brains differently: they experience intense pleasure and comfort, and after a couple of weeks of ease, going off the medication can feel unbearably bleak. So people kept going back for more--and, eventually, word began to circulate about which doctors would freely prescribe pain medications. Some of these offices were the frequently-exposed, cynically-motivated "pill farms"; others just trusted their patients. Pain is pain, the doctors reasoned, and addiction is not a sin; is it really so bad to prescribe people what they need to feel OK in the world? What is the line between Adderall and speed, Oxycontin and heroin? Only legitimacy. For people who were not comfortable thinking of themselves as criminals, it felt more possible to exaggerate to a doctor than to buy heroin on the corner. As word spread about the accessibility of these opioid pills, heroin dealers saw their market slipping away. Cartels in Mexico, Guatemala, and other countries took notice, and started producing heroin so pure that it could be cut much more, producing a larger amount of product that could be sold for less. They also began cutting it with different chemicals, which made it far more potent and potentially deadly; and, of course, cutting heroin to sell on the black market is not an exact science. When the government finally started tightening regulations for prescribing opioids and raiding pill farms, millions of addicts were left desperate, and turned at last to explicitly illegal drugs, which were now more affordable than ever--and far more dangerous. While rates of opioid and heroin addiction are not actually higher than they used to be, the rate of people dying from overdoses has skyrocketed. The doses people are used to taking may be five times as potent as before. Surely no one wants to get high at their kids' soccer practice: what they want is to feel normal rather than ravenous for a fix, able to cheer their kids on, so they fix a hit before they arrive... but sometimes, instead of enabling them to function, the medicine knocks them out. The face of white despair: some of the people who passed away in the recent epidemic of overdoses. It's obvious that this crisis is receiving very different coverage than the crack epidemic of the 1990s or the heroin epidemic that preceded it in black communities. Those waves of drug use became a pretext for mass incarceration, mandatory minimums, three-strikes laws, permissible racial profiling, and militarized schools, all of which put a disproportionately black and brown population in prison, disenfranchised of voting rights and unable to find legal work once they emerge. These ex-prisoners are therefore unable to exert even the slightest leverage on the government policies that incarcerated them via the traditional political means of voting, lobbying, and cutting deals. They are likely to be forced to break the law to survive, which may mean they return to prison. A cynical person might speculate that it's no coincidence drug laws are being reformed precisely when white people are experiencing this crisis. White people have always used drugs, of course, but it has only recently been considered a major problem. Although 33,000 people died from overdosing in 2015, there does not seem to be a corresponding wave of repression directed at that population. The liberal affect about the epidemic is one of intense sadness and loss, as though they are surveying the damage left by a hurricane--something beyond anyone's control. Conservatives, as usual, have plenty of judgment to offer: users are depicted as trailer trash, judged for the very poverty that may have driven them to use. But there's often a second note of anger: both impoverished white community members and the politicians they elect are looking for someone else to blame. It's no surprise who the scapegoat is. Black and brown people are always blamed for white despair. The same old tired narratives are trotted out: these drugs are coming from south of the border; they're taking our jobs; their civil unrest is wrecking our communities. White people reminisce about when their towns used to have industry--jobs for lower-class people that supposedly promised a possible way out of poverty or at least allowed them to remain poor in a stable sort of way. Few white people, however, have turned towards radical politics in response to deindustrialization; most of the predominantly white communities that benefit from Medicaid expansion drug treatment still voted for Trump, who promised to repeal Obamacare. This is not entirely bad news, as it suggests people cannot be easily satisfied--they want something wholly different, not just harm reduction--but it is disturbing in light of how Trump's presidency is likely to continue to affect black and brown people. All this feels depressingly routine for anyone who has been paying attention to the dominant arc of US history. Ironically, far from being responsible for the problem, many of the migrants coming to the US are fleeing the violence of the cartels responsible for producing these drugs , which are funded by the US citizens who consume their wares, not by the Mexican and Central American migrants fleeing their zones of control. Sure, narcotics are coming directly from Mexico into North Dakota! Mexicans must be to blame! Many black people in the 1970s and '80s fought against police harassment and for black self-determination and community involvement in drug user recovery--and sometimes, unfortunately, for heavier legal penalties and increased police harassment of predominantly black drug users. In contrast, white people seem less eager to take responsibility or demand change along those lines. The self-declared sons of white America feel robbed of their birthright, and they want it back from their black, brown, immigrant, and off-shore brothers... never considering that it could be their own parents who are to blame. Some whites acknowledge that reforming their own behavior is part of the solution to their social problems, but many of them--such as the Proud Boys--aim to do so only in order to glorify and renew the misogynist, racist foundations of "Western civilization." This is ironic, in that these same racialized divisions are also responsible for preventing white workers from making common cause with others to stand up for themselves against the causes of their suffering. Deindustrialization is hitting white communities now the same way that it hit black communities in the 1980s, bringing with it the addiction and despair long familiar to more targeted groups. While fascists seek to attribute responsibility for the suffering of poor white people to people of color or some sort of Jewish conspiracy, the fundamental problem is obviously capitalism. Market imperatives make dealers and cartels seek profit at any cost, just as they reward industrial corporations that shift their production facilities offshore or replace human employees with machines. It is capitalism that has broken up our communities, compelling us to chase jobs from one place to another across the continent while extractive corporations decimate the natural world we depend on for survival. To defend ourselves against this onslaught, we have to come together across all lines of identity, identifying with each other even across gulfs of privilege and fighting to abolish privilege and capitalism entirely. One of the chief reasons race was invented in the first place was to split the interests of those on the receiving end of all the disparities and misfortunes imposed by capitalism. There is another way out. In his book, In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts, Dr. Gabor Mate reviews studies performed on rats that illumine an alternative solution to the dilemmas of white America. Mate describes how researchers addicted rats to cocaine. Predictably, the rats came back for more cocaine regularly, even feverishly. But when the rats were removed from solitary, clinical surroundings and put in a natural environment in which they could find each other and engage in more interesting activity, the rats, though already addicted, were much less interested in cocaine than in the rest of their lives. People are not rats, and cocaine is not an opiate, but the implications are clear enough. To put an end to the problem of harmful addictions in our society, we have to make our world livable. This is also a way to understand the anarchist project. Graffiti in Montreal. The crisis is taking a toll in Canada, too. As anarchists, we aspire to fight the causes of unhappiness and poverty, to counter the strategies that our oppressors employ to drain us of emotional and material resources that could be employed outside their marketplace. We aim to interrupt the destruction of our world and our relationships and our ability to share. If we love people who are suffering from drug addiction, regardless of their race, we must make the world a more livable place. Let's create a world no one would want to escape, in which the idea of a drug that would make us feel less alive--or a cellphone or a video game or any other product--is self-evidently undesirable. This means maintaining cooperative projects to support those fighting to free themselves of addiction--even Alcoholics Anonymous was founded by people reading the anarchist Peter Kropotkin to learn about how groups based in horizontal organizing and mutual aid could address their own needs together. But it also means attacking the foundations of authority in this society. When we fight against the power that capitalism and the state currently possess to determine all the possibilities of our lives, we are also fighting against the causes of addiction, racism, and despair. Part of this undertaking is refusing to let white people blame other broke people for their difficulties. We have to show clearly who the enemy is and create avenues for finding affinity and solidarity across racial lines while demonstrating the kind of activity that it will take to solve our shared problems. We must refuse to sanction scapegoating, yet simultaneously resist the urge to treat groups of people as monsters--even those who scapegoat. The divisions that racism imposes in our communities are responsible for much of the suffering that white people experience, too--everyone has a stake in abolishing white supremacy as well as the institutions that depend on it to maintain their sway. We must introduce an anarchist tension into all these ongoing struggles for survival. When we imagine this task on a global scale, it appears almost impossible. Fortunately, we encounter it broken up into smaller steps every single day. For a world without despair or the power disparities that cause it. Liked it? Take a second to support It's Going Down!

In dominant American discourse, white people are always the protagonists. Their problems and dilemmas, pleasures and pain, are treated as everyone's primary concern. Even if you are not included in this narrative, you're forced to reckon with it. While we anarchists would like to see a world in which no character is a caricature, in which people are not divided by race and only take delight in our differences, we are all currently obliged to pay attention to the problems of white people because, in their pain, they frequently lash out at those they perceive as their enemies.

Thursday, Jul 1, 2010, 11:44 am * By Rose Arrieta United Steelworkers union members demonstrate in support of the striking mineworkers at Grupo Mexico's Cananea copper mine. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images) The Mexican government's use of force to shut down a three- year-old miner's strike in Cananea, in northern Mexico, last month has led to a significant new development on the labor front in the Americas. On June 21, the National Union of Miners and Metal Workers (SNTMMRM), known as Los Mineros , and the United Steel Workers (USW) signed an agreement to form a joint commission to look at the formation of a potential union that would represent one million workers in Mexico, the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. The USW has supported the strike over the years as Los Mineros came under brutal attack by Grupo Mexico and by the Mexican government. The USW represents 850,000 workers in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, while Los Mineros represents about 180,000 in Mexico. The commission, which would consist of five members from each of the union's boards, according to Mineweb, represents an exciting new chapter in international labor solidarity. The Kleen Energy Systems plant after a February 7 explosion killed six and injured dozens, in Middletown, Conn. (Photo by Douglas Healey/Getty Images) Federal agency expert has clear message for Congress, five months after tragedy On the morning February 7, 2010, while most Americans were looking forward to the Super Bowl, workers at the Kleen Energy Plant in Middletown, Connecticut were hard at work purging gas lines. At approximately 11:15 a.m., the gas exploded . The force of the blast was felt up to 15 miles away. Six workers were killed and dozens more were injured. This week, a House subcommitee held a hearing to understand what went wrong. The answer turns out to be pretty obvious: The plant blew up because workers vented 2 million standard cubic feet of natural gas directly into the outside air--enough to heat a typical American home for a quarter century. The gas sat there, pooling around the buildings, until a spark ignited it. U.S. Senate Minority Whip Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) (C) gestures as Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Ok.) (R), and Sen. George LeMieux (R-Fla.) (L) look on during a news conference March 26, 2010 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. about a proposed unemployment benefits package. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Deficit-mania has struck Washington again, with most Democrats and the Obama administration essentially accepting the propaganda of deficit hawks while also calling for extending unemployment insurance benefits. The result? The Senate failed again to pass a relatively bare-bones "stand-alone" benefits extension bill that doesn't even include a COBRA extension, or aid to the states to pay for their swelling Medicaid rolls. Another modest $10 billion bill to help localities keep teachers on the job is also floundering, even though it's paid for with spending cuts and legislative savings elsewhere in funding bills. Any meaningful direct job-creation programs for the nearly 15 million Americans who are officially unemployed are also dead for now -- despite a damning new report co-authored by the National Employment Law Project showing that it will take years to make up the jobs already lost. As even moderate pundit Eleanor Clift observed , after viewing a liberal panel calling for massive infrastructure programs to boost the economy, "The actual [unemployment] number, far higher than what the weekly stats tell us, is on the way to becoming a permanent feature of the new economy. And while governments scrambled to save banks, there's no comparable urgency about creating jobs." The recent healthcare overhaul has hospitals preparing for the worst, anticipating a future in which they'll be the ones paying for rising medical costs with little help from states looking to trim their own budget. In turn, more and more hospitals across the country are looking to reduce their spending by reducing nurses' pay and benefits. But many healthcare workers, bolstered by the dearth of unions in this sector, have increasingly begun to push back against the proposed cuts. The labor strife has grown in states like Minnesota, where more than 12,000 nurses are slated to go on their second strike after Independence Day if the union and hospital management cannot agree to key issues in a new labor contract. Nurses at 14 hospitals throughout the Twins Cities have been without a new deal since March over disputes concerning staff-to-patient ratios and proposed pension reductions by one-third. They first struck on June 10 (video below). Wednesday, Jun 30, 2010, 9:43 am * By Steve Early Longtime labor activist Dolores Huerta (center) celebrates with Kaiser Permanente employees petitioning for an election that would allow them to join NUHW, in Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 29. Unhappy Kaiser workers aim to leave SEIU, join NUHW With justifiable pride (and the numbers to prove it), the 1.9 million member Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has long claimed to be the "fastest growing union in America." By the end of this year, it could become the fastest-shrinking union in California--a reversal of fortune largely unforeseen until recently. The architects of SEIU downsizing (if it occurs) are not budget-cutting Republican governors or anti-union nursing home owners or union-busting hospitals, although all will be impacted by the upcoming vote demanded yesterday by thousands of Kaiser Permanente (KP) workers. In Los Angeles and San Francisco, unhappy SEIU members held press conferences Tuesday to announce that they are seeking National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) elections so they can switch to the rival National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW). Their contested bargaining units cover 45,000 employees at California's largest hospital chain. To get a representation vote in a group of this size, you need to sign up, in very short order, at least 13,500 people in 350 different work locations in one of America's largest states. (And that minimum 30% "showing of interest" to trigger a vote was certainly far exceeded by NUHW supporters at Kaiser who did the bulk of the signature-gathering on their own time--before, during and after scheduled work shifts.) William Lucy first joined the staff of AFSCME in 1966. (Photo courtesy April4thfoundation ) Updated below with results of July 1 election As the 1.6-million member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) convened in Boston this week, the big public employee union was preoccupied externally with attacks on public workers, job losses and state and local budget deficits. But internally, the landmark event was the retirement of William Lucy, secretary-treasurer since 1972, and the contest for his successor, which some observers see as partly a proxy vote on President Gerald McEntee's leadership or at least, in the words of Illinois Council 31 director Henry Bayer, "the direction the union is going." McEntee is supporting his long-time assistant, Lee Saunders, but Lucy supports Danny Donohue, president of Civil Service Employees Association, the union's largest local, made up primarily of state workers. Lucy has long been one of the highest-ranking and most public African-American union leaders. In 1972 he co-founded the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, and he remains president of the group, which promotes black workers' interests within the labor movement, the black community, and political life generally. Reflecting his interest in labor international issues, he was an early leader in U.S. unions' actions against apartheid in South Africa. Tuesday, Jun 29, 2010, 1:21 pm * By Mike Elk Dave Weigel (left) resigned from his position blogging about the conservative movement at the Washington Post on Friday. (Photo courtesy Wonkette.com ) I, for one, am glad that conservative beat reporter Dave Weigel resigned from the Washington Post on Friday for wishing (on a listserv, a member of which then leaked his e-mails) that Matt Drudge would "set himself on fire" and wishing Rush Limbaugh had died shortly after he was hospitalized with chest pain. With Weigel gone, it means the Post might finally have the money to hire a labor journalist. Despite the labor movement's 16 million dues-paying members, the newspaper has no full time labor reporter, unlike the New York Times, with Steven Greenhouse, or the Wall Street Journal , with Kris Maher. The Post 's National Politics Reporter Alec MacGillis writes 1-2 stories a month at maximum on the labor movement. Harold Meyerson writes occasional op-eds on organized labor, but does not do any investigative reporting. Regardless of what you may think of Wiegel's firing, or the Tea Party, he covered the day-to-day activities of the contemporary conservative movement in a fairly comprehensive fashion. Why then does the Post not grant similar full-time coverage to the labor movement? Tuesday, Jun 29, 2010, 10:44 am * By Roger Bybee Jimmy Labat holds his brother Michael while waiting in a line with unemployed commercial fishermen and their families for hand-outs from Catholic Charities in May in Hopedale, La. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images) Republicans are confidently taking some enormous political gambles in recent days, betting on the continuing absence of public displays of outrage to their short-sighted policies. On the one hand, numerous Republican and their right-wing talk-show allies have been by expressing sympathy for the imagined "victimization" of BP over the catastrophic oil spill. ( Naomi Klein's account of the long-term impact is particularly insightful.) But at the same time they have room in their tiny little hearts for BP, the Republicans are escalating their "tough s___ " policy--as GOP Sen. Jim Bunning so memorably put it--against the long-term jobless by letting benefits run out for 1.2 million unemployed workers and their families. For the third time, the Republicans recently blocked a new extension to unemployment benefits for long-term jobless workers who have exhausted their benefits because the weak recovery has produced so few jobs. Tuesday, Jun 29, 2010, 8:35 am * By Kari Lydersen Antonio Lopez Mendoza is among 186 workers fired from the National Autonomous University of Honduras in a crackdown on the union, just one manifestation of the post-coup government. (Photo by Kari Lydersen) TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS--Antonio Lopez Mendoza, 74, stood among about 100,000 people gathering in this capital city Monday morning. Some pumped their fists and waved red flags bearing the image of President Manuel Zelaya, ousted in a coup exactly one year ago. Some did a brisk business in hats, bandannas and buttons celebrating Zelaya, Che Guevara or revolutionary Francisco Morazan. One woman hoisted a stuffed gorilla on a pole, a reference to "Gorilleti," the derogatory nickname for Roberto Micheletti who took power after the coup. Mendoza wore an earnest expression and waved a small banner in each hand, proclaiming "There's no democracy or governability if you don't respect human rights," and demanding the immediate rehiring of 186 workers fired in February from the National Autonomous University of Honduras. The firings came after contract negotiations broke down and employees took over a university building. Mendoza had worked at the university for 30 years before being fired. Now he is struggling to buy food, often resorting to tortillas and salt. Last week, Pennsylvania roofing contractor Christopher Franc was sentenced to three years' probation and six months' house arrest for willful safety violations that resulted in the death of a worker, 29-year-old >Carl Beck , who plunged 40 feet to his death while working on a steep roof last August. Investigators found that Franc had failed to provide any fall-protection equipment to his workers. Given the height and steepness of the roof, Beck should have been wearing a full-body harness anchored to a fixed point. Investigators found that Franc had failed to provide any fall-protection equipment to his workers. Given the height and steepness of the roof, Beck should have been wearing a full-body harness anchored to a fixed point. Investigators also found that Franc had failed to provide adequate training for new employees. Franc plead guilty in February to a charge of willful violation of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulation causing the death of an employee.

he Mexican government's use of force to shut down a three- year-old miner's strike in Cananea, in northern Mexico, last month has led to a significant new development on the labor front in the Americas.

Editor's Note: Whether you watch or not, you can catch the highlights right here on theGrio.com . Just sayin'. You know what I got no less than six news updates about on my phone the other day? Whether or not Meghan Markle 's flip-flopping-ass dad is going to walk her down the aisle when she marries Prince Harry of Wales in the latest royal wedding this weekend. I doubt we ever again in the history of everdom get news updates from major publications regarding a mundane issue that wedding planners are paid to manage. It was just the latest regarding an event for which there's a completely inverse correlation between the number of f--s I give and those of the rest of the world apparently seems to these days. Two people who've never really done anything to entertain us (unless you count public nudity in Las Vegas and a supporting role on a USA show no one I know watches) are getting hitched some 4,000 miles and eight time zones away. Yet, I can't buy a pack of gum in a grocery store without seeing those two splattered all over every cover on the magazine racks. You people can't seem to get enough of the royalty - so much so that hundreds of U.S. theaters will air the royal wedding after it airs for free on your television. If you plan on going to one of these screenings, just give me your $10 and I'll feed it to my neighbor's dog. I get that many of you are enchanted by the fairy tale of it all thanks to your mama dropping you in front of Disney films throughout your childhood. But here are a few reasons why, if I were you, I'd care far less about the fact that Markle is resigning herself to live in a region with the shittiest food on the planet: 1.The ceremony is early as shit The wedding itself kicks off May 19 at 7 a.m. EST and 4 a.m. for our friends on the west coast. Since this shit will be like the Oscars but with more people that sound like Jude Law, televised pre-game events will start several hours earlier. Saturday morning is the only time that many (non-heathens) get to sleep in on any given weekend, so I can't fathom waking up early for a wedding I don't have to attend. I'll be doing what you should be doing: sleeping in after an evening of enjoying Deadpool 2. 2. You're missing the best damn part of a wedding Every dude I've ever met has the same reaction to weddings: let's chop-chop through the damn ceremony so we can get right to the food, bottom-shelf open bar and marveling at all the idiots who managed to get hold of a microphone while lubed up. Take it from a man who had a wedding: the very best part is the reception. No one will remember the pastor's speech, but they'll never forget the night they had with the maid of honor that no one is ever to speak of again. 3. She won't actually be Princess Meghan For those of you amped about one of "yours" becoming a proper princess, think again. Old-ass British protocol essentially nullifies any claim Markle will have to the title of princess , as was the case with Kate Middleton when she married Prince William in 2011. Markle's title will likely be something wack like Her Royal Highness Princess Henry of Wales, which is about as sexy as a kale salad and as patriarchal as you can imagine from the British Crown. Also, everyone crowing about Markle becoming the "first black princess" has that white powder in their eyes, ignoring the several black princesses in Africa and other non-European nations. 4. Markle's family issues ruin the fantasy It's not just the fact that I keep seeing articles about Thomas Markle constantly changing his mind regarding walking his daughter down the aisle. Thomas has been accused of staging paparazzi shots to get paid off his daughter's big day, and some members of Markle's estranged family have taken the trip to London despite the fact that the Queen's Guard might shank them up if they try to crash the wedding. Markle is probably thrilled to get thousands of miles away from all that dumb shit. It be the ones closest to you... 5. Black folks shouldn't care about these colonizers There's probably no bigger contemporary example of snobbishness and unrepentant whiteness than the British Empire. Their whole idea of propriety is the polar opposite of everything we enjoy about folks like Cardi B and Tiffany Haddish . If anyone thinks that Markle's barely-passed-the-paper-bag-test ass is going to usher in some new era of Black culture in the monarchy, I've got bridges to sell. She's already dealing with racism from the British press to the point where Harry had to step in so I'm scared to imagine what she's experiencing from all the old hags scattering about Buckingham Palace. We already know about that "blackamoor" brooch Queen Elizabeth's cousin wore last year. In sum, I don't think this is the Black win we're seeking. Dustin J. Seibert is a native Detroiter living in Chicago. Miraculously, people have paid him to be aggressively light-skinned via a computer keyboard for nearly two decades. He loves his own mama slightly more than he loves music and exercises every day only so his French fry intake doesn't catch up to him. Find him at his own site, wafflecolored.com . Another day, another Waffle House situation. This time involving a 22-year-old man named Anthony Wall . The incident which has since gone viral, displayed police officers using excessive force as he was choked and slammed to ground--following being called the N-word and a f**got by Waffle House employees. Initially, there was outrage from the Black community as there was when Chikesia Clemons , who just a week prior, was also victimized by employees and police who slammed her to ground and exposed her breasts during arrest. However, the silence around Anthony is continuing to grow, leaving many to wonder if homophobia is once again rendering people's decision to stand with a Black man deserving of the same support. When I first notice that I hadn't seen as much coverage with Anthony, I read a story that confirmed he is indeed a gay Black man. Instantly, I went to Twitter to sound off about the silence from many segments of the Black activism community, who have seemingly been less concerned or propelled to find justice in this situation, unlike that of Chikesia. Also notice the silence of silence many pro-black folks once they found out the victim was gay. Y'all tell on yourselves every time. https://t.co/6uK00VOTHb -- George M Johnson (@IamGMJohnson) May 14, 2018 Reading the comments confirmed much of what I feared. Several agreed that one, they hadn't really heard about the story, and two, that it appears that homophobia has played a role in the way many have decided to respond...or prompted them to stay silent. There was even commentary about how Anthony potentially played a role in the situation that escalated between himself, the Waffle House employees and the Warsaw, NC police. A statement that we rarely use when discussing hetero police harrasement and violence. Imagine if we said Eric Garner shouldn't have been illegally selling cigarettes or that Tamir Rice shouldn't have been playing with a toy gun or that Mike Brown shouldn't have been J-walking. The Black community would never allow the "they brought it on themselves" narrative to thrive because we know when dealing with Black interactions with police, right, wrong or indifferent, we will always be at a disadvantage in attempting to achieve justice. One must also take note that this is a pattern of behavior noticed when violence happens against Black queer people, whether it be physical or civil rights oriented. Over the past year we have had issues with state laws blocking queer sex education, blocking the ability for us to adopt, and still allowing people to use the "gay panic" defense. Federally, we have dealt with the removal of our status on the Census, the removal of housing programs from HUD, and the biggest of all, reversal of Transgender people serving in the military. These issues, which affect all Black queer folks, are often ignored by the Black community at large and receive less coverage than those issues affecting Black hetero people. Our biggest concern continues to be issues of safety because queer folk are being murdered every day and our inability to address this fact with as much fervor and anger is hurting us as a whole. This weekend, two Black trans women were murdered in Dallas, TX--only making local news. I myself was only alerted to the string of violence happening in the Dallas community by a family member who lives there who felt the story needed to be amplified. Transgender murders are often overlooked by major media publications and it's a struggle to get those in the community who claim to be pro-Black to make a concerted effort to protect our population. We must do better. I'm 32 years old, which means, I am now one-year older than the life expectancy of a the average Black trans woman--which now ranges between 31 and 35. We have to break the homophobia and transphobia that permeates our homes, schools, churches, and workplaces if we truly want to see our people liberated. None of us are free unless all of us are free. Anthony Wall deserves our best, and his sexuality shouldn't hinder him being a Black life that matters. George M. Johnson is the Managing Editor of BroadwayBlack.com. He has written for Ebony, TheGrio, TeenVogue, NBC News and several other major publications. Follow him on Facebook , Twitter , or Instagram . The first official trailer for Whitney has arrived and it's packed with information about the late, great, icon, Whitney Houston . The highly-anticipated documentary directed by Kevin Macdonald will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday and features insights from the music world's biggest players and her inner circle of family and friends. It seems the producers held nothing back and dove deep into Houston's life to answer long-standing questions about her drug use, her turbulent marriage, and her relationship with Robyn Crawford who is referred to as her "safety net" in the trailer. Friday, a video of the incident surfaced on the internet showing a white officer punching a Black teen outside the mall during an arrest. While the officer involved suffered scrapes to his knee and the mall security guard suffered some cuts to his hand, according to Wauwatosa Capt. Brian Zalewski, the teen didn't report any injuries. That's when the officer claims he tried to speak with them to determine what had happened, but the teens refused and began "to physically fight with the officer." "Y'all had the wrong man this whole time and you have [someone] out there running free and y'all had no right to do what you did." Evidence showed that Bunn, who was 14 at the time, and another man were framed for the killing of Rolando Neischer by a corrupt former New York City detective Louis Scarcella. Bunn was only 14-years-old when he was convicted and jailed, reports NY Daily News. "This case was tried . . ., a jury was picked, testimony was given and it concluded all in one day," said Simpson. "I don't consider that justice at all." Bunn is optimistic about his future ahead. "Move forward," the Judge Simpson told Bunn. "Keep me posted." TheGrio has launched a special series called #BlackonBlue to examine the relationship between the police and African-Americans. Our reporters and videographers will investigate police brutality and corruption while also exploring local and national efforts to improve policing in our communities. Join the conversation, or share your own story, using the hashtag #BlackonBlue. In a searing video op-ed for the New York Times , Gwen Carr , the mother of Eric Garner urged NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio to once and for all bring charges against the officer who choked her son to death on video warning "This is your last chance for justice." For four years, Carr has pushed the have the New York City police officer seen on video choking her son to death be punished and held accountable for Garner's death but to no avail. In a video for the Times, Carr recounted the day her son was killed and vowed to continue to fight for justice and had a few choice words for the Mayor. "I can't breathe," Carr begins saying in the video, repeating Garner's last words as officer Daniel Pantaleo held him in a chokehold. "The cause of death is compression of the neck," she says as the haunting chant " I can't breathe" echoes in the background. "Chokehold. Compression of the chest during physical restraint by police." "The day that I found out that Eric passed was the most horrific day I had ever experienced. I remember trying to kick the windshield out. I remember trying to open the door and run on the highway," Carr recalls. "Later on, I found out that the police had choked him. They have taken my son's voice away but his mother still has a voice, and I'm gonna use it as long as I have a voice," she vows. It's been almost four years since Garner's death was ruled a homicide and none of the officers involved have been brought to justice or faced any charges. At the time, Attorney General Eric Holder promised that the Justice Department would proceed with a federal civil rights investigation in the NYC chokehold death. Since then, the Trump Justice Department hasn't said whether they will pursue civil rights charges against officer Daniel Pantaleo , reports the NYTimes. But Carr still holds out hope that New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio will act on the case. "My message is: Mayor DeBlasio , this stops today," she said. "Fire those police officers," she demands. "Make them stand accountable. This is your last chance for justice," she warned. "Officer Pantaleo is getting away with murder. He killed my son and now his life goes on business as usual. If Eric Garner was a white man in the suburbs selling cigarettes on the corner he would have gotten a fine maybe, but he have gotten a fine, maybe, but he wouldn't have gotten murdered. " Freddy Gray died after my son. Alton Sterling died after my son. Philando Castille died after my son. Stephon Clark died after my son. How many names do we have to learn and chant in the street?" she asked. " Tamar Rice. Michael Brown. Sandra Bland." "It's like seeing my son being murdered all over again when I hear their stories," she said. "To the media, my son was just a news story. To the police, he was just a nobody. I fight the fight to uphold my child's name because there is no justice for him because he's gone. And for me there's just closure. So I'm fighting for the ones who are still here." The Garner family also suffered another tragedy last December, when Eric Garner's daughter Erica suffered a fatal heart attack.

Whether you watch or not, you can catch the highlights right here on theGrio.com . Just sayin'. You know what I got no less than six news updates about on my phone the other day? Whether or not Meghan Markle 's flip-flopping-ass dad is going to walk her down the aisle when she marries Prince Harry of Wales in the latest royal wedding this weekend.

William F. Buckley Jr. had a great disdain for entrenched, self-perpetuating elites epitomized by thefaculty of Harvard: I am obliged to confess I should sooner live in a society governed by the first two thousand names in the Boston telephone directory than in a society governed by the two thousand faculty members of Harvard... If you think the mainstream media is not as much in the tank for Hillary as it was for Obama, you have not been paying attention. "Thrill up my leg" Chris Matthews is the poster-child for media bias. Which is why he has been such a frequent topic here, particularly during election cycles: Saturday... There hasn't been much talk of Hillary's multi-level email problem because of the media attention to all things Trump. But here's a reminder that Hillary's email scandal may be in a Trump-induced hibernation, but it has not gone away. The Hill reports: A pair of emails on Hillary Clinton's private server was indeed "top... The number of Syrian Christian refugees the United States has taken in is extremely small. And yet this is a group that ought logically to be first in line because members face the most obvious danger and persecution--not only in Syria, but in several Arab or Muslim countries to which they might... UPDATE: (12/16/15, 3:16PM): MISTRIAL, JURY HUNG ON ALL FOUR CHARGES. UPDATE: (12/16/15, 3:01PM): Told that both Porter and Mosby are in the courtroom. UPDATE: (12/16/15, 2:43PM): State's Attorney Mosby is in the courtroom, first time since deliberations began. UPDATE: (12/16/15, 2:34PM): Another buzz from the jury. UPDATE: (12/16/15, 12:38PM): Jury breaking for lunch. UPDATE: (12/16/15, Noon): Jury requested... It's funny to watch Hillary Clinton attack empty slogans when her party is built on them. In a campaign stop in Minnesota, she thought she was going after Republicans but as Daniel Bassali of the Washington Free Beacon notes, some people heard it differently: Hillary Clinton Inadvertently Hits Obama: 'Shallow Slogans Don't... The CNN Debate just ended, and I have only one clear impression -- Donald Trump has so completely emasculated Jeb Bush that this may be Jeb's last hurrah. Before getting to that, I don't think there was a clear winner. Trump was Trump; I don't think he gained or lost support based... Howdy and thanks so much for joining us tonight! CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIVE REACTIONS FROM THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE CNN, host of tonight's Republican debate, has a lifestream available to here. If you'd prefer to listen, Salem Radio Network is airing the debate here. Welcome to the main stage! Tonight's debate will feature... ... Star Wars Episode 7 premiers this weekend. Naturally, the internet has been kind enough to rip bits of the official trailer to make mashups like this one: Despite the campaign logo conclusion, the video is not a product of Rubio's presidential campaign. But what does Rubio think of the epic sci-fi series? Last... President Obama and the Defense Department are warning of the dangers of deploying ground troops to Syria without first answering whether ISIS can be defeated without them. Critics say the status quo is not doing the job. Max Boot wrote in the Wall Street Journal on December 8 that air power alone... UPDATE (5:37PM, 12/15/15): That's it for today, folks. No verdict, and jury sent home for the night. Deliberations start up again in the morning. UPDATE (4:01PM, 12/15/15): In a shocking statement, trial Judge William Barry told the hung jury to "Compromise if you can do so without violence to your own moral judgement," according to... Last month we reported that the DNC was going into debt while the RNC was raising millions. In a new but related development, the cash poor Democrats want taxpayers to help pay for their national convention. Stephen Dinan reported at the Washington Times: Struggling DNC craves tax dollars for convention Already struggling... Last week, we reported that one of the San Bernardino killers, Syed Rizwan Farook, had pictures of educational institutions on his camera, indicating that high school and college campuses were potentially being targeted for future terror acts. Tuesday, the entire Los Angeles Unified School District has been shut down because of credible... What would you do if your old truck adorned with your business name and phone number became part of a viral photo? Assumed to be a "terrorist sympathizer" by many viewing the photo, this Texan plumber sued the dealership. Chechen Jaish al Muhajireen wal Ansar using plumbing truck against regime in #Aleppo... The defense counsel for Officer William Porter has moved for a mistrial after discovering that the Baltimore City Public Schools sent home a letter with students cautioning parents in which the CEO of the school system wrote: I am very concerned about the possibility of civil disorders following announcements of the verdict. That full... Many college campuses are seeing sets of "Demands" issued by students to administrations, often seeking to suppress speech the students deem offensive and to increase faculty and student affirmative action policies and programs. Hamilton College students using the name "The Movement" recently set what was believed to be a record 83 Demands....

William F. Buckley Jr. had a great disdain for entrenched, self-perpetuating elites epitomized by thefaculty of Harvard: I am obliged to confess I should sooner live in a society governed by the first two thousand names in the Boston telephone directory than in a society governed by the two thousand faculty members of Harvard... If you think the mainstream media is not as much in the tank for Hillary as it was for Obama, you have not been paying attention.

A gay Houston couple on Sunday reported that they were kicked out of an Uber for what they described as an innocent peck on the lips. According to KPRC-TV , the couple -- Randall Magill, 28, and his fiance Jose Chavez, 26 -- believes the Uber driver targeted them because of their sexual orientation. What's the story? Magill and Chavez told KPRC that they had been drinking at a holiday party and opted to call Uber for a ride home instead of driving. The couple reported that they were picked up by a minivan, and that things went awry when they leaned in toward each other for an affectionate kiss. "I wasn't doing anything that I wouldn't have done in public," Magill told KPRC. "I'm not going to embarrass myself or my fiance by any means." Magill said that the minivan's seats were divided by an aisle. After the public display of affection, the unidentified Uber driver reportedly told the two to stop kissing, and advised them that he'd asked a straight couple to stop kissing earlier in the evening. "I've never heard of anyone being asked to stop kissing anywhere, especially when you're just peck on the lips," Magill told KPRC. "He said, 'I can't take you no more.' He was like, 'I'm going to have to drop you guys off,' and we said, 'That's fine,'" Chavez, who said he was upset, added. "I've never been told not to kiss or anything." Magill said that the Uber driver pulled off the freeway next to a sound barrier and told them to exit the vehicle. The couple eventually called another Uber driver to finish the trip home. "I'll never use them again," Magill said of Uber. "I was super disappointed. Everyone I have ever ridden with has been very nice, very respectful. Even the ones I could tell were not so comfortable with carrying us, they were very respectful." What does Uber have to say about this? A rep for the company admitted that they had received an incident report from both the couple and the driver regarding the drop-off, and noted that they are investigating the incident. According to Uber's Community Guidelines , passengers are requested to avoid touching or flirting "with other people in the car." The guidelines also note that touching others in the car can lead to passengers losing access to Uber. Additionally, Uber has in place a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination for both drivers and passengers.

A gay Houston couple on Sunday reported that they were kicked out of an Uber for what they described as an innocent peck on the lips.

Last month, the FBI exposed a plot to murder 120 Somali immigrants at an apartment complex in Kansas. Authorities said three white men attempted to start a religious war . "The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim," one of the suspects said, according to a federal complaint. Now, in the lead up to Election Day, the Kansas GOP has seemingly taken up the same mission, ginning up Islamophobia for political gain. The Republican Party of Kansas has come under criticism this week for distributing mailers suggesting that Muslims in the state may be ISIS fighters. "Have you met the new neighbors?" one of the fliers in support of Republican state Rep. Joseph Scapa declares . The flier emblazoned with an image of an Islamic State fighter holding a machine gun was sent to homes in east Wichita's House District 88 and reads: "Have you met the new neighbors?" The other side of the mailer talks about Scapa's support for training Kansas law enforcement officers to "recognize and deal with foreign and domestic threats to our state, from those who support ideologies that are in conflict with the U.S. Constitution and our Kansas values," according to the Wichita Eagle . "ISIS is not going away anytime soon." Clay Barker, the state GOP's executive director, confirmed to the Eagle that similar mailings have been sent across the state. A second flier sent to the 88th District in Kansas in support of Republican state Rep. Ken Corbet depicts explosions on the street with text saying "TERRORISTS TO KANSAS" and pictures of children asking, "What is ISIS? Will they hurt me?" The GOP received severe criticism for the fliers depicting ISIS, which has carried out several attacks in the U.S. and also occupies large parts of Iraq and Syria. Robert McCraw, director of government affairs for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, D.C., called the mailers "a shameful example of scare mongering tactics that I hope the Republican Party can learn to move away from." Moussa Elbayoumy, the chairman of the Kansas chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations , criticized the fliers, telling ABC News that he believes that they were intended to "sow the seeds of fear in order to exploit that fear." For its part, the Kansas GOP has defended its fearmongering fliers. "We did polling and focus groups and the one issue that got overwhelming positive response and was associated with Republicans was safety,"" Kansas GOP executive director Clay Barker told the Wichita Eagle . "It's a positive issue for Republicans." The head of the Republican Party in the state cited Guantanamo Bay, "police being shot and those knuckleheads in Garden City" -- a reference to the failed anti-Muslim terrorist plot -- to explain that "it all kind of added up to a security issue." Barker admitted to the paper that with state Republicans running the Kansas economy into the ground, such Islamophobic tactics help scare up votes: Most other issues are muddled or this is not the year for Republicans to be arguing education or taxes because there's a general feeling either Republicans aren't effective or the voters aren't quite sure who to believe.

The Republican Party of Kansas has come under criticism this week for distributing mailers suggesting that Muslims in the state may be ISIS fighters. "Have you met the new neighbors?" one of the fliers in support of Republican state Rep. Joseph Scapa declares . The flier emblazoned with an image of an Islamic State fighter holding a machine gun was sent to homes in east Wichita's House District 88 and reads: "Have you met the new neighbors?" The other side of the mailer talks about Scapa's support for training Kansas law enforcement officers to "recognize and deal with foreign and domestic threats to our state, from those who support ideologies that are in conflict with the U.S. Constitution and our Kansas values,"

We haven't written much Hillary's e-mails (see Gauntlet Thrown: Trey Gowdy Says Even God Can't Read Hillary's Emails... and Hillary Now Blames E-Mails on Colin Powell? He Proceeds to Take Zero Crap... ). Why? Because there's SO MUCH to attack Clinton for, we knew our colleagues had that covered. Also, how many times can you call Hillary a lying liar who lies without playing out the pantsuit jokes? But you know, "covering the news" and all that. Plus the scandal was hard to avoid when she kept lying and lying about it . See previous comment about all the lies. So here we are again. But this time the news isn't about how Hillary's pantsuits are on fire. Yes, another pantsuit joke. Come on, you know you like them. This time the news? A massive email document dump. On a Friday. Before Labor Day weekend. In other words, the news isn't how Hillary is a weasel who fashions jackets out of tarps. It's that the FBI and media hoped no one would noticed the doc dump. You have no idea how long I've been waiting to use that GIF. Well... pretty much since whoever made that GIF. I'm not even sure my using it there was perfect, but a person can only wait so long. So let's get to the goods, yeah? Hillary wiped her e-mails three weeks after the initial NYT story... This is crazy. 3 weeks after NYT publish Clinton email server story, there was a big wipe of her emails conducted pic.twitter.com/tlO0KJWYgz -- Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) September 2, 2016 Probably a coincidence. Or a major right-wing conspiracy. Like Bill Clinton's rapescapades. New word. I'm trademarking that crap. Speaking of words and definitions... She doesn't know that the letter C stands for "Classified..." Clinton told FBI she didn't know a "(C)" denoted classified information. She "could only speculate it was... marked in alphabetical order." -- Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) September 2, 2016 She wants to run the country. Your country. She was Secretary of State. She's claiming she didn't know how classified information was denoted. President. She's running for it. But let's go with her for a second. What else could "C" stand for? If you're Secretary of State. Some ideas: Cow pose (yoga), Cat pose (yoga, usually follows cow), Crow pose (never try to imagine Hillary doing Crow), Chelsea, chow, chimichanga, cream cheese, come hither Huma, and "Call me Maybe." Just spit-balling. She disappeared and destroyed Blackberries... "[Huma] Abedin and [former Clinton aide Monica] Hanley indicated the whereabouts of Clinton's [mobile] devices would frequently become unknown once she transitioned to a new device ," one report indicates. On other occasions, a staffer would destroy Clinton's old mobile phones "by breaking them in half or hitting them with a hammer," the FBI documents reveal. Standard operating procedure, I'm sure. Let's not be too judgy. When you get a new phone, don't you smash the old one with a hammer? After breaking it in half? I do. I want the new phone to know who's in charge here. ME. Don't disrespect me, or you get the HAMMER. I'm sure she didn't destroy the phone to make sure data couldn't be recovered. That's just plain paranoia. Also, sexist. Sorry for the language, but LOL! And one of her laptops is missing... A personal laptop computer used to archive Hillary Clinton's e-mails when she was secretary of state went missing after being put in the mail , according to the FBI's report on its investigation into her use of a private e-mail system. E-mails that Clinton sent and received through her private server during her tenure were archived on the laptop in 2013 by a person who was an assistant to former President Bill Clinton, the FBI said in its heavily redacted investigative report released Friday. Oh, found it! The plan is, of course, for everyone to forget about this once the three day weekend is over. That's the plan. The strategy for releasing this big of a story, on the last holiday weekend of the summer. Well bummer, because it's pouring down rain in "my neck of the woods." So I'm all hopped up on coffee and ready with the gifs. We're not going to just let this one go. Hillary is the moral equivalent of mold, which grows on gum. Left stuck to the bottom of that old shoe you tossed out. Not just because the shoe was too small. No, no. You used to wear the shoe at your old job. Of cleaning dog crap. The dog-crap-mold-on-gum-shoe is Hillary Clinton. She's running to be your president. Scary thought? She might win. Someone get me a bag to breathe in... If this entire post isn't enough for you, here are 5 more reasons Hillary Clinton is a disaster. NOT SUBSCRIBED TO THE PODCAST? FIX THAT ! IT'S COMPLETELY FREE ON BOTH ITUNES HERE AND SOUNDCLOUD HERE .

We haven't written much Hillary's e-mails (see Gauntlet Thrown: Trey Gowdy Says Even God Can't Read Hillary's Emails... and Hillary Now Blames E-Mails on Colin Powell? He Proceeds to Take Zero Crap... ). Why? Because there's SO MUCH to attack Clinton for, we knew our colleagues had that covered. Also, how many times can you call Hillary a lying liar who lies without playing out the pantsuit jokes?

This made my day. Anti-gay bigot Michael Leisner is pissed at General Mills. So pissed in fact, he wanted to set a poor box of Cheerios (yes, honey nut!) on fire just so you know how mad he is that General Mills supports marriage equality. What transpires once Mr. Leisner begins his mini-bonfire of resistance is simply amazing. Leisner who hasn't considered that a box made of paper and a torch to light it might be a wee bit of a fire hazard while standing on grass almost sets himself on fire . In a world where there is such injustice we can always watch this clip of Mr. Leisner and be comforted by the utter hilarity of his plight. No, seriously it's incredible. Watch (there are subtitles in the video but please say in the comments if a full transcript is necessary):

This made my day. Anti-gay bigot Michael Leisner is pissed at General Mills. So pissed in fact, he wanted to set a poor box of Cheerios (yes, honey nut!) on fire just so you know how mad he is that General Mills supports marriage equality.

Everyone is waiting anxiously for the outcome of the first round of the Egyptian presidential election. It might be a decisive vote in terms of such elections in Egypt; if one of the candidates receives more than 50 per cent of the votes, he will be President. So who will be the lucky one to take his seat in the presidential office? An arguably more important question is whether Egypt will be able to repeat this democratic experience - the first of its kind in modern history - when the new president's first term expires. I believe that it will; the Egyptian people who overthrew the biggest of tyrants are the same people who rid Egypt of Western occupation, strived to defend the dignity of their country against aggressors, and did not keep quiet about the corruption of their rulers. They look forward to a wise, conscious and honest leadership which can solve their problems, move the country to safety and compensate the people for all they've been deprived of over the past few decades. Today, the Egyptians seek to exercise their freedom, become independent and develop self-rule through the ballot box. This is where new Islamic influences have surfaced with reform and development plans capable, they believe, of overcoming the country's crises, even in the long term. Perhaps the most important of these influences is the Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party. The Brotherhood has a long history of solidarity, social security and addressing poverty and destitution and using religious tax funds for such purposes. It's members are the successors of the organisation's legendary founder, the martyr Hassan Al-Banna. The Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate, Dr. Mohamed Morsi, therefore, carries the greatest weight in Egyptian society. Its cadres and leaders are capable of moving Egypt in a few years from the ranks of poor and powerless countries to a real international player able to benefit from the experiences of other countries such as Brazil and Turkey; and all in the interests of Egypt's citizens. I think that the participation of the Muslim Brotherhood in the presidential election is based on solid political reasoning. The organisation does not want to leave matters to the remnants of the previous regime which exhausted the people with poverty and unemployment, and plundered the resources of the country. That is one aspect. In addition, the Brotherhood is not satisfied with the Ganzouri government and Egypt's current military rulers who are using the same approach as the previous regime and not giving any attention to the elected parliament. It is true that the group was initially hesitant about joining the Presidential race, which weakened its position in voters' eyes. This is because of the Brotherhood's fear of a monopoly on power; it is not related to external policy or any fear of sanctions from abroad if its candidate wins. The organisation only has to look at neighbouring Gaza to see what happened to Hamas which won the 2006 Palestinian election, although there is no comparison between the two cases. Circumstances in the Arab Republic of Egypt are different to the situation in Palestine for a number of reasons, including the ongoing Israeli occupation, the political split amongst Palestinians and the resultant double government, and the lack of dependable resources in Gaza. In addition, we have seen the international conditions linked to financial assistance, etc., which have all played a direct role in strengthening the blockade against the Palestinian people. Hence, when we talk about the Brotherhood and its candidate Dr Morsi, we are talking about the Renaissance plan, which took 15 years to be developed by more than a thousand experts in all areas of life, and which is based on active participants in Egyptian society, represented across state institutions, civil society and the private sector. In order to achieve the desired balance between the three areas, the plan puts reform mechanisms into both strategic and operational levels which contain specific groups of plans, reforms and operational policies. These are divided into three phases as a first step on the road to renaissance and development which is represented in building the political system, then shifting to economic development, community empowerment, overall human development and building a strong security system. Leadership in foreign affairs and other issues, such as women's empowerment, the independence of Al-Azhar University, minority rights (especially the Copts) and the protection of the environment are all included in the plan. Nobody can devalue the Muslim Brotherhood due to its contribution to society, value, political clout, strength and influence in Egypt. It represents a wide segment of the Egyptian people across religious, social and political levels and maintains good relations with all Egyptian parties as well as regional and international bodies. It also has the most seats in the People's Assembly and Shura Council (Parliament), so it is bearer of decision-making and legislative ability; it's quite supporters trust its ability to affect change and improve the living conditions of ordinary Egyptians. The Brotherhood is also in receipt of a lot of support from the Arab and Islamic Spring in neighbouring countries led by Islamists; on Arab and Islamic issues it has never sided with one party against another. The main external causes for Brotherhood support are mainly Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya. For all of these reasons, I believe that Dr. Mohamed Morsi is the most suitable candidate for the Egyptian presidency. *The author is a Palestinian writer The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor. This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License . If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them. What does that mean? For permissions beyond the scope of this license, please contact us . Spotted an error on this page? Let us know

Everyone is waiting anxiously for the outcome of the first round of the Egyptian presidential election. It might be a decisive vote in terms of such elections in Egypt;

In Sacramento, California, newly released police dash camera video shows two officers intentionally trying to run over 51-year-old African American Joseph Mann, before he was fatally shot by police 14 times, in July. In the video, one officer can be heard saying "F- this guy, I'm going to hit him," as the officer drives the police cruiser toward the man. Listen closely. Police officer 1 : "F*** this guy. I'm going to hit him." Police officer 2 : "OK. Go for it. Go for it. Watch it! Watch! Watch!" Police officer 1 : "We'll get him. We'll get him." Mann died at the scene after being shot. The two officers, Randy Lozoya and John Tennis, have been placed on desk duty. Police say Joseph Mann was holding a knife in the middle of the street. His family says he was having a mental health emergency.

In Sacramento, California, newly released police dash camera video shows two officers intentionally trying to run over 51-year-old African American Joseph Mann, before he was fatally shot by police 14 times, in July. In the video, one officer can be heard saying "F- this guy, I'm going to hit him," as the officer drives the police cruiser toward the man.

The holidays are just about here -- and they always come in a flurry. These times can be incredibly demanding and stressful, but also fun. If you prepare now, you can ease the tensions this time of year can bring. In my experience, the holidays wear me out. Sure, I love the family time and the celebrations, but there's stress, too. Time with my extended family and so many other people in my life -- all of these celebrations pull me this way, that way, and can stretch me thin. Shopping, travel, family gatherings, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve -- if you're not ready for all of this, it can eat you alive. Most Americans feel pressured beyond their financial means and feel this pestering sense that they have to spend more, do more than they really can during the holidays, as a recent piece in Time magazine noted. The demand to spend money, go shopping, celebrate, travel to see everyone and appease all the people in our lives during the holidays ... all can wreak havoc on what is supposed to be a time of celebration. In my experience, creating a mindset and plan can help immensely -- as can discussing your plan with the people close to you. Communication and set goals will make riding this wave a lot easier. This is especially true for those of us who are married, have kids, and have mixed families where children travel between parents or guardians. All of this can intensify the experience of the holidays, the demands, and a sense of equilibrium. 1.) Make a list of everyone for whom you'd like to purchase gifts. On one side of my family, Christmas is crazy and the tree piles up with gifts. While they aren't a materialistic group, the holidays for them means, "Let's buy and give each other stuff." In my own nuclear family, we do a smaller Christmas -- we give just a few gifts each, and we're set. My bigger family, though -- my mom, her five sisters, my sets of cousins and grandparents -- they like to do a big Christmas. Managing this chaos of shopping has taken me a long time to learn. If you're like me, you don't need a lot of stuff. Sure, you enjoy shopping -- but material possessions don't make you feel satisfied. That said, I've learned that on one side of my family the primary way of showing love during the holidays is by giving gifts. To manage my shopping, I've found having a list helps immensely. That way there isn't chaos or uncertainty, and my efforts are focused and productive. 2.) Create a holiday budget. Credit card debt can quickly jump at this time of year -- and companies do all they can to get people to buy things they don't need, contributing to the issue. Many people use their savings for Christmas shopping -- and get themselves in trouble quickly. I make a budget by checking my account and deciding on a healthy amount for holiday shopping. After that, I withdraw all the cash I want to spend. According to research from Bank of America and Better Money Habit, in 2015 the average American spent nearly $900 on holiday shopping. But if people don't properly budget, they can quickly exceed their means. 3.) Decide on a plan for spending money -- and time. Most of us dread the "budget and money conversation" with our partners. People don't like to talk about their bank accounts -- but if they don't, it can wreak havoc. Research shows that over 50 percent of divorces are related to financial issues. In 2015 the average American spent nearly $900 on holiday shopping. But if people don't properly budget, they can quickly exceed their means. Similarly, the conversation about how to spend the holidays can be tough. Our partner wants us to be with their family, we want to be with ours -- and our kids want us in some other place. If we don't make a plan early on, we can find ourselves being pulled in all directions. During a time of celebration, this is the last thing we want. By having a conversation on how to best spend the holidays, we can lessen the stress. The sooner we have this conversation and make plans, the better. Just as with money, sex, and parenting, couples often have different expectations for the holidays. By taking a little time to go over these three points with your significant other and family, you'll ensure that holiday smiles are also internally felt. By taking just a little bit of time to cover these aspects, the celebrations ahead can be an opportunity to stay connected -- and to genuinely cherish the holidays. Luis Congdon helps entrepreneurs live their dreams. He travels the world most of the year but on occasion can be spotted in his earthen home on San Juan Island.

The holidays are just about here -- and they always come in a flurry. These times can be incredibly demanding and stressful, but also fun. If you prepare now, you can ease the tensions this time of year can bring.

THE knife-edge marginal electorate of Lindsay, in Sydney's west, has been a bellwether seat since its creation in 1984 -- and the winner this time could be decided on the preferences of far-right independents. Australia First's Jim Saleam, Australian Liberty Alliance's Steve Roddick and Penrith Councillor Marcus Cornish claim a sinking trust in the Liberal Party has led them to throw their hats in the political ring. And despite once being photographed wearing a swastika, Dr Saleam told the Penrith Press : "We're not provocateurs, we're political thinkers." Australia First Launch The three are among seven minor and independent parties who have so far nominated to contest the seat, held by Liberal MP Fiona Scott on a 3 per cent margin -- or just 3000 votes. Political analyst David Burchell, from Western Sydney University, said: "Lindsay is going to be really, really close, so it only takes a small leakage to make a difference." The major parties are campaigning hard in Lindsay. Turnbull has visited the electorate three times in the past two months. John Howard has walked the streets of Penrith. And Bill Shorten launched Labor's tilt at the seat at the St Marys Band Club on Saturday. "Independents are probably more nuisance-value in Lindsay than important, but given how close the seat is ... they are still going to make the major candidates nervous, because there are no votes to waste there," said Dr Burchell. Western Sydney University lecturer David Burchell. The preferences of minor parties and independents could play a critical role should voting go down to the wire in Lindsay, with the Liberals appearing likely to be placed behind Labor in the recommended preferences of most candidates. At the last federal election, where six minor parties ran, only the Christian Democratic Party preferenced the Liberal Party. Minor parties took 14.34 per cent of the primary vote in 2013. "Given that we have a preferential election system in this country, most votes for minor candidates ... the Jim Saleams, the Cornishes ... they're generally protest votes, so mostly no effect," Dr Burchell said. "But sometimes people use minor parties as a protest and then go through with the protest." Preferences set to be crucial Ms Scott's other rivals are Kingsley Liu (Greens); Stephen Lynch (Xenophon); Penrith councillor Maurice Girotto (CDP); Deborah Blundell (Animal Justice Party) and Emma Husar (ALP). Mr Girotto said: "If they (Liberals) can turn around and say 'The airport won't go ahead', they'll be on the top of the list. (Otherwise) Cornish and Roddick could be high on the list." Kingsley Liu is The Greens' candidate. Marcus Cornish, who nominated last Thursday as a conservative independent. Mr Cornish said: "I expect I'll preference the CDP. The Greens will be last. "I'm opposed to the airport as it will not benefit Penrith and the western Sydney in any way and will just provide 24-hour noise." Mr Roddick said his party ideologies most closely align with the conservative minor parties but he has made no preference swapping deal with Cornish "at this stage" The Greens candidate Kingsley Liu is the director at The People's Solicitors, representing Badgerys Creek farmers evicted for Sydney's second airport. "I think the Lindsay voters are above the anti-mosque item," Mr Liu said, adding "the minor parties are in a position to broaden the conversation on the things that matter to Lindsay". "The Greens can talk about their health initiatives, negative gearing (we want to scrap it), we oppose the airport because we have very serious concerns about it and the EIS," Mr Liu said. He has made no decision around preferences. Australian Liberty Alliance's Lindsay candidate Steve Roddick. Nick Xenophon Team candidate Stephen Lynch. Mr Lynch said: "(Our) inclination is to run an open ticket, but there are certain seats we will be keeping a close eye on with the major parties and how they align with our guidelines. Lindsay will probably be one of those seats. "We don't believe in right or left -- we believe in right or wrong. "What attracted me to the party is I believe it gave westies a chance to vote for working class values without being tied to the extreme ideologies of the left. "We're not opposed to the airport -- we're in favour of the jobs it will bring -- but our main concern is that the owner of the Kingsford-Smith has first right of refusal to own Western Sydney and if that's the case, and a monopoly eventuates, that we would insist that the same (curfew) rules apply." Mr Saleam said his position was to "preference sitting member last". The Animal Justice Party said they would give Liberals no preferences. Anna Hall, NSW Convenor for the Animal Justice Party, which has 65 per cent female candidates and aims to stop animal cruelty, said: "We'll preference animal-friendly minor parties. Rankings five and six will be between Labor and The Greens." Candidate nominations close at noon on June 9. 'We're not provocateurs, we're political thinkers' Jim Saleam, right, in 1975 at a National Socialist Party of Australia demonstration in Elizabeth Street, Brisbane, with Ross "The Skull" May. Picture: Bob Barnes Lindsay's Federal Election candidates range from a convicted criminal and two Penrith Councillors to the director of a community based litigation firm that specialises in human rights cases. Australia First's Dr Jim Saleam, who has been photographed wearing a swastika in the past and served nearly four years in prison in the 1990s, says he is an "Australian nationalist". He disputed media reports he is a Neo-Nazi or a White Supremacist but confirmed he is the organiser behind an annual meeting of the Australia First Party at The Rooty Hill School of Arts, which Australia's best known Neo-Nazi, Ross "The Skull" May, claims is actually a white pride meeting. Jim Salem founded a group called National Action Jim Saleam at a National Socialist rally in Brisbane in 1975. Picture: Mike Moores Dr Saleam told the Penrith Press he is innocent of any past crimes. But his eligibility to stand may depend on Section 44 of the Constitution which states any person who has been jailed for one year or longer cannot be chosen as a member of the House of Representatives. Dr Saleam was jailed for supplying a gun used in a 1989 attack on the home of African National Congress representative Eddie Funde. "The allegation is I and another provided a firearm," Dr Saleam said. Badgerys Creek airport and the handling of the construction of a mosque in the Penrith area are among the political issues championed by some of the Lindsay candidates. Dr Saleam, Penrith Councillor Marcus Cornish and Steve Roddick -- who have nominated as a "conservative independent" and Australian Liberty Alliance, respectively -- all openly opposed the building of mosques in Lindsay, and feel strongly about protecting "the Australian way of life". President of NSW Australia First party Jim Saleam, pictured at his Tempe home/office in 2007. The trio deny they are racist, or that they represent the "far right" "We have nothing to do with Pauline Hanson. We're not provocateurs, we're political thinkers,'' Dr Saleam said. "We need to get the Middle East out of Australia, and Australia out of the Middle East." Mr Cornish said: "I'm centre-right. I'm conservative. I'm pro-Australia but I'm not prejudiced. Pauline Hanson is a supporter of mine on the mosque ... I'd like to see her in the Senate, to see a different viewpoint (but) in no way side with Pauline. "I'm opposed to bringing over Muslim refugees when we're supposed to be bringing over persecuted minorities," he said. "I don't want to see Labor running the country, but we certainly need a stronger voice in Lindsay than we have." Penrith Cr Marcus Cornish with Pauline Hanson at a Protect Penrith Action Group fundraiser in 2015 Steve Roddick was a long-term Liberal voter. He said: "ALA want a 10-year moratorium on resident visas for people from OIC (Organisations of Islamic Councils), countries like Pakistan, Syria, where they subscribe to Sharia law. "It's not a racist thing -- it's the ideology (we oppose)." He said ALA is most closely aligned with the conservative minor parties. "Since Malcolm Turnbull took over office, there's been a lack of leadership and direction," Mr Roddick said. "I think there's a large portion of the conservative voters that would traditionally vote for the Liberals that aren't satisfied with Malcolm Turnbull and his approach to spending. "We're seeking to reduce the number of federal members to reduce the cost. "We see that selling our farming and mining to foreign nationals is not in the long-term interest of the country." The eye of a political storm Malcolm Turnbull enjoys a coffee in Penrith. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen The election circus at Mc Carthy Catholic Collage school. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen The battle for Lindsay is one of the most intense of the campaign. The bellwether electorate has drawn multiple visits from PM Malcolm Turnbull, former PM John Howard has walked the streets and it will even host an episode of ABC TV's Q & A at The Joan on June 13. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop supported Ms Scott on the hustings there on Wednesday. And Mr Shorten has also visited to support Ms Husar's campaign. Bill Shorten and Local Candidate Emma Husar walk through Penrith Westfield. Picture: Kym Smith Malcolm Turnbull's encounter with a pet rat in Penrith on Monday. Picture: AAP Labor will also hold their official campaign launch in Penrith on June 19. Sportsbet currently has Ms Scott as the $1.35 favourite but said more punters are backing Ms Husar "to take a surprise win". The history Jackie Kelly with John Howard In the March, 1996, election Jackie Kelly forged an 11.8 per cent swing against Labor's Ross Free and led a Liberal landslide through Western Sydney. Lindsay was one of the seats full of young families that stuck with the Howard government in 1998 as many other seats swung back to Labor however on Kelly's retirement, in 2007, Labor regained Lindsay. Scott defeated assistant treasurer David Bradbury in 2013 to take the seat, with a 4.1 per cent swing towards the Liberal Party. There were six other parties in the contest: One Nation; The Greens; Australia First Party; Palmer United Party; Stable Population Party; and the Christian Democratic Party. Asked if a party can choose not to accept preferences from a party -- if they rejected their ideologies, for example -- an Australian Electoral Commission spokeswoman said: "We follow the preferences of the voter, provided it's a formal vote." "If a party wishes not to accept preferences of another party that's a matter for them to talk about but that doesn't guide us on how we count the vote," she said. # Where a winning candidate received less than 56 per cent of the two-candidate preferred vote, the seat is classified as "marginal"; 56-60 per cent is classified as "fairly safe"; and more than 60 per cent is considered "safe". Election Forum The Penrith Press is hosting a public election forum with candidates for Lindsay at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, 597 High St, Penrith, on Tuesday, June 14. Venue provided by Penrith City Council and The Joan. Voters are welcome to attend on the night, or send 30-second (maximum) video questions to editor@penrithpress.com.au by Sunday, June 5, 11.59pm. Video questions should be on an issue of relevance to the 2016 Federal Election that can be directed to all of the candidates in a public forum. Please shoot the video on an Android or Apple device. A head shot view of the questioner is best. Also, the completed video needs to please be labelled with the questioner's full name, suburb and (where appropriate) the organisation they represent. The forum begins at 6.30pm on Tuesday, June 14.

THE knife-edge marginal electorate of Lindsay, in Sydney's west, has been a bellwether seat since its creation in 1984 -- and the winner this time could be decided on the preferences of far-right independents. Australia First's Jim Saleam, Australian Liberty Alliance's Steve Roddick and Penrith Councillor Marcus Cornish claim a sinking trust in the Liberal Party has led them to throw their hats in the political ring.

Much has changed since Gerson Sher traveled to Yugoslavia to research his dissertation amid the political and intellectual ferment of the late 1960s. For one thing, the idiosyncratic country that captured his imagination no longer exists . Nor does Praxis , the group of Marxist humanist philosophers Sher studied. But this is not the only reason he responds warily to a request for an interview: "I am appalled," he says, "that you should be interested in Praxis at this time." Why? After all, according to the Harvard political theorist Seyla Benhabib, "the name Praxis has a distinguished history. It was used by dissidents against Stalinism and identified with the project of democratic socialism." Sher's dissertation, later published as Praxis: Marxist Criticism and Dissent in Socialist Yugoslavia (Indiana, 1977), explored what seemed a promising strain of humanist thought emerging from the University of Zagreb and the University of Belgrade. In the 1960s and 1970s, a glittering roster of Western intellectuals attended the Praxis group's yearly retreats on the Adriatic island of Korcula: Jurgen Habermas, A.J. Ayer, Norman Birnbaum, Lucien Goldmann, and Herbert Marcuse were just a few of those who gathered around the Yugoslav group and served on the editorial board of its eponymous journal. Strange, then, that today the term "Praxis" and the names of some of its leaders are just as often associated with the notoriously anti-humanist rhetoric of Serbian nationalism and the murderous politics of Slobodan Milosevic. History, the Praxists urged, "is made neither by objective forces nor dialectical laws; it is made instead by people, who act to transform their world within the limits of historical possibilities." So wrote Sher in 1977. In the precarious decade to follow, the Praxis philosophers would indeed transform their world. But the way they did so was not, at that time, imaginable to academics in the West. Who could have known that one of the Praxis philosophers would later become vice president of Milosevic's party -- and its chief ideologue during the Bosnian war? Or that another member, once a passionate critic of nationalism, would sign a 1996 petition calling for the Hague to drop war-crimes charges against the brutal Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, whom the petition dubbed "the true leader of all Serbs"? Not all of the Praxists followed their leaders down the dark road of Serbian nationalism. The Croatian members cleaved to their humanist principles through the bloodiest years of the Yugoslav wars. And in Serbia, some of the most courageous and lonely expressions of dissent have come from former Praxists and their students. The fault lines along which not only Praxis but the Yugoslav nation would later splinter were invisible to the group's foreign admirers back in the 1960s. After all, to progressives abroad, Tito's Yugoslavia stood for something uniquely inspiring: Not only was it less authoritarian than the Eastern-bloc countries, but Tito had adopted a uniquely ambitious program of worker self-management that promised to help Yugoslavia realize the most utopian Marxist project any country had yet attempted. To the extent the Praxis group spoke of nationalism, it was to oppose it as an atavistic threat to the universalistic principles of humanism and Marxism. The region's grim history and simmering internal rivalries were the last thing on anyone's mind. Norman Birnbaum, now a law professor at Georgetown University, explains, "When we went to Yugoslavia at that time, we did think the nationality question had been solved. It was the Titoist truce, or illusion, or parenthesis." Croatian-born historian Branka Magas puts it differently. The Western leftists who took up with Praxis as late as the 1980s and early 1990s, she says, "never really saw Yugoslavia. They saw self-management. They only saw the country through the lens of what interested them." Looking back on Yugoslavia during the Tito years, writes Tim Judah in The Serbs: History, Myth, and the Destruction of Yugoslavia (Yale, 1997), one "cannot fail to be struck by just how inconsequential some of the great debates of the past have turned out to be." Indeed, it might seem today that Marxist humanism and self-management were just a couple of blind alleys off the highway to Sarajevo. But when Praxis coalesced around these concerns in the 1960s, they looked for all the world like the yellow brick road to a utopia where democracy would at last nourish socialism. It was time for the communist bureaucracies that had ossified in Eastern Europe to give way, the Marxist humanists argued, and let a dynamic, participatory socialism flower. At its inception, the philosophical journal Praxis was merely the successor to Pogledi, a political journal issued from Croatia's capital, Zagreb, in the 1950s. Pogledi was a casualty of state interference: It lasted only three years. Chief among the defunct journal's contributors had been the University of Zagreb sociologist Rudi Supek, who participated in the French Resistance as an emigre during World War II and later led an underground prisoners' organization when he was interned at Buchenwald; and the University of Zagreb philosopher Gajo Petrovic, a Serb from Croatia who gravitated toward the early Marx, existentialism, and Heidegger. Birnbaum remembers, "Supek and Petrovic were impressive for their moral rigor, their utter disdain of careerism. They were people you loved to be around." From the ashes of Pogledi, Supek, Petrovic, and their colleagues went on to start their summer school on Korcula in 1963 and a new journal, Praxis, in 1964. The group that formed around these ventures consisted of a close-knit circle of friends and colleagues -- some from Supek's and Petrovic's departments at the University of Zagreb and another eight from the philosophy department at the University of Belgrade. The philosophers published their new journal in a Serbo-Croat Yugoslav edition and in a multilingual international edition. And its editorial collective adopted an agenda that was more unified than anything Pogledi had ever set forth: The Praxis group advocated freedom of speech and of the press, and they believed that Stalinist authoritarianism had to be redressed in practice and rooted out of Marxist theory itself. To this end, they prescribed a return to Marx's romantic early writings, particularly the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844. Marx's more influential later work would emphasize the iron laws of historical determinism. But the 1844 Manuscripts waxed lyrical about the creative potential of human activity, through which man might realize his "species being." This orientation was hardly a Yugoslav invention. If anything, the Praxists took their cue from neighboring Hungary, where Georg Lukacs had amassed a following of like-minded dissidents. Like Lukacs, the Praxists were captivated by the early Marx's theory of alienation. In an ordinary capitalist or a Stalinist socialist society, man was alienated from himself by the commodification of his labor and by the overweening power of a small, privileged class and its institutions. A utopian Marxist society, the Praxists imagined, would overcome that alienation; it would unleash human creativity -- or "praxis" -- by doing away with the ruling class through self-management. The workers would directly control not only their workplaces but also social and cultural institutions -- even local political parties and governing bodies. The state, given enough time, would of its own accord "wither away," just as Marx had predicted. Yugoslavia, despite Tito's bold initiatives, fell far short of this ideal. In Yugoslavia's hybrid economy, the much-touted self-managing enterprises were exposed to market pressures, on the one hand, and capricious state control, on the other. Regional oligarchies took root: In the end, local power brokers manipulated and ignored workers' councils in much the way managers do everywhere. But the Praxists saw these problems as evidence that self-management had not gone far enough. They were at once self-management's most passionate exponents abroad and the Yugoslav system's fiercest internal critics. That Tito tolerated Praxis at all is remarkable. Virtually no other Communist country, with the possible exception of Hungary, allowed as much vocal dissent as Yugoslavia did in Tito's day. But there were limits to Tito's tolerance. At a philosophy faculty meeting in 1967, Ljubomir Tadic, a Praxis philosopher at the University of Belgrade, instigated a particularly perilous game of chicken with the authorities. In the antiauthoritarian spirit of Praxis, Tadic publicly criticized the constitutional provision that allowed Tito to remain in office for longer than his eight-year mandate. When the renegade professor came under government investigation, the faculty stood united behind him, and he was permitted to keep his job. With the enthusiastic support of the Belgrade Praxists, student demonstrations convulsed the University of Belgrade in June 1968. The students protested their poor living conditions and demanded an end to authoritarianism, unemployment, and, for good measure, the Vietnam War. Local Serbian authorities urged Tito to send military troops onto the Belgrade campus. After all, it was that same summer that Soviet tanks would put an end to popular protests in Prague. But unlike his ham-fisted counterparts in Moscow, Tito deployed a feline cunning to dispense with his foes. In a televised appeal, he proclaimed himself deeply sympathetic to the activists' concerns. In fact, he said, it was only Yugoslavia's bureaucracy that stood in the way of the agenda he and the students shared. If the bureaucrats did not allow him to meet these students' demands, he declared, he would resign. Of course, the demands were not met, and Tito did not resign. In fact, only two weeks after he gave this speech, he urged the University of Belgrade to dismiss its Praxis philosophers on the grounds that they were "corrupting" students. The plight of those philosophers, known as the Belgrade 8, became a matter of international concern. That summer was particularly memorable at Korcula. Richard Bernstein, now a political philosopher at the New School for Social Research, recalls, "Everybody who was a significant leftist, in the East or in the West, came to the 1968 meeting. All the leaders of the student movements in Germany, Eastern Europe, and the United States were there." But even as the editorial boards of Praxis and the New Left Review sunned themselves on the beaches of Korcula, the Belgrade 8 held on to their jobs by a slender thread. Throughout this period, the Yugoslav government was undergoing a subtle but significant shift. From the end of World War II until 1966, Tito's main challenge had been to consolidate his unwieldy multinational state. Even within his inner circle, debates raged over whether Yugoslavia's six constituent republics -- Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia -- should be granted greater autonomy or tethered more firmly to a central authority. History had taught that in the Balkans one ignored these questions at one's peril: The short-lived first Yugoslavia (1918-1941) opted for a rigid centralism; the state was governed by a Serbian monarchy and the country's military, culture, and politics were overwhelmingly dominated by Serbs. Throughout those years of oppression, Croatia smoldered with resentments -- and during World War II, the latent animosities exploded. Under fascist leadership, Croatia pursued a genocidal campaign against Serbs as well as Jews. The savagery of the killings shocked even German SS officers stationed in the Balkans. With this history in mind, Tito's regime walked a fine line between a strong central state, which was by and large favored by Serbs, and a loose confederation of republics, which was generally favored by Croats and Slovenes. Centralism prevailed in the early postwar years, but momentum started to build in the other direction in the mid-1960s. A new set of constitutional arrangements slowly took shape, offering greater autonomy to each republic. But this did not appease those who favored a looser confederation. A Croatian nationalist movement was born of the sentiment that the reforms of the late 1960s had not gone far enough. Among the activists' grievances was that Croatia, which was more industrialized and generally wealthier than Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia, carried more than its share of Yugoslavia's economic burden. Extremists advocated Croatian secession. Students, intellectuals, and even local Communist authorities gathered around a Croatian cultural society called Matica Hrvatska until Tito disbanded the group, purged its participants from political life, and arrested student leaders. Watching the growing nationalist militancy of their fellow Croatian academics, the Zagreb Praxists were horrified. And for this very reason, Tito suddenly found these Praxists indispensable: After all, nationalism was a greater threat to the fragile nation than Marxist critique would ever be, and the members of the Zagreb group were outspoken and eloquent against the greater evil. So even while the Belgrade Praxists, who were associated with student unrest, appealed to the international community for protection, their Zagreb counterparts, who were associated with the fight against Croatian nationalism, continued their work in peace. Against this backdrop, Praxis published a special issue on nationalism in 1968. It was the high tide of the journal's resistance to the politics of ethnic identity. In one essay, Ljubomir Tadic, himself a Bosnian Serb, argued that nationalism contradicted the very notion of universal humanity. In place of justice, the nationalist asserts the right of the strong to dominate the weak and the power of violence to resolve conflict. "One quickly forgets," Tadic wrote, "that Serbian and Croatian nationalisms ... have remained militant, despotic ideologies that lack political and cultural creativity in all their forms." Where social justice and political liberty were in decline, Tadic theorized, nationalism would emerge ascendant. But socialist Yugoslavia had demonstrated "the superiority of proletarian class-consciousness over nationalist consciousness, [and] the advantage of democratic unity over imposed unity or forced disintegration." Other contributors were equally impassioned. Danko Grlic, a Croat, vividly evoked the irrationality of nationalism. Once unleashed, he warned, it would be impervious to logic: "You do not reason or theorize about the nation; for the nation you only struggle and die; you love the nation as the flesh of your flesh, as the essence of your being, drinking it with your mother's milk; it is body and blood ..." The Praxis philosophers were at once the Yugoslav system's most passionate exponents abroad and its fiercest internal critics. Issue of Praxis, 1970. Otvoreni Magazine. The allegiance of Praxis to a united Yugoslavia seemed clear enough. But given the ever present threat of government censorship, there was little that Yugoslav intellectuals published in those years that was completely transparent. The Zagreb philosopher Zarko Puhovski, the youngest Praxist by about twenty years, says that the group's disputes over politics and ideology were often disguised as conversations about less controversial questions of aesthetics or ontology. "One kind of debate functioned as a replacement for other kinds of debate," he recalls. This was particularly evident when Puhovski himself edited a special issue of Praxis in 1973. He received a submission from the well-known Serbian novelist Dobrica Cosic. It was a short piece that argued that true socialism was not possible in an unenlightened society and that faith in the people -- of which Cosic claimed to have little -- was the "last refuge for our historically defeated hopes." Which people and what hopes? The article did not specify. But Puhovski detected a disturbing nationalist message all the same. Nor was he impressed with the article's argument or its rigor: "I had the junior approach of believing that philosophy and sociology were specialized fields," he recounts with a touch of sarcasm. "I didn't think Cosic's piece was up to the level. It was bad nationalist propaganda." He turned it down. His elders chided him that he simply did not understand how important a figure Cosic was. Cosic was best known as the author of Yugoslavia's most celebrated Partisan war novel, Far Away Is the Sun (1950), in which a company of Partisan soldiers affirm their commitment to Yugoslavism and Communism by executing a Serbian nationalist in their midst. But Cosic's colors had begun to change: In 1968 he had been expelled from the Central Committee for accusing the regime of fostering Albanian separatism in Kosovo. Even so, he would not be widely considered a nationalist writer until the late 1970s and early 1980s, when he published a series of novels that explicitly addressed Serbian history and grievances. At that time, he cut such a distinguished figure in Belgrade that he was frequently called the father of the Serbian nation. As the 1973 issue of Praxis neared press time, Puhovski was on his own: the editorial board split seven to one in Cosic's favor. The appearance of nationalist tensions within the Praxis group was a harbinger of tensions that would soon spread across the country. Years later, when war raged in Kosovo, American newspapers would plug 1989, the year Milosevic revoked Kosovo's autonomy, as the beginning of the end of Yugoslavia. But many Serbs would say the country's fate was sealed as early as 1974. That was the year a controversial revision of the Yugoslav constitution went into effect, devolving broader powers than ever before to the six republics and granting full autonomy to two provinces within the republic of Serbia: Kosovo and Vojvodina. Since the Serbs were scattered across the republics -- more than a million lived in Bosnia and at least 500,000 in Croatia -- these constitutional reforms were to feed a growing sense of grievance among the Serbs. In Belgrade, two strains of protest greeted the 1974 constitution. A student strike seized the university campus in the name of Marxist ideals: Where, the students asked, were the pan-Yugoslav interests of the working class reflected in this new constitution? The students feared that the reform, with its emphasis on divisions among the republics, would weaken Yugoslavia's socialist unity by opening a Pandora's box of ethnic grievances and demands. As if to prove the students right, other critics of the constitution, including Dobrica Cosic, protested that it unfairly disempowered the Serbs. In subsequent years, Serbian nationalists would bitterly complain that Tito's policy had been "A weak Serbia is a strong Yugoslavia." But why shouldn't it have been? Of the country's six official nations, the Serbs were far and away the most populous, outnumbering the Croats two to one. If multinational Yugoslavia's culture and politics were to be governed by majority rule, the country would not survive: The non-Serb populations had strongly developed national identities and long, distinct histories of their own. Not only that, but they occupied more compact territories than did the Serbs. If they felt overly dominated, they could be tempted to secede. So Tito restrained the potentially overweening influence of the Serbs by dividing Yugoslavia into territorial units and constantly readjusting the internal balance of power. Today, some critics blame the constitution of 1974 for the growth of nationalist movements in Croatia and Slovenia. More likely, it was a response to the nationalist movements that were already stirring. In any case, the most scathing criticism was leveled by the Serb nationalists: The new constitution rested on a double standard. If Yugoslavia's units of political participation were its ethnic groups, or "constituent nations," then the Serbs in Bosnia and Croatia, who were represented by Muslim and Croatian leadership, respectively, went unrepresented. But if the units were territorial, then why was Serbia the only republic whose territory included autonomous provinces over which it had little control? The truth was very simple: in multinational Yugoslavia, Tito had deliberately redistributed power from the strong to the weak. And if his belief really was that a strong Yugoslavia required a weak Serbia, perhaps he was not mistaken. Much later, in 1989, when Milosevic finally did enforce Serbian control of its provinces, Serbia emerged strong -- and Yugoslavia fell to pieces. The terrible irony in all of this is that the geographically dispersed Serbs may have benefited more than anyone from the years of Serbia's weakness. For of all the Yugoslav nations, only the Serbs needed a unified Yugoslavia more than it needed them. If 1974 marked the beginning of Yugoslavia's national crisis, it also augured the end of the Praxis group's legal existence. Tito purged the Belgrade 8 from the university the following year. The six-year-long struggle between the state and the professors had simply exhausted itself. Not only were the Belgrade 8 suspended from teaching, but the journal Praxis was also banned. This time, the protests of American academics (including Daniel Bell, Noam Chomsky, and Stanley Hoffman) fell on deaf ears. For more than a decade, the Belgrade 8 -- Mihailo Markovic, Svetozar Stojanovic, Ljubomir Tadic, Zagorka Golubovic, Dragoljub Micunovic, Miladin Zivotic, Nebojsa Popov, and Trivo Indjic -- wandered the globe, accepting visiting professorships abroad and meeting secretly in Belgrade. Only Indjic accepted the government's offer of a low-profile post at an institute. The others insisted on nothing less than a full return to the University of Belgrade, which was not forthcoming. Markovic, the group's best-known member abroad, took a part-time philosophy post at the University of Pennsylvania. Stojanovic taught at Berkeley and at the University of Kansas. Meanwhile, in Zagreb, the situation was slightly less dire. "There were pressures," remembers Zarko Puhovski. "I couldn't publish for two years. But it was nothing remotely like the situation in Belgrade." The rest of the 1970s and the early 1980s were disappointing years for the Belgrade 8. They organized what they called the Free University, which mostly consisted of seminars held in private homes, but they could not advertise these meetings, and they were constantly on guard for police interruption. At least one Free University session convened at the novelist Dobrica Cosic's house. Neither a Marxist nor a philosopher, Cosic was a personal friend and shadowy influence on the Praxis group although never an actual member. In the 1980s, his ties to Praxis pulled tighter; but to what extent the Praxists already shared his incipient nationalism remains a mystery. Cosic collaborated with Tadic on two projects in the early 1980s: One, a proposed journal that would criticize bureaucracy and champion freedom of expression, was immediately suppressed by the government; the other, a petition against censorship laws, was also swiftly defeated. The government press denounced Cosic and his Praxis friends as "hardened nationalists and open advocates of a multi-party system," but the group continued to convene as a committee to promote freedom of expression. Meanwhile, Yugoslavia had gone into a deep economic slump: Foreign debt had skyrocketed to $19 billion, unemployment was up to 17.5 percent, inflation topped 120 percent, and the standard of living precipitously declined. The Yugoslav experiment no longer enjoyed the prestige in the West it once had. And in 1980, Tito's death left the rickety multinational structure leaderless and volatile. In Kosovo, the Albanian majority, which was largely poor, uneducated, and powerless, had grown restive. The Albanians had never had the status of Yugoslavia's other "constituent nations": Tito's regime reasoned that because there was an Albanian homeland outside Yugoslavia, they should be considered a "national minority" instead. The Kosovars countered that fully 40 percent of the world's Albanian population resided in Yugoslavia. Demonstrations swept the province in 1981, demanding first and foremost that Kosovo be granted the status of a republic, including the right to secede. The movement reached a fever pitch: Serbs and Montenegrins were attacked and threatened, Orthodox holy sites were desecrated, and some activists began to call for secession and union with Albania. Yugoslav police squelched the riots, imposing a state of martial law whose severity scandalized Croatian and Slovenian intellectuals. A great many Albanians languished as political prisoners in Kosovo's jails. Meanwhile, the province's Serb minority felt increasingly scapegoated and threatened. "The question of ethnicity was irrelevant," recalls Seyla Benhabib. "They were all Yugoslavs, to us outsiders, it wasn't even like asking, 'are you Italian American or Irish American?' It was more like asking, 'are you Bavarian or from Berlin?'" Josip Broz Tito in cesar Haile Selassie v Ljubljani, August 19, 1959. Wikimedia With Praxis driven underground, the Korcula summer school, needless to say, was long since over. But something new had begun: The Inter-University Center, in the majestic Croatian city of Dubrovnik, was an international institution that sponsored conferences and short courses run by intellectuals from all over the world. Because it was not managed by Yugoslavs, it was relatively free from government interference. Once again, prominent Western leftists crossed the Adriatic. One of the Praxists approached Jurgen Habermas about teaching a course in Dubrovnik as a way of reviving the spirit of Korcula. The revered German philosopher and heir to the Frankfurt School returned to Yugoslavia with Richard Bernstein to co-teach a course in 1979. The Praxis group, however dispirited, reconvened in Dubrovnik, where it encountered a new set of sympathetic leftists from the West. Seyla Benhabib remembers that she went to Dubrovnik in 1979 in order to get to know Bernstein and Habermas. That she also encountered the Praxis group was merely a happy accident. All she knew about the Praxists' activities at that time was that "they had been expelled and gone into the opposition." It was in Dubrovnik that Habermas, Bernstein, and German philosopher Albrecht Wellmer hatched a plan to revive the Praxis journal that had so interested them in the 1960s. To provide the disfranchised dissidents with a new, international forum for their work could only do the cause of democratic socialism good, the Western philosophers figured. Together with Markovic and Stojanovic, they launched Praxis International in 1981. The new journal attempted to pick up where the old one had left off but with a less Yugoslav focus: It included many Praxis -style theoretical essays on Marxism and, as the 1980s wore on, it covered Eastern European countries in transition. Produced mostly in the United States and published by Blackwell, the journal was far more eclectic than the first Praxis had been: Contributions in the late 1980s and early 1990s addressed the political thought of Cornel West, the relationship between feminism and socialism, and other topics of general interest to left-leaning intellectuals. By this time, Mihailo Markovic was clearly the Yugoslav group's leader, and he came to play a crucial role in the revived journal. A fluent English speaker, he was gregarious, cosmopolitan, and urbane. Both his anti-Stalinist and his antifascist credentials were impeccable: He had fought in Tito's Partisan army during World War II and prided himself on extending aid to Yugoslav Jews. In his philosophical work, Markovic emphasized Marx's commitment to human dignity, freedom, and self-realization. Bernstein and Markovic became close friends over the course of their joint stewardship of the journal. David Crocker, a philosopher at the University of Maryland and the author of Praxis and Democratic Socialism: The Critical Social Theory of Markovic and Stojanovic (1983), also came to consider Markovic a personal friend. Only Andrew Arato, a professor of sociology at the New School, had an instinctive dislike for the elder Serb. Markovic reminded him of an apparatchik. "He was clearly an authoritarian personality. I remember once he kept me outside in a snowstorm for forty minutes, trying to convince me that political parties were a bad thing," Arato says with a laugh. "He wouldn't let me in the restaurant -- as if by the sheer force of his personality, he would persuade me that democracy didn't need to work through parties." Other Belgrade Praxists, he says, were very much in Markovic's thrall. "But when they were not together with Mihailo, one could talk to them about everything. They were more flexible and more Western." Of the Zagreb Praxists, very few of the old-timers were enthusiastic about the Belgrade group's new publishing venture. Zagreb's elder statesmen, Rudi Supek and Gajo Petrovic, attended the first meeting. Supek was amenable to the new journal; but Petrovic felt strongly that the name Praxis should not be used. Praxis, Petrovic argued, connoted a joint Belgrade-Zagreb publication, whose international component came at the Yugoslavs' invitation. This new journal, however, was to be published in English and dominated by Belgraders and Americans. It was international before it was Yugoslav, and for this reason, he insisted, it should have a new name and a new identity. Perhaps Petrovic also sensed that his Belgrade colleagues had changed and that political consensus was a thing of the past. If he did, he did not say so. Praxis International 's American editors were not particularly perturbed that, with the exception of Supek, they had lost the Zagreb contingent. Says Seyla Benhabib, "The question of ethnicity was irrelevant. They were all Yugoslavs. To us outsiders, it wasn't even like asking, 'Are you Italian American or Irish American?' It was more like asking, 'Are you Bavarian or from Berlin?'" Yugoslavia's six republics and two autonomous provinces were already on a collision course by the mid-1980s, but even the most astute Western observers did not perceive what lay ahead. The most visible sign of trouble was in Kosovo, where martial law had only stoked the flames of ethnic strife. The Serb minority clamored for Belgrade's attention: In 1985 Kosovo's Serbs sent a petition to the central government, claiming that Serbs had been raped, murdered, and driven from their homes by the province's ethnic Albanians. Couldn't Belgrade do something? To what extent Kosovo's Serbs were persecuted remains debatable. To be sure, they were outnumbered, and there is no reason to doubt that they faced threats, vandalism, harassment, and even the occasional act of criminal violence from an Albanian majority that deeply resented Slavic rule. But to Yugoslavs outside Serbia, complaints of anti-Serb discrimination in Kosovo were incomprehensible. After all, Serbs were hardly an oppressed group in the nation as a whole, whereas the Albanians formed something of an underclass. So it was a surprise to many of the Belgrade Praxists' admirers when three key members of the group -- Markovic, Tadic, and Zagorka Golubovic -- signed a 1986 petition in support of the Kosovo Serbs. Cosic also signed. It was not just that the petition painted a florid picture of Serbian suffering in the southern province. It was also that the signatories obliquely urged the government to revoke Kosovo's autonomous status -- something Serbian nationalists had been pushing the parliament to do. After all, the petitioners reasoned, with its "unselfish" aid to the impoverished province, Serbia had amply demonstrated that it took the Albanians' interests to heart. Ominously, the petition's authors intoned: "Genocide [against Kosovo's Serbs] cannot be prevented by ... [the] politics of gradual surrender of Kosovo ... to Albania: the unsigned capitulation which leads to a politics of national treason." When Branka Magas, a historian who had emigrated from Yugoslavia in 1961, saw the petition, she was alarmed. She republished it, along with her own devastating critique, in the British journal Labour Focus on Eastern Europe. Magas's essay was called "The End of an Era," and she signed it with an assumed name that disguised her Croatian background. "This unexpected, indeed astonishing, alignment of Praxis editors with nationalism," she wrote, "has aroused considerable dismay among their friends and sympathizers, for it delineates a complete break with the political and philosophical tradition represented by the journal." According to Magas, the editors of Labour Focus were skeptical. Mihailo Markovic's reputation as a humanist preceded him. Could there be some mistake? The editors sent Magas's piece to the Praxists for a response. Markovic, Tadic, and Golubovic were outraged. They had not abandoned their ideals, they wrote. They pointed out that they continued to publish Praxis International, a journal dedicated to democratic socialism, and that they served on Cosic's committee for freedom of expression. They insisted that they spoke out against repression, no matter what the victims' ethnic background: "Are we nationalists because we also write on national issues (which are very acute in Yugoslavia now), or because we, being Serbs, also defend Serbian victims of repression?" To Magas, this exchange sent up a red flag. The rhetoric of Serbian victimhood, she noticed, was disturbingly similar to the rhetoric of a document that had recently been leaked to the Yugoslav press: the draft Memorandum of the influential Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences. The Memorandum was what the New York Times reporter Roger Cohen has called "an incendiary catalog of Serbian resentments and ambitions." Its authors claimed that Serbs outside Serbia were in grave danger, that Yugoslavia was disintegrating, and that despite Serbia's superior contribution to the winning side in World War II, its people were divided and underrepresented in post-1974 Yugoslavia. Many analysts have described the seventy-four-page document as the catalyst for Milosevic's rise to power: It provided the conceptual blueprint for a Greater Serbia. Magas later discovered that one of its authors was Mihailo Markovic. In 1989, Seyla Benhabib took over the American editorship of Praxis International. At the time, she knew that conflict was brewing over Kosovo, but she did not yet understand its history or its dimensions. Her Praxis colleagues were little help. It was curious, she thought, that Svetozar Stojanovic, her Yugoslav co-editor, never wrote about recent developments in his own country. Virtually all of Praxis's Western collaborators remember Stojanovic as the most ideologically flexible of the Belgrade group. While Markovic cleaved to Marx's 1844 Manuscripts, Stojanovic explored the possibility of a limited free market. He was the only Praxist seriously to investigate liberalism, and in a 1971 Praxis essay , he had dared to criticize Tito as a "charismatic leader." Remembers Arato, "Stojanovic was more talented than Markovic, and Markovic was the boss." But when Benhabib brought up Kosovo in 1989, Stojanovic seemed annoyed and stunned. "Why do you want to know about Kosovo?" he asked. Benhabib replied, "There is a conflict there, and we don't understand what that conflict is about." Said Stojanovic, "Have we ever written about the Palestinian conflict in Praxis ?" It was Benhabib's turn to be uncomfortable. "Sveta," she remembers saying, "what are you talking about?" "Well, you know," he reasoned, "a lot of our editorial board members are Jewish. There are just some issues we don't touch." But, Benhabib protested, Praxis International did not avoid the Palestinian conflict because some of its editors were Jewish. It did so because the Middle East did not fall within its purview. Questions of nationality in Marxist countries, on the other hand, were obviously germane. Stojanovic relented. However, Benhabib notes, "When the article about Kosovo was written, Sveta, who was a moderate man, did not write it himself. It was Mihailo." Publishing Markovic's Kosovo article, Benhabib says now, is the one editorial decision she truly regrets. The piece, which appeared in 1990, begins in an eminently reasonable tone. Nationalists on both sides of this debate, Markovic declared, have failed to listen to each other's arguments. It was time to evaluate the facts. The Albanians, Markovic calmly explained, are a backward, clannish people who have proven incapable of lifting themselves from poverty. The other Yugoslav republics have poured endless funds into Kosovo, but without results. The reason for this is both simple and sinister: Albanian nationalists have adopted a rapid birthrate as a demographic weapon against the Serbs. As a result of this scheme and of fiscal mismanagement by corrupt Albanian leaders, there are simply too many Kosovar mouths to feed. Compounding these economic problems is an ideological rift. The ethnic Albanians did not fight alongside the Yugoslav Partisans in World War II; for this reason, Markovic lamented, the populace never accepted the socialist revolution, and worse, it nurtures fascist tendencies left over from the Axis occupation. But the most incredible piece of Markovic's argument was yet to come. It might seem, Markovic mused, that the Albanians are just a small, poor, oppressed minority. But the truth is that throughout history the Albanians have had great powers on their side, while Serbia limped along on her own two feet. And just who were the Kosovo Albanians' powerful protectors? The Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, Italy, the Vatican, Great Britain, the Comintern, the United States, Pan-Islamic fundamentalism, Albania, and a cabal of bureaucrats in the Yugoslav government. Some extreme solutions might suggest themselves, Markovic noted: violent police repression and compulsory family planning, for instance, or a partition and "exchange of population" that would leave the mineral-rich north of Kosovo to Serbia and the rest to Albania. But Markovic drew back from these possibilities. He proposed instead that autonomy be maintained, that investment in the province be scaled back, and that family planning be instituted "in a gentle and psychologically acceptable way, and by the Albanians themselves, using primarily educational means." In today's light, the article is chilling. Benhabib is most struck now by the passage about the Albanians' birthrate and their subsequent abject poverty. "This is cliche neofascist thinking, racist thinking about an oppressed group. You will find racists everywhere saying the same thing." But back in 1990, the alarm bells somehow failed to sound. Benhabib knew very little about Kosovo, and to find out more, she had asked Stojanovic to commission a piece. "Sometimes I felt like webs were being spun around me," Benhabib says now. Not long after Markovic's article appeared, Yugoslavia began its bloody disintegration. In 1991, Slovenia and then Croatia declared independence, touching off the Serbo-Croat war. Benhabib was in Frankfurt then, and people started approaching her about her colleague Markovic, who by this time was vice president and ideologue of Milosevic's socialist party. "We'd run into individuals who would say, 'Are you aware of what you are doing?'" she recalls. But it was after Bosnia ignited in 1992 that Benhabib became really uncomfortable. "We were being instrumentalized for prestige and credit," she now believes. The last straw was an interview Markovic gave the New York Times in August 1992: "I don't understand why there is so much opposition to cantonization," he told the reporter, regarding the partition of Bosnia. "The alternative is creation of a Muslim state in the heart of Europe. Perhaps the Americans want to support this. ... But we find this very disturbing." By 1993, Benhabib says, "we found that the situation had gotten too dirty, morally and politically." The only way out was to stop publishing the journal and to cut ties with Stojanovic and Markovic. Praxis International published its last issue, "The Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia: Stations of a European Tragedy," in January 1994; it included Slovenian, Croatian, and Serbian perspectives on Yugoslavia's disintegration. Richard Bernstein's friendship with Markovic was shattered by the Bosnian war. As for Benhabib, she has not kept in touch with Markovic or Stojanovic: Since the breakup, she says, "I have an aversion to following their careers." If Mihailo Markovic was not who his Western friends and collaborators had thought he was, who was he? Did he jettison his humanist beliefs to cozy up to a new regime? Or had he been a wolf in sheep's clothing all along? "Many people have read Markovic as being a cynic and a betrayer of Praxis," says Bernstein. But in Markovic's distorted vision, Bernstein suspects, "Serbia represented the progressive element of Yugoslav society" -- the element bent on keeping Yugoslavia united and on preserving its socialist structure. Over time, he lost all perspective. "That's the tragedy of Mihailo Markovic," says Bernstein. "Instead of seeing the dark and ugly side of Serbian nationalism, he committed himself to it." The full measure of that commitment was apparent when Markovic became the vice-president of Milosevic's party in 1991. David Crocker saw his old friend at a conference in Africa that year. Why, Crocker asked, had he joined the Serbian government? The philosopher's answer was simple: "I got involved in politics to save the Serbs in eastern Croatia." Otherwise, Markovic claimed, "they will be slaughtered." What on earth had made him think such a thing? But he was not alone. By 1992, the terms of political debate in Yugoslavia had undergone a dramatic shift. No longer was it a question of exactly how tightly the six republics and two autonomous provinces should be yoked to Belgrade's central authority. As Communism crumbled across the former Eastern bloc, the Yugoslavs began to revive their own pre-Communist paradigms. But in Yugoslavia, these paradigms were extreme and unworkable, drawing on the country's ugliest memories and worst fears: a Serb-dominated unitary state, which non-Serbs remembered bitterly from the first Yugoslavia; and the fratricidal killing fields of World War II, in which Serbs were overwhelmingly victimized. It seemed increasingly impossible for the country either to stay together in multinational form or to break apart without apocalyptic destruction. Looking back now on the 1968 nationalism issue of Praxis , what appeared to be an antinationalist consensus starts to take a more ambiguous shape. Both the Serbs and the Croats repudiated the then-ascendant Croatian nationalist movement and supported the continuance of a united Yugoslavia. For the Croats, this stance was explicitly opposed to that of Croatian nationalism. But for the Serbs, the position was compatible with both a principled anti-nationalism and their own national interest: After all, Yugoslavia was really the only viable option for keeping the Serbs in one state. This is to say not that Markovic, Tadic, and the others were hoping to create a Greater Serbia back in 1968 -- but that they didn't need such a hope. Yugoslavia was perfectly comfortable. The Croats may have seriously grappled with the issues of ethnicity and nation in Yugoslavia in 1968. But the Serbs who blithely upheld Yugoslavism did so with all the arrogance, however well intentioned, of any majority. Furthermore, whatever else the Praxists were, they were Marxists. In Croatia, to go on being a Marxist -- or a Yugoslavist -- placed one in opposition to the right-wing nationalist regime of Franjo Tudjman. And indeed, many of the Croatian Praxists have remained strong supporters of human rights: Zarko Puhovski, who is now vice-president of Croatia's Helsinki Committee on Human Rights, has raised his voice courageously against the Croatian army's ethnic-cleansing campaigns. And the economist Branko Horvat ran for president in 1992 on an antiwar, anti-authoritarian platform. But for the Serb Praxists, the situation was different: To continue to support the country's socialist forces was to ally oneself with Milosevic's government, and to oppose Milosevic, it seemed, was to oppose what was left of Yugoslav communism. "His world fell apart," Benhabib says of Markovic. "Liberalism was unacceptable. He did not want free-market capitalism." Certainly, the new opposition parties, most of which were not only nationalist but also right wing or royalist, would not be acceptable to a Communist of Markovic's generation. He apparently decided that Milosevic represented the future of Yugoslav socialism. After all, Milosevic had inherited the Communist Party apparatus, and his governing socialist party was among the last ones standing in Eastern Europe. Of course, Milosevic had mixed that deadliest of cocktails: socialism and nationalism. Markovic became one of the regime's most outspoken and unrepentant apologists. And then, in 1995, he was purged from power -- the government, it seems, had come to see his nationalist views as too extreme. Of the Belgrade 8, none disgraced himself as thoroughly as Markovic, but there can be no question that nationalism captured the hearts and minds of many other Praxists. Consider the case of Svetozar Stojanovic and his ally, Dobrica Cosic. In his 1997 book, The Fall of Yugoslavia: Why Communism Failed , Stojanovic wrote that the revolution in his thinking occurred in 1990, when mass graves from Jasenovac, Croatia's World War II-era concentration camp, were disinterred for reburial. Stojanovic found himself confronted by his children's anger: He had never talked to them about Jasenovac before. After all, such memories were suppressed during the Tito years. From that moment on, Stojanovic declared, he decided that his political work should be dedicated to the memory of Jasenovac. Stojanovic's political career would rise in tandem with that of his close friend, Cosic. In 1992, Milosevic appointed Cosic to a figurehead presidency of the rump Yugoslavia, and Cosic brought Stojanovic in as his top advisor. Many observers inside and outside Yugoslavia hoped that the presence of such reputable, if openly nationalist, figures marked a change of political course. Instead, it bought Milosevic a year of improved public relations abroad, while within the government, the moderates' hands were tied. In his book, Stojanovic condemns the Milosevic regime's criminal activity on nationalist grounds: If one shares in collective pride, he reasons, one must also share in collective shame. And he claims that Cosic protested Milosevic's deployment of brutal paramilitary formations in Croatia and Bosnia. At the same time, however, Stojanovic and Cosic did support Milosevic's territorial aims. Yugoslavia could not be dismembered along the frontiers of its onetime republics, Stojanovic and Cosic argued. A "deeper map," they believed, lay submerged beneath the map of Tito's Yugoslavia; and this true map would account for the swaths of Croatian and Bosnian land that had been populated by Serbs for hundreds of years. Cosic and Stojanovic were open to various solutions: Croatian independence might have been acceptable, Stojanovic implies, if Croatia had been willing to guarantee substantial autonomy to its Serb-populated territories. In practice, critics would object, such solutions were untenable. There would be autonomy for the Serbs in Croatia; and within that autonomy, should there be autonomy for the Croats in Serbian Croatia? And what, then, of the Serbs in Croatian Serbian Croatia? It is tempting to see this line of reasoning, which leads ineluctably to a reductio ad infinitum, as a sophistic device whose real purpose was to force Yugoslavia's reintegration on Serbian terms. Cosic's presidency lasted only a year, and when he was ousted in 1993, Stojanovic left politics as well. Six years later, in the eerie silence following the Kosovo war, the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences reconvened to consider the Serbian national question. At the June 1999 meeting, Cosic spoke at length of the ruin suffered by the Serb nation. "I appeal to Slobodan Milosevic's patriotic consciousness and civic responsibility to resign in order for indispensable changes in Serbia and the federal state to begin," he concluded. Markovic took a harder line: "Our tragedy lies not in the fact that this or that person was head of the state. Our tragedy lies in the fact that the great powers have decided to destroy our country." "This unexpected, indeed astonishing, alignment of Praxis editors with nationalism," Branka Magas wrote, "delineates a complete break with the political and philosophical tradition represented by the journal." Ivo Andric with Dobrica Cosic, date unknown. Stevan Kragujevic / Wikimedia Although only Stojanovic and Markovic served in the government, most of the Belgrade 8 have been politically active in the 1990s, and only a few have explicitly opposed the politics of Serbian nationalism. Ljubomir Tadic and Dragoljub Micunovic formed Serbia's first democratic opposition party, the DS, in 1990. Although its founders' ties to Praxis gave it the reputation of being the left wing of Serbia's movement for liberal democracy, the DS established strategic alliances with parties on its right, including royalists and hard-line nationalists. The party's leaders explained that these compromises allowed them to make a credible showing in parliamentary elections. But the conversion of Tadic, at least, to nationalism nevertheless seemed complete. He lent his uncritical support to the Bosnian Serbs, even meeting personally with their leader, Radovan Karadzic. With Markovic, Tadic signed a 1996 petition urging The Hague to drop its charges against Karadzic, "the true leader of all Serbs." This was a remarkable act for a man who had written so eloquently in 1968 about nationalisms as "militant, despotic ideologies." Gerson Sher, who remembers Tadic's 1967 book, Order and Freedom, as a "masterpiece" of humanist thought, says ruefully, "Tadic is the greatest mystery of them all." Tadic's colleague in the DS, Micunovic, maintained a more moderate reputation. He remained visible in public life until his former student Zoran Djindjic ousted him from the DS leadership in 1994. Djindjic, who also studied with Habermas and contributed to Praxis International, is today a presidential hopeful and favorite in the West. Micunovic now heads a pro-democracy nongovernmental organization. David Crocker, who saw him 1998, recalls, "He seemed a man who had given up in despair. The opposition had fragmented, nothing had come of it, and Milosevic was more powerful than ever." It is typical of recent Serbian politics that those Praxists who sought power were the ones who differed least with the ruling regime. Other Belgrade Praxists kept a greater distance from politics but continued to agitate for a genuinely democratic future. It was a member of the Belgrade 8 -- Nebojsa Popov -- who co-founded one of Serbia's most principled and least popular parties, the Civic Alliance of Serbia, in 1991. Among its stated aims was "to overcome nationalist and class collectivism." As the little brother of the two largest opposition parties, the Civic Alliance joined the Zajedno coalition that led protests at the University of Belgrade in 1996 and 1997. In one of the more surreal scenes to emerge from 1990s Belgrade, Popov appeared on Nikola Pasic Square with a pot of beans in February 1997. He and his colleagues were cooking beans for "all those hungry for freedom, truth, and democracy." They pledged to continue "beaning" for 330 days or until Milosevic was deposed. Among Popov's allies are members of another Praxis offshoot: the Belgrade Circle, a small nongovernmental organization. Its president, Obrad Savic, was one of the students the Praxists led in the protests of 1968. Savic has been unsparing in his criticism of Markovic and Tadic's turn to nationalism; in return, Tadic has denounced him as the founder of "anti-Serb mondialism." Some of the same people who were once drawn to Praxis and Praxis International -- Habermas, Richard Rorty, Chomsky -- today publish in the Belgrade Circle Journal, whose special issue on human rights will be published as a book this month by Verso. Ultimately, it is story of the Belgrade Circle's founder, the Praxis philosopher Miladin Zivotic, that sheds the starkest light on the Yugoslav tragedy. The foreign intellectuals who were drawn to the Praxis vision of self-managing socialism back in its halcyon days did not take great notice of young Zivotic, whose attentions were devoted mostly to culture. By the 1980s, Zivotic and his students formed a vanguard of poststructuralist scholarship in Belgrade, turning away from the Praxis fascination with Marxism in favor of Foucault and Derrida. Together with the aging dissident Milovan Djilas, Tito's onetime heir apparent, they founded the Belgrade Circle in 1992. According to Richard Bernstein, "There came a point when Marxism, even Marxist humanism, was old hat. It no longer spoke to the right issues. The Belgrade Circle allowed the younger generation to rebel against the stale cliches of the older generation." But Zivotic and his followers made their real reputation as peace activists. During the war years, the Belgrade Circle expanded to include a motley array of workers, filmmakers, intellectuals, and artists. At its height it had five hundred followers, who convened every Saturday for public events geared toward interethnic dialogue and peace. In 1993, Zivotic traveled to besieged Sarajevo, slipping through Bosnian Serb lines to meet with the city's Muslim leadership. Back in Belgrade, he received a series of anonymous telephone calls from strangers who threatened to slit his throat. He spoke out in solidarity with Kosovo's Albanians, and when Muslims in Serbia's Sandjak region came under threat, he went to live with them in protest. Against ethnic cleansing he proclaimed, "If living together is impossible, then life itself is impossible as well." Although he had been permitted to return to the University of Belgrade in 1987, Zivotic was no longer happy there by 1994. He told the New York Times, "I could not stand to go to work. I had to listen to professors and students voice support and solidarity for these Bosnian fascists, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, in the so-called Republic of Srpska. It is now worse than it was under Communism. The intellectual corruption is more pervasive and profound." A friend remembers that Zivotic "was physically destroyed by the time and the evil amid which he lived." In 1997, Zivotic gave a talk in London about the anti-Milosevic demonstrations that were then taking place at the University of Belgrade. He knew that the West had high hopes for the activists, but he also knew that their leaders were themselves nationalists. Branka Magas was at this talk. "He was very disappointed with the Praxis people," she says. "He was a humanist." Two weeks later, Zivotic was dead. "He was extremely tormented by what had happened," says Magas. "He died of a broken heart, I think." Adapted from "Testaments Betrayed" . (Lingua Franca) Share this article Facebook Twitter Email

Dobrica Cosic

Fans of late-night host and The Daily Show veteran John Oliver 's political humor now have a fourth season of Oliver's Emmy Award-winning show Last Week Tonight to look forward to. Oliver comes off as a little bit of a homunculus in this clip, appearing on the sets of other iconic HBO shows Game of Thrones , Silicon Valley and Curb Your Enthusiasm . Oliver is, indeed, talked down by notorious homunculi Dinesh Chugtai (Kumail Nanjiani) of Silicon Valley and Curb Your Enthusiasm 's Larry David . Chugtai pokes fun at Oliver's vindictive tone, remarking, "At best, you're an acquired taste. Sometimes we don't want a British man yelling about how the world is ending for a whole hour." Still, fans of Oliver's comedy are probably willing to look past his preachiness, and find his depth of commentary both amusing and informative. Humor, indeed, is generally more the hook for Oliver's arguments rather than the purpose of his long-form segments. Season four of Last Week Tonight premieres on Feb. 12 at 11 p.m. EST, and will run on HBO on Sunday nights. Check out some of Paste 's favorite John Oliver segments here , find the new Last Week Tonight season's key art below, and watch the new promo above.

Fans of late-night host and The Daily Show veteran John Oliver 's political humor now have a fourth season of Oliver's Emmy Award-winning show Last Week Tonight to look forward to.

Comedy actor Seth Rogen can make almost any story sound funny, but it helps when you have great material to work with. One personal story he told... A mom shared a photo on Instagram in which she is nursing her three year old daughter. The mom reveals she is an extended nurser, and her older... A little boy who was having a meltdown at school collapsed in a heap on the floor. The boy sat with his back against the wall and his head in his... There was a time when people kept photo albums for their precious memories. Now, we have Instagram. One young couple on a date at a football game... A Missouri couple has been arrested after it was discovered that they kept four children locked up in plywood boxes for weeks. The children were... A father was sentenced to 75 years in prison for sexually abusing his daughter. The 12-year-old perished in a house fire with her 16-year-old... A North Carolina man is feeling vindicated after successfully suing his wife's lover. The wife was having an illicit affair with another man... Angelina Jolie filed papers with court on Tuesday alleging that her estranged husband hasn't paid any 'meaningful' child support since the couple... A flight cleaning crew in LaGuardia Airport in New York were shocked on Tuesday morning when they discovered a dead fetus on an American Airlines... A woman who worked in a Mexican restaurant more than 20 years ago stole from her boss. She has carried a guilty conscience ever since, and finally... (c)2014-2017 AllThatsFab All rights reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of AllThatsFab terms of service and privacy policy. The material on this site is for informational and entertainment purposes only. (c)2017 B3 Media

(c)2014-2017 AllThatsFab All rights reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of AllThatsFab terms of service and privacy policy. The material on this site is for informational and entertainment purposes only.

Former President Barack Obama tried the big fix in health care and he came away with the scars to show for it. Now, House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump are trying for the [...] The Twitter accounts of ABC News and "Good Morning America" fell victim to a hack attack early Thursday morning, with the compromised accounts posting tweets praising President Trump and claiming rapper Tyler the Creator had [...] March 23, 2017 vivaliberty 0 SALT LAKE CITY -- A Bountiful man was killed and his wife injured in a terrorist attack in London on Wednesday while the couple was visiting the woman's parents, family members confirmed Thursday. Kurt Cochran [...] A KILLER who murdered three people before he was shot dead by police has been named as married dad-of-three and body builder. Khalid Masood, 52, mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before storming Parliament and [...] March 22, 2017 vivaliberty 0 NFL owners are expected to vote on the future of the Raiders at next week's league meeting in Phoenix, and several reports suggest that the team's bid to relocate to Las Vegas is now likely to happen. [...] House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes said Wednesday that the U.S. intelligence community collected multiple conversations involving members of Donald Trump's transition team after he won the election last year. After making his disclosure at the [...] March 22, 2017 vivaliberty 0 Members of the Donald Trump transition team, possibly including Trump himself, were under U.S. government surveillance following November's presidential election, House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) told reporters Wednesday. Nunes said the surveillance appeared to [...] Parliament in lockdown: Police open fire outside Westminster and shoot knife-wielding man amid reports of explosion and 'at least 12 pedestrians mowed down on bridge' Several shots have been fired at the House of Commons [...] Tuesday, March 21, 2017 The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump's job performance. Fifty percent (50%) disapprove. The latest figures include 33% [...] March 20, 2017 vivaliberty 0 It's been 70 years since President Truman ordered his loyalty tests. Now Hollywood has a loyalty test of its own. Seventy years ago this week -- on March 21, 1947, to be exact -- President [...]

Now Hollywood has a loyalty test of its own.

Today is Saturday, August 11, 2018 RSS feed About John Crump John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%'ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on the history of the patriot movement. @crumpyss In the end, this issue comes down to emotion. Analytically there is no reason that bump stocks should be banned. Read More >>> Honolulu Police Department has started sending out letters informing medical marijuana patients they have 30 days to turn in their firearms and ammunition or be in violation of the law... Read More >>> Video | Ammoland Inc. Posted on October 31, 2017 by John Crump The Justice Department under Obama prevented bank payouts from going to conservative groups thus creating a slush fund for left-leaning organizations. Read More >>> Posts navigation m. : I just sent a suggestion to whitehouse.gov/contact re mr. councilman Rocketman : The GOP are fools if they don't incorporate "We have to regulate every aspect of people's lives." into every political... G-man : I sure didn't se al this crap when Obama was in the white house and he was as close to... Mike L : The Americans put up with decades of British tyranny before they chose to fight it. Like today, many people hesitated... Mark Zanghetti : How could I buy a membership in "Kat's" name? If everyone who could bought a membership in "Kat's" name you...

In the end, this issue comes down to emotion. Analytically there is no reason that bump stocks should be banned.

"The moment Trump chooses his vice presidential candidate," wrote super-fan Ann Coulter last week, "every person in the media will be handed a personalized crowbar to pry daylight between Trump his nominee." That's why, she argued, it's important for Trump not to pick a "typical Republican." The prying will simply be too easy. Trump should pick a nationalist who'll defend his initiatives with gusto, not because he's suddenly accepted a job that requires him to. Let the prying begin! Trade means jobs, but trade also means security. The time has come for all of us to urge the swift adoption of the Trans Pacific Partnership -- Governor Mike Pence (@GovPenceIN) September 8, 2014 That's not a one-off thing. Pence is on the ticket because he's a dogmatic conservative, designed to make dogmatic conservative voters feel more comfortable with Trump, but dogmatic conservatism means support for free trade. Pence has supported it for a long, long time : Pence backed trade agreements with Colombia, South Korea, Panama, Peru, Oman, Chile and Singapore during his House tenure from 2001 through 2012. He voted for the Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA. He voted to keep the United States in the World Trade Organization and to maintain permanent normal trade relations with China, the country Trump repeatedly criticizes for unfair trade practices and threatens with tariffs to boost U.S. job creation. Pence also has publicly supported the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement of Pacific Rim nations, an agreement negotiated by the Obama administration which Trump opposes and has likened to rape. Hey, you can't expect a president and VP to agree on everything. It's perfectly normal that a trade deal the VP might see as crucial to security is viewed by the president as, uh, rape. Hopefully they'll get their story straight before the big "60 Minutes" interview on Sunday night. Oh, and on this too: Calls to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. are offensive and unconstitutional. -- Governor Mike Pence (@GovPenceIN) December 8, 2015 They've always been in sync on touchback amnesty so they've got that going for them at least. In fairness to Trump, he's doing the prudent thing for once with the biggest decision of his campaign in choosing a "safe" candidate like Pence. There's modest upside to it, as it could help a bit with party unity (although probably only a bit ), but there's virtually no downside to it. Pence won't upstage Trump, as Newt and Christie might have, and he's so poorly known among the wider electorate that he does no harm. Picking him is the closest thing to picking no VP at all, which I'm sure would have been Trump's preference. Look at it this way: How many dogmatic conservatives with plenty of experience on the Hill and some name recognition among conservative activists were out there and amenable to joining the ticket? Most full-spectrum conservatives like Mike Lee and Ted Cruz disdain Trump and wouldn't want to risk their future prospects by joining forces with him. Pence was perfectly positioned in that he had the conservative cred Trump wanted and was precariously positioned via his gubernatorial race to make him open to becoming VP. Trump made the safe play, no doubt at Paul Manafort's urging. It's uncharacteristically boring of him, but it's not necessarily wrong. Except, of course, to the extent that there's a total mismatch between nationalism and conservatism on some of Trump's core issues, like trade. Oh well. Something for everyone on this year's ticket! Here's the next vice president of the United States singing songs of love about NAFTA as a young congressman in 2001.

In fairness to Trump, he's doing the prudent thing for once with the biggest decision of his campaign in choosing a "safe" candidate like Pence.

Though you would not know it from those who spent the day chuckling to themselves over the prospect of an American space command, the militarization of this strategically vital region is decades old. Thousands of both civilian and military communications and navigations satellites operate in earth orbit, to say nothing of the occasional human. It's impossible to say how many weapons are already stationed in orbit because many of these platforms are " dual use ," meaning that they could be transformed into kill vehicles at a moment's notice. American military planners have been preoccupied with the preservation of critical U.S. communications infrastructure in space since at least 2007, when China stunned observers by launching a missile that intercepted and destroyed a satellite, creating thousands of pieces of debris hurtling around the earth at speeds faster than any bullet. America's chief strategic competitors--Russia and China--and rogue actors like Iran and North Korea are all committed to developing the capability to target America's command-and-control infrastructure, a lot of which is space-based. Trump's Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats testified in 2017 that both Moscow and Beijing are "considering attacks against satellite systems as part of their future warfare doctrine" and are developing the requisite anti-satellite technology--despite their false public commitments to the "nonweaponization of space and 'no first placement' of weapons in space." Those who oppose the creation of a space branch object on a variety of grounds, some of them merit more attention than others. The contention that a sixth military branch is a redundant waste of taxpayer money, for example, is a more salient than cynical claims that Trump is interested only in a glory project. "I oppose the creation of a new military service and additional organizational layers at a time when we are focused on reducing overhead and integrating joint warfighting functions," Sec. Mattis wrote in October of last year. That's a perfectly sound argument against excessive bureaucratization and profligacy, but it is silent on the necessity of a space command. Both the Pentagon and the National Security Council are behind the creation of a " U.S. Space Command " in lieu of the congressional action required to establish a new branch of the armed forces dedicated to space-based operations. As for bureaucratic sprawl, in 2015, the diffusion of space-related experts and capabilities across the armed services led the Air Force to create a single space advisor to coordinate those capabilities for the Defense Department. But that patch did not resolve the problems and, in 2017, Congress's General Accountability Office recommended investigating the creation of a single branch dedicated to space for the purposes of consolidation. It is true that the existing branches maintain capabilities that extend into space, which would superficially make a Space Force seem redundant. But American air power was once the province of the U.S. Army and Navy, and bureaucratic elements within these two branches opposed the creation of a U.S. Air Force in 1947. The importance of air power in World War II and the likelihood that aircraft would be a critical feature of future warfighting convinced policymakers that a unified command of operations was critical to effective warfighting. Moreover, both Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman believed that creating a separate branch for airpower ensured that Congress would be less likely to underfund the vital enterprise. The final argument against the militarization of space is a rehash of themes from the Cold War. Low earth orbit, like the seafloor and the Antarctic, is part of the "global commons," and should not be militarized on principle. This was the Soviet position, and Moscow's fellow travelers in the West regularly echoed it. But the argument is simply not compelling. The Soviets insisted that the militarization of space was provocative and undesirable, but mostly because they lacked the capability to weaponize space. The Soviets regularly argued that any technology it could not match was a first-strike weapon. That's why they argued vigorously against deploying missile interceptors but voiced fewer objections to ground-based laser technology. As for the "global commons," that's just what we call the places where humans do not operate for extended periods of time and where resource extraction is cost prohibitive. The more viable the exploration of these hostile environments becomes, the less "common" we will eventually consider them. Just as navies police sea lanes, the inevitable commercialization of space ensures that its militarization will follow. That isn't something to fear or lament. It's not only unavoidable; it's a civilizational advance. Space Force may not be an idea whose time has come, but deterrence is based on supremacy and supremacy is the product of proactivity. God forbid there comes a day on which we need an integrated response to a state actor with capabilities in space, we will be glad that we didn't wait for the crisis before resolving to do what is necessary. What my symposium entry indicates is that views like hers have been percolating on the Right for decades. I thought you might find it interesting to read: "This is not the country my father fought for," a one-time colleague who grew up as an Army brat was telling me over lunch five years ago. He sang a threnody of national faults, and I could only hang my head in mute agreement--crime, multiculturalism, educational collapse, everything conservatives have worried over and fought against for twenty years or more. He grew more and more excited. From multiculturalism, he began talking about the threat posed by immigrants, and from that threat to the threat posed by native-born blacks. As he was taken over by his passion and imagined me an ally in it, he began dropping words into his monologue that in his calmer moments he never would have used with me, words like "nigger" and "wetback" I had heard used only in rages and then only maybe twice before outside of a movie or TV show. And then, forgetting himself entirely, he allowed as how Jews were blocking the true story of our national decline. It is not only inconvenient to hear words you might have spoken coming out of the mouth of a racist, nativist anti-Semite. It is also a reminder that ideas you hold dear may be used as weapons in a war you never intended to fight--a war in which those weapons may be turned against you just as my one-time colleague turned his assault on multiculturalism into an assault on Jews. This is my warning as we consider the national prospect. Those who believe America is in a period of cultural decline are obviously correct; I am not at all sure how anyone of good will could argue otherwise. And yet, and yet, and yet. It is one thing to worry over and battle against the dumbing-down of our schools; the assault on taste, standards, and truth posed by multiculturalism; the rise of repellent sexual egalitarianism; even the dangers of advanced consumerism are becoming increasingly worrisome. But it is quite another thing to make the leap from that point to the notion that the nation itself is in parlous and irreversible decline. After all, nations are always in parlous moral health; nations are gatherings of people, and people are sinners. When the United States was putatively healthier, back in the 30's and 40's and 50's, 12 percent of its population was living in de-facto or de-jure immiseration and the Wasp majority protected its position in the elite by means of explicit quotas and exclusions. The declinists are both wrong and spiritually noxious. After all, the purpose of declaring the nation in decline is to root out the causes of the decline, extirpate them, and put the nation on the road to health. But, for some of them, the search for causes always leads to blacks, immigrants, and Jews. In William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury , Harvard's own Quentin Compson finds himself suicidal over America's conversion into the "land of the kike home of the wop." Blacks and Jews are ever the inevitable, juicy target--so inevitable that they still find a link in the fevered minds of the paleo-Right, even though all blacks and Jews have in common now is the way the paleo-Right links them. What blacks, Jews, and immigrants always seem to lack in the eyes of declinists is some version of the American character--that which my one-time colleague believed his father to have fought for. The dark underbelly of the American political experiment is the very idea of an American character itself. It is, fundamentally, an un-American idea. It is the nature of America that there is no one American character. Demography is not destiny in America as it is everywhere else; where you come from is not who you are. I can find no quarrel with the brief of particulars offered by the declinists. But their central idea gives heart and strength to people whose threnodies can sound like the song of the siren--and must, like the siren's song, be resisted by all strong men. -Nov. 1, 1995

The declinists are both wrong and spiritually noxious. After all, the purpose of declaring the nation in decline is to root out the causes of the decline, extirpate them, and put the nation on the road to health. But, for some of them, the search for causes always leads to blacks, immigrants, and Jews.

Adam J. White passes along this observation: I was sitting at the D.C. Circuit courthouse today, watching oral arguments, when I noticed that I was sitting under the portrait of Judge James Buckley , WFB's brother. In the portrait -- painted by Claude Buckley, who is Reid Buckley's son and the judge's/WFB's nephew - Judge Buckley sits next to a bookshelf containing three noticeable bits of memorabilia: First, a judicial reporter marked volume 424 -- obviously a reference to Buckley v. Valeo , 424 U.S. 1 (1976). Second, a polar bear -- a reference to his trips to the Arctic, and his love of polar bears . And third -- the one of most obvious relevance to NRO -- is a book marked "WFB" on the spine. A lovely tribute to his brother. The WFB volume has no title, and it's quite a bit thicker than most of WFB's books. Most likely the artist and subject had no specific book in mind, but it appears to be roughly the same size as Miles Gone By , WFB's lovely "literary memoir," which was published in 2004 -- the same year that Judge Buckley's portrait was painted. Ed Whelan -- Ed Whelan is president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. @EdWhelanEPPC Five days before the 2016 election, after campaigning for Hillary Clinton in Florida, President Obama boarded Marine One. Aides flagged an email from the White House political director relaying the Clinton campaign's final requests of the incumbent: Would he, the day before the election, stump in Pennsylvania ... Read More

I was sitting at the D.C. Circuit courthouse today, watching oral arguments, when I noticed that I was sitting under the portrait of Judge James Buckley , WFB's brother.

Thomas Cole, View of the Round-Top in the Catskill Mountains (Sunny Morning on the Hudson) , 1827. Oil on panel, 18 5/8 x 25 3/8 in . Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Gift of Martha C. Karolik Thomas Cole is remembered as one of the foremost American landscape painters of the 19th century, and for good reason. Considered the founder of the Hudson River School of painting, his verdant vistas, especially those depicting New York's Catskills and the wilderness of the East Coast, were instrumental in building America's brand when it was just a small start up of a democracy. Yet, as much as this artist may have fathered an ideal of Americanness, he was an immigrant to these shores rather than a native son. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, a new exhibition is intent on hammering this point home (and not a moment too soon, given the precipitous politicking around issues of immigration in America today that lately caused our government to shut down). "Thomas Cole's Journey: Atlantic Crossings," on view through May 12, explores how Cole's unique view of the United States was shaped by both his upbringing in a riotous, industrial Manchester, England, as well as an early adulthood spent traveling back and forth to Britain and abroad. Thomas Cole, Clouds , ca. 1830s. Oil on paper laid down on canvas, 8 3/4 x 10 7/8 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Featuring over 70 works -- including major loans of paintings by British landscape artists John Constable and J.M.W. Turner, and American artists like Frederic Church and Asher B. Durand--the exhibition represents the Met's first major investigation of Hudson River School painting in over three decades. "It's exciting to see how the subject of national identity, landscape and the environment has even greater currency now, 30 years later," said Sylvia Yount, the Met curator in charge of the American Wing, to a group of assembled press on Monday morning. Indeed, the show does an exceptional and not at all subtle job of contextualizing Cole's life in terms seen bandied about in the daily news in our own era. From the outset of the exhibition, the artist is cast an "economic migrant" due to the perilous conditions he and his family endured while northern England found itself ravaged by industrial machinery and under attack by the workers this change displaced. Scenes like the 1801 Coalbrookdale by Night by Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg show a fire-and-brimstone world created by new technologies like coal and steam power. A rare print, The Leader of the Luddites from 1812, suggests the kind of labor Cole found himself doing as a teenage low-wage factory worker in a cotton mill making pattern print engravings for fabrics despite earning a high quality education. Thomas Cole's Course of the Empire series. Margaret Carrigan Unable to make a living, his family fled to America in search of better opportunities. "He arrived on on these shores as a 17 year old, an economic migrant fleeing hardship at the moment of the Industrial Revolution. He was essentially coming from a modern dystopia," said Tim Barringer, a professor of Art History at Yale University , who explained that Cole's England was far from the rolling moors of the Bronte sisters. "Can you imagine what it was like for him to see something like the Catskill mountains?" Thomas Cole, The Course of Empire: Destruction , 1836. Oil on canvas, 39 1/4 x 63 1/2 in. New-York Historical Society Looking to one of his earlier works in the show, a large, overly lush Biblical scene titled The Garden of Eden from 1828, it's actually not hard to imagine Cole's burgeoning environmental appreciation once he reached U.S. soil. He saw America was a land of promise and his small but reverent View of the Round-Top in the Catskill Mountains (Sunny Morning on the Hudson) (1827) foreshadows his later romanticized depictions of our wild, rolling countryside. This is seen at its best in the Met's View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm (The Oxbow) , 1836 -- the type of image ingrained in our collective imagination as deeply as the figure of Uncle Sam and and appreciation for apple pie. The artist's travels to London and other European capitals (places he had never visited while he was a child, as he left Britain from Liverpool) where he encountered works by French landscape master Claude Lorrain and met with British artistic heavyweights Constable and Turner prompted his magnum opus The Course of Empire (1835-36). The entirety of this five-piece series depicting the rise and fall of a Classically inspired, imaginary metropolis is on view in its entirety and is ostensibly the didactic crux of the Met's "Atlantic Crossings" show. Thomas Cole, View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm--The Oxbow, , 1836. Oil on canvas, 51 1/2 x 76 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Mrs. Russell Sage According to Barringer, Cole returned from his time abroad--a newly naturalized U.S. citizen--in the early 1830s with an improved "global world view" and promptly assessed that the country had been taken over by "dollar-godded utilitarianists" under a new polarizing president, Andrew Jackson. "I'll leave more contemporary parallels to your imaginations," Barringer joked, while noting that the political climate fostered a sense of moralizing urgency in Cole's work. The Met's wall text explaining Cole's intentions behind the series is less humorous, however, stating that The Course of Empire may well be a fable but one that underscores the self-destructiveness of human progress, especially when progress is fueled by "a venal love of wealth and luxury." The artist may have been trying to warn his peers of such political perils so 19th-century American society could correct its course. Yet, in the 21st century, the allegory he presents seems more a prophetic vision, especially since the final paining, Desolation , reveals a large lunar orb--a super moon, perhaps?--rising over a crumbling, deserted city devoid of citizens, poor immigrants and enterprising millionaires alike.

as much as this artist may have fathered an ideal of Americanness, he was an immigrant to these shores rather than a native son. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, a new exhibition is intent on hammering this point home (and not a moment too soon, given the precipitous politicking around issues of immigration in America today that lately caused our government to shut down).

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October 23rd is the No Amnesty For Pimps Global Day of Action! Join Amnesty Action online, using the hashtag #NoAmnesty4

Our forever first lady, Michelle LeVaughn Robinson Obama, aka the literal manifestation of black girl magic, and exhibit A-Z of why you should listen to and trust black women, has launched an initiative to encourage the youth to vote. Look at who your president currently is. Voting is important! There is a $1.3 trillion spending bill being worked on in Congress right now. Democrats wanted to add language to the bill that would protect special counsel Robert Mueller and keep him from being fired by the president. Although a good many of them said that they believe Mueller should be allowed to finish the job he... The most obvious answer when attempting to find the root cause for certain Americans being so obsessed with guns is fear. These people are scared of something --irrelevance, anarchy, immigrants, black people, aliens, Black Panther Build-a-Bears--and this fear drives them to amass arsenals and fight against even the idea... Pundits and politicos were shocked Friday when a spokesperson for the Conservative Political Action Conference publicly admitted that former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele was the party's token black guy. Although the comment was the least racist thing you might hear at CPAC, people were stunned... A few months ago, The Root began a series of stories under the name "I Tried It," chronicling the experiences of writers who were willing to step outside their comfort zones to try things they normally wouldn't consider. Saturday is the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration, and you must admit that he's managed a pretty radical transformation of America. He's turned his White House into the location of a horrible reality show. He's turned Twitter into a weapon of mass destruction. He's made the United States... As the year comes to a close, The Root takes a look back at those who took an L. We aren't talking the kind of loss you feel sympathy for--or the kind of losses you point a finger and laugh at or shake your head in shame and secondhand embarrassment. Let's review everyone--and everything--that caught an extreme loss in... I remember vivid details about the morning when I first decided I didn't want to go to church anymore. I remember that my mother attempted to wake me several times that morning when she was already fully dressed, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, wearing her nurse's uniform that she had to wear every fourth Sunday because... Congress is poised to pass a piece of legislation that will amount to a $1.5 trillion tax hike for Americans who don't have trust funds, silver spoons or monocles . No one knows what is in the final bill because Republicans have added more changes than Kim Kardashian's plastic surgeon, but luckily The Root always has a... When Ohio state Rep. Wes Goodman was caught in his congressional office heroically helping another man release the Krakken, some people felt sorry for the politician. Even though he had a long history of anti-LGBTQ advocacy, including trying to block same-sex marriage in Washington, D.C., there were a few people who... House Democrats taunted their Republican counterparts as GOP representatives passed a bill that would erase the signature legislation of the Obama administration and replace it with a tax break for the wealthiest Americans and simultaneously karate-chop 24 million Americans in their soon-to-be uninsured throats. Senate Democrats successfully filibustered the confirmation of Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, sparking a series of contentious moves that will likely result in ... well ... the confirmation of Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch.

Pundits and politicos were shocked Friday when a spokesperson for the Conservative Political Action Conference publicly admitted that former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele was the party's token black guy. Although the comment was the least racist thing you might hear at CPAC, people were stunned

Knife related crimes within the United Kingdom, are starting to spiral out of control. In bigger cities such as London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, knife related crimes are as common as theft. The issue we have, is that the laws in this country are far to weak. Criminals don't care if they're caught for their crimes, as they're likely to only get a suspended sentence along with a little community service. Even if sentenced, prison is a life of luxury for most, with access to qualifications, drugs, TV & computers, mobile phones and free food. Being caught with a knife or any offensive weapon, should carry the same charge as being caught with a firearm. Even being caught with a firearm doesn't carry a big enough sentence. The minimum sentence for being caught in possession of a firearm or knife (without causing harm), currently stands at around 4-5 years imprisonment. We want to see tougher sentences! The minimum sentence for possession should be 20 - 50 years imprisonment with no right to appeal, or chance of early release on good behavior. Causing death by firearm or knife only holds a 30 year sentence, which according to the Government is a life sentence. Life imprisonment should 100 years, again without the right to appeal or early release. If our Government actually had any real concern for the safety of its citizens, they would seriously consider making life extremely hard for thoes who think it's acceptable to pose a threat human life. Please sign this petition in support of increasing prison sentences for the above mentioned crimes.

The issue we have, is that the laws in this country are far to weak. Criminals don't care if they're caught for their crimes, as they're likely to only get a suspended sentence along with a little community service.

Murfreesboro, Tennessee - The night of July 9th, 2017 the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro (ICM), a mosque where local Muslims congregate, was attacked. The ICM was vandalized with green spray paint which left expletives that read "Fuck Allah" in three places including on the exterior of the building and the basketball court, and the handles on the doors were draped with pork products, such as bacon. Ignoring the intrinsic ridiculousness of this heavily symbolic act, the attack clearly unnerved the community at large. It is salient to note that in the days immediately following the vandalism at ICM, numerous cars in Murfreesboro were posted with flyers advertising Vanguard America , their website BLOODANDSOIL.ORG, and encouraging folks to "preserve your heritage" and "take up the fight." Vanguard America is a white nationalist movement that unabashedly embraces both fascist and white supremacist ideology without the sticky sweet veneer of more publicly palatable "racial-realist" movements emerging from the Alt-Right. Thus, minority communities, such as those who are ICM patrons remain under threat from these forces who are clearly organizing locally. Appeals to law enforcement to investigate or deter Vanguard and their ilk have proven fruitless. This is unsurprising to us as antifascists in a general sense, but additionally, a member of our affinity group observed a Rutherford County Sheriff's SUV with a Three Percenter logo proudly emblazoned on the back of the vehicle. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that local law enforcement officers have zero interest in investigating encroaching white nationalist groups seeking to recruit adherents or intimidate minority communities. Middle Tennessee is home to a sizeable population of refugees including Somali, Sudanese, and Kurdish immigrants fleeing war-torn homelands in search of safe havens to raise their families. The Federal Refugee Resettlement Program, in tandem with three non-profit organizations in the state of Tennessee, help refugees secure housing, employment, healthcare and ultimately citizenship. A vast majority of these refugees are settled within Davidson and Rutherford counties in Middle Tennessee. As the Muslim population within Middle Tennessee has expanded, the need for a community center to serve them arose. In 2010, amid resistance from conservative and nationalist groups , plans to construct the ICM were drafted to fill this need. Equipped with spacious facilities for worship, congregation activities, playground, and basketball court, the ICM is a focal point for the lives of many devout Muslims in Middle Tennessee. Thus, the vandalism of this community center is an attack on the very fabric of this tight-knit community. This is not the first time Muslims and the ICM have come under fire in Tennessee. A protracted court battle was waged from the moment the mosque plans were laid, fueled by vicious and committed anti-Muslim agitators. When Rutherford County officials granted the construction permit for the ICM, hundreds of protesters marched at the behest of the mendacious televangelist Pat Robertson, who called the center a "mega-mosque" and cried foul that Muslims were laying siege to the hegemony of Murfreesboro. Prior to completion of construction, the ICM site was also attacked by an arsonist who sought to destroy equipment and obfuscate the progress on the edifice. Sadly, the pattern of continual attack underscores the fact that the ICM has existed in a constant state of siege since its inception. The anti-Muslim rhetoric that fuels these confrontations is pervasive throughout rural areas of Tennessee, a deeply red state. Class divisions are continually exploited by the GOP and poor and working-class Middle Tennesseans are fed a steady diet of Fox News and Infowars propaganda "revealing" the cultural ills of both Islam and refugees, who are portrayed as hapless parasites at best and violent terrorists at worst. Although conservatives and state lawmakers alike crow continuously about the "burden" that POC/Muslim refugees place on social welfare programs, statistics reveal that refugees contributed twice as much in tax revenues as they have consumed in State-financed social services in the past twenty years in Tennessee. Yet the anti-immigrant sentiment is continually nurtured. After the vandalism of the ICM was reported, Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Nashville promoted a night of Solidarity a the ICM on July 11th, 2017. Numerous groups and individuals attended the event, giving rise to a sizeable crowd totaling more than 500 folks, including representatives from Veterans for Peace, Redneck Revolt, Anonymous Nashville (and surrounding areas), Nashville Antifascist Action (AFA), as well as various churches, liberal groups, and progressive organizations. The local media from Channel 5 News interviewed parishioners, patrons, and community organizers alike. Nashville AFA attended in solidarity with ICM, offering support and distributing literature in both English and Arabic, providing guidance for how to respond to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, who have been terrorizing the Kurdish community with targeted deportations while posing as local law enforcement. Interestingly, the neoliberal mayor of Nashville, Megan Barry has chastised ICE for these hostile and misleading tactics, which she characterizes as serving to "erode the trust citizens have in local law enforcement." Sadly, Mayor Barry misses the point. The actions of ICE as well as the actions of those individuals who defaced the ICM, and those of the nationalist neckbeards (Threepers, Vanguard, and fascists alike) peddling their tired tropes reveal a deeper truth; that we must trust only in our collective communities for protection and solidarity. We cannot rely on the State; the cavalry is not coming to save us. It is important that we form the bonds of solidarity within our communities, especially those under threat of attack as the Muslims, Kurds, people of color are now, more than ever. As the night began to creep in, members of our collective asked members of the ICM what we could do to help them during this tumultuous time, and the resounding answer was "show up, and support us." Let's honor that request, comrades, and live our principles of mutual aid and solidarity. For more information on our affinity group, check out our Facebook page. Liked it? Take a second to support It's Going Down!

in the days immediately following the vandalism at ICM, numerous cars in Murfreesboro were posted with flyers advertising Vanguard America , their website BLOODANDSOIL.ORG, and encouraging folks to "preserve your heritage" and "take up the fight." Vanguard America is a white nationalist movement that unabashedly embraces both fascist and white supremacist ideology

ADDENDA : Shockingly, Elizabeth Warren did not respond to an invitation to take a DNA test to confirm her claims of Native American heritage. [Capitalism] encourages and requires fierce individualism, self-interested disregard for the other, and resentment of arrangements into which one deposits more than he or she withdraws. As a business-savvy friend once remarked: Nobody gets rich off of bilateral transactions where everybody knows what they're doing. Capitalism is an ideology that is far more encompassing than it admits, and one that turns every relationship into a calculable exchange. Bodies, time, energy, creativity, love -- all become commodities to be priced and sold. That's Elizabeth Bruenig, writing in a newspaper owned by the richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos . Really? "Nobody gets rich off of bilateral transactions where everybody knows what they're doing?" What exactly is Amazon, then? Is it somehow exploitative when you send money to Amazon and they send you things you want? Who's being exploited? Is the corner store more or less exploitative? Does the philosophy that any bilateral transaction in a capitalist system represents disregard and resentment apply to Bruenig's gig as an opinion columnist at the Washington Post? She's not writing, and sharing her time, energy, and creativity on a volunteer basis. The Post gives her a paycheck, benefits (I presume), and a platform to reach a much wider audience than she would have her own. She gives them a column of interest and value. (Go ahead, laugh, get it out of your system. Look, not every decision in a capitalist system is going to work out!) What's fascinating is that Bruenig's contention, that the free exchange of goods and services for money is somehow inherently unfair, exploitative, and morally wrong, is . . . not all that different from Donald Trump's argument against the current free-trade status quo. We don't operate on the barter system; we (or more specifically, America's companies) purchase things from suppliers overseas. They send us iPads, cell phones, and cars, and we send them money. But then all of those companies buy things from us: aircraft, beef, corn, soybeans, trucks, tractors, coal. In the case of China, Japan, Germany, Mexico, and Ireland (!), we buy more stuff from them than they buy from us. What you hear less about is that Hong Kong, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Belgium, and Australia buy more from us than we buy from them. Overall, we're running a trade deficit. We could worry about this in certain circumstances, i.e., our fighter jets need a certain component that is only produced in a foreign country. But those circumstances are pretty rare. There are fair arguments against some trade practices. American workers can compete with anyone in the world . . . provided that those workers are not in slave-labor camps, as in China . We've banned the import of "merchandise mined, produced or manufactured, wholly or in part, in any foreign country by forced or indentured child labor -- including forced child labor." It's fair to ask if we're doing enough to keep goods produced by indisputably exploited labor from the shelves of American stores. Similarly, if a country's environmental, workplace-safety, or other laws differ from ours dramatically, we may conclude that purchasing their products represents an endorsement of exploitation. If a foreign company is subsidized by the government so much that it can afford to sell a product at less than it cost to make that product, then we don't really have free trade; American workers and companies are competing against both the foreign producer AND the foreign government. But Trump rarely if ever makes his arguments on those terms. In Trump's mind, if the United States is buying more of another country's products than they're buying of ours, we're inherently "losing." But we have to make the deals fair. You know, with Mexico, as an example, we probably lose $130 billion a year. Now, for years, I've been saying -- for the last year and a half, I've been saying $71 billion, but it's really not. And they have a VAT tax of 16 percent, and we don't have a tax. And, at some point, we have to get stronger and smarter, because we cannot continue to lose that kind of money with one country. (In 2016, Mexico bought $230 billion in U.S. goods, and Americans bought $294 billion in Mexican goods.) When Breunig calls for "a kind of socialism that would be democratic and aimed primarily at decommodifying labor, reducing the vast inequality brought about by capitalism, and breaking capital's stranglehold over politics and culture," she probably imagines something like Norway without all the oil drilling. As many observers have noticed, nations and cultures aren't all the same, and you can't expect the United States to just adopt a Norwegian economic and political model and expect everything to run smoothly. (In another essay , I pointed out that the Scandanavian societies that progressives keep staring at in envy have a slew of problems that aren't as bad here in the United States -- high cost of living, xenophobia and an unwelcoming attitude towards foreigners [immigrants, not tourists], and violence against women.) Donald Trump and Elizabeth Bruenig don't agree on much, but they do agree that you currently have too much freedom to buy what you want, when you want, how you want, from wherever you want. What's Really Wrong with Us But just because Bruenig is wrong in her suggested solution doesn't necessarily mean she's off-base in her assessment of the problem. She writes, "Americans appear to be isolated, viciously competitive, suspicious of one another and spiritually shallow; and that we are anxiously looking for some kind of attachment to something real and profound in an age of decreasing trust and regard." Some might argue these are just updated versions of familiar complaints: the "Me Decade" of the Seventies, the alleged greed of the Eighties, the domestic paranoia and facile techno-utopianism of the Nineties. But most of us who love our country, and look around at it, would acknowledge that not everything is as good as we would like, and in fact we're facing some serious problems. A Venn diagram of the Right's diagnosis of America's problems and the Left might have a decent amount of overlap. You can chase your dream, but a lot of people keep picking the same dreams. A couple years ago, Saturday Night Live did a sketch imagining if the Nobel Prize Awards were covered like the Oscars. It was reasonably funny, but also revealing. We can name lots of movie stars, but few inventors or medical researchers. We have long lists of favorite bands, but no lists of favorite diplomats or peacemakers. Across bars, water coolers, and talk radio, Americans debate professional athletics at length, but no one has a fantasy team of philanthropists and innovators. It is unsurprising that people would aspire to a role that is celebrated and applauded and glamorized. When a society celebrates the stars of movies and television shows, pop music, and professional athletics more than any other role, it's not surprising that you'll see overwhelming interest in achieving that role. My suspicion is that a lot of children and teens dream of a role where they'll regularly hear thunderous applause and enjoy overwhelming wealth . . . and then feel a little disappointed when adult life gives them a career in a cubicle, or behind a store counter, or on a construction site. We talk a good game about " the inherent dignity of work " but we don't really practice it. And it's not merely wages. We don't really offer much salute or even respect for the quiet difficult task of getting up every morning, going to work, being courteous to everyone around you, taking care of your family, paying the bills, and just keeping going, even when it feels like drudgery. I'd argue that all too often, our society celebrates those it should denounce and denounces those it should celebrate. Indeed, we do live in an era of "decreasing trust and regard." Some would argue that reflects the growth of a " progressive aristocracy " at the top of the country. When the children of the powerful slide into great opportunities with ease , when having the right political views buys you indulgences with the moral code of our time, when you're literally forgiven for voting a certain way if you're a member of the preferred party , people trust their leaders less and hold them in lower regard. The Joy of 'Fierce Individualism,' and/or Limited Empathy You know what's nice about the "fierce individualism" that Breunig laments? It's a relief not to have to care about some people. That may sound callous to some ears, but honest-to-goodness, all of us have a give-a-hoot credit card, and some people in our lives max out that credit line really fast. You probably know at least one person like this in your own life. They've got a problem, and they're in deep denial about it. They need to get into a twelve-step program. They need to either quit the job and look for a new one, or stop complaining. They gripe about their marriage and/or other important relationships but refuse to do something about it. They fume about slights, insults, indignities, and setbacks that are fairly routine in modern life. They're looking for sympathy and reassurance that none of this is their fault. You probably offered it to them in the beginning, and they liked it, and now they keep coming back, hoping you'll offer more. They really like reveling in their victimhood, and/or being saluted for their martyrdom -- they do so much for everyone, and others take advantage of them so frequently. You gently remind them that there were warning signs, but they aren't interested in discussing that much, and they certainly don't want to change their approach to these problems in the future. Jordan Peterson writes, "Set your house in order before you criticize the world." Fix what's fixable on the personal scale before you set about a grand redesign of human society. Of course, this is frightening and scary. It requires taking a hard look at our own lives and our past decisions. It means admitting we're not as smart and wise as we thought we were. It means committing to changing ourselves, and probably encountering friction in our lives as we stop being the victim. I think this demographic of dysfunctional-and-desperately-avoiding-taking-responsibility is actually overrepresented in the world of politics. I think a lot of people set out to recognize the world because they're avoiding reorganizing their own life. Or they've experienced some setback, disappointment, or heartbreak, and they desperately need a scapegoat. It's too embarrassing or frightening for a young woman to acknowledge she chose to go out with a jerk, so she concludes that he reflects the "toxic masculinity" inherent to all men. The guy who got turned down for a date doesn't want to believe that he came across as a creep, so he concludes she's been "brainwashed by feminism." The fired employee doesn't want to admit he's lazy, so he decides that his old workplace reflected the inherent injustice of capitalism. Your failure to achieve your dreams may reflect an inherent injustice in society. But it probably doesn't. ADDENDA : Over at Newsbusters , Clay Water lays out how the national media insisted primary day represented some great omen for Texas Democrats . . . despite the fact that their "biggest primary turnout in 16 years" was about two-thirds the Republican primary turnout. ADDENDA : The National Review Institute is continuing to hold events in the coming weeks to mark ten years since the passing of William F. Buckley Jr. and celebrate his legacy. The upcoming events will be held March 6th in Dallas, Texas; March 7 th in Houston, Texas; March 27 th in San Francisco, Calif.; March 28 th in Newport Beach, Calif., and April 12 th in Chicago, Ill. Details can be found here . We can always find a good reason to be outraged about some injustice in the world, and we can always point to that injustice as to why we can no longer go about our daily routine. Never mind that attending school and getting an education is the process that's supposed to equip us with the tools we need to bring about the changes that we want to see in the world. The case involved the Trump administration's ability to ignore environmental laws in the construction of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The project had been challenged by several environmental groups and the state of California. "Every human society involves trade-offs. . . . In theory you can avoid wealth disparity through socialism, but collectivism destroys the incentives to create, innovate and work hard, and a corrupt few inevitably rise to the top, creating new wealth disparities. ADDENDA : If companies think that cutting ties to the NRA is going to buy them goodwill or a public relations win, they're completely wrong. A new survey finds that Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Norton Antivirus, Lifelock, MetLife, Alamo, National Car Rental, and SimpliSafe all saw their public opinion decline in the past week. We learned, in recent days, about the police responding 39 times to emergency calls at Cruz's home over a seven-year period. Long before he slaughtered 17 people at the South Florida high school he once attended, Nikolas Cruz had a disturbing way of introducing himself.

If companies think that cutting ties to the NRA is going to buy them goodwill or a public relations win, they're completely wrong. A new survey finds that Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Norton Antivirus, Lifelock, MetLife, Alamo, National Car Rental, and SimpliSafe all saw their public opinion decline in the past week. We learned, in recent days, about the police responding 39 times to emergency calls at Cruz's home over a seven-year period. Long before he slaughtered 17 people at the South Florida high school he once attended, Nikolas Cruz had a disturbing way of introducing himself.

Make no mistake, Terry Crews is a national treasure. Okay, he's at least an internet treasure. Whether appearing on a late night talk show, warping minds in deodorant commercials, or standing up for gender equality, the guy has been making good internet for several years. While I'm sure you haven't forgotten about his domination of the internet, the occasion of Terry Crews' 47th birthday is an ample opportunity to remind you of all the web gifts he's provided us. Get ready for a lot of pectoral action.

Make no mistake, Terry Crews is a national treasure. Whether appearing on a late night talk show, warping minds in deodorant commercials, or standing up for gender equality, the guy has been making good internet for several years.

Rick Perry went on Donald Trump's favorite Fox News show and claimed Trump is "multitasking" during Hurricane Harvey, but in reality Trump is tweeting strange things, attacks, and conspiracy theories. Rick Perry, current secretary of the Department of Energy and former governor of Texas, wants America to know that Donald Trump's bizarre tweeting during Hurricane Harvey is simply evidence that he is "multitasking." Perry appeared on "Fox & Friends," Trump's favorite show on the notoriously pro-Trump Fox News. Perhaps aware that Trump watches the show obsessively and has even taken cues about governing from its shoddy journalism, he took his on-air opportunity to put an unbelievable spin on the response to the storm. Alleging that Trump is "really engaged" in responding to the floods, Perry said Trump is "multitasking" and " a lot of other things going on, as the president of the United States." He added that Trump is "a president who cares about his people greatly." PERRY: The president's really engaged in this. As I've said, been involved with a number of major natural disasters over the course of the years, this president is as engaged -- in a personal way -- as any president that I have had the privilege to work with. He wants to come to Texas, matter of fact, he wanted to come today but he realizes that this is too early. Tomorrow, most likely he'll be at a -- one of the evacuation shelters would be my guess, I don't know that, they'll make that decision I think later in the day. But the president wants to be around some people, let them know that the federal government is a partner in this. We recognize, we respect the state's role in this effort, they're leading this, we're assisting them, we're leaning forward as far as we can in this, but the president is very, very engaged -- he knows exactly what's going on. Interestingly, Brian, he's multitasking at the same time, he's got a lot of other things going on, as the president of the United States that he's dealing with half-way around the world, right here in this country, he's going to be going, I think, Wednesday to do some events on the domestic side, so, this is a president who can multitask, it's a president who cares about his people greatly and we're seeing a reflection of that in his actions. Among the things Trump has "multitasked" since the hurricane started to head toward Texas on Friday is a pardon for his close ally, the criminally racist Joe Arpaio, and a series of self-serving and off-topic tweets about nonsense . Instead of demonstrating leadership, Trump continues to promote conspiracies and settle political scores. Through his Twitter account, interspersed with strangely voyeuristic tweets about the storm as if he were watching an action adventure movie instead of a massive disaster affecting millions of citizens he represents, Trump has also been busy retweeting right-wing pundits and journalists defending him. He has refused to use his role and his online presence to promote fundraising for disaster relief, as his predecessor President Barack Obama has done. Trump has made a natural disaster about him and his ego, as he hawks baseball caps instead of doing his job. He may be "multitasking," as Perry claims, but the different ways in which he is distracting himself are examples of his leadership failure, not something to tout. - Advertisement -

Rick Perry, current secretary of the Department of Energy and former governor of Texas, wants America to know that Donald Trump's bizarre tweeting during Hurricane Harvey is simply evidence that he is "multitasking."

Posted at 4:11 pm on July 31, 2018 by Brett T. Here' The Daily Wire's Ryan Saavedra with another must-see video, this one of an exchange between Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and ICE's Matthew Albence. It seems Hirono was unclear that entering the country illegally was considered breaking the law -- even before President Trump was inaugurated. "I'm Confused": ICE official has to explain to Democrat Senator Mazie Hirono that illegal immigrants break the law. pic.twitter.com/lgM9WhHWco -- Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) July 31, 2018 "I'm confused" should be the Democrats midterm slogan. -- K.V. (@KV8675309) July 31, 2018 "I'm confused." Apparently. Dem Senator doesn't seem to understand that illegal entry is illegal. pic.twitter.com/tzB9WBXVLw -- Caleb Howe (@CalebHowe) July 31, 2018 This is also something only roughly 2% of the media understand. https://t.co/3QKJApYolC -- Mollie (@MZHemingway) July 31, 2018 This is embarrassing and hilarious to watch. https://t.co/2YvshyBeNB -- Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) July 31, 2018 How did she get elected and why is she allowed on this panel? Wow! -- jax kat (@jaxkat4) July 31, 2018 I'm no legal scholar and I could follow that with the first explanation. -- Dana (@danalundon) July 31, 2018 It's nice to know that our law makers know nothing about the laws on the books. https://t.co/kcvysRLhLv -- Walker Vellinga (@walkunamatata) July 31, 2018 Isn't it hilarious when a Senator doesn't understand the law so much that they literally just have to say "I'm confused" and then they need it explained to them? What a joke lol https://t.co/M84R1FHx1j -- Daddy Long Boi (@OfNoTrades) July 31, 2018 Remember: this person was elected as a "legislator." Literally to "legislate" is to, "make or create laws." She may be confused, but her constituents should be outraged and embarrassed. #fireyourself -- Mike Batley (@mbatley1) July 31, 2018 She took an oath to uphold the constitution which she is obviously unfamiliar with! Time for her up step down! -- Kimberly (@KimVanderkelen) July 31, 2018 It's astonishing and embarrassing how these people write our laws and have no idea what they are. I'm sorry but Senator Hirono with all due respect is a moron. What's confusing is how they hold office. -- Xavier (@XavXart) July 31, 2018 A sitting US Senator doesn't know the laws of her own country?? If she doesn't like the law, and the way it is being enforced I suggest she write a bill to change it, and get at least 51 votes in the Senate. Shocker. Immigration isn't the issue. ILLEGAL immigration is. And if you enter illegally, you are...breaking the law. A criminal. https://t.co/0ORmV1yTkp -- (((Jay Lampert))) (@MortChristenson) July 31, 2018 I'm confused by her confusion. https://t.co/saVFcYNw4p -- Pendulumswong (@Pendulumshift) July 31, 2018 This is the caliber of representative government roles when emotion is the motivating factor. It is easy to weed them out if you ask pointed questions. -- Juls (@juliedaisies) July 31, 2018 Thank you Matthew Albence for exposing . @mazieforhawaii unfamiliarity with basic immigration laws. It shows what we've all known; her stance on this issue is based on ignorance, hysterics and hypocrisy. Not a good look for the Senator, specially, for those that voted for her. -- Guido I. Hernandez (@GuidoIHernandez) July 31, 2018 He wasted his time, they don't want to understand. All they want is open borders. -- Color Me Red (@ColorMeRed) July 31, 2018 'NO WORDS'! USA Today opinion piece on fixing illegal immigration should come with "SATIRE" warning https://t.co/WKgVV82B3a -- Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 31, 2018

an exchange between Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and ICE's Matthew Albence. It seems Hirono was unclear that entering the country illegally was considered breaking the law -- even before President Trump was inaugurated.

I've been thinking a lot about my kids this election season. Specifically, I've been thinking about my daughters, one of whom will be old enough to vote in the next presidential election. How will our choice for president affect them -- not just now, but as they reach adulthood? This election isn't just about today, or this year, or even the next four years. Since Congress is still neglecting their Constitutional duty to usher in a new Supreme Court Justice, the next president will assuredly be choosing a Justice to replace Antonin Scalia. And since several of the SCOTUS appointees are close to or into their 80s -- well past the average retirement age for the SCOTUS -- there's a good chance this next president will be nominating others to the court as well. Those appointments will affect my daughters, and I want a Supreme Court that will not limit their options when they are faced with life-changing choices. I personally don't believe in abortion, but I don't believe in outlawing it, either. I've seen the stories of mothers who have had their hands tied by abortion laws be forced -- or have their babies be forced -- to endure unnecessary pain and suffering. I've read all of the statistics and come to the understanding that making abortion illegal doesn't change abortion rates -- it just makes it more dangerous. I understand that if we want to see fewer abortions, we need to make contraception universally accessible and affordable for everyone, which a right-leaning SCOTUS most certainly will not do. As conservative as I am in my personal beliefs about abortion, I'm not so blind as to see that a more liberal-leaning Supreme Court will do more to reduce abortion rates and be more beneficial to women in general. A Trump presidency will mean a SCOTUS that places ideology over common sense and will send us backwards when we need to be moving forward. I also think about my daughters when I look at the candidates' family leave policies. I really don't know what Trump is thinking, proposing six weeks of paid leave only to mothers . Not only does that plan neglect the needs of fathers and adoptive parents -- along with the need of mothers to have a helping hand during the postpartum period -- it also makes women less valuable in the workplace. If a company is deciding between hiring a man or a woman, who has the advantage? A woman who is going to take six weeks off every time she has a baby? Or a man, who likely won't take much time off at all if he has kids because he's not going to receive the paid time off? We are living in the 21 st century, when women are competitive in the workplace and men take a more active role in child-rearing. Only offering paid leave to mothers feels like a tiny step forward combined with a huge step backward. I don't want my daughters to fight battles that we and our predecessors already fought for them. Hillary's plan of 12 paid weeks for mothers and fathers would set a precedent that my daughters would greatly benefit from when they start their own families. It's time we crawled out of last place among developed nations when it comes to family leave policies and show that we take our purported family values seriously. Finally, I think about the person my daughters will be seeing in the most powerful position on the planet. Do I want them to see a woman who has the governmental experience to back up the title of President of the United States, who has worked in public service for 40 years, who's had her name drug through the mud and handled it with grace, and who has an articulate and detailed plan for our country's future? Or do I want them to see a billionaire businessman who has no governing experience whatsoever, who spews insults constantly but can't take them without whining, who lies so often that the man himself was named Politifact's Lie of the Year , and whose plans for America are largely focused on xenophobic rhetoric? Before you jump in with, "But Killary is the worst! She's a corrupt lying murderer!" please read this post on Clinton and Trump , follow the links, look at the sources, and examine the possibility that your assessment of Hillary might not be entirely informed by fact. To me, for my daughters, the choice is clear. If we want to move forward when it comes to gender equality and women's rights, if we want a world where our daughters will have more options, we simply can't afford a President Trump.

To me, for my daughters, the choice is clear. If we want to move forward when it comes to gender equality and women's rights, if we want a world where our daughters will have more options, we simply can't afford a President Trump.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Published in the March 2013 issue, on sale any day now The AR-15 rifle is an object of undeniable, fascinating beauty. Force glows from its perfect black frame. Its substantial weight is more than physical; it's emotional, historical. Built in the same factory as Remington, which has been building rifles for nearly two hundred years, the Bushmaster is a quintessentially American object. Other countries tend to treat guns as tools, which policy can deal with on the level of their functionality. In America, guns are works of art. They must be treated as such. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Instagram: @scottdrumsfast, @getwiththerealshitjeremy, @sydneymaring, @charlesdoyle06, @beccalynn66, @mbbarlow10, @mistarathor, @kcmeyers101, @casejess In America, some kids get AR-15's on Christmas morning and some kids get bulletproof backpacks. The sales of both have spiked since Newtown. It's a good time to be in the kill-or-be-killed business. In the crisis of conscience brought on by Newtown, many people who should have known better resumed the pathetic mid-nineties debate about the culture of violence in America. The New York Times brought up the (tepid, insubstantial) connection between video games and gun manufacturers. President Obama chimed in his support a week after the massacre. So did representatives of the NRA. They never quote any studies, for the simple reason that no serious studies support them. Young men in South Korea and in Canada play more violent games than American kids and they commit nowhere near the same num-ber of gun murders. In the largest study of the correlation between movie violence and real violence, conducted at Berkeley in 2007, the researchers found no causal link between violent movies and violence on the streets. But what they did find was that violent movies actually led to a decrease in the number of violent crimes committed nationally on the days they were shown. Only vapid, ahistorical understandings of culture believe that the culture of our own period is uniquely violent, anyway. Shakespeare competed with bearbaiting and public hangings for entertainments; King Lear has an onstage eye-gouging; Titus Andronicus reenacts cannibalism. The culture of violence is general; it belongs to all times and all places. But the culture of the gun is uniquely American and of the moment. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Advertisement - Continue Reading Below TJ's Custom Gunworks At PinkGun.com , you can customize your firearm. Hello Kitty! Guns are one of the primary avenues by which ordinary Americans experience beauty. Nobody wants to recognize this fact. Why else would Instagram be loaded on Christmas Day with people in their Christmas-morning jammies showing off the semiautomatic rifles Santa left under the tree? Why else would there be PinkGun.com (its motto: Just because it's concealed doesn't mean it has to be ugly)? Guns have replaced cars as the American machinery fantasy of choice. Just as there is no sensible reason for owning a car with 1,001 horsepower and a top speed of 253 mph, as Jay-Z does, even the most casual examination of a gun like the AR-15 reveals its uselessness in the real world, its status as a fetish object. The .223 ammunition that Adam Lanza used to murder children isn't powerful enough to hunt deer, one reason it's illegal for hunting in some states, for humane considerations. Protection in the home? Houses with guns in them are statistically far less safe than houses without guns. As a safeguard against a tyrannical government? How long do you think the best armed militia would last against a single company of Marines? Advertisement - Continue Reading Below The Left, for its part, steadfastly refuses to acknowledge the beauty of guns or their reality as an aesthetic phenomenon. Since Newtown in particular, gun owners have been stereotyped horribly -- as selfish hicks and rubes and/or lunatics. The NRA has been made out to be some nefarious and secretive force whose dark tentacles stretch like the black hand throughout Washington. Nonsense. The source of the NRA's power is describing the positions of the politicians in question. The electorate does the rest. American household gun ownership is estimated at 40 percent. In the past five years alone, 1.5 million AR-15's have been manufactured. The culture of the gun does not consist of a bunch of "nuts." Its aesthetic is nearly as broad as possible, rich and poor, north and south. In the Renaissance epic poem Orlando Furioso, the noble hero warrior throws a gun into the sea; for the knights of old, the gun represented the end of martial virtue, of nobles facing each other man against man. But the New World is not like the Old. In the New World, the peasants can shoot the lords. That's the whole idea, the substance of the revolution. The possession of a gun has always stood for independence, for the democratic spirit, for a country where anyone with a little property (the Bushmaster AR-15 goes for about a grand) can have literally the most powerful force on earth, to take life both in the wilderness and in society. James Victore Botto/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Jasques Lacan taught us why we like tall buildings, fast cars, and bulky cigars. Guns are also the world's most obvious phallic symbol. Bushmaster (note the name) pulled an ad after Newtown that said, "Consider your man card reissued." Jacques Lacan, the great French psychoanalyst of the 1950s, defined phallic symbols as a reaction to the threat of castration. The possibility of phallic privation is what causes the flight into symbolism. That's just a fancy way of explaining why guys who drive Lamborghinis have small cocks. It also explains why the simple passing of legislation will inevitably be counterproductive. Lacan understood it: You buy a gun because you're threatened that they're going to deny you one. It makes perfect sense to me, too. Whenever any government bans a book or a movie, I buy it immediately, on principle. It's my right. And the idea of the government keeping tabs on who has what book fills my soul with cries of "death to tyrants." Politically, 2013 will be a year consumed by legislative struggles to define what limits, if any, are going to be placed on guns in American life. These debates, even if they result in new laws, are mostly irrelevant. Only a groundswell from the masses of gun lovers, from those who understand the beauty of guns, will bring the necessary change. The gun is no longer a phallic replacement for individuals, but for an entire culture, an entire political world, that is collapsing -- a world in which masculinity and freedom were easy to understand. That simplicity has vanished. A black man is president. Working-class factory jobs are falling away. More women are moving up the corporate ladder. You don't need a French psychoanalyst to tell you that guns are disproportionately owned by aging white men. James Victore Scott Harrison/Retna LTD/Corbis Ted Nugent really loves his guns. The horrors of the Newtown massacre may well transform the AR-15 from a symbol of health and strength and community spirit into one of sickness and weakness and isolation, but it will take a true transformation of the spirit. Such broad cultural changes aren't unprecedented. One interesting case is the defeat of crack cocaine, which has slowly disappeared from urban America. Not because of the tens of billions of dollars spent on the war on drugs, which has resulted only in drugs becoming cheaper and more accessible than ever. But because it became clear that smoking crack was the same as committing suicide. Crack evolved from a sign of pleasure to one of death. The same transformation may well happen with assault weapons. Less than a week after Newtown, Walmart stopped promoting the AR-15 in online ads and the Discovery Channel canceled American Guns and Ted Nugent's Gun Country. Since neither do anything out of the goodness of their hearts, we can assume they believe the appetite for weapons is declining. The president's comment from 2008 that rural people were clinging to guns was tasteless, offensive even, but that doesn't mean it's not true. The deeper point is this: We're all clinging to something. What can we find to cling to that isn't machinery of death?

The culture of the gun does not consist of a bunch of "nuts." Its aesthetic is nearly as broad as possible, rich and poor, north and south.

Anthony Bourdain, the famous TV chef and presenter, and writer died from an apparent suicide early Friday. The 61-year-old would be remembered by most as the host of the CNN program "Parts Unknown," since in death the world often attempts to whitewash the sociopolitical views of most people especially "celebrities." Bourdain took his viewers on progressivism, politics, and gastronomy on a worldwide tour-de-force with his TV show and writing. The show often highlighted meals prepared in the comfort of people's home restaurants, a roundup of cuisine that the New Yorker described as being "a communion with a foreign culture so unmitigated that it feels practically intravenous." But his travels for these unique gastronomic adventures served as a just a vehicle for him to tackle other issues via conversation and confrontation. Bourdain visited Gaza in one episode, showcasing local Palestinian food and life under Israeli occupation. Upon receiving a Muslim Public Affairs Council award, he said, "the world has visited many terrible things on the Palestinian people, none more shameful than robbing them of their basic humanity." While filming in Iran, Bourdain said, "I am so confused. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Of all of the places, of all the countries, all the years of traveling, it's here in Iran that I am greeted most warmly by total strangers," Africa Is A Country also praised Bourdain, saying that "he did right by Africans in his TV programs." During his South African episode, he focused on "predominantly urban black South African sensibilities in Gauteng, rather than the pre-packaged, proto-European sensibilities of Cape Town and the Western Cape." Bourdain's profile began to take off after the publication of his article "Don't Eat Before Reading This" in the New Yorker in 1999. It was later developed into the New York Times bestselling book "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly." His articles and essays have been published extensively, including in The Observer, Esquire (UK), The Face, Maxim, Gourmet, Scotland on Sunday and elsewhere. Bourdain championed savory, high-quality prepared food in developing and under-developed countries, compared to fast food chains trying to, or already having, a foothold in those places. He also focused on varietal bits and unused animal parts that are so often discarded in the United States. He regarded immigrant chefs as being the foundation for the present-day American restaurant industry, despite being underpaid and unrecognized. In that vein, he supported the restaurant and fast-food workers mobilizing for a living wage. "Because as it is now, most restaurant people cannot afford to eat in their own restaurants. It would be laughable. I never had health insurance for almost all of my career." In 2017, Bourdain also became an outspoken advocate against sexual harassment in the restaurant industry and Hollywood following the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

But his travels for these unique gastronomic adventures served as a just a vehicle for him to tackle other issues via conversation and confrontation.

Aphra Behn, first female professional writer. Sojourner Truth, activist and abolitionist. Ada Lovelace, first computer programmer. Marie Curie, first woman to win the Nobel Prize. Joan Jett, godmother of punk. The 100 revolutionary women highlighted in this gorgeously illustrated book were bad in the best sense of the word: they challenged the status quo and changed the rules for all who followed. From pirates to artists, warriors, daredevils, scientists, activists, and spies, the accomplishments of these incredible women vary as much as the eras and places in which they effected change. From author and illustrator Ann Shen, Bad Girls Throughout History celebrates 100 remarkable women who broke the rules to change the world. With vivid illustrations and compelling essays, this book is the ultimate collection of badass women to inspire you in your own life. Enter for a Chance to Win a Copy of Bad Girls Throughout History . Embrace your inner bad girl! Learn about the amazing things women have done throughout history to make the world a better place for all other women who followed. In today's political climate, this is more important than ever! Bad Girls Throughout History Giveaway No purchase necessary to enter or win. All applicants must be at least 18 years old. Void where prohibited by law. Individual email addresses will be counted as one applicant regardless ofnumber of entries. Prize delivery, is the sole responsibility of the advertiser. BUST magazine is not responsible for loss, breakage, failure of receipt, replacement and/or product similarity todescription of prize items. Item carries no warranty or guarantee. All entries must be received by Midnight of the following Thursday from announcement of contest. Emails entered will be made available to the contest sponsor only, and will not be sold to third parties for use of any kind.Winner must reply to confirmation of prize award within 7 days of notification from BUST. Failure to comply with this deadline may result in forfeiture of the prize and selection of an alternate winner. Rafaella is a graduate of The New School, where she majored in journalism and minored in gender studies. She's passionate about feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, combatting online harassment, and ending herpes stigma. Visit her website: ellagunz.com

Embrace your inner bad girl! Learn about the amazing things women have done throughout history to make the world a better place for all other women who followed. In today's political climate, this is more important than ever!

Much has changed since Gerson Sher traveled to Yugoslavia to research his dissertation amid the political and intellectual ferment of the late 1960s. For one thing, the idiosyncratic country that captured his imagination no longer exists . Nor does Praxis , the group of Marxist humanist philosophers Sher studied. But this is not the only reason he responds warily to a request for an interview: "I am appalled," he says, "that you should be interested in Praxis at this time." Why? After all, according to the Harvard political theorist Seyla Benhabib, "the name Praxis has a distinguished history. It was used by dissidents against Stalinism and identified with the project of democratic socialism." Sher's dissertation, later published as Praxis: Marxist Criticism and Dissent in Socialist Yugoslavia (Indiana, 1977), explored what seemed a promising strain of humanist thought emerging from the University of Zagreb and the University of Belgrade. In the 1960s and 1970s, a glittering roster of Western intellectuals attended the Praxis group's yearly retreats on the Adriatic island of Korcula: Jurgen Habermas, A.J. Ayer, Norman Birnbaum, Lucien Goldmann, and Herbert Marcuse were just a few of those who gathered around the Yugoslav group and served on the editorial board of its eponymous journal. Strange, then, that today the term "Praxis" and the names of some of its leaders are just as often associated with the notoriously anti-humanist rhetoric of Serbian nationalism and the murderous politics of Slobodan Milosevic. History, the Praxists urged, "is made neither by objective forces nor dialectical laws; it is made instead by people, who act to transform their world within the limits of historical possibilities." So wrote Sher in 1977. In the precarious decade to follow, the Praxis philosophers would indeed transform their world. But the way they did so was not, at that time, imaginable to academics in the West. Who could have known that one of the Praxis philosophers would later become vice president of Milosevic's party -- and its chief ideologue during the Bosnian war? Or that another member, once a passionate critic of nationalism, would sign a 1996 petition calling for the Hague to drop war-crimes charges against the brutal Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, whom the petition dubbed "the true leader of all Serbs"? Not all of the Praxists followed their leaders down the dark road of Serbian nationalism. The Croatian members cleaved to their humanist principles through the bloodiest years of the Yugoslav wars. And in Serbia, some of the most courageous and lonely expressions of dissent have come from former Praxists and their students. The fault lines along which not only Praxis but the Yugoslav nation would later splinter were invisible to the group's foreign admirers back in the 1960s. After all, to progressives abroad, Tito's Yugoslavia stood for something uniquely inspiring: Not only was it less authoritarian than the Eastern-bloc countries, but Tito had adopted a uniquely ambitious program of worker self-management that promised to help Yugoslavia realize the most utopian Marxist project any country had yet attempted. To the extent the Praxis group spoke of nationalism, it was to oppose it as an atavistic threat to the universalistic principles of humanism and Marxism. The region's grim history and simmering internal rivalries were the last thing on anyone's mind. Norman Birnbaum, now a law professor at Georgetown University, explains, "When we went to Yugoslavia at that time, we did think the nationality question had been solved. It was the Titoist truce, or illusion, or parenthesis." Croatian-born historian Branka Magas puts it differently. The Western leftists who took up with Praxis as late as the 1980s and early 1990s, she says, "never really saw Yugoslavia. They saw self-management. They only saw the country through the lens of what interested them." Looking back on Yugoslavia during the Tito years, writes Tim Judah in The Serbs: History, Myth, and the Destruction of Yugoslavia (Yale, 1997), one "cannot fail to be struck by just how inconsequential some of the great debates of the past have turned out to be." Indeed, it might seem today that Marxist humanism and self-management were just a couple of blind alleys off the highway to Sarajevo. But when Praxis coalesced around these concerns in the 1960s, they looked for all the world like the yellow brick road to a utopia where democracy would at last nourish socialism. It was time for the communist bureaucracies that had ossified in Eastern Europe to give way, the Marxist humanists argued, and let a dynamic, participatory socialism flower. At its inception, the philosophical journal Praxis was merely the successor to Pogledi, a political journal issued from Croatia's capital, Zagreb, in the 1950s. Pogledi was a casualty of state interference: It lasted only three years. Chief among the defunct journal's contributors had been the University of Zagreb sociologist Rudi Supek, who participated in the French Resistance as an emigre during World War II and later led an underground prisoners' organization when he was interned at Buchenwald; and the University of Zagreb philosopher Gajo Petrovic, a Serb from Croatia who gravitated toward the early Marx, existentialism, and Heidegger. Birnbaum remembers, "Supek and Petrovic were impressive for their moral rigor, their utter disdain of careerism. They were people you loved to be around." From the ashes of Pogledi, Supek, Petrovic, and their colleagues went on to start their summer school on Korcula in 1963 and a new journal, Praxis, in 1964. The group that formed around these ventures consisted of a close-knit circle of friends and colleagues -- some from Supek's and Petrovic's departments at the University of Zagreb and another eight from the philosophy department at the University of Belgrade. The philosophers published their new journal in a Serbo-Croat Yugoslav edition and in a multilingual international edition. And its editorial collective adopted an agenda that was more unified than anything Pogledi had ever set forth: The Praxis group advocated freedom of speech and of the press, and they believed that Stalinist authoritarianism had to be redressed in practice and rooted out of Marxist theory itself. To this end, they prescribed a return to Marx's romantic early writings, particularly the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844. Marx's more influential later work would emphasize the iron laws of historical determinism. But the 1844 Manuscripts waxed lyrical about the creative potential of human activity, through which man might realize his "species being." This orientation was hardly a Yugoslav invention. If anything, the Praxists took their cue from neighboring Hungary, where Georg Lukacs had amassed a following of like-minded dissidents. Like Lukacs, the Praxists were captivated by the early Marx's theory of alienation. In an ordinary capitalist or a Stalinist socialist society, man was alienated from himself by the commodification of his labor and by the overweening power of a small, privileged class and its institutions. A utopian Marxist society, the Praxists imagined, would overcome that alienation; it would unleash human creativity -- or "praxis" -- by doing away with the ruling class through self-management. The workers would directly control not only their workplaces but also social and cultural institutions -- even local political parties and governing bodies. The state, given enough time, would of its own accord "wither away," just as Marx had predicted. Yugoslavia, despite Tito's bold initiatives, fell far short of this ideal. In Yugoslavia's hybrid economy, the much-touted self-managing enterprises were exposed to market pressures, on the one hand, and capricious state control, on the other. Regional oligarchies took root: In the end, local power brokers manipulated and ignored workers' councils in much the way managers do everywhere. But the Praxists saw these problems as evidence that self-management had not gone far enough. They were at once self-management's most passionate exponents abroad and the Yugoslav system's fiercest internal critics. That Tito tolerated Praxis at all is remarkable. Virtually no other Communist country, with the possible exception of Hungary, allowed as much vocal dissent as Yugoslavia did in Tito's day. But there were limits to Tito's tolerance. At a philosophy faculty meeting in 1967, Ljubomir Tadic, a Praxis philosopher at the University of Belgrade, instigated a particularly perilous game of chicken with the authorities. In the antiauthoritarian spirit of Praxis, Tadic publicly criticized the constitutional provision that allowed Tito to remain in office for longer than his eight-year mandate. When the renegade professor came under government investigation, the faculty stood united behind him, and he was permitted to keep his job. With the enthusiastic support of the Belgrade Praxists, student demonstrations convulsed the University of Belgrade in June 1968. The students protested their poor living conditions and demanded an end to authoritarianism, unemployment, and, for good measure, the Vietnam War. Local Serbian authorities urged Tito to send military troops onto the Belgrade campus. After all, it was that same summer that Soviet tanks would put an end to popular protests in Prague. But unlike his ham-fisted counterparts in Moscow, Tito deployed a feline cunning to dispense with his foes. In a televised appeal, he proclaimed himself deeply sympathetic to the activists' concerns. In fact, he said, it was only Yugoslavia's bureaucracy that stood in the way of the agenda he and the students shared. If the bureaucrats did not allow him to meet these students' demands, he declared, he would resign. Of course, the demands were not met, and Tito did not resign. In fact, only two weeks after he gave this speech, he urged the University of Belgrade to dismiss its Praxis philosophers on the grounds that they were "corrupting" students. The plight of those philosophers, known as the Belgrade 8, became a matter of international concern. That summer was particularly memorable at Korcula. Richard Bernstein, now a political philosopher at the New School for Social Research, recalls, "Everybody who was a significant leftist, in the East or in the West, came to the 1968 meeting. All the leaders of the student movements in Germany, Eastern Europe, and the United States were there." But even as the editorial boards of Praxis and the New Left Review sunned themselves on the beaches of Korcula, the Belgrade 8 held on to their jobs by a slender thread. Throughout this period, the Yugoslav government was undergoing a subtle but significant shift. From the end of World War II until 1966, Tito's main challenge had been to consolidate his unwieldy multinational state. Even within his inner circle, debates raged over whether Yugoslavia's six constituent republics -- Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia -- should be granted greater autonomy or tethered more firmly to a central authority. History had taught that in the Balkans one ignored these questions at one's peril: The short-lived first Yugoslavia (1918-1941) opted for a rigid centralism; the state was governed by a Serbian monarchy and the country's military, culture, and politics were overwhelmingly dominated by Serbs. Throughout those years of oppression, Croatia smoldered with resentments -- and during World War II, the latent animosities exploded. Under fascist leadership, Croatia pursued a genocidal campaign against Serbs as well as Jews. The savagery of the killings shocked even German SS officers stationed in the Balkans. With this history in mind, Tito's regime walked a fine line between a strong central state, which was by and large favored by Serbs, and a loose confederation of republics, which was generally favored by Croats and Slovenes. Centralism prevailed in the early postwar years, but momentum started to build in the other direction in the mid-1960s. A new set of constitutional arrangements slowly took shape, offering greater autonomy to each republic. But this did not appease those who favored a looser confederation. A Croatian nationalist movement was born of the sentiment that the reforms of the late 1960s had not gone far enough. Among the activists' grievances was that Croatia, which was more industrialized and generally wealthier than Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia, carried more than its share of Yugoslavia's economic burden. Extremists advocated Croatian secession. Students, intellectuals, and even local Communist authorities gathered around a Croatian cultural society called Matica Hrvatska until Tito disbanded the group, purged its participants from political life, and arrested student leaders. Watching the growing nationalist militancy of their fellow Croatian academics, the Zagreb Praxists were horrified. And for this very reason, Tito suddenly found these Praxists indispensable: After all, nationalism was a greater threat to the fragile nation than Marxist critique would ever be, and the members of the Zagreb group were outspoken and eloquent against the greater evil. So even while the Belgrade Praxists, who were associated with student unrest, appealed to the international community for protection, their Zagreb counterparts, who were associated with the fight against Croatian nationalism, continued their work in peace. Against this backdrop, Praxis published a special issue on nationalism in 1968. It was the high tide of the journal's resistance to the politics of ethnic identity. In one essay, Ljubomir Tadic, himself a Bosnian Serb, argued that nationalism contradicted the very notion of universal humanity. In place of justice, the nationalist asserts the right of the strong to dominate the weak and the power of violence to resolve conflict. "One quickly forgets," Tadic wrote, "that Serbian and Croatian nationalisms ... have remained militant, despotic ideologies that lack political and cultural creativity in all their forms." Where social justice and political liberty were in decline, Tadic theorized, nationalism would emerge ascendant. But socialist Yugoslavia had demonstrated "the superiority of proletarian class-consciousness over nationalist consciousness, [and] the advantage of democratic unity over imposed unity or forced disintegration." Other contributors were equally impassioned. Danko Grlic, a Croat, vividly evoked the irrationality of nationalism. Once unleashed, he warned, it would be impervious to logic: "You do not reason or theorize about the nation; for the nation you only struggle and die; you love the nation as the flesh of your flesh, as the essence of your being, drinking it with your mother's milk; it is body and blood ..." The Praxis philosophers were at once the Yugoslav system's most passionate exponents abroad and its fiercest internal critics. Issue of Praxis, 1970. Otvoreni Magazine. The allegiance of Praxis to a united Yugoslavia seemed clear enough. But given the ever present threat of government censorship, there was little that Yugoslav intellectuals published in those years that was completely transparent. The Zagreb philosopher Zarko Puhovski, the youngest Praxist by about twenty years, says that the group's disputes over politics and ideology were often disguised as conversations about less controversial questions of aesthetics or ontology. "One kind of debate functioned as a replacement for other kinds of debate," he recalls. This was particularly evident when Puhovski himself edited a special issue of Praxis in 1973. He received a submission from the well-known Serbian novelist Dobrica Cosic. It was a short piece that argued that true socialism was not possible in an unenlightened society and that faith in the people -- of which Cosic claimed to have little -- was the "last refuge for our historically defeated hopes." Which people and what hopes? The article did not specify. But Puhovski detected a disturbing nationalist message all the same. Nor was he impressed with the article's argument or its rigor: "I had the junior approach of believing that philosophy and sociology were specialized fields," he recounts with a touch of sarcasm. "I didn't think Cosic's piece was up to the level. It was bad nationalist propaganda." He turned it down. His elders chided him that he simply did not understand how important a figure Cosic was. Cosic was best known as the author of Yugoslavia's most celebrated Partisan war novel, Far Away Is the Sun (1950), in which a company of Partisan soldiers affirm their commitment to Yugoslavism and Communism by executing a Serbian nationalist in their midst. But Cosic's colors had begun to change: In 1968 he had been expelled from the Central Committee for accusing the regime of fostering Albanian separatism in Kosovo. Even so, he would not be widely considered a nationalist writer until the late 1970s and early 1980s, when he published a series of novels that explicitly addressed Serbian history and grievances. At that time, he cut such a distinguished figure in Belgrade that he was frequently called the father of the Serbian nation. As the 1973 issue of Praxis neared press time, Puhovski was on his own: the editorial board split seven to one in Cosic's favor. The appearance of nationalist tensions within the Praxis group was a harbinger of tensions that would soon spread across the country. Years later, when war raged in Kosovo, American newspapers would plug 1989, the year Milosevic revoked Kosovo's autonomy, as the beginning of the end of Yugoslavia. But many Serbs would say the country's fate was sealed as early as 1974. That was the year a controversial revision of the Yugoslav constitution went into effect, devolving broader powers than ever before to the six republics and granting full autonomy to two provinces within the republic of Serbia: Kosovo and Vojvodina. Since the Serbs were scattered across the republics -- more than a million lived in Bosnia and at least 500,000 in Croatia -- these constitutional reforms were to feed a growing sense of grievance among the Serbs. In Belgrade, two strains of protest greeted the 1974 constitution. A student strike seized the university campus in the name of Marxist ideals: Where, the students asked, were the pan-Yugoslav interests of the working class reflected in this new constitution? The students feared that the reform, with its emphasis on divisions among the republics, would weaken Yugoslavia's socialist unity by opening a Pandora's box of ethnic grievances and demands. As if to prove the students right, other critics of the constitution, including Dobrica Cosic, protested that it unfairly disempowered the Serbs. In subsequent years, Serbian nationalists would bitterly complain that Tito's policy had been "A weak Serbia is a strong Yugoslavia." But why shouldn't it have been? Of the country's six official nations, the Serbs were far and away the most populous, outnumbering the Croats two to one. If multinational Yugoslavia's culture and politics were to be governed by majority rule, the country would not survive: The non-Serb populations had strongly developed national identities and long, distinct histories of their own. Not only that, but they occupied more compact territories than did the Serbs. If they felt overly dominated, they could be tempted to secede. So Tito restrained the potentially overweening influence of the Serbs by dividing Yugoslavia into territorial units and constantly readjusting the internal balance of power. Today, some critics blame the constitution of 1974 for the growth of nationalist movements in Croatia and Slovenia. More likely, it was a response to the nationalist movements that were already stirring. In any case, the most scathing criticism was leveled by the Serb nationalists: The new constitution rested on a double standard. If Yugoslavia's units of political participation were its ethnic groups, or "constituent nations," then the Serbs in Bosnia and Croatia, who were represented by Muslim and Croatian leadership, respectively, went unrepresented. But if the units were territorial, then why was Serbia the only republic whose territory included autonomous provinces over which it had little control? The truth was very simple: in multinational Yugoslavia, Tito had deliberately redistributed power from the strong to the weak. And if his belief really was that a strong Yugoslavia required a weak Serbia, perhaps he was not mistaken. Much later, in 1989, when Milosevic finally did enforce Serbian control of its provinces, Serbia emerged strong -- and Yugoslavia fell to pieces. The terrible irony in all of this is that the geographically dispersed Serbs may have benefited more than anyone from the years of Serbia's weakness. For of all the Yugoslav nations, only the Serbs needed a unified Yugoslavia more than it needed them. If 1974 marked the beginning of Yugoslavia's national crisis, it also augured the end of the Praxis group's legal existence. Tito purged the Belgrade 8 from the university the following year. The six-year-long struggle between the state and the professors had simply exhausted itself. Not only were the Belgrade 8 suspended from teaching, but the journal Praxis was also banned. This time, the protests of American academics (including Daniel Bell, Noam Chomsky, and Stanley Hoffman) fell on deaf ears. For more than a decade, the Belgrade 8 -- Mihailo Markovic, Svetozar Stojanovic, Ljubomir Tadic, Zagorka Golubovic, Dragoljub Micunovic, Miladin Zivotic, Nebojsa Popov, and Trivo Indjic -- wandered the globe, accepting visiting professorships abroad and meeting secretly in Belgrade. Only Indjic accepted the government's offer of a low-profile post at an institute. The others insisted on nothing less than a full return to the University of Belgrade, which was not forthcoming. Markovic, the group's best-known member abroad, took a part-time philosophy post at the University of Pennsylvania. Stojanovic taught at Berkeley and at the University of Kansas. Meanwhile, in Zagreb, the situation was slightly less dire. "There were pressures," remembers Zarko Puhovski. "I couldn't publish for two years. But it was nothing remotely like the situation in Belgrade." The rest of the 1970s and the early 1980s were disappointing years for the Belgrade 8. They organized what they called the Free University, which mostly consisted of seminars held in private homes, but they could not advertise these meetings, and they were constantly on guard for police interruption. At least one Free University session convened at the novelist Dobrica Cosic's house. Neither a Marxist nor a philosopher, Cosic was a personal friend and shadowy influence on the Praxis group although never an actual member. In the 1980s, his ties to Praxis pulled tighter; but to what extent the Praxists already shared his incipient nationalism remains a mystery. Cosic collaborated with Tadic on two projects in the early 1980s: One, a proposed journal that would criticize bureaucracy and champion freedom of expression, was immediately suppressed by the government; the other, a petition against censorship laws, was also swiftly defeated. The government press denounced Cosic and his Praxis friends as "hardened nationalists and open advocates of a multi-party system," but the group continued to convene as a committee to promote freedom of expression. Meanwhile, Yugoslavia had gone into a deep economic slump: Foreign debt had skyrocketed to $19 billion, unemployment was up to 17.5 percent, inflation topped 120 percent, and the standard of living precipitously declined. The Yugoslav experiment no longer enjoyed the prestige in the West it once had. And in 1980, Tito's death left the rickety multinational structure leaderless and volatile. In Kosovo, the Albanian majority, which was largely poor, uneducated, and powerless, had grown restive. The Albanians had never had the status of Yugoslavia's other "constituent nations": Tito's regime reasoned that because there was an Albanian homeland outside Yugoslavia, they should be considered a "national minority" instead. The Kosovars countered that fully 40 percent of the world's Albanian population resided in Yugoslavia. Demonstrations swept the province in 1981, demanding first and foremost that Kosovo be granted the status of a republic, including the right to secede. The movement reached a fever pitch: Serbs and Montenegrins were attacked and threatened, Orthodox holy sites were desecrated, and some activists began to call for secession and union with Albania. Yugoslav police squelched the riots, imposing a state of martial law whose severity scandalized Croatian and Slovenian intellectuals. A great many Albanians languished as political prisoners in Kosovo's jails. Meanwhile, the province's Serb minority felt increasingly scapegoated and threatened. "The question of ethnicity was irrelevant," recalls Seyla Benhabib. "They were all Yugoslavs, to us outsiders, it wasn't even like asking, 'are you Italian American or Irish American?' It was more like asking, 'are you Bavarian or from Berlin?'" Josip Broz Tito in cesar Haile Selassie v Ljubljani, August 19, 1959. Wikimedia With Praxis driven underground, the Korcula summer school, needless to say, was long since over. But something new had begun: The Inter-University Center, in the majestic Croatian city of Dubrovnik, was an international institution that sponsored conferences and short courses run by intellectuals from all over the world. Because it was not managed by Yugoslavs, it was relatively free from government interference. Once again, prominent Western leftists crossed the Adriatic. One of the Praxists approached Jurgen Habermas about teaching a course in Dubrovnik as a way of reviving the spirit of Korcula. The revered German philosopher and heir to the Frankfurt School returned to Yugoslavia with Richard Bernstein to co-teach a course in 1979. The Praxis group, however dispirited, reconvened in Dubrovnik, where it encountered a new set of sympathetic leftists from the West. Seyla Benhabib remembers that she went to Dubrovnik in 1979 in order to get to know Bernstein and Habermas. That she also encountered the Praxis group was merely a happy accident. All she knew about the Praxists' activities at that time was that "they had been expelled and gone into the opposition." It was in Dubrovnik that Habermas, Bernstein, and German philosopher Albrecht Wellmer hatched a plan to revive the Praxis journal that had so interested them in the 1960s. To provide the disfranchised dissidents with a new, international forum for their work could only do the cause of democratic socialism good, the Western philosophers figured. Together with Markovic and Stojanovic, they launched Praxis International in 1981. The new journal attempted to pick up where the old one had left off but with a less Yugoslav focus: It included many Praxis -style theoretical essays on Marxism and, as the 1980s wore on, it covered Eastern European countries in transition. Produced mostly in the United States and published by Blackwell, the journal was far more eclectic than the first Praxis had been: Contributions in the late 1980s and early 1990s addressed the political thought of Cornel West, the relationship between feminism and socialism, and other topics of general interest to left-leaning intellectuals. By this time, Mihailo Markovic was clearly the Yugoslav group's leader, and he came to play a crucial role in the revived journal. A fluent English speaker, he was gregarious, cosmopolitan, and urbane. Both his anti-Stalinist and his antifascist credentials were impeccable: He had fought in Tito's Partisan army during World War II and prided himself on extending aid to Yugoslav Jews. In his philosophical work, Markovic emphasized Marx's commitment to human dignity, freedom, and self-realization. Bernstein and Markovic became close friends over the course of their joint stewardship of the journal. David Crocker, a philosopher at the University of Maryland and the author of Praxis and Democratic Socialism: The Critical Social Theory of Markovic and Stojanovic (1983), also came to consider Markovic a personal friend. Only Andrew Arato, a professor of sociology at the New School, had an instinctive dislike for the elder Serb. Markovic reminded him of an apparatchik. "He was clearly an authoritarian personality. I remember once he kept me outside in a snowstorm for forty minutes, trying to convince me that political parties were a bad thing," Arato says with a laugh. "He wouldn't let me in the restaurant -- as if by the sheer force of his personality, he would persuade me that democracy didn't need to work through parties." Other Belgrade Praxists, he says, were very much in Markovic's thrall. "But when they were not together with Mihailo, one could talk to them about everything. They were more flexible and more Western." Of the Zagreb Praxists, very few of the old-timers were enthusiastic about the Belgrade group's new publishing venture. Zagreb's elder statesmen, Rudi Supek and Gajo Petrovic, attended the first meeting. Supek was amenable to the new journal; but Petrovic felt strongly that the name Praxis should not be used. Praxis, Petrovic argued, connoted a joint Belgrade-Zagreb publication, whose international component came at the Yugoslavs' invitation. This new journal, however, was to be published in English and dominated by Belgraders and Americans. It was international before it was Yugoslav, and for this reason, he insisted, it should have a new name and a new identity. Perhaps Petrovic also sensed that his Belgrade colleagues had changed and that political consensus was a thing of the past. If he did, he did not say so. Praxis International 's American editors were not particularly perturbed that, with the exception of Supek, they had lost the Zagreb contingent. Says Seyla Benhabib, "The question of ethnicity was irrelevant. They were all Yugoslavs. To us outsiders, it wasn't even like asking, 'Are you Italian American or Irish American?' It was more like asking, 'Are you Bavarian or from Berlin?'" Yugoslavia's six republics and two autonomous provinces were already on a collision course by the mid-1980s, but even the most astute Western observers did not perceive what lay ahead. The most visible sign of trouble was in Kosovo, where martial law had only stoked the flames of ethnic strife. The Serb minority clamored for Belgrade's attention: In 1985 Kosovo's Serbs sent a petition to the central government, claiming that Serbs had been raped, murdered, and driven from their homes by the province's ethnic Albanians. Couldn't Belgrade do something? To what extent Kosovo's Serbs were persecuted remains debatable. To be sure, they were outnumbered, and there is no reason to doubt that they faced threats, vandalism, harassment, and even the occasional act of criminal violence from an Albanian majority that deeply resented Slavic rule. But to Yugoslavs outside Serbia, complaints of anti-Serb discrimination in Kosovo were incomprehensible. After all, Serbs were hardly an oppressed group in the nation as a whole, whereas the Albanians formed something of an underclass. So it was a surprise to many of the Belgrade Praxists' admirers when three key members of the group -- Markovic, Tadic, and Zagorka Golubovic -- signed a 1986 petition in support of the Kosovo Serbs. Cosic also signed. It was not just that the petition painted a florid picture of Serbian suffering in the southern province. It was also that the signatories obliquely urged the government to revoke Kosovo's autonomous status -- something Serbian nationalists had been pushing the parliament to do. After all, the petitioners reasoned, with its "unselfish" aid to the impoverished province, Serbia had amply demonstrated that it took the Albanians' interests to heart. Ominously, the petition's authors intoned: "Genocide [against Kosovo's Serbs] cannot be prevented by ... [the] politics of gradual surrender of Kosovo ... to Albania: the unsigned capitulation which leads to a politics of national treason." When Branka Magas, a historian who had emigrated from Yugoslavia in 1961, saw the petition, she was alarmed. She republished it, along with her own devastating critique, in the British journal Labour Focus on Eastern Europe. Magas's essay was called "The End of an Era," and she signed it with an assumed name that disguised her Croatian background. "This unexpected, indeed astonishing, alignment of Praxis editors with nationalism," she wrote, "has aroused considerable dismay among their friends and sympathizers, for it delineates a complete break with the political and philosophical tradition represented by the journal." According to Magas, the editors of Labour Focus were skeptical. Mihailo Markovic's reputation as a humanist preceded him. Could there be some mistake? The editors sent Magas's piece to the Praxists for a response. Markovic, Tadic, and Golubovic were outraged. They had not abandoned their ideals, they wrote. They pointed out that they continued to publish Praxis International, a journal dedicated to democratic socialism, and that they served on Cosic's committee for freedom of expression. They insisted that they spoke out against repression, no matter what the victims' ethnic background: "Are we nationalists because we also write on national issues (which are very acute in Yugoslavia now), or because we, being Serbs, also defend Serbian victims of repression?" To Magas, this exchange sent up a red flag. The rhetoric of Serbian victimhood, she noticed, was disturbingly similar to the rhetoric of a document that had recently been leaked to the Yugoslav press: the draft Memorandum of the influential Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences. The Memorandum was what the New York Times reporter Roger Cohen has called "an incendiary catalog of Serbian resentments and ambitions." Its authors claimed that Serbs outside Serbia were in grave danger, that Yugoslavia was disintegrating, and that despite Serbia's superior contribution to the winning side in World War II, its people were divided and underrepresented in post-1974 Yugoslavia. Many analysts have described the seventy-four-page document as the catalyst for Milosevic's rise to power: It provided the conceptual blueprint for a Greater Serbia. Magas later discovered that one of its authors was Mihailo Markovic. In 1989, Seyla Benhabib took over the American editorship of Praxis International. At the time, she knew that conflict was brewing over Kosovo, but she did not yet understand its history or its dimensions. Her Praxis colleagues were little help. It was curious, she thought, that Svetozar Stojanovic, her Yugoslav co-editor, never wrote about recent developments in his own country. Virtually all of Praxis's Western collaborators remember Stojanovic as the most ideologically flexible of the Belgrade group. While Markovic cleaved to Marx's 1844 Manuscripts, Stojanovic explored the possibility of a limited free market. He was the only Praxist seriously to investigate liberalism, and in a 1971 Praxis essay , he had dared to criticize Tito as a "charismatic leader." Remembers Arato, "Stojanovic was more talented than Markovic, and Markovic was the boss." But when Benhabib brought up Kosovo in 1989, Stojanovic seemed annoyed and stunned. "Why do you want to know about Kosovo?" he asked. Benhabib replied, "There is a conflict there, and we don't understand what that conflict is about." Said Stojanovic, "Have we ever written about the Palestinian conflict in Praxis ?" It was Benhabib's turn to be uncomfortable. "Sveta," she remembers saying, "what are you talking about?" "Well, you know," he reasoned, "a lot of our editorial board members are Jewish. There are just some issues we don't touch." But, Benhabib protested, Praxis International did not avoid the Palestinian conflict because some of its editors were Jewish. It did so because the Middle East did not fall within its purview. Questions of nationality in Marxist countries, on the other hand, were obviously germane. Stojanovic relented. However, Benhabib notes, "When the article about Kosovo was written, Sveta, who was a moderate man, did not write it himself. It was Mihailo." Publishing Markovic's Kosovo article, Benhabib says now, is the one editorial decision she truly regrets. The piece, which appeared in 1990, begins in an eminently reasonable tone. Nationalists on both sides of this debate, Markovic declared, have failed to listen to each other's arguments. It was time to evaluate the facts. The Albanians, Markovic calmly explained, are a backward, clannish people who have proven incapable of lifting themselves from poverty. The other Yugoslav republics have poured endless funds into Kosovo, but without results. The reason for this is both simple and sinister: Albanian nationalists have adopted a rapid birthrate as a demographic weapon against the Serbs. As a result of this scheme and of fiscal mismanagement by corrupt Albanian leaders, there are simply too many Kosovar mouths to feed. Compounding these economic problems is an ideological rift. The ethnic Albanians did not fight alongside the Yugoslav Partisans in World War II; for this reason, Markovic lamented, the populace never accepted the socialist revolution, and worse, it nurtures fascist tendencies left over from the Axis occupation. But the most incredible piece of Markovic's argument was yet to come. It might seem, Markovic mused, that the Albanians are just a small, poor, oppressed minority. But the truth is that throughout history the Albanians have had great powers on their side, while Serbia limped along on her own two feet. And just who were the Kosovo Albanians' powerful protectors? The Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, Italy, the Vatican, Great Britain, the Comintern, the United States, Pan-Islamic fundamentalism, Albania, and a cabal of bureaucrats in the Yugoslav government. Some extreme solutions might suggest themselves, Markovic noted: violent police repression and compulsory family planning, for instance, or a partition and "exchange of population" that would leave the mineral-rich north of Kosovo to Serbia and the rest to Albania. But Markovic drew back from these possibilities. He proposed instead that autonomy be maintained, that investment in the province be scaled back, and that family planning be instituted "in a gentle and psychologically acceptable way, and by the Albanians themselves, using primarily educational means." In today's light, the article is chilling. Benhabib is most struck now by the passage about the Albanians' birthrate and their subsequent abject poverty. "This is cliche neofascist thinking, racist thinking about an oppressed group. You will find racists everywhere saying the same thing." But back in 1990, the alarm bells somehow failed to sound. Benhabib knew very little about Kosovo, and to find out more, she had asked Stojanovic to commission a piece. "Sometimes I felt like webs were being spun around me," Benhabib says now. Not long after Markovic's article appeared, Yugoslavia began its bloody disintegration. In 1991, Slovenia and then Croatia declared independence, touching off the Serbo-Croat war. Benhabib was in Frankfurt then, and people started approaching her about her colleague Markovic, who by this time was vice president and ideologue of Milosevic's socialist party. "We'd run into individuals who would say, 'Are you aware of what you are doing?'" she recalls. But it was after Bosnia ignited in 1992 that Benhabib became really uncomfortable. "We were being instrumentalized for prestige and credit," she now believes. The last straw was an interview Markovic gave the New York Times in August 1992: "I don't understand why there is so much opposition to cantonization," he told the reporter, regarding the partition of Bosnia. "The alternative is creation of a Muslim state in the heart of Europe. Perhaps the Americans want to support this. ... But we find this very disturbing." By 1993, Benhabib says, "we found that the situation had gotten too dirty, morally and politically." The only way out was to stop publishing the journal and to cut ties with Stojanovic and Markovic. Praxis International published its last issue, "The Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia: Stations of a European Tragedy," in January 1994; it included Slovenian, Croatian, and Serbian perspectives on Yugoslavia's disintegration. Richard Bernstein's friendship with Markovic was shattered by the Bosnian war. As for Benhabib, she has not kept in touch with Markovic or Stojanovic: Since the breakup, she says, "I have an aversion to following their careers." If Mihailo Markovic was not who his Western friends and collaborators had thought he was, who was he? Did he jettison his humanist beliefs to cozy up to a new regime? Or had he been a wolf in sheep's clothing all along? "Many people have read Markovic as being a cynic and a betrayer of Praxis," says Bernstein. But in Markovic's distorted vision, Bernstein suspects, "Serbia represented the progressive element of Yugoslav society" -- the element bent on keeping Yugoslavia united and on preserving its socialist structure. Over time, he lost all perspective. "That's the tragedy of Mihailo Markovic," says Bernstein. "Instead of seeing the dark and ugly side of Serbian nationalism, he committed himself to it." The full measure of that commitment was apparent when Markovic became the vice-president of Milosevic's party in 1991. David Crocker saw his old friend at a conference in Africa that year. Why, Crocker asked, had he joined the Serbian government? The philosopher's answer was simple: "I got involved in politics to save the Serbs in eastern Croatia." Otherwise, Markovic claimed, "they will be slaughtered." What on earth had made him think such a thing? But he was not alone. By 1992, the terms of political debate in Yugoslavia had undergone a dramatic shift. No longer was it a question of exactly how tightly the six republics and two autonomous provinces should be yoked to Belgrade's central authority. As Communism crumbled across the former Eastern bloc, the Yugoslavs began to revive their own pre-Communist paradigms. But in Yugoslavia, these paradigms were extreme and unworkable, drawing on the country's ugliest memories and worst fears: a Serb-dominated unitary state, which non-Serbs remembered bitterly from the first Yugoslavia; and the fratricidal killing fields of World War II, in which Serbs were overwhelmingly victimized. It seemed increasingly impossible for the country either to stay together in multinational form or to break apart without apocalyptic destruction. Looking back now on the 1968 nationalism issue of Praxis , what appeared to be an antinationalist consensus starts to take a more ambiguous shape. Both the Serbs and the Croats repudiated the then-ascendant Croatian nationalist movement and supported the continuance of a united Yugoslavia. For the Croats, this stance was explicitly opposed to that of Croatian nationalism. But for the Serbs, the position was compatible with both a principled anti-nationalism and their own national interest: After all, Yugoslavia was really the only viable option for keeping the Serbs in one state. This is to say not that Markovic, Tadic, and the others were hoping to create a Greater Serbia back in 1968 -- but that they didn't need such a hope. Yugoslavia was perfectly comfortable. The Croats may have seriously grappled with the issues of ethnicity and nation in Yugoslavia in 1968. But the Serbs who blithely upheld Yugoslavism did so with all the arrogance, however well intentioned, of any majority. Furthermore, whatever else the Praxists were, they were Marxists. In Croatia, to go on being a Marxist -- or a Yugoslavist -- placed one in opposition to the right-wing nationalist regime of Franjo Tudjman. And indeed, many of the Croatian Praxists have remained strong supporters of human rights: Zarko Puhovski, who is now vice-president of Croatia's Helsinki Committee on Human Rights, has raised his voice courageously against the Croatian army's ethnic-cleansing campaigns. And the economist Branko Horvat ran for president in 1992 on an antiwar, anti-authoritarian platform. But for the Serb Praxists, the situation was different: To continue to support the country's socialist forces was to ally oneself with Milosevic's government, and to oppose Milosevic, it seemed, was to oppose what was left of Yugoslav communism. "His world fell apart," Benhabib says of Markovic. "Liberalism was unacceptable. He did not want free-market capitalism." Certainly, the new opposition parties, most of which were not only nationalist but also right wing or royalist, would not be acceptable to a Communist of Markovic's generation. He apparently decided that Milosevic represented the future of Yugoslav socialism. After all, Milosevic had inherited the Communist Party apparatus, and his governing socialist party was among the last ones standing in Eastern Europe. Of course, Milosevic had mixed that deadliest of cocktails: socialism and nationalism. Markovic became one of the regime's most outspoken and unrepentant apologists. And then, in 1995, he was purged from power -- the government, it seems, had come to see his nationalist views as too extreme. Of the Belgrade 8, none disgraced himself as thoroughly as Markovic, but there can be no question that nationalism captured the hearts and minds of many other Praxists. Consider the case of Svetozar Stojanovic and his ally, Dobrica Cosic. In his 1997 book, The Fall of Yugoslavia: Why Communism Failed , Stojanovic wrote that the revolution in his thinking occurred in 1990, when mass graves from Jasenovac, Croatia's World War II-era concentration camp, were disinterred for reburial. Stojanovic found himself confronted by his children's anger: He had never talked to them about Jasenovac before. After all, such memories were suppressed during the Tito years. From that moment on, Stojanovic declared, he decided that his political work should be dedicated to the memory of Jasenovac. Stojanovic's political career would rise in tandem with that of his close friend, Cosic. In 1992, Milosevic appointed Cosic to a figurehead presidency of the rump Yugoslavia, and Cosic brought Stojanovic in as his top advisor. Many observers inside and outside Yugoslavia hoped that the presence of such reputable, if openly nationalist, figures marked a change of political course. Instead, it bought Milosevic a year of improved public relations abroad, while within the government, the moderates' hands were tied. In his book, Stojanovic condemns the Milosevic regime's criminal activity on nationalist grounds: If one shares in collective pride, he reasons, one must also share in collective shame. And he claims that Cosic protested Milosevic's deployment of brutal paramilitary formations in Croatia and Bosnia. At the same time, however, Stojanovic and Cosic did support Milosevic's territorial aims. Yugoslavia could not be dismembered along the frontiers of its onetime republics, Stojanovic and Cosic argued. A "deeper map," they believed, lay submerged beneath the map of Tito's Yugoslavia; and this true map would account for the swaths of Croatian and Bosnian land that had been populated by Serbs for hundreds of years. Cosic and Stojanovic were open to various solutions: Croatian independence might have been acceptable, Stojanovic implies, if Croatia had been willing to guarantee substantial autonomy to its Serb-populated territories. In practice, critics would object, such solutions were untenable. There would be autonomy for the Serbs in Croatia; and within that autonomy, should there be autonomy for the Croats in Serbian Croatia? And what, then, of the Serbs in Croatian Serbian Croatia? It is tempting to see this line of reasoning, which leads ineluctably to a reductio ad infinitum, as a sophistic device whose real purpose was to force Yugoslavia's reintegration on Serbian terms. Cosic's presidency lasted only a year, and when he was ousted in 1993, Stojanovic left politics as well. Six years later, in the eerie silence following the Kosovo war, the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences reconvened to consider the Serbian national question. At the June 1999 meeting, Cosic spoke at length of the ruin suffered by the Serb nation. "I appeal to Slobodan Milosevic's patriotic consciousness and civic responsibility to resign in order for indispensable changes in Serbia and the federal state to begin," he concluded. Markovic took a harder line: "Our tragedy lies not in the fact that this or that person was head of the state. Our tragedy lies in the fact that the great powers have decided to destroy our country." "This unexpected, indeed astonishing, alignment of Praxis editors with nationalism," Branka Magas wrote, "delineates a complete break with the political and philosophical tradition represented by the journal." Ivo Andric with Dobrica Cosic, date unknown. Stevan Kragujevic / Wikimedia Although only Stojanovic and Markovic served in the government, most of the Belgrade 8 have been politically active in the 1990s, and only a few have explicitly opposed the politics of Serbian nationalism. Ljubomir Tadic and Dragoljub Micunovic formed Serbia's first democratic opposition party, the DS, in 1990. Although its founders' ties to Praxis gave it the reputation of being the left wing of Serbia's movement for liberal democracy, the DS established strategic alliances with parties on its right, including royalists and hard-line nationalists. The party's leaders explained that these compromises allowed them to make a credible showing in parliamentary elections. But the conversion of Tadic, at least, to nationalism nevertheless seemed complete. He lent his uncritical support to the Bosnian Serbs, even meeting personally with their leader, Radovan Karadzic. With Markovic, Tadic signed a 1996 petition urging The Hague to drop its charges against Karadzic, "the true leader of all Serbs." This was a remarkable act for a man who had written so eloquently in 1968 about nationalisms as "militant, despotic ideologies." Gerson Sher, who remembers Tadic's 1967 book, Order and Freedom, as a "masterpiece" of humanist thought, says ruefully, "Tadic is the greatest mystery of them all." Tadic's colleague in the DS, Micunovic, maintained a more moderate reputation. He remained visible in public life until his former student Zoran Djindjic ousted him from the DS leadership in 1994. Djindjic, who also studied with Habermas and contributed to Praxis International, is today a presidential hopeful and favorite in the West. Micunovic now heads a pro-democracy nongovernmental organization. David Crocker, who saw him 1998, recalls, "He seemed a man who had given up in despair. The opposition had fragmented, nothing had come of it, and Milosevic was more powerful than ever." It is typical of recent Serbian politics that those Praxists who sought power were the ones who differed least with the ruling regime. Other Belgrade Praxists kept a greater distance from politics but continued to agitate for a genuinely democratic future. It was a member of the Belgrade 8 -- Nebojsa Popov -- who co-founded one of Serbia's most principled and least popular parties, the Civic Alliance of Serbia, in 1991. Among its stated aims was "to overcome nationalist and class collectivism." As the little brother of the two largest opposition parties, the Civic Alliance joined the Zajedno coalition that led protests at the University of Belgrade in 1996 and 1997. In one of the more surreal scenes to emerge from 1990s Belgrade, Popov appeared on Nikola Pasic Square with a pot of beans in February 1997. He and his colleagues were cooking beans for "all those hungry for freedom, truth, and democracy." They pledged to continue "beaning" for 330 days or until Milosevic was deposed. Among Popov's allies are members of another Praxis offshoot: the Belgrade Circle, a small nongovernmental organization. Its president, Obrad Savic, was one of the students the Praxists led in the protests of 1968. Savic has been unsparing in his criticism of Markovic and Tadic's turn to nationalism; in return, Tadic has denounced him as the founder of "anti-Serb mondialism." Some of the same people who were once drawn to Praxis and Praxis International -- Habermas, Richard Rorty, Chomsky -- today publish in the Belgrade Circle Journal, whose special issue on human rights will be published as a book this month by Verso. Ultimately, it is story of the Belgrade Circle's founder, the Praxis philosopher Miladin Zivotic, that sheds the starkest light on the Yugoslav tragedy. The foreign intellectuals who were drawn to the Praxis vision of self-managing socialism back in its halcyon days did not take great notice of young Zivotic, whose attentions were devoted mostly to culture. By the 1980s, Zivotic and his students formed a vanguard of poststructuralist scholarship in Belgrade, turning away from the Praxis fascination with Marxism in favor of Foucault and Derrida. Together with the aging dissident Milovan Djilas, Tito's onetime heir apparent, they founded the Belgrade Circle in 1992. According to Richard Bernstein, "There came a point when Marxism, even Marxist humanism, was old hat. It no longer spoke to the right issues. The Belgrade Circle allowed the younger generation to rebel against the stale cliches of the older generation." But Zivotic and his followers made their real reputation as peace activists. During the war years, the Belgrade Circle expanded to include a motley array of workers, filmmakers, intellectuals, and artists. At its height it had five hundred followers, who convened every Saturday for public events geared toward interethnic dialogue and peace. In 1993, Zivotic traveled to besieged Sarajevo, slipping through Bosnian Serb lines to meet with the city's Muslim leadership. Back in Belgrade, he received a series of anonymous telephone calls from strangers who threatened to slit his throat. He spoke out in solidarity with Kosovo's Albanians, and when Muslims in Serbia's Sandjak region came under threat, he went to live with them in protest. Against ethnic cleansing he proclaimed, "If living together is impossible, then life itself is impossible as well." Although he had been permitted to return to the University of Belgrade in 1987, Zivotic was no longer happy there by 1994. He told the New York Times, "I could not stand to go to work. I had to listen to professors and students voice support and solidarity for these Bosnian fascists, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, in the so-called Republic of Srpska. It is now worse than it was under Communism. The intellectual corruption is more pervasive and profound." A friend remembers that Zivotic "was physically destroyed by the time and the evil amid which he lived." In 1997, Zivotic gave a talk in London about the anti-Milosevic demonstrations that were then taking place at the University of Belgrade. He knew that the West had high hopes for the activists, but he also knew that their leaders were themselves nationalists. Branka Magas was at this talk. "He was very disappointed with the Praxis people," she says. "He was a humanist." Two weeks later, Zivotic was dead. "He was extremely tormented by what had happened," says Magas. "He died of a broken heart, I think." Adapted from "Testaments Betrayed" . (Lingua Franca) Share this article Facebook Twitter Email

Gerson Sher

Written by Sergio Hernandez almost 3 years ago ROSEBURG, Oregon -- The gunman who opened fire at an Oregon college killed some of his victims after telling them to crawl across the classroom floor and shot one after saying he would spare her if she begged for her life, according to relatives of st... Written by Juana Summers almost 3 years ago After Thursday's shootings at an Oregon community college, that left at least nine victims dead former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush found himself under fire for two words: "Stuff happens." In a discussion about gun violence, the Republican presidential cand... From his angry address after Oregon, to his remarks through tears after Sandy Hook, these are the speeches Obama has given after shootings during his presidency. Written by Megan Specia almost 3 years ago Written by Chris Grasinger almost 3 years ago Hours after tragedy struck a community college in Roseburg, Oregon, thousands across the state gathered at vigils commemorating victims. A candlelight vigil was held in Roseburg's Stewart Park, where people held up candles as "Amazing Grace" played.... Written by Juana Summers almost 3 years ago The blame, Obama said, falls squarely on the shoulders of Americans and the politicians they elect to represent them in Congress who have so far rebuffed efforts to enact stricter gun control measures. Written by Juana Summers almost 3 years ago

gun violence

Homosexual behavior in the animal kingdom is rife, and one of the best known examples is bottlenose dolphins, with both males and females having encounters with members of the same sex. The exact reasons are not well understood, but their homosexual... Read Marianne Nyegaard, a postdoctoral student at Australia's Murdoch University, had been searching for evidence of a fourth ocean sunfish species for nearly five years. And in 2014, the researcher finally found the gigantic sunfish washed up on the shor... Read One of the biggest icebergs in history has snapped off the West Antarctic ice shelf, according to scientists who have been monitoring a growing crack for months. Satellite images confirmed that the trillion-tonne iceberg had broken away and was adrif... Read Steve Bannon and Scott Pruitt gave Trump "erroneous, scientifically dubious, misleading or out of date" information to convince him to pull out of the Paris climate accord, say White House officials who spoke to the Washington Post and we... Read SAN FRANCISCO -- Elon Musk said he was resigning from two White House advisory councils after President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate accord. Other pillars of corporate America -- includ... Read At 3 pm, Donald Trump is expected to reveal his decision on whether to withdraw from the Paris climate accord and isolate the U.S. from the rest of the civilized world. Click HERE to open this post in a new tab.... Read Donald Trump has decided to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, undoing a key portion of President Obama's climate legacy, say two sources who spoke with Axios: Details on how the withdrawal will be executed are being worked out by a small... Read Dead humpback whales continue to wash ashore on beaches along the Atlantic Coast, and no one is sure why. The deaths of 41 humpback whales, dating back to January 1, 2016, from Maine to North Carolina has led the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admi... Read How's that for an unannounced appearance? Hillary Clinton was a surprise guest at the Tribeca Film Festival Saturday night (Earth Day) when she joined a panel after the premiere of National Geographic Documentary Films' The Protectors: A Walk in the... Read Although its existence has been known for centuries thanks to fossil records, scientists have for the first time found a living giant shipworm. Discovered in the Philippines, the mud-dwelling organism lives head down in a tusk-like tube. Dan Distel o... Read

Homosexual behavior

Last night, former First Lady Michelle Obama was invited to a conversation being hosted by the Women's Foundation of CO to celebrate its 30th Anniversary. She inspired a crowd of 8,500 while speaking frankly about issues of race and gender. The event was held at the Pepsi Center in Denver, the same venue where she spoke at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Moderator and WFCO President Lauren Casteel said that Obama broke a glass ceiling when she became the first black First Lady, then asked her which of the shards that fell cut the deepest. "The shards that cut me the deepest were the ones that intended to cut," Obama replied. "Knowing that after eight years of working really hard for this country, there are still people who won't see me for what I am because of my skin color." She talked about the times when she was called things like an "ape in heels," and other insulting things about her body, which reduced her not only because of her race, but because of her gender. However, while Obama has long since moved beyond those ignorant comments, she wants to ensure that people know how much they hurt, because she doesn't want to let those who made comments like that off the hook for their actions. She wants them to know the damage they cause. And speaking of shattered glass and cuts, Obama reminded women that they are very capable of enduring so much, and that they need to trust that strength, urging them to "Seize your power and don't let go." "Women, we endure those cuts in so many ways that we don't even notice we're cut," Obama continued. "We are living with small tiny cuts, and we are bleeding every single day. And we're still getting up." Obama didn't really get political throughout the event, choosing to focus instead on the women in attendance, and the future of the girls in attendance, but she did want to remind those in the audience that, in spite of what it might feel like, that this country is full of better people than anyone might think: "The people in this country are universally good and kind and honest and decent," she said. "Don't be afraid of the country you live in. The folks here are good." Obama reminded the crowd that the United States is still very young, and still learning, but that we will grow and learn from our mistakes. With women like Obama continuing to pursue a life of public service (though sadly, not elected office) and inspiring others, I have little doubt that we will. (via The Huffington Post / Denver Post , image: Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock ) Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site ! -- The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone , hate speech, and trolling.--

former First Lady Michelle Obama was invited to a conversation being hosted by the Women's Foundation of CO to celebrate its 30th Anniversary.

A recent article in the UK Independent entitled, Police identify 200 children as potential terrorists , heralds what looks to be the unofficial beginning of British law enforcement's own "Pre-crime" program. For the first time, we can begin to see intelligence gathering and emerging technologies converging in a culture of pre-emptive law enforcement. Officials interviewed in this article are keen to play down any concerns about racial or religious profiling, insisting the program is an innocuous one. Civil liberties group may argue otherwise. The new program known as The Channel Project is being run by the UK's Association of Chief Police Officers and hopes to target children with traits which may indicate an attraction to "extreme" views and a susceptibility to being groomed by "radicalisers" in the future. - Advertisement - In the article, Sir Norman Bettison , Britain's most senior officer in charge of UK terror prevention was quoted as saying, "We are targeting criminals and would-be terrorists who happen to be cloaking themselves in Islamic rhetoric. That is not the same as targeting the Muslim community." Sir Norman goes on to describe how the new "Channel Project" has already intervened in the cases of at least 200 children who they thought to be at risk of "extremism". Sir Norman continued, "What will often manifest itself is what might be regarded as racism and the adoption of bad attitudes towards 'the West'. - Advertisement - The program was started 18 months ago in Sept 2007 and officials are pointing out increased results being generated by their new project- at least by their own standards. In their first 9 months they had originally identified only 10 children up until June 2008. They now have over 200 youngsters on their books. No doubt, by this time next year, those numbers will have tripled or quadrupled. Here we can see shades of the USA's notorious anti-terror "No Fly" Lists , which grew from a few thousand in 2002, to a monster list containing over 1 million names of US citizens who, according to security agencies, pose a "security risk" to other passengers. The concept of 'Precrime' was first introduced in a 1958 short story by visionary science fiction author Philip K. Dick and was later adapted for the big screen in Steven Spielberg's 2002 blockbuster movie The Minority Report. The story illustrates how Tom Cruise's character, Precrime Chief John Anderton, is able to track down and apprehend homicidal criminals before they actually commit their crime. He is aided by a trio of resident psychics called "Precogs" who are kept in a saline flotation tank deep inside Precrime Headquarters. Their brains are hard-wired into a police supercomputer from which Anderton and his colleagues spend their days sifting through "previsions" of future crimes which the psychics have seen in the future. In this 2054 depiction of Washington DC, future police are within their jurisdiction to make arrests and make criminal indictments based on crimes which, according to police psychics, assailants are certain to commit. From a law enforcement perspective, this adds a radical new extension of traditional police powers which were previously limited to surveillance, establishing probable cause, obtaining a warrant, and then arresting or charging a perpetrator after an actual crime has been committed. In a bygone era, British scientists and police once indulged in the Victorian fascination of mapping the cranium structures of criminals, hoping to predict "criminal types". A stretch by anyone's imagination, yet, this belief in 'precrime' has deep roots. It ultimately emanates from the idea that science can somehow overcome the complexities of living in a human society. Victorian author H. G. Wells illustrated this idea within the concept of the 'scientific dictatorship' , which was later developed by his protege Aldus Huxley . Here we are in 2009 where the UK Association of Chief Police Officers' new initiative has already begun to extend its warrant into the future by collating speculative analysis obtained from various 'vigilant' teachers, parents and other community figures who have signed up with the new initiative. Although at present, the UK's Channel Project is only using speculative testimonies, it is foreseeable that in this current media-induced climate of fear, emboldened technocrats will seek to merge their newly formed social networks with various computerized precrime systems similar to ones being developed by the USA's Department of Homeland Security(DHS). Enter the world of the super crime fighting computer. Originally entitled Project Hostile Intent , the DHS have been developing a sensory feedback system designed to aid security staff in identifying potential wrong-doers in public places like airports and municipal buildings. They attempt to do this by analyzing their pulse rate, breathing, skin temperature and changing facial expressions. This is essentially a souped-up, 3-D version of the tried and tested(and still unreliable) polygraph test . The DHS has since updated this project into a less-hostile-sounding enterprise called the Future Attribute Screening Technologies (FAST) program. As with all of these newly introduced programs, DHS assures the public that FAST has been through stringent privacy controls (pdf) and that the data collected is not necessarily matched to a name. DHS claims that (at least at this stage anyway) their data is only used to make decisions about whether to question someone and is discarded after that session. Computer muscle is on the increase though and experiments like that of Purdue University's A.I . ( Artificial Intelligence) ' predictive data mining ' computer systems may eventually come online, adding a third leg to new and emerging modern-day "precrime" applications. A belief in the ability to predict human behavior certainly follows along the technological progression of a technocratic police state, like that of George Orwell's harrowing, yet eerily accurate novel 1984 . In a January 2009 edition of Science , a News Focus article by Richard Stone (see also related Science Magazine Podcast ) reports work done by a group of social scientists in which they attempt to predict mass social disturbances, large protests and riots. The usefulness of such predictions is far from clear, and yet these social scientists are more than eager to share their mass disturbance predictions with various interested government departments. The danger here is clear. A very real trend exists post Sept 11 th 2001, whereby nations like the US, Britain and Israel have cleared the path for "pre-emptive attacks" and wars. The examples are now well-documented and form the basis of these nations' foreign policies in the 21 st Century. Downwind from the current orthodoxy of international pre-emptive military policing, we see a domestic trend with entirely new columns of law enforcement and security projects being erected in order to prevent future crimes and terrorist attacks, where an ever-increasing culture of "arrest first, ask questions later" has become acceptable to many law and policy makers. Taking current trends into account, it is not inconceivable that security agencies will seek to merge the UK's Channel Project-type local intelligence gathering programs with DHS sensor or advanced A.I. data mining systems- in order to create the perfect beast in their ongoing effort to find the next potential criminal or terrorist. But in reality, how effective are these expensive efforts? Does the cost to civil liberties run too high? These are questions that we will surely debating in the coming years. When we weight-in the number of people in a country like Great Britain against the number of terrorist attack fatalities we can see that the myriad of complex and expensive security applications start to amount to what internationally renowned security technologist and author Bruce Schneier calls " security theatre " - a far cry from risk assessment-based security, or security reality . A country like Great Britain which has a population of 55 million people has not seen, according to official accounts, a terrorist fatality since 2005. This puts the odd of a potential terrorist attack somewhere well above your chances of winning the national lottery jackpot, yet not nearly as imminent as the odds of being killed by a drunk driver or a chronic disease . And the odds of being killed by a terrorist in a country the size of the US are certainly no better. So if genuinely real risk assessment is not driving this mushrooming security industrial complex, then what is? Few will argue that research grants relating to security applications like RFID or GPS tracking, CCTV MPEG4-based image recognition and data mining are worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year. With the economic downturn affecting most areas of business, the security and surveillance sectors are seeing markets expanding and profits on the rise- a global industry that is now worth hundreds of billions. Driving research and development in these areas, we see the US government spending even more on domestic Homeland Security related research grants now than they have done in the past with traditional academic stables like engineering and mathematics. What this means is that instead of producing a scores of engineers, mathematicians and scientists, countries like the US are instead producing a generation of graduates with advance "Jackboot" science degrees . If civil liberty laws are relaxed to such a degree that they ultimately become 'irrelevant' in the new climate of the hyper-preemptive security state, then this leaves the door wide open for more experimental precrime-type applications that we are starting to see emerge today. Applications which rely on screening, profiling and speculative intelligence will be used to generate new 'pre-arrest' warrants and could become common practice. The UK's Channel Project should be a stark warning to privacy and civil liberty advocates. In the same Independent article , a UK Home Office spokesman comments, "We are committed to stopping people becoming or supporting terrorists or violent extremists. The aim of the Channel project is to directly support vulnerable people by providing supportive interventions when families, communities and networks raise concerns about their behavior." The article adds a counter point here, " Inayat Bunglawala of the Muslim Council of Britain said the police ran the risk of infringing on children's privacy. He warned: "There is a difference between the police being concerned or believing a person may be at risk of recruitment and a person actually engaging in unlawful, terrorist activity." Whilst universities, corporations and governments continue to develop precrime-type applications and technologies, privacy advocates will rightly point out that the terms like 'security' and 'liberty' are not likely to coexist happily in this new hyper-security state, one built around a culture of perpetual fear and anxiety. Of course, America's own founding fathers had a thing or two to say about these affairs of men. Benjamin Franklin left us with this little gem of wisdom: "They who would give up essential liberty for temporary security deserve neither- liberty nor security."

potential terrorists

Protesters demonstrate on Fifth Avenue outside Trump Tower, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016, in New York, in opposition of Donald Trump's presidential election victory. AP Photo/Julie Jacobson Sen. Chuck Schumer has penned an open letter to the LGBTQ community, encouraging resistance and hope during difficult times now that we have a president-elect Donald Trump. While Trump attempted to gain the favor of the LGBTQ voting bloc numerous times in his campaign, including giving us a nod in his Republican National Convention speech and holding up an upside down Pride flag at a rally, he also pledged to sign anti-LGBTQ legislation , appointed a homophobe for vice president , and said he would appoint judges like Justice Antonin Scalia. Since then he has appointed a man who believes people can choose to stop being gay, and another who is an apparent white nationalist who has called progressive women "dykes." These are not encouraging times for the community, Schumer admits in his Advocate op-ed. Reed Saxon, Associated Press Students from several high schools rally after walking out of classes to protest the election of Donald Trump at City Hall in downtown Los Angeles. "There are many fellow citizens -- the LGBT community, immigrants, communities of color, women, our young people, Democrats and progressives of all stripes -- who are profoundly worried about what the future holds," he writes. "And following everything that was said during this campaign by our now president-elect, it is entirely reasonable to be nervous and even angry. I am not sure what will come next after so many fought so hard for so long to gain the right to say 'love is love' no matter what. I am worried about what tomorrow holds and what this new administration may attempt to roll back." Joshua Guerra / The Daily Texan via Associated Press Students at the University of Texas at Austin lead an anti-Trump protest down to Congress Bridge the day after the presidential election. As hard as it was to imagine witnessing a White House lit up with rainbow colors, it is just as hard now to imagine that we seem to have moved backwards so quickly. "I will not forget what happened at Stonewall or what happened at Pulse -- or any of the countless physical assaults, emotional taunts, and bullying endured by homosexual fellow citizens over the generations. I will not forget North Carolina's passage of House Bill 2 or the trickle-down of hateful rhetoric inspired by these laws that causes children to take their own lives rather than continue to face the torment of bullies at school. I will not forget the 24 transgender Americans murdered this year alone. "But I also won't forget when West Point opened the doors of its historic chapel for its first same-sex wedding after President Obama repealed 'don't ask, don't tell.' I won't forget Edie Windsor's boundless joy when the Supreme Court handed down its decision to make marriage equality the law of the land. And I won't forget my family, my friends, my colleagues, or the New Yorkers who depend on me to protect their constitutional rights." Losing hope and giving in cannot be the answer, because it is only that which ensures failure. He continues: "Keep fighting; keep working; keep pushing for all LGBT Americans, all Muslim Americans, all Americans with disabilities, all Latino Americans, all African-Americans, all white-black-brown working-class Americans struggling to have a fair shot at the American dream. And keep in the back of your head the words preached by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: 'The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'" Schumer also promises to "all in my power to prevent any backsliding on hard-won rights and to push back against a national discourse that allows for anything less than a full measure of respect for all Americans and would-be Americans." Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, has condemned protesters as "professionals" and said they should not be in the streets and instead stick to the sidewalks. Giuliani is being talked about for an appointment to Trump's cabinet, either as secretary of state or attorney general. Trump aides say Giuliani is the leading contender for secretary of state, The New York Times reports. On 3rd St & Congress: "We are here & we are queer" pic.twitter.com/J4zRmjHo8j -- Briana Santiago (@BrianaSantiago) November 9, 2016 Schumer is in line to take over as leader of the Senate Democrats from Harry Reid, who is retiring. U.S. Capitol police arrested 17 protesters on Monday who oppose Schumer taking over as minority leader, arguing he is too closely tied to the banking and finance industries. Schumer voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996 and was previously in favor of civil unions instead of same-sex marriage. He came out in support of same-sex marriage in 2009 and helped work for its passage in New York.

LGBTQ community

The article below is based on a speech by Socialist Alliance national co-convenor Peter Boyle at the April 24 emergency rally called by the Indigenous Social Justice Association to protest the recent police shooting and bashing of two unarmed Aboriginal teenagers in Sydney's Kings Cross. I read in the newspaper that Assistant Police Commissioner Mark Murdoch said : "We have significant responsibilities in the use of firearms. One of them is not shooting at tyres." You get that? The police have a responsibility not to shoot at car tyres! But what about shooting unarmed 14-year-olds? What are your responsibilities there, Assistant Police Commissioner? What about shooting an unarmed 17-year-old Aboriginal youth in the neck and then punching him repeatedly in the head while he could have been bleeding to death on the footpath? That's what we saw from the film footage captured by a bystander . That's what the whole world saw. So what are the responsibilities of the police about this sort of behaviour? And who is going to investigate this horrible incident? The police? The police investigating the police yet again? And what sort of justice can we expect from that? At the very minimum we need a thorough, independent and public inquiry into this. And the people responsible for this outrage must be held to account. In the meantime, why do we have to have a society where every policeman and policewoman goes around armed, with guns and tasers that can kill? Guns and tasers that can be, and are, misused because they all have them. There are countries where most police don't carry guns. They have an armed response group to be deployed only in situations that require armed police. Why don't we have that sort of system here in Australia? People would be safer if we did. This is the very least you'd expect from any society that respects justice. You'd also expect the reaction of the society as a whole to the shooting and bashing of these Aboriginal teenagers last Sunday to be one of outrage and of anger. That is the normal response of anyone who saw the shocking footage of the incident. That is the normal response of anyone with a sense of humanity and human solidarity. Instead, in this country we are told not to be angry, not to be outraged. "Bad stuff" can happen if you are in a stolen car, one mainstream media commentator said. Don't blame the police who are only doing their job. And the politicians mostly echo this message. Well a lot of "bad stuff" happens to Aboriginal people in this country doesn't it? Bad stuff like: * Aboriginal people are 14.3 times more likely to be put in prison than non-Aboriginal Australians. One in four prisoners are Aboriginal. But they make up just 2.5% of Australia's population. Bad stuff like: * The number of imprisoned young Aboriginal people (between 10 and 17 years of age) increased by more than 20% in 2009-10 compared with the previous year and the average detention rate of young Aboriginal people is 25 times that of young non-Aborigines. Bad stuff like: * There have been more than 400 Aboriginal deaths in custody since 1980 -- one death in custody a month, or more than 13 deaths a year. Yet less than a third of the 339 recommendations handed down in 1991 by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody have been implemented. Bad stuff like: * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a life expectancy up to 17 years less than other people in Australia. Bad stuff like: * Babies born to Aboriginal mothers die at twice the rate of other Australian babies and experience higher rates of preventable illness such as heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes. Bad stuff like: * The Aboriginal unemployment rate is about 18.2% -- more than three times that for all Australians . Bad stuff like: * Thirty-one percent of young Aboriginal people live in overcrowded housing . In remote areas, more than half (58%) of Aboriginal children and youth lived in an overcrowded household. When such a lot of "bad stuff" keeps happening to Aboriginal people in this country, year after year, decade after bloody decade, then you know the problem is not just about "some bad kids" or "their bad parents". It is a problem of the system, a racist system that needs to be changed. The politicians tell us they are "closing the gap". We don't see that happening. As far as Aborginal people being grossly over represented in the prison system, the gap is growing. And it is growing worse for Aboriginal youth. Their future is looking worse and worse. We desperately need justice. We desperately need change. But if there is one thing experience should have taught us by now it is that if we want any justice we are going to have to fight for it. So fight for it we must.

protest the recent police shooting and bashing of two unarmed Aboriginal teenagers in Sydney's Kings Cross

Reporter Tom Bevan spent four days in Cologne to experience a real German Christmas Market. In most towns and cities throughout the UK over the last month a German Christmas market has been one of the major attractions. But if you are hunting for the real thing then Cologne, one of Germany's oldest cities, ranks among the best places in Europe for anyone wanting to ramp up their yuletide celebrations. The Rhineland city is just over a one hour flight from most UK airports and within minutes of stepping foot into the snow-coated metropolis it was hard not to be enchanted by this Winter Wonderland. And while the UK markets have done their best to replicate the experience - it became clear there is really nothing like the real thing. During our short break we came across at least six main Christmas Markets in the city centre alone, each with their own unique festive signature. The most popular among tourists is the maze-like market at Cologne cathedral. The Gothic structure - one of the tallest in the world - is an impressive enough backdrop for any scene, but if you add the huge tree, expansive netting of lights and stalls wafting every Christmassy smell and sound imaginable, it creates the picture-postcard festive scene. The market itself can get very busy at weekends and locals will tell you it can be a bit touristy in what it sells - but even if you have dragged along Scrooge as your travelling partner you will still get swept along by the seasonal spirit. The city centre is reasonably compact with a typically efficient German transport system, making the other markets very accessible. From the classic Angel market with its twinkling stars to the colourful food offerings at Rudolphplatz, they all have their own charm. One of our favourites was the Old Market which features more locally handcrafted goods for sale, such as ornate tree decorations, artwork and pieces of furniture - while another that had us coming back for more was one with a stunning location on the Rhine. A common theme across them all was the lingering scent of mulled wine - either red or white. The favourite seasonal alcoholic drink was served in a different, uniquely designed mug for each market, which added to intimate experience each location offered. And, of course, no visit to a German Christmas Market would be complete without enjoying a Bratwurst sausage or two. The markets also offer the usual Christmas activities you would expect at this time of year, such as ice skating, curling and a competition for children to find all the nativity scenes dotted across the city. They are places you can get stuck into for shopping or just while away a few hours and feel good. Our base for the trip was the four star Lindner Hotel City Plaza, which not only benefited from clean, comfortable beds and well-equipped facilities, but was also ideally centrally located to get around. Just a stone throw from the transport hub Friesenplatz, it is easy to see why the hotel is so popular with tourists and business visitors alike as you can easily reach the vast majority of the main sites quickly. There is also a gym and spa on site to relax in at the end of a hard day sightseeing as well as a bar and restaurant. A buffet breakfast was diverse and plentiful and gave us all the energy we needed to get around. An entire trip could be had exploring all the markets - but there is so much else to see in Cologne that would be foolish to miss out on. The city has one of the biggest concentration of museums anywhere in the world and there are so many choices depending on time and taste. We opted first for the Museum Ludwig - an art museum next to the cathedral which boasts hundreds of pieces of work from Picasso along with many other celebrated artists. There is also an impressive Pop Art collection there that is a must-see. The chocolate museum was a sweet tasting delight while the Fragrance Museum (which requires pre-booking for a tour) was an educational and enjoyable glimpse into the world of the famous Eau d'Cologne.

German Christmas Market

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - According to the Kurdish news site Rudaw, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson weighed in on the Kurdistan referendum on independence from Iraq, held last Monday, saying it is illegitimate and the US does not recognize it. The statement of the Department of State said, "The vote [...] By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Kurdistan Regional Government on Thursday rejected the decisions of the Iraqi parliament and government. It nevertheless expressed a willingness to conduct a dialogue in order to resolve the problems. It will at the same time launch legal challenges to the sanctions imposed on it. The [...] by Sam Pizzigati | ( Inequality.org ) | - - Our 'free market' health care system gives CEOs the freedom to squeeze us. Blogging Our Great Divide. Our current health care system in the United States works just fine -- for the corporate executives who run it. Take, for instance, Michael Mussallem. This eminent power [...] By Haifaa Jawad | (The Conversation) | - - In an unexpected move that surprised everyone, including his own people, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia has suddenly passed a royal decree permitting women to drive. His stunning decision comes after years of the ban, which was justified using Islam as a pretext. [...] By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Iraqi parliament on Wednesday passed a resolution demanding that the Iraqi army take control of the province of Kirkuk and reclaim the Kirkuk oil fields as a national patrimony. The parliament also demanded that the government arrest and try Kurdistan president Massoud Barzani for treason. [...] TeleSur | - - U.S. forces responded with an airstrike but one of the missiles went off course in a "malfunction," causing several casualties. Kabul's airport has been attacked by militants during a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to Afghanistan. The U.S. responded to the attacks with an airstrike that killed multiple civilians, [...] By Medea Benjamin | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - No matter their age, Saudi women are treated like minors -- to the point that many require permission from their sons to work, study, or travel. It looks like 27 years of protesting, along with international pressure and government recognition that it needs more [...]

Kurdistan referendum on independence from Iraq

Here's the evidence that Theresa May's claims to care about terrorism are complete and utter nonsense The Home Office has said it might not publish an inquiry into the funding of extremist groups because it might focus too much on Saudi Arabia; a country which the government has recently approved for PS3.5bn worth of arms export licences. This makes a mockery of the Conservatives' claims to care about security, suggesting once again... The BBC debate moment when Caroline Lucas exposed Tory priorities for millions to see [VIDEO] On 1 June, the mainstream British media devoted little attention to one particular moment from the 31 May BBC leaders' debate. But that moment was key. Because it exposed the Conservative Party's main political priority, for the whole country to see. Public safety, or profits? Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas was talking about... Trump's U-turn on Saudi Arabia says everything about the priorities of the May-Trump alliance Donald Trump has just signed a huge $109.7bn arms deal with Saudi Arabia despite previously linking the Gulf state to the 9/11 terror attacks. And this U-turn says all we need to know about the type of global alliance being pushed by the US President and his close ally Theresa May: namely, that business appears to trump human rights... Labour's Emily Thornberry perfectly pinpoints the kind of 'Global Britain' Theresa May wants [TWEET] Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry spotted something very telling in the Conservative Party's manifesto. And it says everything about the kind of 'Global Britain' Theresa May wants us to become. Just the two of us... In their manifesto , the Tories promise to "develop alliances and co-operate more with old friends... Working-class hero Angela Rayner absolutely kills it on Question Time [VIDEO] On the 18 May installment of BBC Question Time, Labour's Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner absolutely stole the show - exposing three big Tory flaws with ease. 1) Debt First, an audience member asked Rayner about how Labour would plan to reduce Britain's debt if it's so against spending cuts. And she answered: That's a... Apparently LGBTQ people 'don't exist', thanks to the UK's friend Saudi Arabia According to a spokesperson for Chechnya's leader, LGBTQ+ people "don't exist" in the Russian republic. His comment followed alleged human rights violations by the government, including murder, of 100 gay men. But the reason for this attitude can, in part, be traced back to Wahhabism, the ideology exported from Saudi Arabia. The country... The Sun tries to stick it to Spain, but falls flat on its jacksie [TWEETS] The Sun has tried to get in on the ludicrous battle with Spain over Gibraltar. But it made a hilarious mistake. And The Sun wasn't the only UK media outlet to fail itself, and the public, today. Or over the last couple of days, as it happens. Here's a brief round-up of how it all played out. Do one, Spain! After we've had our... It's been a great week for protest, except if you're a far right supporter [VIDEOS, TWEETS] It's been a great week for protest in the UK. From creative direct action by anti-frackers, to an attempted citizen's arrest of a Saudi general, resistance is alive and kicking. Reclaim the Power Between 27 March and 10 April, Reclaim the Power are holding a "Break the Chain" fortnight of action against the fracking industry. Its aim... Veteran journalist slams the government's 'double standard' over UK involvement in Yemen As MPs debated the current situation in Yemen on 28 March, one veteran journalist slammed the Conservative government's "double standard" over British support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. And he strongly suggested that it lacked the "moral courage" to act. MPs debate the UK's "moral duty" On 28 March, a parliamentary... The prosecution of war criminals just got a whole lot easier [VIDEO] Thanks to a landmark court ruling, prosecuting human rights abusers may have just got a whole lot easier. All around the world, activists and lawyers are constantly frustrated by national and international legal processes that prevent the prosecution of human rights abusers. Or of war criminals. But now, a leading judge in Spain has... Page 10 of 16 ... 8 9 10 11 12 ...

terrorism

Because parties don't really exist unless someone is there to photograph it, Autostraddle's First Annual Rodeo Disco boasted three fabulous photographers: Our very own Robin Roemer , the incredible Dese'Rae Stage and Sin Garcia . You'll see Dese'Rae's shots later this week when they'll be available for viewing and ordering online and more of Robin & Sin's shots in our upcoming massive Pride Recap Post ... but in today's Autofocus we present just a few of our most favoritist shots from the greatest night on earth! Sexy Cowgirls - Check. only punk can tear Uh Huh Her apart girls make passes at girls who wear glasses dj carlytron says let's get loud hey good lookin' what you got cookin' that girl knows how to autostraddle so much intern love high on life like party time professional rugby is good practice for mechanical bullriding the crowd goes somewhat wild Dese'Rae Stage was there snapping pics of the bull riding competitions and frenzy. These will be available for viewing and ordering online soon!! Check out Dese'Rae's website !

Autostraddle's First Annual Rodeo Disco

Malaika's Team Pick: One of the things I've learned and that people have told me about New York is that there are fewer healthy eating options in areas where people of colour are the primary demographic. Neighbourhoods with lower median incomes are high on the Burger Kings but not so much on the Whole Foods . That's why when I read Toi Scott's "Queering Food Justice" in Decolonizing Yoga , I found myself nodding yes, yes, yes to everything, and I'm so excited for all of you to now read this great piece and tell me what you think. Or maybe you don't want to tell me because you're one of Autostraddle's many readers who don't comment? That's fine too! The important thing is that you talk...with your mom, with your friends, and with your OKCupid date about issues of food accessibility, security, and justice. Instead of judging people on whether or not they eat meat and have organic kale with every meal, we should be asking ourselves who has access to healthy food and why. via http://www.decolonizingyoga.com/queering-food-justice/ Scott begins the piece like this: If you're a person of color with a low income it's important for you to know that conversations about your ability to access foods, yes, conversations about your very well-being are happening behind your back. It also goes on to explain how intersectionality and food, well, intersect: Where we sit at the intersections of race, gender, class and sexuality makes us highly vulnerable and subject to the policing of our food and economic system. Our lack of resources, especially TIME, allows for outsiders (and sometimes even well-meaning allies) to come in and make decisions FOR us - maybe even AS us - based on their assumptions and their own personal beliefs about what will make our community better. There are also ideas for what you can do to radicalize your food consumption. However, as Scott points out, it's important to remember that there is no uniform definition of what constitutes radical . Instead, it depends on an infinite number of things, like your economic situation, your race, your home environment, etc. So if being radical for you is as simple as buying more bananas because they're the cheapest fruit you can afford, go you! Don't let anybody make you feel like you're not doing enough. And if being radical means throwing a queer potluck, have fun and maybe ask out the girl next to the homemade veggie chilli, because she's probably me. Once you're finished reading about queering food justice, you should check out the rest of the site! Decolonizing Yoga (Where Spirituality Meets Social Justice) is a great online resource that highlights the voices of "queer people, people of color, disability activists and more in relationship to yoga and countering oppression in general." It was started by transgender writer and activist, Be Scofield, and there's even a Facebook page you could check out after you're finished reading Toi Scott's piece and crushing on the website in general.

there are fewer healthy eating options in areas where people of colour are the primary demographic

We are a few weeks removed from the shootings in Orlando and freshly in the middle of Pride season. The night before the shootings, I published a tongue-in-cheek article for Matador Network titled, "Dear Straight Allies, Please Don't Come to Pride Until You've Understood These 6 Things." I've been writing about LGBTQ+ culture for about 10 years now, but I've never received as much hate for an article as I did for that piece. The biggest critique was about the tone of the article. While tone policing is annoying, I can see why people would have a hard time with a heavily sarcastic article in the wake of a national tragedy. Rather than sulk, I put my knowledge of our community to work and created these recommendations for allies struggling with how they can help their LGBTQ+ friends: 1. Be empathetic, and lend a listening ear to those who are struggling. Listening can be a very powerful medicine. Sometimes people just need someone to hear their truth. 2. Hire queer and transgender people. There are no state-level laws protecting against sexual orientation discrimination in 28 of the 50 US states . In 33 of the 50 states , transgender people do not have employment protections either. This means employees can be fired for simply being themselves in those states legally. LGBTQ+ people, particularly transgender people, face massive employment discrimination and are less likely to be hired. Giving someone a job with a living wage gives someone a pathway to a better quality of life. 3. Buy from a queer entrepreneur. Not everyone has the ability to hire someone for full-time employment, but most people can support queer-owned businesses by buying a product or service. LGBTQ+ people are in every area of commerce. Looking for new clothes? Grab a T-shirt from Trans is Beautiful , have a suit made from Sharpe Suiting or order a funky dance costume from dystrucxion . Looking for a photographer , designer or model? What about home decor ? How about booking your travel with a queer-owned tour operator , hotel or travel group ? The possibilities are endless. 4. Donate to the Orlando victims GoFundMe page. This page is run by a local nonprofit and has pledged to cover funeral expenses and support the families. 5. Forward these phone numbers to someone who may need to talk. The Disaster Distress Helpline is 1-800-985-5990. This helpline connects people with immediate counseling to anyone who needs help processing the tragedy in Orlando. It's a 24/7 resource that responds to people who need crisis counseling after experiencing a tragedy. The helpline can also be accessed here . You can also contact the English and Spanish hotline of the New York City Anti-Violence Project at 212-714-1141. The Trevor Project is a youth lifeline that can also provide support at 866-488-7386 at The Trevor Product . 6. Seek out the LGBTQ+ community. You can do this by attending Pride events, patronizing your local LGBTQ+ bar or supporting other events in your community. A quick Google search will help you figure out what's available. 7. Attend a candlelight vigil when tragedy strikes. Vigils across the country are being held in remembrance of the victims of the Orlando shootings and can be found or submitted to We Are Orlando . You can also find current information about how best to help those directly impacted by the shooting. Unfortunately, the Orlando shooting was not the first tragedy to strike the LGBTQ+ community, and candlelight vigils have become commonplace in the wake of hate crimes. 8. Participate in Transgender Day of Remembrance. TDOR is an annual day set aside to remember the victims of anti-transgender hate crimes. It's held every November in honor of Rita Hester, who died in November 1998. Rita's murder, like most anti-transgender murders, is still unsolved. You can find events to attend on the official TDOR website . 9. Sign a petition. You can find one such petition here on Americans for Responsible Solutions . 10. Learn more about the movement against gun violence. Every day, 87 Americans are killed by gun violence. Americans for Responsible Solutions has a list of facts about the current state of gun violence in America, as well as solutions it is proposing to create change. 11. If you're an activist, be patient and create space for answering questions. Oppressed groups have zero obligation to educate the majority. Not all LGBTQ+ people will want to talk about this, process it or educate, but those who can and are able may want to explain to others why this tragedy was so horrific for the LGBTQ+ community. 12. Learn about some of the 200+ anti-LGBT bills introduced this year. Our love, dignity and self-worth has been discussed and voted on in our state capitals and local communities this year. Some of these laws vilify LGBTQ+ people and present us in a light that is damning and fraudulent. Find out what policy officials introduced, voted and supported these bills and initiatives and lobby for these bills in your state and vote them out. 13. Support LGBTQ+ organizations that are working to defend and preserve our rights and community. Centerlink is a good place to start. It has a handy list of LGBTQ+ organizations and a search tool for finding local LGBTQ+ centers. 14. Send a Safe Space Kit to an educator or youth service worker. GLSEN's Safe Space Kit is an educator's tool kit with lessons on how to work with LGBTQ+ young people. They can be purchased for $15 on GLSEN's website . 15. Discuss queer theory with someone who knows more than you. If you can't find someone in real life, online communities are always an option. 16. Volunteer with the Trevor Project. LGBTQ+ young people are four times more likely to attempt suicide than straight young people. Nearly one quarter of all transgender young people have attempted suicide. The Trevor Project is an LGBTQ+ suicide prevention organization that uses volunteers across a variety of programs. Fill out their application form for information on opportunities. 17. Donate to local organizations that are benefiting LGBTQ+ people, particularly LGBTQ+ people of color. National organizations are wonderful and do great work, but local organizations are the most direct route to changes in your community. 18. Support those in your community who are most at risk. Transgender women of color, queer youth (particularly those with unstable housing and unsupportive parents), queer women of color who face discrimination, queer people with disabilities and those of lower socioeconomic status are more at risk for a host of negative life outcomes because of the oppression they face and the obstacles in obtaining employment. 19. Don't talk over or interrupt as someone is processing their identity. Let your LGBTQ+ friend speak their truth before you add your experiences. Sure, you're entitled to your feelings, but let those most impacted process first. 20. Learn a bit about queer history. Try to understand a bit about where we come from and how we got to be where we are today. This blog is an excellent source of American queer history, and it is one of my favorite free resources for people looking to learn more about the queer underpinnings of the US. 21. Understand why we need LGBTQ+ safe spaces. The attack on Orlando feels extremely personal to the LGBTQ+ community because it was an attack on the only place where we feel 100 percent free to be who we are. Bars are not just places to grab a drink for us; they're places that teach us how to love ourselves and our people. They're how we accept being rejected by our families and how we accept that which we cannot change and rally around that which we can. 22. Stop sharing theories about the Orlando shooter's sexuality and background. It isn't productive, and it doesn't help the victims or community move forward. In fact, it further alienates LGBTQ+ Muslims, plays on old stereotypes of LGBTQ+ people as being mentally ill and creates alternate narratives that can be damaging for the LGBTQ+ community. While saying all of this, conversations about self-loathing, homophobia and the relationship toxic homophobia plays in society are important dialogue to have when done in an informed way. 23. Reach out to an LGBTQ+ person you know. When tragedy happens in the LGBTQ+ community, reach out to your LGBTQ+ friends. Check in with them, ask if they are OK, volunteer to watch their kids or pet or bring them a hot meal if they are struggling. Don't assume that every LGBTQ+ person will feel deeply impacted by the shooting in Orlando or a hate crime that happens in your city. Some will, and some won't. We're a diverse group of people. 24. Stay focused on the issues that actually matter. When you're discussing LGBTQ+ issues, recognize that equality has not been accomplished just by passing marriage reform. Don't get distracted by other narratives.

Pride season

AS THE #MeToo movement has swept the country, events in Maine have shown that action against sexual violence and violence against women is desperately needed here. A panel discussion at the University of Southern Maine (USM) in Portland on March 20 brought together students and community members to talk about how activists can respond on campus. According to the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault , 14,000 Mainers will experience sexual violence in any given year, although less than 400 of these crimes are reported. In 2015, Maine ranked ninth in the country for the rate of women residents killed by men, despite its low crime rate overall. This shows that even when official crime rates are low, sexual assault and intimate partner violence remain huge issues endangering Mainers, particularly women. Sexual violence and violence against women have made the headlines in Maine recently as women fight back and as conservative voices push to maintain the deplorable status quo. An anonymous woman recently filed suit against USM over its failure to investigate two sexual assaults she reported on its campus when she was a student there in 2012. #MeToo buttons send a message At the University of Maine, two male professors were placed on paid administrative leave due to vaguely described "complaints from students" and "confidential concerns." Meanwhile, ultra-conservative Gov. Paul LePage offered David Sorensen, who resigned as a speechwriter for Trump following his ex-wife's allegations of abuse, his former job back. Before going to work for Trump, Sorensen had been a staffer for LePage. LePage played into the long history of abusers' stories being believed over those of survivors, stating, "I am 100 percent behind [Sorensen]." IN THIS context, students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members gathered on March 20 for a panel discussion at USM's Portland campus entitled "#MeToo: The Fight Against Campus Sexual Assault." The panel was co-hosted by the Portland International Socialist Organization (ISO) and student groups Queer/Straight Alliance and Huskies for Reproductive Justice. In addition to speakers from these groups, the panel included the campus advocate of Family Crisis Services, the local domestic violence agency. Panelists spoke on a range of issues, from disproportionate rates of sexual violence against queer and trans people, to the roots of women's oppression, to personal stories of survival and resistance. Panelists and audience members working with sexual assault and domestic violence agencies and for the university shared resources available to students. Students and alumni shared their perspectives on Title IX compliance at USM and the sexual assault prevention programming provided at USM. Attendees seemed eager to take more action against sexual violence. Questions were raised about what can be done to fight back and what it will take to create a society free of sexism. Organizers at the panel hope this event will build a conversation around sexual assault at USM and that the momentum will carry forward into other planned actions. Huskies for Reproductive Justice and the QSA are organizing a SlutWalk to take place in April, and the Portland ISO is bringing a national speaker to talk about how to fight back against sexual assault on college campuses. This conversation and action at USM is a step toward a fighting women's movement in Maine. We need a movement that makes the connections between the violence against women in the state and the fact that the poverty rate for women in Maine is 14.3 percent --we need to fight for freedom from violence as well as economic justice for women. In a rural state where 55 percent of women live in counties without an abortion clinic , we need to lay the groundwork for expanding reproductive rights. The conversations and events that students and community members at USM are leading can and should be a building block toward such a movement.

MeToo movement

One possibility would be "Petite Amande Dog Fragrance," yes, a perfume for dogs. This cologne has "notes of French blackcurrant, Tunisian neroli, mimosa and violet leaf on a base of sweet vanilla bourbon... with a little almond," according to the manufacturer. Or you might want to consider a lovely wig for your animal companion. A wide variety is available from Total Diva Pets, which offers "afros, curly sues and even a pink diva 'do," according to the company's website. It might be a matter of concern that most of the pets pictured in the company's ads don't look particularly happy about the whole thing. Another idea: If you've been frustrated that you bought your pet a gift, but they were more interested with playing with the box, a company called Caboodle will sell you a lovely, cat-sized, corrugated cardboard box for $29.95. The "feline environment: allegedly is "easy on the environment." "These feline towers are made from 100 percent cardboard and printed with flexographic soy-based inks that contain no harmful toxins," says the company. "The cardboard is extra strong in order to cater for those full-figured kitties." Better yet, you can arrange them and decorate them however you like. Bring on the felt tip pens and decals! Throw in your cat's favorite pillow, and voila, your cat has a cozy 3-story corrugated condo." Next on the list are lovely bonnets and caps for your beloved pet. What fun! And from Canine Hipster Clothing, the holidays "can be a fun time for your pet as well -- that is, if you give them fun pet costumes to outfit your cuddly creature for the occasion. "Your pet may not particularly like having to wear a wig, a moustache or a Stars Wars getup at first," acknowledges the manufacturer, "but after you give it some pet-friendly treats, it will succumb to your wishes. Pet costume ideas are boundless. You can even match your pet's costume to your own if you wish."

perfume for dogs

Today, the music industry's biggest stars and the world's humanitarian leaders are coming together for the third annual Global Citizen Festival to spotlight efforts that could change millions of lives across the globe. Attendees of the festival had to earn their way into the concert - by taking action to improve the lives of more than 50 million people via vaccines, education, sanitation, and more. Here are their stories: Carmen Chiles , 35, Lancaster, PA "The Global Citizen Festival is symbolic of the reward you get from helping others. We all need to give back. Not to mention we are all massive fans of these artists. " "I'm here today because I believe we should help each other. There's too much suffering in the world." "I'm here to promote the cause and to bring awareness about poverty - [and] the small things we can all do to bring change." "I love outdoor concerts and I consider myself a person who believes in making change in the world." "Global Citizen Festival is actually seeing action happen. It's about equality and quality of life." "I'm here for a good cause and to see great performances. I want to help end poverty and help the homeless." Darren Ferrell , 45, State College, PA "I was in a remote place in the Philippines and I saw some poverty that was really striking, so I wanted to support this. It's a good cause." "I'm here in support of ending extreme poverty by 2030. Especially poverty in the US."

Global Citizen Festival

Well, I was around during the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon years so I don't think I can call this the "most serious corruption scandal" in my lifetime. But yes, the evidence is mounting that elements within our Federal agencies conspired to disrupt the election process. Believe there are laws against that sort of thing. I do think any actual Russian involvement was minimal. No doubt the left--meaning most Democrats, plus the left's useful idiots like McCain--will continue to assert this is all "fake news" and that Trump needs to be ousted. I think witnessing most Democrat members of Congress, at State of the Union address, refusing to acknowledge even such good news as "the lowest Black unemployment," tells us all we need to know: Re, the Dems placing their political interests above the interests of those they were elected to represent. No, I can't say the World is soft-pedaling anything about this story. Practicing good journalism means, in part, refusing to publish unproven allegations as fact. Unfortunately a rare journalistic trait these days. Thanks, World!

Federal agencies conspired to disrupt the election process

Clue , the shining example that all board game movies (if they have to exist at all) should strive to emulate, is getting a remake. The news comes from Tracking Board , with no official word, so take this news with whatever amount of salt that means for you. According to the article, Hasbro and Fox are working together to get the movie made. The last time we heard of this, it was when Universal gave up on making a Clue movie in 2011, with Pirates of the Caribbean 's Gore Verbinski attached to direct. It's more than believable that Hasbro went looking for another partner, since they've made Monopoly and Risk deals and managed to get Battleship made. While it's unlikely a remake will match the highs of the original Clue , at least we can all bet it'll be better than Ouija .

Clue , the shining example that all board game movies (if they have to exist at all) should strive to emulate, is getting a remake

Over the weekend, NSA author and journalist for The Intercept , Glenn Greenwald posted a tweet in which he claimed the St. Louis County police chief visited Israel "to learn about police tactics from the Israelis." St. Louis County Police Chief, in 2011, on visiting Israel to learn about police tactics from the Israelis https://t.co/aYaqRcud3A -- Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 14, 2014 Greenwald linked to a tweet from Iranian-American activist and author Trita Parsi, who in turn posted a press release from 2011 in which Police Chief Timothy Fitch announced his trip to Israel to study counter-terrorism, not police tactics. Furthermore, police officials from across the nation attended the counter-terrorism seminar, presented by the Anti-Defamation League. Fitch was quoted in the press release describing the St. Louis Terrorism Early Warning Group, which collects information from various levels of law enforcement "with the primary goal of gathering and sharing information concerning homeland security." There's nothing in the press release about "police tactics" related to what we've observed in Ferguson, MO. Furthermore, Fitch retired back in February and was replaced by the current police chief Colonel Jon Belmar, who ostensibly deserves a huge chunk of the blame for the bellicosity of the police in Ferguson. This is yet another example of how Greenwald awkwardly shoehorns events into his well-known agenda. Long before the crisis in Gaza, Greenwald has taken a vocal anti-Israel position and, in this case, clearly thought he could dovetail the awfulness in Ferguson with his posture on Israel. Though I hasten to note that he's not outright "blaming" Ferguson on Israel as other publications have claimed. But he is, in fact, hamfistedly linking the two in order to make an obvious point about Israel. And, naturally, his loyal disciples are eating it up. The tweet has been retweeted 906 times and favorited 295 times. So the ongoing trend of repeating Greenwald's serially misleading blurbs as fact continues unabated. True to form, Greenwald attacked anyone calling out his tone-deaf tweet as being illiterate or an idiot . Bob Cesca is the host of the Bob Cesca Show podcast , a twice weekly political talk show. He's also a contributor to Salon.com. Follow him on Twitter and on Facebook .

St. Louis County police chief visited Israel

Originally posted to It's Going Down By Scott Campbell Several victories for social movements in Mexico were recounted in the Insumision posted on March 17. This edition focuses on the state's response, which in the first part of April has been expressed through two of the state's inherent qualities: force and coercion. One of the victories mentioned was that of the Otomi community of San Francisco Xochicuautla in the State of Mexico. After years of organizing, in February a court suspended the expropriation decree issued by the federal government for a highway to be built through their forest and town. The community celebrated, but in a case of foreshadowing, said they would not rest until the entire highway project was canceled. The state emphatically made clear that the project was still on, when on April 11th it besieged and invaded the town with 800 to 1,000 riot police. In complete disregard for the court ruling, the police escorted in heavy machinery belonging to Grupo Higa (the owner of which is a close friend of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto), that began clearing land for the highway and also demolished the home of one of the movement's leaders. The solidarity extended to Xochicuautla was powerful and immediate, which included the Zapatistas and the National Indigenous Congress issuing a "Maximum Alert" both for Xochicuautla and Ostula in Michoacan, due to an ambush against the Community Police of that autonomous Nahua community, which killed one. This seemed to catch the state off-guard, as on April 13 they ordered the construction be stopped and promised to pay for the damages. But they also said they would be leaving a number of state police nearby to guard the machinery in the meantime. In response, the community has organized 24-hour patrols in case of renewed construction, and the situation remains tense. With all eyes on Xochicuautla, on the other side of the State of Mexico, the army invaded the community of Atenco on April 12, escorting in workers planning the construction of Mexico City's new international airport. In 2002, Atenco and its People's Front in Defense of the Land (FPDT) successfully defeated a previous effort to build an airport on their lands. In 2006, they sustained an exceptionally brutal attack by the forces of Pena Nieto, who was governor at the time. Twelve of their members were imprisoned, with sentences of up to 112 years. Yet all gained their freedom in 2010 following relentless mobilizations. To take his revenge, in 2014, Pena Nieto resurrected the proposal to build an airport on Atenco's lands. And just last month, as was mentioned in the last Insumision , Pena Nieto's handpicked successor, Eruviel Avila, oversaw the passage of what has been called the Atenco Law or the Eruviel Law, allowing police to open fire on protests, guaranteeing their impunity, and punishing those who don't. In response, dozens of organizations have formed The Fire of the Dignified Resistance to fight against the law, a mobilizing effort that contributed to the quick response to the attack on Xochicuautla. On April 15, the National Coordinating Body of Education Workers (CNTE), a more radical faction inside of the National Union of Education Workers (SNTE), the largest union in Latin America, called for a national day of mobilization against the federal government's plan to privatize and standardize public education. In San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, federal police brutally attacked the demonstration with tear gas and beatings, and on one occasion live ammunition, leading to running street battles with teachers throughout much of the day and all over the city. Similar repression also occurred in the state capital of Tuxtla Guitierrez. Helicopters were used to fire tear gas at the teachers, and in one instance, the police fired tear gas inside of a hospital. The Fray Bartolome Human Rights Center reported that at least 24 people were arrested, tortured and held incommunicado, with 18 teachers being flown across the country to a maximum security prison in Nayarit. Such fierce repression is likely a message being sent by the state as to what awaits CNTE teachers next month should they follow through on their announced plan for an indefinite strike beginning on May 15 that would impact 23 states. As always, many other developments have unfolded in Chiapas. On April 3, Chol, Tzotzil, Tzeltal, and Zoque communities began a 200 kilometer march to demand justice for the November 13, 2006, Viejo Velasco massacre when four people were killed in a paramilitary attack designed to stoke tensions between Zapatista and non-Zapatista communities. Nine years later, those who carried out the attack have warrants out for their arrest, yet the state has not detained them. In San Isidro Los Laureles, an indigenous community that reclaimed 200 hectares of their ancestral land in December and who are adherents to the Zapatista's Sixth Declaration, experienced helicopter flyovers on April 8, followed by an incursion of armed men into the community who fired seven shots before fleeing. Meanwhile, the autonomous Chol community of Ejido Tila was attacked twice last week, when 100 men, led by the local officials the people booted out of town on December 16, entered the community and on the second occasion fired four shots, seeking to create a confrontation in order to justify the use of state force to crush the autonomous project. The sixty displaced members of Primero de Agosto denounced the intimidation and interference they are experiencing from the paramilitary group CIOAC-Historica. This is the same group that displaced them more than a year ago and who also attacked the Zapatista community of La Realidad, destroying several buildings and killing compa Galeano in 2014. In some good news, the Tzotzil community of Los Llanos announced that back in January the courts ruled that the planned San Cristobal-Palenque tourist highway could not be built through their lands. This ruling will hopefully lead to similar judgements for other indigenous communities resisting construction of the highway, such as Ejido Candelaria, though we've seen just how much the Mexican state respects its court rulings. Sixty Chol and Tzeltal communities from Guatemala and Chiapas announced their plans to oppose the construction of a binational dam on the Usumacinta River, the arbitrary border between Mexico and Guatemala. The group Women and the Sixth released the first edition of their new magazine, organized around the theme of "Patriarchy is Violence, Machismo Kills." Dorset Chiapas Solidarity has a great roundup of Chiapas-related news from March. Keep an eye out for the April edition at the end of this month. Finally, a recent Oxfam report found that since the Zapatista rebellion in 1994, Chiapas has received the most funding of any state to combat poverty, yet still remains the poorest state in Mexico. Well, Governor Manuel Velasco has to pay for his wedding and propaganda somehow. To the west in Guerrero, residents of several communities have blocked access to the Media Luna gold, silver and copper mine in Nuevo Balsas since March 30, protesting the contamination produced by the project owned by the Canadian company Torex Gold Resources. On April 1, 3,000 residents from 185 indigenous communities in the mountains of Guerrero blockaded roads leading into and out of the city of Tlapa de Comonfort. They were demanding the government actually implement the plan it developed after more than 4,000 homes were damaged in 2013 during Hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel. The Amuzgo community radio station in Suljaa', Radio Nomndaa - The Word of the Water - announced on April 3 that it was restarting transmissions after two years off the air. They write, "We want to say that we are staying alert to your struggles and resistances, this station, humble and simple, dignified and rebellious, also belongs to those who defend and care for their territory, to those who organize for the dignity of their peoples and communities, to those who decided to say enough with their contempt and to not allow them to continue trampling on us." On April 10, ex-political prisoner Nestora Salgado launched the campaign "Putting a Face and a Name on Political Prisoners in Mexico," urging people to mobilize to free the political prisoners in Mexico, in particular those arrested for carrying out their duties as community police in Guerrero. A video surfaced on April 14 of two military police torturing a woman in Ajuchitlan in 2015, pointing weapons at her and repeatedly suffocating her with a plastic bag [ trigger warning ]. The Secretary of Defense says those involved have been detained and will be tried in military court. The likely result: see Tlatlaya below. Such brutality is not an isolated incident, which is why residents of Atoyac and Tecpan blockaded a federal highway on April 4 demanding that the military leave their communities as they are tired of the constant abuse. The case of the 43 disappeared students from Ayotzinapa, Guerrero is back in the news as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) announced on April 15 that it was withdrawing the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI) from the country. The GIEI was formed to investigate the disappearance of the students and their work is supported by the students' families. In theory and on paper, the Mexican government agreed to the GIEI's presence and pledged to cooperate with them. Yet they have consistently undercut the GIEI's investigation, especially once the GIEI rejected as "scientifically impossible" the government's " historical truth " that the students were killed and then burned in a dumpster. Since that time, the government has largely ceased to coordinate with the GIEI, has released statements intentionally undermining the GIEI's work, and issued claims that the head of the GIEI had embezzled two million dollars. In response, the current students at Ayotzinapa have started an open-ended strike to demand the GIEI stay, and on April 15, the students' relatives outwitted the federal police to begin a 43-hour encampment in front of the Interior Ministry in Mexico City, chaining themselves to the building's fence. Back in June of 2014, the Mexican army reported that it had killed 22 members of a kidnapping gang during a firefight in the rural municipality of Tlatlaya in the State of Mexico. An investigation later showed that at least 15 of those killed were civilians who were detained, tortured, interrogated and then executed. In a rare occurrence, seven soldiers faced charges related to the killings, though in a closed military court and with no officers indicted. It took a court case by a survivor of the massacre for the military court's verdict to be made public. On March 30, it was revealed that six of the seven soldiers were found innocent with the seventh found guilty of disobedience and sentenced to one year. A piece by BusinessWeek has created a bit of a stir in Mexico after it revealed, to few people's surprise, that President Enrique Pena Nieto dropped $600,000 to hire Andres Sepulveda, a hacker from Colombia, to help him win the 2012 election. Sepulveda "led a team of hackers that stole campaign strategies, manipulated social media to create false waves of enthusiasm and derision, and installed spyware in opposition offices, all to help Pena Nieto, a right-of-center candidate, eke out a victory." A recent article summarized some of the chilling tallies reflecting the reality of violence in Mexico under Pena Nieto. It notes that between 2012 and 2014 the number of girls under 18 who were disappeared rose by 191 percent. In Morelos, mass graves containing 150 remains were recently discovered. And the federal government acknowledged that in the search for the 43 disappeared students from Ayotzinapa, 60 mass graves have been found, with the remains of at least 129 people. The Disappeared Persons Search Brigade, a national group formed to locate disappeared people without the assistance of the state, found eleven gravesites in San Rafael Caleria, Veracruz on April 15. Earlier this month, organizations commemorated five years since the discovery of a mass grave containing the bodies of 72 migrants from Central America in Tamaulipas on April 7, 2011. A total that rose to 265 remains following the uncovering of more graves. A report by Radio Zapatista documents the increased use of torture against migrants and Mexicans who "look" like migrants, in particular indigenous people, by National Migration Institute officials as a means to dissuade other migrants from attempting the journey. There are several additional stories to mention from the past few weeks. Reyna Gomez Solorzano, an undocumented immigrant from Belize who has been living in Quintana Roo for the past thirty years, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on March 23. Eight months prior, Reyna defended herself with a knife against one of the frequent beatings from her husband. Upon wounding him, she immediately called an ambulance, but he ended up dying. The Network of Feminists of the Peninsula has been organizing demonstrations and legal support for Reyna. On April 5, Miguel Angel Castillo Rojas, a member of the Veracruzan Popular Teachers Movement, was assassinated in his home by three masked men in Las Choapas. Also in Veracruz on April 5, fifteen Nahua women were arrested and dozens wounded when police in Orizaba attacked as they were selling their wares near a local market. The women fought back and support for them was quickly mobilized, leading to their release two days later. Vendors in Mexico City who operate in a space desired by capital for commercial development were attacked by 500 riot police, who beat them and destroyed their shops, leaving 120 families without a source of income. For four days in April a forest fire raged in Tepoztlan, Morelos. When the state did nothing but put helicopters with no fuel on a field for a photo op, the people organized themselves into brigades to put out the fire. Check out the video . Anarchists in Tijuana have announced the opening of a new social center in May. The Mauricio Morales Squatted Social Center has the intention to "agitate/build ideas and practices antagonistic to power and whatever form or expression of authority and domination." Mauricio, aka Punky Mauri, was an anarchist in Chile who died on May 22, 2009, when an explosive meant for the Gendarmerie School went off in his backpack. In Pachuca, the capital of Hidalgo, a police attack wounded tens of protesters and led to seven arrests. People came out on April 2 to oppose plans to shut down several combi routes (low-cost microbus transport) and replace them with commercial service operated by Tuzobus. Farther north, in Creel, Chihuahua, whose Copper Canyon is a popular tourist destination, the Tarahumara community started a blockade of the airport last week, shutting it down in protest of the destruction caused by its construction. Police used live ammunition, tear gas, Tasers, and rubber bullets against students blockading train tracks in Tiripetio, Michoacan. The students, from a nearby teachers' college with a tradition of militant action that is often met with brutal repression, were demanding the payment of scholarships owed to them by the state. One hundred were wounded and ten were arrested. The Zapotec community of Alvaro Obregon in Oaxaca, who for years have resisted the imposition of multinational wind farms on their land, released a statement that they will not allow ballot boxes to enter their community for the July 5 state elections. In 2013, their community assembly decided to ban political parties, stating that "the number one enemy of our struggle are the political parties, be they the PRI, PAN, PRD or any other name." Since this recent campaign ad discloses what the Oaxacan branch of the PRI thinks of indigenous people, such animosity is not surprising: "Internet for all: So Chatino children can learn Spanish." Liked it? Take a second to support It's Going Down!

social movements in Mexico

One of the things that works best for me about House of Lies is something that's coming up in subsequent episodes: its intense bluntness about race and the racism that persists at the highest levels of corporate America. And it was exciting to hear Don Cheadle, who plays high-powered consultant Marty Kaan, and Glynn Turman, who plays his father Jeremiah, talk about the show's racial politics -- and to promise more explorations of those themes if they're lucky enough to get a second season. "I want to commend the producers, showtime, for taking on the elephant in the room. This show addresses racial situation like no other show," Glynn Turman said at the House of Lies panel during Showtime's presentations at the Television Critics Association press tour today. "From the very opening scene, it's smack dab in your face. It has never been presented so up front in the history of television. This is a bold step in treating a black man like a person with dimensions...The reason you know it is he is the guy he's playing. That's a racial attack. That's an attack on racism in order to bring the walls down in itself. So at every turn, this show is addressing something that is a taboo." And he's right. Reverse racebending happens occasionally, but it's hard to imagine another show that would take a book written by a white guy about skulduggery in the world of business and cast a black man in the lead role, and do it without comment. But it's not simply a matter of making Kaan black instead of white. This wasn't so much an issue in the first episode, but the show is very blunt about demonstrating racism and calling it out. Among the things coming down the pike: a client mistaking every white member of Marty's team for Marty before turning to the black man in the room, and a very honest conversation between Marty and an African-American recruit. I asked Cheadle about whether we need humor that exposes racism more than we need the gentle humor of reconciliation. "I think the best way, sometimes to deal with things of that nature that have so much gravitas is to come at it sideways," he told me, saying that making people laugh can open up conversations that might not be possible otherwise. "If you can find a comedic way in, it's more difficult to do and it's dangerous to because the subject matter is so fraught with perils and traps. But you can sometimes make even more headway than if you confront it head on." And in the scrum afterwards I asked him what it was like playing a role that -- in his capacity as father to Roscoe, who may be questioning his gender identity and his sexual orientation -- both pushes back against images of woman-headed African-American households and the idea that black communities are homophobic, one of the more unfortunate and difficult political memes of the last few years. "It's a real unconventional take on all of those sorts of tropes," he told me. "Is even there another show on television with a black male lead? Anywhere? The fact that it even exists and the fact that we get to deal with things in the way we get to deal with them...is a new take, which is crazy in 2012, but it's kind of a new take on all of that stuff...There's a moment in one of the episodes where [Roscoe] comes to me and says 'what do you do when you like a boy and a girl?' And I'm like 'I don't know.' Marty doesn't know how to deal with it. He's not sure what to do. I think if he didn't have his father in his ear saying' let him do what he wants to do, he'll figure it out, he needs room to individuate,' if he wasn't giving him all that Jungian psychobabble, he'd be like, 'like the girl.'...he's just tying to understand and roll with the punches." No one show is going to roll back decades of reluctance to give black characters leading roles in movies and television shows. But Marty, Jeremiah, and Roscoe Kaan are all roles that feel like they've been delivered to us from a promising future.

House of Lies

ABUJA, Nigeria--Gertrude Basorun parked her gray Honda station wagon outside the iron gate of a single-story factory in Abuja's industrial region. During work hours inside the building, an employee fries plantain chips, a common snack in Nigeria. Near the entrance, three large trays hold plantain peels that dry under the hot Friday sun: They will later be made into animal feed. Basorun, the owner of the business, has spent most of her day attending two separate meetings, making a trip to the market to pick up supplies, and delivering 100 packs of plantain chips to a customer traveling abroad. The 48-year-old mother of four began her career on a very different path. With an undergraduate degree in mass communications topped with an MBA, Basorun made her way through the corporate field and eventually landed a job at a bank in Lagos state. But the bank's financial crisis led her to consider her own business plans. "Even though we were still going to work, we weren't getting paid for almost six months," she said. Entrepreneurship is now thriving in Nigeria, where an ongoing economic crisis is battering businesses. Unemployment remains high, and the pay at many jobs is undependable. Business cooperatives are springing up across the country to encourage and equip people who start new businesses, like Basorun. In her Lagos compound, Basorun built a fishpond out of wood and began to rear catfish. But after relocating to Abuja, she could not run a fishery from her new apartment and began to make plantain chips instead. In Nigeria, hawkers often sell the chips on the street, packaged in transparent baggies. Manufacturers cut the plantains--a variety of banana--into long or round thin slices and fry them crispy. Basorun began with an electric fryer in her kitchen, using the familiar transparent baggies and stapling a label over each one. She sold a bag for about 14 cents. In 2012, she applied for and won more than $35,000 from YouWiN!, a government-sponsored competition in which winners receive grants to execute their business ideas. "Through that program, we built a factory and registered the company as a limited liability," Basorun said. Shortly after moving to Abuja, Basorun joined a business cooperative called NECA's Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW). Her membership gave her access to different entrepreneurial training sessions across the country. Founded in 2005, NNEW assists women with the training and networking they need to grow their businesses. The organization now has more than 3,000 members across three states. It operates its own microfinance bank that offers loans to women. "One of the problems women have is only 2 percent of women have title to land and only people with [a certificate of occupancy] are given loans," said Ekaette Umoh, the chairperson of the organization's Abuja chapter. Basorun's business has grown since then. Her factory operates with a full-time employee, and demand for its plantain chips has increased. A bag of the chips now sells for about 53 cents. As Nigeria's economy remains in crisis, Basorun's business also has struggled to stay afloat. The rise in gasoline prices has affected her shipment of plantains from suppliers. She collected a loan from NNEW earlier this year, but problems persist. "Plantain is seasonal," she said. "Over the years we've still managed to do production during the scarcity period, but this year, it didn't make sense to continue." She now prepares plantain chips based on orders from customers. Basorun is still working on cutting plantain shipping costs and moving into a more steady production system. But she remains optimistic and recently rolled out a new package design: "For me, that's a major step." Abiola Olumodeji, another Abuja entrepreneur, always had a flair for business. She ran a makeup studio and spa eight years ago before launching her organic products brand, House of Merola, in 2012. "I had the inspiration people will start looking for more natural ... ways of skin care and treatment," she said, sitting on a plastic chair in her store, where a single electric lantern illuminated a shelf of hair and skin products. Over the past few years, many Nigerians have drifted back to natural hair and skin care products. The movement began as more research emerged on the hazards of using chemical straighteners on the hair. But for Olumodeji, breaking into a new field came with challenges. She struggled to find the raw materials needed in making her products. As a NNEW member, Olumodeji attended an event publicized by the cooperative, where she met women who dealt in shea butter. Through them, she met other suppliers. Her business now includes 36 different body and hair care products made with coconut oil, shea butter, argan oil, and other natural ingredients. Demand for her products spans the country. Nigeria's economy, despite its struggles, has created an opportunity for people to pursue their passions, Olumodeji said. "We all can't try to fit ourselves into a field that was not designed for us," she said. "I don't need to work in the oil sector to be successful."

Entrepreneurship is now thriving in Nigeria

A bunch of queer parents are now listed on their kids' birth certificates, LGBT activists are having a moment, MillerCoors is doing good for its queer employees, and a meerkat just rolled off of a rock. By Carmen | November 29, 2015 | 9 Comments LGBT protection laws are gaining steam in Kentucky and Indiana, some otters are in a hammock right now, Portgual's inching toward gay adoption, Seoul's national university just elected a lesbian President, and this tortoise in here is WEARING HER SON AS A HAT. By Carmen | November 22, 2015 | 11 Comments Ruby Rose and Caitlyn Jenner got some love from the glossies, Ukrainian lawmakers voted for gay rights, Dallas went where Houston didn't for trans folks, Starbucks wants to be a safe space, Obama wants more LGBT equality, and more good news! By Carmen | November 15, 2015 | 11 Comments

LGBT activists

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson before a campaign event at Colorado Christian University on Oct. 29, 2015, in Lakewood, Colo. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Before entering the political arena, Ben Carson was best-known among African Americans as "that brilliant black doctor who separated conjoined twins." His rise from poverty was inspirational and a source of pride. For many, that pride began to change when Carson slammed President Barack Obama and started championing conservative viewpoints. In an interview , NewsOne Now host Roland Martin asked the retired pediatric neurosurgeon why African Americans, who are predominantly Democrat, should cross party lines to vote for him. "If they will actually listen to what I'm saying and not what people are saying what I'm saying," Carson said. "Go back and look at my life. Look at what I do." In The Root' s Meet the Candidates series, which examines where the leading presidential candidates stand on some of the issues that matter most to black people, we've already taken a look at Bernie Sanders , Donald Trump , Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio . We continue now with a look at Carson. Raising Incomes With the economy rebounding, black people don't want to be left behind. Early in his campaign, Carson met with community leaders last year in Baltimore, shortly after the riots, and told them that fixing the economy is the main solution to crime and poverty in black neighborhoods. Reducing taxes and regulations would lead to economic growth that would benefit everyone, he stated. If he's elected, low-wage workers should not expect a minimum wage increase. Carson has fallen in line (he previously held a different view ) with other Republican candidates to oppose Fight for $15 , the movement to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. "Every time we raise the minimum wage, the number of jobless people increases," he said at the Nov. 10 GOP debate. "This is particularly a problem in the black community. Only 19.8 percent of black teenagers have a job, or are looking for one. And that's because of those high wages. If you lower those wages, that comes down." Carson also counsels the poor not to get trapped in the welfare system. In a sharp exchange with Whoopi Goldberg on The View in 2014, Carson said that the welfare system can "rob someone of their incentive" toward self-improvement. He later lamented to Fox News' Megyn Kelly that welfare has become "intergenerational" for too many people. At the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2015, he said, "We need to understand what true compassion is, to reach out to individuals who think that being dependent is reasonable as long as they feel safe. ... I'm not interested in getting rid of a safety net; I'm interested in getting rid of dependency." College Affordability As Carson frequently points out, obtaining a higher education is an important key to escaping poverty. Scores of African Americans are pursuing that path, but they are disproportionately burdened with tremendous student-loan debt, according to the Urban Institute . Carson, however, speaks very little about a solution to the student-loan crisis , which has surpassed the $1 trillion mark. He has blamed universities for contributing to the crisis and wants to hold them responsible for repaying the interest on student loans, as a motivation for them to find ways to lower the cost of a college education. Health Care While Carson doesn't give many details about his higher-education plan, he has a lot to say about health care . The retired physician shocked many with this remark at the Values Voter Summit in 2013: "Obamacare is really, I think, the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery." If elected, Carson would back efforts to repeal the president's signature health care program. Carson, according to the candidate's website , would expand individual choice and restore the doctor-patient relationship. He plans to accomplish that through individual health savings accounts, which the government would automatically open for everyone at birth. Ultimately, these accounts would negate the need for Medicare and Medicaid, Carson explained to Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press . Criminal-Justice Reform Regarding reform of the criminal-justice system, which is a hot-button issue for African Americans, Carson has indicated that he would do very little until he sees evidence of police racial bias. He has, however, rejected mandatory minimums for prison sentences and has expressed support for felon voting rights. "After they have paid their debt, if they are American citizens, they should be able to vote," he said at a forum last year . When it comes to the Black Lives Matter movement, the only black candidate in the race told NewsOne Now' s Martin that he's "disappointed." Carson said that the movement fails to "recognize the carnage in the black community, from institutions like Planned Parenthood and crime on each other, is very significant." He added that Black Lives Matter should be "all-encompassing" in its focus by addressing other challenges, such as poor school systems and illegal drugs. He also told CBS News that BLM is "bullying" people and that he would prefer less emphasis on race. Gun Control Carson stands shoulder to shoulder with other conservatives in unabashed opposition to gun control. In his defense of gun rights, Carson has made some controversial statements. His comment that Nazi gun control laws enabled the Holocaust sparked tension with Jewish groups. And after a mass shooting at an Oregon college, he drew verbal fire for saying , "I would not just stand there and let him shoot me." There's at least one area where Carson disagrees with the other leading candidates in the Republican field: voting rights. Several states began erecting what many view as barriers to voting after a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2013 struck down a key feature of the Voting Rights Act. Most Republicans have argued that racism is largely in the rearview mirror and that civil-rights-era protections are no longer needed. But in a CNN interview , Carson said, "Of course I want the Voting Rights Act to be protected. Whether we still need it or not or whether we've outgrown the need for it is questionable. Maybe we have, maybe we haven't. But I wouldn't jeopardize it." At the same time, though, he has expressed doubt that racism is behind the wave of voter-fraud measures. Previously in the Meet the Candidates series: Up next in Meet the Candidates: A closer look at Ted Cruz. Nigel Roberts is a New York City-based freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter .

Ben Carson

Wednesday, Oct 22, 2014, 1:10 pm "The Show Must Go On": Guitar Center Workers Push for First Contracts BY Diane Krauthamer Email this article to a friend Guitar Center workers say management is dragging its feet on their first union contract. (Jeepers Media / Flickr) Guitar Center store workers are fighting for fair wages and improved conditions at stores around the country. The company has responded with a fierce anti-union campaign. "We love music and our jobs. But many of us barely make more than minimum wage," said Jeff Loehrke, Guitar Center drum department manager in Chicago. The Retail Workers Union (RWDSU) won elections at three Guitar Center stores last year, in New York City in May, Chicago in August and Las Vegas in November. But workers at the three unionized stores are still struggling for a contract. Over the past year, the union and Guitar Center have had several bargaining sessions in each city. Management is dragging its feet in all three. In their contract, workers hope to secure a living wage, a fair commission structure, and affordable health benefits. Since Bain Capital bought the company in 2007, commissions have been lowered to the point where, workers say, many make barely over the minimum wage. The commission system, called the "fade," requires workers to sell against their hourly wage before they collect commission. The store is also giving workers more non-selling duties on top of this. So you can make a big sale, but then if the commission you'd collect doesn't surpass your hourly base rate, you don't collect any commission. Musicians Alliance Negotiating a first-ever union contract with the largest music retailer in the world will be no small feat. It's common for employers to drag their heels on bargaining first contracts , in hopes that workers will get discouraged and give up. But workers are using a number of tools to put pressure on the company. In both Chicago and Vegas, workers have delivered petitions demanding a fair contract, with signatures from 80 percent of the workforce--showing management that the workers are nowhere close to backing down. Last month, workers in Las Vegas put up an inflatable rat outside the shopping center where the store is located. The same week, union organizers and community members put up the rat and leafleted customers outside Guitar Center's new flagship store in Times Square, New York. The workers have collected almost 7,000 online petition signatures backing their effort. They've also built a support network that includes community groups, other unions and a Musicians Alliance of 120 supportive bands and musicians, including such popular artists as Tom Morello, Kathleen Hanna, and Roger Waters. Selective Improvements The union filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board in June, alleging that Guitar Center has made an "effort to delay negotiations" and that it has "announced improvements in the wage practices in all non-union stores around the United States but has refused to consider those changes in three union represented stores, all as a method of punishing the RWDSU represented employees for joining the union." The company has made some minor improvements in the hopes of killing the union drive--for example, modest wage increases at the non-unionized stores, while cutting workers' hours in the union stores. Although improvements have not been made in the union stores, workers know the changes came thanks to their organizing efforts. They want to codify and expand the gains in a contract. In the stores, while they press for a contract, workers are continuing to act as a union. They hold meetings, organize actions, and practice their Weingarten rights, which allow them to have a co-worker sit in on disciplinary meetings. "We will continue fighting, with our fellow workers in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas and elsewhere," Loehrke said. "The show must go on." This post first appeared at Labor Notes .

Guitar Center Workers Push for First Contracts

The fate of women throughout the state of Texas, the futures of the courageous abortion providers who have struggled to keep their clinic doors open, and the direction of this fight for women's right to abortion and reproductive freedom across the country are still at stake. Now is not the time for complacency. It is time to step up! Read more October 13, 2014. It is more critical than ever that the lessons and the accomplishments of the Abortion Rights Freedom Ride be built upon and that truly mass independent political resistance be built to STOP this war on women. In this light, Stop Patriarchy is sharing excerpts from the questionnaires that the Riders filled out reflecting on their experiences. Read more December 22, 2014. In the bathroom at a McDonald's in Offenbach, Germany on the evening of November 15, two teenage girls were screaming for help. A 22-year-old German-born student of Turkish origin, Tugce Albayrak, heard their cries and alone rushed to their aid. She found several men harassing the two young girls and stopped them. Read more December 5, 2014 by Sunsara Taylor. Each year on the anniversary of the legalization of abortion in this country, tens--perhaps hundreds--of thousands of people descend on Washington, DC and San Francisco to stand in public opposition to women's right to abortion. They call themselves the March for "Life," but what do these marches really stand for? What is the view of women they are promoting? What role are they playing in the larger political and legal landscape of escalating assault on women's right to abortion? And how must those of us who care about abortion rights and women's lives respond? Read more In the immediate wake of the Ray Rice/NFL scandal, this video clip of Sunsara Taylor's comments at a 2013 panel discussion has been picked up and re-blogged at many sites, and her comments remain timely today. Read more and watch the clip September 29, 2014. In recent weeks in cities across the country (Los Angeles, Seattle, Berkeley, Chicago, and New York City), celebrations have been held to welcome back the courageous Abortion Rights Freedom Riders. These are over two dozen volunteers--ages 17 to 71--who put their lives on hold, traveled to Texas, and braved the blazing August heat, brutality and arrest, attack not only from anti-abortion forces but also from some very vicious "pro-choice" forces, to resist the greatest round of abortion clinic closures to hit a single state since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973. Read more October 6, 2014. A talk given by Cecily McMillan at the August 2, 2014, New York City kick-off meeting for the Month of Resistance to Mass Incarceration, Police Terror, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation. She had recently gotten out of Rikers Island prison after serving 58 days for an Occupy Wall Street case in which she was attacked and sexually abused by the NYPD. Read more September 15, 2014. This correspondence addresses overall lessons in going out broadly into all streams of society and bringing out the need for revolution and the leadership of Bob Avakian, and it speaks in important ways to the question of violence against women and where it comes from, questions that are--or need to be--debated out and acted upon even more fully in the wake of the video of Ray Rice knocking Janay Palmer unconscious. Read more September 15, 2014. For the Month of Resistance: A poem dedicated to Carl Dix and Cornel West. Read more September 15. I protested because I feel responsible to act on what I know to be true. The closure of abortion clinics nationwide must be stopped because without the right to decide for themselves when and whether to have a child, women cannot be free. Read more Updated August 31, 2014 It is urgent that everyone act now to stop this war on women. Forcing women to have children against their will is a form of enslavement. Right now: Women across the country who cannot access safe abortions are attempting to self-abort using dangerous methods. Many more are forced to give birth to unwanted children and are trapped in abusive relationships, driven (deeper) into poverty, or are separated at birth from a baby they can't care for. This is the future for all women if these attacks are not resisted and defeated! An important resource features 13 simple things that people can do--on their own or with others--to have a real impact in building this fight, along with step-by-step breakdowns of how to go about each of these things. And it encourages and provides a way for people to stay in touch with the movement, raising questions, making suggestions, and sharing and popularizing advanced experience across the country. Get started today September 15, 2014. Rush transcript from the September 2, 2014 Project Censored Radio Show hosted by Mickey Huff and Dr. Peter Phillips (which airs on the progressiveradionetwork.com out of New York City). Sunsara Taylor is from StopPatriarchy.org and revcom.us and Dennis Trainor is from Acronym TV. This is not the first time women have been condemned to prison for protecting themselves or their loved ones. THIS MUST STOP NOW! Posted September 19, 2014. Read more. A statement from StopPatriarchy.org and the Abortion Rights Freedom Ride August 29, 2014. Read more To all those who truly do want to see an end to the outrages and abuses coming down on people... and to the slanderers, the haters, the opportunists, and worse. Read more Posted September 6, 2014. I got the call outside of Governor Rick Perry's mansion on Friday, August 29. It was nearly 5 pm. The clock had ticked incredibly slowly that day, and there we were, for the seventh time, at the culmination of weeks of struggle, protest, and exposure. The person on the other end of the phone said, "The judge ruled. He blocked the law. The clinics won't close on Monday, but the Attorney General is going to appeal it." I felt a combination of cautious relief and determination. Read more Response from Sunsara Taylor to the unprincipled attacks on BA. Posted August 18, 2014. Read more Percolation from a Reader: by Sunsara Taylor As a result of the Supreme Court decision on Monday, June 30, women across this country can now be denied the ability to safely and affordably prevent unplanned pregnancies because of the Dark Ages religious beliefs of their employers. Read more Reports and photos from some of the protests following the June 30 Supreme Court decision. Read more August 27. Sunsara Taylor and four other members of the Abortion Rights Freedom Ride: Ground Zero Texas 2014, were arrested on Wednesday, August 27, in Austin, Texas. Sunsara and other Freedom Riders courageously marched into the middle of Guadalupe St., bordering the campus of the University of Texas where 50,000 or so students just started class this week. When the Freedom Riders boldly went across Guadalupe St., a chaotic, swirling scene quickly disrupted the normalcy of business as usual as far as the eye could see. Read more August 25 - September 1 Week of Defiance Abortion Rights Freedom Ride 2014: GROUND ZERO TEXAS On Saturday, August 23, in Chicago close to 1,000 people came out to Slutwalk 2014. Read more Posted August 17, 2014 . While talking to people in front of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas a man started yelling at us from across the street, "Close your legs! Close your legs! Close your legs!" .....this is not the first time we have heard this sentiment, and these kind of comments. Across the country, from NYC, to Wichita, and now in Texas, we've heard this kind of argument against abortion. Things like "Women gotta be ready to have the baby every time they have sex" or "If you make a mistake, if you have sex, you have to suffer the consequences!" FUCK all that. Read more In its decision June 26 banning sidewalk buffer zones outside abortion clinics--areas around clinic entrances where anti-abortion protesters are not allowed--the Supreme Court of the U.S. said that these zones impeded the rights of those who wish to "engage in personal, caring, consensual conversations with women about various alternatives." Read more In many cities across Texas, celebrations are being organized on July 25 to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Wendy Davis's filibuster of the anti-abortion bill SB5. Read more The new film by Gillian Robespierre, which bills itself as "An Abortion Comedy," is a breath of fresh air and a lot of fun. Read more The Warped Tour is a music festival touring the U.S. this summer. Check out this video of images from the Stop Patriarchy booth--including on-the-spot statements of support for the Abortion Rights Freedom Ride. Read online | Download JPG for web . Download full size poster: PDF for print "Right now in this country, it is no exaggeration to say that the right to abortion is hanging by a thread. In many places it's out of the reach of women's ability to access safely or affordably or at all. And the momentum and the trajectory of the restrictions, of the stigma, of the laws that have been passed are such that the closure of clinics, the closure of access, the terror against abortion providers is escalating. And the future for all women's ability to access abortion is really being determined right now, it's really at stake." Read more The spring 2014 school year wound down with a mounting number of female students coming forward to testify about their experience with campus rape and to protest the callous failure of universities to acknowledge and address this. Then last week Elliot Rodger unleashed his murdering retribution against women, which also took the lives of four male students in Isla Vista, California. Read more I have been a radical feminist for as long as I can remember. As I witness the marginalization of radical feminism in the cultural discourse, in publishing, and in women's studies programs, I see the feminist movement I once loved become powerless to explain what is happening to women--especially the horrific levels of violence against women. This failure has reached a new level following the massacre by Elliot Rodger of students at UC Santa Barbara. Read more Updated June 7. Speak-outs, rallies, and protests were held in cities including Isla Vista, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia, and Portland. We are posting readers' reports as they come in. Read more The blatantly woman-hating killings in Santa Barbara and the widespread outrage in response have shined a light on the misogyny that permeates the culture as a whole. There is a toxic strain about "human nature" in the internet circles which influenced Elliot Rodger's deadly rage towards all women. Read more Various Voices from the Movement to End Pornography and Patriarchy: The Enslavement and Degradation of Women, posted on the Stop Patriarchy blog from Stop Patriarchy * Friday, April 11 Recording of webcast streamed Friday, April 11, 7 pm EDT Spotlight on the Abortion Rights Emergency On April 11, a "Spotlight on the Abortion Rights Emergency" at the Women's Building in San Francisco's Mission District, brought together professors, providers, artists, activists, the voices of women from both pre and post Roe v. Wade generations, and an audience of 60 people. Speakers included Dr. Malcolm Potts, an eminent reproductive scientist and scholar who has done extensive work in the Third World; Kelly Hammargren, curator of a recent prestigious art show about abortion rights and abortion stories; Somer Loen, president of SF NOW; Rachel Martin, history professor; Alexandria Petersburg, a Stop Patriarchy leader; and others. Watch the video Updated May 16, 2014. Recently, Revolution /revcom.us had the opportunity to interview Dr. Susan Robinson, one of the four heroic abortion providers in the U.S. who openly provide much-needed third trimester abortions. Previously we published the beginning part of the interview, where she discusses what people need to know about the importance of and need for third-trimester abortions. The full interview is now available here. Read more White House Calls 1 in 5 College Women Raped "Complex" and Calls for More Surveys Actually, It's Very Simple: We Need Revolution! by Sunsara Taylor. At the end of April, the White House announced with much fanfare the results of a 90-day investigation into sexual assault on college campuses. Read more Sexual Assault Running Rampant in the U.S. Military: Not a Deviation from "Military Values"--Right in Line with Patriarchy! Any military is a concentration of the world it is fighting for. While some may say that the rampant abuse and violation of the bodies, minds, and reputations of female soldiers is somehow in conflict with the values of the U.S. military, in fact the opposite is true. The role of this military is to enforce and extend to all corners of the earth what that power is actually all about, including patriarchy, the systemic enslavement and domination of women by men. Read more Hundreds took part in speak-outs and protests organized by the movement to End Pornography and Patriarchy: The Enslavement and Degradation of Women in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Cleveland to respond to the intensifying abortion rights emergency. Read more Recorded to be part of the Emergency Speakout for Abortion Rights on April 11, 2014 at Advent Lutheran Church in New York City, 7pm EDT and webcast nationally. On March 3, All Families Healthcare, a Montana clinic that provides abortions, was so severely vandalized that it has been forced to close down indefinitely. This took place against a backdrop of the most relentless escalation of restrictions against abortion and clinic closures since Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalized abortion 41 years ago. Across the country, the right and ability to access abortion hangs by a thread. Sunsara Taylor speaks with Susan Cahill, the owner and advanced-level clinician who provided abortions and other services at the family clinic. Read more Supreme Court Gives Green Light to Prayer in Town Meetings In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on May 5 that it is constitutional for legislative bodies to begin their meetings with religious prayers. This ruling overturned an appeals court decision against an upstate New York town council that had started every meeting with a ceremonious prayer--in almost every instance, an overtly Christian prayer. Read more Abortion rights are in a state of emergency, and headed for disaster. WE MUST ACT TO STOP THIS NOW! Sunsara Taylor on the need to stop the assault on women's right to abortion, and the actions being called by Stop Patriarchy on April 11 and 12 to resist this war on women. April 11: Public Programs April 12: Bloody Coat-Hangers Street Actions The Blood of Women Is on Their Hands! Abortion On Demand and Without Apology! Download PDF flier (updated March 21) Don't Sleepwalk Through the War on Women! Join in Emergency Actions to Stop the War on Women, April 11-12 From Stop Patriarchy. We are engaged in a war here in this very country. Women's rights are undergoing a multipronged attack every day. Read more In the case of Marissa Alexander, a Black woman in the state of Florida, the system sentenced her to TWENTY years in prison. Her crime? Firing off a warning shot, which killed NO ONE, in order to stop the attack against her by her abusive and estranged husband, who had threatened to kill her earlier that day. Read more From a reader. Early in February a small group of students at Boston University took a very important and principled stand that is now having reverberations far beyond their campus. After hearing that Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" concert tour had been scheduled for Boston University's campus at Agganis Arena on March 4, the Humanists of Boston University said no. Read more In May 2012, Equal Justice Initiative filed a complaint with the U.S. Justice Department, calling for a quick and thorough federal investigation into widespread sexual abuse of women prisoners by male guards at Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Alabama. Read more Interview with Attorney Charlotte Morrison Revolution speaks with Charlotte Morrison, senior attorney with the Equal Justice Initiative, about the widespread abuse of women prisoners by guards at Tutwiler prison in Alabama. Read more Li Onesto on the best-selling book and critically acclaimed Netflix series. Read more The NFL (National Football League) released its "The Wells Report," on the Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin bullying incidents, and we are finding out that it's even more outrageous than what we knew when this first surfaced several months ago. Read more Michael Sam, the University of Missouri All-American and Southeast Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year, came out two weeks ago. He's the first current football player to openly proclaim that he is gay, and he will be entering the National Football League next season. Read more A reader writes about the way Ardea Skybreak uses science as a method of getting at what is actually true, using all available evidence and drawing conclusions from that. And this is something that is not just science that can be applied to this topic, but to be continuously utilized in understanding anything and everything else. Read more Correspondence from Ardea Skybreak, author of The Science of Evolution and the Myth of Creationism: Knowing What's Real and Why It Matters, to the October 2013 Shulamith Firestone Women's Liberation Memorial Conference on What Is to Be Done. Read more First-hand account about confronting fascist anti-abortionists at a clinic--not in a place like Mississippi but in New York City. with Abby Martin on RT TV's "Breaking the Set" (starting at 20:26) A reflection from someone who recently got involved in Stop Patriarchy No, I don't have that much of an unusual life. Pretty stereotypical in fact. The crazy father, the abused mother, the favored older brother. I can't remember a time where I didn't feel like something was just not right. Read more I have to admit, when I first saw the previews I thought, "Oh great, another movie that normalizes porn by treating it like a joke: boys will be boys, men will be men, and cool girls understand." After all, way more porn comes out of Hollywood than feature films, and TV shows from "Friends" to "30 Rock" use porn as a punch line. Was I ever wrong. Read more This article was sent to Revolution in response to the article " On the Idea and Promotion of Feminist Porn ," and addresses the same topic. We are reposting it with permission from the author. Read more For far too long, pro-choice people have looked at the courts in this country as the final "firewall" protecting abortion rights.... This is wrong on a number of levels. Read more Standing Up for Abortion on Demand and Without Apology on Roe v. Wade 41st Anniversary See reports and analysis. Learn more and get involved. Pussy Riot and the global storm they stirred up reflects the depth and sweep of fury over the status of women in today's world, the state of that world overall, and a refusal to accept this. From a member of the Revolution Club and Stop Patriarchy . As the anti-abortion movement surges forward on a wave of recently passed legislation that leaves women across the country desperate and trapped in unwanted pregnancies, the movement to End Pornography and Patriarchy: The Enslavement and Degradation of Women (StopPatriarchy.org), led a loud and spirited, uncompromising protest against the 10th annual anti-abortion march in San Francisco. A polemic by Sunsara Taylor on a recent New York Times editorial on abortion One Billion Rising for Justice is a very positive international manifestation against the abuse of women. It takes place on February 14 this year. Stop Patriarchy called for people from all over the country to stand up for abortion rights in two key places in the country where the battle over abortion was most concentrated--in Jackson, MS from Oct. 29-Nov. 6 and in Albuquerque, NM from Nov. 15-17, 2013. From a Reader Out of the cauldron of war, invasions, and occupations, Obama's drones & the rise of Islamic Fundamentalism--out of resistance to Islamic theocracy in Iran, the Arab Spring and the subsequent military coup in Egypt--comes an exhibition of brave and insightful work by 12 photographers. From a reader A really horrible situation has unfolded in Oakland, California, in recent weeks around the situation of 13-year-old Jahi McMath, who was declared brain dead after suffering cardiac arrest. by Carl Dix We don't have to accept the terms of the system, with baby mamas & baby daddies becoming the norm for parenting. And millions of children raised in poverty and facing high drop-out rates with prison looming in too many of their futures. Things don't have to be this way.

abortion providers

SANA reporter said that army units, backed by Syrian air force, directed on Tuesday intensive strikes against terrorist organizations in three directions aiming at cutting off their supplying routes and tightening grip on them. As a result of the coordination between different types of forces and the tactics practiced in this operation, the army's storming units advanced in al-Jora area in al-Qadam neighborhood, inflicting terrorists heavy loses upon their ranks and equipment, the reporter said. The reporter added that the Syrian Air Force and the army's artillery directed intensive strikes on the so-called "security square" of terrorists in al-Hajar al-Aswad, destroying many of terrorists' vehicles and sites along with all equipment inside them. The reporter added that the army units continued to advance from several directions after weakening terrorists' defenses, cutting off their supply lines after fierce clashes in the farms located between al-Hajar al-Aswad Yalda and Babila. During their operations to control the terrorists' trenches and tunnels in the area, the army units of storming eliminated a group of fleeing terrorists. The military operation will continue until the eradication of terrorism from the western Ghouta and retaking control over southern Damascus and securing the surrounding neighborhoods, the reporter said. The reporter added that a mortar shell launched by the terrorist organizations fell on al-Midan quarter, casualties reported.

strikes against terrorist organizations

The radical Left-wing leader used a defiant television address to urge voters to oppose spending cuts demanded by international creditors in the crunch national poll this Sunday. And he accused European leaders of attempting to "blackmail" Greece after his Government defaulted on a PS1.2billion loan repayment to the International Monetary Fund. His defiance followed a growing mood of desperation on the streets of his debt-stricken nation. Hundreds of worried pensioners were photographed pushing and shoving outside banks in Athens in a scrabble for tickets for permission to withdraw cash. The Greek government had ordered banks to reopen to allow people unable to use ATM machines. Pensioners were permitted to withdraw PS100 in cash from their retirement funds but were forced to plead for tickets to get a place in the queues to tellers. Until today banks had been shut this week in an attempt to limit withdrawals by panic-stricken savers. Confusion surrounded Mr Tsipras's response to his administration failing to make the loan repayment before the deadline of 11pm on Tuesday. The failure to pay made Greece the first industrialised nation to default on an IMF loan. Early today, Mr Tsipras wrote to Greece's creditors offering to accept a bailout deal with some changes to conditions. His letter sparked speculation that the ruling Leftists Syriza party was prepared to climbdown on its opposition to further austerity measures in return for a fresh bail-out. But his defiant remarks in his television broadcast to his nation today afternoon left euro-zone officials with little enthusiasm for negotiations before Sunday's referendum is held. Mr Tsipras said: "A 'No' vote is a decisive step towards a better agreement that we aim to sign right after Sunday's result." Jeroen Dijsselbloem, head of the Eurogroup of finance ministers, said: "We will talk about the proposals, but with that last speech I see little prospect of progress." The stricken country has closed its banks for a week, imposed credit controls, and on Sunday will see voters effectively decide whether to stay in the euro.

Greek government

Milo Yiannopoulos, the former bright star of the Alt Right, has fallen from grace after a video emerged of him appearing to defend pedophilia as a great way for young boys to "discover who they are." Apparently the GOP is perfectly fine with sexism, racism, and anti-Semitism, but pedophilia is the breaking point. Ring of Fire's Farron Cousins discusses this. Transcript of the above video: For about the last year, Milo Yiannopoulos from Breitbart has been the rising star among the alt right. Basically the rising star amongst all of the racist Republicans that helped to put Donald Trump in office. Well this past weekend, new audio/video from a podcast emerged that Yiannopoulos had done a while back, where Yiannopoulos told us that he believes people under the age of 16 in the United States, some teenagers should be legally allowed to consent to sex. Essentially what Milo Yiannopoulos did here was say that he thinks that pedophilia in some cases is okay because anyone under the age of 16, by law if you engage in intercourse with them, consensual or not, it is considered pedophilia. You become a registered sex offender because that is against the 1956 sexual offenses act in the United Kingdom at least. Here's the thing, after this audio of Yiannopoulos surfaced, he lost his speaking position at this week's CPAC convention. Shortly thereafter he lost his book deal with Simon and Schuster and as it stands right now is most likely, if he hasn't already, going to actually lose his job at Breitbart News. Yiannopoulos in the span of three days has lost his entire future and deservedly so. There is no sympathy. There are no tears for this madman. He is a man who was banned from Twitter last year for sexist and racist attacks on the cast of Ghostbusters, the Ghostbusters reboot. His whole career is built around essentially being the male version of Ann Coulter, just a little bit more extreme. Racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, you name it, this guy has done it all. To be honest for Republicans, up until the pedophilia comments, all of this was perfectly fine. In fact going back to those comments, Yiannopoulos actually said during that podcast that he thinks sex for 13, 12 year old boys is perfectly fine because it helps them discover who they are. At that age of 12 or 13 a child, a teenager is not able to fully understand one the choice that they're making and two any potential consequence from those choices. Yiannopoulos is dangerously misguided on this issue and he is a dangerous person, not just because of the pedophilia comments but because of the way he seems to hate any non-white person. Yes, it is good that Yiannopoulos has lost his future. He's lost his book deal. I am sure there's some other right wing publisher that's already talking to him right now. He's going to write a book. He's going to make millions off it because there's enough hateful disgusting people in this country that are going to go out and buy it. They're still going to listen to what this guy says, so he hasn't lost everything. He's still going to be around, this little cockroach is going to survive this nuclear storm that's currently happening in his life, but he doesn't deserve to. Anyone like that, anyone who makes a career off of peddling hate in this country, or in any country, should not be given credence. They should not be given guest spots on Real Time with Bill Maher, where Bill Maher appeared to be best friends with Milo. This is the kind of guy that you ignore. This is the kind of guy that you don't talk about, and I can promise you, this is going to be the only time that we actually address what this whack job did, because to be honest, beyond this he's not worth our time.

Milo Yiannopoulos

Fear and charm in Mexico's drug war STORY HIGHLIGHTS Drug war rages in Reynosa, just 10 minutes from U.S. border, between Gulf Cartel and Zetas At stake is people and drug smuggling routes and extortion and kidnap rackets Many believe police are working for the gangs, police chiefs deny that Locals use Twitter to warn of gang roadblocks and gunfights Reynosa, Mexico (CNN) -- Maria Jesus Mancha had just come from burying her son. It took her about 20 minutes to drive to the cemetery from her house in a lower middle-class neighborhood in the Mexican border city of Reynosa. In just half that time she could have driven across the border into Texas. That's how close the frontlines in Mexico's drug war are to the United States. Mancha says Reynosa is not so much a city under fire in the drug war as a city where security officials have cut a deal with the devil and now work with or for the cartels. Her son Miguel Angel Vazquez, 27, was a computer engineer in a U.S.-owned assembly plant in Reynosa. He was married with two young children. "I blame the authorities, our bad government and the police. You must realize these people are disguised as police," she said, referring to cartel gunmen as "these people." A local newspaper El Sol, citing police sources, said only that her son was caught in crossfire when narcos opened fire on a police patrol as he drove home around midnight. But Mancha dares to contradict the official version. Other residents of Reynosa also believe that some in the police take orders from the now-dominant Gulf Cartel -- but they keep their opinions to themselves. Gallery: Battling cartels in Reynosa Mexico-U.S. border In a city like Reynosa where a drug cartel imposes its rule at gunpoint, Mancha knows speaking out may be like asking for a death sentence. Asked if she preferred not to be quoted by name, she was defiant and pleaded not to edit her words. "If they want to kill me for saying this then here I am. They killed me when they killed my son. I'm already dead," Mancha told me. From Mancha's living room, you could see a large pick-up truck with tinted windows -- like the ones favored by the cartels -- slowly patrolling up and down the street. There was no way of knowing who was really inside. But that's the problem these days in Reynosa -- people suspect the cartel has eyes and ears everywhere. A few minutes into an interview, one of Mancha's daughters suggested she cut short the chat. "What's done is done. Just let it go now," she whispered. Another of the vocal exceptions, publicly condemning official corruption, is Jose Sacramento, a senator in President Felipe Calderon's ruling National Action Party (PAN). He's running for the state governor's office in July elections. "What we are seeing now across Tamaulipas state is the result of complicity between state and municipal police and organized crime," he said. In an off-camera chat, municipal police chiefs dismissed allegations that cops were on the Gulf Cartel payroll. But President Calderon's government has acknowledged police and military units nationwide -- not just municipal and state police -- have been infiltrated by the cartels. Fighting erupted in Reynosa at the start of the year between the Gulf Cartel and its former hit squad, the Zetas. The war has spread along the border between Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, up to Nuevo Laredo. At stake is not just control of cocaine and marijuana smuggling routes but migrant trafficking routes, and extortion and kidnap rackets. With the Gulf Cartel gaining the upper hand in Reynosa, the fate of a city of 500,000 inhabitants now seems to be in the hands of a pudgy-faced 37-year-old known by the codename Metro-Three. According to local residents, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Metro-Three, whose real name is Samuel Flores Borrego, is a former cop who went rogue and is now the alleged head of Gulf Cartel operations in Reynosa with a $5 million U.S. State Department reward on his head. In its bid for supremacy, the Gulf Cartel has called in extra firepower thanks to an alliance with former rivals in the Sinaloa and La Familia cartels. Given the shifting sands of Mexico's drug conflict, it's difficult to predict how long that pact will hold. If it breaks down it will almost certainly herald a new spiral of killings. It's difficult to compare the levels of violence, or the threat of violence in Reynosa with other parts of Mexico. Reynosa City Hall officials said they "simply have no idea" how many people may have been killed so far. Unlike in other Mexican cities, officials here say they believe the cartels gather up and secretly dispose of their own dead. Red Cross officials say the vast majority of victims are cartel members, not innocent bystanders. Whatever the threat level to civilians, it's easy to become paranoid in Reynosa. During a five-day stay in Reynosa, pick-up trucks and luxury SUVs shadowed our movements. From time to time one of the trucks would crack open a window, revealing four men inside and the driver holding a walkie-talkie. On pedestrian streets, we were followed by three young men in shiny, sequined baseball caps -- one of the hallmarks of young cartel lookouts known here as "falcons." Visiting journalists have the option of leaving. It's a different story for the Mexican journalists. This year alone at least six journalists from Reynosa and the surrounding area have been "disappeared" by suspected drug cartel gunmen, according to Jaime Aguirre, head of Reynosa's Democratic Union of Journalists. It is not known whether they are dead or alive. It's also not known whether they were taken because of their reporting. In a bid to survive, most local journalists seem to have decided self-censorship is the better part of valor. There's little news of the home-grown drug war in the newspapers or on the radio. "It's not fear but simply the lack of security which obliges us to keep certain things quiet," Aguirre told me. "Our state (Tamaulipas) is ranked first in the number of disappeared journalists. We simply have no guarantees to be able to inform about daily events." The information void left by the traditional media is being filled by concerned citizens using web tools like Twitter. If they want to kill me for saying this then here I am. They killed me when they killed my son. I'm already dead. --Maria Jesus Mancha RELATED TOPICS Mexico Illegal Drugs They warn of gangsters setting up roadblocks and of the echo of gunfire. They ask each other for status reports from neighborhoods across Reynosa and outlying border communities. The tweets flew thick and fast in February when the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas fought day and night in downtown Reynosa. The battles were so public that each side emblazoned the initials of their faction -- CDG, the Spanish acronym for Gulf Cartel, and "Z" for the Zetas -- on the side of their trucks. Senior city hall official Juan Triana has also stepped into the online fray. Drawing on advice from his two teenage daughters about how to use the social networking site, he opened his own Twitter account (@dirdegobreynosa). He and a colleague now work 16 hour days monitoring Twitter. If tweets are false Triana tries to halt the virtual psychosis. If they're true he simply warns readers to stay away from what he terms "risk situations." "It's clear the local media cannot inform about this. The immediacy of the information (on Twitter) is very useful to the community," he said in a face-to-face conversation. None of the other Twitter users on #reynosafollow agreed to meet in person in Reynosa. They said they didn't feel safe talking in the real world. In a virtual world, they're protected by their aliases. But back out on Reynosa's streets, the cartel-imposed law of silence reigns. And such psychological and physical threats of terror may be damaging people's mental health, according to Dinorah Guerra, psychotherapist and head of the Red Cross in Reynosa. "There is a huge risk for people's self esteem. They cannot speak about what they have seen or what they have heard," she said. "You lose yourself and lose your identity." Share this on:

Mexico's drug war

As the "traditional marriage" forces have been in retreat, both legally and rhetorically, there's an argument we haven't heard as much as we did a few years ago: that if you allow gay people to get married, then the same logic will demand that we also allow incest marriages and polygamous marriages. Today, Kent Greenfield grapples with it here at the Prospect ; go read his piece, then come back and I'll tell you what I think about this. My hunch is that the reason the incest argument has faded is that the anti-equality forces never gave it all that much thought in the first place. It was just something outside the prevailing definition of marriage that they thought would sound crazy to everyone, so they tossed it out there. The basic argument was that once you "change the definition of marriage," you'll be changing it to accommodate any preference anybody had. A man will marry his brother! A woman will marry her cat! A cat will marry a gerbil! (Bill O'Reilly is, for some reason, particularly troubled by the thought of interspecies marriage. Perhaps he doth protest too much?) The reality is that we've changed the definition of marriage many times before when the definition was no longer in accord with our contemporary values (for instance, women who get married are now no longer their husband's property, and people of different races are allowed to get married), and one more change doesn't mean that there are no more limits whatsoever. As people became more comfortable with this particular change, the idea that it would necessitate other changes for which no one was advocating didn't have much persuasive power. But more importantly, what the debate over marriage equality exposed is that the status quo definition of marriage never had much of a rationale behind it in the first place . It was just how we did things, and few people gave it much thought. When opponents of same-sex marriage were forced to define the rationale for the status quo, the best thing they could come up with was that marriage is only about procreation, a justification that falls apart on a moment's consideration (after all, we don't forbid postmenopausal women from marrying). The debate also exposed that the anti-equality forces were completely unable to articulate a harm that could spring from gay people being allowed to marry. They offered some vague ideas about "devaluing" heterosexual marriages, but as the court in the Proposition 8 case found, there was nothing to them. In the end, since no one was able to show a demonstrable harm from gay marriages, no one was able to prove they had the legal standing to act as a party against such marriages, and that was where the case in favor of Prop. 8 fell apart. That's where we come to incest and polygamy. As Greenfield describes, the case for the societal harm coming from incest and polygamy isn't all that strong. Even though many polygamous arrangements are terribly coercive, you can certainly conceive of ones that wouldn't be. If we wanted to, there might be a way to restructure the law to allow, say, three consenting adults who wanted to join in a union to do so, while still forbidding Warren Jeffs -style nightmares. And yes, there's a nearly universal taboo against incest, and if forced to answer why that is, you'd probably respond that incestual relationships produce offspring with birth defects. How often would that actually happen? I doubt there's much data on the topic, since it's so rare. And what if a brother and sister in their 50s wanted to get married? It would be hard to say what harm would come from it. Yes, Joffrey Baratheon is a monster, but given the limitations of genetic analysis in Westeros, we don't know whether that's a result of his unusual parentage. And beyond the occasional tossing of a young boy out a window, who's really harmed by Jamie and Cersei's love? To be clear, I'm not coming out in favor of incest and polygamy. But rolling these questions around, you begin to realize that it isn't something we've thought too much about. For the first time in our lifetimes, we're having an extended national debate on what marriage is for, as our own E.J. Graff put it . The answers can lead us to some uncomfortable places.

traditional marriage

(LANGUAGE WARNING) Today I'm introducing my new weekly Friday segment - Tommy's Friday Fatwa. Let's finish off the week by browsing Twitter together, and summing up some of the nonsense from the past week. Today I've also brought you my very first Hadith of the Week! You wouldn't believe some of the mental stuff in the Hadiths, so I'm going to bring you one every Friday. Enjoy! Want to help us build a studio? Pledge your support at www.TommyRobinson.com! Share This On Facebook Share This On Twitter Share This By Email Share This On LinkedIn

Tommy's Friday Fatwa

MINISTERS are studying a bold new plan to end rough sleeping on the streets of Britain for good. They are considering a PS100 million help-and-homes project which could eradicate the scourge of homelessness within three years. Getty Images 5 Ministers are considering a PS100million help-and-homes project to end homelessness within three years It provides vagrants with a stable, independent pad, plus easy access to drug, alcohol and mental health services. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid will travel to Finland soon to examine a ground-breaking system in operation there. Called "Housing First" it rents homes from private landlords and lets them out without any of the normal strings attached to get on the ladder. 5 Communities Secretary Sajid Javid will travel to Finland to examine a similar scheme Mr Javid hopes it can be adopted in the UK where the number of people sleeping rough has nearly doubled in the last six years - from 1,800 in 2010 to over 4,000 last year. Every year, an estimated 34,500 people sleep rough in England, costing the government PS1billion in health, drug rehabilitation and criminal justice spending. Getty Images 5 The project would provide the homeless with a stable, independent pad, along with access to drug, alcohol and mental health services Experts estimate that Housing First in the UK would cost PS110 million a year but pay for itself within three years. Mr Javid is enthused by a report by the Centre for Social Justice, the think tank set up by former Tory Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith. MOST READ IN POLITICS SEX DUNGEON Four people caught having 'orgy' next to Cardiff Castle as kids played nearby drug nightmare Mum paralysed after weekend hippy crack binges while son, 3, was with dad SHELL SHOCK Angry biker told 'remove helmet' at Shell garage - as woman in burka fills up 'WHO'S MAEVIS?' Woman realises she has called her neighbour the wrong name for 14 YEARS A CANDLE FOR SAMMY Heartbroken ex-fiance's tribute to 'murdered' midwife Samantha Eastwood HOT CAR TRAGEDY Baby dies after granddad left her in car for 8 hours in 30C heat in Majorca 'THEY THREATENED ME' Woman wanted for 'knife threat' to mum & tot on Tube says SHE'S victim FEELING LUCKY? Winning Lotto numbers for Saturday August 11 2018 PS13.8million jackpot BANGED UP ABROAD Brit, 26, arrested for 'tying up, raping & beating woman in Majorca' 'IT'S ALL DOWN YOUR BACK!' Stomach-churning moment a 25-year-old cyst gets popped He said: "I warmly welcome this report and the ideas for ending rough sleeping once and for all. "My department will be studying the recommendations closely, as this is a cause close to my heart. Getty Images 5 A report for the Centre for Social Justice urges the government to set up a national Housing First programme "I'm particularly interested in Housing First as a means to ending chronic homelessness. I intend to travel to Finland to learn more about the approach." The CSJ report urges the government to set up a national Housing First progamme as well as increasing the supply of low-cost rental accommodation. AP:Associated Press 5 One of Theresa May's first initiatives as PM was a PS40million programme to tackle homelessness Theresa May has vowed to tackle homelessness and announced a PS40 million programme as one of her first initiatives as PM. Former MP Brooks Newmark, who chaired a working group behind the report, said: "Homelessness remains a blight on our society. Many rough sleepers I have met have complex needs. "The problem is not unsurmountable. It's just a question of political will."

homelessness

MORE SUBSIDIES FROM EXHAUSTED CALIFORNIA TAXPAYERS CANNOT COMPENSATE FOR HARD REALITIES by Paul Driessen, (c)2017 (Jul. 23, 2017) -- The first justification was that internal combustion engines polluted too much. But emissions steadily declined, and today's cars emit about 3% of what their predecessors did. Then it was oil imports: electric vehicles (EVs) would reduce foreign dependency and balance of trade deficits. Bountiful oil and natural gas supplies from America's hydraulic fracturing revolution finally eliminated that as an argument. Now the focus is on climate change. Every EV sale will help prevent assumed and asserted manmade temperature, climate and weather disasters , we're told - even if their total sales represented less than 1% of all U.S. car and light truck sales in 2016 (Tesla sold 47,184 of the 17,557,955 vehicles sold nationwide last year), and plug-in EVs account for barely 0.15% of 1.4 billion vehicles on the road worldwide. In recent months, Tesla sales plunged to nearly zero in Hong Kong and Denmark , as huge government subsidies were eliminated. Now Tesla's U.S. subsidies face extinction. Once its cumulative sales since 2009 reach 200,000 vehicles in the next few months, federal tax rebates will plunge from $7,500 per car to zero over an 18-month period. The same thing will happen to other EV companies that reach 200,000. Subsidies clearly drive sales for EVs, which are often double the cost of comparable gasoline-powered vehicles. Free charging stations, and access to HOV lanes for plug-ins with only the driver, further sweeten the deal. For those who can afford the entry fee, the ride is smooth indeed. In fact, a 2015 study found, the richest 20% of Americans received 90% of hundreds of millions in taxpayer EV subsidies. Where were all the government "offices of environmental justice" when this was happening? How much must we subsidize our wealthiest families, to save us from manmade planetary disasters that exist only in Al Gore movies and alarmist computer models? Perhaps recognizing the reverse Robin Hood injustice - or how unsustainable free EV stations are for cash-strapped cities - Palo Alto (where Tesla Motors is headquartered) announced that it will charge 23 cents per kWh to charge plug-in vehicles in city parking garages. Others communities and states may also reduce their rebates, HOV access and free charging, further reducing incentives to purchase pricey EVs. Meanwhile, Lyft and Uber are also decreasing the justification for shelling out $35,000 to $115,000 or even $980,000 for an electric car that gets very limited mileage per charge. Long excursions still need internal combustion engines or long layovers every few hundred miles to recharge EV batteries. Are California's energy policies affordable? Intent on advancing its renewable energy and climate change agenda, the California legislature recently enacted a new cap-and-trade law that will generate revenues for Tesla and the "bullet train to nowhere," by increasing hidden taxes on motor fuels, electricity and consumer products - with the state's poor, minority and working class families again being hit hardest. State legislators are also close to passing a $3-billion EV subsidy program , primarily to replace the $7,500 federal rebate that Tesla could soon lose. Electric vehicle buyers could soon receive up to $40,000 for buying Tesla's most expensive models! Coal-billionaire and California gubernatorial hopeful Tom Steyer vigorously supports the new subsidy. We can also expect a battle royale over extending the federal EV subsidy beyond 200,000 vehicles - demonstrating once again that lobbyists are now far more important to bottom lines than engineers, especially when lobbyists can channel enormous contributions to politicians' reelection campaigns. As U.S. government agencies prepare to reassess climate change science, models and disaster predictions, it's a good time to reexamine claims made about all the utopian electric vehicle and renewable energy forecasts, expanding on the land and raw material issues I raised in a previous article. In his Forbes article on Battery Derangement Syndrome , energy and technology analyst Mark P. Mills notes that Tesla is also getting $1 billion in taxpayer subsidies to build a huge $5-billion lithium battery factory in Nevada. Batteries, it's often claimed, can soon replace fossil fuels for backing up expensive, intermittent, unreliable, unpredictable wind and solar power. Mills explains why this is ... deranged. In an entire year, all the existing lithium battery factories in the world combined manufacture only enough capacity to store 100 billion Watt-hours (Wh) of electricity. But the USA alone uses 100 times this capacity: more than 10,000 billion Wh per day. Worldwide, humanity uses over 50,000 billion Wh daily. Focusing on solar power, Mills notes, that means storing electricity for 12 hours a day - to power homes and businesses around the globe for the 12 hours per day that photovoltaic systems will generate power on sunny days in the 100% solar world of the utopian future - would require 25,000 billion Watt-hours of battery power (ignoring future electricity needs to recharge electric vehicle batteries). Replacing the gasoline in the tanks of 1.4 billion vehicles worldwide with electric power would require another 100,000 billion Watt-hours . That brings total global demand to well over 125,000 billion Wh of storage. That means it would take 1,250 years of production from every existing lithium battery factory worldwide to meet this combined demand. Or we would have to build 1,250 times more factories. Or we could build batteries that are 10 to100 times more powerful and efficient than what we have today. Says Mills, the constraints of real world physics on battery storage mean this latter option will not happen. In a world where we are also supposed to ban nuclear (and most hydroelectric) power, the very notion of eliminating the 80% of all global energy that comes from oil, natural gas and coal - replacing it with wind, solar and biofuel power - is fundamentally absurd. Can you imagine what would happen when the power goes off and on repeatedly while we are smelting iron, copper, aluminum, cobalt or lithium ores ... forging or casting metals into components ... or running complex fabrication and assembly lines? In the sustainability arena, has anyone calculated how much lithium, cobalt and other metals would be required to manufacture all those batteries? Where they would be mined - with nearly all the best U.S. metal prospects off limits to exploration and production, and radical environmentalists increasingly rallying to block mining projects overseas? The mines would have to be enormous, and operated by huge corporate consortiums. Will anti-corporate activists on our campuses suddenly have a change of heart? Will homes, neighborhoods and communities have the electrical service (200 amperes or more per home) to handle all the lighting, computing, entertainment, air conditioning, medical equipment and other requirements of modern living - AND the power required to charge all the predicted electric vehicles? What will it cost to upgrade neighborhood power grids, and home and commercial electrical systems? Lithium batteries and their component metals pose unique fire and explosion risks. What safeguards will be established to minimize those dangers, in battery factories, homes and public parking garages? Some factories and batteries will invariably be poorly built, handled or maintained. Some will invariably malfunction - causing potentially catastrophic explosions. The bigger the factory or battery, the bigger the cataclysm. Will we apply the same precautionary principles to them as more rabid environmentalists insist on applying to drilling, fracking, pipelines, refineries, factories, dams and nuclear power plants? What is the life expectancy of batteries, compared to engines in gasoline-powered cars? Two or three times shorter? What does it cost to replace battery packs compared to engines? Two to three times as much? What is the true overall cost of owning an EV? Four to six times higher than a gasoline car? How will we dispose of or recycle millions or billions of batteries and their dangerous, toxic components? Is the real goal of all this crony-corporatist wind, solar and battery enthusiasm - and anti-fossil fuel activism - to slash living standards in industrialized nations, and ensure that impoverished nations are able to improve their health and living conditions only marginally? We would do well to raise - and answer - these and other essential questions now, before we let activists, journalists, legislators and regulators con us into adopting more of their utopian, "planet-saving" ideas. Paul Driessen is senior policy analyst for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow ( www.CFACT.org ) and author of Eco-Imperialism : Green power - Black death . Tesla Battery, Subsidy and Sustainability Fantasies added on Sunday, July 23, 2017

MORE SUBSIDIES FROM EXHAUSTED CALIFORNIA TAXPAYERS

Imad Mughniyeh (also spelled Mughniyah) was the most deadly, notorious and elusive Hezbollah terrorist, responsible for killing more Americans in terror attacks than anyone else prior to 9/11. Mughniyeh was behind just about every Hezbollah terror attack. His terror credits included the 1983 Beirut Marine and Embassy bombings, the capture and torture... The United States and Argentina are to work together to cut off Lebanese terrorist outfit Hezbollah's funding networks in Latin America. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Argentinian Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie declared their intention to cooperate in this regard during a press conference in Buenos Aires on Sunday. Argentina is home to a... Lebanese-based terrorist group Hezbollah, a functionary of the Iran, has engaged in international drug running and other crimes to help finance its terror activities worldwide. As exposed late last year, the Obama administration was aware Hezbollah was running cocaine into the U.S., but disrupted law enforcement plans (Project Cassandra) to shut down... So far there is near silence from the mainstream media about the blockbuster Politico Magazine investigative report on how the Obama administration from the top down interfered with U.S. law enforcement efforts to take down Hezbollah's drug running of cocaine into the U.S. in order to facilitate the Iran nuclear deal. Lebanon-based terrorist outfit Hezbollah is in the middle of a financial crisis, recent intelligence assessments reveal. "Tehran's vassal is on the verge of bankruptcy," leading German newspaper Die Welt reported citing Western intelligence sources. Despite a steady flow of funding from Iran, the "Party of Allah," as the terrorist group is called...

Hezbollah terrorist

Note: You may reprint this cartoon provided you link back to this source. For more A.F.Branco cartoons at Legal Insurrection click here Note: You may reprint this cartoon provided you link back to this source. For more A.F.Branco cartoons at Legal Insurrection click here Note: You may reprint this cartoon provided you link back to this source. For more A.F.Branco cartoons at Legal Insurrection click here Note: You may reprint this cartoon provided you link back to this source. For more A.F.Branco cartoons at Legal Insurrection click here Note: You may reprint this cartoon provided you link back to this source. For more A.F.Branco cartoons at Legal Insurrection click here Note: You may reprint this cartoon provided you link back to this source. For more A.F.Branco cartoons at Legal Insurrection click here Posted by AACONS # Friday, January 22, 2016 at 7:00am Steve Forbes is CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes magazine, and the chairmanForbes Media, which encompasses Forbes, ForbesLife, Forbes.com, Investopedia.com, the RealClear sites and a host of other properties. His latest book, written with Elizabeth Ames, is titled Reviving America: How Repealing Obamacare, Replacing the Tax Code and Reforming The Fed will Restore Hope and Prosperity . A.F. Branco is one of today's most widely followed editorial cartoonists whose work has been cited by some of our nation's most prominent Conservative figures. His work is published regularly on a number of conservative websites including Legal Insurrection and his new book is titled Comically Incorrect: A Collection of the Politically-Incorrect Comics . Note: You may reprint this cartoon provided you link back to this source. For more A.F.Branco cartoons at Legal Insurrection click here

A Collection of the Politically-Incorrect Comics

Repeating History N ew York's current financial woes have a precedent, and perhaps a solution, in the pages of the distant past. Well back in its history, in the late 1830s, New York State was spending and lending money lavishly. By the early 1840s, the rapidly mounting debt had occasioned a severe financial crisis. To avert the imminent possibility of bankruptcy and default, the state legislature in 1842 passed what was known as "the stop and tax law", a levy of one mill on each dollar of taxable property. The new revenue helped the state meet its most pressing obligations. But, even more importantly in terms of the future, New York decided to take steps to prevent another such fiscal disaster. Ambitious projects for internal improvements -- mostly canal construction and loans for railroad building -- were cut back or abandoned unless there was a reasonable expectation that they could be funded from tolls or taxation. And the legislature also issued a call for a constitutional convention. The new Constitution adopted in 1846 placed strict limits on the state's ability to borrow money. Thus the people of New York, facing problems similar to the state's later predicament, found the answer in an old-fashioned program of reduced spending and new taxes. What is surprising, however, is that such policies had the popular support of the most democratic and liberal elements in the state. To understand the unusual sequence of events which culminated in the New York State Constitution of 1846, one must go back in history to the Jacksonian era and the political struggles between the Democrats and the Whigs. In New York the Jacksonian Democrats included a wide-ranging constituency of radical workingmen, Irish immigrants, farmers, intellectuals, and representatives of the new rising business or small capitalist class. The preponderance of the older landed aristocracy and wealthier classes, together with the most English or Anglo-Saxon elements in the population, gravitated toward the Whig Party. The Whigs, united nationally by their opposition to Andrew Jackson's Presidency, were the ideological heirs in New York State of DeWitt Clinton, five times governor and father of the Erie Canal. Like Clinton, the Whigs supported the generous use of state funds for internal improvements as well as for various cultural, humanitarian, and educational endeavors. The Whigs' belief in positive government and social reform reflected their paternalistic conception of politics and economics. Quite different were the ideas of the Democrats who, in contrast to their Whig opponents, stood for a strict construction of the United States Constitution, limiting the governing power to its least essentials. Both nationally and in New York State, the Jacksonian Democrats adhered to the Jeffersonian agrarian maxim that the least government it the best government. In New York the leader of the Democratic Party was Martin Van Buren, head of the famed Albany Regency which controlled the state governmental machinery through most of the 1830s and '40s. The most radical Democrats, known as Locofocos, were somewhat to the left of Van Buren and the Regency. They included an interesting collection of intellectuals and politicians who espoused a negative, anti-statist democracy. As against the paternalistic philosophy of the Whigs, the Locofoco Democrats stressed complete laissez faire in government-business relations. For example, the introduction in 1837 to the first issue of the United States Magazine and Democratic Review, organ of the more radical Democrats, defined the party's belief in democratic republicanism and majority rule. But the editors added: The best government is that which governs least. No human depositories can, with safety, be trusted with the power of legislation upon the general interests of society so as to operate directly or indirectly on the industry and property of the community. Such power must be perpetually liable to the most pernicious abuse, from the natural imperfection, both in wisdom of judgment and purity of purpose, of all human legislation, exposed constantly to the pressure of partial interests; interests which, at the same time that they are essentially selfish and tyrannical, are ever vigilant. persevering, and subtle in all the arts of deception and corruption. Most forthright of the radical Democrats was William Leggett, a Locofoco colleague in the 1830s of such New York Democratic writers as James Fenimore Cooper, William Cullen Bryant, Theodore Sedgwick, and Parke Godwin. Leggett coupled adherence to the Jeffersonian natural rights philosophy with demands for the equal right to property, not its abolition. Governments had no warrant to interfere with individual pursuits by offering financial advantages to any particular class or industry. Specially chartered banks, including the Bank of the United States, were a favorite target of Leggett's scorn. "Let the banks perish," he wrote. "Now is the time for the complete emancipation of trade from legislative thralldom." Individual Liberty and Paternalism As a part of their general laissez-faire philosophy and opposition to Whig paternalism, the Democrats were also dubious of those social and humanitarian reform movements which infringed upon individual liberty and private property. Thus they were hostile to the abolitionists even though this meant ignoring the question of freedom for the black slave. Imprisonment for debt attracted little attention from either Democrats or workingmen until public interest in the matter became too strong to be ignored. The workingmen's parties were, however, in a peculiar position because wage earners wanted preferential creditor status through a mechanics' lien law. Even public schools had difficulty winning Democratic support because their expense involved heavier taxation. Charity schools and use of the Lancastrian system of pupil tutors instead won Democratic favor. A system of statewide public education would also interfere with parents' control over their children and might undermine religious freedom. In Washington, Andrew Jackson, the Democrats' hero, enjoyed an uneasy and controversial Presidency. His years in office from 1829 to 1837 formed an era in which easy credit, cheap land, and internal improvements all contributed to an inflationary prosperity. At the same time, Jackson's own inclinations tended toward the limitations on federal spending favored by his friend and political adviser Van Buren. As governor of New York in 1828, Van Buren had secured passage of the Safety Fund System to safeguard the banks and assure the state of a source of credit and wealth to go along with the Erie Canal. The state-chartered New York banks cast doubt on the need for the federal United States Bank, while the state-constructed Erie Canal rebuked the western states' clamor for federal aid for their own internal improvements. Moreover, the Jeffersonian principle of states' rights and opposition to federal centralized power, espoused by Van Buren and the New York Locofoco Democrats, was also able to gain national success by Jackson's Bank of the United States and Maysville Road vetoes. In 1836 the United States for the only time in its history was without a national debt; a year later the federal government was briefly in a position to distribute its surplus revenues to the states. But the Jacksonians, despite the President's efforts to moderate or level out the economic boom, were unable to ward off its financial aftermath in the Panic of 1837. Van Buren, Jackson's successor in the White House, fell a political victim to the Panic, and in New York in 1838 the Democrats were overturned by the Whigs who elected William H. Seward as governor. Governor Seward, it should be noted, was an admirer of DeWitt Clinton who had earlier helped inaugurate the transportation revolution in New York. Upon completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, he had urged further state expenditures for new canals, turnpikes, and eventually railroads, as well as a generous policy of chartering banks and insurance companies. Now, in 1840, the Whigs under Governor Seward called for the appropriation of four million dollars for ten years to build additional canals and railroads. Henceforth dubbed "the forty million dollar party", the Whigs to their misfortune had ignored the adverse effects of the Panic of 1837 on the state's declining credit. Alarmed critics warned that the cost of public works would soon increase the state debt to as much as 75 million dollars with annual interest charges of 4.5 million. Already by 1842, when the Democrats regained control of the legislature and passed the stop and tax law, the state debt which five years earlier amounted to 7 million dollars had grown to 27 million dollars, and state bonds were unmarketable even at a discount of 20%. Instead of continuing to spend money for internal improvements, the Democrats, at a cost of 40 million dollars in principal and interest, proposed to extinguish the state debt in twenty years. As a result of such conservative fiscal policies, within two months of the stop and tax law the state's 7% bonds sold at par, while 5% bonds reached that level in 15 month. By the 1840s national opinion in regard to state aid for internal improvements was undergoing a change. The former public enthusiasm for heavy state expenditures had run its course. Some of the new states in the West were in default on their bonds. State initiative and responsibility had been necessary earlier for such ambitious undertakings as the Erie Canal, but after the return of prosperity in the 1840s private capital, just beginning to be accumulated by American manufacturing and industry, was available for investment. Railroads were now becoming the most important means of transportation, but railroads with their special rolling stock could not be considered public in the same sense as a canal, a river, or a turnpike. Although railroad builders frequently turned to the states to help raise the large amounts of capital they required, most of their funds in New York came from individual savings and from credit extended by American banks. Accordingly, while there was little foreign investment in, or municipal aid for, New York State railroads until after the Civil War, the New York Central by 1853 had 2331 stockholders. Political Woes Halting Public Services The decline of public aid and intervention in economic enterprise was most marked in some of the eastern states where the old colonial concept of the commonwealth fell victim to a surge of anti-government feeling. Although various economic and social groups continued to desire political intervention in behalf of their own self-interests, the fear of more state taxes and increasing state indebtedness blocked heavy public expenditures throughout the 1840s. Instead of continuing to take a positive, direct role in the economy, the state granted its economic powers to private banks and stock companies. For example, the Free Banking Act passed by New York in 1838 abolished the old system requiring special legislation for each bank charter and in effect introduced competition into banking. Under general incorporation laws, state charters were now granted to all manner of enterprises which, in pursuing their own private ends, were largely freed of the public responsibility associated with governmental agencies and the earlier semiprivate corporation. Democratic reluctance to continue the specially chartered corporation for a favored few had dispersed the privilege of incorporation among many stockholders and had separated it from responsibility to the state. Legislation for free banking and general incorporation laws accordingly had the support not only of the business community but also of those opposed to all governmental aid and protection for selected enterprises. Locofoco Democrats and workingmen united in the crusade against economic monopoly and special privilege, although labor sometimes identified its own true interest with that of the whole community. In any case, the state was usually too weak in an administrative sense to enforce either its own definition of the public interest, or to give its full support to various private or special interest groups. Thus laissez faire and the cry of equal rights for all and special privileges for none was a more appealing political philosophy in the 1830s and '40s than any Whiggish notions of a paternalistic and expensive government. It was in response to these views that the Democrats pushed ahead with their plans for drafting a new state constitution. William C. Bouck, the conservative or Hunker Democratic successor to Seward as governor in 1843 and 1844, favored a moderate course on internal improvements despite the Democrats' stop and tax law of 1842. But when Silas Wright, a close friend of Van Buren and the staunchest disciple of Jeffersonian agrarian democracy in New York State, was put forward for the nomination of governor, Bouck and the conservative Hunker faction had to retreat. Wright in his first annual governor's message in January 1845 praised the stop and tax law for restoring the state's credit. Three fifths of the state's debt charged to the General Fund, he pointed out, had been incurred by unwise loans to railroads that had proved unable to pay their obligations. Wright also announced that he favored calling a constitutional convention. In a series of articles analyzing the progress of constitutional reform, which appeared at this time in the Democratic Review, John Bigelow, one of the party's intellectuals, listed some of the changes which he believed New York and other states should adopt. These included a provision that "The state should have no power to contract debts, or loan its credit, except in case of war, invasion, or insurrection." In the matter of a general incorporation law, Bigelow urged: "The members of such Corporations, (not excepting those established for education or charity) should be individually liable for the debts, liabilities, and acts of such Corporation, and for the consequences resulting therefrom." Furthermore: "All laws or regulations interfering with the liberty of trade or industry (such as license and inspection laws) should be abolished, and their enactment for the future prohibited." Bigelow added as miscellaneous proposals the abolishment of the death penalty and permission for women to control their own property after marriage. A New Constitution The New York Constitutional Convention, which met in the summer of 1846, completed its labors in time for the voters to approve its handiwork that same year. Although the anti-statist views of such Jeffersonian Democrats as Bigelow and Wright were subject to some modification and compromise, the New York Constitution of 1846 embodied the laissez-faire position better than any document in the state's history. Only after all debts were paid through a sinking fund could the state appropriate any surplus for canal improvements and extensions not already mandated by law. Corporations including banks were to be chartered under general laws rather than by special act. Stockholders were made liable to the amount of their shares for all debts and liabilities contracted by their banks. As an epitaph to the anti-rent wars which had reached a climax in 1846, the Constitution abolished all feudal tenures and perpetual leases. Male suffrage was made universal except for Negroes who had to possess an estate of the value of $250, unless the people in a referendum on the question voted otherwise. This curious and illiberal provision, which was approved by the voters, retained the clause in the 1821 Constitution in which the property qualification was removed for whites but not for blacks. The Negro vote, traditionally cast in favor of the old Federalist slaveowning class, had continued to be exercised in behalf of Clinton and then the Whigs. Though never a large vote, it was opposed by the Democrats chiefly because of labor's influence. In a retrospect article on constitutional government in the Democratic Review, Bigelow reiterated his libertarian views with the warning that "A great source of inequality in the conditions of men in respect of wealth and comfort arises from the action of law. Too much government has a direct tendency to aid one man or one set of men in the 'pursuit of happiness', and in the 'acquiring, possessing, and protecting property', if not at the expense of the rest, at least without rendering them the like assistance." Unfortunately the Jacksonians, despite their defeat of the Bank of the United States, had not been able to slow the growth of wealth and inequality in New York and some of the larger cities in the East in the era before the Civil War. But their more radical laissez-faire views, as embodied in the stop and tax law and 1846 Constitution, disenchanted the wealthier business class which moved more than ever into the Whig Party. Work on the Erie Canal, which the Democrats had stopped in 1842, was resumed in 1847. Moreover, until 1850 railroads had to pay canal tolls to protect the state's vested interested in "Clinton's ditch". After that, canal tolls were reduced to provide competition to the growing volume of traffic carried by the railroad. Historians of a later generation have grown accustomed to interpreting democracy and liberalism in terms of the modern welfare state. The negative democracy of the New York Democrats of the 1840s accordingly wins little contemporary approval. Democracy in the eyes of its later adherents has become synonymous with power, preferably such power as may be exercised by a strong executive in the name of people. Some historians even question whether the negative state can be democratic and reason that laissez faire must automatically favor an aristocracy of wealth. But what passes for the welfare state today rewards most of all its largest investors in the military-industrial complex. Beneficiaries of the welfare-warfare state's largesse would be horrified by a return to the spirit of the 1840s or to any consistent across-the-board application of laissez faire. Meanwhile New York's Constitution of 1846 remains an interesting, though passing, example of the enactment of Jeffersonian anti-statism into the fundamental law. Republished with permission by Mises Institute

N ew York's current financial woes have a precedent

Facebook/Kimberley Jones The mother of a Tennessee boy in a viral anti-bullying video defended herself after social media users lashed out at her Confederate flag photos on her social media pages, CBS News reports. Over the weekend, a video of Keaton Jones complaining about his bullies went viral with many rallying in support of the boy and contributing to a GoFundMe page for the family. https://twitter.com/yashar/status/939631724350398465 But some online found photos of his mother, Kimberly Jones, who posted the video, holding a Confederate flag. Her daughter's Twitter account also featured the family posing with a Confederate flag. "The only two photos -- the only two photos on my entire planet that I am anywhere near a Confederate flag. It was ironic. It was funny," Jones said in an interview with CBS. "It didn't have anything to do with racist intent?" she was asked. "No. No. Absolutely not. I've said I spent most of my life being bullied and judged because I wasn't racist," Jones said. Jones also posted a message on Facebook, shortly after the neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, "Dear butt hurt Americans, If you aren't bleeding, no bones are sticking out & you can breathe, STOP crying! For the love, some folks clearly never picked a switch. And before y'all start talking to me about metaphorical, emotional, financial or historical blood & brokenness, Don't. Join a group." He went viral because of bullying, but Keaton Jones' mother just might be a racist money grabber https://t.co/jvbAd3WmqJ pic.twitter.com/FjZj2Zatbf -- The Root (@TheRoot) December 12, 2017 Keaton posted a message on his social media page saying, ""I love my mother but I also realize wrong is wrong.I hope we can all put her mistakes in the past and focus on bettering the world."

The mother of a Tennessee boy in a viral anti-bullying video defended herself after social media users lashed out at her Confederate flag photos on her social media pages, CBS News reports.

"NO PERSON, EXCEPT A NATURAL BORN CITIZEN..." by Sharon Rondeau (Aug. 8, 2015) -- On Saturday afternoon, author Jack Cashill posted a Republican presidential poll asking readers to name their top three candidates among a field of 17 who have declared they are seeking the office for 2016. The survey can be found here. When [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Thursday, August 6, 2015 Editorials "SOWING THE SEEDS OF RUIN" by Cody Robert Judy, (c)2015 (Aug. 6, 2015) -- He'd just been sworn in and elected unanimously by the Colonies, can you imagine the burden upon President George Washington? Would he be the last President? Would the Nation survive the Revolution? I turn back the pages to his first inaugural [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Wednesday, August 5, 2015 National FOUR POPULAR GOP CANDIDATES -- 'THE INELIGIBLES' -- FAIL TO MAKE BALLOT by Arizona Tea Party (Aug. 5, 2015) -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- August 5, 2015 Contact: Tristan Manos <naturalborncitizeninfo@gmail.com> Meeting Leader: Bob Stannard <dvtp@reagan.com> PHOENIX -- The Deer Valley Tea Party held its monthly Town Hall-style meeting before taking a summer break, concluding [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Monday, August 3, 2015 Editorials WILL TRUMP'S TOUGH TALK TRANSLATE INTO ACTION? by Cody Robert Judy, (c)2015 (Aug. 3, 2015) -- "It has to be one of the most painful things a Candidate has to do when running for Office, especially for President of the United States," Cody said, as he spoke of running for President against the incumbent Mr. [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Sunday, August 2, 2015 National WHAT WOULD THEY SAY NOW? by Sharon Rondeau (Aug. 2, 2015) -- In an April 4, 2008 article published in the Rockford Register Star, Gannett News Service writer Brian Tumulty asked two "professional storytellers" to critique the campaign performance of then-frontrunner candidates for president Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain. According to Tumulty, "Professional [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Thursday, July 30, 2015 Editorials "PROBLEMS WITH THE PRESIDENT" by Cody Robert Judy, (c)2015 (Jul. 30, 2015) -- On July 28th, a two-time modest contributor to my Campaign for President forwarded a video for me to watch and begged me to watch it. It was 27 minutes long and he said he understood that videos were not watched that were [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Tuesday, July 28, 2015 National BUT HAS HE LIVED UP TO HIS PLEDGE OF "OPEN GOVERNMENT?" by Sharon Rondeau (Jul. 28, 2015) -- During the 2003 session of the Illinois legislature, then-State Senator Barack Hussein Obama co-sponsored a bill to require a "verbatim record" of every government meeting, including those considered "closed." According to the Hyde Park Herald on April [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Friday, July 24, 2015 National IS SHE THE KEY TO WHERE OBAMA WAS BORN? by Sharon Rondeau (Jul. 24, 2015) -- At 3:52 p.m. EDT, Fox News reporter Julie Banderas reported that Barack Hussein Obama had landed in Nairobi, Kenya for his planned visit to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, the first to that country by a sitting U.S. president. [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Thursday, July 23, 2015 National BUT GRUDINGLY... by Sharon Rondeau (Jul. 23, 2015) -- In an interview on Thursday with CNN's Jake Tapper, Maricopa County Sheriff Joseph M. Arpaio told Tapper that regardless of where Barack Hussein Obama was born, a "fraudulent, forged government document" bearing Obama's name created and posted on the White House website is the focus of [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Monday, July 20, 2015 National REFERENCED BY SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM by Sharon Rondeau (Jul. 20, 2015) -- In March 24, 2015, The Post & Email submitted a FOIA request to the Selective Service System for the registration forms presumably completed by Sen. Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz,, who declared himself a 2016 presidential candidate one day prior to our request. Article [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Friday, July 17, 2015 Editorials SPECIAL REPORT: SCOTUS: THE COURT WITHIN THE COURT by Cody Robert Judy, (c)2015 (Jul. 17, 2015) -- What may come down to the most important APPLICATION filed in the United States Supreme Court History the Court received today the reason they cannot accept an unqualified person in the Office of the President. "Without a qualified [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Thursday, July 16, 2015 Editorials IS TRUMP COMPROMISING OVER PRESIDENTIAL ELIGIBILITY? by Cody Robert Judy, (c)2015 (Jul. 16, 2015) -- Everyone, including Trump now, seems to think the 'Birther/Eligibility' Question is off the table. When asked by a reporter directly Trump referred to it an 'old subject' after NBC's Katy Turr asked why people should believe his numbers on illegal [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Wednesday, July 15, 2015 Editorials WILL IRAN NOW INCH CLOSER TO "THE BOMB?" by Joseph DeMaio, (c)2015 (Jul. 15, 2015) -- If ever there were a set of circumstances confirming the validity of the worst fears of the Founding Fathers in allowing into the office of the presidency someone who elevated foreign influence and objectives over those of the United States, [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Friday, July 10, 2015 Editorials WHO IS A "NATURAL BORN CITIZEN?" by Cody Robert Judy, (c)2015 (Jul. 10, 2015) -- It was a 'conservative gut-check' that erupted out of the Supreme Court of the United States July 7th. With the trouncing some "Conservatives", [more especially led and or supporting U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, as declared Candidates [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Sunday, July 5, 2015 Editorials DEFENDING FREE SPEECH? by Cody Robert Judy, (c)2015 (Jul. 5, 2015) -- There are some days when it really does feel as if we are drowning and about to be swallowed up by the lazy river of media biased against us and the Constitution's demand that only the President be a 'natural born Citizen', not [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Saturday, July 4, 2015 Editorials "WHEN IN THE COURSE OF HUMAN EVENTS IT BECOMES NECESSARY...." by Joseph DeMaio, (c)2015 (Jul. 4, 2015) -- On this July 4, 2015, some 240 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed, people should stop and consider what has happened to this once-great nation, the "shining city on the hill," since 2012. We are [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Friday, July 3, 2015 National WERE THEY "SILENCED?" by Sharon Rondeau (Jul. 3, 2015) -- In a brief unattributed article on the front page of the Rockford (IL) Register Star dated August 12, 2008, it is reported that former Democrat presidential primary contender Hillary Clinton decided against using a strategy which would have highlighted Barack Obama's "roots to basic American [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Thursday, July 2, 2015 National "GAINING THE EYE OF THE COURT ON THE ISSUE" by Sharon Rondeau (Jul. 2, 2015) -- In a blog post on Thursday, 2008, 2012 and prospective 2016 presidential candidate Cody Robert Judy described how he had spoken with three clerks at the U.S. Supreme Court, where he has a case pending over the court's three-month [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Wednesday, June 24, 2015 National "WE ARE SO CLOSE" by Sharon Rondeau (Jun. 24, 2015) -- On Tuesday, 2008, 2012 and hopeful 2016 presidential candidate Cody Robert Judy announced on his blog that his civil lawsuit, Judy v. Obama 14-9396, was not dismissed following a June 18 conference of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court's website reported the same [...] By Sharon Rondeau on Monday, June 22, 2015 National "IT'S NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE" by Cody Robert Judy, (c)2015 (Jun. 22, 2015) -- Today's U.S. SUPREME COURT 'ORDERS' list might be the UNIVERSE SHATTERING EVIDENCE heard around the world! Today a case under consideration by the United States Supreme Court 'failed' the death grip of what is called the 'Dead-List' of the United States Supreme [...]

NO PERSON, EXCEPT A NATURAL BORN CITIZEN

(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) A report showing which of America's colleges have the most hateful tweets has caused such an uproar that its authors took it offline . Collegestats.org looked at all the tweets coming from a 1 or 3 mile radius of a college campus and compared them to a list of "hate" words. These words included everything from slurs against gay people to people of different ethnic groups, such as "junglebunny" or "raghead." Then CollegeStats.org sorted the data to create lists including "Most Derogatory Tweets," "Most Anti-Black Tweets" and "Most Anti-Gay Tweets." The results showed that hateful language used on social media could be seen on campuses across the country. Among the top 10 schools with derogatory tweets were Eastern Michigan University, SUNY Cortland in New York State and Southeast Missouri State University. (CollegeStats.org) The report also measured derogatory language towards women, led again by Southeast Missouri State. When the word "b***h" was removed from the data, two Connecticut schools made the top ten list: Albertus Magnus College and Yale University. The most anti-gay tweets came out of Husson University in Bangor, Maine, and the most anti-black tweets came from the very place that saw one of its first high schools integrated -- Little Rock, Arkansas' University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. But the study's authors say people misconstrued the data. "The recent study on the tweeting of derogatory words on or near college campuses has been removed from our website because some have misinterpreted the data presented," reads a statement online. Critics had pointed out that the study didn't take into account the context of the tweets and the data could have been skewed by tweeters who lived near campus but weren't students. But the study's authors still stand by their work. "The study could have spurred thoughtful discussion of the impact of derogatory language on society. By highlighting the derogatory words tweeted, the affected colleges and universities had an opportunity to address, denounce, and educate. But the findings were misconstrued and sensationalized beyond recognition, undermining the potential useful purpose of the study."

America's colleges have the most hateful tweets has caused such an uproar that its authors took it offline

The film has sparked a worldwide media frenzy, according to its promoters. This is the Wedding of the Year as imagined in Wichita or Wyoming, with dialogue so authentic it follows you round the room. As in all the best plays, they tell each other things they must already know. "I say, Wills," says Prince Harry. "I am not the heir. I am just the spare." "You do realise this is the 21st century?" Kate expostulates to her etiquette coach. "In your world, perhaps, but not in his," said coach replies portentously, and a million heads will nod knowingly, from Houston to Hawaii. Monarchists abroad may be shocked when William informs his intended that half the country loves his family and the other half thinks they are irrelevant throwbacks - a little bit of social comment there - but they will soon be back on track when he adds reassuringly: "My mother was one of the people. She tried to change the monarchy ." Kate replies: "We'll still be us. Nothing will come between us." At which point some in the audience at the film's preview unaccountably began to titter. The Monarchist League of Canada says that people under 25 make up 15 per cent of its 15,000 members and are the fastest-growing segment. Matthew Rowe, a spokesman for the league in the Ottawa region, says William and Kate are relevant to young people: "This is monarchy 2.0. This is the new generation. The institution is being reinvented for a new generation." Tom Richards, 21, is looking forward to meeting Will and Kate at a Monarchist League of Canada reception in Ottawa this week. "Wow, what an honour," he says. "I'm sure we'll be introduced in some way." William and Kate have historical importance beyond their appeal as celebrities, he says. At least there are a number of U.S. lawmakers who are openly criticizing Obama on his illegal war on Libya. You know better than that. To disabuse yourself of this notion re-read my posts on this subject.

This is the Wedding of the Year

Spencer Platt/Getty Images News; David S. Holloway/Getty Images News ( The Root ) -- When retired Army Col. Lawrence Wilkerson denounced the Republican Party as " full of racists " in a recent interview, he ignited a firestorm. Though the comments were not the first time the Republican Party had been accused of being the chosen party for those harboring racist tendencies, it did mark one of the first times a high-profile Republican made such a stinging accusation. Wilkerson made the remarks while defending his former boss and fellow Republican, former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Powell's endorsement of Democratic President Barack Obama led some Republicans, among them Romney campaign surrogate John Sununu, to speculate that Powell's presidential choice was motivated by race . While these developments led to fresh allegations that the Republican Party is the party of racists, there has been little coverage of the activity of actual, self-identified racists this election cycle, specifically those within the white supremacist movement. In an interview with The Root , Mark Potok, one of the country's leading experts on hate groups, said that the day after President Obama was elected there were so many new people expressing interest in white supremacist groups that websites for some of those groups actually crashed. Among the groups mentioned by Potok, who serves as director of publications at the Southern Poverty Law Center, were Stormfront, a popular online message board for the white supremacist movement, and the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), which has been called "the white-collar Klan." A White Supremacist Weighs In Founded by Gordon Baum in 1985, the CCC is considered by many to be the ideological heir apparent to the White Citizens Council, a group that became notorious at the height of the civil rights movement for being the upper-class alternative to the Ku Klux Klan. Instead of burning crosses on lawns, the White Citizens Council employed tactics such as printing the names of NAACP members in newspapers, as well as paying the legal bills for Byron De La Beckwith, who assassinated NAACP worker Medgar Evers. Baum, a former organizer for the White Citizens Council, launched the CCC by relying on old White Citizens Council membership lists. Among the Council's core principles as of 2012: opposition to illegal immigration, homosexuality and opposing "all efforts to mix the races of mankind, to promote nonwhite races over the European-American people through so-called 'affirmative action' and similar measures, to destroy or denigrate the European-American heritage, including the heritage of the Southern people, and to force the integration of the races." Speaking to The Root , Baum said that the Council of Conservative Citizens does not consider itself a political group. "Normally we just try to get our people out to vote. We don't try to dictate to them who to vote for." The Council has a highly publicized and controversial political history. In 1998 the Washington Post revealed that Republican Sen. Trent Lott and other conservative Southern politicians had spoken at CCC events. One of Lott's relatives claimed Lott had even been a member. Current Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker is alleged to have attended a group event in 2000. After public scrutiny most politicians renounced the organization's openly racist ideology . But according to Baum, while publicly politicians no longer embrace the group, privately plenty maintain ties to it. "We have political speakers all the time at the local level and national," including federal officials, he claimed. When asked for specific names, he declined, saying that after the unflattering coverage Lott and others received for ties to the group he will never divulge the name of political supporters without explicit approval from them. When asked if there is a particular political affiliation common among the group's political supporters Baum replied, "Most of them are probably Republicans. Not all, but most, because they tend to be more conservative." Though Baum declined to discuss current membership numbers, he did say that the group, which once had a roster of 15,000 members, currently has members "in every state of the union and 12 foreign countries." Baum stressed that while the group doesn't endorse candidates, it does strive to keep members politically informed and engaged through its newsletter and conducting polls. Its most recent poll on the presidential election was conducted this summer, although he said the results would not be made public until after the election. He did, however, say the winner "was overwhelmingly Romney." The results of the organization's poll may not have been particularly surprising, but Baum's election prediction was. After decrying President Obama as "the worst president of my lifetime," Baum said, "I hope you got a good job because we got Obama four more years." The Specter of a Meltdown According to Potok, Baum is not alone in this sense of resignation within the white supremacist movement. Potok said that "there is surprising little activity from Klan, etc." The number of white supremacist groups ballooned from 600 in 2000 to more than 1,000 last year, but his sense is that "What we're seeing is a kind of meltdown as they contemplate four more years under the hated black president." Potok recalled that as soon as President Obama first received the Democratic Party nomination, there was a skinhead plot to murder him , and other white separatists have been arrested for similar plots since his election. But while the activity of some hate groups may appear to have mellowed in this election cycle, their rhetoric has not. In a recent TV segment for Nightline , Steven Howard, a grand wizard for the Ku Klux Klan, attempted to rev up his fellow Klansmen by chanting, "Barack Obama does not care about us, he does not care about America." He later said, matter-of-factly, that if President Obama is re-elected there will be a race war , and white Americans will be in danger of being placed in concentration camps. Stormfront, the online community for white supremacists, which netted 2,000 new members the day after President Obama's election, makes the president and the presidential election a staple of its discussions. After news emerged that Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan once dated a black woman , the Stormfront message boards were filled with comments like this: We do well to be disgusted and outraged that he would do that at one time, but at some point, we have to get real: He has a beautiful White family now, but that's not even the real point. The biggest issue is Obama and the supreme court and other things Obama's done/will do if given half a chance; and then there's the disgrace of having a black man in the White house ... As I've said before regarding Romney/Ryan camp: they may be useless to us, but Obama is a positive and determined threat ... Obama will stack the Supreme Court with his anti-White cronies. Look what he has already done: A hispanic who hates Whites, and a jew who is a raving liberal. Once again, the right-wing is totally unprepared to field a viable pro-White or even mainstream right-wing candidate to oppose the two-party candidates. Are we supposed to allow the mulatto Obama to stay in the White House and thereby encourage millions of White women to think that 'Black men are OK and race-mixing is OK'? I'd at least like to win the consolation prize and vote the Black monkey out of the White House so that he's branded a one-term-president and quota-hire failure. Hopefully, race-mixing will drop in popularity as a result. Fear of a Black President, 2.0 It is easy to dismiss inflammatory language as disconcerting but essentially harmless, but the connection between racist rhetoric and actual violence cannot be dismissed entirely. After hailing Steven Bowers, the late Klansman credited with masterminding the murders of three civil rights workers as "the greatest Klansmen that ever lived," Klansman Steven Howard told Nightline 's Cynthia McFadden he "doesn't endorse murder." But when pressed, he declined to disavow violence altogether. He and his fellow Klansmen refer to a looming race war that will be expedited by President Obama's re-election as "the storm." According to Howard, the only way to avoid such conflict is to divide up the United States of America by race . For anyone unwilling to cooperate, particularly Jews and blacks unwilling to relocate from the South, Howard says, "If they will not peacefully then the only way is through violence." This may be just heated rhetoric, but new data indicates that an increasing appetite for race-based violence is on the rise. A report just released by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations (LACCHR) found that hate crimes in that county "reflecting white supremacist ideology rose from being 18 to 21 percent of all hate crimes," between 2010 and 2011 (although noting that hates crimes overall there were at their lowest rate in 22 years). The Southern Poverty Law Center has also observed that violent rhetoric spurred by Obama's potential re-election has become more common among what are referred to as "Patriot" hate groups . These groups hate the black president, fear his re-election but also have strong antigovernment feelings. "They're looking at four more years under a very hated black president -- hated by them. So, we're seeing signs of real anger over that. People saying we're at war already, saying go out and buy AK-47s and hollow-point bullets, get tools to derail trains," Mark Potok told the Raw Story earlier this year. These developments raise the disturbing possibility that while hate groups appear to be doing less this election cycle, they could actually be preparing to do more should the president be re-elected. It's Not Just About Hating Black People It is easy to assume that white supremacists fear the Obama presidency mainly because of the president's race, but Baum noted that according to their polling data, immigration remains a signature issue for CCC members, one that has increasingly turned them against Democrats. On Stormfront message boards, fear that the president is pro-Latino, and particularly pro-immigrant, is rampant. Potok noted that Obama really represents not just a black or "mulatto" man to many of these groups, but a symbol of a new "multicultural America." (Months ago census data confirmed that for the first year ever, white babies were not the majority of those born .) If what Potok observed is true, then it's possible that whatever anger these groups feel toward President Obama is small compared to the rage they may feel toward candidates in both parties four years from now. Republicans such as Jeb Bush have predicted that Latinos will soon decide presidential elections, which means both major party nominees are likely to temper language on issues like immigration to woo Latino voters. When this happens, white supremacists may find themselves without any viable mainstream political options. But for now, they are hoping for their best-case scenario and preparing for what they view as the worst: four more years of Barack Obama in the White House. Keli Goff is The Root 's political correspondent. Keli Goff is The Root' s special correspondent. Follow her on Twitter .

denounced the Republican Party as " full of racists

T he Rohingyas must be the most despised and persecuted people in the world right now. And there are many such peoples. The Rohingyas live, or lived, in Burma, also known as "Myanmar." This is the country now led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel peace laureate, and one of the most admired people of our time. In general, her admirers are shocked and saddened. Rarely has someone so admired -- idolized, even -- fallen so fast from grace. Let's pause for some pronunciation: "Rohingya," in English, may be pronounced "Roh-HIN-ja." (The last two syllables rhyme with "ninja.") And the name of the leader is usually pronounced "Awn Sahn Soo Chee." The Rohingyas belong to a distinct ethnicity, having their own language and culture. They have lived in the Rakhine region for 500 years or more. (That name is pronounced "Rah-KINE," with the last syllable rhyming with "line.") Rakhine State is in western Burma. There are 55 million Burmese, 90 percent of whom are Buddhists. Most Rohingyas are Muslim, though some are Hindu. They never mix with the Buddhists of Rakhine. The Associated Press, however, reported an amazing exception. A Rakhine Buddhist named Setara married a Rohingya man named Mohammad. The marriage is kept secret from the community in which she grew up. "If they knew, they would kill me right away," she says. Her husband has this to say about their marriage: "She sees me as a human being and I see her as a human being, and it's that simple." An astonishing statement, in a madly, viciously tribal world. In the past, the Rohingyas were partially accepted in Burma. They were allowed a political party and seats in parliament. Today, they are not accepted, denied citizenship, denied any recognition at all. They are even denied their very name. The government wants you to call them "Bengalis," not "Rohingyas." The government views them as immigrants and squatters from Bangladesh. At the end of November, Pope Francis went to Burma and carefully avoided the word "Rohingya." This pained many of his supporters because he had freely spoken of the Rohingyas before. But things were different in Bangladesh, his next stop, where he talked with Rohingya refugees. "We won't close our hearts or look away," he said. "The presence of God today is also called 'Rohingya.'" In 2016, the Burmese military conducted a campaign of suppression against the Rohingyas. They did this in concert with Buddhist ultra-nationalists, whom they armed and whipped up. Some of the leaders of the violence were Buddhist monks, a fact that may be jarring. Wai Wai Nu made this point at the Oslo Freedom Forum last year. She is a young Rohingya, a former political prisoner, and a human-rights advocate. She participated in a special democracy forum for Burma at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas. Among the Rohingyas are militants, who form rebel groups: militias. They have existed for decades. In 2016 and '17, some of these militants attacked police posts, killing at least a dozen officers. This led to massive reprisals against Rohingya people at large. In 1942, two Czechoslovakians killed General Heydrich, the Reich Protector. In response, the Nazis burned the village of Lidice to the ground. They killed all the men and sent the women and children to concentration camps, where many were gassed to death. In Rakhine State, Burmese forces had one Lidice after another -- scores or hundreds of them. The whole range of human savagery was unleashed on the Rohingyas. Villages torched, women raped in front of their husbands, the husbands killed, babies murdered in front of their mothers, the mothers killed, etc. This is exactly what ISIS recently did to the Yazidi people in Iraq. In Burma, Rohingyas trying to flee by boat were gunned down in the water. The Burmese government has banned foreign journalists and U.N. officials from the Rohingya area of Rakhine. But the atrocities are known to a host of verifiers, including the U.N., the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Holy See, and human-rights groups such as Doctors Without Borders. There are approximately 1 million Rohingyas. About 700,000 of them have fled into Bangladesh. About 100,000 are confined to camps in Rakhine. The U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, said, "The situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing." Of all people, Aung San Suu Kyi is the head of this state (though we must qualify this statement, as I will in due course). Also, she is the daughter of the nation, in this sense: Her father, Aung San, is Burma's independence hero. He was assassinated in 1947, when his daughter was two. (Today, she is 72.) She went to Oxford University and remained abroad for many years. She returned to Burma in 1988, to care for her mother. That same year, the country was seized by a military junta. With her allies, Aung San Suu Kyi formed the National League for Democracy, thereby embarking on a political life. She was very, very brave. In a famous incident, she was walking with some associates when soldiers lined up in front of them and ordered them to stop -- otherwise, they would shoot. Aung San Suu Kyi asked her associates to step aside, and she went forward by herself. After what must have been some heart-stopping seconds -- for all concerned -- the commanding officer ordered the soldiers to hold fire. Later, Aung San Suu Kyi said, "It seemed so much simpler to provide them with a single target than to bring everyone else in." Soon, the Burmese dictatorship put her under house arrest. For 15 of the 21 years between 1989 and 2010, she would be under house arrest. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. (Her husband and children accepted for her.) All around the world, she became a symbol of democracy, perseverance, and spiritual poise. It didn't hurt that she was -- and is -- so beautiful. Burma loosened, and in 2012 Aung San Suu Kyi was elected to parliament. Later in the year, she traveled to America, where the Oslo Freedom Forum held a special session in San Francisco. There, the organization gave her its Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent. (The late Czech leader, in fact, had nominated Aung San Suu Kyi for the Nobel Peace Prize.) In Washington, she received the Congressional Gold Medal. In 2016, the daughter of the nation became the leader of the nation -- but here comes the qualification: She is the civilian leader, having to share power with the military, which is very powerful indeed. There are questions about how much freedom of action she has, and how high she can raise her voice. Her admirers, or former admirers, around the world are begging her to raise her voice. Vijay Nambiar, adviser to the U.N. secretary-general on Burma, said, "I call upon Aung San Suu Kyi to reflect on the situation and, as she has done on so many occasions, listen to her inner voice." Malala Yousafzai has urged the same. She is the young Pakistani who is Aung San Suu Kyi's fellow Nobel peace laureate. As a girl, she was badly injured in a murder attempt by the Taliban. Today, she is an undergraduate at Oxford, as Aung San Suu Kyi was. She wants the Burmese leader to say something about today's horror: "The world is waiting and the Rohingya Muslims are waiting." The reports of rape are especially horrifying, setting aside the murder. One could go into revolting detail, but perhaps a line from an AP report will suffice: "The rape of Rohingya women by Myanmar's security forces has been sweeping and methodical." The U.N.'s leading official on sexual violence, Pramila Patten, described rape as "a calculated tool of terror aimed at the extermination and removal of the Rohingya as a group." This problem pre-dates Aung San Suu Kyi's rise to power, as the Rakhine problem in general does. In 2011, speaking to the Nobel Women's Initiative, Aung San Suu Kyi said, "Rape is rife. It is used as a weapon by armed forces to intimidate the ethnic nationalities and to divide our country." Recently, however, the Burmese government has labeled reports of rape "fake." Indeed, Aung San Suu Kyi herself has apparently used the new Americanism "fake news." According to reports, she has used it about stories from Rakhine in general. In that state, a border official, Phone Tint, was asked about rape. He answered, "These women were claiming they were raped, but look at their appearances. Do you think they are that attractive to be raped?" The hatred that many Burmese feel toward the Rohingyas is shocking. Last year, the U.N. high commissioner, Hussein, said, "The devastating cruelty to which these Rohingya children have been subjected is unbearable. What kind of hatred could make a man stab a baby crying out for his mother's milk?" Aung San Suu Kyi has found her international support dwindling away. Many have called on the Norwegian Nobel Committee to revoke her prize. (The Nobel Peace Prize is unrevokable. A person wins it for his achievements in the past, regardless of the future.) Cities in Britain, including Oxford, have revoked the honors they bestowed on Aung San Suu Kyi. She formed an international advisory board to deal with Rakhine. On it was an old friend and ally of hers, Bill Richardson, the American politician who, under President Clinton, served as ambassador to the United Nations. In January, he resigned from the board, accusing it of a "whitewash." He said he did not want to be part of "a cheering squad for the government." He raised with Aung San Suu Kyi the case of two reporters from the Reuters wire service, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. They are being held prisoner in Burma after trying to investigate a mass grave in Rakhine. Richardson said that Aung San Suu Kyi exploded in fury at him. "Her face was quivering, and if she had been a little closer to me, she might have hit me, she was so furious." "I like her enormously and respect her," said Richardson. "But she has not shown moral leadership on the Rakhine issue." Aung San Suu Kyi is walled off from reality, he said, living in a "bubble," where "sycophants" constantly flatter her. The great lady has "developed an arrogance of power," he said. Thor Halvorssen says much the same. He is the founder of the Oslo Freedom Forum. Aung San Suu Kyi is a politician, he observes, and politicians aim to gain and hold on to power. If human rights interfere with those interests, then human rights will have to wait. Halvorssen says that a great many people around the world are asking a question about Aung San Suu Kyi: Who is this person? What happened to the great lady we knew? It is a tragedy, mainly for the people we should not shrink from calling by their name, the Rohingyas. Jay Nordlinger -- Jay Nordlinger is a senior editor of National Review and a book fellow at the National Review Institute. @jaynordlinger

The Rohingyas

At a press conference with Nursultan Nazarbayev, the President of Kazakhstan, U.S. President Trump fielded questions from reporters regarding his remarks leaked to the press from a closed-door meeting on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) last week. "It's great to have the highly respected president of Kazakhstan with us," Trump said at the press conference. "We have a tremendous relationship in terms of economics, a lot of goods are being purchased from our country, meaning jobs, General Electric, Boeing, tremendous amounts of money. Kazakhstan is doing very well. They're trying to turn things around, they have a lot of advantages over some nations frankly. And they have some tough situations, but the president is highly respected and has done a great, great job. And it's an honor to be with you. We were together in Saudi Arabia, developed an immediate relationship, and it's really terrific what you've done and thank you for being here." "Thank you very much for your invitation," Nazarbayev said via a translator. "It's a great honor to be here and I'd like to congratulate you for the first anniversary in the office. The last year has been very productive and you've achieved a lot. I'm the first president from my part of the world to be received in the White House. It's a great honor and Kazakhstan has always enjoyed a very good political relations and we appreciate American support for independence and territorial integrity. And for the 26 years of our independence we enjoyed a very good and strong partition here. We appreciate that very much. Today's visit is a witness to that friendship and partnership. And I'm looking to the truthful discussion with you on the topics that are of mutual interest to our both countries. And I do believe that after this visit, the economic cooperation between the two countries will grow even further. And once again, thank you for your hospitality and I wish you success." "Thank you very much. We've been talking a little bit about the economies and our economy," Trump stated. "As the president has already said and has said again and will say again, we have broken a lot of records, we're breaking another one today. The stock market is way up, jobs are back. Black unemployment is the best it's ever been in recorded history. It's been fantastic. It's the best number we've had with respect to black unemployment. We've never seen anything even close, so we are very honored by that. And our country is doing very well. Economically, we've never had anything like it. I don't believe we've ever been in a position and the president was so saying that we've never been in a position like we have." "Many countries, many companies are moving back from other countries where they left the United States and are now moving back into the United States," Trump continued. "We had some big announcement recently with Chrysler going back to Michigan, we had Toyota coming in, they're going to build a massive plant. We have many, many companies coming in and they're building in the United States and that means jobs. I appreciate all the nice things you've said and I look forward to our luncheon and our discussions. And with that, I just want to thank everybody for being here. Thank you very much. Thank you very much." "Mr. President, did you say you want more people coming in from Norway?" CNN's Jim Acosta shouted at the president. "I want them to come in from everywhere. Thank you very much, everybody. Out," Trump tersely replied. CNN's Jim Acosta then accused the White House of shouting during his question to drown him out. As I attempted to ask questions in Roosevelt Room of Trump, WH press aides shouted in my face to drown out my questions. I have never encountered that before. -- Jim Acosta (@Acosta) January 16, 2018 The CNN reporter continued: What occurred reminded me of something I would see in a different country. Certainly not at the WH. Certainly not in the U.S. https://t.co/hV6vPRe0p2 -- Jim Acosta (@Acosta) January 16, 2018 He continued to lob accusations at the White House: When I tried to follow up on this in the Oval Office, Trump told me to get "out." We then went to the Roosevelt Room where WH aides obstructed us from asking questions. https://t.co/vuEIv1jvso -- Jim Acosta (@Acosta) January 16, 2018 Another reporter backed up Acosta on the "out" claim. This was the first time I've seen @realDonaldTrump as @POTUS point a finger and say "out" while reporters were attempting to ask questions. https://t.co/kAbUBPQoj6 -- Steve Herman (@W7VOA) January 16, 2018 And with that one word, the president has started yet another media firestorm. We know first-hand that censorship against conservative news is real. Please share stories and encourage your friends to sign up for our daily email blast so they are not getting shut out of seeing conservative news. Chief Editor at BizPacReview Before becoming Chief Editor at BizPac Review, Kyle was the Sr. Managing Editor and Director of Viral Media at Top 25 News & Politics website IJReview. With distinctive headlines and unique storytelling, he amassed hundreds of millions of story pageviews and led a team that generated billions of pageviews. Kyle also speaks fluent Russian and worked as an editor in Moscow before getting his Master's degree in International Studies. Latest posts by Kyle Becker ( see all )

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

FRENCH ministers yesterday admitted they had no idea the mastermind behind the Paris massacre was in Europe until 72 hours after the atrocity. Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said spooks "outside Europe" -- believed to be Moroccan -- had warned on Monday that Abdelhamid Abaaoud had been in Greece. The migrant crisis has left security systems at breaking point, with just ten per cent of travellers facing criminal database checks. Sources say IS has exploited this chaos to ferry its fighters in and out of Europe. Officials last night revealed that up to 28,000 terror suspects are being monitored across the EU. Rob Wainwright, head of the EU's criminal intelligence agency Europol, told the European Parliament: "I regard this as the most serious terrorist threat for ten years. Further attacks are likely." It came as France confirmed Moroccan-born Belgian Abaaoud, 27, had been killed in Wednesday's raid on his terror cell's safe house in the suburb of Saint-Denis. ENTERPRISE NEWS AND PICTURES And he was yesterday revealed to have played a role in four out of six terror plots foiled by French authorities this year. European security sources believe Abaaoud may have passed into Greece from Turkey months ago, eventually crossing into France via either Germany or Italy. But last night Greek authorities insisted there was no evidence Abaaoud was in Greece, and said France had not passed on any information to its security services. Ordering a state of emergency until March next year, Mr Cazeneuve called on the EU to enforce strict controls as he admitted: "No information coming from European countries, where he could have transited before arriving in France, was given to us. "Of the six attacks avoided or thwarted by French intelligence services since the spring of 2015, Abaaoud seems to have been involved in four." Abaaoud had been on the radar of security services across Europe since fleeing Belgium in January. He boasted how he had fooled cops at a checkpoint, hours after police smashed his terror plot aimed at murdering serving cops. Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images In February Abaaoud told an IS propaganda magazine: "I was stopped by an officer who contemplated me so as to compare me to the picture, but he let me go, as he did not see the resemblance! "My name and picture were all over the news yet I was able to stay in their homeland and plan operations against them." Investigators are probing a theory Abaaoud used ID papers belonging to a dead IS jihadi to exploit the EU's under-fire Schengen zone. It allows citizens of 26 member countries to cross freely between borders with minimal immigration checks. Critics say the deal may have given Abaaoud a better chance of passing through the EU undetected. Yesterday it emerged US intelligence had published a report in May warning Abaaoud was the ringleader of a gang of Belgian plotters, with Europe a target. Spanish officials also said he had tried to remotely recruit Spanish women to go to Syria through social networks. European ministers are looking at beefing up border controls after Interpol told how they had identified just 5,800 foreign fighters out of around 25,000. The foreign militants from around 100 countries are those believed to have joined jihadi groups in Syria and Iraq. Interpol head Juergen Stock said: "The organisation currently holds records of some 5,800 suspected foreign terrorists. Clearly a gap still exists between the number of foreign terrorist fighters we have identified and those estimated to have reached conflict zones. "IS has sent a clear signal that it is bringing its fight to our doorsteps and to our capitals. "We need to send an equally strong message that we are united in our efforts to protect citizens." Meanwhile a neighbour of Abaaoud's in Paris says she spotted him drinking beer and smoking a joint after the massacre. Amel Alla said: "I saw him in Muslim dress, down at the building with all these guys, perhaps eight or ten of them. They were there smoking joints and drinking beers -- they are often in the street." Deadly trail of maniac jihadist TERROR fiend Abdelhamid Abaaoud slipped in and out of Europe despite an international arrest warrant against him. This timeline shows when he did it. IN 1999 Abaaoud was a young boy attending school in Belgium. He was later to drift into petty crime and was jailed in 2010. In prison he was radicalised by extremist inmates. January 2014: Joins I.S. BELIEVED to have flown via the Cologne-Bonn airport in Germany to Turkey on way to join IS. Stays in a safe house in Aleppo, Syria, and appears in one of his first jihadi videos. 2014: Lures brother, 13 LURES younger brother Younes, then 13, to join him in Syria and the kid makes it without being stopped. Film emerges of Abaaoud laughing as a truck drags corpses behind it. January 2015: In Belgium AT some point Abaaoud slips back to Belgium, possibly via Greece. In January, Belgian police smash a plot led by Abaaoud to kill police in Verviers, near Liege. He manages to flee. February 2015: In Syria again HE gives IS interview from Syria, saying he was in Belgium at time of the Verviers plot. Abaaoud brags of fooling a cop at a checkpoint. In July he gets 20 years' jail in his absence. November 2015: Dies in Paris ABAAOUD dies in Wednesday's anti-terror raid in Saint-Denis. French minister says France had no warning Abaaoud was in Europe but reveals "outside" hints that he was in Greece.

Paris massacre

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Did you know you can support The Nation by drinking wine? While thousands of union workers and their supporters protested outside the Michigan Capitol Tuesday, Governor Rick Snyder signed into law two bills that dramatically limit labor rights. "This isn't about us versus them. This about Michiganders," Snyder said at a news conference in which he announced signing the legislation. However, the events unfolding outside and inside the Capitol couldn't have contradicted his statement more sharply. A very real ideological battle is occurring in Michigan right now between labor and the forces that wish to destroy the power of collective bargaining. From the first rumblings of a potential protest within the Capitol, law enforcement officials have made it very clear they don't intend to allow Michigan to become another Wisconsin, and police donning riot gear and armed with tear gas canisters, pepper spray and batons patrolled the corridors, determined to prevent a similar occupation to the one that lasted in the Wisconsin Capitol for nearly three weeks. (photo by @JeffRae ) State Police officials confirmed that one of their troopers used pepper spray on a protester (the AP bizarrely reports the pepper spray was used to " calm the protester "), and even though police claim the man "grabbed a trooper," he wasn't arrested. Two other people were arrested after they reportedly tried to force their way into another building on the grounds where Snyder has offices. Mark Schauer, a Democrat who previously represented the state in the US House, told Lansing news services MIRS that he was pepper-sprayed in a separate incident while protesting.[...] "Unfortunately while people were exercising their first amendment rights, I among them got pepper sprayed by police officers," Schauer said in a MIRS video. "We were not endangering the building in any way but we wanted to make sure, since the Republicans have not provided for any public hearings or opportunities for people to speak on these bills, that they can hear how the people really feel. Unfortunately, some of us are paying a price for it." Mounted police rode into a crowd of protesters and used the bodies of their horses to push the crowd back as the protesters booed and screamed at the police. Ryan Knight of Ann Arbor was among those near the front. He got pushed back by a horse, which he said also stepped on him. "This was a peaceful protest," he said, holding a protest sign. "I don't know why they decided to do that." Knight said that he is not a member of a union, but came to support them. (photo by @roopraj ) A tent set up by Americans for Prosperity, a group supporting Snyder's anti-worker bill and that fronts special interests championed by the oil billionaire David Koch, collapsed during the protest, and there are varying reports explaining the events leading up to the tent falling. Authorities described "pushing and shoving" among protesters before the tent being torn down, while other reports described belligerent behavior from AFP supporters beforehand, including reports that AFP supporters threw pennies at union protesters saying, " Your work isn't worth these ." Even though the tent collapse has now been seized by the right-wing media as evidence of "violent union behavior"--one report hilariously described the parties involved as "rabid union members"--authorities report no one was hurt. AFL-CIO representative Eddie Vale distanced the pro-union supporters from the particular group that was involved in the tent being torn down, but also accused the AFP supporters of being "disciples of James O'Keefe," who were "attempting to instigate the crowd all day." Indeed, the few videos that emerged in the immediate aftermath of the incident appear to be heavily edited, with large chunks of footage having obviously been deleted. Naturally, obsession over an incident in which no one was hurt distracted from the larger purpose of the protest, which is that Michigan has become the twenty-fourth state to adopt laws to prohibit requiring union dues as a condition of employment. Of course, by making the payment of union dues voluntary for private-sector unions, many may opt to save their already meager means instead of paying into a union, thereby further weakening their options to collectively bargaining for things like higher wages, and fulfilling their downward spiral into disempowerment and poverty. Passing so-called right-to-work legislation in Michigan is particularly symbolic given the state's long history of being the center of American labor activity. Times Union : Valerie Constance, a reading instructor for the Wayne County Community College District and member of the American Federation of Teachers, sat on the Capitol steps with a sign shaped like a tombstone. It read: "Here lies democracy." "I do think this is a very sad day in Michigan history," Constance said. ABC News reports that voters will have the option to invoke a referendum to "approve or reject" the law, and opponents of the law will have ninety days after the legislature adjourns to gather 8 percent of the total votes cast in the last gubernatorial race, which were more than 3 million. If they succeed, the law will be placed on the ballot and subject to a statewide vote. Allison Kilkenny Twitter Allison Kilkenny is the co-host of the progressive political podcast Citizen Radio ( wearecitizenradio.com ) and independent journalist who blogs at allisonkilkenny.com . Her work has appeared in The American Prospect , the LA Times , In These Times , Truthout and the award-winning grassroots NYC newspaper the Indypendent . To submit a correction for our consideration, click here.

pepper sprayed by police officers

Even as President Donald Trump prepares to deliver a speech on drug prices, there is little evidence to suggest that his administration is serious about reducing costs for consumers. By Madeline Twomey As health care costs continue to rise, the Trump administration must make payment and delivery reform through the CMMI a priority. By Madeline Twomey After a 2016 Supreme Court decision, policymakers must re-evaluate strategies for collecting health care data. Both black mothers and women have long been devalued in American society, and racism must be acknowledged and confronted in the effort to reduce black maternal mortality. By Jamila Taylor Cuts to programs that provide children with health care, nutritious food, and stable housing will compromise their development during a critically important time. By Katie Hamm, Leila Schochet, and Cristina Novoa State payment and delivery system reforms in Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Arkansas have been promising. By Thomas Huelskoetter California's Reproductive FACT Act ensures that women are informed about their reproductive health options; yet the anti-choice movement would prefer to keep them in the dark. By Anusha Ravi Through its support for fake women's health centers in NIFLA v. Becerra, the anti-choice movement again demonstrates its willingness to manipulate women's right to make informed decisions about their reproductive health. By Maggie Jo Buchanan, Osub Ahmed, and Anusha Ravi ISSUE BRIEF Two decades of restrictions on public health research into gun violence has left us willfully ignorant about the full scope of this problem and the most effective interventions to prevent it. Conservatives rely on old, inaccurate myths about Medicaid to defend their proposals to cut this essential program. Federal cuts to advertising and outreach as well as shorter open enrollment periods appear to have dampened enrollment on HealthCare.gov. By Emily Gee The president's budget pays for his tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations by slashing health care, education, and other critical investments. By Seth Hanlon, Rebecca Vallas, Rachel West, Katherine Gallagher Robbins, Eliza Schultz, Heidi Schultheis, Kevin DeGood, Annie McGrew, Thomas Huelskoetter, Angela Hanks, Erin Auel, Stephenie Johnson, Ben Miller, Antoinette Flores, Michela Zonta, Rejane Frederick, Alex Rowell, Alan Cohen, and John Norris As Puerto Rico continues to recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria, relief efforts must emphasize gender equity. New data from the Center for American Progress show that LGBTQ people frequently avoid health care and experience discrimination in these settings, underscoring the importance of ACA. By Shabab Ahmed Mirza and Caitlin Rooney New Trump administration guidance on Medicaid work requirements could lead to a spike in the number of people who are uninsured--all without creating a single job for unemployed workers. By Katherine Gallagher Robbins and Rachel West

drug prices

Dr. Don Boys is a former member of the Indiana House of Representatives, author of 14 books, frequent guest on television and radio talk shows, and wrote columns for USA Today for 8 years. His most recent book is ISLAM: America's Trojan Horse! His new eBook, The God Haters is available for $9.99 from The God Haters These columns go to over 11,000 newspapers, television, and radio stations. His other web sites are cstnews.com and Muslimfact.com Contact Don for an interview or talk show. Most Recent Articles by Dr. Don Boys: 1 2 3 Next Page Last Page Jan 2, 2017 -- Dr. Don Boys During the holidays, Ellen had to use the desktop computer so she chased me out of the library and I went to work in the bedroom. The television set was on PBS (warning: to watch regularly will result in brain rot) and one of their never-ending fundraising drives was on. I find it interesting that the left often criticizes Christians (especially radio and television preachers) and Conservatives for raising money but leftists seem to do it non-stop. And most of us actually do something worthwhile with the raised funds. Also, note that all leftist websites have a button to "Donate" in a prominent place. I have no problem with that since no one is forced to give; however, it appears to be inconsistent for them to criticize us when they are masters at pulling Dollars from Dummies-new television show with Michael Moore as host! Dec 1, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys Everyone has a constitutional right to be stupid but politicians have abused the privilege. Liberals/progressives have been taking control of America's institutions for over a hundred years: churches, public schools, universities, entertainment, politics, etc. So how has that worked out? Are we better off now than we were 25 years ago? Churches are supposed to be the moral compass of this nation but the churches have lost their way. Most of the mainline denominational churches are led by educated fools who are afraid to make any definitive statement about anything. Well, they surely are definite in stating that what churches taught 50 years ago was too much controversy, conflict, and control. Almost all modern pulpits disperse fluff, foolishness, and falsehood. Bleeding Borders Must Stop! Nov 25, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys Each year about 500,000 illegal aliens cross into the U.S. with many carrying drugs, disease, and destructive plans for our nation. In recent months, Border Patrol agents have contracted various diseases, lice, and scabies. The Washington Post reported that Virginia State health authorities announced that "tuberculosis continues to rise" and that "immigration is fueling the spread." The Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons reported, "Many illegal aliens harbor fatal diseases that American medicine fought and vanquished long ago, such as drug-resistant tuberculosis, malaria, leprosy, plague, polio, dengue, and Chagas disease." A good example of accelerating disease is that whooping cough is up 1,300% in just two years! Oct 31, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys In 2012, I wrote about negative, naughty, and nasty political ads and they are even worse this year but they still do not reach the level of the past. The Trump-Clinton ads are bad but not the most disgusting, disreputable, and dishonest political ads of all time. In fact, current ads are more serious, sober, and even straight-laced (with a few exceptions) than ads of our past. During the 1796 election between Jefferson and Adams, Adams' backers called Jefferson a "howling atheist," while Jefferson's people charged that Adams would rip up the Constitution and make himself king and his sons would be princes; one son was allegedly going to marry the daughter of King George III! Adams won and did not make himself king. During the 1800 rematch campaign, Jefferson's people declared that Adams had ordered an American warship to bring two mistresses from Europe to keep the President happy. Jefferson was called, "the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father," and Jefferson would put opponents under the guillotine! Jefferson's supporters countered that their opponent Adams was accused of being a "hideous hermaphroditical character"--half man, half woman. I think they were taking mean pills-double doses! Oct 24, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys My father was an uneducated man having dropped out of school in the sixth grade to provide for his mother and younger siblings during the Great Depression. Dad impressed on me many times that "A man who will lie, will do anything." A liar will do what he or she must do to cover up the lie. Hillary Clinton is a known liar with the amazing ability to tell three lies in a five word sentence. Now that takes real talent but is not a prerequisite for the presidency. Most sane people would suggest that it disqualifies one for the job. Moreover, in the past a person with character who was caught in a lie would flee in disgrace to a secluded place for the rest of his or her life. But not today. Doing research for this article, I was overwhelmed with the volume of supporting evidence confirming Hillary's tendency to lie. Maybe the childhood rhyme, "Liar, liar, pants on fire" was written in her honor. Oct 21, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys Donald Trump has promised to build a wall on the southern border to keep drug pushers, terrorists, and tomato pickers from gatecrashing into America without following U.S. rules. Progressives (former liberals who lost the immigration debate and changed their name thinking none of us would notice) have resorted to ridicule-the last resort of the dumb, the deceived, and the demented. Walls have been used since the beginning of time for defense, privacy, and "to protect the people of a certain region from the influence or perceived danger posed by outsiders." In fact, an ancient city without walls was an invitation for disaster. Walls discouraged some barbarians, delayed others, and defeated still others. A well-fortified city with high, wide walls, watchtowers, and iron gates was a good guarantee of peace and prosperity, if not a panacea. The Psalmist said in 122:7, "Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces." Who would want to live or start a business in a vulnerable city? A walled city offered security, stability, and sociality. People who lived outside walled cities were known as "pagans," and were "rustic," or "of or relating to the countryside," and later were thought to be uncivilized or unenlightened people. Yes, I suppose if people chose to live in a violent, unprotected area, they would qualify as "unenlightened." And dead. Oct 6, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys This week the Census Bureau reported that there are 42.4 million legal and illegal immigrants in America that are substantially impacting schools (and other public services), with immigrants making up 23 percent of all public school students. Moreover, the greatest percentage increases are largely from Muslim nations! According to the Washington Examiner, "The large share of immigrants who arrive as adults with relatively few years of schooling is the primary reason so many live in poverty, use welfare programs, and lack health insurance." So, if the immigrants don't pay their share of taxes to support their use of public services, who do you think will do so? Look in the mirror. Oct 1, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys Illegal aliens are at this moment destroying America as they have already destroyed many European cities. Yes, I know non-thinking leftists want to call them "undocumented immigrants" but calling an illegal alien an "undocumented immigrant" is like calling a drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist." Trump is correct about immigration. A weak immigration policy during bad times is dumb; and non-vetted Muslim immigration anytime is dumb, dangerous, and deadly as seen in a recent federal report. There are officially about 5.7 million illegals in America at this time although many conservatives and border watch groups suggest the number to be about 35 million! I revealed in my new book Muslim Invasion: The Fuse is Burning! that in 2014, for the first time, more Other Than Mexicans (OTMs) were apprehended at the southern border than Mexicans! The OTMs are from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Syria, etc., and more than 6,000 OTMs are apprehended each month and they are not here to pick tomatoes. Furthermore, in 2014, Border Patrol agents "seized 1,920,411 pounds of marijuana, 4,443 pounds of cocaine, 9,205 pounds of heroin, and 3,772 pounds of methamphetamine. They also seized $7,351,640 in currency, 475 firearms, and 63,493 rounds of ammunition." I want to know what else was brought across the border by the hundreds of OTMs that cross each day undetected. Sep 22, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys In recent days, Muslim terrorists struck New York, New Jersey, and Minnesota followed by White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest's, dishonest, deceitful, and distorted defense of Islam. He told CNN on Monday morning that the Obama administration was winning the war of words against ISIL! He added that we are in a "narrative fight" with ISIS. Only a war of words! He also cautioned Americans against associating Muslims with terrorism! Folks, this is getting embarrassing. All informed, sane, and honest people know that whenever anyone thinks or hears the word terror, they think of Islam. And of course, ISIS, ISIL, Boko Haram, al-Qaida, Hamas, etc., are the epitome of traditional Islam. Omar Abdel-Rahman, the "blind sheik," is a famous Islamic scholar now serving a life prison term in an American prison for planning the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. He admitted that the terrorists are true Muslims! Do you believe a Muslim scholar (albeit a terrorist) or squirrely White House toadies? Furthermore, words are important and that's why everyone should read the Koran and listen to what Islamic scholars are saying about jihad, Sharia, a world caliphate, etc. Josh should tell the 29 people with shrapnel in their bodies from the NY bomb that it is "narrative fight." No, this is a war of bombs, bullets, and beheadings. Aug 18, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys In a column last year, I asked if Hillary Clinton's Social Security checks would be sent to Sing Sing or Folsom Prison; but it seems they may be delivered to a big White House on Pennsylvania Ave. That is, unless Americans have a seizure of common sense and take back this nation in November from Obama the Oppressor. If Hillary wins the presidency, you can count on our federal government becoming even more oppressive. The Chinese philosopher Confucius (551-479 B.C.) and some of his disciples were expelled from one state to another one. They came upon a woman weeping beside a newly dug grave. He asked her why she wept and was told that a tiger had killed her husband, father-in-law, and now her only son. Confucius asked why she lived in such a dangerous place and she replied, "Because there is no oppressive government here." Walking away, Confucius told his disciples, "My children, remember that oppressive government is worse than a tiger." Aug 4, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys During the last few days, the media have been hyperventilating over the Trump-Khan controversy; but of course, they prefer dealing with that rather than Clinton's compulsive lying! Furthermore, it seems to be acceptable for Hillary to call Patricia Smith (who lost her son in Benghazi because of Hillary's incompetence) a liar after Smith's speech at the RNC convention. The media is strangely silent about that attack upon a grieving mother but then, she is not a Democrat. That is further unneeded proof that the mainstream media is composed of sanctimonious hypocrites. There is no disagreement, discussion, or debate over the fact that Captain Khan was a competent, courageous, and committed hero of whom his parents and all Americans should be immensely proud. Jun 30, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys The America I remember is no more; an America of parades to honor our military, not gay rights parades; an America of fireworks on the Fourth of July, not flesh-ripping explosions at almost any time. My nation has been destroyed by a consortium of deviates, Democrats, Socialists, Marxists, spineless Republicans, socialist academics, low-life entertainers, ad nauseam. I remember an America where teachers were obeyed, respected, and even feared. We knew that if we received a paddling at school, we would get one at home. That was before the graduates of Columbia took control of our educational system. My three most respected and loved teachers were the ones who were the most demanding. Jun 28, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys Well, they did it! Great Britain ripped up their 40-year-old membership card in the European Union and may become "Great" Britain again: you know, sovereignty, security, and stability. Britain was a major player in the European Union, a bloc of 28 nations, making it the biggest trading zone in the world. Membership in the EU permits citizens of one nation to travel and live in other member-nations. Last year, Britain received almost 350,000 immigrants and about half of them were from other EU nations. And British officials could not give any assurance that they could control further influx from non-English nations. Moreover, skulking in the shadows is the specter of Turkey being accepted into the EU thereby exacerbating the threat of numerous immigrants from Syria and Iraq (both on Turkey's border) moving freely to Britain. Jun 19, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys Character must be sought, taught, and caught but often it is fought! Whatever character I have, I got it from my father who died at age 66. My dad was a highly principled and successful man with a sixth grade education! At this time of year, it is appropriate that I consider how much I owe him. Much of what I am and what I have accomplished is because of him. Dad dropped out of school in the sixth grade to help support his family. He was the eldest of five brothers and three sisters. The depression was on and war drums were beating all over Europe and the far east. After several odd jobs, he got a job pumping gas at an ESSO station in Wayne, WV on old U.S. 52. He was an early teen and would be married before he was sixteen. Mom was a year older and got married after graduation. A little over a year after they were married, "Little Don" entered the world. Apr 17, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys On April 13, the British Telegraph (one of London's major papers) reported on the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) assertion that stocks in the U.S., United Kingdom, China, and Europe could lose 20% of their value over the next two years! Can you even imagine what that will do to your retirement plan? I used to feel like the cartoon character carrying a sign with an ominous message on front and back: "Prepare: The End is Near." I'm not alone anymore. Famous money man Jim Rodgers said, "Be prepared, be worried, and be careful." He told the media, "Eventually, the whole world is going to collapse." He declared, "This is going to end badly." That's what I've been saying, but few have listened; even some loved ones thought I had run off the rails. In 2009, the Telegraph warned in a headline for everyone to prepare for potential global collapse within the next two years! That was "global" collapse and while the date was wrong, you can count on the reality taking place! And some of my friends suggest that I am an extremist! Yes, I have said that panic (an out-of-control response to economic collapse) was coming to the U.S., not because I am a prophet but because I connect the dots. Moreover, I expect the panic on Wall Street to reach Main Street where chaos will reign. Apr 12, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys The Republican and Democrat Parties are each having a massive party and conservatives, especially Christians, are not invited to attend. The two parties (mainly Republicans since there are only seven conservatives in the Democrat Party!) will permit conservatives to purchase the noise makers, decorations, the food, and booze and permit us to decorate the hall, but we have to leave through the back door before the elites arrive. People of principle are persona non grata. While there are some policy differences in the two parties, there is little difference in their modus operandi. Former Louisiana Governor and U.S. Senator Huey P. Long rightly said: "The only difference in Republicans and Democrats is one is skinning you from ankles up while the other skins you from the neck down." It seems many Americans are tired of being skinned. Mar 24, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys People from all political spectrums are astonished, aghast, and angered at how some Republicans have come to the support of Senator Ted Cruz after consigning him to Dante's lowest Hell, i.e., the treachery realm. It seems Cruz critics have even endorsed the sign over Dante's Hell, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." But evidently Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, Senator Lindsey Graham of S.C., Reps. Chris Collins, N.Y., and Jeff Duncan, S.C. , and other recent converts have not lost all hope-and have entered! They see a glimmer of hope with Cruz. Mar 19, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys Anti-Trump Fascists in Utah Friday night tried to shut down Donald Trump during his campaign speech. They carried signs declaring, "No Racism, No Fascism." Fascists deploring fascism! At one point, Black Lives Matter activists chanted, "Black Lives Matter!" while Trump supporters chanted, "Everybody's life matters!" I'll choose Trump before thugs every time. Street thugs used their free speech right to close down the free speech of Donald Trump in Chicago where 25,000 people had gathered to hear his political pitch! As I watched the video I was ashamed of those Americans. Why can't sane people discuss, debate, disagree, and even demonstrate without losing control and smashing the rights of others. Trump decided to cancel the rally which I think was a mistake. If you are intimidated by bullies and thugs, that emboldens them even more. Mar 16, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys Recently the media went after Donald Trump because he did not respond quickly enough to the news that he had been endorsed by David Duke, former member of the KKK. Duke did not endorse Trump but he did say he would vote for him, hoping that he would do as he promised about immigration. What's wrong with that? I voted for Senator Cruz as the most qualified, honest, and dependable candidate. I will support Trump if I must. Mar 11, 2016 -- Dr. Don Boys Readers judge my columns on a literary scale starting with Garbage, to Groan, to Gobbledygook, to Good, to Great and one reader even suggested the Nobel Prize! Well, more about that later. Some recent critics are good people with whom I disagree and others are dumb as a box of rocks. Recently I have been criticized by good people about what is acceptable in defense of the faith and my position on origins 1 2 3 Next Page Last Page

ISLAM: America's Trojan Horse

Author May 29, 2018 An 11-year-old boy has been hailed a hero after managing to save a young girl from drowning. Everett Melling, of Arden Hills, was playing in the water at Lake Johanna over Memorial Day weekend when he spotted a 3-year-old go underwater but fail to come back to the surface. "Her head was under water," Everett told KSTP . "She wasn't moving at all." Melling quickly jumped into action to save the girl's life. He shouted for his mom, Elena Melling, to get help. "Drowning!" Elena screamed, as various onlookers, including several nurses, gathered around to give CPR and help save the girl's life. "I feel like it was a miracle because by the time he told me, and I reacted, and other people reacted, she was face down in that water for so long and not struggling," the mom told KSTP , "I heard someone say, 'She has a pulse,' and someone else said she was breathing on her own," Melling added, according to ABC News . "She was coughing." Incredibly, the girl came back to life and was rushed to the hospital. Following the traumatic event, Elene says that both she and her son now plan to become trained in CPR. "It was amazing they were able to revive her. I was so thankful. We need to know how to respond in these situations and be ready." Of course, water is great fun. But Melling wanted to take the opportunity to warn other families of the dangers of playing at the beach or in a pool. She said the water can be a "beast" and that everyone should recognize the risks. Authorities have said that they expect the 3-year-old to make a full recovery at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. There were no lifeguards at the lake at the time of the incident because Ramsey County's beach season does not officially begin until June 9. ( H/T: KSTP )

An 11-year-old boy has been hailed a hero after managing to save a young girl from drowning.

The rate of inflation rose to 3.1 per cent in November as the squeeze on households continues. With average weekly wages growing at just 2.2 per cent Brits are starting to feel the pinch in the run up to Christmas. Inflation rose at the highest rate in nearly six years last month, according to ONS figures, with airfares and computer games contributing to the increase. Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, will now have to write a letter to Chancellor Philip Hammond explaining how the Bank intends to bring inflation back to its 2 per cent target. In November, the Bank of England raised the interest rate for the first time in more than a decade from 0.25 per cent to 0.5 per cent. However, it is not expected to announce a further increase when it publishes the results of the Monetary Policy Committee's two-day meeting on Thursday. Alistair Wilson, Head of Retail Platform Strategy at Zurich, comments: "Higher inflation is putting further strain on family finances as we approach what is already the most expensive time of the year, and it looks set to remain above the rate of wage growth as we move into 2018. "While there are positive signs that a pay rise may be around the corner for Britain's workers, with the recent Budget promising an above-inflation pay rise in the New Year for those on the minimum wage, it can be all too easy for this to fall away on daily spending rather than make a difference in the long-run." RELATED

rate of inflation

Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) TRUMP DEFENDS HUNTING ENDANGERED SPECIES Last edited Wed Jun 1, 2016, 11:37 PM - Edit history (1) Teflon Don and his sons robustly defend their big game hunting and boast of numerous endangered elephants, leopards and other animals, they slaughtered in Zimbabwe. In the next image, we see the son of Teflon Don holding a trophy from an endangered species he slaughtered. Maybe he can bring it to his father, who has small hands. He could stick it down his pants. He'll figure out some way to attract female voters. Don't worry, I bet the Trump boys paid for their trip, by selling the ivory tusks. At least U.S. taxpayers dodged financing a Trump, African hunting expedition, this time. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3180201/Trump-defends-big-game-hunting-sons-shamed-Twitter-posing-trophy-kills-including-leopard-elephant-death-Cecil-lion.html#ixzz4AH7l68nn Wed Jun 1, 2016, 10:31 PM Wed Jun 1, 2016, 10:43 PM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 8. thanks for the repies and recommendations to this OP "Warning" Chilling Image... Importance of polar bears Polar bears are at the top of the food chain and have an important role in the overall health of the marine environment. Over thousands of years, polar bears have also been an important part of the cultures and economies of Arctic peoples. Polar bears depend on sea ice for their existence and are directly impacted by climate changeserving as an important indicator species. http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/polar-bear Wed Jun 1, 2016, 10:49 PM Wed Jun 1, 2016, 11:30 PM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 15. thank you. sometimes J.G. OPs provoke so much emotion, readers comment and forget to vote Last edited Thu Jun 2, 2016, 01:37 AM - Edit history (1) Lots of females who troll for Trump post at Democratic Underground could change their minds, after seeing these real Trump photographs. This thread could actually sway their votes. How about a few wild, beautiful pictures of endangered species for thread image? all images courtesy of http://www.worldwildlife.org Thu Jun 2, 2016, 12:03 PM lagomorph777 (6,756 posts) 32. I propose we send these pieces of shit hunting with "Deadeye Dick" Cheney. That worked out so well for Harry Whittington and Antonin Scalia. Wed Jun 1, 2016, 10:32 PM 2. Just like the death penalty. Gotta execute a goodly number of people to show our respect for human life. Same thing with hunting. Gotta kill some animals to show our love of nature. Wed Jun 1, 2016, 10:52 PM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 12. Gorilla banter sure can run new Trump criticisms off the first page of General Discussion Last edited Wed Jun 1, 2016, 11:44 PM - Edit history (1) Wed Jun 1, 2016, 10:33 PM uppityperson (111,955 posts) 3. This is the third OP you've posted with the same link and photos today. Why are you reposting this? Wed Jun 1, 2016, 11:11 PM 13. Am I being interrogated? Last edited Wed Jun 1, 2016, 11:52 PM - Edit history (1) I ask you readers is this "uppityperson" attempting to derail my Opening Post? Anyhow, instead of a bunch a fake exchange to uppityperson where I act naive about almost everything, I decided to unveil an image of the Giant Panda... Wed Jun 1, 2016, 11:54 PM Lancero (1,849 posts) 17. I'm loving his attacks toward a responder in topic 2. Real classy of em. I see that, again, he has been real uh... 'classy' in responding to you too. Seriously though, he attacks people in one thread, and creates another that by his own admission as a callout, and he wonders why people doubt his sincerity? Depending on how you look at it, you could call 15 in this thead a thinly veiled attack against that very same member trying to say that she's just a Trump troll. Thu Jun 2, 2016, 12:07 AM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 18. As you might know, I live pretty close to Roswell, NM. Should I have aliens abduct them? Elephant family spooked by low-flying UFO! Wed Jun 1, 2016, 10:34 PM UTUSN (47,504 posts) 4. Well, of *course* he does - he'd like to be *royalty* like Scott DISICK Thu Jun 2, 2016, 01:53 AM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 26. Royalty and the ultra-wealthy can go hunt these Inbred aristocrats remind me of the animal they must find to be complete in the cosmos. Once found, a killer of endangered species merges with this mythical creature in name and approach to existence: Wed Jun 1, 2016, 10:34 PM intrepidity (296 posts) 5. Worthless pieces of shit those photos are a tad anger-inducing in me.... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Wed Jun 1, 2016, 10:37 PM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 7. Here is a more tranquil image... There are still a few of these around; and their horns have no medicinal value. Wed Jun 1, 2016, 10:36 PM Thu Jun 2, 2016, 12:31 AM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 20. Long, overly recommended or heavily discussed dead pet threads are another Trump-troll trick. These are some of the ways members of DU - with a Republican agenda - hide good, Democratic opinions, attitudes and damaging news, on Teflon Don. Revealing hard hitting facts like elephant slaughter instead of meager name slurs really hits the opposition. Name-calling is stooping to a Trump tacktic! ?w=620 Wed Jun 1, 2016, 10:43 PM No Vested Interest (4,028 posts) 9. I find the older Trump sons creepy. Always standing slightly behind the Donald in photo ops. Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 21. Here is a finer picture, than Trump slaughter of endangered species Wed Jun 1, 2016, 10:44 PM romanic (2,841 posts) 10. I just don't understand the logic behind hunting endangered animals. Don't these morons know that if you kill all of them, there's no way for them to repopulate??? Wed Jun 1, 2016, 11:19 PM ohnoyoudidnt (1,858 posts) 14. they don't care. They just like to kill for fun and the more rare the animal the better. They would probably love the chance to kill the last remaining member of a species. In their sick minds they would consider it a great achievement . Thu Jun 2, 2016, 01:05 AM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) Thu Jun 2, 2016, 08:39 AM 29. The words... ..."kill" and "for fun" shouldn't even be in the same sentence. Wed Jun 1, 2016, 11:53 PM flvegan (63,984 posts) Thu Jun 2, 2016, 01:21 AM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 24. soon, anamals with valuable fur will only survive as photographs. Thu Jun 2, 2016, 01:34 AM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 25. Here is a sensitive, intelligent creature that is nearly extinct Thu Jun 2, 2016, 12:24 AM 19. Those photos are so disturbing Thu Jun 2, 2016, 11:57 AM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) Thu Jun 2, 2016, 05:00 PM In Hawaii the sea turtles are called honu. I love seeing them when I'm snorkeling. Thu Jun 2, 2016, 05:34 PM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 43. Invasive Species Endanger Native Wildlife in Hawaii don't they? Invasive Species Control Threatens Endangered Native Birds: The Case of the Iiwi and the Banana Poka BY SYDNEY ROSS SINGER Its not easy being a native bird in Hawaii. And now, as a result of invasive species control, native bird survival is getting even tougher. The problem is that certain plant weeds are serving as an important food source for some native birds, which have come to rely on the introduced plants for survival. Kill the weeds, and you starve the birds. Consider the case of the banana poka (Passiflora mollissima). This relative of the passionfruit, or lilikoi, grows as a vine and produces a delicious fruit, grown commercially in some places. Here in Hawaii, the vine escaped cultivation and entered the forests, where it grows into the canopy of trees. Declared a noxious weed by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, control and eradication efforts have attacked this vine for decades with biocontrol insects, fungus, and herbicides. While pest controllers comb the forests for banana poka to kill, the native Hawaiian Iiwi bird searches for banana poka to eat. The red plummaged, curve-billed Iiwi bird is now rare on most islands. It is a nectar feeding bird, preferring the ohia and mamane, but also feeding on nonnative species, especially the banana poka. In fact, the banana poka blossoms at a different time of year than the ohia and mamane, providing food for the birds at an important time of shortages. http://www.hawaiireporter.com/invasive-species-control-threatens-endangered-native-birds-the-case-of-the-iiwi-and-the-banana-poka Thu Jun 2, 2016, 05:40 PM DesertRat (19,972 posts) 44. The negative consequences of invasive species are far-reaching Thu Jun 2, 2016, 12:50 AM Thu Jun 2, 2016, 12:09 PM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 33. Baby sea turtiles don't have actual penises either But when it is breakfast time for a large fish, they realize that size really matters! Thu Jun 2, 2016, 03:06 AM Thu Jun 2, 2016, 12:20 PM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 34. The difference... Dolphins and porpoises delight us with their playful antics and warm our hearts with their friendly faces. Marine species are the most well-known, but there are several species that live in freshwater rivers. All are air-breathing, warm-blooded mammals that nurse their young. The difference between a dolphin and a porpoise has to do with their appearance: dolphins have longer snouts, bigger mouths, more curved dorsal fins, and longer, leaner bodies than porpoises. Thu Jun 2, 2016, 03:21 AM Democat (11,617 posts) 28. And still some on DU plan on helping him get elected The Trump enablers are almost as bad as Trump. Thu Jun 2, 2016, 12:57 PM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 35. And they are trying to hid this thread again. Each night I post them. every day they hide it Polar bears are classified as marine mammals because they spend most of their lives on the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean. They have a thick layer of body fat and a water-repellant coat that insulates them from the cold air and water. Considered talented swimmers, they can sustain a pace of six miles per hour by paddling with their front paws and holding their hind legs flat like a rudder. Polar bears spend over 50% of their time hunting for food, but less than 2% of their hunts are successful. Their diet mainly consists of ringed and bearded seals because they need large amounts of fat to survive. The total polar bear population is divided into 19 units or subpopulations. Of those, the latest data from the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group show that three subpopulations are in decline and that there is a high estimated risk of future decline due to climate change. Because of ongoing and potential loss of their sea ice habitat resulting from climate change, polar bears were listed as a threatened species in the US under the Endangered Species Act in May 200. Due to Climate Change their status should be upgraded to "endangered." As sea-ice melts, at an alarming rate, polar bears are literally drowning. Thu Jun 2, 2016, 08:52 AM dembotoz (14,344 posts) 30. the 1 percent just have different rules than the rest of us Thu Jun 2, 2016, 01:17 PM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 36. Do they need oxygen, fresh water and safe food? Do rich people die? This peaceful creature with a distinctive black and white coat is adored by the world and considered a national treasure in China. The panda also has a special significance for WWF because it has been WWF's logo since our founding in 1961. The rarest member of the bear family, pandas live mainly in bamboo forests high in the mountains of western China, where they subsist almost entirely on bamboo. They must eat from 26 to 84 pounds of it every day, a formidable task for which they use their enlarged wrist bones that function as opposable thumbs. A newborn panda is about the size of a stick of butterabout 1/900th the size of its motherbut can grow to up to 330 pounds as an adult. These bears are excellent tree climbers despite their bulk. Thu Jun 2, 2016, 01:25 PM Vinca (38,473 posts) 37. Biggest fucking assholes in the world. Please let them accidently step into an elevator shaft with no car. Thu Jun 2, 2016, 02:21 PM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 38. Once common throughout Africa and Asia, elephant numbers were severely depleted, due to ivory trade The largest land mammal on earth, the African elephant weighs up to eight tons. The elephant is distinguished by its massive body, large ears and a long trunk, which has many uses ranging from using it as a hand to pick up objects, as a horn to trumpet warnings, an arm raised in greeting to a hose for drinking water or bathing. Asian elephants differ in several ways from their African relatives. They are much smaller in size and their ears are straight at the bottom, unlike the large fan-shape ears of the African species. Only some Asian male elephants have tusks. All African elephants, including females, have tusks. Elephants are either left or right-tusked and the one they use more is usually smaller because of wear and tear. The Asian elephant has four toes on the hind foot and five on the forefoot, while the African elephant has three on the hind foot and five on the forefoot. Led by a matriarch, elephants are organized into complex social structures of females and calves, while male elephants tend to live in isolation. A single calf is born to a female once every 4-5 years and after a gestation period of 22 monthsthe longest of any mammal. These calves stay with their mothers for years and are also cared for by other females in the group. The two species of elephantsAfrican and Asianneed extensive land to survive. Roaming in herds and consuming hundreds of pounds of plant matter in a single day, both species of elephant require extensive amounts of food, water and space. As a result, these large mammals place great demands on the environment and often come into conflict with people in competition for resources. https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/elephant Thu Jun 2, 2016, 02:33 PM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 39. Does anyone think that I should put threats and descriptions of these animals near each picture? Simply because I know many specific habits and threats to these endangered animals, does not mean ALL my readers are familiar with their precarious status. For example, diet is an issue with Panda Bears, because it is limited to a few, increasingly rare plants. Thu Jun 2, 2016, 02:43 PM 40. Scum of the earth. Thu Jun 2, 2016, 02:48 PM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 41. I wish there was somewhere for entire species to go after extinction I can't write anymore. My eyes are filling with tears. Thu Jun 2, 2016, 07:35 PM Jeffersons Ghost (13,479 posts) 45. This is save to journal and new World Wildlife Federation images added soon

TRUMP DEFENDS HUNTING ENDANGERED SPECIES

According to a report by the Justice Department young African-American men are far more likely to commit crimes than young white men, young Asian men or young Latino men. The November 2011 report reveals that young African-American men are just 1 percent of the population, yet are responsible for a disproportionate percentage of murders in the nation. So, Mrs. Clinton, is it the fault of police, or should young black men simply quit committing crimes at such an unbelievably high rate? This is what happens when liberal democrats seek to destroy the family unit, largely accomplished by government welfare programs that have replaced the father in poor families, and the man walks out because the feminists have taught the women that the man is the enemy. Clinton also suggested that people who disagree with her agenda are racists. "There is so much more to be done... we can't be engaging in hateful rhetoric or incitement of violence, we need to be bringing people together ... we need more love and kindness." President Obama has been defending the BlackLivesMatter actions while he is in Europe , taking time out from the NATO Summit in Poland to send the clear signal that the killings were part of a pattern of racism. While careful to cover his rhetoric with compliments for the police, the central message was that racist cops were murdering blacks, and the African American community has much to fear. "There is no contradiction between us supporting law enforcement ... and also saying that there are problems across our criminal justice system, (that) there are biases--some conscious and unconscious--that have to be rooted out," Obama said . "What I can say is that all of us as Americans should be troubled by these shootings, because these are not isolated incidents. They're symptomatic of a broader set of racial disparities that exist in our criminal justice system." Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke said in an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures that Obama is acting like a pyromaniac starting fires and then watching them burn. Sheriff Clarke said , "He should say nothing. Every time he opens his mouth he fans the flames of anti-police sentiment that is sweeping the country in these urban centers. He reminds me of a pyromaniac who sets a fire then calls 911 for the fire department and then returns to the scene to watch the fire department try to put out the fire... The best thing he can do is stop talking. Let these things be handled at the local level. The media is going to do enough fanning the flames and creating drama. He doesn't need to add to it. I am going to continue to fight and resist and push back against this anti-cop president." Attorney General Loretta Lynch and the Congressional Black Caucus are calling for greater gun control in the wake of the violence. The narrative is being pounded into the American psyche, using the falsehoods that racism is endemic in the criminal justice system and that police killing blacks is a pervasive problem that very likely contributed to the killing of five police officers. In her statement about the Dallas shootings, Attorney General Loretta Lynch included in her blame racism complaints the police, and the presence of guns in our society . If you defend the Second Amendment the Democrats will accuse you of being in the pocket of the NRA. According to their rhetoric, legal gun owners in the United States don't care about about the mass shootings. As far as they are concerned, you are racist for standing against illegal aliens because you white people out there don't want anyone darker than you milling around the country, and you don't want government restricting your gun ownership so that you can shoot those darkies if the need arises. The Democrat Party rhetoric is what pushed the Dallas shooter over the edge, a man who admitted he was angry about highly publicized shootings by police and wanted to kill whites. Democrats have been unmistakably suggesting that the officers who killed unarmed black men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Falcon Heights, Minnesota must have used excessive force animated by racism. Democratic Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton felt at liberty to get inside the head of the Falcon Heights policemen, even though the reasons for the traffic-stop shooting were far from clear. "Would this have happened if ... the driver and passenger were white?" he asked. "I don't think it would've. So I'm forced to confront and I think all of us in Minnesota are forced to confront that this kind of racism exists." The Congressional Black Caucus is even trying to use the unrelated appearance of FBI Director Comey before the House Oversight Committee letting Hillary Clinton off the hook to somehow work in police-on-black violence. New Jersey Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman asked Comey whether it wasn't important "to remind people of the loss of a Tamir Rice to an Eric Garner to an Alton Sterling [the man killed in Baton Rouge] to a John Crawford to a Michael Brown to a Walter Scott and even a Sandra Bland." Senator Elizabeth Warren took to twitter : "We've seen the sickening videos of black Americans killed in traffic stops. Lives ended by those sworn to protect them. #blacklivesmatter," she tweeted. In another tweet, she said: "We can't ignore the ugly reality: black parents are terrified that teaching kids to "survive" the police won't be enough. #blacklivesmatter" Sen. Bernie Sanders agreed, tweeting, "As South Carolina Rep. Wendell Gilliard proclaimed: 'Enough is enough of our police officers targeting people of color.' "It's a pattern," he declared. "When I grew up, it was white sheets and covered faces. Now it's audaciously, blue uniforms." The radical Marxists of the sixties and early seventies wanted a "Helter Skelter." Race War. The radical leftists of the Democrat Party are now reaching out to grab a hold of that same goal. Division destroys, and then once our American System is destroyed the Democrats will be enabled to capitalize on the Cloward-Piven strategy to rebuild America in their own image. The liberal Democrats seek to marginalize the issues, politicize violence, and intimidate the police from doing the job they are dedicated to, with the hopes of disrupting our society, and replacing local law enforcement with a federal policing agency. In other words, this is all by design. Please SHARE this story as the only way for CFP to beat Facebook anti-Conservative Suppression.

African-American men are far more likely to commit crimes than young white men, young Asian men or young Latino men

The high professional quality of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin's performance at their Monday press conference in Helsinki contrasts sharply with the obloquy by which the bipartisan U.S. ruling class showcases its willful incompetence. Though I voted for Trump, I've never been a fan of his and I am not one now. But, having taught diplomacy for many years, I would choose the Trump-Putin press conference as an exemplar of how these things should be done. Both spoke with the frankness and specificity of serious business. This performance rates an A+. Well. A performance depends on its intended audience. If the intended audience was the U.S. political class, then Trump gets an F. So who was Trump's (and Putin's) intended audience. Audiences? Meanwhile, some lefties are warning about the anti-Trump hysteria: Steve Vladeck writes: Americans have forgotten what 'treason' actually means -- and how it can be abused: We are willfully turning a blind eye to the sordid history of treason that led to its unique treatment in the U.S. Constitution. If you cheapen the definition of treason, you had better be ready to be called traitors, and perhaps treated as such. Likewise, Jay Michaelson in The Daily Beast: Stop Saying Trump Committed 'Treason.' You're Playing Into His Hands. Treason is clearly defined in the Constitution, which states, in Article III, Section 3: "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort." This definition does not apply to Trump. He is not levying war against the United States, and to be an "enemy" requires that a state of war exists between the United States and the foreign nation in question. That does not exist in the case of Russia. Congress has not declared war, and Russia's alleged cyberattacks, while they may constitute acts of war in the abstract, have not been regarded as such by the United States. (Last year, the European Union announced it would begin regarding cyberattacks as acts of war.) Even when Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of spying for the Soviet Union, they weren't charged with treason, because the Cold War was undeclared, and not a formal "war." Nor were other Russian spies such as Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen. In fact, the only indictment of treason since World War II was of American-born al Qaeda supporter Adam Gadahn. Unlike Russia, al Qaeda is a formal "enemy" of the United States, because Congress authorized war against it. And in fitting with war, Gadahn was killed in a U.S. airstrike in 2015. Perhaps the domestic political class was Trump's intended audience, and he intended them to go batshit crazy. In that case, A+. Meanwhile, Roger Kimball writes: What Critics Missed About the Trump-Putin Summit. As becomes more and more clear as the first Trump Administration evolves, this president is someone who is willing, nay eager, to challenge the bureaucratic status quo, on domestic issues as well as in foreign policy. Trump inherited a world order on the international front that was constructed in the immediate aftermath of World War II and has subsequently amassed a thick, barnacle-like carapace of bureaucratic procedures. Perhaps those procedures and the institutions that deploy them continue to serve American interests. But what if they don't? As I've said, the best way to understand the Trump presidency is as the renegotiation of the post-World War II institutional structure. Naturally, the barnacles don't like that. Maybe they're right, maybe they're wrong, but the intensity of their screaming indicates their emotional (and livelihood) investment, not who's right. Meanwhile, if the argument is that Trump is a Putin stooge, the arguers have to deal with the fact that Trump is clearly harder on Russia than Obama was, or than Hillary, by all appearances, would have been. Even NeverTrumper Eric Erickson writes: Remember, Trump's Policies Against Russia Have Been Tougher Than Obama's. We've been killing Russian mercenaries in Syria. We have expanded and enhanced NATO's footprint in Eastern Europe over Russian objections. We have sold military weaponry to Ukraine. We have been indicting Russians for interfering in our elections. We have imposed sanctions on Russian oligarchs. We have imposed sanctions on Russia itself. We have actively been aiding Britain and other governments that have seen a Russian presence with targeted assassinations. "We" being the United States under Donald Trump. (See also this thread by James Kirchick) The media and left would have you believe Donald Trump is captive to Russia. Lately, they've been pushing the idea that he may be some sort of sleeper cell Manchurian candidate who Putin owns and controls. A fellow law prof (of the lefty variety) was even speculating the other day on social media that Melania was Trump's KGB control agent. As Walter Russell Mead wrote last year: If Trump were the Manchurian candidate that people keep wanting to believe that he is, here are some of the things he'd be doing: Limiting fracking as much as he possibly could Blocking oil and gas pipelines Opening negotiations for major nuclear arms reductions Cutting U.S. military spending Trying to tamp down tensions with Russia's ally Iran That Trump is planning to do precisely the opposite of these things may or may not be good policy for the United States, but anybody who thinks this is a Russia appeasement policy has been drinking way too much joy juice. Obama actually did all of these things, and none of the liberal media now up in arms about Trump ever called Obama a Russian puppet; instead, they preferred to see a brave, farsighted and courageous statesman. So I don't know if Trump knows what he's doing. (As proof that his remarks were dumb, he's already walked them back.) American presidents have historically done badly in their first meetings with Russian leaders, from Kennedy at Vienna to George W. staring into Putin's soul. And as a general rule, Presidents don't criticize their own intelligence agencies while at meetings with foreign adversaries. But then, as a general rule, U.S. intelligence agencies aren't supposed to be involved in domestic politics up to their elbows, as has clearly been the case here. And don't get me started on John Brennan's disgraceful comments, which Rand Paul correctly calls "completely unhinged." Brennan, like his colleagues Comey and Clapper, has made clear the rot at the top of important intelligence agencies, and people like Peter Strzok suggest that the rot extends some ways down from the head. So maybe the general rules don't apply any more, and Trump is more a symptom than a cause of that. So maybe his approach to Putin is disastrous, maybe it's smart. But the most important thing Trump can do is get a better class of people in charge of the institutions where the rot is worst. I don't know if he can do that at all. TRUMP's INITIAL RESPONSE TO NORTH KOREA'S SUMMIT THREAT AND LIBYA GIMMICK: It amounts to a non-committal shrug until he sees what Kim Jong Un actually does: President Donald Trump on Wednesday offered a non-committal response to North Korean threats to cancel his planned summit with Kim Jong Un, saying he hadn't received any information that would put the talks in jeopardy. "We haven't been notified at all, we'll have to see," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, where he was meeting his Uzbek counterpart. "We haven't seen anything, we haven't heard anything. We will see what happens." But pressed whether he would still insist upon North Korea's denuclearization as a condition for the talks, Trump nodded yes. South Korean officials have reacted with similar cool. Since early March, when North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un told South Korean officials he would discuss denuclearizing his regime without pre-conditions, everyone has known at some point Little Rocket Man and his Pyongyang gang would wiggle and yelp -and possibly stall the process- with the goal of politically dividing Seoul and Washington. Yesterday Kim Kye Gwan, North Korean First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, wiggled and yelped as he "sharply criticized American officials - especially national security adviser John Bolton - for suggesting that Libya could be a template for denuclearizing North Korea." Kim added that North Korea's nuclear program is far more advanced than Libya's nascent program. That's true. However, the vice minister's complaint ignores several facts, which is a good indication it's an agitation-propaganda ploy to try to get the Trump Administration to accept something less that complete denuclearization. Vice Minister Kim attacked Bolton for telling the press that the technical process of denuclearizing North Korea will be very similar that used in Libya -- access to sites, verification, removal and disposal of nuclear weapons material and manufacturing capabilities. Bolton also said the deal the Bush Administration struck with Libya is a "template" for the agreement Japan, South Korea and the U.S. seek with the North Korean dictatorship. Bolton expressed an informed opinion. North Korea went ballistic -- so to speak. The Vice Minister's Complaint could be read as a freudian slip revealing paranoid Pyongyang's deepest fear: an internal North Korean rebellion. We know Kim Jong Un fears rebellion and coup. He had his half-brother murdered after hearing rumors North Korean expats had asked Kim Jong Nam to help reform the Kim regime. Rebellion and coup connect to Libya. Remember, Libyan rebels killed Libya's denuclearized dictator Muammar Gaddafi. If Gaddafi had possessed deliverable nukes he might have stopped foreign states from aiding the rebels, but maybe not. A dictator fighting off an internal rebellion is a distracted man. Threatening to nuke powerful states while battling a domestic coup gives the powerful states a great reason to launch an all out attack to eliminate those weapons. North Korea is guilty of poor timing. The wiggle and yelp routine started too soon. Pyongyang should have waited a couple of more weeks before exhibiting totalitarian pique and threatening to scuttle the Trump-Kim talks. Now the big question -- who'll be the first person to call the the talks The U.S. Dotard-Little Rocket Man Summit? I find the prospect of The Atlantic devolving into some version of Free Republic or Daily Kos to be immensely worrisome. Hopefully David Bradley will do something to put his house in order. Soon. STEPHEN L. CARTER: Farewell to Toys 'R' Us, and an Era of Play.

high professional quality of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin's performance at their Monday press conference

Each year the holidays bring with them an increase in both the consumption of alcohol and concern about drinking's harmful effects. Alcohol abuse is no laughing matter, but is it sinful to drink and make merry, moderately and responsibly, during a holy season or at any other time? As a historical theologian , I researched the role that pious Christians played in developing and producing alcohol. What I discovered was an astonishing history. Religious orders and wine-making Wine was invented 6,000 years before the birth of Christ, but it was monks who largely preserved viniculture in Europe. Religious orders such as the Benedictines and Jesuits became expert winemakers. They stopped only because their lands were confiscated in the 18th and 19th centuries by anti-Catholic governments such as the French Revolution's Constituent Assembly and Germany's Second Reich . In order to celebrate the Eucharist, which requires the use of bread and wine, Catholic missionaries brought their knowledge of vine-growing with them to the New World. Wine grapes were first introduced to Alta California in 1779 by Saint Junipero Serra and his Franciscan brethren, laying the foundation for the California wine industry . A similar pattern emerged in Argentina , Chile and Australia . Monks in a cellar. Joseph Haier 1816-1891, via Wikimedia Commons Godly men not only preserved and promulgated oenology, or the study of wines; they also advanced it. One of the pioneers in the "methode champenoise," or the " traditional method " of making sparkling wine, was a Benedictine monk whose name now adorns one of the world's finest champagnes: Dom Perignon. According to a later legend, when he sampled his first batch in 1715, Perignon cried out to his fellow monks : "Brothers, come quickly. I am drinking stars!" Monks and priests also found new uses for the grape. The Jesuits are credited with improving the process for making grappa in Italy and pisco in South America, both of which are grape brandies. Beer in the cloister And although beer may have been invented by the ancient Babylonians, it was perfected by the medieval monasteries that gave us brewing as we know it today. The oldest drawings of a modern brewery are from the Monastery of Saint Gall in Switzerland. The plans, which date back to A.D. 820, show three breweries -- one for guests of the monastery, one for pilgrims and the poor, and one for the monks themselves. One saint, Arnold of Soissons, who lived in the 11th century, has even been credited with inventing the filtration process. To this day and despite the proliferation of many outstanding microbreweries, the world's finest beer is arguably still made within the cloister -- specifically, within the cloister of a Trappist monastery . Liquors and liqueurs Equally impressive is the religious contribution to distilled spirits. Whiskey was invented by medieval Irish monks , who probably shared their knowledge with the Scots during their missions. Monk sneaking a drink. Scanned from Den medeltida kokboken, Swedish translation of The Medieval Cookbook by Maggie Black, via Wikimedia Commons. Chartreuse is widely considered the world's best liqueur because of its extraordinary spectrum of distinct flavors and even medicinal benefits. Perfected by the Carthusian order almost 300 years ago, the recipe is known by only two monks at a time. The herbal liqueur Benedictine D.O.M. is reputed to have been invented in 1510 by an Italian Benedictine named Dom Bernardo Vincelli to fortify and restore weary monks. And the cherry brandy known as Maraska liqueur was invented by Dominican apothecaries in the early 16th century. Nor was ingenuity in alcohol a male-only domain. Carmelite sisters once produced an extract called " Carmelite water " that was used as a herbal tonic. The nuns no longer make this elixir, but another concoction of the convent survived and went on to become one of Mexico's most popular holiday liqueurs -- Rompope. Made from vanilla, milk and eggs, Rompope was invented by Clarist nuns from the Spanish colonial city of Puebla, located southeast of Mexico City. According to one account, the nuns used egg whites to give the sacred art in their chapel a protective coating. Not wishing the leftover yolks to go to waste, they developed the recipe for this festive refreshment. Health and community So why such an impressive record of alcoholic creativity among the religious? I believe there are two underlying reasons. First, the conditions were right for it. Monastic communities and similar religious orders possessed all of the qualities necessary for producing fine alcoholic beverages. They had vast tracts of land for planting grapes or barley, a long institutional memory through which special knowledge could be handed down and perfected, a facility for teamwork and a commitment to excellence in even the smallest of chores as a means of glorifying God. Historically, alcohol was seen to be promoting health. Fritz Wagner (1896-1939) (Dorotheum) , via Wikimedia Commons Second, it is easy to forget in our current age that for much of human history, alcohol was instrumental in promoting health . Water sources often carried dangerous pathogens, and so small amounts of alcohol would be mixed with water to kill the germs therein. Roman soldiers, for example, were given a daily allowance of wine , not in order to get drunk but to purify whatever water they found on campaign. And two bishops, Saint Arnulf of Metz and Saint Arnold of Soissons , are credited with saving hundreds from a plague because they admonished their flock to drink beer instead of water. Whiskey , herbal liqueurs and even bitters were likewise invented for medicinal reasons. And if beer can save souls from pestilence, no wonder the Church has a special blessing for it that begins : "O Lord, bless this creature beer, which by Your kindness and power has been produced from kernels of grain, and may it be a health-giving drink for mankind." Michael Foley , Associate Professor of Patristics, Baylor University

Alcohol abuse

Despite trying to use hands-contorted-into-hearts to try and soften the radical opposition of the progressive left's "Indivisible" campaign, Conexion Americas' "Indivisible" organizing is no different than any of the other self-identified "Indivisible" groups that have formed to resist President Trump's agenda for America. A number of left wing Nashville political figures, including Mayor Megan Barry, have posed for photos with Renata Soto, co-founder and director of Conexion Americas, displaying the "hands-contorted-into-hearts" sign. Last week, Conexion's Gini Pupo-Walker, senior director of education policy and strategic growth, told The Tennessee Star that "[w]e didn't know there would be other groups using the same word." However, looking at Conexion's twitter promotion of other "Indivisible"groups, the Indivisible Guide itself, and alignment by Conexion on key issues included in The Guide, strongly suggest otherwise. Conexion Americas director Soto has stated publicly that "[w]e at Conexion Americas have launched a campaign called # Indivisible" using a hashtag of a Twitter site which promotes the original Indivisible Guide and Indivisible groups scattered across the country. On December 10, 2016, Soto, issued a public invitation to join her Indivisible campaign. Four days later, a link to the Indivisible Guide, written by former Congressional staffers, was tweeted out. Angel Padilla an Indivisible Guide author, was an immigration policy consultant at National Council of La Raza (La Raza) in 2014. After leaving La Raza Padilla moved to the National Immigration Law Center (NILC). Padilla and Soto may well have first crossed paths through La Raza. Beginning in 2012, Soto served as the vice-chair of La Raza's board until she was elected as chairman in 2015. She remains listed as Chairman for La Raza's 2017-2018 slate. Both La Raza and the NILC receive funding from George Soros' Open Society Foundation. Soto's Nashville organization, Conexion Americas receives continuing support from La Raza. "Indivisible" groups like Conexion's that began organizing on the heels of Trump's election, were initially united in opposition to the administration's agenda on illegal immigration and refugee resettlement but have added opposing any action to repeal/and or replace Obamacare. During his campaign Trump vowed to dismantle these parts of Obama's legacy. The primary goal of the Indivisible Guide was to roadmap how progressive activists could get their "MoC" (member of Congress) to buckle under loud, intense and unceasing opposition to the Republican-led administration and Congress. To this end, the Guide provides "Resistance Resources" on issues including immigration, healthcare and local organizing and even more issue insights through the "InvisiBlog." Last week Conexion Americas held another "Indivisible" event , during which attendees were encouraged to write postcards to Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander and Rep. Jim Cooper using pre-printed messages on immigration and healthcare issues. Predictably, the information and writing prompts provided by Conexion align with the national "Indivisible" movement's opposition: La Conexion Indivisible Talking Points During a recent radio interview, gubernatorial candidate and self-described moderate Randy Boyd justified his $250,000 donation to Conexion Americas and his continued support for the left wing organization, saying that: The important thing here is that sometimes there may be people we disagree with on many things but we need to find the things we agree on and then expand those... In June of 2016, before President Trump secured the Republican nomination for president, Boyd told CNN that though he helped raise money for Mitt Romney in 2012, he refused to raise money for Trump. He said the idea of raising money for Trump was "an anathema to me," sounding more like those standing "indivisible" with the Conexion campaign to resist Trump. His donation to Conexion Americas was apparently made prior to President Trump's election in November 2016. Given President Trump's 86 percent approval rating among likely Tennessee Republican primary voters, as shown in the recent Tennessee Star Poll , Boyd's insistence on offering his continued support for an organization dedicated to opposing virtually every one of President Trump's policies is a weakness his Republican gubernatorial primary opponents are certain to exploit over the year and a month until the August 2018 primary.

Indivisible" groups that have formed to resist President Trump's agenda for America

10. His Crazy-Ass Sense of Humor "Nobody was fucking in music," says Bowker. "Certainly, in comedy, you had party records. But Blowfly was the first to mix humor and music in a way that wasn't a stuffy white dude thing. We got the funk. Laughter was the idea. When they recorded the music, they were literally having a party, getting loose, and having fun at TK Records in Hialeah. It wasn't just dirty jokes in the basement. It was dancing and getting laid." 9. His Filthy Influence "Millions of people listened to hs records. So many rappers' parents had these albums and played them and ordered their kids out when all they wanted to do was listen, and of course, that made them want to listen even more. I've had so many rappers tell me this exact story, whether it's Snoop or Devin the Dude, a good dozen rappers have told me about how they used to hide the Blowfly under their Jackson 5, but they would always get busted. My parents didn't have cool records like that, but I did sneak my dad's Playboy s so I understand completely." 8. The Whole Deep City Thing "Clarence Reid bounced around South Florida until he found a home here in Miami with Willie Clarke and Johnny Pearsall and they started their own little universe down here," Bowker explains. "Clarence basically groomed Betty Wright along with Willie and wrote all her songs. He also worked with Helene Smith, and of course he also wrote his own really good songs. The dividends paid off almost exactly 40 years later with the Numero Group's re-issue of all the Deep City material, the Deep City movie, and now Henry Stone's movie. It's not because there's nothing worth documenting. And that's why we sold out the Gusman Theater. Even people who don't know Clarence can understand that "First black- owned record label in the state of Florida" is important historically." 7. The Man's Voice Is Incredible "You've got to listen to the range of recordings from his lifetime. Who else can match that?" Bowker points out. "Those first early singles on Wand, Scepter, Dade, he hit notes so high you'd have to take a ball-peen hammer and hit yourself in the nuts to even think of hitting those notes. Forget his genius as a songwriter and performer, as a singer, he's incredible. Now he's older and his voice is more raw, he sounds like he gargles with sandpaper, but he makes that work too. He's managed to transform from an Al Green-style crooner to more gutbucket than Howlin' Wolf. But his beautiful voice from the '60s and '70s, that's what makes the Blowfly records so funny, singing sweet songs about 'girl let me cum in your mouth.'" 6. A Born Motherfuckin' Performer "Blowfly, Clarence Reid is basically one of the greatest performers who ever lived. He has all the charisma in the world. To this day, 25-year-old girls love to sit on his lap and swoon all over him. He tells them the nastiest shit, and they love him for it. He connects with people on a visceral level. Clarence has a kind of charisma that barely exists anymore. The way he looks at you when he tells you these things, you believe him." 5. Superhuman Endurance "He is of another time, but he is timeless. He manages to make things that mattered to him in the '60s matter to people in 2014. He has that universal quality to him. He sings about universal themes, like love and sex and dirty shit. These things always will be. There will always be love and sex and dirty shit. Clarence doesn't have to try; he just is. Yes, he's of an older time and lives in this one, but he sings and writes about subjects that will never get old." 4. Moving With the Times "When you have Blowfly playing 'Ed Sullivan Show' and all the guests are coming on the show completely foul and dirty, it's great," Bowker says. "It's like running all of '60s and '70s pop culture through that ride at Epcot on a conveyor belt. All of his interpretations of what's happening in the world, even through the '80s with 'Electronic Pussy Sucker' and all the early Atari and Commodore 64 shit. Last year, we did a dance track with Sleazy McQueen out of Orlando. We did a house song that uses a disco beat. Weird World of Blowfly dropped in 1973, he recorded his first version of 'Rapp Dirty' in 1964, so he moves ahead of the times all the time, but also right along with them." 3. Split Persona "Clarence has an amazing ability to throw anchor between himself and Blowfly. The two characters argue on "Blowfly's Convoy" in one of the most amazing meltdowns in music history, but nobody understood that. His mom didn't even know he was Blowfly for the first seven years. If you can survive getting tattled on by your family to your mom, that's incredible. He set up two completely distinct and very successful personas that have lasted four and five decades each. That's amazing, man. How do you keep up that charade? Last time we were in Zurich, they still didn't know, and we set up a show with Blowfly and Clarence Reid, and we sold that shit out hard. There was a line around the club. And then when the promoter found out he was both guys, he went crazy! He couldn't believe it." Photo by Heidi Calvert 2. Songwriting "Blowfly and Clarence are incredible songwriters. His melody is always through the bass line. It's very distinctive. You can hear it on Betty Wright's 'Cleanup Woman," on his own "Nobody but You Babe," on "Rapp Dirty." And he wrote so many lyrics in a woman's voice for female singers. When he would get stuck, he would just turn on soap opera The Young and the Restless . And some of those songs are way more fucked up than any Blowfly stuff. Take "The Babysitter," for instance. Betty Wright puts all the blame on the babysitter, and not the husband that would fuck a young teenage girl. He also wrote for George McCrae and Jimmy Bo Horne, and KC's 'Sound Your Funky Horn.' Clarence has a chameleon-like ability to write for anybody." 1. Blowfly "Blowfly is the greatest character Clarence Reid ever created. I've been with him 12 years now, and I can say the world needs more laughter. Is there anyone funnier than Blowfly? Sure, there are people on his level, like Paul Mooney. I outsnapped Paul Mooney twice, and that was one of my great achievements as a white man. Paul is one of the funniest people on Earth, mostly on an intellectual level. And Clarence has intellectual humor too, even though he plays dumb, but the reality is he's a genius, and he goes for the gut. Blowfly humor is very guttural humor. And at his best, he makes this completely ridiculous thing that's beautiful." Crossfade's Top Blogs If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters. You have successfully signed up for your selected newsletter(s) - please keep an eye on your mailbox, we're movin' in! Blowfly's Save the Funky House Party. With Kool Keith, Otto von Schirach, and others. Presented by Strutter USA and Alternative MIA. Saturday, November 8. Churchill's Pub, 5501 NE Second Ave., Miami. The show starts at 9 p.m., and tickets cost $15 plus fees via brownpapertickets.com . Ages 18 and up. Call 305-757-1807, or visit churchillspub.com .

Blowfly

In the past month, I've been sharing stories about family and youth homelessness from the road as I've traveled with my friend and colleague Pat LaMarche on our EPIC Journey . Our "Babes of Wrath" designation, a tribute to John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath, is sort of a tongue-in-cheek reference to our feelings about this nation's neglect of impoverished families and youth. Pat recently interviewed Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, AZ. I went along as photographer. Here is our joint submission--Pat's story, my photos . Winding through the desert south west on what Diane Nilan and I have called our "Babes of Wrath" tour , we took a similar route to the one Steinbeck's fictitious Joads traveled during the Great Depression. We've encountered homeless veterans, kids in jail, the famous & infamous of skid row, and homeless families not officially counted because they can afford a hotel room but not a permanent home. For our return trip we've turned southeast. We've passed through a number of anti-fence jumping immigration check points. And because immigrants - documented or not - represent so many of the poor in this county we decided to drop into the office of "America's Sheriff," Joe Arpaio. Much like America's cheeseburger - the Big Mac - he is much loved or much hated depending who's doing the tasting. We settled down in his office - a 19th floor shrine to both the beauty of the Phoenix landscape and to the iconic sheriff himself. The only thing more remarkable then the view outside the windows was the artifact collection inside them. Nothing was off the table and I was allowed to ask whatever I wanted. I explained that I had come to discuss poverty and how it might affect the workings of his jail. The sheriff asserted that the poor can't afford the extravagance of a good defense, "As far as the criminal justice system, sometimes if you have a lot of money you can get good lawyers that sometimes the poorer people don't have - you know - the luxury." Although he did concede that "many of them are poor that come into the jail." He didn't speculate how many fewer poor people would be in jail if they could afford a good defense. I asked him about the homeless and he spoke of drug addicts and prostitutes. I told him that many of the homeless were children. He thought that was sad. He speculated that homeless shelters had kids in them because their parents had split up. And he launched into a hearty defense of the women who raise children alone. You can read the transcript of our discussion on our Facebook page. He also believed that the homeless that weren't drug addicts, alcoholics or mentally impaired should get jobs, "I still feel the greatest country in the world, that you can do or be anything you want and if you have the drive, I think you can find a job. I really do. It may be washing cars or picking lettuce. We don't need to import illegals to pick lettuce. Instead of hanging around on streets and just begging with a cup, that person can find a job." Ah, and there it was, the "illegals." But before we chatted about them, I wanted to make the point that the homeless often already have jobs. It was a point that he never quite got - either disbelieving or choosing not to believe - he still insisted that homeless people with jobs had to be drug addicts too. The sheriff countered, "If you're high on drugs, even if you did work, you're gonna shoot up your rent and your food. So I think it's a bigger picture than just finding a job. I think it has to be a mental problem. You have to have alcoholic sometimes involved. Drugs is definitely involved. So you got to straighten out some of these problems too. You know." Oh and I do know. I know that he's wrong. I've been working on homeless issues for decades. But to give the sheriff credit he did welcome the opportunity to learn more. He said that if I connected him with local homeless providers he's talk with them. And, he took advantage of our time together to discuss the things that he's most criticized for - mostly because I asked him how he'd like to be punished for being thought bad by other people. I tried to make the connection that he punishes people based on an assumption of guilt, but he's not punished the same way, he gets his day in court first. He tossed the logic of my argument away, but he did stick up for those many things for which he feels he's most unfairly criticized, "I took away their R-rated movies... I took away their coffee... I have some great religious programs, 500 volunteers... I started a high school in the jail... we have GED programs, Read To Me Mommy, Girl Scouts Behind Bars. I can go on and on. But you don't think any media will talk about that because they're nice programs." The sheriff thinks he's picked on for ridiculous things, "So I did pink underwear, that's been very famous. Wanna know why I put them in pink? Because they were stealing the white underwear." I didn't ask him how poor a person would have to be to steal underwear. Clearly the color of the underwear had become more of an issue than the need to steal it. In fact, the sheriff said, "It's a soothing color." When I questioned pink being soothing he responded, "Yeah, of course. And yeah, cancer... everyone's using pink." Underscoring his lack of convention the sheriff brought up, "I do understand I have the only female chain gang in the history of the world." I quipped, "And the only child chain gang too though right?" And this was the saddest answer of all. "Well yeah. I thought I'd take a lot of heat, nobody seemed to care." It's sad not for what it says about the sheriff, but for what it says about the rest of us. The HEAR US Inc. -sponsored EPIC Journey will stop in Austin, TX on Monday, 2/18 (event open to the public, free, 9:30-10:45 a.m., University of TX, Utopia Theater, and Tuesday, 2/19 (UT classes), The 5,000-mile tour concludes in Charleston, SC, College of Charleston, 6 p.m. (event open to the public, free, in room 129 of the School of Sciences and Mathematics Building, corner of Calhoun and Coming Streets).

Joe Arpaio

14 April, 2015 Countercurrents.org This is an excerpt from Harsh Mander's new book "Looking Away: Inequality, Prejudice and Indifference in New India" published by Speaking Tiger The most widely held bias against Muslims is that they are religiously and culturally socialized in ways which creates in them a huge tolerance for violence. For a long time in India, this belief was nurtured through a chauvinistic retelling of history, in which Muslims through the medieval age were portrayed as invaders and marauders who looted the country, subjugated its Hindu populations, desecrated and demolished Hindu places of worship, and forcefully converted millions of hapless Hindus to Islam at the point of the sword. PrimeMinister Modi, in his first address to India's Parliament, chose to reinforce this reading of India's history by speaking of 1,200 and not 200 years of India's slavery, thereby extending the period of India's bondage not just to the years of colonization, but to the millenniumin which the majority of rulers were Muslim. Contrast this with Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's words, 'Eleven hundred years of common history have enriched India with our common achievements. Our languages, our poetry, our literature,our culture, our art, our dress, our manners and customs, the innumerable longings of our daily life, everything bears the stamp of our joint endeavour.' He goes on, 'This joint wealth is the heritage of our common nationality and we do not want to leave it and go back to the time when this joint life had not begun.' This could be the voice of every Muslim who chose secular India over a Muslim Pakistan. Mridula Mukherjee, noted professor of history, describes Modi's interpretation as the 'standard Hindu communal view of history'.This highly coloured and partisan recasting was part of the colonial project so that the colonial rulers could present themselves as sources of enlightenment instead of plunder and pauperization; and this project suited the designs of both Muslim and Hindu fundamentalists. It is common for middle-class Indians today to ignore the actual facts of history--that there were both enlightened and oppressive Muslim and Hindu rulers; that Muslim rulers may originally have come from other countries but made this land their home; that conversion happened mostly voluntarily because people from the lower castes were drawn to the egalitarian teachings of Islam; and that in most phases of medieval history, Hindu sects were unmolested in pursuing their own faith and modes of worship. The belief in the special and unique legacies of a violent history of Muslims are aggravated across north India by received, partial memories of Partition, which recount Muslims as killers and rapists,forgetting that the same violence occurred against Muslims at the hands of Hindus and Sikhs on this side of the border, and that many Muslims also saved Hindu and Sikh lives. The preconception uniquely linking Muslims with violence gained a great fillip with the Global War on Terror. How many of us have not received a text message or Internet posting remarking that whereas all Muslims are not terrorists, all terrorists are Muslims? Most of us accept this to be a sad but undisputed fact. It is telling that we do so uncritically, especially in India, a country which lost the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, and two prime ministers, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, to terror perpetrated by non-Muslims. Both central and north-eastern India have also been aflame for decades,but again, almost none of the chief actors in these regions are Muslim.Firstly, we have accepted the uncritically selective understandingof which acts of mass killing qualify as terrorism and which do not. Nivedita Menon, noted feminist writer and professor of political thought, rightly contests the official definition of 'terrorism'. 'Killing twenty people by a bomb blast is considered terrorism,' she points out, 'but the killing of thousands of people in 1984 or more than a thousand people in Gujarat in 2002 (or, for that matter, the killing of 40 people in Muzaffarnagar, 68 people in Orissa in 2008, etc. etc.) are not. All riots involve planning, stockpiling of weapons and systematic attacks.Why then are they not considered terrorism?' This influences the judiciary as well, which awards the death penalty for crimes of'terror' but not for hate-spurred crimes during instances of communal violence.I am firmly against the death penalty for any crime, but I find these double standards popular in the middle class as well as the judiciary intriguing and morally repugnant. In an article for the Frontline, journalist Praveen Swami points to data from the South Asia Terrorism Portal, according to which, deaths caused by Muslim attackers accounted for just one-fifth of the total civilian and security force fatalities between 2008 and 2013. In this period, terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, and Islamist terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Indian Mujahideen killed 934 civilians and personnel of the security forces.Maoists and terrorist groups in the Northeast killed 4,163 peopleduring the same period. He further documents that, barring the year 2008, Islamist terror groups accounted for 10 per cent or less of terrorism-related civilian and security force fatalities. This, he points out, is less than the community's share in India's population. 'Evenin 2008, which saw a peak in Islamist violence--four major urban bombings, as well as the 26/11 attacks--killings by Muslim terrorists accounted for well under half of all civilian and security force fatalities. The insurgencies in the states of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya,Mizoram and Tripura involve myriad Hindu, Christian and tribal groups; none of the major armed actors is Muslim. The Maoistinsurgency also involves Adivasis and caste Hindus, not Muslims.' Every major bomb explosion is followed almost immediately by agovernment statement claiming that one or more Islamist terrorgroups were responsible, and this is uncritically relayed by the press--without even a disclaimer, or the word 'alleged'--and accepted as truth by popular public opinion. No one asks how the government is so certain who set off the blasts within minutes of the detonation. If it knew in advance, why did it not prevent it? And if it did not know earlier, how was it so sure within minutes of the blast? This obvious official disingenuousness is possible because it falls on the fertile soilof popular prejudice against Muslims for their alleged allegiance to terror. Some courageous and impartial investigation by some of the country's finest policepersons, such as Hemant Karkare, have revealed that many of the terror cases earlier attributed to Islamist organizations were actually the handiwork of shadowy outfits with allegiance to Hindutva thought. However, this has barely entered middle-class consciousness--and certainly not drawing-room conversations on terror. It is thus that middle-class Indians are able to block out the idea that many terror attacks are established to be conspiracies bypeople who owe no allegiance to any faith, including their own. This same assumption that terrorist attacks must be the handiwork of Muslims is found elsewhere in the world as well. When bombswere detonated in Oslo on 22 July 2011, most people assumed--and the New York Times even reported--that this was an attack conducted by Muslim terrorists. Although this was redacted soon, the paper justified the assumption, stating that Norway had been threatened by Al Qaeda and could be targeted for sending Norwegian troops to Afghanistan. It was proved, later, that the bombing had been planned meticulously by a young white supremacist, Anders Behring Breveik, who also shot down sixty-nine young people at a youthcamp organized by the Norwegian Labour Party. Data gathered by sociologist Charles Kurzman showed that while thirty-three people in the US died of terrorism perpetrated by Islamists after 9/11, over 300 died in mass shootingsby people from other religious identities. The Centre for Research on Globalisation went back further to find that only 2.5 per cent ofthe terrorist attacks in the US from 1970 to 2012 were carried out by Muslims. The belief that Muslims as a rule subscribe to violence becomes the rationale among many to justify even massacres as heinous as the one that happened in 2002 in Gujarat.I recall a particularly dear friend from my boyhood days in boarding school, who is otherwise affable, gentle and liberal. When he crafted the same rationalization, that the massacre had happened in response to the burning of the Sabarmati Express in Godhra, I first contested the version that the train had indeed been set aflame as partof a conspiracy by Muslims--the forensic evidence suggested a fire accident. But even if indeed some Muslims had actually committed this horrendous crime, I continued, how did it justify the killing of even one other Muslim? By this principle of vicarious responsibility,I told him--since he belongs to a community notorious for exploiting people with usury and unfair trade--he should be fine with people killing him in retribution. Indeed, by this measure, no upper-casteHindu should remain alive, because of how they have oppressed generations of Dalits. And, indeed, no man should remain alive anywhere in the world, for what they have done, in every country, in every phase of history, to women. My friend found it hard to forgive me for this outburst, and we lost touch for many years. More recently we have again picked up the strings of our old friendship--this is one case where affection did finally overcome politics--but we always tread carefully in our conversations when we meet, to avoid the thin ice of the questions regarding collective Muslim culpability forviolence or, indeed, of Modi's leadership. Harsh Mander is a social worker and writer, who works with survivors of mass violence and hunger, as well as homeless persons and street children. He is the Director of the Centre for Equity Studies and a Special Commissioner to the Supreme Court of India in the Right to Food case. He is associated with various social causes and movements, and writes and speaks regularly on issues of communal harmony, tribal, dalit and disabled persons' rights, the right to information, custodial justice, homelessness and bonded labour.

Looking Away: Inequality, Prejudice and Indifference in New India

Much has been made of the fact that, when examined through the prism of gender, the Great Recession appears to have affected the employment of men far more than that of women. And, taken as a whole, that's true. According to figures released on Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for men (age 20 and over) stands at 10 percent, while 7.9 percent of women rank among the unemployed. (When the recession began in December 2007, the unemployment rate among men and women was the same: 4.4 percent.) But spend some time rummaging among the unemployment statistics, and you'll find a significant group of women struggling mightily against a brutal economic tide: single women with children. They, the breadwinners of their families, are more than twice as likely to be unemployed than married women who have a spouse present. While this has been true for the last ten years (PDF), its effects are amplified in the current economic crisis. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, in a report released on Friday, showed the unemployment rate for married women at 6.1 percent, while that of single women "who maintain families," in the parlance of the BLS, reached a whopping 11.6 percent -- 68 percent higher than when the recession began. Add to that the fact that women, as a whole, earn only 77 cents for every dollar a man brings home, and you find many single women whose situation has gone from difficult to dire. Indeed, married members of both sexes did better maintaining employment over the course of 2009, according to the BLS's own annual averages of its Household Data monthly surveys: 12 percent of people who had never married were unemployed by the end of the year; those who were widowed, separated or divorced suffered an unemployment rate of 9.2 percent, while married people (defined as having a spouse "present"), coasted by with a 5.5 percent rate of unemployment. The effect on the nation's children has yet to be fully understood: 20 percent of all children today grow up in families headed by a single mother. What is going on here? Are employers picking unmarried mothers over married workers when deciding on who is to be let go, just because they dislike unmarried mothers? Perhaps. But a more probable explanation is found elsewhere: The married and the unmarried differ from each other in ways which directly correlate with unemployment. As Liz Weiss and Heather Boussey write in their November 2009 article : The differences in unemployment between married and unmarried women may in part reflect other demographics that come into play in unemployment rates, in that women (and men) who are unmarried tend to be younger, have less education, and are more racially and ethnically diverse than married women (and men)." To see what all this means, it helps to turn statistics into concrete examples. Instead of wading through the BLS tables as percentages, imagine yourself as the drill-sergeant giving orders to a lineup of 100 individuals of a particular type. You call the unemployed to take a step forward. What happens if the hundred people in front of you are a general representative sample of the civilian U.S. labor force? Roughly ten will step forward, which corresponds to the 9.7 percent unemployment figure given for February 2010. But what if all 100 standing before you are young people, between the ages of 20 and 24? Your call for the unemployed to step forward will result in 16 "volunteers" (to match the unemployment rate of 16.0 percent for that group). Even if all those younger privates were female, the step-forward call would result in more than 10 responses (to match the female unemployment rate of 13.1 percent for that age group). Now let's look at education and unemployment. Let's make two groups of 100 privates each. The first group consists of those with less than a high school diploma, the second of those with at least a bachelor's degree. Now yell for the unemployed in both groups to step forward, hut, hut. What's the result? Sixteen from the first group step forward (15.6 percent), and five from the second group (5.0 percent). The point of this silly exercise is to remind us that not all groups in the labor force suffer the same danger of unemployment. It also brings home the reason why the highly educated might not observe the great misery unemployment causes: Unemployment is concentrated among the less educated workers, and those workers mostly live in their own barracks, so to say. At present, the unemployment rate among people with college degrees is a mere 5.0 percent, compared with 15.6 percent for those who did not graduate high school. Some 10 percent of. people who have a high school diploma, but no education beyond that, find themselves unemployed. Unemployment is also higher among major groups of people of color; this is the case even during good economic times. In February, 15.8 percent of African Americans, 12.4 percent of Latinos, 8.8 percent of whites and 8.4 percent of Asians were unemployed in the sense of the most common official definition. While men have a higher unemployment rate than women (10.0 percent vs. 8.0 percent) -- the traditionally male industries construction and manufacturing have been hit especially hard -- the rates for African American women and Latinas (12.1 percent and 11.3 percent, respectively) are still higher than the rate for white men (9.0 percent). All these examples are simple snapshots of some groups which suffer from greater-than-average rates of unemployment. Unmarried women with children are more likely to be found in all those group pictures than married women because they are younger, less educated and more racially and ethnically diverse. Even if they faced no additional workplace discrimination aimed at their marital/maternal status, these factors place them at a higher risk of joblessness than other women. That higher risk affects not only the single mothers themselves, but many of America's children. Having two adults capable of earning wages -- or at least of looking for jobs -- makes a big difference for the financial well-being of a family. Families headed by a single parent don't have that private safety-net. (This is true not only for families headed by an unmarried mother, but also for those headed by an unmarried father. Unfortunately, the BLS statistics don't provide information of the latter group.) With one-fifth of all children growing up in families headed by a single mother, and an estimated additional 5 percent in families headed by a single father, one in four of America's children are therefore affected by what happens to single-parent families. In families such as this, the loss of a parent's job often sets off a cascade of disaster. When the sole breadwinner of a family loses her or his job, the family may also lose health insurance and housing. Poverty rates among all families headed by unmarried mothers (including those not in the labor force) are high. One in three (PDF) of these families lives in poverty. In 2008 (PDF), 43.5 percent of children in single mother families were counted as poor, compared to 9.9 percent of children living in married-couple families. The poverty rates were especially high for families headed by an African-American woman or by a Latina. Poor families are poor. This means that they don't have savings to tide them over a prolonged bout of unemployment. If a poor single mother with children loses her job, what are her alternatives? She could always go on welfare, right? Well, the Temporary Aid For Needy Families, the replacement of that old-and-much-maligned Aid for Families With Dependent Children, offers an average monthly payment of $372 (PDF), and even that only if the recipient hasn't exhausted the five-years lifetime cap. But, you say, she might indeed qualify for something better: unemployment insurance. This was not always the case, because of the work requirements used in determining who was qualified to receive benefits. These tend to discriminate against workers with volatile earnings patterns -- something single mothers are more likely to have, given their need to combine care-giving with paid work and the general inflexibility of many low-paying jobs. But Obama's first stimulus package includes an alternative method of calculating the work requirements, one which lets many more poor single mothers qualify for unemployment benefits in the case of job loss. Those benefits might not be high but they sure beat $372 a month. Even when times are good, unmarried women with children have higher unemployment rates. Times are certainly not good now, and we should not grow complacent about a general unemployment rate hovering around 10 percent. Far greater suffering than is suggested by that figure hides behind it. As Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, notes, "We have very little support for unemployed workers on purpose, because we want people to work. But if you are out of work for several years to come because you can't get a job?...It's not the fault of the unemployed. People in general should be more upset than they are." Indeed. And the measly jobs package just passed by the House will do little to change the situation. If we really want to provide relief in the here and now, and provide for the future of the next generation of workers, any subsequent stimulus package must provide more help for those whom unemployment has hit hardest -- especially single parents struggling to support children on their own. Such a move would put money into the pockets of those who are most likely to spend it to fuel economic recovery: the poor. It is also the right thing to do in a recession which doesn't appear to be lifting soon. The funny thing about the current recession is how fast we have learned to regard news of a 9.7 percent general rate of unemployment, the figure released on Friday by BLS (PDF), as good news . Because it is a teeny-weeny less than the the peak rates of late last year we now hope that the worst of this recession is over. Yet the general unemployment numbers, even if either stable or slightly approved for some groups, hide longer-term suffering and structural problems that will be with us for some time to come. Don't let big tech control what news you see. Get more stories like this in your inbox, every day. J. Goodrich is an economist. Her writing has been published in The American Prospect , Ms. magazine and on various political Web sites. She blogs at Echidne of the Snakes .

the unemployment rate for men (age 20 and over) stands at 10 percent, while 7.9 percent of women rank among the unemployed

Two years ago, gay conductor Jonathan Palant (right) founded the Dallas Street Choir to provide a musical outlet for those experiencing homelessness and severe disadvantage. Palant, former artistic director for the Turtle Creek Chorale , the world-renowned gay men's chorus, now teaches at a local college and serves as music minister at a Methodist church. Since its founding, more than 800 people have attended one of the Street Choir's rehearsals, and the group has performed at major local venues alongside opera stars and composers, even once being joined on stage by former first lady Laura Bush. Now, the Street Choir has its first music video, "Homeless, Not Voiceless," in which members perform Miley Cyrus' "The Climb." The Dallas Street Choir began working on this music video in the fall of 2015. It took three trips to the sound studio, an entire day of filming, and many hours of editing to complete. The goal of this project is to show that while our members suffer from homelessness and severe disadvantage, they still have a voice and something to say. Please do not give up on us, as we have not given up on ourselves. W e are homeless, not voiceless. More on the the Street Choir from The Dallas Morning News : During a rehearsal this month, Palant spent some time engaging in standard choir instruction: how to breathe, how to hold your mouth for maximum tone and volume, how to find the rhythm. But he also sought out ways to offer special encouragement to people who don't get a lot of that. At some point during the hour, he addressed every vocalist by name and with a question. "Where did you sleep last night?" "Where are you going for Christmas?" "What time is bedtime at Union Gospel Mission?" And he listened to the replies, engaging in short conversations. At the end of the rehearsal, Palant passed out "earnings." People who have attended regularly get bus passes, socks, even a blanket. "Everyone deserves to be loved. Everyone needs to feel important at least once a day," he said later. Watch the music video below.

gay conductor Jonathan Palant

Amazon HQ in Seattle. Photo: AP The list of American cities vying to be the location of Amazon's next headquarters has been whittled down to 20 , from the original 238 who submitted proposals. But city council members and other officials in those cities say they don't know what was promised in their name, according to The New York Times . Despite the massive impact that the headquarters, known as HQ2, would make on any of the cities on the list, the details of the proposals to the retail giant are often known only by private groups, like local Chambers of Commerce. Amazon also required all the finalists to sign nondisclosure agreements to avoid proprietary information getting out. The Times writes: "I don't know what we offered Amazon in terms of financial incentives, but I believe Amazon wants to see the biggest incentive package that any city will offer them," said Leslie Pool, a member of the Austin City Council. The city, also a finalist, submitted a bid put together by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, which had no consultations with the City Council. [...] Amazon, which is expected to make $235 billion in revenue this year, promises to bring the winning location up to 50,000 high-paying jobs and a $5 billion investment in construction. Once a candidate is chosen to build the new HQ, the local government will have to pass all of the measures that tempted Amazon there. But with such a huge reward, it's hard to imagine any city turning down the proposal, no matter how sweet the deal is for Amazon. A few of the proposals have been made public, and as expected, the involve massive tax credits and other breaks for the company: Maryland put together an $8.5 billion tax incentive and infrastructure bid, and local and state officials in New Jersey got legislative approval to offer Amazon $7 billion in tax credits and incentives to pick Newark. New Jersey's proposal was only made public after a citizen filed a lawsuit. "Typically, you see companies bid a couple of places against each other as they try to land a corporate deal," Brad Lander, a New York City Council member, told the Times . "This process is highly unusual. It creates a real race-to-the-bottom aspect with the potential of companies bidding multiple cities against one another." The impact that Amazon has had on Seattle, where its current headquarters is located, is clear. According to Mayor Jenny Durkan, rents have increased 57 percent in the last five years, and there are 4,000 people living on the streets. The average price for a house is $824,000. City council members from smaller cities like Austin worry that the very things that make the city appealing to Amazon--small businesses, quirky culture--would be wiped out by the massive influx of money and transplants needed to fuel Amazon's growth. But the appeal of Amazon's offer is hard to pass up, even for mayors who claim to support lowering economic inequality. "[Mayors like Bill de Blasio and Rahm Emanuel] are about ending inequality and creating more inclusive cities," said Richard Florida, a professor at the School of Cities and the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. "Now they're in a game competing with one another to throw money at one of the most powerful companies in the world run by one of the world's richest men." [...] As America experiences the impacts of 40 years of neoliberal policy hollowing out the public sector, it can feel like we're living in a new feudal age, where the best we can hope for is for one of our tech overlords to bestow their jobs and money upon our communities. Cities in the US are so desperate for money and jobs that they'll happily sell out their citizens to increase economic growth. There is nothing democratic about it.

Amazon HQ

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has been embroiled in so many ethical scandals , from the ridiculous--having a government employee drive him from one Ritz-Carlton to another in search of his favorite hand lotion--to the seriously swampy--using staff to try to get his wife a job--that even some conservatives are calling him out and demanding that he go . But Pruitt may have a trump card, so to speak, in the support he gets from the president's most important constituency: the Religious Right. At last week's Road to Majority conference, organized by Ralph Reed's Faith and Freedom Coalition, Reed called Pruitt "a dear friend of faith and freedom" and promised his support: You know, I know the left and the media like to go after this man. But the other day at a Cabinet meeting President Trump turned to him and said, 'Scott, I want you to know, we've got your back. And you're doing a great job.' And we've got his back as well. In his introduction, Reed reminded activists that Pruitt worked on religious liberty issues with the Rutherford Institute, which Reed described as a forerunner to today's Religious Right legal groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom. Reed praised Pruitt for his record as Oklahoma's attorney general, when he sued the EPA 14 times, and said he has brought "sanity" to an agency Reed said had been notorious for regulatory overreach. Pruitt began his remarks picking up on the religious liberty theme, praising the recent Supreme Court ruling in favor of the no-wedding-cakes-for-gay-couples baker. Pruitt recycled the Religious Right claims that liberals want to define religious freedom down so that it protects freedom of worship and nothing else. Describing a mission trip he took to Romania several years ago, where he talked about the experience of the church under Communism, Pruitt said the left in the U.S. wants to silence Christians in similar ways: There are some in this country today that look at the issue of religious liberty, they look at the issue of free exercise of religion in the same way. They believe that we have a right to exercise our religious beliefs within the four walls of the church. But when we actually go out in the public square, when we advance truth, when we actually confront the culture with the truths of scripture outside the four walls of the church, then that's where they say it has to stop. Thank goodness that we have a president, thank goodness that we have a leader of this country, who stands unapologetically for religious liberty, who's willing to put on the Supreme Court people like Justice Gorsuch to say, 'We are going to stand for free exercise of religion and the First Amendment in the United States, of this country.' Pruitt talked about the "great" and "transformational" changes taking place in the EPA and the country, thanks to his and Trump's leadership. These changes are "going to impact generations into the future." Making so much change generates challenges from those who want to protect the status quo, he said: I mean, the left doesn't want to talk about truth. The left doesn't want to talk about results. They just want to shout. They just want to try and intimidate, as opposed to talk about what's being done in this administration. Pruitt insisted that the old regulatory regime was caught in the "false choice" of generating jobs or protecting the environment, saying that under Trump, America's economy is growing while the air and water continues to get cleaner. Pruitt cited scripture in support of his approach to environmental stewardship and asked for the activists' continued support for the Trump administration's efforts, saying America is a blessed country that can be a beacon to the rest of the world: Now I believe that to whom much is given, much is required. And I believe this nation has been blessed with enormous natural resources. And we have an obligation to feed the world, and we have an obligation to power the world. And God has given us those resources, and we should do what with them? Use them for the betterment of mankind, and also, do so with stewardship mentality going forward. ... I appreciate what you do. I appreciate your encouragement. I appreciate your support. And I just pray as we gather and we go out from here that we continue to advance the message of religious liberty, of free exercise of freedom generally, but recognizing the choices we're making today are transformational for the future. Pruitt made a similar speech at last week's Western Conservative Summit.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt

UNDER-fire Ed Miliband made a bold lurch to the Left yesterday to try to win back millions of voters who had already written him off. In a make-or-break speech to his party's annual conference the Labour leader put clear RED water between himself and the Tories. He did it by heralding a series of new policies to beat up heavyweight companies. "Red" Ed promised to make struggling Brits better off -- and force big business to pay for it. Top of his list of targets were fat cat energy firms. He pledged to pass an emergency law as soon as he is elected in 2015 to FREEZE all energy bills for 20 months. Forcing the firms to give workers a better deal will help cure the cost of living crisis, was Mr Miliband's dramatic claim. Summing up his message in "six simple words", he said: "Britain can do better than this". He will also push through reforms to break up the wholesale power market that has left consumers with spiralling bills. The price control will save households PS120 and businesses PS1,800 -- but cost the energy giants a massive PS4.5billion. And he piled into big business three more times by: ANNOUNCING a Corporation Tax rise on their profits, to pay for a business rates cut. TRUMPETING a plan to force them to take on an apprentice for every non-EU worker they bring into the country. THREATENING compulsory purchase orders to seize plots from property developers if they don't build on them. Explaining his attack on corporate Britain, he said: "In the 1990s we committed to a dynamic market economy. It's not a dynamic market economy when one section of society does so well at the expense of others." He blamed the Government for "not having the strength to stand up to the strong". The assaults were met with fury by business groups, energy firms, the Tories and Lib Dems. But they were lapped up by the unions and Old Labour grandees -- including ex-boss Neil Kinnock, who beamed during the 62-minute speech. The Labour leader won huge plaudits from the party faithful in Brighton -- scooping four different standing ovations. He pulled off a highly impressive rhetorical display, delivering a staggering 8,000 words from memory without notes. But energy firms warned his freeze would kill desperately needed foreign investment -- which could end up in BLACKOUTS . At least two, SSE and Centrica, said it could put them out of business if their own costs continue to go up as world gas and oil prices rise. Angela Knight, of pressure group Energy UK, said: "Freezing the bill, may be superficially attractive, but it will also freeze the money to build and renew power stations, freeze the jobs and livelihoods of 600,000 plus people dependent on the energy industry." Lib Dem Energy Secretary Ed Davey said: "When they tried to fix prices in California it resulted in an electricity crisis and widespread blackouts." In another bold move -- dubbed by commentators as "a big gamble" -- Mr Miliband laid down the gauntlet to David Cameron. He confronted the PM head on over the Tories' plan to make the 2015 election a straight choice between the two men. And he said: "If they want to have a debate about leadership and character, be my guest." He promised to build 200,000 new houses a year -- a million over a five-year Parliament -- and reaffirmed a vow to give 16 and 17-year-olds the vote. But his speech was wafer thin on large swathes of policy. Mr Miliband paid only brief lip service to tackling Britain's jumbo debts. There was not a mention of the debate over an In/Out referendum on the EU. CBI chief John Cridland said: "Businesses will view the proposals on tax and energy as a setback for Labour's credentials." British Chambers of Commerce boss John Longworth said the speech "contained more sticks than carrots for business". But TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady called it "a defining speech that offers hope". Unite leader Len McCluskey said people now had a "better idea" of what a Labour government would do for them. Bulb gag will haunt his party CONFERENCE wags were quick to crack the light bulb joke about Ed's energy bills freeze yesterday. It was a reference to our front page on the day of the 1992 general election, warning about then Labour leader Neil Kinnock. There is no need for the last person to leave Britain to turn out the lights in 2015 -- they said -- Ed's going to do it himself. At least he got off the fence and defined himself. Now we know which way he'll swing as PM -- a considerable way to the Left. Brits are fed up with market economics after years of little cash in their pockets, he believes. Will they again look to the Big State to sort out fat cats by force? Ed is right to want Labour to be the party to help struggling Brits. But can they trust Labour to manage our economy? As one left-wing commentator proudly tweeted yesterday: "Red Ed is back." We'll know in 19 months if it makes him Dead Ed. Q. CAN Ed Miliband really just order energy companies to freeze prices? A. IF he's Prime Minister with a sufficient majority he can pretty much pass what laws he wants. Q. AREN'T the prices already regulated? A. THEY were when gas and electricity companies were first privatised. For the last decade it was assumed the free market was the best way. Q. WHY are the energy costs so high? A. POWER is expensive. Finding it and refining it is not cheap. On top of that, there are taxes and transport and distribution costs. These are largely out of companies' hands. Q. HOW would energy firms react if Labour went ahead? A. WITH anger. They might ramp prices up before any freeze came into effect. Some might even threaten to quit Britain altogether. Q. IN the longer term, where are my power bills going? A. SHORT of some new find, or a fracking revolution, only up. Sorry. This Marx the truth of intent By TREVOR KAVANAGH ED Miliband has always loathed his "Red Ed" nickname. But yesterday he stood before the party faithful in his full natural colours, red in tooth and claw. The Marxist-born Hampstead leftie hammered gas and electricity giants for passing on to customers the shocking price of carbon capping he imposed as environment minister. He warned landowners to build homes or face taxes. Red Ed even delivered an attack on capitalism his Marxist dad would have cheered, condemning "dynamic economies" for dividing folk into rich and poor. Party leaders usually aim conference speeches over the heads of delegates to the voters outside. This one was a full-on appeal for support from those in the hall who spent the summer wringing their hands over their leader's lacklustre performance. Cracking answers THE beleaguered Labour leader outlined his vision for the future. He may resemble bumbling cartoon character Wallace, but he urgently needs a Gromit to come up with some clever ideas. Setting up camp outside the conference, we asked YOU to become Gromit, and tell Ed what he should be focusing on in the 2015 election build-up. We even laid on some "cracking cheese" -- Wallace's favourite Wensleydale. MARK Biss, 48: "He's going to build 200,000 houses a year, but who are they for? We are running out of houses but still letting everyone in from the EU." RYAN Talbot, 21: "They say they will build 200,000 houses a year. It'll probably be 2,000. He needs to focus more on young people." BRIAN Duffy, 67: "He needs to lighten up. He's too rude, too like David Cameron. He doesn't project any warmth at all. Maybe get a few drinks in him." GEORGE Murrell, 18: "He should take free TV licences from millionaire over-65s and give them to students. It'll save cash and benefit people who need them." CHRISTOPHER Hector, 64: "I want him to cut out housing tax, get people back to work and into a home. Building new homes is good, but who will get them?" STUART Holmes, 65: "We don't want contaminated heat and food. Turn off nuclear reactors immediately. We don't want another Fukushima."

Ed Miliband made a bold lurch to the Left yesterday to try to win back millions of voters who had already written him off

Knife related crimes within the United Kingdom, are starting to spiral out of control. In bigger cities such as London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, knife related crimes are as common as theft. The issue we have, is that the laws in this country are far to weak. Criminals don't care if they're caught for their crimes, as they're likely to only get a suspended sentence along with a little community service. Even if sentenced, prison is a life of luxury for most, with access to qualifications, drugs, TV & computers, mobile phones and free food. Being caught with a knife or any offensive weapon, should carry the same charge as being caught with a firearm. Even being caught with a firearm doesn't carry a big enough sentence. The minimum sentence for being caught in possession of a firearm or knife (without causing harm), currently stands at around 4-5 years imprisonment. We want to see tougher sentences! The minimum sentence for possession should be 20 - 50 years imprisonment with no right to appeal, or chance of early release on good behavior. Causing death by firearm or knife only holds a 30 year sentence, which according to the Government is a life sentence. Life imprisonment should 100 years, again without the right to appeal or early release. If our Government actually had any real concern for the safety of its citizens, they would seriously consider making life extremely hard for thoes who think it's acceptable to pose a threat human life. Please sign this petition in support of increasing prison sentences for the above mentioned crimes.

Knife related crimes

Nacho Libre In case you weren't aware, the next major holiday Americans will celebrate is not Christmas but, in fact, Thanksgiving, the continually maligned second-to-last Thursday of every November dedicated to eating and football and napping. I've always been a fan of Thanksgiving--those who know me are well aware of how much I enjoy eating, watching football, and taking naps--even as it's devoured (no pun intended) by the consumerist fervor that accompanies the holiday season. As a matter of fact, a couple friends of mine both claim to have family members who forgo Thanksgiving dinner in favor of getting an extra, extra early spot in line for Black Friday. If the pilgrims could only see us now . . . Anyway, I figure this is the perfect opportunity to share the five films for which I'm most thankful. These movies, for various reasons, shaped my relationship to cinema in profound ways. Check them out after the jump. One of the more improbable moments If and when Madlib gets around to making a third Beat Konducta in India LP, I hope he works in the song performed during the engagement party scene of Son of Sardaar . The backbeat's constructed around a group of men chanting "Hey!" with the sound canned and clipped into a punchy downbeat. Surely Madlib can do something inventive with this. In any case, that engagement party number makes Sardaar worth the price of admission. Vibrant in its colors and its filling-out of the wide-screen frame, it should satisfy anyone looking for old-fashioned Bollywood spectacle. The rest of the movie isn't bad either, though the cartoonish energy gets a little wearying after a while (imagine a Bugs Bunny cartoon stretched out to 140 minutes). Thankfully the movie's playing at River East, so there are long hallways just outside the theater where you can stretch your legs now and then. From Cartoon le Mousse On Sunday at 7 PM, Doc Films will present a program of works by Chick Strand (1931 - 2009), one of the country's greatest female filmmakers. Strand earned her degree in ethnography in the 1960s while organizing avant-garde film screenings in the San Francisco area; she was also instrumental in the founding of Canyon Cinema, the long-running experimental film distribution company. Strand's work marks a stunning combination of ethnography and avant-garde filmmaking. She shot some of her most memorable films on trips to Mexico and South America; those works, which include Mosori Monika (1969) and Anselmo and the Women (1986), convey such a profound sense of discovery that they blur the line between documentary and experimental cinema. (One can sense their influence in the recent work of Ben Russell and Ben Rivers.) Sunday night's program showcases Strand's purely experimental side. Reportedly more collage-like in nature, the scheduled titles include Angel Blue Sweet Wings (1966), Cartoon le Mousse and Loose Ends (both 1979), and By the Lake (1986). The Doc program describes the latter as a combination of "Third World imagery, 40s radio show excerpts, an operation on a horse, and a 70s church service."

Thanksgiving

NFL punter and noted gay rights supporter Chris Kluwe didn't seem too happy with my pointing out his McCarthyism yesterday. As a reminder, Kluwe wrote "If you ever want to read Ender's Game, I would highly advocate getting it in a way that does not require you to pay for it." I called this out for what it was, namely, old-school-, HUAC-, Red Channels -style McCarthyism. Tweeted Kluwe: @ sonnybunch It's funny that you automatically go right to "theft", instead of considering, oh, I don't know, libraries? Borrowing? -- Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) February 26, 2013 and, after I said that I found it funny he was advocating that artists be deprived of compensation for their political views, he followed up with: @ sonnybunch I'd like to introduce you to this crazy concept called "capitalism". That's how it works. -- Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) February 27, 2013 To briefly touch on his first complaint: If he meant that people should borrow Ender's Game he could have avoided confusion by saying so. When someone explicitly tells someone else to "get" something without paying for it, "borrowing" is usually not the form of "getting" we think of. But this is a quibble; if he was advocating increased library usage, then great. I don't want to let a debate over semantics derail the real point here: Kluwe thinks it's fine and dandy to deny an artist compensation for his work because of his political beliefs. You'll note that he doesn't want to deny people the pleasure of enjoying the art--he just doesn't want the artist to be compensated. He hides behind the shield of "capitalism" in invoking this defense. Though tempted to respond sarcastically--I'm sure the studio heads who blacklisted the Hollywood Ten were more than happy to say "Hey, it's just business! If they want to make movies all they have to do is stop being commies because we're in the business of serving the American people and the American people hate commies!"--I will restrain myself and instead try to lay out a coherent view of why I find the politicization of every aspect of life both dispiriting and somewhat dangerous. So, first: Obviously, Kluwe and the others who advocate against Orson Scott Card being employed because of his political beliefs are well within their rights. I'm not arguing that they should be required to buy the Superman anthology that contains Card's work or that they should be required to buy Ender's Game . No. What I'm saying is that they're jerks for trying to strip an artist of his livelihood for reasons that are entirely unrelated to his artwork. Similarly, if a group of NFL fans tried to get Kluwe fired from the Vikings and blacklisted from the NFL because they were angry that he thinks gays should be welcome in NFL locker rooms--a stance that has exactly zero impact on his ability to kick a football down the field--I would think they were jerks. In summary, my basic, working theory on the subject is this: If you judge whether or not someone should be hired based on their political thinking or whether or not you should patronize a business because of the causes an executive of that business supports and that political thinking has nothing whatsoever to do with the work of the individual or the business , you're being a jerk. Don't be a jerk. Now, this is not to say that I think capitalism cannot be used for good or to affect political change! If a company is discriminating against a group--say, a restaurant that refuses service to gay couples or a bus company that requires minorities to sit in the back--then by all means, boycott! That's a situation where the politics actually impact the service rendered . If a company is a bad actor, punish the company. But the politicization of every facet of our life--the urge to boycott a yoga company because their owner digs Ayn Rand; the need to tear down a health-food store because its worker-friendly owner thinks Obamacare is bad for the country; the desire to deny a filmmaker awards because she dares show the implementation of a policy you find troubling--is destructive to the very fabric of our society. It turns neighbor against neighbor, customer against proprietor, fan against creator. Capitalism with jerk-ish characteristics is a radical, scary concept that should play a much smaller role in our everyday life. It's turning us all into jerks. Don't be jerks. Read Less

gay rights supporter Chris Kluwe

President-elect Donald J. Trump over the weekend nominated Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to serve as United States Attorney General, signaling that he is serious about returning the Justice Department to its core of mission of "ensuring fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans." Sen. Sessions' credentials are impeccable. Assistant United States Attorney. United States Attorney. Alabama Attorney General. United States Senator. A combined 35 years of public service and a lifelong commitment to the rule of law. And yet if you read the New York Times and Washington Post, or watch MSNBC and CNN, you would think President-elect Trump brought segregation-era George Wallace back from the dead and appointed him to be the nation's chief law enforcement officer. (In reality, Sessions campaigned against Wallace as a college Republican, but that's a story for another time.) The media constantly point back to Sen. Sessions' failed confirmation after then-President Ronald Reagan nominated him to a federal judgeship as evidence that he is, as CNN puts it , "dogged by allegations of racism." During Senate confirmation hearings in 1986, Sessions was accused of making racially insensitive comments. When a former Justice Department colleague came forward with the accusation, Sessions did the unthinkable in Washington: he told the truth. He conceded that he had made a joke that was being taken out of context. And his actions clearly backed that up, because at the moment Sessions made the unfortunate joke, he was tenaciously leading a fight to deliver justice for the family of an African American man who had been viciously murdered by the KKK. And this is the part of the story the media never tell. Michael Donald, a 19-year-old African-American man, was walking home when he was kidnapped by two Klan members, who drove him to a secluded area, nearly beat him to death with a tree limb, tied a noose around his neck, strangle him, then slit his throat and hung him from a tree. KKK member Henry Francis Hays was responsible for the vicious murder, and did so at the order of his father, Klan leader Bennie Hays, who ordered the killing "to show Klan strength in Alabama." Sessions was so disgusted by what had happened that he allowed the State of Alabama to try the case, rather than making it a federal case, because Alabama had the death penalty. Years later, when Sessions was Alabama Attorney General, the story came full circle as he oversaw the execution of Mr. Hays . Barry Kowalski, the now-legendary civil rights attorney and former Special Counsel in the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, recalls Sessions' involvement with the case. "Senator Sessions could not have been more supportive of our investigations, and in the Michael Donald case specifically, he personally contributed to making sure his killers were brought to justice." In short, Jeff Sessions made Henry Hays the first white person to be executed in Alabama for the murder of a black citizen since 1913. Additionally, Mr. Hays is the only known member of the KKK to be executed in the United States in the 20th century for murdering an African American. The successful prosecution of Hays also led to a $7 million civil judgment against the Klan," which the Associated Press in 1997 noted bankrupted the KKK in Alabama. And yet these days the AP is busy cranking out stories about Sessions' " racial issues " and claiming that he's facing " a tough senate confirmation ," even though he has already garnered bi-partisan support and Republicans clearly have the votes to confirm him. If you want to know the truth, listen to what the people who actually know Jeff Sessions have to say. Larry Thompson, who worked closely with Sessions at the Justice Department and went on to serve as Deputy Attorney General of the United States, said this week that Sessions "does not have a racist bone in his body." "I have been an African American for 71 years and I think I know a racist when I experience one," he added. "Jeff Sessions is simply a good and decent man." William Smith, who Sessions tapped to be the first African American to ever serve as Chief Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, called Sessions "a man of high character and great integrity" who always "treated me like family." U.S. Civil Rights Commissioner Peter Kirsanow said Sessions "has done more to protect the jobs and enhance the wages of black workers than anyone in either house of Congress over the last 10 years." Civil rights attorney and founder of the Black American Leadership Alliance Leah Durant said Sessions "has been a leader in the fight for preserving American jobs and ensuring opportunities for African American workers." And Kenyen Brown, the Obama appointee who now fills the very same US Attorney seat that Sessions once sat in, called Sessions "a man of outstanding character with an impeccable reputation for integrity." Jeff Sessions is a brilliant legal mind with a titanium spine, but most importantly, he is a good man. And that, in short, is why liberals and their allies in the media are resorting to 30-year-old, trumped-up lies to try to take him down -- because that's all they have.

President-elect Donald J. Trump over the weekend nominated Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to serve as United States Attorney General

Universal Images Group/Getty Images ( The Root ) -- On July 28, 1866, Congress passed a measure establishing the ninth and 10th cavalries and four infantry regiments (38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st) to be comprised of African-American enlisted men. Three years later, the four infantry regiments were consolidated into two regiments, the 24th and 25th. "The troops were paid $13 a month, plus room, board and clothing," according to the National Park Service. "Enlistment was for five years. Almost immediately these new regiments were transferred to the Western states and territories for service on the American frontier." They became known as "buffalo soldiers," and the origin of the name is up for debate. One story says it was given to them by Native Americans, who reportedly saw a resemblance between the black man's hair and the mane of a buffalo, according to the Buffalo Soldiers website. Another story relates the name to the ferocious fighting spirit of the buffalo, who display unusual stamina and courage when wounded. The men were former slaves, freemen and black Civil War soldiers, who went on to fight in the "Indian Wars." They also served as U.S. park rangers out West. "They did a lot of military work, but they also established towns, some of which were all black, that are no longer in existence," McCoy told The Root . "Sometimes the only way to find their history is to get off the beaten path and look for the footprints of the old buildings. They aren't always there because a lot have disappeared." Unfortunately, there are no formal historic buffalo soldier trails, but tourists can take a road trip that traces part of their migration westward, from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where the 10th Calvary was activated, to Texas and California, where they were among the first rangers in the Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon national parks. (The ninth Cavalry Regiment was activated at Greenville, La.) Such a road trip all at once would likely be quite educational, according to McCoy, who would love to see a buffalo soldier national historic trail. "This is an important part of our history that really should be preserved," he said. Fort Leavenworth, Kan. One of the first stops on the trail should be at the historic fort, which was one of the first homes of the buffalo soldiers, in 1866. A 13-foot bronze monument of a buffalo soldier astride his horse and a smaller bust nearby was dedicated in 1992 by Gen. Colin L. Powell, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was the first African American to serve in that role, according to the Leavenworth Convention & Visitors Bureau . Fort Sill, Lawton, Okla. From Kansas, you can travel southwest to Fort Sill Historic Landmark & Museum in Lawton, Okla., which was home to some buffalo soldiers in the 1870s, according to the museum. The soldiers provided assistance in the construction of the post, 46 structures of which are still in use and in mint condition, the museum's website says. Tours of the fort are available. Click here for more information. Fort Concho, San Angelo, Texas From Fort Sill, you can travel southwest to Fort Concho National Historic Landmark in San Angelo, Texas, where elements of both cavalries and both regiments of the buffalo soldiers served during its active years. The fort, which was comprised of 40 buildings and covered more than 1600 acres, was shuttered in 1889 after playing a role for nearly 22 years in settling the Texas frontier. Today it is a historic landmark . Click here for more information. The fort is worth visiting for another reason, according to the Texas Almanac : "Lt. Henry Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point, served with the 10th Cavalry in West Texas and was stationed for a time at Fort Concho in the late 1870s and Fort Davis." Fort Naco, Tucson, Ariz. From Texas, some of the soldiers migrated west to Fort Naco. It served as home to the ninth and 10th Cavalries for a number of years. The Arizona Buffalo Soldiers Association website reports that it "is the last of twelve border forts that extended from Brownsville, Texas, to San Diego, California. These forts guarded the U.S. and Mexico border in the early 1900s. Pancho Villa, Black Jack Pershing, Geronimo, Charles Young ... Henry Flipper and the Buffalo Soldiers all roamed the border. These forts were established to bring order to the U.S.- Mexico border." Click here for more information. Fort McCrae and Fort Selden, N.M. Next door in New Mexico, where, according to the New Mexico Office of the State Historian , buffalo soldiers were a mainstay at Fort McCrae and Fort Selden for a number of years. The National Park Service's website reports the following: "At Fort McCrae , for instance, Black soldiers built several new buildings, put a new roof on the hospital, and made 25,000 adobe bricks for new officers' quarters, which they also built. They along with other workers constructed the mostly adobe Fort Selden , no doubt under the guidance of Hispanic adobe masons." Unfortunately, only foundation traces remain of Fort McCrae, and it is submerged under a reservoir. Click above for more information about Fort Selden. Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, California Buffalo soldiers are perhaps best known for the conflicts in what eventually became known as Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon national parks, where they spent their time patrolling challenging terrain, providing sentinels and security for the settlers, building roads and installing telegraph lines, according to the National Park Service . " They also spent endless hours on the necessary military tasks of drills, inspections, parades, and the care and maintenance of their horses and equipment," according to the park service website. "The troopers faced a mix of danger and boredom accentuated by rigid military discipline. They fought in more than 125 engagements in campaigns against the Cheyenne, Apache, Kiowa, Ute, Comanche, and Sioux. The Black regiments were frequently ordered to return hostile tribes to their appointed reservations. A large percentage of the troops had been born into slavery. Some soldiers were Seminole Negroes, whose ancestors had fled slavery and joined Seminole tribes in Florida. These activities involving Native Americans created feelings of moral dilemma and a sense of irony for many of the Black troops." Lynette Holloway is The Root 's Chicago bureau chief. Like The Root on Facebook . Follow us on Twitter .

Congress passed a measure establishing the ninth and 10th cavalries and four infantry regiments (38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st) to be comprised of African-American enlisted men.

"At 87, Clint Eastwood is not only trying new things, he's trying daring new things, and his new film 15:17 to Paris represents one of the most audacious gambits of his career. To dramatize the tale of three Americans who tackled and subdued a heavily armed Islamist terrorist on a train out of Amsterdam in 2015, Eastwood cast the young men, none of whom had professional acting experience, as themselves. It's a decision with little precedent in the entire history of motion pictures." RAINBOW CITY, Ala. -- The small Alabama town of Rainbow city will be hosting an event Friday night to support law enforcement officials in light of the attack on police officers in Dallas, Texas. Held at Rainbow City's town hall, the night of prayer and thanks will start at 7:45 PM. On Thursday night, five police officers were shot and killed in a sniper-like attack in Dallas. The killings occurred at the same time as a protest against the use of deadly force by police against African-Americans and immediately fueled an already divisive national debate. In Rainbow City, police officers and any other first responders in attendance will be considered honored guests for the night. The event will feature prayer time for the recent victims of violence and a singing of "God Bless America." Rainbow City representative Mack Butler (R) advertised the event on his Facebook page. "[It is] to show support for our law enforcement officers and first responders, to pray for the families of our fallen law enforcement brothers in Dallas, to pray for our nation and ask God to heal our land. Please come tonight and join us as we pray and sing for God to Bless America. We hope to send a message from Northeast Alabama that will reverberate across the nation," he wrote . This is not the fist time Butler or Rainbow City have hosted a support event like this. Back in December of 2014, the town was targeted by an out-of-sate atheist group called The Freedom From Religion foundation that was seeking to remove the local nativity scene. Public support for the Nativity scene was so overwhelming that local church leaders organized a "Rally at the Manger" that was attended by hundreds of local residents in spite of the frigid weather. "This is 'Rainbow City,' a city with a name that indicates (the) promise (from) Genesis 9:13, 'I will set my bow in the clouds as a covenant between me and the earth,' State Sen. Phil Williams, who represents the town in the Alabama Senate, said. "The so-called 'Freedom From Religion' foundation is welcome to stay in Wisconsin and avoid being offended." "The Freedom From Religion Group from Wisconsin has strengthened the faith of our community," said Rep. Butler (R-Rainbow City). "I'm thankful to be a Christian," added Rainbow City Mayor Terry John Calhoun. "I'm honored to be your mayor. And as long as I'm mayor, I'm not removing that manger scene." Unlike the previous event, tonight's is not Rainbow City-specific. Anyone supporting law enforcement is encouraged by officials to attend. In one local example last August, an Alabama cop was pistol-whipped with his own gun . Instead of lending a helping hand, a crowd of bystanders posted photos on Facebook and Twitter that included some anti-police captions. Later, the officer said he didn't try to shoot his attacker because he didn't want the media to label him as a racist. Hoover City Police officers Eric Myers and Mike Davis were having breakfast Friday morning and got a pleasant surprise when they asked the waiter for the check. "We were at The Egg and I in Hoover off of Montgomery Highway," Myers told Yellowhammer. "When we completed our breakfast the waiter walked over to the table. I requested the ticket, but he handed me a note. Not thinking the note said 'I covered your meal,' I asked the waiter again. He pointed to the note and smiled." Upon opening the envelop, Myers and Davis found a note that said, "Thanks for your service. Have a safe day and cover your 6. Blue lives matter." (Photo: contributed) The letter did not include an individual's signature. "I'm not sure who bought it because it was fairly crowded in the restaurant," Myers explained. But it did close with the name of a motorcycle club, "Punishers LE/MC." A quick online search reveals that Punishers LE/MC is, according to their website, "a Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club whose members consist of current law enforcement, retired law Enforcement, firefighters, active and retired Military and a select few like-minded individuals, all of which possess the highest moral and ethical values; uncompromising integrity, trust and dedication." Punishers LE/MC has dozens of chapters around the country, including two in Alabama. In addition to riding with each other, the group raises money for charitable organizations, particularly those that benefit police officers, firefighters and their children. "It humbles me to know people still care for police," officer Myers said. The motorcycle club's decision to cover the cost of two Alabama officers' meal comes at a time when the relationship between law enforcement and the public has become a focus of the media nationally. In August, an Alabama cop was pistol-whipped with his own gun . Instead of lending a helping hand, a crowd of bystanders posted photos on Facebook and Twitter that included some less than police-friendly captions . Later, the officer said he didn't try to shoot his attacker because he didn't want the media to label him as a racist . U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) recently introduced the Thin Blue Line Act , which enforces harsher penalties on individuals targeting police officers and first responders. "The alarming spike in violence directed against the men and women entrusted with ensuring the safety and order of our society must be stopped," said Sen. Sessions. "The Thin Blue Line Act will help protect our officers by bringing harsher penalties to criminals committing these vile acts and by extending the protections afforded to federal officers to our local police and first responders. This legislation honors the message sent by law-abiding Americans that we cannot stand idly by as attacks are waged upon those who serve and protect our communities." Motorcycle club picks up restaurant tab for Alabama cops: 'Blue lives matter' https://t.co/kUnwTrJcFI -- Cliff Sims (@Cliff_Sims) December 4, 2015

support law enforcement

"[Flynn] straight up lied," Clarke said on NRATV's "Stinchfield," referring to the Police Chief's baseless claims that concealed-carry permit holders were responsible for Milwaukee's rising crime rate Read More >>> Media Matters and its chief anti-gun propagandists Timothy Johnson and Cydney Hargis, are obsessed with NRATV. And like a true stalker, the fake news blog treats its obsession with abuse and lies. Read More >>> NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox Discusses the Challenge of National Reciprocity on the NRATV series, Stinchfield with host Grant Stinchfield. Read More >>> NRA EVP Wayne LaPierre is urging the same patriots who sent Donald Trump to the White House to fight once again. Read More >>> NRATV's Colion Noir is hitting back at Media Matters and its anti-gun, fake news blogger Timothy Johnson. Read More >>> Video | Ammoland Inc. Posted on December 9, 2016 by NRA News NRATV's Grant Stinchfield & Dana Loesch are challenging Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn to answer for his baseless claim about concealed carry permit holders. Read More >>> After The Boston Globe published Renee Graham's race-baiting, anti-gun article, "More guns, more risk for people of color," Colion Noir told the elitist "This negro pity party is getting old." Read More >>> "They are the rat-bastards of the earth. They are the boil on the backside of American politics." Read More >>> NRA Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Wayne LaPierre has released a new video commentary that applauds the NRA members and gun owners who elected Donald J. Trump the 45th President Read More >>> Video | Ammoland Inc. Posted on November 1, 2016 by NRA News Veteran U.S. Navy SEAL Dom Raso is speaking out against President Obama's weakness, which has allowed radical Islamic terror to fester, grow and spread across the globe. Read More >>> Colion Noir went on "NRATV Live" to express the outrage and disgust so many have felt since learning that Hillary Clinton wanted to treat Eric Garner's death as nothing more than a political pawn. Read More >>> In Colion Noir's newest commentary on NRATV, he argues that elitist politicians ignore the actual issues causing inner-city violence. Read More >>> NRA Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Wayne LaPierre delivered an urgent message to America's 100 million gun owners, declaring Hillary Clinton an enemy to the Second Amendment. Read More >>> Colion Noir tore apart Politifact's article, "NRA weakly claims that Clinton said gun confiscation is 'worth considering,'" which tried to hide Hillary Clinton's contempt for the Second Amendment. Read More >>> Video | Ammoland Inc. Posted on October 7, 2016 by NRA News Veteran U.S. Navy SEAL, Dom Raso, challenges parents to question the safety and security of their children's schools in the face of the threat of radical Islamic terror. Read More >>> Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. has had enough of the dangerous Black Lives Matter ideology and the media who support it. Read More >>> If you believe in an America that values family, hard work, civic duty and our God-given freedoms, help the NRA keep its Freedom's Safest Place campaign on the air. Read More >>> Video | Ammoland Inc. Posted on July 13, 2016 by NRA News In a powerful new NRA ad, "Real Solutions," Noir asserts true racism lies in the fact that deceitful politicians allow gangs to terrorize America's inner cities. Read More >>> The NRA has released "I Didn't Listen," a powerful new commercial featuring Antonia Okafor--a millennial woman who refuses to be put in box. She opens her commentary saying, "I've been told that black Read More >>> Video | Ammoland Inc. Posted on July 12, 2016 by NRA News Kim Corban was a 20-year-old college student when a predator broke into her off-campus housing complex and assaulted her in the middle of the night. Read More >>> Colion Noir has released a new video commentary, "Media Fans Flames of Racism," in which he responds to the deceitful media's unjust claims that the NRA does not care about the black community. Read More >>> Unlike Chicago's elite who pretend to care when the pollsters tell them to, Noir actually presents real solutions to end inner-city violence. Read More >>> Tony Blauer joins Dom in Media Lab Episode 12 "S.P.E.A.R. System" to break down a scene from The Bourne Identity and show how your body responds to sudden violence. Read More >>> NRA Life of Duty correspondent Chuck Holton meets with several long-time residents to explore the efforts taking place as they work to improve the quality of life in this financially and culturally-challenged city... Read More >>> Posts navigation Wild Bill : Author David Limbaugh, quite correctly, used the word "consuming". I say let the libtards frenzy, let the libtards riot,... Wild Bill : Dear Mrs Hodges, engage a skilled criminal defense attorney to nail down witnesses, statements, and other evidence, anyway! Don't wait.... Rattlerjake : God gave three instances where the killing of a man has no "bloodguilt" - 1)War, 2)Judicial punishment, 3)Self defense Wild Bill : @Mark, I concur, and thank God that she is an uncivilized, discourteous, and obvious loser. She makes her own ideas,... allan King : she would be the first one to scream armed police to come to her aid when her home is being...

concealed-carry permit holders

India had been hosting the 17th AFC U16 Championship and Iran's national squad had managed to advance to final to face Iraq. The normal time only resulted a goalless draw and penalty shootouts decided the winner, where Iranian youths failed in two penalties, while Iraqis managed 4 out of 5 penalties and thus defeated Iran to become champions. Iraqis had been dominating the match, amid Iran's intermittent efforts to equalize the ownership of ball in both halves. They even were close to open the account against Iran in the second half and Iranians resorted to merely defend in their own half of pitch. Late in the match Iranians found a time to score, but they had been exhausted physically and saw the method in penalty shootouts where they would probably win. However, their odds faded rapidly by missing two shootouts. Their conduct however would be called 'laudable,' with a second place in the continent.

India had been hosting the 17th AFC U16 Championship and Iran's national squad had managed to advance to final to face Iraq

Felicia L. Montalvo is the 2016 Technology Writing Fellow at Bitch Media . For 40 years, London's entirely volunteer-run Feminist Library has served as a vital public access point for free literature, zines, periodicals, classes, and community events focused on the preservation of women's history. Over the last year, the library has faced impending closure; organizers recently announced that they have until October 2016 to either find the funds to pay rent or find a new home. Unfortunately, the Feminist Library isn't the only library in the U.K. under threat--library campaigners predict nearly 1,000 closures will take place by 2016 . If you're like many people, you might think: Okay, but who needs libraries now that we have Google? Indeed, our favorite commercially owned, public tool for finding information took in $74.5 billion dollars in revenue in 2015 . With approximately 64 percent of the global search engine market in its pocket, Google has become the primary source for discovering, filtering, and preserving information about our history and our world. But as Librarian Karen Coyle argued in her incredibly prescient 1994 talk, " Access: Not Just Wires ," more files and more tech won't necessarily give us better access to information. Library automation and the rise of commercial interests that govern the dissemination of public information under the guise of "public tools" don't just threaten the value of information received by the public. They also have a profound effect on the roles of librarians and regulators of public information--roles that have for decades been taken up by women. "Information is a social good," notes Coyle, and over more than a century of tendering society's information resources, "the library profession has understood its responsibilities in both a social and historical context." The importance of the library profession and women's place within it is not just about presiding over valuable information. It's also about providing crucial spaces for community building and learning. As noted in a recent study by the Pew Research Center , women, minorities, those in poorer households, and those ages 30 and over are more likely to say libraries serve their needs very well. Women in particular were "more likely than men to be library users...and more likely to have the most positive views about the role of libraries in community and personal learning activities." Photo by BigOak (Creative Commons) The social responsibilities of librarianship--informed collection, selection, preservation, organization, and dissemination of information--are critical tasks in an information society. It's not enough to serve up information in listicle form, with sources ranked according to a mysterious algorithm . Part of the social responsibility involved in creating information systems, Coyle notes, lies in collecting sources that "support, complement, and even contradict each other"--it's necessary, for instance, to be able to tell the difference between "a piece on nuclear physics by a Nobel laureate and a physics diorama entered into a science fair by an 8-year-old." Commercially interested information systems have no such responsibility to their users. As Google notes on its algorithms info page : "algorithms are computer programs that look for clues to give you back exactly what you want." Within commercial systems, information is not a social good, it's bait to keep you loyal to the platform. The best information is the type that privileges advertisers and keeps you Googling. Even Larry Page and Sergey Brin themselves noted in their 1998 paper on the Google prototype that they "expect that advertising funded search engines will be inherently biased towards the advertisers and away from the needs of the consumers." In contrast, public library information systems are not governed by commercial entities and have a demonstrated interest in addressing the social and political context of the information they provide. Last year, after being approached by students at Dartmouth College and immigrants rights groups , the American Library Association proposed a resolution to the Library of Congress to change the index subject heading on immigration literature from "illegal aliens" to "undocumented citizens," noting that the former had become a dehumanizing, pejorative term "associated with nativist and racist sentiments." In response, the Library of Congress cancelled the term and replaced it with "noncitizens" and "unauthorized immigration," arguing that "undocumented immigrants" was also not an entirely accurate term as many immigrants do have documents. Can you imagine a company that recently made a move into selling political polling tools to media outlets and presidential campaigns publicly taking a side on an issue as polarizing as immigration? Me neither. Nevertheless, we continue to outsource our most precious resource, public information, to man-made machines, with the tacit understanding that such systems are inherently superior to those built and nurtured by women. When I spoke to Coyle recently, she pointed out that in the late 19th century, "libraries were seen as these sort of nanny institutions, almost entirely run by women." Yet as technology and early computing became integral to the field, the study of librarianship fractured into disciplines such as "information science," which created a legitimate path for men to enter the space without fear of association with fussy, shushing old biddies. Today, a quick search on the U.K. National Careers website yields a pretty gendered profile, pay range, and overall view of the careers of librarians and information scientists. Suzanne Hildenbrand, professor emeritus of Library and Information Studies at University at Buffalo, noted in her 1999 paper, "The Information Age Versus Gender Equity? ," the identification of technology with males offers a way to favor men while evidently advancing librarianship. "Industries founded on new skills are sex-typed." But the creation of information technology is not a distinctly male pursuit. It's a pursuit that has become the guiding force of digital capitalism and, as such, a key source of power. And as a key power source, information technology has been stripped of its history, a history that is embedded in the social work of female librarians, teachers, and computer programmers. It has instead evolved on the terms of those who define legitimate forms of information technology as faster, "intelligent" man-made machines that de-prioritize social responsibility in favor of information acquisition. As Coyle notes, "when compared to a library, Google appears masculine." Swaddled in the robes of intelligent data science and nurtured by myths of scientific objectivity, that commercially driven masculine power quickly somersaults into political power--which has the capacity to acquire, regulate, and disseminate public information. As the shadow of technoempire eclipses our last bastions of socially responsible information systems, women's libraries and women librarians need our support now more than ever. Commercial systems cannot be trusted to preserve our history. We need people who lived it, learned it, taught it, debated it--and who aren't interested in selling us Dove deodorant after we search for it. Last name Zip Code Email *

Feminist Library

Sister Hatune Dogan is a busy woman, dedicated to her cause in support of those in need. She travels the world extensively to help the most vulnerable, focusing on conflict-ridden countries in the Middle East, frequently visiting Syria, Iraq and Jordan. She speaks 13 languages fluently and is currently studying a fourteenth language because of a planned trip to South America, where she will deliver one of her many speeches about her work and her Hatune Foundation. She has devoted her spare time to writing and has produced 14 books, some about religion, but also educational ones. In 2010, Hatune received the German honorary award, the Bundesverdienstkreuz for her hard work, the highest civilian award in the country. When she was younger, she worked as a psychotherapist and a teacher of history and religion in Germany. Born in a small Christian village in Eastern Turkey, Hatune fled to Germany with her parents and siblings at the age of 14 after Muslim neighbors threatened to kill her father for religious reasons. A few years later, after joining a Syrian Orthodox monastery, and training to be a nurse as well as a school teacher, the Turkish nun began her 25 years of toil to help the most persecuted and helpless people in Muslim countries. In her home village Zaz in Tubardeen, there are still many ancient buildings and remains. During her childhood, over 400 Christian families lived there. Today, the whole area lies in ruins. Many houses were destroyed because the families refused to convert to Islam. Hatune herself was the victim of several rape attempts when she was a girl, and says that the persecution came from both the Turks as well as the Kurds. Hatune and her family fled to Germany in 1985, together with other families. Some of them went to Sweden where they still live today. Hatune's main work is in the Middle East. She specializes in aiding Christian minorities, but also the Yazidi people in northern Iraq. For the Yazidis, Hatune is close to a superhero, recognized everywhere as the "brave woman on TV". Like other minority religions of the region, such as the Druze and the Alawis, it is not possible to convert to Yazidism, only to be born into it. Since Hatune is a trained nurse, she spends a lot of time in the many refugee camps that Europe does not want to support since they would rather aid migrants already in their countries. To the people most in need, she brings money and medicine, all the way from Germany. Sister Hatune Dogan with children from a Christian refugee camp in Erbil, Iraq. Sister Hatune Dogan is not afraid to proclaim her "politically incorrect" views. She criticizes radical Islamism, castigating European leaders for "horrible priorities" of their immigration policy. She characterizes future Turkish membership of the European Union as a "disaster", and strongly believes that a Russian presence in the Middle East is a positive development, after hearing stories from both refugees and soldiers in Syria and Iraq. Hatune points out too that minorities have not had any problem with persecution from Shia Muslims, but warns that radical Sunni-beliefs and the Islamic State often go hand in hand. Under president Bashar al-Assad, the Christian minority in Syria enjoyed a peaceful existence. After a day close to the conflict-ravaged city of Cizre near the Syria border in Turkey, Swedish reporter Sanna Hill did an interview with the outspoken nun after she accompanied her for eight days. Can you tell the readers about Hatune Foundation - how many countries do you work in and what is your main purpose? For 26 years I have worked with the people most in need, now mainly through Hatune Foundation currently established in 37 countries. We have many sponsors and donors, and also many volunteers who make the work possible. We reach around six million people, and the main purpose is to help the people that do not receive any help at all, in many cases Christian minorities, and especially women. We want to teach the poor to help themselves, to educate them. Right now we have over 5000 volunteers working for us, and most of them work for free. What is your opinion on Europe's immigration politics? It is a disaster. There is nothing wrong to open your door for the needy and poor, but Europe has an open-border policy for the wrong people. It is not the ones risking persecution that we allow in. No widows, and very few women and children. Europe's policy has resulted in the real refugees saying "Oh no, there are now more dangerous people in Europe than in our own countries". They are afraid of going to Europe, because it is known that we basically let the Islamic State in and we have very little control over our own borders. Since we live in a democratic society and have no laws that set any real example, our system is easy to abuse. Therefore we have people committing crimes, not afraid of going to prison or receiving any of the other mild punishments. Our countries are so different in that way. In our prisons you get to watch TV, you can study for free, you can exercise and get nutritious food for committing a crime. We saw a terrifying example of our immigration policy in Cologne on New Years Eve. How could the politicians let it go this far? We can also see that there are a majority of young, Muslim men coming to our counties. Where are the women? No, the people in charge truly have blood on their hands. They see what is going on, and yet they change nothing. During my many trips I spend a lot of time with refugees, and they agree with me. They think Europe got it all wrong. Frankly speaking, they think that we are morons... Visiting Yezidi warriors in the war-torn city Sinjar in north of Iraq. You were born and raised in Turkey. What do you have to say about the situation today? Do you think Turkey joining the European Union is a good idea? You yourself saw the situation when we visited a suburb to Cizre, where many Kurds have died over the last months in Turkish attacks. We talked to Kurdish men who all said that ISIS has been fighting alongside the Turks for some time now. Their aim is to crush the Kurds. After dark, it is impossible for any Kurd to walk outside in the worst areas. They will simply get shot at. The Kurds certainly are very vulnerable in Turkey. They want their own piece of land, but Turkey will have none of that. Many Kurds have no rights. Though, the Kurds are not as vulnerable as for example the Christians. The Christians get caught in-between the Kurds and the Sunni Muslims, and in neither of the two [groups] do they have an ally. Hatune Dogan and reporter Sanna Hill visited a suburb to Cizre in Turkey. The Kurds clamied that ISIS is fighting alongside the Turks in the area. The Turkish government is terror itself. Turkey alone can cause a Third World War. But like I said, the leaders of Europe are all crazy, believing Erdogan and his lies. He laughs at them, of course. I really don't want Turkey joining the European Union. That would surely mean the end of Europe, with over 70 million Turks getting free access to Europe, a majority of them being Sunni-Muslims. They would destroy us if they had the chance. Around 90 percent of the Turks are believed to be Sunni's, and a total open-border-policy would be disastrous. Aiding the poor. This woman was held captive by ISIS and had brutal stories to tell. Hatune Dogan visited her in a refugee camp in Erbil. You travel to countries where the Islamic State has a hold on many areas. Rumor has it that ISIS is getting funded by Western states like the US. What do you have to say about that? Yes, that is the truth. When it comes down to it, it is all about the oil. While travelling, I met several persons all saying that they had witnessed the US helping the Islamic State in different ways. One thing stood out because there have been so many people who had remarked on it: When the US dropped aid and weapons over the Iraqi city of Mosul that had been in the hands on ISIS since 2014. They simply said that they had made a mistake. The people I have spoken to, soldiers fighting ISIS in that area, told me that they had witnesses similar things around 8 times. Hatune Dogan and Swedish reporter Sanna Hill in the war-torn Sinjar in north Iraq. That the minorities that get attacked like they do in Iraq, are of course partly because of religions differences. But mostly it is because there are substantial amounts of oil in the areas where they live. Therefore it is very important for the US to divide as much as possible, making the areas unstable in order for them to come in and "rescue" the situation. This we saw in Libya, and we see it all over again in Syria. The US would like to tell us that they only want the "bad Bashar al-Assad" out, but it is not about that. Everything is about who controls the oil. I spoke to a Turkish truck driver from north Iraq who said that he and four other drivers drove trucks full of weapons from Europe to the Islamists in Mosul. The weapons he told me was from Germany, but whether the German government has any knowledge of that I don't know. But it is worrying when you hear such things over and over again. What do you think about Russia's involvement in Syria? The refugees and the civilians I speak to in both Iraq and Syria are very grateful for the help provided by Russia. That our media tells us that Russia is targeting civilians is simply not true. You and me both just talked to Yazidi-warriors fighting ISIS in north Iraq, and they all say that since the Russians started to get involved, ISIS has faced some real opposition. Sure, the US has bombed, but not where most needed. They like to paint a picture of how they fight ISIS, but it is not the reality.

conflict-ridden countries in the Middle East

Search our database by keyword or with the filters below. By Mark Nestmann Ever since President Obama signed the ill-conceived "Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act" (FATCA) into law in 2010, I've been warning about the death of the dollar. And I haven't been alone. The fortunes of U.S. core cities (municipalities) have varied greatly in the period of automobile domination that accelerated strongly at the end of World War II. By Alan Caruba My Father was a Certified Public Accountant and so is my older brother, now comfortably retired in Florida. I tell you this because I would be hard-pressed to balance my checkbook. Banking industry regulations have grown in number and complexity since the 2007 financial crisis, but the new regulations might not solve financial stability problems and could reduce the competitiveness of U.S. By Alex Monahan Obama to Impose Unilateral Action on CO2 Emissions A report released this week by the federal government's National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee (NCADAC) concluded, "Climate change, once considered a problem for the distant "In light of the considerable degree of slack that remains in labor markets and the continuation of inflation below the Committee's 2 percent objective, a high degree of monetary accommodation remains warranted. By Steve Stanek "Rising mortgage debt is threatening the retirement security of millions of older Americans," begins a report released today by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This is the executive summary from a new report, America's Emerging Housing Crisis, published byNational Community Renaissance, and authored by Joel Kotkin and Wendell Cox. Download the report and the supplement report below. By Consumer Financial Protection Bureau "Rising mortgage debt is threatening the retirement security of millions of older Americans," begins this report by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Gary Becker (1930-2014), part of the vaunted Chicago School of economics of the late 20thCentury, brought the paramount insight of economics to the entire spectrum of human behavior, including areas previously considered parts of sociology, psychology, During the recent recession, the federal government expanded the number of weeks an individual could receive unemployment benefits, and most states accepted the increased weeks and funding. By Eric Boehm Once is a fluke. Twice can be a coincidence. Three times is a trend. All three major credit rating agencies have issued stern warnings to Pennsylvania policymakers in advance of the coming budget season. By Wendell Cox Philadelphia was America's first large city and served as the nation's capital for all but nine months between the inauguration of George Washington as the first president in 1789 and the capital transfer to Washington, DC in 1800. Since August 2007 when the financial crisis began, the Federal Reserve has expanded its balance sheet by more than $3.4 trillion -- purchasing mortgage-backed securities and U.S. treasuries. By Benjamin Domenech What are we talking about when we talk about inequality?This is one of those examples of a term which gets thrown around in the modern media space over and over again without anyone bothering to define it. By Veronique de Rugy The charter authorizing the US Export-Import Bank, a federally owned export credit corporation, is set to expire on September 30, 2014. The recently released 10th edition of Demographia World Urban Areas provides estimated population, land area and population density for the 922 identified urban areas with more than 500,000 population. With a total population of 1. By Wendell Cox Time Magazine's Sam Frizell imagines that the American Dream has changed, in an article entitled "The New American Dream is Living in a City, Not Owning a House in the Suburbs. In 2013, the U.S. economy exported $2.271 trillion of goods and services, a $60.8 billion or 2.7 percent growth from 2012. In 2012, exports totaled $2.21 trillion, a $97.76 billion or 4.6 percent growth from 2011. By Matthew Glans High frequency trading has come under increased scrutiny since the "Flash Crash" of May 6, 2010. Reports showed high frequency trades were not the primary cause of the crash, and the causes of the Flash Crash have yet to be fully determined. A coalition of 26 public policy leaders has sent a letter to members of the Senate Banking Committee urging them to reject the latest effort to overhaul the U.S. housing-finance system, which would expand government involvement in the housing market. By Allan H. Meltzer In advance of the 2014 election, the Obama administration has drawn the political discussion away from its unpopular and flawed healthcare plan, usually called Obamacare, to bring public attention and support for increased income redistribution. There was a time when downtown Los Angeles was the commercial center of Southern California. By Larry Katzen It remains one of the greatest travesties in the history of American business: In 2001, the 85,000 employees of one of the world's largest accounting firms began losing their jobs. A proposed bill in the United States Senate would mandate all consumers have access to free annual credit scores. There is an increasing recognition - at least outside the academy, planning organization and urban core developer groups - that the spatial expansion of cities or suburbanization represents the evolving urban form of not only the United States and By Bonner R. Cohen Maryland renewable power provider Clean Currents announced it is going into bankruptcy, adding another chapter to a long line of renewable energy company failures. Company officials publicly blamed the cold winter for forcing it out of business. By Steve Stanek For many decades in most states, the auto dealers lobby has persuaded legislators to make it illegal for automakers to sell their products directly to buyers. By Nan Swift Two days before Christmas 1913, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act, creating America's latest and current central bank, the Federal Reserve System. By Tom Giovanetti You would think by now that Washington policymakers would have learned their lesson, and the last thing they'd do is reauthorize and increase the credit limit of another quasi-governmental lending agency that obligates American taxpayers behind every By Nan Swift The U.S. Senate this week moved forward with S. 2124, the "Support for the Sovereignty, Integrity, Democracy, and Economic Stability of Ukraine Act of 2014." As the name suggests, S. By Marcus Hagedorny, Fatih Karahanz, Iourii Manovski and Kurt Mitman In July 1, 2013 unemployed workers in North Carolina lost access to all federally financed unemployment benefit extensions. By John P. Cochran In a review of Diane Coyle's GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History, aptly titled "Measuring the Unmeasurable," James Grant highlights many of the difficulties involved in aggregate statistical attempts to measure economic activity. Since 2007, the amount of credit outstanding -- that is all debts public and private -- has increased a whopping $30 trillion to $100 trillion in mid-2013, according to the Bank for International Settlements. Senate Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee have agreed in principle on a plan to unwind the nearly $5 trillion Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) and to, they say, "create a mortgage insurance fund for the system to protect By James M. Taylor Climate Change Weekly #120 Global warming alarmism is padding insurers' profits, according to Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway company owns several insurance and reinsurance companies. By William Patrick A Florida family's 20-year battle to build on their own land remains unresolved, but their efforts to fight excessive government permitting costs have given property rights advocates and land developers something to cheer about. The government has announced that it will receive another multi-billion dollar "dividend" from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. By Kenric Ward Martha Boneta, a big-spirited small farmer, calls newly enacted land-use legislation in Virginia a "landmark event" that will boost agricultural entrepreneurs there.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

Feeling confused about the Houston sermon subpoena scandal? Here are answers to five questions you may have. Q: What happened? A: In May, Houston city government passed the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) to ban discrimination based upon sexual orientation or gender identity. After passage, opponents began collecting signatures to add a ballot measure to repeal the new law. In July, those opponents delivered over 50,000 signatures, well above the 17,269 that were needed, to add the question to the next election ballot. The city secretary approved the signatures, but that decision was later overruled by the mayor and city attorney, who decided that about 35,000 of the signatures were invalid. The petition organizers then sued the city, arguing that the signatures were valid. As part of the process used to collect evidence for their case, the city, represented by attorneys working pro-bono, subpoenaed communications, including sermon notes and email, from five area pastors related to "HERO, the Petition, Mayor Annise Parker, homosexuality, or gender identity." The pastors were not involved in the lawsuit but were involved in encouraging people to sign the petition. Q: Why did it happen? A: It depends on who you ask. Those involved in the lawsuit and their supporters say the purpose of the subpoenas was to send a message to social conservatives that they should stay silent on political issues or they will be harassed by government forces, much like the Internal Revenue Service harassed conservative groups ahead of the 2012 election. Mayor Annise Parker said this was simply a case of overly-exuberant lawyers who went too far in their search for information, and if she had seen the subpoenas ahead of time, she would not have approved them. The Christian Post has spoken to sources familiar with the ongoing dispute who believe that Parker is not telling the truth and that she personally directed the subpoenas. They point to this tweet that she initially posted before the story became more controversial and she backed off: "If the 5 pastors used pulpits for politics, their sermons are fair game. Were instructions given on filling out anti-HERO petition?-A." (Her Twitter account notes that all tweets that are directly from her are signed "-A.") Q: Was the city of Houston wrong to issue the subpoenas? A: Yes. There is now broad agreement among experts from across the political spectrum that the city was wrong to issue the subpoenas, including the mayor herself and the Texas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. While lawyers in court cases will often cast a wide net to get as much information as possible that might pertain to the case, they can go too far and abuse their subpoena power. At a minimum, there is agreement that the subpoenas were overly-broad. Beyond that, freedom of speech and freedom of religion concerns have been raised. The ACLU of Texas put it this way: "While a lot of things are fair game in a lawsuit, government must use special care when intruding into matters of faith. The government should never engage in fishing expeditions into the inner workings of a church, and any request for information must be carefully tailored to seek only what is relevant to the dispute." Q: Has some of the rhetoric over this incident been overblown? A: Likely yes. If a reader is only paying attention to tweets and headlines rather than the details of this story, they could end up with the impression that the mayor of Houston was going after the sermons of all pastors in order to prosecute those who preach that homosexuality is a sin. This is not the case. Mayor Parker helped to feed that narrative, however, with her extremely tone-deaf tweet saying "sermons are fair game." More likely, this appears to be a case of hardball politics, which is not unusual in the United States, that went awry. Q: What happens next? A: The controversy is not over. On Friday, Mayor Parker announced that she revised the subpoenas. The pastors will now be subpoenaed for all speeches or presentations related to the petition drive or to HERO, but not including sermons. Counter to her initial "sermons are fair game" tweet, Parker added, "we don't want their sermons," in announcing the change. In a Friday interview with The Christian Post, Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing the five pastors, said the change does not go far enough. They will continue to fight the subpoenas because what the pastors said during the gathering of the signatures "has no bearing on whether the signatures themselves are valid." "The city just doesn't get it," he added. "The only way to resolve the First Amendment issue is to withdraw the subpoenas entirely."

Houston sermon subpoena scandal

When President Trump and his family took power, his daughter Ivanka was celebrated in the mainstream media as a "moderating influence" on her stubborn and bigoted father. But over the past few months, it's clear that the so-called "feminist" and "LGBT ally" has no real commitment to fighting for any kind of substantial change beyond a few superficial tweets and hawking some faux-empowerment slogans for $29.99. I am proud to support my LGBTQ friends and the LGBTQ Americans who have made immense contributions to our society and economy. -- Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) June 2, 2017 Her plan to fight for more paid family leave for women has already collapsed and hasn't been heard of in a month. Now it appears that Ivanka's supposed support for the LGBT community is also nothing but a tool to be deployed for her image and does not stem any real moral conviction about the rights of LGBT Americans. The Daily Beast reports that the two have decided to abandon fighting for LGBT initiatives because it would be better for their "political capital be spent elsewhere," capitulating in the face of pressure from extremists like Steve Bannon and Mike Pence despite being the one person in the White House who might be able to pressure her father to act otherwise. Ivanka and Jared have given up on pushing LGBT rights, determined that their "political capital be spent elsewhere" https://t.co/KyrUR5qQ6T pic.twitter.com/vTvynUSdFv -- Colin Jones (@colinjones) July 26, 2017 As Trump rolls out his appalling ban on transgender Americans serving in the military, Ivanka Trump has stayed dutifully silent, ignoring her previous pronouncements of support for both the LGBT community and every American fighting in our military. It just goes to show that for a wealthy, privileged woman like Ivanka, activism and empowerment are just useful buzzwords to be employed when it suits her - and her personal brand. Read the whole article by ASAWIN SUEBSAENG, KIMBERLY DOZIER, SPENCER ACKERMAN, and EMMA KERR @ Daily Beast

LGBT

Submitted to It's Going Down Support Arrestees Here On June 2 nd , we and a large number of people protesting a rally by the presidential candidate Donald Trump in San Jose clashed with his supporters, delivered many righteous beatings, tore up and set their racist paraphernalia on fire, and rioted at a scale that hadn't been seen in city for almost 20 years. What began as an attempt to impose yet another demoralizing peaceful rally was taken over by people who refused accept idly standing by and chanting while fascists shat on us boldly and without fear. We were a big enough crowd to leave SJPD unprepared to respond to the size and speed of our rapid maneuvering, which at its peak swelled to about 400 to 500 people. By and large, SJPD lost control of the area near the Convention Center for several hours while it attempted to corral and contain us. By the time streets were cleared later that night, 4 arrests were made by SJPD with the help of mutual aid from other local police departments. As of this writing an additional 3 people have been arrested, all of which are juveniles, and additional arrests are believed to be imminent. Our collective actions for which we have no regrets were seen and heard around the country and world, and have drawn the condemnations of the people we've always known to be our enemies and that of people who pretend to be our friends and allies in fighting for a better world. Contrary to the racist tropes deployed in the narratives of publications such as that of the New York Times , which attributes the violence of the day primarily to Mexican youth associated with the Nortenos and Surenos gangs (though members were present and overcame their antagonism to unite during the protest), the crowd that clashed with Trump supporters was quite diverse and varied in terms of their race, gender, sexuality, religion, and explicitly displayed political affiliations. Despite all attempts to paint the violence of the day as the work of Mexican and other Latino undocumented immigrants through the use of racist language like "thugs" and "illegals" by Trump himself and other media sources, a casual glance at the imagery and footage from that day reveals a quite different story. Not only were there large numbers of Mexican and other Latino protesters, especially youth present among us, but also considerable numbers of black, brown, indigenous, Asian, and white protesters, including women, queers, and Muslims who directly participated in rioting. The mood and movement of the crowd and the resulting violent clashes were the culmination of the efforts of different actors such as ourselves that came together with a desire to unapologetically and militantly protest Trump, and to break free of the elaborately orchestrated attempts to keep us pacified. What's significant is that the riot not only marks a violent clash with the vulgarly racist, misogynist, and capitalist pig that is Donald Trump, his supporters, and the Republican Party, but in addition, (we would argue more significantly) is a break with the San Jose liberal establishment which up until this point had secured the South Bay as its impenetrable fortress. The establishment had been able to achieve this remarkable feat of governance despite the city being home to large numbers of people of color, immigrants, and undocumented people and the massive waves of rent increases, displacement, and gentrification that the booming tech industry has leveled against them. Things initially began slowly with small pockets of people arriving at the rally point near the Convention Center shortly after 4pm. True to form, the RCP (a vanguardist cult of personality surrounding chairman Bob Avakian) was there to opportunistically attempt to hijack the rally and disseminate their recruiting materials. This attempt ultimately fell flat due to their contradictory chants and pointless verbal debates with Trump supporters, and was mostly ignored once the crowds began to enlarge. From the get go, unapologetically profane chants such as "America was never great! Fuck Donald Trump and his hate!" and "Culero! Culero! Culero!" were pitted against the polite and disimpassioned chants from the Silicon Valley Rising contingent, which had appointed itself as the regulator of the protest (more on that shortly). These profane chants were instrumental in allowing the militant protesters to push back against the attempted pacification of the atmosphere, and in practice, reject the hollow and superficial "no hate" rhetoric they were trying to impose on the rally. It's unclear which particular incident kicked things into high gear, but by large, it was the result of the aggressive and arrogant racist Trump supporters engaging with the crowd of protesters. They leveled racist insults ("illegals," "niggers," "terrorists," etc.), made fascist gestures, threatened violence, and felt entitled and safe to enter large crowds of angry people while aggressively insulting and in some cases, initiating violence against us. Once the grip of the police and peace-police loosened, all hell broke loose which lasted for several hours. It is quite significant that these events represent a breakdown in the highly refined local and regional machinery of pacification and counter-insurgency that had successfully until this point, maintained a consistent climate of social peace in the face of increasingly deteriorating social conditions facing communities of brown and black people, immigrants, and other working class people. This machinery which at it's core is the seamless integration of the politics of Democratic Party, the local business unions and policy organizations (Working Partnerships USA, South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council, SEIU, etc.), non-profits, colleges, universities, and community groups into the militarized security and counter-insurgency apparatus of local and regional government and police, immigration authorities, and the Department of Homeland Security. This machine is comprised of a complex web of elected officials, paid political staffers, non-profit workers, and on the ground activists, all connected through formal and informal relationships between the different political entities listed above. Many of these entities and institutions are staffed by and serve primarily constituents of people of color, and function to channel the rage and discontent of local populations into an endless array of dead-end campaigns, photo-ops, petitionary efforts, and annual parades like the heavily policed (both by uniformed cops and self-appointed civilian peace-police) May Day march. To illustrate how this machine operated on May 2 nd , we need to go back to Tuesday, May 31 st , when a Facebook event titled Dump Trump San Jose popped up before the time and venue for the Trump rally were announced, and began gaining traction. Later, another event page titled Manda A Donald Trump A La Chingada! was also created by a local musician associated with Silicon Valley Debug. On Wednesday afternoon, another event was created by Silicon Valley Rising, a coalition lead by Working Partnerships USA and South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council, and other local business unions, non-profits, and community groups (including SEIU, NAACP, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Silicon Valley Debug, etc.). Unlike the two former events, which named the San Jose Convention Center as their rally points, this event called for a rally at Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park (a location further away from the Convention Center), and used a title similar to the more widely shared Dump Trump event page. The organizers proudly announced that "monitors" (which included the Brown Berets with their ironic masking of their faces with bandanas) would be present at this rally to keep everyone in line. As Thursday afternoon drew near, many posts were made on these event pages by various individuals (some affiliated of SV Rising or supporters of the campaigns of Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders) making recommendations or demanding the protests adhere to a certain orderly and respectable format, rally at a certain location, or follow a particular marching route. In the words of the people making the posts, this was all to prevent rioting and violence. Back at the Trump protest, once the SV Rising rally was over at the park, they began marching towards the Convention Center with full coordination and escort from a squad of SJPD motorcycle police. They entered the Convention Center from the San Carlos St. side, marched through the facility, and exited on Market St. apparently as an expression of symbolic defiance for the consumption of the crowd. Once this contingent joined the rally, large numbers of people wearing SEIU or other SV Rising affiliate organization t-shirts and signs began dictating chants and policing the rally. At this point, as more youth and other people not affiliated with them began joining the crowd, the chants of the SV Rising contingent were increasingly drowned out and ignored. Not long after that, the skirmishes broke out. In the aftermath of the riot, most of the San Jose liberal establishment has been quick to thoroughly apologize for and issue strong denunciations of the violence of that day. Many pieces have made use of patrimonial language to chastise those who engaged in violence, and to forward the usual range of liberal rhetorical tools in an attempt to explain away the fact that so many of the people they claim to represent as their faithful and obedient constituents, had in practice, completely rejected their politics of dignified and respectable passivity. Pieces such as the one published by Silicon Valley Debug, insist mainstream media have misrepresented the situation, that this was all the work of "a few bad apples on BOTH sides," or that the violence cast the city, in its totality, in negative light. At another press conference held by so-called "local community leaders," Salvador "Chava" Bustamante urged Latinos to "do it the way that hurts them -- deny them our vote." He failed to issue a similar prescription for achieving broad social change for undocumented immigrants, whom lacking the legal right to vote are apparently to be relegated to the political sidelines and further disempowered. All while the threat of elections installing a president that will carry out the deportations of up to 11 million undocumented people is at its peak. Others such as prominent immigrant rights activists and frequent invokers of revolutionary imagery and language have openly stated their willingness to cooperate with and provide information to the police because they have "nothing to hide." These responses betray the strong sense of paternalism and condescension that these establishment liberal groups and non-profits harbor towards the communities they simultaneously celebrate and through the application of identity politics, claim exclusively represent, while paving the path for state repression and criminalization of these very same communities with their condemnations, hypocritical espousals of non-violence, and at times, open snitching. The message embedded in the respectability politics that frames their political ideology is one that is first and foremost concerned with the subjectivity and approval of the white supremacist oppressor with the naive (or intentionally perpetuated) notion that we'd cease to be oppressed and exploited if we just look and act like respectable subjects for the white supremacist patriarchal capitalist political system. This also grants them the perfect excuse for their politics, decade after decade, failing to produce any meaningful social change by attributing this failure to not achieving the sufficient degree of respectable and orderly masses to get out the vote or petition the centers of power for change. For them, the bitter lamentations of violence are in truth the lamentations of the threat of imminent irrelevance and a desire to return to the comfortable status quo where their symbolic rituals of disempowerment as the path to liberation can resume uninterrupted. What these liberals are incapable of ever doing is deeming or acknowledging that violence that isn't carried out or sanctioned by the state (with its monopoly on legitimate violence) can be political and liberating (except when it's carried out in far away places or times that have long since past, of course). Thus, the violence of institutions like the police, prison system, patriarchy, and capitalism is normalized and treated as invisible while the autonomous violence of people subjected to a lifetime of systemic white supremacist oppression and humiliation, who for once, refuse to endure yet another insult from the belligerent racists standing before them is deemed beyond unacceptable. For the liberal, even those explicitly espousing non-violence, the issue is never violence itself, but the particular violence of the oppressed with its frightening and uncontrollable dimensions, which can't be easily channeled into state-sanctioned forms of pacified symbolic protest and petition-based politics for their masters. Ultimately, liberal ideology when espoused and practiced by a managerial class of people of color who've been thoroughly integrated into the institutions and logics of the white supremacist establishment, serve as the agents of protecting and reproducing that power structure, and work to obscure the shared memory of violent social struggle by hollowing it out of its content and reducing it to unthreatening sanitized symbols. They act as the softer and more empathic faces of the same power structures and systems of oppression by feeding us a preprocessed diet of passive disempowerment dressed up as gradual social progress. Maintaining the veneer of social peace is central to this process, and the plain on which their long-term manipulations and gas lighting take place. They shroud themselves in the symbols and imagery of past violent people's struggles and uprisings, only to tell us violence is never legitimate or effective, all while the violent social war waged against us daily continues to claim millions of lives. We reject the slow death that is liberalism with its array of institutions, political parties, non-profits, opportunist pacifiers, and willfully naive dupes. To us, they are part of the forces that must be overcome to achieve liberation, and we will never forget their shameless betrayals, snitching, and rubberstamping of our criminalization and repression. To all those who chose action over masochism, your bravery and acts of defiance sustain us, and breathe hope into our alienated lives. It was an honor to stand with you in the streets, to experience the power of directly acting on the world surrounding us based on a collective rejection of submitting to racist humiliation, and to feel the joy of singing and dancing together in the streets when for a time, the pigs couldn't do anything to stop us. The warmth of that laughter and howls joy still radiates off the asphalt and concrete of San Carlos St. despite the there being no visible signs of that day, except for now, in our memories. We will never forget those moments where we were no longer passive spectators in our lives, and each in our own way, took action in the face of the aggression and entitled hubris of white supremacists. We will never allow them to convince us this was just some senseless violence that "has no place in the democratic process," or that what we experienced wasn't significant and meaningful beyond just roughing up some deserving Trump supporters. The future we want to fight for is not one of "diversity," token representation, empowerment through consumption, unshakable calcified identities, dogmatic and nostalgic adherence to failed ideologies, or symbolic reverence for a different social existence that will never come. We will continue to have the jackboots of the police and the Che Guevara t-shirt wearing "community organizer" on our throats until we qualitatively change how we relate to one another in a manner that goes beyond just displaying symbols, enacting the correct identity-based performances, and longing for an abstract nebulous concept of changing the world that we can't even imagine ourselves living and experiencing firsthand. Fighting to free ourselves of the hierarchies and domination of white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy, and the state cannot be waged on the chessboard and within the confines and safety of state-approved activity and its institutions. We need to seize the resources and space to put into practice liberating social relationships based on real solidarity, self-determination, equality, and shared power. We cannot do this when everything about the sanctioned paths that are laid before us are directly counter to ever realizing that. We need to build the collective strength and resources to protect and take care of each other, and to move towards building a different world. A world not created through charity, coercive authority, paternalism, and resignation to the collective pathology of symbolic moralism and pre-approved lip service as solidarity. We seek to embody a form of solidarity whose very practice destabilizes and destroys hierarchies, exploitation, relations of dominance, and the violently maintained social peace imposed on us. The struggle before us is immense and seemingly unwinnable. Yet, the idea that San Jose, with its well-oiled machinery of pacification and repression, would be the site of such a powerful violent autonomous response to the white supremacist establishment and its dutiful liberal caretakers seemed impossible on June 1 st . We yearn to see you again in the streets, to share more moments like these together, and to perhaps one day, make a world arising out of standing and fighting together and for each other permanent. In solidarity, Your co-conspirators The authors and contributors of this piece are people of color from San Jose and the greater South Bay Area. Liked it? Take a second to support It's Going Down!

people protesting a rally by the presidential candidate Donald Trump

New Delhi: The Delhi Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution against FDI in retail with AAP legislators stressing that the move launched by the BJP-led central government would "break the back" of traders. Representational image. AFP The resolution, moved by Aam Aadmi Party MLA Somnath Bharti, stated that 100 percent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail would only lead to "economic slavery". "(It) resolves to oppose the decision of the Union Cabinet to allow 100 per cent FDI in retail as it leads to breaking the back of small and medium traders and ultimately to economic slavery of the country," the resolution read. Participating in the discussion on the issue, Delhi Urban Development Minister Satyendra Jain said the BJP's claim that FDI in retail had nothing to do with small traders was incorrect. "FDI (in retail) will destroy the business of traders. The country will move towards economic slavery," Jain said. Labour Minister Gopal Rai said this was an anti-trader decision which would only lead to unemployment. The Union government on Wednesday allowed 100 percent FDI by foreign investors in single-brand retail trading and construction development.

The Delhi Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution against FDI in retail with AAP legislators stressing that the move launched by the BJP-led central government would "break the back" of traders

President Obama has acknowledged that he is in the midst of a decision making exercise brought on by the McChrystal report, saying, '"I will never rush the solemn decision of sending you [troops] into harm's way." The pause owes to General McChrystal's position in his report that, "Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term [next 12 months] -- while Afghan security capacity matures -- risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible." The strategy appears to be for militarily gaining a position of strength from which to engage the 'moderate' Taliban. Another 'surge' and 'getting the basics right' has uncertain prospects. As an innovative alternative, this article suggests a regional initiative by India and Pakistan. U.S. Marines in Helmand Province, Afghanistan (Brennan Linsley / AP) At present admittedly there appears to be little hope of such an initiative. The Indian foreign minister has said that India wants the Taliban 'eliminated'. The Pakistani interior minister has volleyed back saying India is clandestinely supporting the Taliban. The contest between the two powers finds mention in the McChrystal report as 'likely to exacerbate regional tensions and encourage Pakistani counter measures in Afghanistan and India.' Thus, even while the two are actively partnering the US, together their antipathy is contributing to the problem. Is there a case for a regional initiative in such a circumstance? An idea of Pakistani origin exists as a start point. It involves a negotiated return of the Afghan Taliban to a share of power in Kabul, in return for its moderation and promise of cutting off relations with the Al Qaeda. Since this appears to entail expansion in Pakistan's political sway in Kabul through its proxy, the Taliban, the idea requires Indian ballast in case it is to be operationalized. India may be willing to allow Pakistan greater political space, as also let up the pressure Pakistan says India is mounting through Baluchistan, in case Pakistan were to be responsive to its concerns regarding proxy war in Kashmir and in acting against the terror suspects of Mumbai 26/11. Would the Taliban bite? This appears possible if the exit strategy of the West is also on the negotiating table. The exit would be subject to 'good behavior' of the Taliban, such as its accommodation of the forces that opposed it over the "Global War on Terrorism" (GWOT). The US would not be averse to this since it is looking for a face-saving way out, one that maintains its anti-Al Qaeda goals. The Taliban can be suitably incentivized by prospects of US assistance in reconstruction of their state. Knowing that it cannot return to power otherwise and instead may face a grimmer future in case of military action entailed by the 'surge', it could avert the possibility by taking up the offer were it to be approached perhaps through Pakistani and Saudi mediators. The regional 'solution' would require blue helmets from the regional organization, the SAARC (of which Afghanistan is a member) substituting for the ISAF over its progressive drawdown and eventual departure. South Asian states are the most prominent UN peacekeeping contributing countries. The immense military power of India and Pakistan could be jointly employed to train Afghan security forces. The problem of drugs has a simple solution in opening up of traditional trading routes through Pakistan for Afghan goods to access India markets. Clearly, this is all presently wishful, being predicated on non-existent goodwill between the two protagonist states. Their rivalry is playing out as a complicating proxy war in Afghanistan. Why would they cooperate? As the Pakistani military operation in South Waziristan reaches culmination point, the counter to it played out elsewhere in Pakistan. In the high profile assaults by the Pakistani Taliban is the message of potential instability of the Pakistani state. It has walked the tightrope under Musharraf and taken on the Taliban in Swat earlier and Waziristan now. But it has reached the limit of its willingness and capacity to roll back the Pakistani Taliban-Al Qaeda combine. Doing so further would destabilize its already weak polity and economy. The attitude of the Pukhtun element that comprises 28 percent of its Army has so far been loyal and disciplined. Nevertheless, the cohesion of the nuclear armed Army cannot be chanced. This could happen in case of further military action. Military action under a surge to the north as desired by the Petraeus-McChrystal duo may result in additional pressure on Pakistan in turn to 'do more'. This would have unpredictable consequences for Pakistan, reeling as it under anti-Americanism. It is not in Indian interests to have Pakistan succumb to civil war. Such an internal rupture could make Algeria and Iraq pale in comparison, given the wider disparities, larger numbers, bigger area and greater fighting potential of the Pakistani Taliban. Therefore, both states have an interest in averting a military 'solution' to the problem. Pakistan has been sensitized by the blowback it is experiencing that the problem is one of its own creation. In order to channel its energies into nation building it would require focusing away from the regional power game with India. As part of the deal, it would be retaining a certain say in Kabul. This is seen as vital to it from point of view of contending with the unresolved issue of Durand Line as border. Therefore, it has much to gain from India letting up the pressure. India, for its part can extract Pakistani compliance with its long standing demands on anti-India terrorism. Even as Pakistan gains politically, India can retain space for its soft power in Afghanistan. The cooperation of both armies - favorably commented on as exemplary on UN missions elsewhere - under UN-SAARC aegis in Afghanistan, has potential to change the South Asian strategic paradigm. The absence of imaginative solutions has led to Obama's predicament, described by detractors as former Vice President Cheney as 'dithering'. The Nobel laureate needs a helping hand. Would the two strategic partners of the US in the region oblige please?

Afghan security capacity matures

PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO EMBEDDED ABOVE FOR MORE INFORMATION Just before his second birthday, Colin Dwyer visited the doctor's office and received vaccinations under the CDC's childhood vaccine schedule just as New York requires to attend public schools. To his parents shock, shortly after getting his vaccines, Colin's development regressed. A few months later, at just 2.5 years of age, Colin was diagnosed with autism. In addition to the end of his normal milestone developments in motor, language, cognitive, and social skills; he became listless, stopped eating, and developed chronic bowel problems that plague him even to this day. Today, even though he's often a fun-loving and energetic 15 year-old boy who loves to help whenever needed and is deeply curious about the world, Colin also suffers with major challenges in cognitive and language skills, developmental delays, anxiety, and the inability to relate to his peers in a way that would be typical for his age. His parents wonder if he will ever be able to live on his own. In 1986, Congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Compensation Act to create a no-fault alternative to the civil court system. The NVICP was established to be the quickest and easiest way to ensure that individuals injured by a vaccine would receive appropriate compensation. Congress designed this so petitioners only needed to prove causation and not fault, to ensure fairness in the NVICP. Unfortunately, this program fails to guarantee full legal rights to those who use it - including discovery. Colin Dwyer participated in the NVICP system and was ultimately denied any compensation. Colin is not alone. -- Routinely, claims made under the NVICP stretch out more than a decade while family's costs pile up. Justice delayed is justice denied. Claimants are routinely denied their rights to a 'speedy trial' as claims in VICP turn into contentious, lengthy legal battles where the government drags their feet on processing the claim and can appeal any number of times regardless of evidence (and the claimant cannot). Even death claims that are clearly due to vaccine injury can take up to 10 years from start to finish. -- Well over 80% of those who seek justice in this system are denied compensation. The NVICP does not provide jury trials. Instead government-paid lawyers, called special masters, and judges decide all claims. Because the facts of each case are so different, there is a limited role for legal precedent and these decision-makers have broad discretion. -- Vaccine manufacturers are exempted from any involvement in the process. Claimants are denied discovery of the product manufacturers' records. Forced to make a claim against the government and not the manufacturer, the hands of both lawyers for the claimant and the government are tied as they don't have access to crucial records on vaccine product safety trials, vaccine adverse events, vaccine manufacturing processes and manufacturing research. All vital to proving malfeasance and injury due to a product. -- Manufacturers of vaccines that cause injury are under no requirement to improve them. VICP strips the American free market system from working appropriately. By denying individuals getting vaccines access to the product's safety and efficacy records and by allowing vaccine manufacturers complete immunity from any liability of a very expensive product where production trumps safety and its use is mandatory, the vaccine-injured's rights to life and liberty are denied. -- Taxpayers established funding, and continue to supplement the fund for compensation, through a tax on all vaccines. Not only do vaccine manufacturers have complete immunity from all liability, tax payers pay for the injuries that products from companies making billions in profit are inflicting on an unknowing population -- mostly children. SafeMinds believes that products given most exclusively to children should be subject to even greater safety standards. -- This alternative structure has been touted as a model for all future medical injury compensation. The 7th Amendment to the Constitution ensures the right to trial by jury in civil matters. While the VICP does not technically violate the 7th amendment, concerns are twofold - first, appeals of a decision are elevated to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, where the life-appointed judges are chosen pursuant to Article III of the Constitution; second, petitioners could potentially re-litigate their claims from the VICP in civil court before juries. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to prove injuries come from a vaccine. Most petitioners who lose in the VICP don't choose to re-litigate at their own expense. And if people are successful in the VICP, they likely won't want to re-litigate that outcome either. The ENTIRE system for vaccine injury compensation needs reconsideration. Therefore we need everyone to join Colin's support for reviewing the vaccine injury program IN ITS ENTIRETY - from reporting to compensation. Please join Colin and the thousands of others denied compensation in calling for Congress to fully investigate this system and make any and all changes necessary to make it fair, speedy and equitable - including the potential for eliminating the NVICP and returning vaccine injury lawsuits to civil tort law and eliminating manufacturer and provider immunity to liability.

vaccinations

In the new liberal climate of "safe spaces," professors are afraid to present a politically challenging curriculum for fear of hurting their students' feelings and being social-justiced out of a job. Sheila Jeffreys has retired. Here's a look into what was discussed in her last Feminist Forum. Check out this vintage interview from 1990 of Sheila Jeffreys being a badass. Kickstarter launches for new documentary investigating women's contraception, inspired by Holly Grigg-Spall's hard-hitting book Sweetening The Pill. Collective Shout is having a graphic design contest for their new logo. Harry Potter actresses pose naked with dead fish draped across their bodies in order to... save the fish... somehow. Susan Cox is a feminist writer and academic living in the United States. She teaches in Philosophy.

Feminist Forum

Lulu landed what many dogs working in law enforcement might consider the dream job: sniffing out explosives for the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA had great hopes for the lovable black Lab puppy. But alas, it was not to be. At first, the agency thought Lulu might just be having a bad day or two: All dogs, like humans, have good & bad days when learning something new. Same for our pups, though it usually lasts just a day or two. pic.twitter.com/z9lQa2uKX4 -- CIA (@CIA) October 18, 2017 The agency's "doggy psychologists" tried to figure out how to help Lulu: There are a million reasons why a dog has a bad day & our trainers must become doggy psychologists to figure out what will help pups. pic.twitter.com/iaeRpGiSUR -- CIA (@CIA) October 18, 2017 At first, they thought maybe a bit of extra playtime would do the trick: Sometimes a pup is bored & needs extra playtime, sometimes they need a little break, or it's a minor medical condition like a food allergy. pic.twitter.com/pPaBPohhqB -- CIA (@CIA) October 18, 2017 Extra playtime didn't help. As it turned out, Lulu just couldn't care less about sniffing out explosives: Lulu wasn't interested in searching for explosives. Even when motivated w food & play, she was clearly no longer enjoying herself. pic.twitter.com/puvhDk1tRX -- CIA (@CIA) October 18, 2017 We're sad to announce that a few weeks into training, Lulu began to show signs that she wasn't interested in detecting explosive odors. pic.twitter.com/c6lxHPfC09 -- CIA (@CIA) October 18, 2017 Lulu just wasn't cut out for the job: For some dogs, after weeks of working w them, it's clear the issue isn't temporary & instead, this just isn't the job they are meant for. pic.twitter.com/bBjPz8Ng2U -- CIA (@CIA) October 18, 2017 Of most concern was Lulu's well-being, so the trainers decided to end her training: Our trainers' top concern is physical & mental well-being of K9s. They made difficult decision & did what's best for Lulu: stop her training pic.twitter.com/Ss9y9LpE9q -- CIA (@CIA) October 18, 2017 Despite sending Lulu to the unemployment line, the CIA wished her well in her "new life": We'll miss Lulu, but it was right decision for her & we wish her all the best in her new life! https://t.co/nPZl6YWNKb pic.twitter.com/Mbcr9C7wUY -- CIA (@CIA) October 18, 2017 So what was has become Lulu, you ask? Not to worry: Lulu was adopted by her handler & now enjoys her days playing w his kids & a new friend, & sniffing out rabbits & squirrels in the backyard. pic.twitter.com/WOImM75P1D -- CIA (@CIA) October 18, 2017 All's well that ends well. What a heartwarming "tail."

dogs working in law enforcement

Before I had my first baby, I was a perfect mother. I attended all my childbirth classes and breastfeeding classes, I read all the books. I was chock full of opinions and philosophies and good intentions, and I was not afraid to tell you all about them and why I really knew what I was talking about. Then I had an actual baby, and I was knocked flat on my very sore back after many hours of labor and a somewhat traumatic birth (Did you know you can have multiple episiotomies? You can.). My first experience of motherhood was that it was nothing at all like I expected it to be. It was so much messier and more painful, both literally and figuratively. I was blindsided. That feeling of being hit by a semi-the "Truck of Motherhood," I call it-continued in the blurry days after my first son's birth, when I was so weak I could barely walk and so bewildered I couldn't think straight, and then it continued pretty much his whole first year. I've now been a mother for 13 years and...yeah, I still have no idea what I am doing. But I have continued to mother that baby boy, now unbelievably 13, and his three younger siblings. Along the way, in between the wonderful, amazing things about nurturing human beings and watching them grow before your very eyes into full-fledged people, I've had every single opinion about parenthood and every single good intention systematically crushed, one after the other. If I dared to judge another mother for a certain parenting decision, I was almost certain to get knocked off my high horse in the next minute by some humbling moment courtesy of my own charming offspring. I have the stains and the scars to prove it. No one is immune, I have learned: the parenting gods come down on all of us sooner or later. If you think you are an expert on baby sleep, your child will stop, pronto. If you think you're the guru of potty training, just wait until you have a poop-withholder of your very own. You might give the side-eye to the mother of the preschool class biter today, but be careful-when your darling takes a chunk out of his neighbor's arm next week, it will be your name on the incident report. Think you have avoided the whole picky eating thing because your baby loves kale? Many a 4-year-old has decided that everything he loved a week ago is now disgusting. It could happen to you. It has happened to me. It's funny, really: I don't know any two adults who are exactly alike. I'm not sure, then, why we expect babies, toddlers, or children to respond equally well to any one-size-fits-all notion of good parenting. Now that I have three sons and a daughter-my own personal sample size of four-I can tell you that each of my sons is patently different, that gender stereotypes do not hold true in my house save for the fact that no, not one of my boys can actually pee in the toilet instead of around it, and that each and every child comes with his or her own perspective on the world, own needs, own complexities, own strengths, own weaknesses. I have none of these children mastered. I am winging it with each and every one of them. Some judgment among mothers is inevitable; we make decisions about how to approach our own mothering by comparing and contrasting ourselves with others. That's normal, and even essential, I would argue. Other mothers are our village, and we learn by watching them and using their examples either as resources or cautionary tales. But parenting should be a discussion, not a debate. There are no winners here. When our babies are little, we spend a lot of time worrying about how we feed them, how we teach them to sleep, how we diaper them, when and how we teach them to use a potty, how we discipline them. All of these things seem monumental because we want so much to do right by them. But once your babies grow up a little, you might find yourself in doctors' offices, facing decisions about therapies or diagnoses. You could sit across from a guidance counselor or a teacher and hold back tears while you try to figure out why your child struggles in school and whether or not he or she needs medication. You'll hold your breath when you ask your child if he found someone to sit with at lunch his first day of middle school. You will likely find it hard to find the words to explain why your child needs to perform code red drills in his classroom, why it is imperative that he and his classmates stay silent if it happens so that no "bad guy" can find them. You'll worry about screen time, and the Internet, and driving lessons, and the sex talk. You will, because we all do. I used to look at other mothers sitting in the circle at toddler music class and envy how fast they lost the baby weight or how well their babies were talking; now I look around at the mothers in the preschool parking lot where my fourth child goes to school and I know that each of them has her own struggle, each of them is treading water somehow, all of them carry invisible saddlebags of paralyzing self doubt and torturous insecurity and the nagging fear that we will drop a ball somehow and everything will come crashing down around us. If there is anything I have learned from growing and raising small human beings, it is that we are all, in fact, fallible. We all make mistakes, over and over again. It's part of the process. And though I began my motherhood journey at the age of 27, I am now 41. I have reached the age where I have seen my friends mother while weathering chemo, mother while losing children, mother while losing their parents, mother while losing their spouses, mother while they themselves were dying. It has changed the way I think about motherhood and especially other mothers. The most important thing to me now is not whether you feed your child formula or breastmilk, whether you co-sleep or not, whether you make all your own baby food or rely on the newfangled baby food pouches, whether you homeschool or send your children to private or public schools. It's certainly not whether you stay at home with your children or work outside the home-I have done it both ways, and I found that either way, I was still, bottom line and first and foremost a mother , with all the challenges that come along with that name. No, the most important thing to me about this whole journey is that we are all doing our best, we are all loving our best, and while there's may be no way to be a perfect mother, there are a million different ways to be a good one. No one can support another mother better than someone who has been in her (well worn, probably desperately in need of replacement) shoes. No one can show another mother the kind of grace we all need sometimes better than someone who has also been in desperate need of the same grace, or will. At the end of the day, we're all mothers no matter how we do it, and being a mother is just freaking hard enough without being on-and by-each other's sides. So if you need someone to say, "Me too," come sit by me, and do the same for someone else. I care about supporting other mothers no matter how different our parenting might be; after all, we share the most common goal: to love our children the best way we know how. Similac feels the same way, which is why they sponsored a panel last week in conjunction with The Sisterhood of Motherhood and TODAY's Parenting Team to discuss judgment among and about mothers and how divisive and painful it can be. Similac and The Sisterhood of Motherhood have also teamed up with director Cynthia Wade to create a new documentary debuting in October, #EndMommyWars, following the lives of several new mothers on their parenting journeys. Through sharing their stories and ours, we all hope to remind ourselves that we are so much more alike than we are different. Watch the film's trailer and see if you recognize yourself in the faces of these mothers. This post was sponsored by Similac. Similac has partnered with bloggers for its Sisterhood of Motherhood program. As a part of this program, the Scary Mommy website has received compensation for this post, but all opinions are the writer's own. Learn more here.

I was a perfect mother.

"A Day Without a Woman" Updated March 13, 2017 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us International Women's Day March 8 people marched in cities across the U.S. Thousands of people across the Bay Area participated in "A Day Without a Woman" events to highlight International Women's Day, including a rally and march to City Hall, seen here. Photo: @mercnews A crowd, many in red, marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC to mark "A Day Without A Woman," which coincided with International Women's Day. Many teachers requested the day off causing several schools to close. Photo: @Mooneychan Instagram. Hundreds of women left their jobs and avoided shopping on March 8, the "A Day Without a Woman." Here a large crowd, many wearing red, protested in downtown Los Angeles. Photo:@raeven74/Rachel Sartoris Several hundred demonstrators marched through downtown Boston on International Women's Day demanding an end to the Trump/Pence regime's war on immigrants, his attacks on abortion rights and on the LGBTQIA community. The rally at the end of the march included a powerful speech from Hope Coleman, whose son, Terrence Coleman was murderd by Boston police in his home last October. Photo: special to revcom On March 8, International Women's Day, women--and men--across the United States marched and rallied, took off from work, wore red in solidarity and acted in other ways for "A Day Without a Woman." The call for the action came from the organizers of the January 21 Women's March when millions took the streets across the U.S. and around the world. They said that on this day, "women and our allies will act together for equity, justice and the human rights of women and all gender-oppressed people"--and that they drew inspiration from "recent courageous actions like the 'Bodega strike' led by Yemeni immigrant store owners in New York City and the Day Without Immigrants across the U.S." They say the day was meant to show women's economic and political strength and to speak out on many different social justice issues, like reproductive rights, LGBTQIA rights, immigrant rights and environmental justice. And many of these actions served as a way for women to speak out against the Trump/Pence government. As was the case with the Women's March and other recent protests, many people who were part of "A Day Without a Woman" had never protested before or had not been active for many years. The New York Times gave a couple of examples: In Lafayette, Indiana, "a retired nurse and first-time protester" who said she had come out for the day because of "the injustice that women deal with--like jobs, everyday life"; and in Denver, Colorado, a teacher "had driven 90 minutes from Colorado Springs for her first political march, noting proudly that she had a male substitute in her classroom." Reports are still coming in about the day--how many people took part in the day in various ways, including not working or shopping, or wearing red clothing to show they were in solidarity with others taking action, and all the places where people took action, in cities as well as suburbs and smaller towns. There were news reports that a number of school districts had to shut down because so many women--and men--teachers and staff were not going in to work for the day. For example, in Maryland, Prince George's County schools closed after some 1,700 teachers and 30% of its transportation staff requested leave for the day. Public schools also closed in Alexandria, Va., across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., along with Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools in North Carolina. In Providence, Rhode Island, the municipal court had made plans to close because the demonstrations would have left the city with not enough staff in the courthouse. The president of the Prince George's County Educators' Association (the teachers' union), Theresa Dudley, who herself wore red for the day, told Revolution /revcom.us that the action by hundreds of teachers in the school district to be part of the one-day strike was "not an orchestrated thing at all--it just took a life of its own." She said that hundreds of teachers from the district had gone to DC on January 21 for the Women's March and "perhaps some of the spirit of the March played a big role in people's decisions to stay home on Wednesday... I think it shows that women are really frustrated in this country--that someone could be elected president that doesn't respect women at all, unless they allow him to grope and allow him to treat them however he wants to treat them, and having no rights, as far as reproductive freedom is concerned." Teachers in other school districts around the country took part in the day in various ways. A retired teacher who helped the Chicago Teacher's Union organize a protest by active teachers for "A Day Without a Woman" told the Los Angeles Times, "We stand in danger of losing so much of what women have fought so hard to gain. I'm talking about abortion rights. I'm talking about the gains that women have made through union labor." At Palo Alto High School in the San Francisco Bay Area, about 30 women teachers took the day off and held a "women's brunch," while other teachers and many students wore red. A journalism teacher at the school told Palo Alto Weekly that "she took the day off to make a statement in protest of the president's stance on women and women's rights, particularly his recent offer to maintain federal funding for Planned Parenthood if they stop providing abortions." And in many other different types of workplaces, women and some supportive men took the day off or wore red to work as part of the day. The New York Times reported that "the chief executive of the advertising agency 360i, said that hundreds of the company's 600 New York employees were participating in some way." Various TV newscasters wore red, and Slate.com reported on what happened at various news outlets, including at Verge and MTV News where employees who did show up "tweeted photos of nearly empty offices, demonstrating the visual power of not showing up." Rallies and marches were held in cities around the country. A crowd of some 2,000 rallied in Los Angeles. In New York, over a thousand marched with chants like "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go!" Fourteen women were arrested in a civil disobedience action outside the Trump International Hotel & Tower. A San Jose Mercury newspaper headline said "'A Day Without a Woman' draws thousands to Bay Area rallies while others skip work in solidarity." In Santa Cruz, California, protestors--including students from the University of California campus--marched through the streets and blocked traffic. Hundreds marched in Denver, Colorado; Boston; Philadelphia; and other cities--and there were gatherings in smaller cities and towns. Among the actions in Washington, DC, was a march of hundreds of people to the front gates of the White House, protesting in particular the Trump regime's attacks on women's right to abortion--including the global "gag order" that threatens health providers around the world with cut-off of funds if they even discuss abortion. One of the chants was, "Resist Trump, stop the gag." From the Revolution Club, Los Angeles: In Los Angeles, there were two rallies on March 8, International Women's Day. About 1,000 filled Grand Park (across from City Hall) for "A Day Without A Woman" rally called by the Women's March. Women and men of different nationalities, backgrounds and ages were there. An older woman mentioned she had not been to a protest since Roe v Wade made abortion legal, but felt compelled to start coming out ever since Trump won the election. A young Latina woman said she had never been into politics until she started seeing the attacks on immigrants and felt she needed to do something. A young Black man, a journalist, had been thinking about the impeachment of Trump and said we have to keep an eye out for the bad stuff they do to get him impeached. He said as a journalist he was thinking about what role to play in preventing this all from being normalized. From the stage organizers, activists and local politicians spoke about the horrific situation facing women in the U.S. and around the world. Later in the day, there was another rally of hundreds at the downtown Federal Building, organized by the International Women's Strike. Many of the organizations focused on the situation facing women around the world, including the conditions of poverty and exploitation in Third World countries. Refuse Fascism was at both rallies and had an impact with a colorful banner that said "No! Pussy-Grabbing No! Patriarchy No! Fascist USA," along with several banners with the NO! in different languages. The Refuse Fascism team distributed many NO! posters and the Call to Action, and challenged people to confront the reality that the Trump/Pence regime are fascists and they are going for a total fascist re-ordering of society. Many women and men were challenged to become organizers to drive out this fascist regime from power. The Revolution Club was also there, taking out the Call to Action and distributing the "Break the Chains" compendium by Bob Avakian, which excerpts his writings on the emancipation of women and the communist revolution. They also had a huge banner that read, "Women Are NOT Bitches, Ho's, Punching Bags, Incubators, Sex Objects or Breeders! Women Are Full Human Beings! revcom.us" A member of the Revolution Club who is an organizer with Refuse Fascism went to both rallies with red "bloody" pants to symbolize the women who lost their lives when abortion was illegal. She also wore a homemade T-shirt that read "Forced Motherhood=Female Enslavement" and wrote "NO!" on her face with red paint. She reported that throughout the day women would come up to her and express how powerful the outfit was. That response was mainly coming from older white women. When she tried to speak to younger women about what the outfit symbolized, most of them didn't understand it. When the first rally ended, this organizer for Refuse Fascism got on the megaphone and began to call on people to stick around and talk. She explained the meaning of her outfit and what that had to do with Trump, "He's already told us that he's going to reverse Roe v. Wade . And the reality is, whether abortion is illegal, women will seek it! And we will end up going back to this! Women dying from inducing their own abortions!" She also took on very sharply the dismissive comments she had seen on social media about the "A Day Without A Woman" strike. "I read some disgusting comments about the strike, people saying we are here today to whine about how we are being underpaid! But there is something much deeper than that! The reality and the horror of walking down the street with a vagina! And fearing for your life, the fear of getting sexually assaulted, harassed, or raped! And now with this PIG in power saying it's okay to grab a woman by the pussy, saying it's okay to grab a woman and kiss her without her permission!!! This is training men to disrespect and view women as objects!" And she called on people to get organized to DRIVE OUT the Trump regime from power! People responded to the agitation. A woman from India signed up right away and was challenged to donate $100, She responded to the need for materials and what impact this can have when we translate the "NO!" into Spanish, Farsi, and Arabic, donating $60. She brainstormed about what were some places she could take these materials to, taking a kit of 50 posters, 50 fliers, and 15 stickers. She was very upset about the new Muslim ban and wanted to do something about it. There was struggle with people throughout the day about how they were viewing the situation and what people were gonna do about it. The Call to Action was used to speak to why we don't have four years to "wait and see," that we have to be working very hard right now to organize people, for people to confront that this is fascism. And to drive the fascists out! An older guy said he had heard the agitation earlier, congratulated the organizer and said to "keep up the good work." He said he would look forward to our emails to hear more about the work, but she struggled and challenged him to take materials right then and spread them everywhere, because there is no time to waste. He agreed and took a stack of fliers to get out to people where he lives. Others were signing up and committing to raising funds for Refuse Fascism, and were taking materials. A seven-year-old took up the task of distributing 60 fliers to the crowd, after an organizer for Refuse Fascism explained to him what this was about. His mother, who was wearing a hijab, encouraged him to pass out the fliers and he later came back with almost none left. A Latina woman who was agonizing over the deportations said she appreciated and agreed with the message of driving out the fascist regime, not preparing for four years of horrors. She had never been political before, but the urgency of the situation made her want to do something and she wanted to get organized right away. We talked to many people who were agonizing over what is happening in the world, about the deportations, about women's right to control their bodies, about the Muslim ban. And after a short discussion with people, they would take up the materials and sign up and donate. From a reader : IWD in Eugene, Oregon: On the evening of Wednesday, March 8th around 6 pm the Intersectional People's Network of Eugene/Springfield hosted a rally at the Free Speech Plaza (aka Park Blocks) to celebrate an International Women and Women-aligned Day, featuring predominately marginalized sectors of women such as indigenous, Latina, disabled and transwomen. This event was a rally, taking place in pouring rain, for about an hour. There are other events planned for Sunday, March 12. There were 20-40 people, mostly older but some young people, mostly women. And mostly non-white, in a city that is majority white. From Readers : About 600 people rallied at Westlake Park in Seattle on International Women's Day, while 150 people in south Seattle held a night walk to protest all violence against women and remember My-Linh Nguyen, a 45-year-old Vietnamese woman who was killed by an attacker on the street near her home on December 15, 2016. The downtown rally included special guests Pussy Riot and New York Daily News columnist Shaun King. After the rally, Refuse Fascism united with about 40 others who were demanding to march and led people through the streets of downtown and up to Capitol Hill. It became even more clear that the full fury of women had yet to be unleashed when one young woman let out a primal scream as we stepped off, with chants of "No Pussy Grabbing, No Patriarchy, No Fascist USA," "Abortion on Demand & Without Apology, Without this Basic Right, Women Can't be Free," and "Women Aren't Things, Women Aren't Toys, Women Aren't Objects for the Boys!" There was a speak-out in the middle of a busy intersection, stopping traffic. A number of women, men and non gender-conforming people spoke of being raped and escaping violent and abusive relationships and homes--and of their fear and anger at having a sexual predator in the White House. The rally ended with people signing up with Refuse Fascism and a powerful mic-check of the 4 points that Refuse Fascism is calling on millions to resolve to accomplish until Trump and Pence are driven from power. From Readers : In high winds by the lake, over 200 people, Black and white, young and older, women and some men gathered to celebrate International Women's Day. There were many homemade signs exposing the attacks on women from the defunding of Planned Parenthood to outlawing abortion by the Trump/Pence regime and signs that spoke to the fighting spirit of women. A young speaker from Refuse Fascism spoke about the need to drive out the Trump/Pence fascist regime and ended with a mic check of the pledge: "NO! In the Name of Humanity, We REFUSE to Accept a Fascist America, Drive Out the Trump/Pence Regime!" Most of the people there joined in the pledge with feeling and determination. Then people marched through downtown chanting enthusiastically "NO TRUMP NO KKK NO FASCIST USA" as well as some took up "NO Pussy Grabbing, NO Patriarchy, No Fascist USA." Refuse Fascism was in the house with lots of signs, fliers, stickers and people signing up. Throughout there was a feeling that the horrors against women promoted by the Trump/Pence regime must be fought against and that the rally and march for IWD was part of that fight. If you like this article, subscribe, donate to and sustain Revolution newspaper.

A Day Without a Woman

THE Australian Conservatives are casting their net in the lead up to the next federal election, revealing more candidates will be "announced soon". Cory Bernardi revealed the plans for his party on Miranda Live, telling host Miranda Devine "the more conservative senators you have, the more reliable the outcomes". LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW HERE: Lyle Shelton and Cory Bernardi. Picture: Mick Tsikas Mr Bernardi has already endorsed former Australian Christian Lobby boss Lyle Shelton in Queensland and Kevin Bailey in Victoria. When pressed on whether former Labor leader Mark Latham is in the mix for NSW, the Senator remained tight-lipped before revealing "our ticket will be top heavy with females". "I've talked to Mark Latham many times over the years, certainly I've never canvassed with him the opportunity to be an Australian Conservatives Senator", he said. MORE MIRANDA DEVINE: PAULINE'S PAIN HER OWN DOING Cory Bernardi defected from the Liberal Party in 2017. Picture: AAP Mr Bernardi also waded into the drama surrounding Barnaby Joyce's paid television interview with partner Vikki Campion , questioning whether Ms Campion was encouraged to have an abortion while pregnant with new baby Sebastian. "I can't imagine anyone trying to pressure a woman to have an abortion in politics, that would strike me as most unusual", he told Miranda Live. Vikki Campion and Barnaby Joyce during their first interview. Picture: Channel 7

Australian Conservatives

Democratic Party congresswomen have called on both Democrats and Republicans to wear black this year to Trump's upcoming State of the Union Address in solidarity with the "MeToo" movement. People participate in a "MeToo" protest march for survivors of sexual assault and their supporters in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US on November 12, 2017. ( Reuters Archive ) Several Democratic US congresswomen will wear black to President Donald Trump's upcoming State of the Union Address in solidarity with the "MeToo" movement opposing sexual harassment, a female lawmaker said Wednesday. Democrat Jackie Speier tweeted that she and other Democratic women in the House of Representatives were calling on lawmakers from both parties "to wear black to this year's #SOTU in solidarity w/ survivors of sexual harassment/violence in Hollywood, politics, the military, academia, etc." My colleagues and I in the @HouseDemWomen are calling on our fellow MoCs - women & men, Democrats & Republicans - to wear black to this year's #SOTU in solidarity w/survivors of sexual harassment/violence in Hollywood, politics, the military, academia, etc. #TIMESUP #MeToo -- Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier) January 10, 2018 Trump is scheduled to deliver his first State of the Union Speech on January 30 before a joint session of Congress, an opportunity for him to explain his priorities for the coming year. But with Hollywood declaring war on the film industry's culture of sexual harassment and abuse after the downfall of mogul Harvey Weinstein, and stars of media and politics also rocked by similar scandal, the reckoning appeared set for a moment of further exposure on Capitol Hill. Last Sunday, many A-list actresses dressed in black at the Golden Globes award ceremony as a sartorial protest against sexual harassment. US lawmakers have been grappling with the issue. Several members have been forced to resign recently, including senator Al Franken and longtime congressman John Conyers, after being accused of misconduct. A record 89 women are now serving in the 435-member House of Representatives. Sixty-six of them are Democrats. Last month, nearly 60 female Democratic lawmakers demanded that Congress investigate allegations of sexual misconduct against Trump. Some 20 women have publicly accused Trump of misconduct. The White House has maintained that the women are lying. Last year Speier acknowledged that she was a victim of sexual assault on Capitol Hill when she was a young congressional aide. Speier's call to wear black at Trump's State of the Union earned support from top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi. Thanks to the brave women of the #MeToo movement, we are at a watershed moment in the fight against sexual harassment. Know that we are with you every step of the way. #TimesUp https://t.co/FTT20fJxQX -- Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) January 10, 2018 "Thanks to the brave women of the #MeToo movement, we are at a watershed moment in the fight against sexual harassment," Pelosi tweeted. "Know that we are with you every step of the way. #TimesUp."

MeToo

STAGE 3: Adjusting Quintiles to Contain Equal Numbers of Persons. The largest flaw in the Census income distribution data is that its income "quintiles" do not contain equal fifths of the U.S. population, but are in fact unequal in size. 11 Indeed, in reality the top Census "quintile" contains not 20 percent of the population but 24.3 percent, while the bottom quintile contains only 14.8 percent of the population. The top quintile has 65 percent more persons than does the bottom quintile. With conventional Census figures, the bottom "quintile" is hollow, representing far less than one-fifth of society; by contrast, the top "quintile" is overpopulated, containing far more than one-fifth of persons, workers, and work effort. Naturally, the demographic imbalance between the quintiles has a considerable effect on the apparent income imbalance between them. Stage 3 uses the comprehensive post-tax income data developed in Stage 2 and then makes a demographic adjustment so that each income quintile in fact contains one-fifth of the population. 12 This adjustment ensures that the economic status of each individual in the population is treated as having equal value or importance. By contrast, individuals are not treated equally in the current Census methods; in general, individuals in married couple families are underrepresented by the Census data and treated as less significant than single persons or people in single-parent families. The effects of the Stage 3 demographic corrections are shown in Chart 2. The share of income of the adjusted bottom quintile rises to 9.4 percent, while the income of the top quintile falls to 39.7 percent. The adjustment of the underreporting of income received by the lowest quintile of the population is particularly important. With 9.4 percent of total income, the actual share of income for this quintile is nearly three times higher than the conventional Census figures show. STAGE 4: Explaining the Remaining Variance--Hypothetical Equalization of Work Performed. Even after the quintiles are adjusted to contain equal numbers of persons in Stage 3, there remains an enormous difference in the amount of work performed within each corrected quintile. The annual number of hours of employed labor in the top quintile is still nearly twice that in the bottom quintile. This imbalance in work certainly can be expected to contribute to an imbalance in income. Stage 4 analyzes the effects of the imbalance of work on the distribution of income. 13 It incorporates changes from Stage 2 and Stage 3 and then makes a hypothetical adjustment so that working age adults (ages 18 to 64) in each quintile are assumed to all perform the same average number of hours of paid work. 14 This adjustment naturally reduces the work performed and earnings in higher quintiles and increases work and earnings in the lower quintiles. Chart 3 shows the hypothetical distribution of income that would occur if working age adults in each quintile performed the same average number of hours of annual paid labor. 15 The share of income for the bottom quintile rises from 9.4 percent to 12 percent, while the share of the top quintile falls from 39.7 percent to 36.7 percent. Comparison of the Top and Bottom Quintiles. These adjustments make a great difference in the measure of apparent income inequality. For example, under conventional Census figures (Stage 1), the top "quintile" accounts for some $2.5 trillion in income in 1997, while the bottom quintile has only $181 billion. Thus, the top quintile is shown as receiving $13.86 in income for every $1.00 in the bottom. However, once incomes are more completely counted and taxes are considered (in Stage 2), the ratio drops considerably--to $8.05 for every $1.00 of income. But even this lower ratio continues to reflect the fact that the Census data's top "quintile" is seriously overpopulated, while the bottom is underpopulated. Once the quintiles are adjusted to contain equal numbers of persons, the ratio of incomes of the top to the bottom quintile drops to $4.23 to $1.00 (as shown in Chart 4 ). Moreover, even this difference is due in large part to the fact that working age adults in the top quintile work twice as many hours as those in the bottom. If such adults worked the same number of hours, the income ratio would fall to around $3.07 to $1.00. Comparison of the Top and Bottom Halves. Chart 5 shows similar data for the top and bottom halves of the population. According to conventional Census measurement methods, the top half of society received $4.1 trillion, or 81 percent of total income, in 1997. The bottom half of society, by contrast, received $973 billion, or 19 percent of the total. As stated previously, the Census figures exclude major types of income and compensation and ignore taxes. Even more critically, under Census procedures, the top "half" contains not 50 percent of the population but 57.8 percent. The Census Bureau's top "half" contains 63 percent of working age adults who, in turn, perform 71 percent of the paid labor in the economy. With a more accurate count of post-tax incomes and an adjustment so that the top half contains 50 percent of the population, the annual income received by the top half falls to $3.2 trillion while the share of the bottom half rises to $1.4 trillion. Thus, the conventional Census figures overrepresent the income available to the more affluent half of society by nearly $1 trillion. The share of total income received by the top half falls from 81 percent to 70 percent. As Chart 6 shows, the Census Bureau represents the top half of society receiving $4.24 in income for every $1.00 received by the bottom half. In reality, the correct figure is $2.28 for every $1.00. The real level of inequality in the economy is effectively half that represented by the conventional Census figures. The revised level of income equalization in the United States is quite surprising. Even after the Stage 3 population adjustments, the more affluent half of the population still provides 59.5 percent of the hours of work in the overall economy. Moreover, the top half contains the bulk of the most skilled and productive laborers and provides most of the vital investment in plant equipment, which is necessary to sustain the prosperity of all Americans. Given these realities, the 70 percent share of post-tax income going to the most affluent half of society seems remarkably low; it is striking evidence of the high degree of income equalization already occurring in American society. DETAILED ANALYSIS: UNDERREPORTING OF INCOME AND OMISSION OF TAXES The conventional Census income distribution data are based on the concepts of "money income." Money income includes earnings, interest, dividends, rents, Social Security retirement benefits, pension or retirement income, survivors benefits, disability benefits, veterans benefits, workers' compensation, alimony, and some cash welfare benefits. Despite this list, it is now widely acknowledged that the Census Bureau's money income figures grossly underreport the economic resources available to Americans. 16 For example, the aggregate "money income" figures reported by the Census Bureau in 1996 equaled only 70 percent of the comparable personal income figures reported in the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Income and Production Accounts (NIPA) that serve as the basis for measuring the gross national product. 17 The Census Bureau's annual Current Population Survey (CPS), which serves as the basis for its income distribution data, collects data on the receipt of many additional types of income beyond those included under "money income." These additional income data, however, are excluded from Census's official income distribution figures, which are based on money income only. The Census Bureau does publish data using expanded concepts of income in technical tables in some publications; however, these tables, which offer 17 alternative definitions of income, are bewildering even to professionals in the field. Yet in its texts describing inequality, and in briefing materials given to the press, the Census Bureau continues to promote figures based on limited "money income." As a result, nearly all discussions of income inequality in the popular media and among policymakers and government officials rely on data that can be misleading. Fortunately, the additional income data collected in the Current Population Survey are made available to researchers in electronic form, and we have used these data as the basis for the analyses provided in this report. Table 1 shows the effects of incorporating a more complete count of income and taxes. (This is the same as the Stage 2 adjustment made earlier, except that the adjustments are shown in greater detail.) First, capital gains and losses are added (Stage 2A). This adjustment raises total annual income by some $200 billion and increases income inequality. Next, employee health benefits and government transfers are added (Stage 2B). Government transfers include the earned income tax credit, food stamps, school lunch programs, public housing, Medicaid, and Medicare. Medicaid and Medicare benefits are counted at their insurance or market value, which equals the average government expenditures on benefits to individuals in specific age and risk categories. These adjustments add nearly $500 billion to the total annual income and decrease income inequality. Finally, the effects of federal income tax, state income tax, property taxes, and Social Security taxes are shown in Stage 2C. This adjustment reduces annual total income by some $1.2 trillion and markedly decreases inequality. We have termed these figures in Stage 2C "comprehensive post-tax income." They are the same as the completed Stage 2 figures presented in Chart 2 and elsewhere in this report. 18 When decisionmakers, journalists, and the public view the government's official income distribution figures, there is a common and implicit assumption that the quintiles contain equal shares of the population. After all, the notion that we should measure "inequality" by comparing the aggregate incomes of groups that are, themselves, unequal in size is at best confusing. However, as noted, the official Census income "quintiles" do not contain equal shares of the population, and this fact skews the Census Bureau's measure of income distribution. No one would think it valid to measure inequality between New York State and Delaware by simply comparing the aggregate incomes in the two states. In such a comparison, income differences would mainly reflect vast differences in state populations. But the Census Bureau makes precisely this sort of unbalanced comparison whenever it compares quintiles of unequal size. Chart 7 shows the percent of the population contained within each Census "quintile." While the middle quintile does contain roughly one-fifth of the population, the others do not. The high disparity in population between the highest-income and lowest-income quintiles is of particular interest. While the top quintile contains 24.3 percent of the population, the bottom quintile contains only 14.8 percent. In raw numbers, there are 64.2 million persons in the top quintile, compared with 39.2 million in the bottom quintile. Thus, for every person in the lowest quintile, there are 1.64 persons in the top. This imbalance in population is a major factor contributing to the apparent levels of inequality in Census Bureau figures. The Census Bureau quintiles are unequal in size because they are based on a count of households rather than persons. A household is defined as a person or group of persons living in a single housing unit. In the United States, high-income households tend to be married couples with many members and earners. Low-income households tend to be single persons with little or no earnings. It should be no surprise, then, that the average household in the Census Bureau's top quintile contains 3.1 persons, while the average household in the bottom quintile contains 1.9 people. Overall, 54.9 percent of the households in the bottom quintile have only one person compared with 7 percent in the top quintile. Although the disparity in the population sizes of the Census quintiles is striking, an analysis of the types of individuals in each quintile reveals even greater disparity. Chart 8 shows the number of people in each official quintile divided into age categories: children (under 18), elderly (over age 64), and working age adults (ages 18 to 64). The elderly comprise about one-tenth of the total population. Elderly persons are generally retired and thus tend to have lower incomes than families headed by working adults. It should be no surprise, then, that the lowest three official quintiles contain the bulk of elderly persons. Children, by contrast, are more abundant in the higher-income quintiles. For example, the top two quintiles contain some 34 million children, compared with 24 million in the bottom two quintiles. However, the greatest differences occur among working age adults. The highest official quintile has 2.4 working age adults for each such adult in the bottom quintile. In fact, the 44.1 million working age adults in the top quintile by themselves outnumber the entire population (adults, elderly, and children combined) of the bottom quintile. The number of working age adults in the top quintile alone is greater than the number of such adults in the lower two quintiles combined. The high-income and low-income quintiles constructed by Census differ radically in population and age as well as family structure, which significantly affects the amount of income in each quintile. The Census practice of measuring inequality by comparing aggregate incomes between "quintiles" that contain widely differing numbers of persons can be extremely misleading. A far clearer picture of income inequality can be obtained by adjusting the quintiles so that each actually contains 20 percent of the population. The large effects of equalizing the number of persons within each quintile (in Stage 3) are shown in Chart 9 . Natural differences between the quintiles still exist; the bottom quintile has more elderly persons and fewer working age adults than the other quintiles. But these differences are quite modest compared with those shown in Chart 8 . It appears obvious that the quintiles shown in Chart 9 offer a fairer basis for comparing income equality that the official unbalanced "quintiles" in Chart 8. To a large degree, the relative poverty of the Census Bureau's official bottom quintile shown in Chart 8 results from the simple lack of people within the quintile rather than from economic factors. By contrast, differences in incomes between the quintiles in Chart 9 will be the result mainly of economic factors rather than of mere differences in the size of the quintiles. 19 Rich and Poor, Married and Unmarried. One frequently overlooked dimension of the gap between the "rich" and the "poor" is how much it is affected by marital status. 20 As Chart 10 shows, only about 30 percent of all persons in Census's bottom quintile live in married couple families; the rest either live in single-parent families or reside alone as single individuals. In the top quintile, the situation is reversed: Some 90 percent of persons live in married couple families. In this case, equalizing the numbers of persons within the quintiles makes little difference; even after each quintile is adjusted to contain the same number of persons, 85 percent of persons in the top quintile continue to live in married couple families compared with one-third in the bottom. The prevalence of marriage in the higher quintiles and its near absence in the bottom quintile should not be a surprise. Marriage provides the opportunity to bring two incomes into the home. Equally important, married parents tend to have higher levels of ability and skill than do non-married parents. This is particularly true in the case of never-married mothers. Today, one child in three is born out of wedlock to mothers who have, on average, very low levels of math and verbal ability. The collapse of marriage among the less capable members of society has tended to magnify pre-existing tendencies toward inequality. Research by Robert I. Lerman of the Urban Institute has shown that half the increase in income inequality in recent years is a product of the growth of single parenthood. 21 DETAILED ANALYSIS: INEQUALITY OF INCOME AND INEQUALITY OF WORK As noted, the official Census Bureau income quintiles contain unequal shares of the population. However, even greater inequality results from the amount of work performed within each quintile. Chart 11 displays the official Census quintiles again. It shows both the percentage of working age adults (ages 18-64) in each quintile and the percentage of total hours of work performed by the quintile. The bottom official quintile contains only 11.5 percent of working age adults and only 5.6 percent of all hours of work performed in the economy in 1997. By contrast, the top quintile contains 27.6 percent of working age adults and nearly one-third of all the hours of labor performed. There are nearly five hours of paid work performed in the Census top quintile for every hour of work performed in the bottom quintile. Thus, not only do the lower-income quintiles have fewer working age adults, but each adult on average performs significantly fewer hours of work than his counterparts do in the higher quintiles. Chart 12 shows the average number of hours of work per week per working age adult for each quintile. While there are 14.4 hours of work performance for each working age adult in the bottom quintile, the comparable number in the top quintile is 34.6 hours. On average, non-elderly adults in the Census Bureau's top quintile tend to perform almost three times as much labor as those in the bottom quintile. Chart 13 shows similar data after the quintiles are adjusted to contain equal numbers of persons (Stage 3). The share of working age adults in the bottom quintile rises dramatically from 11.5 percent to 18.5 percent. The share of work performed in the bottom quintile more than doubles, rising from 5.6 percent to 13.1 percent. These large changes underscore the degree to which apparent inequality is a direct result of the arbitrary population imbalance between Census quintiles. Of course, even after the quintiles are adjusted to contain equal numbers of persons, large differences in the amount of work performed remain. As Chart 13 shows, the amount of hours of work in the top quintile is nearly twice that in the bottom quintile. This is, in part, a result of the fact that the top quintile still contains roughly one-fifth more working age adults than does the bottom quintile, even after the Stage 3 demographic adjustment. Even more important, however, is the continuing difference in the average number of hours worked by adults. After the Stage 3 adjustment, non-elderly adults (ages 18-64) in the top quintile work, on average, 34 hours per week compared with 21 hours in the bottom quintile (see Chart 14 ). In addition, the workers in the top quintile tend to be more highly skilled and better paid. The average education level of working age householders in the top quintile is four years greater than those in the bottom quintile. Thus, income inequality in the United States is intensified by the fact that more highly skilled and more productive workers tend to work more while low skilled workers work less. An accurate measurement of income distribution should meet three criteria: It should utilize the most accurate and complete income data available. It should take into account the effects of taxes. It should treat all persons as having equal value and importance within the system of measurement. The conventional Census Bureau measurement of income distribution fails on all three tests of accuracy. Of particular importance is the fact that Census does not treat all persons equally, but "weights" its data to give far greater significance to some persons than it does to others. When decisionmakers, journalists, and the public view Census income distribution figures, most will assume implicitly that the so-called quintiles contain equal shares of the population. After all, the idea that we should measure "inequality" by comparing the total incomes of groups that are themselves substantially unequal in size is, at best, perplexing. But the Census quintiles do not contain equal numbers of persons. The lowest income quintile is significantly underpopulated while the top quintile is overpopulated. This fact dramatically skews the apparent distribution of income, making it appear less equal in the United States than it actually is. Moreover, the critical fact that the quintiles do not contain equal numbers of persons is not revealed in Census reports. The limitations in the Census measurement of income distribution lead to a considerable exaggeration of income inequality. According to normal Census data, the top quintile of society in 1997 had $13.86 of income for every $1.00 received by the bottom quintile. However, if incomes and taxes are counted more completely, and if the quintiles are adjusted to contain equal numbers of persons, then the ratio of the incomes of the top to the bottom quintile drops to $4.23 to $1.00. Moreover, the remaining difference is due in a large part to the fact that working age adults in the top quintile work almost twice as many hours, on average, as those in the bottom quintile. If such adults worked the same number of hours, the ratio of incomes would fall to around $3.18 to $1.00. Differences in income in the United States are the natural result of vast differences in ability and behavior between individuals. In general, those persons at high income levels tend to be married, to work large numbers of hours per year, to have high levels of skill and productivity, and to provide higher levels of savings and investment necessary to sustain the overall prosperity of the economy. By contrast, individuals in the lowest income quintile tend generally to be non-married, to work little, and to have lower levels of skill and productivity. Despite these factors, the average per capita income within the bottom quintile remains over $8,000 per year, which is slightly higher, in inflation-adjusted terms, than the average per capita income in the whole society at the beginning of World War II. Robert E. Rector is Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Rea S. Hederman, Jr. is a Policy Analyst in the Center for Data Analysis at The Heritage Foundation. Methodological Appendix This paper examines the distribution of income and income inequality with data extracted from the March Current Population Survey of 1998. Like the Census Bureau, this report studies income at the household level. Group quarters are not included in this survey. The authors also used data extracted from the Internal Revenue Service's Public Use File for 1995 (IRS SOI), containing a sample of actual tax returns designed to replicate the total tax returns received by the IRS. In general, this study does not account for the underreporting of income to the Census Bureau. Post-Tax Income. Comprehensive post-tax income includes money income plus realized capital gains, the earned income tax credit, employer-provided health insurance, school lunch benefits, food stamp benefits, government rent subsidies, and Medicaid and Medicare benefits. Federal and state income taxes, payroll taxes, and property taxes are subtracted. Income variables that were only given at the family or person level were aggregated to the household level. Thus, all FICA taxes paid by a household were added together by person and then subtracted from the household's final income. Food stamps and other family-level income data were treated in the same manner. "Comprehensive post-tax income" is very similar to the Census income "definition 14," as described in the Census Bureau's Current Population Reports, Income, Poverty and Valuation on Noncash Benefits, except that it employs the basic market or insurance value for Medicaid and Medicare without the "fungible" adjustment. 22 The insurance value of Medicaid and Medicare (also called the market value) equals the average net government outlay for persons of a specific risk class within a given state. The risk classes used are elderly, disabled persons, non-disabled adult, and non-disabled child. Under this approach, the value of Medicaid or Medicare equals the average cost to the government of medical services provided to a given class of persons; it does not report specific medical expenditures for particular individuals. The fungible method of valuing Medicare and Medicaid begins with the insurance value of benefits but then alters the values based on the family's income class. The full insurance value is assigned to benefits received by the middle class, but a lower value or zero value is assigned when the same benefits are received by a low-income household. The fungible adjustment was devised for the measurement of poverty, not income distribution. In measuring poverty, it is used to determine whether a household's income should be considered above the poverty threshold. However, the fungible adjustment, which deliberately reduces the value of benefits received by low-income groups, is not appropriate for the measure of income equality that seeks to compare the economic resources of one household relative to others. The fungible adjustment results in a substantial undercounting of government transfers to low-income groups. Top Coding. An adjustment was made to compensate for the Census Bureau's "top coding" restriction. Top coding limits the maximum value of capital gains reported in the CPS to $99,999. With normal CPS data, capital gains values that exceed this limit are simply reported as $99,999. In order to obtain a more thorough estimate of high levels of capital gains income, we have replaced those capital gains values subject to the top coding restriction with higher values taken from Internal Revenue Service data. This adjustment was made in the following manner: The 1995 Statistics of Income file of the IRS was used to determine the mean amount of capital gains income for those returns which reported capital gains income above $99,999. This value was adjusted to 1997 dollars and substituted for each of the CPS capital gains values subject to the top code restriction. These adjustments mainly increase reported incomes in the top quintile. There also are some other top coding problems, notably limits on the amounts of earnings and taxes reported. However, no other top coding adjustments were made in this study. Ranking. Adjustments to income in Stage 2 were performed at the level of individual households. After each adjustment, the households were re-ranked based on their new income figures. Households then were weighted according to the CPS household weight variable. The Stage 4 adjustments are more general; earnings were adjusted at the quintile level based the aggregate earnings and average labor data within the quintile. Additional Missing Income. Although the comprehensive income figures shown in Table 1 are a substantial improvement over conventional Census money income data, they still fall short of real income in the United States economy. This shortfall is due to serious underreporting of incomes in the basic annual Census survey instrument, the Current Population Survey (CPS). Even the most comprehensive measure of pre-tax income from the CPS, which reaches $5.77 trillion (in Stage 2B), still falls short of personal income figures in the Commerce Department's National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) by some $1.5 trillion. Clearly, the incorporation of this additional unreported income could skew the measure of income distribution significantly. Correction for this additional underreporting is beyond the scope of the current analysis but will be the subject of future research at The Heritage Foundation. At present, we can only list the types and magnitudes of unreported income and offer tentative suggestions on their impact on income distribution. The largest amount of income unreported in the CPS is some $900 billion in interest, dividends, and rent, which would accrue disproportionately to the higher-income and middle-income quintiles. However, some $300 billion in government transfers and benefits is also unreported; these funds would be concentrated in the lower two quintiles. Some $300 billion in self-employment income is unreported; this shortfall is mainly income in the informal service sector and would accrue largely to the lower half of the population. Finally, there is over $150 million in pension and retirement income that is reported to the IRS but does not appear in the CPS; this would accrue largely to the lower and middle quintiles. Clearly, there is substantial unreported income in both the top and bottom halves of the income distribution. If all this income were reported accurately in the Current Population Survey, it is uncertain whether this would significantly raise or lower the levels of inequality reported in this paper. Accompanying Tables For accompanying tables, please click here for the PDF file. 1. David Mulhausen provided valuable assistance in the preparation of this report.

income distribution data

I was only 10 years old on the day that Timothy McVeigh parked his fertilizer bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. At the time, I didn't know what it meant to have witnessed the "deadliest terror attack to date" on U.S. soil; all I knew was... The wheels on the bus go thump-thump-thump...right over the guy tasked with fixing an impossible mess. It's official: Jamal Benomar, the UN's special advisor on Yemen has resigned . For the past four years, Benomar has been the person tasked with guiding the various factions in Yemen through a peaceful, post-Arab Spring... A Massachusetts jury is ready to release the verdict in the Boston Marathon bombing trial. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is accused on 30 counts; 17 of those counts carry a sentence of either death or life in prison. In terms of the end result, it could come down to Count 1: Conspiracy to... ISIS doesn't just want to recruit new soldiers into the fold--they want to show those soldiers that joining the cause is more than just a one-off decision. It's a future. Over the last few days, the Islamic State in Syria has posted several pictures of "graduation ceremonies," celebrating the end of... We now know a little bit more about the Germanwings pilot who deliberately crashed into a mountain, killing himself and 149 other people; but friends and family are still baffled as to why 28 year old Andreas Gunter Lubitz would lock himself into the cockpit and initiate the plane's deadly... Someone needs to go check the cable connections at the White House, because the comms department clearly hasn't watched TV or read the internet in the past month. Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest executed what may be the most impressive whiff in recent memory. ABC News White House Correspondent... ...a U.S. assessment...determined that Kurdish fighters are responsible for the majority of the territory retaken from ISIS in... Among the sins and omissions documented by Behar and Weiss are...

deadliest terror attack

Errol Morris is an academy award-winning documentary filmmaker. His films include Gates of Heaven, The Thin Blue Line, A Brief History of Time, Fast, Cheap, & Out of Control, and Standard Operating Procedure . Roger Ebert said, "After twenty years of reviewing films, I haven't found another filmmaker who intrigues me more...Errol Morris is like a magician, and as great a filmmaker as Hitchcock or Fellini." Recently, The Guardian listed him as one of the ten most important film directors in the world. Our two French bulldogs, Boris and Ivan. I think they look like the Olsen twins, no? When I am packing to go away, they try to get in my bag either because they don't want me to go away or because they want me to take them. No checked luggage. If it can't go in overhead, it's not worth taking. Sorry bulldogs, next time. Click the thumbnails above to see images and captions. Tape recorders. Two. An Olympus WS-210S and an Edirol R-09HR . You never know when you are going to have to tape someone. Be prepared. Also extra batteries. AA and AAA. Better safe than sorry. (Truman Capote said that he had a "photographic" recall of interviews. I think he was lying.)

Errol Morris is an academy award-winning documentary filmmaker

Dear GOP voters who say they want to defeat the Democrats, Let's make our first mission clear: defeating the neo-progressive, leftist Democrats. If we can unite around that one goal, we're golden. The Democrats (leftists) stand for abortion on demand , limiting speech , limiting gun rights (but not so secretly wanting to ban them outright) and that humans are some how responsible for the warming of the planet (but not responsible for life we create) therefore we must be taxed more monies to fix it. The Democrats are the enemy. They must be defeated. Okay? Okay. In order for us to defeat the Democrats, and leftism as a whole, we must bolster conservatism and conservatives. Leftists are already attacking conservatives. We gain nothing by turning on our own kind. So people calling Cruz "Lying Ted" or Rubio "Little Marco" or even falsely claiming that Kasich took money from George Soros (he didn't, someone who works for one of his firms gave some money to Kasich ) we're not pointing to policy differences. We're assasinating character. Even if you don't want those guys as president, you know what you really REALLY don't want? For all of these people to lose their seats to Democrats. Just think of how invigorated the conservative movement was after their monumental mid-term victories in 2010. Before you say it, I know, I know, many of those people turned out to be disappointments and betrayals. And the representatives who went back on their promises SHOULD be ousted... by their constituency . Not by a reality show election. Listen, I don't like Kasich. He's not a conservative, he looks like a baby bird caught in the BP oil spill and he shouldn't be president. But he is a Republican governor in an increasingly blue Democrat state that can often determine outcomes of a national election. He was preceded by a Democrat. If Republican voters absolutely obliterate him in a general through dirty character assassinations, Ohio could easily swing back heavily blue. President Hillary Clinton with a strong ally in Ohio would be a catastrophe of epic proportions. I despise that Marco Rubio was part of the "Gang of Eight." But Florida is a swing state. If he loses his senate seat, it could go either way. You think Marco's bad? Remember who he replaced? Charlie Crist? In today's undefined umbrella term of "establishment" it's easy to forget what the term actually means. Look it up. "Establishment." You'll find Charlie Crist's picture next to it. If Ted Cruz loses the primary, he has to go back to the senate. Even if you're a Trump supporter and hate Ted Cruz, would you really rather a Democrat or even a true RINO take his seat? Because if he's ousted due to shifting public view regarding his uncharacter, undoubtedly whoever replaces him will be less conservative. It's mathematically impossible for someone to be more conservative, because Ted Cruz has been the single most consistent, conservative in all of modern American politics. There are plenty more examples, but you get my point. Democrats rally around each other. They circle the wagons. In the GOP, we throw our guys under the bus at the next stop. Democrats understand something that angry Republicans don't. They understand the long-ball, and that destroying all allies is not a viable strategy in trying to oppose and defeat US, the Republicans. When I recorded my undercover video at a Bernie rally , I was struck by Bernie's rhetoric. His greatest swipe at Hillary was "Another issue where Hillary and I have a stark disagreement is campaign finance reform!" "Stark disagreement." Bernie Sanders is talking about a woman who was complicit in the cover-up of sexual harassment suits, rape accusations , the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi , hiding classified emails on a private server in her broom closet and yes, EVEN KILLED A GUY (allegedly). Yet Bernie's sternest rebuke was a mere "stark disagreement." Contrast that with conservatives creating Facebook groups and hashtags and poster boards for "LYIN' TED!" who's greatest sin was having a wife who works for Goldman Sachs. I'm not saying Republicans shouldn't vet their candidates. Of course they should! That's what a primary is for. I also like the fact that, unlike the Democrats who agree on virtually every issue 100% of the time, the Republican party comprises of an intellectually diverse group . That's a good thing. Republicans disagreeing on policy is fine. It's productive, but it doesn't harm their candidacy in a general election. Let me give you an example... If Ted Cruz and Donald Trump simply attacked Marco Rubio by pointing out his work with "The Gang of Eight," it would serve their purpose of providing contrast to their positions. The attacks would and have no doubt hurt Marco Rubio in the primary. But guess what it doesn't do. It doesn't provide Hillary Clinton with ammo in a general election. Mrs. Pro-Amnesty herself is not going to attack Marco Rubio on a national stage for being "too moderate" on immigration. Her audience would see it as a positive. On the flip-side, if everybody just labels Marco Rubio as a closeted homosexual who's been hired by the illuminati to do the "establishment's" bidding, ergo he can't be trusted... Well Hillary will have those kinds of attacks on a TV loop like a morphine drip. Look, I understand that a huge portion of the Republican voter base is angry. Many of you with good reason. But if you really care about keeping America great, if you really want to ensure that the damage to liberty done by Barack Obama and her potential successor, Hillary Clinton (I just threw up a little) is mitigated, we need to be smarter about it. Throwing frustration like a dirty bomb at every single person who isn't your one, single savior is not only unproductive, but it guarantees us all that the United States may never be the country we want it to be again. Send your hate-mail , I know you will anyway. But hopefully a few of you will think about this a little. If you'll excuse me, I have to go accept my million dollar checks from BigOil, BigPharma, The Koch Brothers and "The Establishment." I'm late for our meeting. Send hate-tweets to @SCROWDER . Good Times.

GOP voters who say they want to defeat the Democrats

Militant attack in Tunisia A patrol of the National Guard was ambushed in the northwestern Jendouba province. At least six security personnel were killed in the attack July 9, 2018 at 4:05 am | Published in: Africa , Tunisia , Videos & Photo Stories Dead bodies of victims who lost their lives on a militant attack in western Tunisia are brought to Charles Nicole Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia on 8 July 2018 [Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency] Dead bodies of victims who lost their lives on a militant attack in western Tunisia are brought to Charles Nicole Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia on 8 July 2018 [Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency] Dead bodies of victims who lost their lives on a militant attack in western Tunisia are brought to Charles Nicole Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia on 8 July 2018 [Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency] Dead bodies of victims who lost their lives on a militant attack in western Tunisia are brought to Charles Nicole Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia on 8 July 2018 [Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency] Dead bodies of victims who lost their lives on a militant attack in western Tunisia are brought to Charles Nicole Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia on 8 July 2018 [Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency] Dead bodies of victims who lost their lives on a militant attack in western Tunisia are brought to Charles Nicole Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia on 8 July 2018 [Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency] Dead bodies of victims who lost their lives on a militant attack in western Tunisia are brought to Charles Nicole Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia on 8 July 2018 [Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency] Dead bodies of victims who lost their lives on a militant attack in western Tunisia are brought to Charles Nicole Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia on 8 July 2018 [Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency] This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License . If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them. What does that mean? For permissions beyond the scope of this license, please contact us . Spotted an error on this page? Let us know

Militant attack in Tunisia

(Photo: Kenny Louie/Flickr) When you admire someone's success, and tell them that their work has great meaning for you, the reaction of most people is to downplay your compliment. There's the standard response: "Anybody could have done it" There's the awkward line: "It was nothing, really" And then, there's the insincerity of: "I'm so humbled that you liked my work" The same thing happens when people show their work. It's always with caveats, with disclaimers and with phrases meant to distract you from the simple fact that they're proud of themselves. But we don't need to play that game. When something we have worked on is good, and we know it's good, and others say it's good, there's no reason to try and look humble, or to attempt to sidestep the praise. Because at the end of the day... If you aren't proud of your work, you can't stand by it. And if you can't stand by it, why should anyone else? I think there's two reasons that creatives and entrepreneurs dance the humble shuffle and hide their pride: 1. We want to protect our egos The first reason is that we're conditioned to avoid and reject praise. This happens from a young age. Everyone is told that they shouldn't seem arrogant or full of themselves. Bringing others down a peg or two is considered to be a good thing. How shitty is that? We have a tall poppy syndrome, where we hate to see other people succeed, and when people do we feel angered if they own it. We are all like that. Me, you, everybody. If you think you're not, you need to work on being honest with yourself. The effect of it is that when we finish work, no matter how good it is, even if it's the single greatest accomplishment of our lives, we're scared that others will want to cut us down or criticize us if we seem to happy with ourselves. We want to protect our egos by pre-empting negative reactions and distancing ourselves from what we've finished even as we try to entice others to experience what we've made. So we send out our work and we say: Hey, I made this little thing...it's not great...it's only a first version...I'm sure you have a lot of criticisms...for what it's worth, here it is. Don't feel you have to look at it. You know what we should be saying? Here is my work. I worked fucking hard. I'm proud of it, and I think you'll like it. Read it, use it and enjoy it. 2. We don't want to blow our own trumpets Here's the second reason. We just don't think that we should be the ones talking about what we've done. That's for others to do. We feel too awkward to talk about how well we think we did. That's why we pretend to be no big deal, and when we stand up to accept our Oscar-MTV-Startup awards we claim that we are humbled to be there, and all the credit really goes to our managers or boyfriends or that guy who makes our bagels in the morning. But do you know what the problem is? In the end, there's only one person who can really communicate about you and your accomplishments. And that's you. You, with your perfect understanding of exactly how many hours of toil, blood, sweat and honest human shit went into your work. You can tell your story. If you want to wait for others to talk about your work and sing the praises of what you've put out there into the black hole of the internet, you can go right ahead. But you're missing out on your chance to share your journey. Oh, and you'll be waiting a long time. It's Time We Started Being Proud. It really is time we let go of both sincere and insincere modesty. I know that over the last few months I have worked harder than ever before to become a writer and to hone my craft. That hard work hasn't happened at a desk, 9-5. It's happened on the train home at the end of the day. I write half of my posts on my phone when I'm heading to the gym at 6 in the morning. So when I finish a piece, when I finally drag it kicking and screaming over the word count, I don't distance myself from it. I tell my closest friends, look at this thing that I managed to pull out of myself when it was late at night and I could have been doing a dozen other things. I'm proud of my writing. I really am. And you should be proud too. Proud of your work, your company, your app, your brand new song, that 5 page film script with the three flashbacks and the dream sequences. You should be proud of the lines of code you slaved over and the UI that nobody is going to notice because it's so bloody perfect. You should be proud of it because you did it. You should say you're proud of it because you know how hard it was to do it. Jon Westenberg is a Sydney based writer focusing on creativity, culture and business. He holds a Masters in Journalism and has worked in several tech companies. Most of his work can be found at: www.jonwestenberg.com

When you admire someone's success, and tell them that their work has great meaning for you, the reaction of most people is to downplay your compliment.

Time and again national pollsters insist on reporting how NRA members and other gun owners feel about gun control. Don't believe a word of it. Read More >>> Of those 350,000 applicants, a small fraction, 365 had a disqualifier based on the NICS background checks and had their permits cleared or revoked. Read More >>> We're sick & tired of the attacks on our way of life. We're fed up with being called murderers by 16-year-old teenagers, and we're tired of being spat upon by a bloodthirsty media pushing the anti-gun Read More >>> Ammoland Inc. Posted on April 23, 2018 by Ammoland YETI explained that we were offering them an alternative customization program broadly available to consumers and organizations, including the NRA Foundation. Read More >>> SB-7026 was called the "gun control bill" by the media because they recognized that this bill more about gun control than school safety. Read More >>> There is no legitimate reason for this ordinance. It is merely a harassment of the law-abiding gun purchasers, who live, pay taxes and vote in Leon county.. Read More >>> Mary Ann Lindley is so rabidly anti-gun she is determined to impose these restrictions on law-abiding gun owners and force the financial burden on the tax payers of Leon County. Read More >>> Ammoland Inc. Posted on March 25, 2018 by NRAHQ Since his money buys him a seat above the law, he must feel safe calling for gun control and banning the guns of honest, hardworking, law-abiding citizens. Read More >>> Among those Commissioners who fought to support, protect & defend the Constitution & the rule of law were: Sheriff Gainey, Senator Gaetz, Rep. Sprowls, Attorney General Bondi, & Commission Chair Beruf Read More >>> Some of the members of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission are very anti-gun and they are pushing gun ban and gun control amendments to put in the Florida Constitution.. Read More >>> The gun bill was rammed through the Florida Legislature and signed by Florida Governor, Rick Scott, is now causing real financial harm to young adults who lost their rights. Read More >>> Mike Spies is just one of a long list of leftists who have attempted to demonize her. It never works, because the left's idea of wrong is what most normals consider right. Read More >>> In one of the most despicable displays of bullying & coercion the FL House voted 67 to 50 to pass an unconstitutional bill that violates Second Amendment rights & punishes lawful citizens. Read More >>> Senators are being bullied into voting for gratuitous gun control measures in order to be able to vote on school safety.. Read More >>> Video | Ammoland Inc. Posted on February 23, 2018 February 22, 2018 by Ammoland An organized effort to bully legislators into passing legislation to hijack your Second Amendment rights is underway in Florida and you need to step up & fight back. Read More >>> A license holder whose firearm becomes briefly and openly displayed to the ordinary sight of another person is not a criminal and this innocent act should not be a crime. Read More >>> Overwhelmingly Democrats in the Florida House and Florida Senate are continuing to vote against restoring private property rights of Churches... Read More >>> HB-39 is a bill to stop the abuse of law-abiding citizens who are licensed by the State to carry concealed firearms for self-defense and whose firearm becomes temporarily exposed.. Read More >>> Video | Ammoland Inc. Posted on January 18, 2018 January 20, 2018 by Ammoland If you Google Marion P. Hammer, you will be impressed by her many accomplishments. There are hundreds of articles and praise for her work - even from those who hate the NRA and our Second Amendment. Read More >>> No one is talking about the greatest threat to "gun rights" -- a "pathway to citizenship" for alien populations that by all objective measures are "anti-gun." Read More >>> Sometimes when you when think a group cannot be any more ridiculous, they prove you wrong. That was the case in Florida last week... Read More >>> Right now, a group of agitators have already quietly worked their way onto the NRA Board and others are now actively trying to get elected to the NRA Board.. Read More >>> Their personal conduct regarding fidelity becomes the business of everyone whose lives Flores' and Braynon's penchants for betrayal directly impact. Read More >>> They wear red t-shirts with "Moms Demand Action" on them and always try to sit in a group behind the speaker's podium where they can be captured on TV.. Read More >>> Posts navigation Mark Zanghetti : How could I buy a membership in "Kat's" name? If everyone who could bought a membership in "Kat's" name you... Wild Bill : @Quatermain, Well... brother, first we all know if a judge, senator, congressman, batfe agent or fib agent lives near... Mark Zanghetti : First let us thank God your son is alive and healthy after such an encounter! Thank your son for his... Don : The minute you take off the factory rear grip and put something else on that gun your're in a gray... Wild Bill : Author David Limbaugh, quite correctly, used the word "consuming". I say let the libtards frenzy, let the libtards riot,...

gun control

Another layer to the mess that is the NFL's disciplinary action against Ezekiel Elliott: His suspension is in effect again, two weeks after a judge ruled that the league would be "temporarily restrained and enjoined from enforcing" discipline against Elliott until a different judge returned from vacation at the end of... The Broncos manhandled the Cowboys 42-17, just a thorough annihilation in every aspect of the game. But almost immediately, most of the blame for the loss--or at least the loudest of the criticism--fell upon Ezekiel Elliott, who had the worst game of his life. United States District Court Judge Amos Mazzant ruled today in favor of Ezekiel Elliott, granting him a preliminary injunction against the NFL. It means that the Cowboys running back's six-game suspension is blocked, at least for now. The NFL's decision to suspend Ezekiel Elliott for six games appears to have been based less on allegations that Elliott physically assaulted his ex-girlfriend than on what the league perceived as his lack of cooperation with its year-long investigation, according to hearing transcripts made public in the players'... A transcript of Ezekiel Elliott's appeal hearing with the NFL has been made public in court filings of the players' association's lawsuit against the league, and it contains testimony from Lisa Friel, the NFL's senior vice president for investigations, in which she admits that the lead investigator who worked on the... The full NFL investigative report on star Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has been released. It was included as an exhibit to a lawsuit , filed in federal court by the NFL Players' Association, demanding that Elliott's league-issued suspension be vacated. In its lawsuit, the NFLPA calls what transpired "one... Ezekiel Elliott's appeal hearing for his six-game suspension concluded today--with the NFL's lead investigator, Kia Roberts, reportedly testifying that she had recommended Elliott not be suspended, only to find her recommendation missing from the league's final report.

Ezekiel Elliott

Quote: Graphic 3-- Canada vote breakdown -- exactly what the votes were -- without the non-voters included Quote: SJ -- yours is a completely incompetent reading of the graphic. When it says in graph 3 "Without absention," I just assume all non-voters turned out to vote for the purpose of that exercise. Because if it was with absention, then to my mind the graph would have to show that as a percentage, or else, it might be mistaken for the reason why everyone's slice of the pie expanded like it did. Hmmm. This image was part of the announcement made in Campbell River, "the Salmon Capital of the World." The joke for those that don't know their fish is that this is not a Pacific salmon but rather an Atlantic salmon. The wheels on the Harper bus are starting top fall off. This was the same regional tour that included an unethical photo-op with Scouts in uniform.

Canada vote breakdown

Former Chicago Bears tight end Desmond Clark says he has never experienced racism in the past but claims that that's simply not the case anymore for him and his family. Clark and his wife recently turned themselves in to police to face misdemeanor charges for an altercation at their teenage son's suburban high school Aug. 29. The pair have both been charged with disorderly conduct, and Clark's wife, Maria, has also been charged with assault, according to the Chicago Sun-Times . Clark, 38, said he and his wife drove to Vernon Hill High School after receiving a call from their son complaining that a school administrator had called him out in front of other students. The 17-year-old was part of a lip-sync battle at a weekend event at the school but was not allowed to compete due to a previous school infraction. Instead, the team wanted to recognize the teenager for his contributions to the team, but the administrator allegedly refused to let that happen. (Image source: WFLD-TV) "She told our son, 'This is an activity for good students who make good decisions.' He said, 'Am I a criminal because I made one mistake?' and she said, 'If he wants to act like a criminal, he can get out,'" Clark told the Sun-Times. Clark said that when he and his wife arrived at the school, the two began to question the administrator. According to him, his wife repeatedly asked, "What did you say to my son?" and he gave "impassioned speech about how our family has been treated." The Clarks' lawyer, Frank Avila, denied that Maria ever assaulted anyone at the school or issued any threats. "I said, 'Hey, we are so sick and tired of being singled out in this community. My son has been called a n***** repeatedly at school and was told his family hangs from trees--and was treated like a criminal. This needs to stop,'" Clark told the Sun-Times. Clark claims that he initially called the police to the school, and after they arrived, he and his wife were able to leave without any further incident. It was about a week ago that Clark was notified that he and his wife were facing charges. "This is a huge overreaction," Avila told the Sun-Times of their charges. "I think it's racist. I think it's disparate treatment and completely unfair." Clark and his wife were released from jail after they both posted 10 percent of their $2,500 bond. Avila said police initially sought $25,000 bonds for each of them. "Why would you set bond at $25,000 each for them?" Avila said. "They aren't going anywhere." Vernon Hills High School (Image source: CLTV) Clark works as a financial advisor and has previously helped coach the high school football team. Maria is attending college in order to become a pharmacist. Although the school district had barred Clark from school grounds after the incident, he was able to make an appearance on the high school's football field on a night honoring the senior football players. He was escorted by the school's athletic director and had to leave the premises before the game began. "We do our very best to apply rules and behavioral guidelines fairly and consistently, and when there is a problem," Vernon Hills High School principal Jon Guillaume told the Sun-Times. "We do our very best to address it head-on and not sidestep it in the most fair and consistent way. It's disappointing if we have any family who feel unfairly treated. We don't want that to be the case. Ultimately, we want all our students to feel safe and fairly treated." Clark told the Sun-Times that his son has often been on the receiving end of racial slurs at the school. When his son was a freshman, another student allegedly called him the N-word while in the locker room. Following that incident, a conference was convened about the appropriate language used in the school. The following year, Clark said, another student approached his son and said his "family hangs from trees in the front yard." Clark then said the student was required to write an apology note to his son "and we moved on." Clark's son, who often stays late at school for extracurricular activities, was approached by a school administrator last year who interrogated him about why he was at the facility so late. Clark said "she badgered him like he didn't belong there" but later apologized to his son at another conference with the principal. "I have not faced racism my entire adult life," Clark told the Sun-Times. "My mom was in law enforcement. She worked for the Florida Highway Patrol. I have never been in trouble before. Now mom has three to six months on Earth. She is dying of cancer. You talk about stress levels. But I can't see my mom because I have to be with my family here. It's very hard." Avila, who called the charges against his client "crazy," said he's considering filing a lawsuit against the school district for allegedly violating the family's civil rights. In a Facebook post , Clark claimed the police department has been in constant contact with the high school but hasn't listened to his family. "Now the police department and the school have turned their back on us. I actually volunteered as a coach the previous two years at VHHS and had routinely played basketball with their a lot of their staff every Tuesday and Thursday morning and have forged great relationships there," Clark wrote. "We have been the victims but Vernon Hills has made us the defendants." Read the rest of his Facebook post, which includes strong language, below. RACISM IS ALIVE AND WELL BUT SOME OF US ALREADY KNOW THIS.-In 2012 My son is called a nigger at school-In 2013 he is... WFLD-TV reported the Clarks are due back in court in October.

Desmond Clark says he has never experienced racism in the past but claims that that's simply not the case anymore for him and his family

To make her point, Furchtgott-Roth points to the labor-force participation rate--that is, the percentage of Americans who are working or actively trying to find work. The rate actually ticked up in March and January--a rare increase in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Furchtgott-Roth attributes it, at least partially, to the expiration of unemployment benefits. But this tells us almost nothing. In order to collect benefits, the long-term unemployed are required to look for work. In other words, beneficiaries of UI are by definition already in the labor market. The 0.4 percentage point increase in the participation rate must have other causes--for example, an improving economy that is drawing discouraged workers back into the labor market. Another data point that Furchtgott-Roth cites is the number of long-term unemployed--people who have been out of work for more than six months. It has dropped by 139,000 in the first quarter of 2014 and that, according to Furchtgott-Roth, is proof that benefits were discouraging people from working. (Furchtgott-Roth wrongly says it is 110,000--although she gets it right on Twitter.) But this reduction is nothing new. During the recovery, the number of long-term unemployed has seen a slow, consistent drop: Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics That trend has continued over the past three months but it hasn't accelerated. We also don't know why the ranks of the long-term unemployed are decreasing. They could be finding jobs. They could be dropping out of the labor market. If conservatives are correct that unemployment benefits discourage work, the number of long-term unemployed should fall at a faster pace. That hasn't happened yet (and the best academic evidence says it won't happen), but it is still too early to draw any firm conclusions. The number of long-term unemployed could plummet in the upcoming months--and that would be great news. Finally, Furchtgott-Roth cites the economy's creation of 192,000 jobs in March as evidence of the conservative position. It's a bit strange to cite only the March jobs number since that jobs data is often very noisy, particularly before the Bureau of Labor Statistics has revised the number. A better way to look at the jobs report is using a three-month moving average. When looked at that way, the March jobs numbers (and those in January and February) show no extraordinary growth:

labor-force participation rate

Family sees video of Charlotte police shooting black man dead; city imposes curfew By ANDY SULLIVAN Reuters September 22. 2016 11:12PM Protesters confront police officers in riot gear near Trade and Tryon Streets in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday, as demonstrations continue following the shooting death of Keith Scott by police earlier in the week. (Jeff Siner/Charlotte Observer/TNS) Charlotte police to release videos of fatal shooting of black man Charlotte shooting victim's family says killing doesn't make any sense Charlotte protesters: Release the tapes CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The family of the North Carolina black man whose shooting death by police in triggered two nights of riots viewed video of the episode on Thursday, but a lawyer for the family of Keith Scott said it was unclear if Scott was holding a gun when killed. Scott's family called on police in Charlotte, North Carolina, to immediately release the two police videos that they saw, adding pressure on police to make them public. The rioting that has engulfed the city claimed a victim on Thursday, as city officials said that a protester who was shot on Wednesday had died. With hundreds of protesters gathering in the city for a third straight night, the city on Thursday imposed a curfew from midnight to 6 a.m. local time. National Guard troops fortified a robust police throughout the center of town, helping to quell the crowd. Scott, 43, was killed on Tuesday by a black police officer as part of a police search for another man. Police contend Scott was carrying a gun when he approached officers and ignored repeated orders to drop it. His family previously said he was holding a book, not a firearm. His death is the latest to stir passions in the United States over the police use of deadly force against black men. The family's viewing of the video came on the same day that a police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was charged with first-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man whose car had broken down and blocked a road. Earlier on Thursday, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency in Charlotte and called in the National Guard in response to the rioting. Major Gerald Smith of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department told Reuters that police would not enforce the curfew imposed by the city as long as the protests remained peaceful. "It seems to me tonight is more peaceful than last night," Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts told CNN. Scott's family said it still had "more questions than answers" after watching two police body camera videos of the officer shooting him dead in the parking lot of an apartment complex. "While police did give him several commands, he did not aggressively approach them or raise his hands at members of law enforcement at any time," Justin Bamberg, an attorney for the family, said in the statement. "It is impossible to discern from the videos what, if anything, Mr. Scott is holding in his hands," the statement said, adding that Scott's hands were by his sides and he was slowly walking backward. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney has said the video supported the police account of what happened but does not definitively show Scott pointing a gun at officers. Protestors gather again Nine people were injured and 44 arrested in riots on Wednesday and Thursday morning. The one man who was critically wounded by gunshot, Justin Carr, 26, died as a result on Thursday. The circumstances surrounding his shooting remained unclear. Protesters began gathering again on Thursday after nightfall, with some 200 people marching to chants of "release the video" and "Whose streets? Our streets." Helicopters circled overhead and about 15 National Guard troops in camouflage stood around a Humvee outside the Omni Hotel, where much of the violence took place on Wednesday. Many of the protesters dispute the official account of Scott's death, but Putney told reporters he would not release the video at this time, in part to protect the investigation. The decision to withhold the video from the public was criticized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and members of the clergy from the Charlotte area. "There must be transparency and the videos must be released," the Rev. William Barber, who sits on the national board of the NAACP, told a news conference. Charlotte's reluctance to release the video stands in contrast to Oklahoma, where officials on Monday released footage of the fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher by police after his vehicle broke down on a highway. A long series of controversial fatal police shootings of black men across the United States has sparked more than two years of protests asserting racial bias and excessive force by police and giving rise to the Black Lives Matter movement. Scott's killing was the 214th of a black person by U.S. police this year out of an overall total of 821, according to Mapping Police Violence, an anti-police violence group created out of the protest movement. There is no national-level government data on police shootings.

Charlotte police shooting black man dead

As Guido has pointed out before , current sentiment analysis software simply isn't up to the job and anyone claiming they can provide it is a social media BS artist. Any department who pays Precise Media Monitoring instead of using Tweetdeck (free) should prepare themselves for some rather negative sentiment... Brin is notorious for his complicated love life , recently leaving his wife, genetic-testing entrepreneur Anne Wojcicki following an affair with Google Glass marketing manager Amanda Rosenberg. The affair had ramifications throughout Google, reportedly ruining his relationship with fellow Google co-founder and long time friend Larry Page. Guess he's feeling lucky this time... The complaint was filed to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, the only judicial body with the power to investigate GCHQ. For the first time this year, the IPT ordered the Cheltenham spooks to destroy illegally obtained documents . Let's hope they've started a precedent... 1.5 million smart meters installed in households as part of a nationwide rollout will lose their smart functionality if home-owners decide to switch energy supplier. The whole point of the meters is that consumers are better informed about energy use and thus better equipped to switch to a better deal.. Unbelievably, the government did not require energy suppliers, who are obliged to install smart meters in their customers homes, to make their smart meters compatible with their competitors. To 'fix' the problem, DECC has commissioned, at great expense, a centralised communications network that will 'decode' the smart meter data from each supplier. It could be years before the government's system is up and running... Techno understands that during conception of the smart meter project, a senior civil servant rejected the idea of implementing an open standard for smart meter data that would have avoided this problem and saved the tax-payer millions. They couldn't believe that an open standard could be implemented for free and plumbed for the vastly more expensive option... Facebook say they won't ban the video because such a decision would prevent charities from "raising awareness of the atrocities which are going on around the world" . Government-enforced bans on content deemed distateful by charities would set a troublesome precedent... The US Air Force flattened an ISIS command and control center 22 hours after a dopey jihadi moron took a selfie in front of it. The anecdote was revealed by the spectacularly named head of Air Combat Command, Hawk Carlisle who bragged about his " social media to bombs on target in less than 24 hours" capability. It's hard to blame Musk - who wouldn't take the free money? But it does somewhat dull the shine of his self-made billionaire status... Let's hope there are no incidents of the camera's being "accidentally turned off" at the moment the suspect tripped... The figures obtained by Big Brother Watch show that police have been helping themselves willy nilly to the details of of citizens' internet history, phones calls, emails and texts. Tellingly, police forces vary widely in the amount of communications data requests they internally refuse. Essex Police refused 28% in that time period while Chester Constabulary refused 0.1%. Of course, all requests were necessary and proportionate.. Despite the taxi union's best efforts, UberPop is currently legal in France, but local politicians who have found UberPop guily of creating an " unfair competitive situation " and are ordering the police to stop suspected Uberpop drivers. Vive la revolution!

sentiment analysis software

How General Kelly's Attitudes Reflect the U.S. of A When retired Marine General John Kelly became White House Chief of Staff and thereby the leader of the ruling junta the media were effusive about the "grown-up," and "adult" man. General John F. Kelly: from Brighton to the White House - Boston Globe, July 12 2017 With Kelly, "you've got an adult in the room," said Juliette Kayyem, a former assistant secretary for Homeland Security and author based in Cambridge. John Kelly is a grown-up in command at White House - Washington Times, Juli 31 2017 John Kelly: An adult in a childish president's White House - Seattle Times, August 4 2017 Kelly just proved again that the lauded "adult" and "grown-up" is just another militaristic right-winger, has little knowledge outside of his narrow training and is as smug as the president he nominally serves: White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly on Monday called Robert E. Lee "an honorable man" and said that "the lack of an ability to compromise" led to the Civil War, once again thrusting himself into the public spotlight on an emotionally charged issue. How does one compromise over slavery? The "right" to own and abuse other humans to increase the wealth of their owners was the main issue the southern states fought for: Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery-- the greatest material interest of the world. General Lee was not a nice man . A slave owner himself. he liked to torture his "property" when it did not obey: Wesley Norris, one of the slaves who was whipped, recalled that "not satisfied with simply lacerating our naked flesh, Gen. Lee then ordered the overseer to thoroughly wash our backs with brine, which was done." Was that the deed of "an honorable man"? It is not the first time the "adult" Kelly has shown his real face: Long seen as a force of order and discipline in the White House, the retired Marine general became part of the controversy over the president's calls to Gold Star families this month when he defended Trump's statements to a widow, made false claims about a Florida congresswoman who had criticized the White House and said he would only take questions from reporters who knew families that had lost service members overseas. He told Ingraham on Monday that he did not believe he had anything to apologize for. There is nothing astonishing about this. Kelly did not become a 4-star Marine general for being an enlightened defender of humanity. The illusions some liberal luminaries expose when the lament about Kelly is quite astonishing: Ta-Nehisi Coates @tanehisicoates - 9:29 AM - 31 Oct 2017 Shocking that someone charged with defending their country , in some profound way, does not comprehend the country they claim to defend. The White House and the U.S. military are not about "defending their country". The U.S. is surrounded by two oceans and two weak neighbors. The coast guard and some local police forces are sufficient to defend its borders. How many of the hundred-some wars the U.S. has fought were truly defensive? Most, if not all of them, were and are fought for imperial power and for the enrichment of the people of the United States. The methods were and are brutal and the enemies were and are nearly always depicted in racist terms. The differences between the motives and attitudes of the southern states in the civil war and the motives and attitudes of the U.S. of A towards the world are marginal. Kelly comprehends that well . Lamenting about Kelly's biased view of history looks silly when the speaker then misconstrues the imperialism of the U.S. and the role of its military. Kelly and the other members of the junta are, like Trump, not abnormities but reflections of the United States. Posted by b on October 31, 2017 at 02:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (103) Open Thread 2017-39 Last week's posts on Moon of Alabama : In which I speculate that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson hates his job and would be happy to leave. The White House approved a huge expansion of the CIA's torture and killing campaign in Afghanistan. The 'advantage': While the military has some minimum of accountability the CIA has none at all. October 25: Nil Draft piece moved to /dev/null for lack of substance. There are several strong indications that British secret services were deeply involved in the efforts to derail Trump's campaign. Did Brennan arrange for this or did Clapper? U.S. diplomats can't resist mating calls of Cuban gryllidae. Please use the comments as open thread ... Posted by b on October 30, 2017 at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (102) October 29, 2017 UN On Khan Sheikhoun - Victims Hospitalized BEFORE Claimed Incident Happened A UN commission concluded that the Syrian government is responsible for a widely discussed incident in Khan Sheikhoun. An alleged gas attack by air happened in April in an al-Qaeda controlled area in Syria. It was used by the White House to justify its bombing of a Syrian airbase. The now released report was made to fit the narrative. The details below show that it was not the result of a serious investigation. This explains why Russia blocked the extension of the mandate of the reporting commission. On October 26 Reuters reported: Syrian government to blame for April sarin attack: U.N. report UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad is to blame for a chemical attack on the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun that killed dozens of people last April, according to a report sent to the United Nations Security Council on Thursday. "The Syrian Arab Republic is responsible for the release of sarin at Khan Sheikhoun on 4 April 2017," the report from the U.N. and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons' Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) said. The official report has not been published. But someone obtained a copy of the Seventh report of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism (pdf) and we make it herewith available. The reports notes "irregularities" that makes one wonder how its writers could ever have come to this conclusion: Based on the foregoing, the Leadership Panel is confident that the Syrian Arab Republic is responsible for the release of sarin at Khan Shaykhun on 4 April 2017. The findings of the Leadership Panel regarding the evidence in this case are based on the information set forth in detail in annex II. Note the verbal choices the commission made: ".. is confident .." is not a wording that conveys surety and "..is responsible for the release" does not mean that the Syrian Arab Republic in fact did it. The reports conclusions are NOT by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons or even endorsed by it. They were made by the "Joint Investigative Mechanism" which consists of a Guatemalan diplomat, an UN bureaucrat from Malaysia educated in the U.S. and a chemical expert who works for the Swiss government. It is a political board with a political judgement. The reasons for that rather vague wording, which is not reflected in the news reports, can be found in the details. The report says on page 10: The Mechanism determined that sarin was released from the location of a crater in the northern part of Khan Shaykhun between 0630 and 0700 hours on 4 April 2017. Many of the reports findings are based on open source videos and photographs published by the opposition. It acquired witnesses statements from the area which is under control of al-Qaeda. It also examined forensic evidence for which no chain of custody existed. Some findings are strange . In annex II, on page 36 (of 39) of the pdf, it notes: Certain irregularities were observed in elements of information analysed. For example, several hospitals appeared to start admitting casualties of the attack between 0640 and 0645 hours. The Mechanism received the medical records of 247 patients from Khan Shaykhun who were admitted to various health-care facilities, including those of survivors and a number of victims who died from exposure to chemical agent. The admission times of the records range between 0600 and 1600 hours. Analysis of the aforementioned medical records revealed that in 57 cases, patients were admitted in five hospitals before the incident in Khan Shaykhun (at 0600, 0620 and 0640 hours). In 10 such cases, patients appear to have been admitted to a hospital 125 km away from Khan Shaykhun at 0700 hours while another 42 patients appear to have been admitted to a hospital 30 km away at 0700 hours. The Mechanism did not investigate these discrepancies and cannot determine whether they are linked to any possible staging scenario , or to poor record-keeping in chaotic conditions. At least 23% of the alleged casualties of the incident WERE ADMITTED TO HOSPITALS BEFORE THE INCIDENT HAPPENED . The hospital 125 km away, a two hour drive, must have been a regular one in Turkey. It is highly unlikely that such a well organized hospital would mix up the arrival time. It is impossible that the casualties admitted at 0700 hours were those of an incident in Khan Sheikhoun that happened, according to the commission, at 0630. The commission did not investigate the discrepancies and it asserts that it does not determine if the incident was staged or not. Another curiosity : An inconsistency was identified in one of the Fact-Finding Mission biomedical results from samples without a chain of custody. In sample number 133, the blood tested negative for sarin or a sarin-like substance, while the urine sample tested positive for the sarin degradation product isopropyl methylphosphonate. There is currently no explanation regarding the inconsistency . The commission also notes a point that we had detailed back in April : The Mechanism observed from open sources that treatment of victims from Khan Shaykhun frequently involved oxygen and cortisone therapy. This treatment is not recommended for sarin intoxication, but is mainly for lung damage, as would be caused by either chlorine or vacuum bombs. The report misses the early reporting we had documented shortly after the incident happened : First reports on that day by the Turkish government news agency Anadolu mentioned only chlorine ... The first OPCW statement on April 4 referred to chlorine, not sarin or similar ... The first report of the Turkish government also said chlorine Moreover, according to local press reports the first 30 casualties that arrived at the Turkish border were diagnosed as chlorine affected, not as Sarin casualties. Neither did the patients in any of the videos show strong Sarin symptoms nor did the emergency personal take the necessary precautions for handling a Sarin incident. The incident was most likely not caused by an air attack at 0630 that distributed Sarin. It was probably caused by a local Chlorine release that must have happened at an earlier point in time. The Sarin and air attack story was only later attached to it. The incident was adopted as a show the White House used to justify its bombing attack on Syria and to thereby divert from its domestic problems. It released an amateurish " intelligence assessment " on the incident that was not prepared by any intelligence agency but by the White House itself. All evidence the investigation says it obtained from Khan Sheikhun, biomedical, environmental, physical sample as well as media, were obtained without a chain of custody. It was taken by Al-Qaeda or by groups Al-Qaeda allows to work in areas it controls. The terrorist and the opposition to the Syrian government, and certainly their sponsors, had an obvious interest in manipulating evidence of the incident to then blame it on the Syrian government. The former prime minister of Qatar just admitted on TV that Qatar, in tight cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and under direction of the United States delivered weapons and money to the "opposition" in Syria, including to al-Qaeda, since the very beginning of the conflict: Al-Thani even likened the covert operation to "hunting prey" - the prey being President Assad and his supporters - "prey" which he admits got away (as Assad is still in power; he used a Gulf Arabic dialect word, "al-sayda", which implies hunting animals or prey for sport). Though Thani denied credible allegations of support for ISIS, the former prime minister's words implied direct Gulf and US support for al-Qaeda in Syria (al-Nusra Front) from the earliest years of the war, and even said Qatar has "full documents" and records proving that the war was planned to effect regime change. These same forces, especially the U.S., are still determined to "regime change" Syria. To this purpose the U.S. military is preparing for a long-term occupation of the areas its Kurdish proxies in north-east Syria now control. Note: Parts of the above are based on the work of Syricide Posted by b on October 29, 2017 at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (40) October 27, 2017 Cuba - U.S. Diplomats Retreat In Horror ... Because ... 'Crickets' This incident earlier this month will probably go down in the annals as the most stupid diplomatic f***-up ever: President Trump on Tuesday expelled 15 Cuban diplomats, escalating his response to a mysterious affliction that has stricken American Embassy personnel in Havana in a move that cast a Cold War chill over relations between the two countries. ... American diplomats and their spouses began reporting symptoms that included hearing loss, dizziness, balance and visual problems, headaches and cognitive issues last December. By late January, the State Department realized that the illnesses were related and might have resulted from some sort of attack, perhaps by a sonic device, toxin or virus. The U.S. diplomats were hearing strange noises at night. This within certain parts of their embassy as well as in some homes. Lots of mischief was suspected - from huge infrasound weapons to food poisoning. But no technical or medical explanation was found. The State Department described the noise as "specific attacks" on its diplomats. At least 21 were affected and half of the U.S. staff in Havana was ordered home. Cuban diplomats were expelled from the U.S. Recordings of the mysterious sound were made available to AP. The agency noted: It sounds sort of like a mass of crickets. A high-pitched whine, but from what? ... The sound seemed to manifest in pulses of varying lengths -- seven seconds, 12 seconds, two seconds -- with some sustained periods of several minutes or more. Then there would be silence for a second, or 13 seconds, or four seconds, before the sound abruptly started again. A Cuban investigation now found the obvious answer to the AP's "but what?" question - 'crickets' : Officials with Cuba's Interior Ministry said that U.S. investigators had presented them with three recordings made by presumed victims of sonic attacks and that analysis of the sounds showed them to be extremely similar to those of crickets and cicadas that live along the northern coast of Cuba . "It's the same bandwidth and it's audibly very similar," said Lt. Col. Juan Carlos Molina, a telecommunications specialist with the Interior Ministry. "We compared the spectrums of the sounds and evidently this common sound is very similar to the sound of a cicada." Crickets can make noise as loud as 100 decibel, loud enough to cause health problems. The U.S. diplomats in Cuba were "attacked" by Cuban crickets which made enough noise to cause discomfort or even symptoms of illness. As someone only exposed to crickets when traveling abroad I can confirm that night-long cricket noise can be extremely unsettling to those who are not used to it. But why did the State Department not know this? Why did the diplomats not recognize the noise for what it was? Cicadas and crickets are not uncommon in the southern U.S. states. Presumable some in the CIA and in the State Department do not want better relations with Cuba and resisted the 2016 reopening of the embassy. It is possible that they used the cicada "attacks" to sabotage the relations. Whatever. The incident lets the U.S. State Department look extremely silly. Imagine all the "crickets" jokes diplomats from other countries will make about their U.S. colleagues. The mighty U.S. was defeated! Its diplomats retreated in panic! ... because ... 'crickets'. Posted by b on October 27, 2017 at 03:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (90) October 26, 2017 British Involvement In "Trump Dossier" Needs Further Investigation We noted back in July that the only relevant "collusion with the Russians" during the 2016 election cycle was the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton smear campaign against Donald Trump: Hillary Clinton campaign cut-out hires the (former?) British intelligence agent Steele to pay money to (former?) Russian intelligence agents and high-level Kremlin employees for dirt about Donald Trump. They deliver some fairy tales. The resulting dossier is peddled far and wide throughout Washington DC with the intent of damaging Trump. There was never evidence that Steele indeed talked to any Russian, or really had contact with his claimed sources. He has been for years persona non grata in Moscow and could not visit the country. Yesterday, our assertion that Clinton campaign cut-outs paid for the dossier, was finally confirmed: Clinton campaign, DNC paid for research that led to Russia dossier Marc E. Elias, a lawyer representing the Clinton campaign and the DNC, retained Fusion GPS, a Washington firm, to conduct the research. .., After that, Fusion GPS hired dossier author Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer with ties to the FBI and the U.S. intelligence community, according to those people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Told ya so ... Michael Sussmann, a lawyer from the same firm that hired Fusion GPS on order of Democrats, hired the Crowdstrike cyber-outlet to investigate the leak of DNC emails. Crowdstrike and the DNC denied the FBI access to the relevant servers but asserted that "Russian hacking" was the source of the leak. The "Trump dossier" was opposition research ordered up and paid for by the Clinton/DNC mafia. Most of its content was obviously fake or patched together from publicly known facts. But it took up to now for U.S. media to point that out. The fake dossier, paid for by the Democrats, was used by the FBI under Obama to get FISA warrants to spy on Republican party operatives. We noted in January that the dossier was additionally used by the British and American deep state to sabotage Trump's plans for better relations with Russia (see original for source quotes): The "former" desk officer for Russia in the British MI6 Christopher Steele was the one who prepared the 35 pages of obviously false claims about Russian connections with and kompromat against Trump. There are so many inconsistencies in these pages that anyone knowledgeable about the workings in Moscow could immediately identify it as fake . ... Steele spread the fakes throughout the press corps in Washington DC but no media published them because these were obviously false accusations. Steele then decided to hand the papers to the FBI and to talk to its agents hoping they would start an official investigation. He cleared his move (or was ordered to proceed?) at the highest level of the British government : ... When Steele's first move with the FBI in October did note deliver the hoped for results an attempt to stove pipe them through Senator John McCain was launched. A "former" British ambassador to Moscow arranged the hand over : ... The MI6 is well known for launching fakes on behalf of the British government. Even the second, more official handover to the FBI still did not result in the hoped for publication of the allegations. But by that time Clinton was widely expect to win the election anyway so no further steps were taken. After Trump unexpectedly won the election a new effort was launched to publish the smears. The Director of National Intelligence decided (or was ordered to) "brief" the President, the President elect and Congress on the obviously dubious accusations. It was this decision that made sure that the papers would eventually be published. As the NYT noted : ... Only after Clapper or others leaked to CNN about the briefing of Obama, Trump and Congress, did CNN publish about the 35 pages : ... The attack was a deep state attempt to stage a coup against Trump : After the election the Democrats stopped paying for new Steele reports. But by then efforts to make the fake Steele reports public and to thereby sabotage Trump policies turned into high gear. McCain had already been involved in distributing the report and it was he or the Brits who who paid for the last fake report Steele delivered: Let me remind you of the basic facts about the Dossier--It consists of 13 separate reports. The first is dated 20 June 2016. That date is important because it shows that it took a little more than two months [after the Democrats started paying] for Fusion GPS to generate its first report on Trump's alleged Russian activities. If Fusion GPS already had something in the can then I would expect them to have put something out in early May. Eleven more reports were generated between 26 July and 19 October 2016. That tracks with the letter from Perkins Coie that the engagement by the Clinton Campaign ended at the end of October. But there is a big problem and unanswered question--The Dossier includes a final report that is dated 13 December 2016. Who paid for this? Was it John McCain? The purpose of the final fake report Steele added to the dossier was to provide "evidence" that Trump was involved in the "Russian hacking" of the DNC: After Donald Trump was elected, Christopher Steele prepared an additional memorandum (dated 13 December 2016) that made the following claims: Michael Cohen[, President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer,] held a secret meeting in Prague, Czechoslovakia in August 2016 with Kremlin operatives. Cohen, allegedly accompanied by 3 colleagues (Not Further Identified), met with Oleg SOLODUKHIM to discuss on how deniable cash payments were to be made to hackers who had worked in Europe under Kremlin direction against the Clinton campaign and various contingencies for covering up these operations and Moscow's secret liaison with the Trump team more generally. In Prague, Cohen agreed (sic) contingency plans for various scenarios to protect the operation, but in particular what was to be done in the event that Hillary Clinton won the Presidency. Sergei Ivanov's associate claimed that payments to hackers had been made by both Trump's team and the Kremlin. ... Christopher Steele passed a copy of the December memo to a senior UK Government national security official and to Fusion GPS (via encrypted email) with the instruction to give a hard copy to Senator McCain via David Kramer. Michael Cohen, Trump's lawyer, denies to have been in Prague. The meeting Steele "reported" did not happen. The intent of this December Steele report was to further the meme of "Russian hacking" by providing fake evidence for alleged Trump involvement in it. But the report is false. Trump/Cohen did not hire "Russian hackers". Who's interest was it to plant this meme? Was this a British attempt to divert attention from their own hacking? The Brits are knee deep involved in the Steele reports. There is the hiring of a (former?) British MI-6 agent to make up the dossier. Who came up with his name? The dossier was first peddled to McCain by a (former?) British ambassador. The British government green-lighted pushing the report to the FBI. It was one of the customers of the last Steele report. The source said that Mr Steele spoke to officials in London to ask for permission to speak to the FBI, which was duly granted, and that Downing Street was informed. The last Steele report was not paid for by the DNC. It was delivered to British government and to John McCain. The purpose of this last report was to plant false evidence that Trump paid for "Russian hacking". There is a strong cooperation between U.S. and British intelligence. Why were the highest levels of the British government involved in the "private investigation" that resulted in the Steele dossier. Did the Brits act on their own initiative or were they cut-outs for U.S. intelligence circles, especially for Obama's consigliere and CIA director John Brennan? It his time for Congress to dig deeper into the undue British influence in this whole affair. Posted by b on October 26, 2017 at 03:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (151) October 24, 2017 Phoenix 2.0 - CIA To Unleash Vietnam Era Terror Campaign On Afghanistan Last week the new head of the CIA Mike Pompeo publicly threatened to make the CIA a "much more vicious agency". His first step towards that is to unleash CIA sponsored killer gangs onto the people of Afghanistan: The C.I.A. is expanding its covert operations in Afghanistan, sending small teams of highly experienced officers and contractors alongside Afghan forces to hunt and kill Taliban militants across the country ... ... The C.I.A.'s expanded role will augment missions carried out by military units, meaning more of the United States' combat role in Afghanistan will be hidden from public view . This will be mass murder campaign. People will be pulled from their houses at night and vanish - 'eliminated'. That has been happening in Afghanistan for years, but on a relatively small scale. So far the targets were 'al-Qaeda', a small terrorist group, not the local insurgency. The new campaign will target the Taliban, a mass insurgency against the U.S. occupation. Thus is will be a mass campaign and cause mass casualties. It is not going to be a counter-insurgency campaign, even though some will assert it is. A counter-insurgency campaign combines political, security, economic, and informational components. It can only be successful in support of a legitimate authority. The current Afghan government has little legitimacy. It was cobbled and bribed together by the U.S. embassy after wide and open election fraud threatened to devolve into total chaos. In August CIA director Pompeo met the Afghan president Ashraf Ghani and likely discussed the new plan. But the now announced campaign has neither a political nor an economic component. Solely centered on "security" it will end up as a random torture and killing expedition without the necessary context and with no positive results for the occupation. The campaign will be a boon for the Taliban. While it will likely kill Taliban aligned insurgents here and there, it will also alienate many more Afghan people. Some 75% of the Taliban fighters are locals fighting near their homes. Killing them creates new local recruits for the insurgency. It will also give the Taliban a more sympathetic population which it can use to cover its future operations. A similar campaign during the Vietnam war was known as Operation Phoenix . Then some 50,000-100,000 South-Vietnamese, all 'suspected communists', were killed by the CIA's roving gangs. The polished Wikipedia version: [Phoenix] was designed to identify and "neutralize" (via infiltration, capture, counter-terrorism, interrogation, and assassination) the infrastructure of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (NLF or Viet Cong). The CIA described it as "a set of programs that sought to attack and destroy the political infrastructure of the Viet Cong". The major two components of the program were Provincial Reconnaissance Units (PRUs) and regional interrogation centers. PRUs would kill or capture suspected NLF members, as well as civilians who were thought to have information on NLF activities. Many of these people were then taken to interrogation centers where many were allegedly tortured in an attempt to gain intelligence on VC activities in the area. The information extracted at the centers was then given to military commanders, who would use it to task the PRU with further capture and assassination missions. The Phoenix program was embedded into a larger civil political and economic development program known as Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support . The civil part of CORDS partially failed over bribery and incompetence. It was too expensive and not sustainable. The accepted historical judgement is that the 'security' part, Phoenix , failed to achieve its purpose despite its wide conceptualization. Its utter brutality alienated the people. The passive support for the Viet Cong increased due to the campaign. In recent years there have been revisionists efforts by the Pentagon's RAND Corporation to change that view. They claim that the campaign went well and was successful. But those who took part in Phoenix (Video: Part 1 , part 2 ) paint a very different picture. The brutality of Phoenix, which enraged the public, was one of the reason that forced the U.S. government to end the war. The now announced campaign looks similar to Phoenix but lacks any political component. It is not designed to pacify insurgents but to 'eliminate' any and all resistance: The new effort will be led by small units known as counterterrorism pursuit teams. They are managed by C.I.A. paramilitary officers from the agency's Special Activities Division and operatives from the National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan's intelligence arm , and include elite American troops from the Joint Special Operations Command. The majority of the forces, however, are Afghan militia members . There are only a few dozen officers in the CIA Special Activities Division that can support such a campaign. The lede to the article suggests that 'contractors' will have a significant role. In August the former head of the mercenary outlet Blackwater, Eric Prince, lobbied the Trump administration for a contractor led war in Afghanistan. We can safely assume that Prince and some Blackwater offspring will be involved in the new CIA campaign. The major intelligence groundwork though will have to be done by the NDS. The Afghan National Directorate of Security was build by the CIA from elements of the former Northern Alliance, the opponents of the original Taliban. In the late 1990s the Northern Alliance under Ahmed Shah Massoud was financed by the CIA . Shah Massoud's intelligence chief Amrullah Saleh, a dual citizen, received CIA training. After the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan Saleh headed the new intelligence service, the NDS. Then President Hamid Karzai fired Saleh in 2010 when he resisted Karzai's efforts to reconcile with the Taliban. In March 2017 the current President Ashraf Ghani appointed Saleh as State Minister for Security Reforms. Saleh resigned(?) in June after Ghani reached a peace agreement with the anti-government warlord and former Taliban ally Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Saleh is an ethnic Tajik and an unforgiving hardliner. He is wary of Pashtun who are the most populous ethnic group in Afghanistan and the base population for the Taliban. Saleh recently founded his own political party. He obviously has further ambitions. He always had excellent relations with the CIA and especially its hardline counter-terrorism center. I find it highly likely that he was involved in the planning of this new campaign. In the ethnically mixed north of Afghanistan the involvement of NDS led local militia will probably cause large scale ethnic cleansing. In the Pashtun south and east it will lack all local support as such NDS militia have terrorized the country for quite some time: For years, the primary job of the C.I.A.'s paramilitary officers in the country has been training the Afghan militias. The C.I.A. has also used members of these indigenous militias to develop informant networks and collect intelligence. ... The American commandos -- part of the Pentagon's Omega program, which lends Special Operations forces to the C.I.A. -- allow the Afghan militias to work together with conventional troops by calling in airstrikes and medical evacuations. ... The units have long had a wide run of the battlefield and have been accused of indiscriminately killing Afghan civilians in raids and with airstrikes. It is utterly predictable how the intensified campaign will end up. The CIA itself has few, if any, independent sources in the country. It will depend on the NDS, stuffed with Saleh's Tajik kinsmen, as well as on ethnic and tribal militia. Each of these will have their own agenda. A 'security' campaign as the planned one depends on reliable intelligence. Who, in this or that hamlet, is a member of the Taliban? For lack of trusted local sources the militia, under CIA or contractor command, will resort to extremely brutal torture. They will squeeze 'informants' and 'suspects' with the most brutal torture until these come up with names of a new rounds of 'suspects'. Rinse-repeat - in the end all of the 'suspects' will have been killed. The new plan was intentionally 'leaked' to the New York Times by "two senior American officials". It is set into a positive light: [T]he mission is a tacit acknowledgment that to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table -- a key component of Mr. Trump's strategy for the country -- the United States will need to aggressively fight the insurgents . That claim is of course utter nonsense. The U.S. already has for 16+ years "aggressively fought the insurgents". The insurgency grew during that time. The Taliban were always willing to negotiate. Their main condition for a peace agreement is that U.S. forces end their occupation end and leave the country. The U.S. is simply not willing to do so. Killing more 'suspect' Taliban sympathizers will not change the Taliban's demand nor will it make serious negotiations more likely. Five years from now, when the utter brutality and uselessness of the campaign will come into full light, the NYT will be shocked, SHOCKED, that such a campaign could ever have happened. Posted by b on October 24, 2017 at 06:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (87) October 23, 2017 Help Wanted - State Department Seeks Self-Consistent Secretary European business deals with Iran are safe : Tillerson - AFP, October 20 2017 Washington (AFP) - The United States does not intend to disrupt European business deals with Iran, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in comments published Friday. ... "The president's been pretty clear that it's not his intent to interfere with business deals that the Europeans may have under way with Iran," Tillerson told The Wall Street Journal. "He's said it clearly: 'That's fine. You guys do what you want to do.'" Tillerson Warns Europe Against Iran Investments - NYT, October 22 2017 RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- ... Speaking during a visit to Saudi Arabia, Mr. Tillerson said, "Both of our countries believe that those who conduct business with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, any of their entities -- European companies or other companies around the globe -- really do so at great risk ." Mr. Tillerson appeared at a brief news conference in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, with the Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir. ... Mr. Tillerson's remarks were the administration's most pointed warning to date ... This not the way to get the European Union in line with U.S. policies. So what is going on here? Trump in often inconsistent in what he says. That is his privilege. But it does not mean that the Secretary of State has to contradict himself each and every day. It is Tillerson's task to project a steady foreign policy. If there is none - for whatever reason - he must keep his comments vague. Contradictions like the above make him a joke. 'Rexxon' has experience in doing international businesses. He knows that consistency is one of the most important factors in getting things done. No one will make deals with a party that changes its mind every other day. So why is Tillerson jumping around like this? He seeks to replace Ms. Jubeir as court jester in Riyadh? Or does he want to sabotage his own position? One inevitably gets the impression that Tillerson wants out. That he wants to chuck his job rather sooner than later. That he longs for the inevitable day he will be fired. Tillerson is a realist at heart. He is no fan of Netanyahoo. He despises the fake human rights blabber others use to hide their motives. The neo-conservatives would love to see him go. Josh Rogin lists their favorite candidates: The most popular parlor game in Washington right now is speculating who will replace Rex Tillerson as President Trump's next secretary of state ... two qualified and apparently willing candidates have emerged. ... The top two contenders, Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, ... Haley is way too loud and incompetent . Pompeo is too narrow minded. I wonder who the White House junta will prefer as new Secretary of State. One from its own stable? David Petraeus? He would be another nail in the coffin of Trump's presidency. Posted by b on October 23, 2017 at 09:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (35) Last week's posts on Moon of Alabama : Ahab Jezebel dissects the bullshit the Washington Post peddles on Syria. Egged on by Netanyahoo the Barzani mafia made a bid to steal Kirkuk and its oil from Iraq. The Iraqis disagreed with being robbed and took back their land. Barzani failed. The Kurdish bubble deflated. There will be no Kurdish independence. Background analysis on the failure of Barzani's bid and thoughts on the consequences in Iraq and Syria. After having bused out the remaining ISIS fighter, the U.S. declared victory in Raqqa. But after more than 20,000 bomb impacts the city lies in ruins. U.S. envoy McGurk brought in the Saudis to pay for rebuilding it. They will pay, but only for new Wahhabi mosques that will then create the next incarnation of ISIS. Members of the U.S. military are well cared for and mostly live a safe life. There is factually little 'sacrifice' in being a U.S. soldier. While one side of the propaganda depicts the military as 'heroic', another side emphasis the ever growing 'fears' it allegedly has. That doesn't compute. Three op-eds in four days? Clearly, someone hired Emma Sky for an influence campaign. She argues for keeping U.S. soldiers in Iraq. But the U.S. occupation of Iraq, and Emma Sky's very active role in it, created the mess in the first place. The generals have consolidated their power within the White House. They are now moving to extend it over the public. Please use the comments as open thread ... Posted by b on October 22, 2017 at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (110) October 21, 2017 "Above All" - The Junta Expands Its Claim To Power In an advertising campaign in 2008 the U.S. Air Force declared itself to be "Above All". The slogan and symbol of the campaign was similar to the German "Deutschland Uber Alles" campaign of 1933. It was a sign of things to come. On Thursday Masha Gessen watched the press briefing of White House Chief of Staff General John Kelly and concluded : The press briefing could serve as a preview of what a military coup in this country would look like, for it was in the logic of such a coup that Kelly advanced his four arguments . Those who criticize the President don't know what they're talking about because they haven't served in the military . ... The President did the right thing because he did exactly what his general told him to do . ... Communication between the President and a military widow is no one's business but theirs. ... Citizens are ranked based on their proximity to dying for their country. ... Gessen is late. The coup happened months ago. A military junta is in strong control of White House polices. It is now widening its claim to power. All along Trump has been the candidate of the military. The other two power centers of the power triangle , the corporate and the executive government (CIA), had gone for Clinton. The Pentagon's proxy defeated the CIA proxy. (Last months' fight over Raqqa was similar - with a similar outcome.) On January 20, the first day of the Not-Hillary presidency , I warned: The military will demand its due beyond the three generals now in Trump's cabinet. With the help of the media the generals in the White House defeated their civilian adversary. In August the Trump ship dropped its ideological pilot . Steve Bannon went from board. Bannon's militarist enemy, National Security Advisor General McMaster, had won. I stated : A military junta is now ruling the United States and later explained : Trump's success as the "Not-Hillary" candidate was based on an anti-establishment insurgency. Representatives of that insurgency, Flynn, Bannon and the MAGA voters, drove him through his first months in office. An intense media campaign was launched to counter them and the military took control of the White House. The anti-establishment insurgents were fired. Trump is now reduced to public figure head of a stratocracy - a military junta which nominally follows the rule of law. The military took full control of White House processes and policies: Everything of importance now passes through the Junta's hands ... To control Trump the Junta filters his information input and eliminates any potentially alternative view ... The Junta members dictate their policies to Trump by only proposing certain alternatives to him. The one that is most preferable to them, will be presented as the only desirable one. "There are no alternatives," Trump will be told again and again. With the power center captured the Junta starts to implement its ideology and to suppress any and all criticism against itself. On Thursday the 19th Kelly criticized Congresswoman Frederica Wilson of South Florida for hearing in (invited) on a phone-call Trump had with some dead soldiers wife: Kelly then continued his criticism of Wilson, mentioning the 2015 dedication of the Miramar FBI building, saying she focused in her speech that she "got the money" for the building. The video of the Congresswoman's speech (above link) proves that Kelly's claim was a fabrication. But one is no longer allowed to point such out. The Junta, by definition, does not lie. When the next day journalists asked the White House Press Secretary about Kelly's unjustified attack she responded: MS. SANDERS: If you want to go after General Kelly, that's up to you. But I think that that -- if you want to get into a debate with a four-star Marine general, I think that that's something highly inappropriate . It is now "highly inappropriate" to even question the Junta that rules the empire. U.S. soldiers, and especially commanding officers, have a well pampered and safe life. Many civilian jobs pay less and are more dangerous. A myth is build around the U.S. military with the help of hundreds of millions in public relations and marketing expenditures. The U.S. military does not win wars, but its soldiers are depicted as being better humans than the general population. The soldiers themselves drink that Kool-Aid. At the end of his press briefing General Kelly belittled everyone who never signed up for the military or took a swig: Before walking off the stage, Kelly told Americans who haven't served in the military that he pities them . "We don't look down upon those of you who haven't served," he said. "In fact, in a way we are a little bit sorry because you'll have never have experienced the wonderful joy you get in your heart when you do the kinds of things our servicemen and women do -- not for any other reason than that they love this country ." 'We do not look down on you. We think of you as a pitiable minor creature.' What an asshole. If the soldiers do not work "for any other reason than that they love this country" why do they ask to be paid? Why is the public asked to finance 200 military golf courses ? Because the soldiers "love the country"? Only a few 10,000 of the 2,000,000 strong U.S. military will ever see an active front-line. And imagine the "wonderful joy" Kelly "got in his heart" when he commanded the illegal torture camp of Guantanamo Bay: Presiding over a population of detainees not charged or convicted of crimes, over whom he had maximum custodial control, Kelly treated them with brutality. His response to the detainees' peaceful hunger strike in 2013 was punitive force-feeding, solitary confinement, and rubber bullets. Furthermore, he sabotaged efforts by the Obama administration to resettle detainees, consistently undermining the will of his commander in chief. Former U.S. Army Captain and now CIA director Mike Pompeo was educated at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He is part of the Junta circle, installed to control the competition. Pompeo also wants to again feel the "wonderful joy". On Friday he promised that the CIA would become a "much more vicious agency". Instead of merely waterboarding 'terrorists' and drone-bombing brown families, Pompeo's more vicious CIA will rape the 'terrorist's' kids and nuke whole villages. Pompeo's remark was made at a get-together of the Junta and neo-conservative warmongers. On October 19 Defense Secretary General Mattis was asked in Congress about the recent incident in Niger during which, among others, several U.S. soldiers were killed. Mattis set (vid 5:29pm) a curious new metric for deploying U.S. troops: Any time we commit out troops anywhere it is based on a simple first question and that is - is the well-being of the American people sufficiently enhanced by putting our troops there , by putting our troops in a position to die? In his October 20 press briefing General Kelly also tried to explain why U.S. soldiers are in Niger: So why were they there ? They're there working with partners, local -- all across Africa -- in this case, Niger -- working with partners, teaching them how to be better soldiers; teaching them how to respect human rights ... Is the U.S. military really qualified to teach anyone how to respect human rights? Did it learn that from committing mass atrocities in about each campaign it ever fought? One of the soldiers who were killed in Niger while "teaching how to respect human rights" was a 39 year old "chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist" with "more than a dozen awards and decorations". The U.S. military sent a highly qualified WMD specialist on a "routine patrol" in Niger to teach local soldiers "to respect human rights" due to which presumably "the well-being of the American people" would be "sufficiently enhanced"? Will anyone really buy that bridge? But who would dare to ask more about this? It is" highly inappropriate " to doubt whatever the military says. Soon that will change into "verboten". Any doubt, any question will be declared "fake news" and a sign of devious foreign influence. Whoever spreads such will be blocked from communicating. The military is now indeed "Above All". That air force slogan was a remake of a 1933 "Uber Alles" campaign in Germany. One wonders what other historic similarities will develop from it. Posted by b on October 21, 2017 at 03:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (69) October 20, 2017 Emma Sky - British 'Mother of Daesh' Wants To Reoccupy Iraq While the Iraqi government forces sweep Kirkuk clean of the Kurdish occupation, one writer strongly pushed pro-Kurdish/anti-Iranian views. Three pieces by Emma Sky appeared in three prestigious imperial outlets within just four days. They are noticeable for the slander and lies. Obviously they are part of a well prepared lobbying campaign. The author is not an neutral observer or academic specialist. Emma Sky is the person most responsible for messing up Kirkuk. She is also a 'Mother of ISIS'. On October 16 Emma Sky published in Foreign Affairs : Mission Still Not Accomplished in Iraq - Why the United States Should Not Leave . On October 18 she plants the same notion in The Atlantic : America Has Become Dispensable in Iraq . The subtitle reveals what it is really about: The conflict in Kirkuk offers further evidence of Iran's steady rise. Sky pushes hard to implant a sectarian, anti-Iran meme. Consider this howler: Once more, Iran is playing the key role, helping to broker a deal between the PUK and the Iraqi government and guiding the Shia militias supporting the Iraqis . What nationality please to the "Shia militia" in Iraq have? Are they from Mars? When ISIS rose in 2014 U.S. President Obama held back support for the Iraqi government to get rid of the just reelected Prime Minister Maliki: The reason, the president added, "that we did not just start taking a bunch of airstrikes all across Iraq as soon as ISIL came in was because that would have taken the pressure off of [Prime Minister Nuri Kamal] al-Maliki. Iran with its Revolutionary Guards jumped in and hastily trained and equipped volunteers into Popular Mobilization Units. These groups managed to stop ISIS from taking Baghdad. The PMU are under the exclusive command of the Iraqi government. They are official Iraqi government forces, not exclusively Shia and no longer accompanied by Iranian advisors. No Iranian troops or advisers were involved in the liberation of Kirkuk. Sky's claim is all wrong. Sky has a hobby horse: A compromise of some sort could be reached on confederation for Kurdistan and a special status for Kirkuk . On October 19 Emma Sky appears in The Guardian : Iraq's Kurds have overplayed their hand. Now both sides must talk . Within that piece she claims: When the Iraqi security forces fled in the face of Isis in 2014 it was the Kurds, with support from the US-led coalition, who fought back and pushed them out of Kirkuk . That was definitely not the case. ISIS never touched Kirkuk. Indeed the piece Emma Sky links to as reference never says so. It mentions that Iraqi army deserters were fleeing from ISIS in Mosul towards Kirkuk. In June 2014 the Kurdish Peshmerga invaded Kirkuk, threw out disoriented Iraqi government forces and occupied the city . This was at the very same time as ISIS took Mosul. ISIS and Peshmerga fighters delineated their borders and had their checkpoints only a few meters apart. Video showed them inviting each other for dinner. Sky's core point in the piece is that the Kurds, for their falsely claimed "rescue" of Kirkuk from ISIS, now deserve some part of it: It is time to revisit the idea of a special status for Kirkuk, with power-sharing between the different communities A "special status" for Kirkuk is not reasonable. It is a normal Iraqi city and, like many others, has a religiously and ethnic diverse population. That Sky tries to justify a special status for Kurds in Kirkuk with a fight against ISIS that never happened demonstrates how dishonest the claim is. The "special status" idea for Kirkuk came up in 2003 when an ignorant British governor of Kirkuk, imposed by the U.S./UK occupation, was lost in internecine claims to the oil rich province between Kurdish expansionists and local Arabs. That governor was one Emma Sky. Like other imperial freaks Sky later found a warm place at Yale. An extensive discussion of Emma Sky's prior misdeeds in Iraq was published in June 2016 by Maniza Naqvi. The author summarized: Emma Sky--the woman who assisted in the unraveling of Iraq and the region, who became the right hand of General Odierno in Iraq--and the architect of the 'Sunni Awakening'---is perhaps, the Mother of Daesh, the word for terror in Iraq and Syria and the entire region or as the West calls it, ISIS. The piece follows Sky's way as imperial overlord throughout the U.S. occupation. It quotes from her questioning in front of the the British Iraq Inquiry Committee. The transcripts reflect how completely unprepared the U.S. and its British stooges were when they arrogantly imposed themselves onto the country. Emma Sky first messed up Kirkuk. She later worked for the U.S. top commanders in the country and was instrumental in creating the ISIS predecessor "Sunni Awakening". She had a main role in imposing it onto the Iraqi government. Sky was parachuted into Iraq only days after the U.S. and UK invaded. By mere chance she was set up as the occupation governor of Kirkuk. She had no prior knowledge of the city, the country, or its issues and zero experience on the ground. She was 36 years old and single. In Kirkuk she fell for the siren songs of the Iraqi exiles mafia and Kurdish separatists. She, like the rest of the occupation force, ruled by looting Iraqi money. From her testimony to the Inquiry Committee: MS EMMA SKY: We had done all this stuff. We had promised people all of these things. You know, construction was going on and we were bankrupt. Then we would go down to Baghdad. We would try to raid the banks which had Ba'ath funds. So there was always money and then we kept spending because we thought we had more. Then we would run out and we would have to go back and get more. The situation in Kirkuk, which the Iraqi government just rescued from the Kurdish annexation attempt, is rooted in Sky's misdeeds. It was Emma Sky who stoked the flames in Kirkuk for the political purpose of the occupiers: [T]he Arab-Kurdish disputes are being played up, because ganging up on the Kurds would bring the Sunnis and the Shias together, or so think the likes of Maliki, Mutlag and [Emma] Sky. She accepted Kurdish claims of a "right" to Kirkuk and pushed that claim as "special status" Article 140 into the U.S. written Iraqi constitution: MS EMMA SKY: We tried very hard -- this was by August 2003 -- to get Kirkuk recognised with special status, that it was something different, because what was driving the insecurity was the final status of Kirkuk. Should it be part of Kurdistan or should it be part of the centre? What we tried to do right from the beginning is to say, "Look, this place is different. It has always been different. Could we have special status?" When the Brits finally gave up and left Iraq, Emma Sky was hired as 'political advisor' to the U.S. overlords General Petraeus and then General Odierno: Everywhere he went, every meeting he went to I went with him. ... My reporting line was purely to the General. All I had to look at was the General. She was part of the small inner circle that initiated the "surge" and the relabeling of al-Qaeda insurgents into the "Sunni Awakening". While the cadre of al-Qaeda leaders (later the elite of the Islamic State) were groomed in U.S. prisons in Iraq, its past and future fighters were trained as "Sunni Awakening" by U.S. special forces. From Sky's testimony: So the [Iraqi] government is much, much more nervous of these people who one day are Al Qaeda and the next day take off the patch, put on another patch and say, "Now we are Sa'hwa, Sons of Iraq" . So we worked very hard to get the government to come with us and meet these guys and get a sense of who they are. Sa'hwa then spread from Abu Ghraib into Amriya, so right into Baghdad, and we then started going round to other areas and working with the local community and said, "Look, don't you want to set up a Sa'hwa too?" In 2015 Sky wrote a snobbish piece in The Atlantic , 'Iraq Is Finished' , where she handed out guilty verdicts for the rise of the Islamic State against everyone - except of course to herself. But it was she, personally, who helped to get al-Qaeda fighters under U.S. control and trained. She had a defining role in it. As Maniza Naqvi concludes: Draw a straight line from the bodies washing up on beaches in Turkey and Greece--the baby Aylan, his tiny body lying face down--a direct connection between drowned babies, whole families tragedies and the US military enterprise in Iraq and Syria and all who were and are involved with it and morphing it to more monstrous waves--draw a straight line from the likes of Emma Sky to Daesh known as ISIS. Someone coughed up a quite decent sum of money to have Emmy Sky write three current piece to be launched in three well-known outlets within just four days. Someone who wants the Kurds to take Kirkuk's oil, the U.S. to reoccupy Iraq and to strangulate Iran. Who could have an interest in doing so? Emma Sky is corrupt imperial scum. I recommend to read Naqvi's whole piece on her and especially the inquiry protocols attached to it. Posted by b on October 20, 2017 at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (68) October 19, 2017 The U.S. Military - Pampered, Safe And Very Scared The U.S. military is a socialist paradise : Service members and their families live for free on base. People living off base are given a stipend to cover their housing costs. They shop in commissaries and post exchanges where prices for food and basic goods are considerably lower than at civilian stores. Troops and their families count on high-quality education and responsive universal health care. They expect to be safe at home, as bases, on average, have less violence than American cities of comparable size. And residents enjoy a wide range of amenities--not just restaurants and movie theaters but fishing ponds, camp sites, and golf courses built for their use. Of course, some bases are better than others. But even the most austere provides a comprehensive network of social welfare provisions and a safety net that does not differentiate between a junior employee and an executive. For those who stay on, the military provides a generous retirement pay . "But life in the military is dangerous!" Not so. According to a 2012 study by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC) the risk to ones life is lower for soldiers than for civilians: In the past two decades ( which include two periods of intense combat operations ), the crude overall mortality rate among U.S. service members was 71.5 per 100,000 [person-years] . In 2005, in the general U.S. population, the crude overall mortality rate among 15-44 year olds was 127.5 per 100,000 p-yrs . The huge difference is quite astonishing. The death rate for soldiers would still have been lower than for civilians if the U.S. had started another medium size war: If the age-specific mortality rates that affected the U.S. general population in 2005 had affected the respective age-groups of active component military members throughout the period of interest for this report, there would have been approximately 13,198 (53%) more deaths among military members overall. Those working in the U.S. military, even when the U.S. is at war, have a quite pampered life with lots of benefits. They have less risk to their lives than their civilian peers. But when some soldier dies by chance, the announcements speak of "sacrifice". The fishermen, transport and construction workers, who have the highest occupational death rates , don't get solemn obituaries and pompous burials . There may be occasions where soldiers behave heroic and die for some good cause. But those are rather rare incidents. The reports thereof are at times manipulated for propaganda purposes. The U.S. military spends more than a billion per year on advertisement. It spends many uncounted millions on hidden information operations. These are not designed to influence an enemy but the people of the United States. In recent years the U.S. military and intelligence services have scripted or actively influenced 1,800 Hollywood and TV productions. Many of the top-rated movie scripts pass through a military censorship office which decides how much 'production assistance' the Department of Defense will provide for the flick. A rather schizophrenic aspect of its safe life is the military's fear. Despite being cared for and secure, the soldiers seem to be a bunch of scaredy-cats. The military's angst is very ambiguous. It meanders from issue to issue. This at least to various headlines: The U.S. Military Fears Russia's Electronic Warfare Capabilities Air Force Fears New 'Drug Craze' U.S. Military Fears Volcano Could Harm Jets U.S. Military Fears Outcome of Rape Trial U.S. Army Fears Major War Likely Within Five Years Why is the United States Navy afraid of the Pirates? After Kandahar massacre, U.S. military fears new Taliban reprisals The Military Is Afraid of Your iPhone Why the Pentagon Dreads the "Sale" of IBM's Chip Business Pentagon afraid of ignorance about Iran Why the FBI and Pentagon are afraid of new genetic technology The Pentagon Is Worried About Hacked GPS Some Marines Fear Innocent Men Are Being Convicted of Rape U.S. military fears Iraqis can't control security Air Force personnel fear what coming cuts will bring Why U.S. Military Fears Sexual Assault Reform The Air Force's 4 Biggest Fears ... Members of the U.S. military live quite well. They are safe. Their propaganda depicts them as heroes. At the same time we are told that they are a bunch of woosies who fear about anything one can think of. I find that a strange contradiction. /snark Posted by b on October 19, 2017 at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (120) October 18, 2017 Saudi Money Invades Raqqa - Sowing The Seeds Of ISIS 2.0 There is dangerous news evolving from Raqqa, Syria. While ISIS is largely defeated seeds get sown for its reappearance. The Kurdish forces under the label SDF and led by U.S. special forces have defeated ISIS in Raqqa. Cleanup operations continue. The victory came only after the the U.S. and its proxies agreed to give free passage to the last few hundreds of foreign and Syrian ISIS fighters and their families. Since these boarded buses and were moved out of Raqqa on Saturday night nothing has been heard of them. On Monday the U.S. coordinator for the fight against ISIS, Brett McGurk, brought an unwelcome visitor to Syria. Raqqa24 @24Raqqa - 9:49 AM - 17 Oct 2017 Brett McGurk visited Ayn Issa today with the Saudi minister Thamer al-Sabhan (former Ambassador to Iraq) & joined 3 different meetings. #R24 First meeting was with the local council of #Raqqa then with reconstruction committee at the least they met with elders of Raqqa Picture of the visit of Brett McGurk and Thamer al-Sabhan. Source: Unknown The visit was confirmed by a (pro Kurd) journalist: Wladimir @vvanwilgenburg - 5:06 PM - 17 Oct 2017 Wladimir Retweeted Raqqa24 I was there. No pictures allowed. Meeting was indeed about reconstruction. Thamer al-Sabhan is the Saudi Minister for Gulf Affairs. He is known to be extremely sectarian and anti-Shia. In 2015 Thamer al-Sabhan was appointed as the first Saudi ambassador to Iraq since the Iraqi takeover of Kuwait in 1990. He made no friends in Baghdad when he ranted against the Popular Mobilization Units, which had stopped and fought back ISIS. He denigrated the most revered religious scholar in Iraq: Sabhan asserted that "whoever listens to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's Friday sermons and Muqtada al-Sadr's statements can feel the threat that Shiite religious authorities pose. " Al-Sistani is well know for caring for all Iraqis and for speaking out against any form of sectarianism. This was an insult and threat to a very high religious authority with a huge following. Sabhan's loose talk did not go down well with the Iraqi population and its political circles. Immediately demands were made to kick him out of Iraq. Sabhan then claimed that an Iraqi official had told him that Shia groups directed by Iran were out to kill him. The Iraqi government denied that claim. But Sabhan continued to stir inner-Iraqi strife. The government finally asked Riyadh to call him back. In October 2016 Sabham was recalled from Iraq and appointed minister. He recently demanded "to eliminate the rogue Iranian regime." To invite him to Syria, as Brett McGurk (on order from the White House?) did, is a dangerous provocation. The Trump administration is not willing to spend money on the rebuilding of Raqqa which was largely destroyed (video) by thousands of U.S. air and artillery strikes . The State Department promised to "lead" efforts to restore water and power supplies in Raqqa, but it wants to put the financial burden elsewhere: "We will assist and take, essentially, the lead in bringing back the water, electricity and all of that," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a briefing. "But eventually the governance of the country of Syria is something that I think all nations remain very interested in ." It is a complete wrong approach. The U.S. should ask the Syrian government to immediately take responsibility of Raqqa and then leave the country. Now Thamer al-Sabhan is asked to cough up money for "reconstruction" and "governance". But Saudi Arabia does not have humanitarian interests. Just witness the slow genocidal war it is waging on Yemen. Saudi Arabia will only support groups and populations that are willing to follow its extreme Wahhabi version of Islam. ISIS follows largely the same creed as the Saudis do. ISIS used Saudi schoolbooks in its schools. Many of its leading members come from Saudi Arabia. It is generally assumed, with some evidence, that Saudi donors financed ISIS - at least in its early days. The ISIS members leaving Raqqa under free passage went where? The Syrian forces fighting ISIS along the Euphrates further east report that ISIS fighters have largely vanished from the area. They either melted into the general population or moved north of the Euphrates to hand themselves over to the U.S. proxy forces. What will happen to them? Who pays to feed their families? ISIS was born out of the Sunni resistance against the U.S, occupation of Iraq. Around 2010/11 the resistance was perceived to be a dead force. But to others it was still a valuable anti-Shia instrument and money from the Sunni gulf regimes continued to flow. The Sunni terror groups in Iraq slowly grew back. The Obama administration saw ISIS develop but intentionally let it grow for its own political purposes. The U.S. military at times supported it in its fights against the Syrian state. ISIS is not even completely defeated, yet the seeds for its next incarnation already get sown. Thamer al-Sabhan will use the money he spends in Syria to further stir the anti-Shia pot. He will finance those who will promise him to resist the "Shia axis" of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. "Former" ISIS members will be welcome to join the "rehabilitation" work. One hopes that the "resistance" axis in Syria will finds ways and means to kill these weeds before they grow back to size. Posted by b on October 18, 2017 at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (58) October 17, 2017 Syria, Iraq - Why The Kurdish Independence Project Failed The bid of the Kurdish Barzani clan for an independent Kurdistan in north Iraq and beyond has utterly failed . Masoud Barzani, the strongman of the Iraqi Kurdish region, had called for the referendum to divert from his government's financial problems. Other Kurdish powerhouses saw it as a last attempt by Barzani to save his failing political position. The referendum asked for independence including in " Kurdistani areas outside the (Kurdistan) Region". It was an annexation bid. National Iraqi forces as well as the international powers turned against it. Masoud Barzani and his family are now likely to lose their leading position. The various unilateral Kurdish assertions since 2003 will be driven back. The dream of Kurdish independence in Iraq and Syria is, for now, dead. This is a positive development for both countries. Since 2003 and especially since 2014 the Kurds had pushed far beyond their original borders. They occupied areas with diverse populations and with critical Iraqi oil reserves. With backing from the Iraqi parliament, public opinion and international support the Iraqi government of Prime Minister Abadi had for months demanded a return of the 2003 borders. It condemned the illegal independence bid. The ruling Barzani family mafia sold the oil and pocketed the money that by law was owned to Iraq's federal government. The Barzani militia mafia occupied the federal border stations to neighboring countries and kept all custom income to themselves. Meanwhile teachers and other public workers in the Kurdish region went unpaid. The Barzani family clan is only one of the powers in the Kurdish region of Iraq. Historically its main competitors are the Talabani clan. Both clans control their own political parties (KDP and PUK) and militia. Both had been fighting against each other during a civil war in the 1990s. Then the Barzanis called in help from Iraqi president Saddam Hussein to defeat their local enemies. Over the last decade the Talabanis were handicapped by their ailing patriarch Jalal Talabani. After the U.S. invasion of Iraq he eschewed a major role in the Kurdish region in exchange for the ceremonial position of a president of Iraq. When Jalal Talbani died on October 2 his family immediately asserted its position. It negotiated a deal with the central Iraqi government to reign in the Barzanis' quasi dictatorial powers. The Iranian General Qassam Suleiman helped to arrange the agreement. When the Iraqi government forces, as previously announced, moved to retake Kirkuk from the Kurds the Kurdish militia forces (peshmerga) under PUK/Talibani command retreated as planned. The militia under KDP/Barzani command were left in an indefensible position and had to flee in haste. Yesterday and today Iraqi national forces retook control of various large oil fields the Kurds had occupied. They are also back in control of border stations with Syria and Turkey. After three years the Yazidi can finally go back to Sinjar. The Mosul Dam is again in government hands. Without oil and customs dues the Kurdish region lacks the assets and income to finance any regional independence. While his project collapsed in front of everyone's eyes, not a word was heard from Masoud Barzani. The Iraqi government will not only retake full control of the areas the Kurds under Brazani had illegally usurped. It will also demand new regional elections. It is doubtful that Masoud Barzani, or any of his sons, can win such local elections after all the mismanagement and disasters they caused. In Syria the Kurdish YPG/SDF forces today took full control of Raqqa. It will take months to clear the last remands ISIS left behind. It will take years to rebuild the city as it was largely destroyed by U.S. air support during the fight against ISIS. In Deir Ezzor the last Islamic State positions are collapsing under attacks of Syrian government forces. In a few more days and weeks the city and countryside will also be fully liberated. The war against ISIS is coming to an end. The Kurdish independence project in Iraq has died. The Kurds in Syria will now also be cut back to size. With less than 8% of the population the YPG led Kurds had taken control of 20% of the land and some 40% of the hydrocarbon resources. They will have to give up those gains. The Kurdish forces in Syria had material and personal support from U.S. forces. Most of the equipment and munition was transported by U.S. planes to Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish region in Iraq, and from there by land through Iraqi-Syrian border stations under Barzani's control. The Iraqi government in Baghdad will now be back in control of those crossings. The flow of U.S. material into the Kurdish-Syrian areas is no longer assured. The U.S. had long supported Kurdish autonomy in Iraq. It has now taken the side of the Iraqi central government. The (Barzani) Kurds were left hanging. The Kurds in Syria surely recognized that and they will calculate appropriately. Meanwhile Turkish forces have invaded Idelb governate in north-west Syria and nearly surrounded the Kurdish enclave of Efrin. Only Russia is holding Erdogan back from moving any further. Last weekend the military leader of the YPG/SDF in Syria, Sipan Hamo, visited Moscow. He wants Russian protection for Efrin but for that he will have to pay a price. The Kurds in Syria will have to reconcile with the Syrian government. Political support from Washington is obviously not reliable. Without U.S. air support the Kurdish military positions are way overstretched. The flow of material support to them is now under latent control of the Baghdad which is allied with the Syrian government side. Only Damascus and its allies in Moscow can prevent the fall of Efrin. There is no trump card left to play for the Kurds. They can hope that Russia will help them to achieve some bits of federal autonomy in areas of Syria where they are the majority. They will have to give up their other gains. Zionist forces, which want to split up Syria, will try their best to prevent a U.S. retreat from Syria. Some in the U.S. military will want to continue their alliance with Syrian Kurds. But Turkey as well as Iraq are against further U.S. support for Kurdish forces. Without any assured air, land or sea route the U.S. military can not sustain a long term involvement in Syria. Moreover - there is nothing to gain for it. I expect that President Trump and the U.S. media will declare a glorious U.S. victory over ISIS in its "capital" Raqqa. Trump will then order the U.S. military to leave the country. There will likely be some minor involvement for months to come but the main operation will be wrapped up. What is left of ISIS in Syria's east will be rolled up by the Syrian army and its allies. Over the last decades, and especially since the (foreign induced) Salafi insurrection weakened the states of Syria and Iraq, the Kurds had made huge territorial and political gains. But they became overly greedy and did not see that these gains were not sustainable. Iraq and Syria reasserted themselves. The "western" allies of the Kurds rediscovered that their strategic interests are best served by intact nation states. As I wrote elsewhere, the Kurds are an extremely diverse people: There are four Kurdish languages which are not mutually understandable. There are a dozen religions among Kurds though a majority are (Sufi) Sunni. They have been schooled and socialized in four different states. There are tribal conglomerates or clans like the Barzani and Talibani which have their own political parties and are led by patriarchal family mafias. There are members of the anarcho-marxist cult of Ozalan while neighboring Salafi Kurds have joined ISIS to then kill the neighboring Yezidi Kurds. None of these groups has any enlightened or democratic understanding of the world. The Kurds never got a state and will never get one because they are so hugely diverse and have little national unity. They will rather fight each other than accept some common leadership. Over centuries the Kurdish people never found the agreement among themselves that is needed to form a viable nation state. The fall of their latest independence bid only confirm this weakness. Posted by b on October 17, 2017 at 09:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (81) October 16, 2017 How The Washington Post Deceives Us About The War In Syria by Ahab Jezebel One of the most prestigious US medias, The Washington Post clearly has no built-in review mechanism for monitoring the quality and veracity of its source material relating to the coverage of war zone news. This is particularly apparent with regard to the reporting of the ongoing war situation in Syria. At present these professional standards have slipped and the paper has placed itself outside the ranks of real journalism and professionalism on which it built its enviable reputation - long before the war in Syria. Spreading propaganda, and relying only on activists, is not professional . It resembles paid publicity, designed to affect public opinion, and it takes advantage of less informed readers and politicians. We can open a small window into one of the latest articles on Syria by The Washington Post entitled:" Civilian casualties spiral in Syria as air raids target areas marked for cease-fire ". The article was not written from Syria but from Beirut (Lebanon), although it speaks authoritatively about Syria in great detail - and this from a journalist who has never been to Syria, and certainly not during the six years of the war. In its second paragraph the newspaper talks of "groups monitoring the conflict": but every single human being on Earth interested in the Syrian war is monitoring the conflict - including my 87 year-old neighbour, Louise (her name). She is able to tell me stories about daily bombing and "Daesh" (The "Islamic State" - ISIS) attacking "every day and maybe coming to Europe," according to her conclusions drawn from monitoring mainstream media. She believes Syria is a country of ghosts and that Assad, Daesh and the US are "working together against evil Russia". The Washington Post further undermines its own credibility by quoting the " White Helmets ," who apparently report that "80% of ... attacks targeted civilian areas". Not everybody knows how biased the White Helmets are : in fact some of their histrionic performances have been said to rival Shakespeare. Professional journalism by a reputable newspaper should be ill at ease when quoting "a fake professional exhibitionist group." And where, indeed, in Syria were the White Helmets based? In an al-Qaeda controlled city , working very closely with that terrorist group- the very same group responsible for 9/11! The newspaper doesn't stop at that: it insinuates - according to its title and introduction - that "pro-government forces launched hundreds of bombing raids across areas marked for international protection": yet the same journalist who wrote that article re-tweeted that " there were also 1,278 declared Coalition strikes in Syria last month ". So how that is possible to sustain a title (usually not under the control of the individual journalist) and an introduction stating the opposite? Readers absorb and trust the newspaper they are faithfully attached to, trusting that the information is reliable, corroborated and trustworthy. General readers find the truth hard to come by when "professional journalists" distort it. The article continues, quoting the "Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Monitoring Group". This group is based in London with many sources on the ground, including activists. It is known to be biased and its orientation is anti-Syrian government. Any information provided by this partial source may be taken into consideration - provided there is serious corroboration and first hand trustworthy information. In fact, no such corroboration is presented: the information seems to be thrown together in an article to support the journalist's idea or "newspaper policy," with the risk of misleading the readers. But the problem persists: in the next paragraph, Tim al-Siyofi, defined as an activist from the besieged Damascus district of Douma, is quoted - as a way of consolidating the introduction. But why on earth would readers buy a newspaper to read what an activist is saying when the social media are full of them - and free? But that is not the end of the article (only the beginning!): "Analysts took the violence as a sign that the piecemeal ceasefires struck in the Kazakh capital of Astana have done little to change the core objectives of the Syrian government" - whatever these are, or were (unstated). The "Analysts" are dead wrong, misleading and probably expressing wishful thinking. Astana stopped the war in three huge parts of Syria and allowed the Syrian Army to liberate tens of thousands of kilometers in al-Badiya (semi-desert) and to lift the siege of Deir-Ezzour by concentrating the majority of forces against the "Islamic State" (ISIS) group. The Syrian Army, supported by Russian Air Force, bombed for more than a week and killed dozens of al-Qaeda militants for violating the Astana de-escalation agreement related to the city of Idlib, when the group carried out several attacks on three different fronts. Simply, al-Qaeda wanted the war to carry on: an important detail the journalist perhaps ignored for being far from Syria. In fact, the same article contradicts itself further down when quoting a former Syrian General based in Istanbul who says: "These de-escalations freeze the problem". So the question is: how it can be - according to the analyst quoted in the article - that Astana has done little, yet the Syrian anti-regime General believes it has frozen the problem? Is The Washington Post asking too much from the reader's brain, or not enough! Is it relying on a lack of critical mind on the part of its readers? Difficult to know with such contradictions. The article is using once more the same old rhetoric used in the last six years of the war, accusing the Syrian government (and now Russia) of "targeting hospitals" without quoting a source, any source, and omitting the U.S.'s own revelations that Jihadists in Syria and Iraq keep their headquarters in hospitals, if such information is correct. But worse is to come: "Interviews with civilians in the area". Is it the journalist who is in Beirut who is running these interviews in the northern Al-Qaeda controlled city of Idlib? Of course, of course: it is "Abdulhamid".... It sounds quite exotic. Further down, the article goes on to deal with the human side of the war: "We just want to eat, to let up the siege, and to live in peace and not get bombed." The atrocities of the war in Syria are not up for discussion. In point of fact the city of Idlib is wide open to Turkey and fully supplied on a daily basis: the transit of goods is/was one of al-Qaeda's main incomes. No one is actually starving these days in Syria: the besieged cities have shown themselves, after liberation, to be packed with food supplies and ammunition. Generally speaking, the war in Syria has mushroomed all kinds of fake analysts and "journalists", who put bits and pieces together according to their (wishful) thinking, and call it an article. The problem would stop there, except that a very respectful newspaper, careless about the quality of its material and professional standards, allows this "cut and paste" journalism to happen, and endorses it. But the world is not completely stupid. Dan , the pizza delivery driver, seems much more critical, and aware of the complexity of the war in Syria than The Washington Post with its misleading articles (not the first time neither surprising when ISIS is not indicated as a terrorist group but " local militia "). Maybe readers are not as naive as the newspaper apparently believes them to be. Posted by b on October 16, 2017 at 09:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (58) Iraq - Thus Ends The Kurdish Independence Project Today the Iraqi government took Kirkuk back from occupying Kurdish forces. This marks the end of the Kurdish independence project in Iraq. in 2014 the Islamic State occupied Mosul. At the same time the regional Kurdish government under Masoud Barzani sent its Peshmerga troops to take the oil rich city of Kirkuk from the collapsing forces of the central Iraqi government. There were plausible allegations and some evidence (vid) that the Kurds had made a deal with ISIS and coordinated the move. In 2016 and 2017 Iraqi forces defeated ISIS in Mosul. Kurdish groups took the opportunity of the ISIS defeat to occupy further land, even as that did not have a Kurdish majority population and did not belong to their autonomous region. The red lined area is the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq as accepted by the Iraqi constitution. The red dotted line is the additional area the Kurds intended to take and at times controlled. The Iraqi government insisted that the situation be turned back to the pre-2014 lines. The vast majority of the people in Kirkuk are Arab and Turkmen. Kirkuk produces two-third of all oil in north-Iraq. There was not a chance that any central government of Iraq would leave the city and these riches to Kurdish occupiers. The central government move to reassert federal authority is backed by parliament decisions and was announced in a press conference on Tuesday. But the Kurdish leaders did neither think nor listen. The leading Barzani clan and his KDP party, long associated with Israel , tried to solidify their resource robbery. On September 25 they held an "independence referendum" in all areas under their control. All countries, except Israel, spoke out against this move. But Barzani was urged on by the Zionists and international neo-conservatives: Bernard-Henri Levy meeting Masoud Barzani - September 30 2017 - bigger As I remarked at the time of that meeting: This is the death sentence for the Kurdish independence project. No cause [Bernard-Henri Levy] supported has ever had a happy ending. Egged on, Barzani continued his path. He threatened to proclaim Kurdish independence from the Iraqi state. The Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi could not condone such an unconstitutional insurrection. He sent his troops to restore the 2014 lines of control, starting with the oil rich areas around Kirkuk. During the last three days the Iraqi army, national police and counter-terrorism units, all hardened by the fight against the Islamic State, were marched onto Kirkuk. An ultimatum was issued for the Kurdish Peshmerga to leave the area. Barzani insisted on staying. He even called in PKK fighters from Turkey to help him keep the city. Last night the inevitable happened. The Iraqi government forces moved forward and, after a few skirmishes, the Kurdish Peshmerga ran away. It is not clear who, if anyone, ordered them to retreat. Some Peshmerga units arrested other Peshmerga units. No one seemed to be in command. As of now the Iraqi government is back in control at the Kirkuk airport, the military garrisons and the oil fields and refinery installations. Kirkuk city itself is untouched. There are reports that everyone associated with the Kurdish regional government is moving out. The U.S., which had provided both sides with weapons and training, had no real idea what was going on and took no side. Without U.S. support the Kurdish forces had no air-support and no chance to win any fight. Kirkuk is lost for them and the other areas they occupied since 2014 will follow. Barzani has lost his high stake gamble. The dreams of an independent Kurdistan in Iraq have just been buried again. Masoud Barzani's position has been weakened significantly. This huge blunder might cost him his head. The Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi has gained in standing and is now in position to win next years election. These events will also have consequences for the Kurdish position in Syria. They demonstrate that they can not hope for continued U.S. support and will have to reconcile with the Syrian government. The idea of some autonomous or even independent Kurdish entity in Syria is, as of today, also dead. Posted by b on October 16, 2017 at 04:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (58) Open Thread 2017-37 Last week's posts at Moon of Alabama: Turkish forces eventually entered Idleb (see below). But not as the Astana agreement had foreseen. There has been no new information on the massacre in Las Vegas. No new gun laws to restrict (semi-)automatic weapons seem to be forthcoming. The whole affair has vanished from the news. Al-Qaeda could do so much damage to Turkey that Erdogan has to ally with it. Here are details of the Idleb arrangement between Turkey and al-Qaeda as narrated by an al-Qaeda member. Turkey will not touch al-Qaeda and enters Idleb only to besiege the Kurds. The fires are still raging - 6,000 house so far have been completely destroyed (vids). Only the chimneys are left. The latest Russia nonsense comes from CNN which, in the headline and lede, say that Russia used the Pokemon game to influence Americans, but down in the piece admits that it has no evidence for the claim. The U.S. secret services dislike the Kaspersky anti-virus package presumably because it is difficult to hack. They use their bullhorns to practically ban it from the market. This makes the Kaspersky suite the most recommendable anti-virus snake-oil. Recent examples of headlines asserting facts that the pieces below those headlines do not back up or even refute. Trump acts like the proverbial bull in a china shop. Fun to watch - until one is part of the china. Use as open thread ... Posted by b on October 15, 2017 at 01:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (105) October 14, 2017 Free Passage Deal For ISIS In Raqqa - U.S. Denies Involvement - Video Proves It Lies After free passage negotiations with the U.S. and its Kurdish proxy forces, ISIS is moving its fighters out of Raqqa city. When the Syrian government reached similar agreements the U.S. childishly criticized it. The U.S. coalition claims that it was "not involved in the discussions" that led to the Raqqa free passage agreement. A BBC News report shows that the opposite is true. Over the last two years the U.S. and its Kurdish proxy force in Syria made several deals with the Islamic State. In 2016, for example, they negotiated a deal with Islamic State fighters to move from Manbij to the Turkish border to avoid further casualties in the fight about the city. But when in August 2017 Hizbullah and the Lebanese and Syrian government negotiated a deal with some 300 besieged ISIS fighters and their families at the Lebanese-Syria border, the U.S. loudly protested . The U.S. military blocked and threatened to bomb the evacuation convoy over several days and the U.S. envoy McGurk ranted against it: 7:20 AM - 30 Aug 2017 - Brett McGurk @brett_mcgurk Irreconcilable #ISIS terrorists should be killed on the battlefield, not bused across #Syria to the Iraqi border without #Iraq's consent 1/2 Our @coalition will help ensure that these terrorists can never enter #Iraq or escape from what remains of their dwindling "caliphate." 2/2 Over the last months U.S. supported Kurdish proxy fighters besieged the city of Raqqa and fought to take it from ISIS. An immense amount of U.S. bombs was released to lower the casualty numbers of the U.S.proxy forces. The city was literally "destroyed to save it". Many of its civilian inhabitants were killed. During the last days rumors abounded that a deal was made between the U.S. and ISIS. It would give ISIS fighters free passage when leaving the city. Today these rumors were confirmed : [SOHR] received information from Knowledgeable and independent sources confirming reaching a deal between the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces in one hand; and the "Islamic State" organization in the other hand, and the deal stated the exit of the remaining members of the "Islamic State" organization out of Al-Raqqah city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirms that this agreement has happened, and confirms that all the Syrian members were gotten out already, and if some members remained until now it is because they are of the non-Syrian nationalities of whom the French Intelligence objects getting them out of Al-Raqqah city, where the French Intelligence considers that some of those involved in Paris Attack are present inside the city ... Other sources said that buses had arrived to take the leaving ISIS fighters towards the Syrian-Iraqi border area. Local officials say that foreign fighters with ISIS are also leaving. The U.S. coalition generally confirms the evacuation, but it denies any involvement: A convoy of vehicles is staged to depart Raqqah Oct. 14 under an arrangement brokered by the Raqqah Civil Council and local Arab tribal elders Oct. 12. ... The Coalition was not involved in the discussions that led to the arrangement, but believes it will save innocent lives and allow Syrian Democratic Forces and the Coalition to focus on defeating Daesh terrorists in Raqqah with less risk of civilian casualties. The hypocrisy stinks to high heaven. A deal made by Hizbullah with besieged ISIS fighters and their families was condemned. The evacuation convoy was blocked for days in the desert by U.S. drones and air interdiction. Now the U.S. and its allies make a similar deal and let ISIS leave its besieged position. They bus those fighters towards the Syrian-Iraqi border where Syrian government forces are engaged in heavy battles against ISIS. What is next? CENTCOM providing ISIS with air transport to the Israeli border? There ISIS is free to openly train new forces . The area is safe from Syrian and Russian attacks. The Israeli airforce keeps anyone away who might be hostile to ISIS. The U.S. says: "The Coalition was not involved in the discussions". That is a lie. Only two days ago BBC News reported on the meeting where the deal was discussed and then made. Here you can see (vid) U.S. General Jim Glynn meeting on October 12 with Raqqa officials to negotiate the deal. While the General claimed at that time that no deal was made, later news and the situation today proves the opposite. ISIS convoys are moving out of Raqqa and the U.S. and its proxy forces are sitting tight and simply watch them leave. No U.S. air asset is blocking the convoy and no Brett McGurk is raving against the deal. The criticism of the Hizbullah deal in August by the U.S. military was unprofessional. The blockade of the earlier evacuation convoy was childish behavior. McGurks rants were puerile. To lie today about involvement in the deal making after having invited the BBC to film the negotiations is just utterly stupid. No grown-ups seem to be involved on the U.S. side of the Syria conflict. Posted by b on October 14, 2017 at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (80) October 13, 2017 Iran - Trump Has No Strategy, Only Aims And No Way To Achieve Them Trump hates the international nuclear deal with Iran. The agreement put temporary restriction of Iran's nuclear program and opened it up to deeper inspections. The other sides of the deal committed to lifting sanctions and to further economic cooperation. Trump wants to get rid of the deal; but he is unwilling to pay the political price. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was negotiated and signed by the five permanent UN Security Council members (U.S., Ch, Ru, UK, F), Germany, the EU and Iran. If the U.S. defaults on the deal it will be in a lone position. The diplomatic isolation would limit its abilities to use its influence on other issues. Trump has little knowledge of Iran, the nuclear deal, the Middle East or anything else. What he knows comes from Fox News and from Netanyahoo and other Zionist whisperers who get to his ear. All he heard is that the deal with Iran is bad. Therefore, he concluded, it must end. The White House handed a paper to the media which is supposed to describe President Donald J. Trump's New Strategy on Iran . But there is no strategy in that paper. It list a number of aims the Trump wants to achieve. But it does no explain how he plans to do that. It is a wish list, not a program to follow. The "Core Elements of the Presidents New Iran Strategy" are: The United States new Iran strategy focuses on neutralizing the Government of Irans destabilizing influence and constraining its aggression, particularly its support for terrorism and militants. We will revitalize our traditional alliances and regional partnerships as bulwarks against Iranian subversion and restore a more stable balance of power in the region. We will work to deny the Iranian regime and especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) funding for its malign activities, and oppose IRGC activities that extort the wealth of the Iranian people. We will counter threats to the United States and our allies from ballistic missiles and other asymmetric weapons. We will rally the international community to condemn the IRGCs gross violations of human rights and its unjust detention of American citizens and other foreigners on specious charges. Most importantly, we will deny the Iranian regime all paths to a nuclear weapon. The list is full of factual mistakes: Iran stabilized Iraq when the Islamic State was only days away from taking over Baghdad. Iran also helps to stabilize Syria and to defeat the Islamic State. Ballistic missiles are not "asymmetric weapons". Iran's neighbors Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have such missiles. Iran's missiles are no threat to the United States. The IRGC is the equivalent of the U.S. special forces. It is funded by the state. It does not "extort the wealth of the Iranian people". (The IRGC's pension funds (bonyads) hold significant industrial assets. But they are different entities.) The IRGC does not detain American citizens. Iran has repeatedly declared that it rejects all nuclear weapons out of religious reasons. It signed several international agreements which prohibit and prevent it from seeking such weapons. The White House list of aims, "the strategy", is followed by "background" information on Iran and its alleged behavior. Some White House intern must have copied it from a neoconservative version of Wikipedia. It is a conglomeration of general talking points which lack a factual basis. When the JCOPA deal was closed, Congress legislated that the White House must certify every 90 days that Iran sticks to the deal. Trump will now stop to certify Iran's compliance even as everyone, including the White House, acknowledges that Iran is fulfilling all its parts. The White House claims that non-certification is not a breach of the agreement. The issue now falls back to Congress which might re-introduce the sanctions on Iran which the agreement had lifted. If it does that Trump will say that it is responsible for all consequences. It is not clear if or what Congress will do. Senators Corker and Cotton are pushing for legislation that amounts to an unilateral change of the nuclear deal. It would introduce new sanctions if Iran does not accept their demands. Trump seems to support that. But it is not going to work. It is an unilateral breach of the contract and no other country involved in deal will support it. Trump may introduce new economic sanctions on Iran but why would Iran care? Unless all other countries follow Trump's lead, it can simply buy and sell elsewhere. The EU countries were again craven and offered to push against Iran's ballistic missiles if Trump does not completely break the JCPOA deal. This was utterly stupid negotiation behavior. Why offer concessions to Trump even before he makes a self defeating move? Still - they will not support breaking the deal. Iran will not give up to its rights and it will not disarm. Obama pushed sanctions onto sanctions to make Iran scream. But the country did not fold. Each new U.S. sanction step was responded to with an expansion of Iran's nuclear program. In the end Obama had to offer talks to Iran to get out of the hole he had dug himself. Now Trump is saying that stopping Iran from getting nukes is the priority. And that Obama was wrong to focus on it. The result is a bungled policy which will have either catastrophic, or no consequences at all. Posted by b on October 13, 2017 at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (87) October 12, 2017 8 Out Of 10 Will Only Read This Headline Headlines lie to catch attention. Only few read beyond them. They will miss the facts, and the falsehood of the headlines. It is a dangerous development. Here is an Australian example of current headline writing: The lede: TOP secret technical information about new fighter jets, navy vessels, and surveillance aircraft has been stolen from an Australian defence contractor. The story could be relevant - if true. But it does not hold what the headline promises. The text says: ".. the firm was subcontracted four levels down from defence contracts." ".. a mum and dad type business ... with about 50 employees" "the admin password, to enter the company's web portal, was 'admin' and the guest password was 'guest'" "the information ... included a diagram in which you could zoom in down to the captain's chair and see that it was one metre away from the navigation chair" " the information disclosed was commercially sensitive, it was unclassified " The last snippet completely rebuts the headline. It appears in 18th of the 20 paragraph story. A truthful (but boring) headline might have said: "Mechanics rat-shop puts marketing stuff on open website". No one would have clicked on it. Headlines disproved by the following text have become common: Trump threatens 'fire and fury' in response to N. Korean threats "It was not immediately clear what Trump was responding to." Exclusive: Russian-linked Facebook ads targeted Michigan and Wisconsin "A large number of ads appeared in [other] areas of the country that were not heavily contested in the elections." Duterte's 'drug war' is fueling the spread of disease "It is too soon to map out exactly how the drug war will affect the health of Filipinos." News content is now of lesser relevance than ever. "Clicks" are generated by headlines: 70% of Facebook users only read the headline ...before commenting 6 in 10 of you will share this link without reading it ... 55% of Visitors Read .. Articles For 15 Seconds or Less "Clicks" generate "visits" which convert into advertising revenue. Such headlines make economic sense - short-term. But the best paying advertisers seek a quality audience. In the long-term they will avoid such sites. Once upon a time sensationalist false headlines were the loony realm of tabloid media. That is unfortunately no longer the case. Headlines of even reputable media no longer transmit facts . One has to dive deep into the stories to get to real information. This trend will lead to a further stultification of the population. It makes it easier to manipulate the plebs. Posted by b on October 12, 2017 at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (42) October 11, 2017 Spy Spin Fuels Anti-Kaspersky Campaign Since May 2017 certain U.S. circles openly campaign against security products provided by the Russian company Kaspersky Labs. Three recent stories claim involvement of the software in rather fantastic "Russian hackers" stories. It is renewed attack after a silent spy campaign in 2015 against Kaspersky had failed. The current stories seem inconsistent, lack logic and evidence. If one believes all the now made claims then Israel hacked Kaspersky, which was hacking an NSA employee who had stolen NSA hacks, while being hacked by Russia which was hacked by the NSA, while the NSA was warned by Israel about Russian hacks. Makes sense? The Russian company Kaspersky Lab makes and sells the probably best anti-virus protection software available. All anti-virus software packages need full access to the system they run on. It is the only way to assure that the packages themselves are not compromised by some super-virus. Anti-virus packages upload malware they find for further analysis. They also update themselves through a secure internet connection. This enables the product to detect new viruses soon after they have been discovered in the wild. Both of the characteristics, full system access and online-update, make these tools inherently dangerous. They can be abused either by their producer or by someone who infiltrates the producers systems. Computer geeks call such products "snake-oil" as they promise a grade of security that can not be guaranteed, even while they themselves constitute a significant security risk. One either must trust such anti-virus packages or not use them at all. Since May 2017 Congress made noise about banning Kaspersky products from the U.S. Defense Department and other government entities. In September the Department of Homeland Security order all federal agencies to remove Kaspersky software from their system. Kaspersky Lab makes some 60% of its total revenues in the United States. The DHS order and the resulting press reports will do very serious damage to its business. It will help to sell competing U.S. products. Eugene Kaspersky, the owner of the company, has offered to provide the source code of the products for review by U.S. government specialists. He also offered to testify before Congress. Both to no avail. There is fear mongering, without any evidence, that Kaspersky may cooperate with the Russian government. Similar accusations could be made about any anti-virus product. U.S. and British spies systematically target all anti-virus products and companies : The British spy agency regarded the Kaspersky software in particular as a hindrance to its hacking operations and sought a way to neutralize it. ... An NSA slide describing "Project CAMBERDADA" lists at least 23 antivirus and security firms that were in that spy agency's sights . They include the Finnish antivirus firm F-Secure, the Slovakian firm Eset, Avast software from the Czech Republic. and Bit-Defender from Romania. Notably missing from the list are the American anti-virus firms Symantec and McAfee as well as the UK-based firm Sophos . That the NSA and the British GCHQ did not list U.S. and British made anti-virus products on their "to do" list lets one assume that these packages can already be controlled by them. In February 2015 Kaspersky announced that it found U.S. and UK government spying and sabotage software infecting computers in some 42 countries. It released a detailed report about the "Equation group", its name for NSA and GCHQ spy tools. In June 2015 Kaspersky Lab detected a breach in its own systems by an Israeli government malware. It published an extensive autopsy of the breach and the malware programs used in it. Meanwhile the NSA attacked Kaspersky products and customers: The NSA has also studied Kaspersky Lab's software for weaknesses, obtaining sensitive customer information by monitoring communications between the software and Kaspersky servers, according to a draft top-secret report. The U.S. spy agency also appears to have examined emails inbound to security software companies flagging new viruses and vulnerabilities. Later that year the CIA and FBI even tried to recruit Kaspersky employees but were warned off. That the U.S. government now attempts to damage Kaspersky is likely a sign that Kaspersky Lab and its products continue to be a hard-target which the NSA and GCHQ find difficult to breach. To justify the public campaign against Kaspersky, which began in May, U.S. officials recently started to provide a series of cover stories. A diligent reading of these stories reveals inconsistencies and a lack of logic. On October 5 the Wall Street Journal reported: Russian Hackers Stole NSA Data on U.S. Cyber Defense : Hackers working for the Russian government stole details of how the U.S. penetrates foreign computer networks and defends against cyberattacks after a National Security Agency contractor removed the highly classified material and put it on his home computer, according to multiple people with knowledge of the matter. The hackers appear to have targeted the contractor after identifying the files through the contractor's use of a popular antivirus software made by Russia-based Kaspersky Lab, these people said. A NSA employee copied code of top-secret NSA spy tools and put it on his private computer. ("It's just that he was trying to complete the mission, and he needed the tools to do it." said 'one person familiar with the case' to WaPo.) The Kaspersky anti-virus software, which the NSA employee had installed, identified parts of these tools as malware and uploaded them for analysis to the Kapersky's central detection database. The Kaspersky software behaved exactly as it should . Any other anti-virus software behaves similar if it detects a possibly new virus. The "multiple people with knowledge of the matter" talking to the WSJ seem to allege that this was a "Russian hacker" breach of NSA code. But nothing was hacked. If the story is correct, the Kaspersky tool was legally installed and worked as it should. The only person in the tale who did something illegal was the NSA employee. His case demonstrates that the NSA continues to have a massive insider security problem. There is no hint in the story to any evidence for its core claim of "Russian hackers". Eugene Kaspersky himself strongly denies any cooperation with Russian government entities as well as any involvement with any NSA employee leak. The German government found no evidence that Kaspersky is spying for Russia. Its federal data security office (BSI) trashes the U.S. reports: "The BSI has no indications at this time that the process occurred as described in the media." Further down the WSJ story says : The incident occurred in 2015 but wasn't discovered until spring of last year , said the people familiar with the matter." The stolen material included details about how the NSA penetrates foreign computer networks, the computer code it uses for such spying and how it defends networks inside the U.S., these people said. If the last sentence is true the employee must have had top access to multiple NSA programs. A new story in the New York Times today builds on the WSJ tale above. It makes the claims therein even more suspicious. The headline - How Israel Caught Russian Hackers Scouring the World for U.S. Secrets : It was a case of spies watching spies watching spies: Israeli intelligence officers looked on in real time as Russian government hackers searched computers around the world for the code names of American intelligence programs. What gave the Russian hacking, detected more than two years ago , such global reach was its improvised search tool -- antivirus software made by a Russian company, Kaspersky Lab, ... The Israeli officials who had hacked into Kaspersky's own network alerted the United States to the broad Russian intrusion, which has not been previously reported, leading to a decision just last month to order Kaspersky software removed from government computers. The Russian operation, described by multiple people who have been briefed on the matter, is known to have stolen classified documents from a National Security Agency employee who had improperly stored them on his home computer. The Washington Post version of the story is remarkable different. Unlike the NYT it does not claim any Russian government involvement in Kaspersky systems: In 2015, Israeli government hackers saw something suspicious in the computers of a Moscow-based cybersecurity firm : hacking tools that could only have come from the National Security Agency. Israel notified the NSA, where alarmed officials immediately began a hunt for the breach, according to people familiar with the matter, who said an investigation by the agency revealed that the tools were in the possession of the Russian government . Israeli spies had found the hacking material on the network of Kaspersky Lab ... While the NYT asserts that the Russian government had access to the Kaspersky systems, the Washington Post does not assert that at all. The NYT claims that the Israelis alerted the NSA of Russian government knowledge of its tools while WaPo says that it was the NSA itself that found this out. That Israel alerts the NSA when it has its hands on a valuable source that reveals NSA tools is not believable. There is no love lost between Israeli and U.S. spy agencies. They spy on each other whenever they can with even deadly consequences . The NYT story is based on "current and former government officials", not on the usual " U.S. officials". It might well be that Israeli spies are spinning the NYT tale. We already knew that the Israeli government had in 2015 breached some Kaspersky systems. Kaspersky Lab itself alarmed the public about it and provided an extensive forensic report. There are several important questions that the above quote stories do not ask: If the Israelis detected NSA malware in the hand of the Russian government "more than two years ago" (NYT) how come that the NSA hole was only found in 2016 (WSJ)? Did the Israelis use their claimed knowledge for a year without alarming their "allies" at the NSA? Why? And why would the detection of alleged Russian government intrusion into Kaspersky products lead to a ban of these products only in fall 2017? If the story were true the NSA should have reacted immediately. All Kaspersky products should have been banned from U.S. government systems as soon as the problem was known. The NSA allowed the Russian government, for more than a year, to sniff through all systems of the more than two dozen American government agencies (including the military) which use the Kaspersky products? That does not make sense. These recently provided stories stink. There is no evidence provided for the assertions therein. They make the false claim that the NSA employees computer was "hacked". Their timelines make no sense. If not complete fantasies they are likely to be heavily spun to achieve a specific goal: to justify the banning of Kaspersky products from U.S. markets. I regard these stories as part of "blame Russia" campaign which is used by the military-industrial complex to justify new defense spending. They may also be useful in removing a good security product, which the NSA failed to breach, from the "western" markets. Posted by b on October 11, 2017 at 08:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (58) October 10, 2017 "Russia Interfered!" - By Purchasing Anti-Trump Ads? After the ludicrous "Russian hacking" claims have died down for lack of evidence, the attention was moved to even more ludicrous claims of "Russian ads influenced the elections". Some readers are upset that continue to debunk the nonsense the media spreads around this. But lies should not stand without response. If only to blame the reporters and media who push this dreck. As evidence is also lacking for any "Russian interference" claims the media outlets have started to push deceiving headlines. These make claims that are not covered at all by the content of the related pieces. The headlines are effective because less than 20% of the viewers ever read beyond them. On the NYT Homepage today we find another one of these: Google Finds Russia Bought Ads to Interfere in Election . Google has found no ads that "Russia", the state or nation, has bought. There is also no evidence that the ads in question interfered in any way with the election. There is evidence that any of the ads in questions aimed to achieve that. The opener of the piece repeats the false headline claims. But now we have "Russian agents", not "Russia", which allegedly did something. Google has found evidence that Russian agents bought ads on its wide-ranging networks in an effort to interfere with the 2016 presidential campaign. The term "Russian agents" is not defined at all. Where these "secret agents" or Public Relation professionals in Washington DC hired by some Russian entity? Using accounts believed to be connected to the Russian government, the agents purchased $4,700 worth of search ads and more traditional display ads, according to a person familiar with the company's inquiry ... "Accounts believed to be connected to the Russian government." Believed by whom? And how is "connected" defined? Isn't any citizen "connected" to his or her government? Those believed , connected accounts bought a whopping $4,700 of ads? Googles 2016 revenue was $89,000,000,000. The total campaign expenditures in 2016 were some $6,000,000,000. The Clinton campaign spent some $480,000 on social network ads alone. But something "Russian" spending $4,700 was "interference"? But wait. There is more: Google found a separate $53,000 worth of ads with political material that were purchased from Russian internet addresses, building addresses or with Russian currency. It is not clear whether any of those were connected to the Russian government, and they may have been purchased by Russian citizens, the person said. So now we are on to something. A full $53,000 worth of ads. But .... The messages of those ads spanned the political spectrum. One account spent $7,000 on ads to promote a documentary called "You've Been Trumped," a film about Donald J. Trump's efforts to build a golf course in Scotland along an environmentally sensitive coastline. Another spent $36,000 on ads questioning whether President Barack Obama needed to resign. Yet another bought ads to promote political merchandise for Mr. Obama. The film is anti-Trump. Obama not resigning would have been anti-Trump. Selling Obama merchandise may have been good business, but is certainly not pro-Trump. So at least $43,000 of a total of $53,000 mentioned above was spent by believed , connected "Russians" on ads that promoted anti-Trump material. How does that fit with the claims that "Russia" wished to get Trump elected? Putin pushed the wrong button? The allegedly "Russian" Facebook ads were just a click-bait scheme by some people trying to make money. The allegedly "Russian" Goggle ads were of a volume that is unlikely to have made any difference in anything. They were also anti-Trump. Clinton lost because people on all sides had learned to dislike her policies throughout the years. She was unelectable. Her party was and is acting against the interest of the common people. No claim of anything "Russian" can change those facts. Posted by b on October 10, 2017 at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (56) Impressive Videos Of Santa Rosa Fires Below the fold: An impressive video of a ten minutes bicycle ride, at night, through a burning Santa Rosa neighborhood. The people got out. But those plywood buildings had no chance. (One wonders why such buildings are seen as investments.) This from a local journalist is also impressive. There are several more impressive "Santa Rosa" videos under the journalist's account. The first , longer ones are the best. Posted by b on October 10, 2017 at 02:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (59) October 09, 2017 Syria - Turkey Violates Astana Agreement - Renews Alliance With Al-Qaeda Yesterday Turkish army forces entered the Syrian Idleb governate from the west. The move is officially part of a de-escalation supervision process agreed upon between Syria, Turkey, Russia and Iran. One point of the agreement is to continue the fight against al-Qaeda in Syria, currently operating under the name Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). HTS controls large parts of Idleb governate. This is confirmed in the official Turkish Idleb Operation Explanation . "To purge terrorist organisations, especially DAESH, PKK/PYD-YPG and HTS from the region," is describes as one aim of its de-escalaton force. But the Turkish forces have made a deal with HTS. When their reconnaissance teams entered Idleb yesterday they were escorted by heavily armed HTS forces ( video ). According to their agreement with the terrorists the Turkish forces will only take up three positions. All of these will be bordering the Kurdish enclave Efrin (Afrin). An (anti-Syrian government) journalist reports: Hassan Hassan - Verified account @hxhassan - 5:22 PM - 8 Oct 2017 1. Turkey established three checkpoints in Darat Izzat, west of Aleppo, in coordination with HTS. A senior HTS official tells @MousaAlomar Turkish forces won't be present anywhere other than those checkpoints "for now." 2. Mousa asks a series of questions to the HTS official: Q. Will the Turkish army enter [rebel-held] areas? A. Yes (but not beyond the three areas agreed with HTS) Q. Any imminent battle in Idlib? A. No. So far things are good, unless Turkey changes its position My own sources confirm that an effort to keep things peaceful between Turkey and HTS is so far successful. The purpose of this Turkish incursion is obviously not to counter al-Qaeda/HTS but only to surround the Kurdish held enclave around Efrin. An aggressive Turkish move could now try to cut of the Kurdish Efrin area (yellow) from the Syrian government held areas (red) by connecting the Turkish controlled rebel area in the north (blue) with the al-Qaeda controlled Idleb governate (green). Such a move would encounter fierce resistance not only from Kurdish elements and the Syrian government but also from Iran. Auxiliary Iranian troops hold the government corridor between Aleppo and Efrin to protect some important Shia villages in the area. On one side one can understand the Turkish abrogation of its duties under the Astana agreement. Erdogan is afraid of the domestic backlash a real fight against HTS would likely cause. But it was Turkey that created the mess by supplying al-Qaeda in Syria with men and goods for nearly six years. It is its duty to kill the monster it created. It also has to uphold its diplomatic agreements. Turkey has proven again that it is not trustworthy. Erdogan may hope to get NATO cover should he incur new Russian wrath about his breach of trust and his abrogation of the de-escalation agreement. But the expanding spat between the State Department and the Turkish government, as well as low Turkish standing within NATO populations, do not bode well for any bet on that alliance. Posted by b on October 9, 2017 at 05:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (88) October 08, 2017 Missing - A Motive For The Las Vegas Killing Spree The currently known tale of the Las Vegas mass murder feels astonishingly incomplete. Several rumors and reports appeared about a potential second shooter. But there is no hard evidence. The police keeps saying there was only one person involved. It claims to have copious video evidence of that. None has yet been released. It seems possible that one person alone did this. A large, densely packed crowd, a position high up, automatic weapons - it was a "shooting fish in a barrel" situation - not a chance to miss. The shooter was white. He was therefore mentally disturbed. Would he have been black, he would have been an evil terrorist. But being mentally disturbed or under pharmaceutical influence doe not fit with the long planning and the diligence of preparation. Stephen Paddock, the allegedly lone shooter, is a curious personality. Only bits of his life seem to be known. An accountant who, on the side, made millions in real estates? He must have been a thrifty person do achieve that, with a good sense for numbers. Why would such a person go to casinos and put money into video poker machines? It is a sure way to lose and any sane persons knows this. The above gives rise to dozens of crazy theories. The man must have been CIA. ISIS ordered him to do it. Putin must have done it to somehow sow discord in America. All these theories miss the same decisive detail that is lacking in the prevalent tale. A rational motive. Posted by b on October 8, 2017 at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (259) October 07, 2017 Syria - Erdogan Is Afraid Of Entering Idleb The Turkish President Erdogan announced the start of a Turkish operation in Idleb province of Syria. Idelb has been for years under the control of al-Qaeda in Syria, currently under the label Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. In the talks in Astana, Turkey, Russia and Iran agreed on a deescalation zone in Idelb to be supervised by all three of them. But the fight against al-Qaeda, aka HTS, would continue. Turkey is supposed to control the western part of the province including the city of Idleb. But the Turkish government is afraid to go there. During the last days there have been many reports and lots of pictures of Turkish force movements along the north-western Syrian border. But Turkey made no attempt to enter the country and it is doubtful that it will. Erdogan's announcement needs some parsing: "There's a serious operation in Syria's Idlib today and it will continue," Erdogan said in a speech to his AK Party, adding that Turkey would not allow a "terror corridor" on its border with Syria. "For now Free Syria Army is carrying out the operation there ," Erdogan said. "Russia will be protecting outside the borders (of the Idlib region) and we will handle inside," he said. " Russia is supporting the operation from the air , and our armed forces from inside Turkey's borders ," he added. "[F]rom inside Turkey's borders" means of course that the Turkish army will not (again) enter Syria. At least not now. Turkey has transferred some 800 of its "Turkmen" mercenaries from the "Euphrates Shield" area north-east of Aleppo [green] to the western border next to Idleb. "Euphrates Shield" was a fight against the Islamic State with the aim of interrupting a potential Kurdish "terrorist" corridor from north-east Syria to the north-western Kurdish enclave Afrin [beige]. Turkey lost a bunch of heavy battle tanks and some 70 soldiers in that fight. Erdogan was criticized in Turkey for the somewhat botched operation. The Turkish proxy fighters now sent into Idleb belong to the Hamza Brigade, Liwa al-Mutasem and other Turkish "Free Syrian Army" outfits. They will have to go in without tanks and heavy weapons. Some Turkish special forces with them might be able to call up artillery support from within Turkey. But no Turkish air support will be available as Syria and Russia insist of staying in control of the airspace. A recent video shows a group of HTS maniacs attacking an outpost like professional soldiers. They are equipped with AT-4 anti-tank missiles, 60mmm mortars, light machine guns and Milkor grenade launcher. They have good uniforms, fairly new boots and ammo carrier belts. This is not equipment captured from the Syrian army or second hand stuff from some former eastern-block country. It is modern "western" stuff. These folks still have some rich sponsor and excellent equipment sources. Russia has in recent weeks extensively bombed al-Qaeda positions in Idleb. Turkish intelligence may have helped with that. But AQ still has a very decent fighting force. The Turkish supported forces are likely no match for well equipped and battle hardened al-Qaeda fighters. Turkey had for nearly six years supplied and pampered al-Qaeda in Syria. The group has many relations and personal within Turkey. The Astana agreement now obligates Turkey to fight HTS. Erdogan sits in a trap he set up himself. Should it come to a conflict between HTS and Turkish forces in Syria, the fight would soon cause casualties in Ankara and Istanbul. Erdogan might still believe that he can somehow domesticate HTS. The government controlled Anadolu agency does not even mention the al-Qaeda origin of the group nor its long control of the area. It is trying to paint a somewhat rosy picture of HTS as an anti-American outfit: Tahrir al-Sham, an anti-regime group, has come to the forefront with increasing activity in Idlib recently. Tahrir al-Sham has not made a direct statement against the deployment of Turkish troops to the region. On the other hand, the group and some opponents oppose the entry of various Free Syrian Army groups to Idlib, which are prepared to come from the Euphrates Shield Operation Area. The group justifies the opposition, saying that other groups expected to arrive in the region get support from the United States. The Turkish paper Hurriyet is less sensible with Erdogan's needs: Idlib is largely controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), spearheaded by a former al-Qaeda affiliate that changed its name last year from the Nusra Front. HTS is not party to a deal brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran for the safe zone in the province, one of four such "de-escalation" zones nationwide. Ousting HTS forces from the area will be needed to allow the arrival of Iranian, Russian and Turkish forces to implement a de-escalation zone. In Astana Erdogan was given the task to clean up the mess he earlier created in Idleb by supporting the Jihadis. Erdogan does not like the job but has no choice. If the de-escalation fails because HTS stays in control, Syria and its allies will move into Idleb. Turkey will then have to cope with thousands of battle seasoned Jihdis and a million of their kinfolk as refugees. If Erdogan moves Turkish forces into the Idleb area it will become a very costly fight and he will soon be in trouble in his own realm. Making peace with HTS is not an option. HTS rejected all offers to "change its skin" and to melt away. Iran, the Astana agreement and a number of UN Security Council Resolutions also stand against that. It will be difficult for Turkey to untangle that knot. Posted by b on October 7, 2017 at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (59) Open Thread 2017-36 News & views ... Posted by b on October 6, 2017 at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (78) October 05, 2017 Syria - Russia Issues Third Warning Against U.S. Cooperation With Terrorists The Syrian Army was on its way across the Euphrates river to liberate the oil- and gas-fields east of Deir Ezzor city. The U.S. countered the move. It sent a small forces of Arab tribal mercenaries who were earlier allied with the Islamic State (ISIS). These proxy forces came from a northern direction and moved through Islamic State held areas without fighting and casualties up to the walls of Deir Ezzor city. Map by Weekend Warrior - bigger The Syrian army was about to win the race when it started to cross the Euphrates. But it suddenly was surprised by a large al-Qaeda attack in southern Idleb province. That area had been quiet for months. 29 Russian troops who were supervising a deescalation zone there were nearly encircled by al-Qaeda forces. They only escape after an emergency relief operation had cut through al-Qaeda lines. The Russian Ministry of Defense accused the U.S. of having communicated the position of the Russian platoon to al-Qaeda. Shortly thereafter a Russian general, visiting Deir Ezzor city to supervise the Euphrates bridge crossing, came under extremely well aimed mortar fire by the Islamic State. The general and two other high ranking officers were killed. During years of fighting around Deir Ezzor ISIS had never shown the capability for such a precise strike. Someone must have communicated with the terrorists and transferred the exact position of the local headquarter, as well as the time of the Russian general's visit. A week later a concentrated ISIS attack on the main supply road between Palmyra and Deir Ezzor was attacked by a large number of ISIS forces. It is trying to retake al-Suknah in the middle between the two cities. The Russian Defense Ministry claims that the attacking ISIS forces came from southern areas of al-Tanf near the Jordan border which are under control of U.S. forces. Should ISIS take al-Suknah the Syrian-Russian contingent in Deir Ezzor would gain be cutoff. Due to those three attacks the Syrian-Russian move towards the eastern oil-fields came to a near standstill. U.S. proxy forces are now slowly taking the area. It seems obvious that the U.S. military is again cooperating with terrorist groups in Syria. There must be at least some information flow between U.S. intelligence and al-Qaeda and ISIS. It seems that deconflicition data the Syrian-Russian alliance is sharing with U.S. forces in Syria is ending up in the hands of the extremists. This explains how al-Qaeda and ISIS can suddenly and very precisely attack critical Syrian and Russian positions which are known to only very few people. The Russian have protested several times and had warned the U.S. not to continue with their nefarious scheming. The third severe warning came yesterday with statements by the Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and direct accusation against the U.S. military by the spokesman of the Russian Defense Ministry. In an interview with the semi-official Saudi paper Asharq al-Awsat Foreign Minister Lavrov was extraordinary frank (the full interview was covered only in the Arabic edition). Interfax recapitulates : "The US-led forces' activities in Syria cause many questions . In some cases these forces mount allegedly accidental strikes against the Syrian Armed Forces, after which the Islamic State counterattacks , in other cases they inspire other terrorists to attack strategic locations over which official Damascus has restored its legitimate authority , or stage fatal provocations against our military personnel . I would also mention numerous "accidental" strikes against civilian infrastructure that have taken hundreds of civilian lives," Lavrov said in an interview with the Asharq Al-Awsat pan-Arab newspaper ahead of the Russian visit of Saudi King Salman al-Saud. These accusations, from a very high level of the Russian Federation hierarchy, should not be ignored. But the "western" media were silent over Lavrov's accusations. Only AFP picked up some bits but missed the central point. The Russian Defense Ministry was even more direct : A spokesman for Russia's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that a series of attacks launched by Islamic State in Syria on government forces had come from an area near the border with Jordan where a US military mission was located . The spokesman, Major-General Igor Konashenkov, said in a statement the attackers had the precise coordinates of the Syrian government forces , which could only have been obtained through aerial reconnaissance. Konashenkov accused the U.S. of "flirtation" with the terrorists and warned that, should similar happen again, Russia will take severe countermeasures. While these accusations fly, and the relation between U.S and Russian contingents in Syria further deteriorate, Russian diplomacy is winning the day. Last week the Russian President Putin visited Turkey . (At about the same time the Egyptian chief of intelligence was also in Ankara. He allegedly met his Turkish colleague. A few days later he visited Damascus .) Yesterday the Saudi King arrived in Moscow for an unprecedented visit. Meanwhile the Turkish president Erdogan touched down in Tehran in an unusual amikal atmosphere. Instead of reporting on diplomacy and the increasing chances of a military conflict between super powers in Syria, U.S. media asks if Secretary of State Tillerson called President Trump a "moron" or a "fucking moron". (For the record - the NBC journalist who overheard Tillerson's outburst says it was "fucking moron".) There have now been three significant incidents against the Russian-Syrian alliance in which, according to Russia, U.S. malignancy played a role. Each time Russian officials warned of consequences. To some extend the U.S. hostility is incited by Israeli nagging . But the record shows that CentCom, the U.S. military command in the Middle East, is overtly aggressive and not always following Washington's line. It is high time for the White House to get the situation under control. The bear is a docile animal. But it should not be provoked. There is reason to believe that the Russian forces and their allies in the Middle East have the ability to surprise the U.S. military with unforeseen and deadly moves. Should these U.S. provocations continue Moscow will have no choice but to order harsh retaliations. Posted by b on October 5, 2017 at 03:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (129) Intercept Augments Its Anti-Syrian Stable We wrote on the dubious outlet that The Intercept has become . It has long taken anti-Syrian positions . The new hire of a prejudiced author will reinforce its hostile stand against the Syrian government and its people. On September 21 The Intercept hired Maryam Saleh: Maryam Saleh is our new Washington-based associate editor. Saleh worked as an immigration attorney before switching tracks and attending Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her writing has appeared in U.S. News & World Report, Public Radio International, Syria Deeply, the Tampa Bay Times -- and The Intercept, where she has been an editorial fellow since July. Pic via The Intercept . Saleh's staff page at The Intercept identifies her as: an editor and reporter based in Washington, D.C., whose work focuses on immigration and national security. Saleh tweets under the verified account mrym @MaryamSaleh_ . Her Twitter page is crowned by a picture of the U.S. financed propaganda group Kafranbel Media Center. The KMC and its founder have close relations with the Salafist terrorists of Ahrar al-Sham. Maryam Saleh's twitter profile starts with "Syria, always; ...". On September 30 Maryam Saleh tweeted : Verified account @MaryamSaleh_ Here's your periodic reminder that only two parties in Syria's war operate aircraft: the Assad regime and Russia . 4:53 PM - 30 Sep 2017 Several replies to her tweet immediately pointed out that the statement was ridiculously false. Israel, Turkey, Jordan, the U.S. and other members of the coalition against ISIS have all bombed Syria and continue to do so daily. They are causing huge damage and many civilian casualties. Even older tweets by Saleh herself had conceded that. But there was no correction or follow up to the tweet above. Four days later I became aware of her claim, quoted it and replied : @MoonofA Moon of Alabama Retweeted mrym Here's your periodic reminder that @theintercept is a anti-Syrian propaganda rag ... 9:24 AM - 4 Oct 2017 Note the above UTC timestamp - 9:24am. An immediate reaction followed with which Saleh replied to her own September 30 tweet: Verified account @MaryamSaleh_ Correction: As I've pointed out in other contexts, US-led coalition & Israel also aerially bomb Syria. No shortage of parties wreaking havoc 9:27 AM - 4 Oct 2017 Again, note the timestamp - 9:27am. Just three minutes after I blamed The Intercept and Saleh for their obvious anti-Syrian propaganda, she "corrected" her four days old tweet. In fairness - it may not have been my tweet that caused this "correction". I have no way to discern that. But I like to think that I caused this. The Intercept hired a writer with an obviously partisan position in the U.S. war on Syria. Her statements are not truthful. She is supposed to report on U.S. "national security". As the conflict in Syria escalates into a great power competition, the new hire will likely result in more propagandistic bias for even deeper U.S. involvement in Syria. Still, this little episode shows the importance of pointing out such propaganda. Publicly naming and shaming the media and their authors can indeed have some effect. Posted by b on October 4, 2017 at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (37) October 03, 2017 The "Russian Ads" On Facebook Are Just Another Click-Bait Scheme Congress is investigating 3,000 "suspicious" ads which were run on Facebook. They were claimed to have been bought by "Russia" to influence the U.S.presidential election in favor of Trump. With more details now known we can conclude that these Facebook ads had nothing to do with the election. The mini-ads were bought to promote click-bait pages and sites. These pages and sites were created and promoted to sell further advertisement. The media though, has still not understood the issue. On September 6 the NYT asserted : Providing new evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Facebook disclosed on Wednesday that it had identified more than $100,000 worth of divisive ads on hot-button issues purchased by a shadowy Russian company linked to the Kremlin. ... The disclosure adds to the evidence of the broad scope of the Russian influence campaign, which American intelligence agencies concluded was designed to damage Hillary Clinton and boost Donald J. Trump during the election. Like any Congress investigation the current one concerned with Facebook ads is leaking like a sieve. What oozes out makes little sense. If "Russia" aimed to make Congress and U.S. media a laughing stock it has surely achieved that. Today the NYT says that the ads were bought by "the Russians" "in disguise" to promote variously themed Facebook pages: There was "Defend the 2nd," a Facebook page for gun-rights supporters, festooned with firearms and tough rhetoric. There was a rainbow-hued page for gay rights activists, "LGBT United." There was even a Facebook group for animal lovers with memes of adorable puppies that spread across the site with the help of paid ads . No one has explained how these pages are connected to a Russian "influence" campaign. It is unexplained how these are connected to the 2016 election. Both is simply asserted because Facebook said, for unknown reasons, that these ads may have come from some Russian agency. How Facebook has determined that is not known. With each new detail from the "Russian ads" investigation the framework of "election manipulation" falls further apart: Late Monday, Facebook said in a post that about 10 million people had seen the ads in question. About 44 percent of the ads were seen before the 2016 election and the rest after, the company said . The original claim was that "Russia" intended to influence the election in favor of Trump. But why then was the majority of the ads in questions run after November 9? And how would an animal-lovers page with adorable puppies help to achieve Trump's election victory? More details via the Wall Street Journal: Roughly 25% of the ads were never shown to anyone. That's because advertising auctions are designed so that ads reach people based on relevance, and certain ads may not reach anyone as a result. ... For 50% of the ads, less than $3 was spent; for 99% of the ads, less than $1,000 was spent. Of the 3,000 ads Facebook originally claimed were "Russian" only 2,200 were ever viewed. Most of the advertisements were mini-ads which, for the price of a coffee, promoted private pages related to hobbies and a wide spectrum of controversial issues. The majority of the ads ran after the election. All that "adds to the evidence of the broad scope of the Russian influence campaign"? "...designed to damage Hillary Clinton and boost Donald J. Trump during the election"? No. But the NYT still finds "experts" who believe in the "Russian influence" nonsense and find the most stupid explanations for their claims: Clinton Watts, a former F.B.I. agent now at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, said Russia had been entrepreneurial in trying to develop diverse channels of influence. Some, like the dogs page, may have been created without a specific goal and held in reserve for future use. Puppy pictures for "future use"? Lunacy! The pages described and the ads leading to them are typical click-bait, not part of a political influence op. The for-profit scheme runs as follows: One builds pages with "hot" stuff that hopefully attracts lots of viewers. One creates ad-space on these pages and fills it with Google ads. One attracts viewers and promotes the spiked pages by buying $3 Facebook mini-ads for them. The mini-ads are targeted at the most susceptible groups. A few thousand users will come and look at such pages. Some will 'like' the puppy pictures or the rant for or against LGBT and further spread them. Some will click the Google ads. Money then flows into the pockets of the page creator. One can rinse and repeat this scheme forever. Each such page is a small effort for a small revenue. But the scheme is highly scaleable and parts of it can be automatized. This is, in essence, the same business model traditional media publishers use. They create "news" and controversies to attract readers. The attention of the readers is then sold to advertisers. The business is no longer limited to a few rich oligarchs. One no longer needs reporters or a printing press to join it. Anyone can now run a similar business. We learned after the election that some youths in Macedonia created whole "news"-websites filled with highly attractive but fake partisan stories. They were not interested in the veracity or political direction of their content. Their only interest was to attract viewers. They made thousands of dollars by selling advertisements on their sites: The teen said his monthly revenue was in the four figures, a considerable sum in a country where the average monthly pay is 360 euros ($383). As he navigated his site's statistics, he dropped nuggets of journalism advice. "You have to write what people want to see, not what you want to show," he said, scrolling through The Political Insider's stories as a large banner read "ARREST HILLARY NOW." The 3,000 Facebook ads Congress is investigating are part of a similar scheme. The mini-ads promoted pages with hot button issues and click-bait puppy pictures. These pages were themselves created to generate ad-clicks and revenue. Facebook claims that "Russia" is behind them. We will likely find some Russian teens who simply repeated the scheme their Macedonian friends were running on. With its "Russian influence" scare the NYT follows the same business model. It produces fake news which attracts viewers and readers who's attention is then sold to advertisers. Facebook is also profiting from this. Its current piecemeal release of vague information keeps its name in the news. The mystery of "Russian" $3 ads for "adorable puppies" pages on Facebook has been solved, Congress and the New York Times will have to move on. There next subject is probably the "Russian influence campaign" on Youtube. Russian Car Crash Compilations have for years attracted millions of viewers. The "Russians" want to increase road rage on U.S. highways. This again help - according to expert Clinton Watts - "amplify divisive political issues across the political spectrum". The car crash compilations, like the puppy pages, are another sign that Russia is waging war against the United States! You don't believe that? You should. Trust your experienced politician! Samantha Power @SamanthaJPower - 3:45 PM - 3 Oct 2017 This gets more chilling daily : now we learn Russia targeted Americans on Facebook by "demographics, geography, gender & interests," across websites & devices, reached millions, kept going after Nov. An attack on all Americans, not just HRC campaign washingtonpost.com/business/econo... This nonsense indeed gets more chilling. It's fall after all. But it also generates ad revenue. Posted by b on October 3, 2017 at 02:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (60) October 02, 2017 Another Day, Another U.S. Mass Shooting "Turn down the music. You know uncle Stephen goes berserk when one disturbs his sleep." /snark One Stephen Paddock rented a room on the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas hotel. Over three days, he brought some ten guns into it. The room was chosen to overlook the space of on upcoming open air concert. Last night Paddock waited for the concert to start and then fired his automatic weapons into the crowd. At least fifty-eight people died and some 400 were wounded. The murderer later killed himself. Paddock is portrait as a reclusive, well-off retiree and is thought to be a professional gambler. There is no hint yet of the mans motive. He is white and has a Christian name. Thus, according to U.S. standards, his killing spree was not terrorism. The state of Nevada allows about anyone to buy and own automatic rifles. With one pull of the trigger one can fire off a full 30 round magazine within a few seconds. The use of such machine guns leave the victims in an attack like this no time to escape. With a bit of training, a change of magazines takes less than five seconds. The man must have had more than a thousand rounds to cause such a number of casualties. The statistics paint a horrible picture of gun violence in the U.S. There is now one mass shooting, with more than four victims, per day: First 9 months of 2017: -11,572 gun deaths -23,365 gun injuries -271 mass shootings -1,508 unintentional shootings -2,971 kids/teens shot The Onion headlined: 'No Way To Prevent This,' Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens . It was the fifths time in the last three years that the Onion used the same headline and story. They only switched the photo, the name of the city and the body count. The gun lobby will again say, "Let's not politicize this tragedy by talking gun control." Sure, let's wait a few months, at which time there will be another mass shooting. Every gun massacre is an advertisement for guns. The stocks of gun manufacturers soared today, casino stocks fell. Posted by b on October 2, 2017 at 01:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (279) On Catalonia's Referendum Some people in Catalonia, a rich and culturally distinct area in north-east of Spain, want to secede from the larger country. According to polls (pdf) less than half of the people in the area support the move. The local government prepared for a referendum and called for a local vote. Polling stations were set up for today. But Spanish laws do not allow for such polls or a separation. Catalonia, like other Spanish regions, already has a good degree of autonomy. If Catalonia were to secede the Basque areas in the north would likely follow. Spain would fall apart. Under Spanish law the referendum is illegal. The central government sent police to prevent the procedure. Street melees ensued. A lot of mistakes have been made by the central government. It was stubborn in negotiations. It reacted too late to - at least partially - reasonable demands. Its insensitivity only incited resistance to it. But it is also responsible for the country as a whole. The behavior of local government is not much better. It is just as conservative, in its own way, as the government in Madrid. Catalonia has a GDP per capita of some $33,580/year. For Spain as a whole the GDP per capita is $26,643/year. Many factors account for the difference. Catalonia has an advantages in climate, in the vicinity of the French border, the high attractiveness for tourists with its capital Barcelona and its beaches. It has a well developed industry. But the "rest of Spain" is also, by far, its biggest market. A richer part of the country does not want to subsidize the poorer ones. But it still wants to profit from them. In general the splitting off of sub-states from the bigger, established nations weakens both. It is easier for outside forces to manipulated smaller states than larger ones. While the motives in this or that case are understandable, they are also, in my view, shortsighted. During the Spanish civil war in the 1930s Catalonia and Basque areas were the last Republican strongholds against the winning right-wing Nationalists. That history lives on in today's conflict. No one should wish to repeat it. Posted by b on October 1, 2017 at 06:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (131) The "Russian Influence" Stories Promote Russia's Might - Is Putin Paying For Them? It was probably premature to write The "Russian Influence" Story Falls Apart : The story about "Russian influence" was made up by the Democrats to explain Clinton's loss of the election and to avoid looking at her personal responsibility for it. It also helps to push the new cold war narrative and to sell weapons. As no evidence was ever found to support the "Russian influence" campaign, Facebook and others come under pressure to deliver the "evidence" the U.S. intelligence services could not produce. The now resulting story of [Russia is] "sowing chaos" is out of la-la-land. The last nonsense of the "Russia hacked the election" campaign was a recent letter from the Department of Homeland Security which warned 21 states, a year too late, that their election systems were attacked by something "Russia". So far three of the 21 states have debunked the DHS claim. Wisconsin , California and Texas all say that their election systems were not attacked at all and DHS had to concede as much. These states also pointed out that the only "attacks" DHS found were port-scans of some non-election systems. Port scans are requests from one server to another to check for the availability of certain services - some computer asking another computer if a web-service or mail-service is available on it. Such requests are not attacks but regular behavior of internet systems. Sometimes email-spammers use port scans to find unsecured email-servers they could potentially abuse. These are like small time thieves checking a parking lot for the one unlocked car with the expensive camera on the front seat. But the need to build Russia up as the new enemy is still there. How else can Europe be kept down? How else can more money be spend for useless weapon systems? Thus the campaign has changed from "Russia installed Trump" or "Russia influenced the election" to "Russian influence wants to destroy America". The campaign has also grow more lunatic. Consider the Republican senator James Lankford who's claims of "Russian influence" have been picked up by the Washington Post , Reuters , NPR and others. They want you to believe that Russia is involved in the NFL protests: "We watched, even this weekend, the Russians and their troll farms, their Internet folks, start hashtagging out 'take a knee' and also hashtagging out 'boycott the NFL,' " Lankford said at a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday. " They were taking both sides of the argument this past weekend ..." Surely, taking both sides on an issue which is heavily debated is a trademark of Russian spies. That is at least what the NPR author implies: That's the very same modus operandi that Senate Intelligence Committee investigators and others have detected in Russian influence-mongers' use of Facebook last year. No one of course has detected anything like that. Partisans and warmongers simply assert that people discussing a widely discussed issue are part of a "Russian operation". They have not provided one bit of evidence to support their claims. The Senator's claims about the NFL discussion are obviously nonsense. But dozens of media repeated them with no questions asked. Only Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone took a deeper look : The Post reported that Lankford's office had cited one of "Boston Antifa's" tweets. But the example offered read suspiciously like a young net-savvy American goofing on antifa stereotypes:... Matt digs into the "Boston Antifa" twitter account and finds the two funny nerds in Oregon who are behind it. They are known for pranks and had earlier been interviewed about such stunts: They also did things like make claims that fidget spinners caused PTSD in hurricane victims. In short, two young people goofing on the Internet. During the 60s and 70s the assertion of then "Communist influence" over one opinion was widely used to disparage and delegitimize it. Right wing groups like the John Birch Society claimed that that whole Civil Rights movement was a Kremlin plot. FBI investigation and suppression followed such assertions. History is now repeating itself. Everyone should be concerned when the Washington Post , Reuters and CNN all try to tie Black Lives Matters to "Russian influence". "The Russians", you know, bought ads promoting and disparaging that group: The ads reportedly centered around racial, political, and economic rifts in the U.S., with some promoting groups like Black Lives Matter and others describing the groups as a threat. Again - "the Russians" are taking both sides. What a wicked concept. CNN exclusively finds an anonymous facebook and twitter account named Blacktivists that amplifies reports of crimes against black people. CNN tells us that the account looked suspiciously "Russian" because? The Twitter account, @Blacktivists, provided several clues that in hindsight indicate it was not what it purported to be. In several tweets, it employed awkward phrasing that a native English speaker would be unlikely to use. It also consistently posted using an apostrophe facing the wrong way, i.e. "it`s" instead of "it's." Using the wrong apostrophe must, of course, mean that Putin personally paid whoever hides behind that account. "Russian influence" is also responsible for activism against fracking. It pushed for voting for Jill Stein, Bernie Sanders and Trump. It even bought Facebook ads promoting Hillary Clinton. Dozens if not hundreds of stories about "Russian hacking" and "Russian influence" have been published. Not one provided proof of any nefarious Russian involvement. All hacking claims have been debunked . The "influence" issues are fantasies. But that does not make them less influential. They are part of an orchestrated campaign to construct a new Cold War and to build up a caricature of Russia as the a villain. Looking from the outside the U.S. media have simply gone nuts. There seems to be no other way to explain the silliness of their "reporting". Then again: Could they all be under Russian influence? Are Russian secret services paying for such stories? Consider that all the "Russian hacking" and "Russian influence" stories are amplifying (the illusion of) Russian might. Isn't that exactly what Putin wants? Posted by b on October 1, 2017 at 02:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (75)

General Kelly's Attitudes Reflect the U.S.

When Vice President walked out of the Colts game this weekend, he thought he was just following orders from his toddler-in-chief. However, some found the Vice President's behavior to be nothing short of revolting. Of course, Trump praised Pence for doing as instructed and leaving when the player kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial injustice in America. But one Republican strategist in particular early blasted Pence for walking out of an NFL game in Indianapolis, calling the vice president's behavior "utterly appalling," The Hill reports. MSNB strategist Steve Schmidt told "Morning Joe" hosts that the act was"Utterly appalling, wasteful, profligate, disgusting behavior from the vice president. He ought to be ashamed of himself." Nonetheless, as instructed by his boss, Pence and his wife left the Colts game on Sunday after some San Francisco 49ers kneeled during the anthem. What's more, many think this act goes beyond following orders and that the entire escapade was staged to carry out some elaborate public relations stunt by the administration. The problem with that is it was paid for by taxpayer dollars. In fact, many are calling Pence's actions a "political stunt." The fact that the trip to the game cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars has not helped his cause. Schmidt explained: "It's truly amazing. So he took Air Force Two, full package of Secret Service from Las Vegas to Indianapolis for a stunt, inconvenienced tens of thousands of Colts fans to, again, use the flag and the anthem as a prop." Do you agree with Schmidt? Was it all an elaborate ruse? Furthermore, should Pence be required to pay back taxpayer money he wasted in order to make a very expensive point that perhaps backfired in his face? Watch the entire discussion below and comment with your thoughts.

When Vice President walked out of the Colts game this weekend, he thought he was just following orders from his toddler-in-chief. Of course, Trump praised Pence for doing as instructed and leaving when the player kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial injustice in America.

A black female doctor was greeted with racism as she offered to help a sick passenger on a Delta flight. Tamika Cross, a doctor who is completing her residency at McGovern Medical School at University of Texas-Houston, tried to help a sick passenger on a Delta flight flying to Houston from Detroit, but was told to "sit down" by a stewardess. The condescending Stewardess called Cross "sweetie" and explained that they didn't believe she was a doctor. The stewardess proceeded to ask an older white man for his help instead. Later on, Cross showed her credentials, to which the Stewardess still expressed disbelief. After the situation worsened, the stewardess approached Cross and begged her for her help and offered her free air miles to make up for her insulting behavior. Cross took to Facebook and ripped Delta apart for their blatant racism. Recounting the story, Cross remembered the stewardess dismissing her and saying they needed real doctors. "I raised my hand to grab her attention. She said to me 'oh no sweetie put ur (sic) hand down, we are looking for actual physicians or nurses or some type of medical personnel, we don't have time to talk to you.'" "I tried to inform her that I was a physician but I was continually cut off by condescending remarks," she said. After receiving no help, they requested the help of a physician over the ship's intercom. Cross promptly pressed the button to get the attention of the cabin crew. "She said 'oh wow you're an actual physician?' I reply yes. She said, 'let me see your credentials.'" "'What type of Doctor are you? Where do you work? Why were you in Detroit?' (Please remember this man is still in need of help and she is blocking my row from even standing up while bombarding me with questions)." Around that time, an older white male doctor was selected over Cross. Cross made it clear that this wasn't a situation that could be smoothed over by simple air miles. "I don't want skymiles in exchange for blatant discrimination. Whether this was race, age, gender discrimination, it's not right" she said. Delta issued a statement on Thursday, saying that they were investigating the incident and that "discrimination of any kind is never acceptable."

A black female doctor was greeted with racism as she offered to help a sick passenger on a Delta flight.

President Donald Trump is responding to continued criticism of his "animals" comment by scolding the press for taking his comment out of context. Fake News Media had me calling Immigrants, or Illegal Immigrants, "Animals." Wrong! They were begrudgingly forced to withdraw their stories. I referred to MS 13 Gang Members as "Animals," a big difference - and so true. Fake News got it purposely wrong, as usual! -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2018 On Wednesday, Trump himself did not specify that he was only talking about only gang members when he made the comment during a roundtable about sanctuary cities, saying "these aren't people, these are animals, and we're taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that's never happened before."

President Donald Trump is responding to continued criticism of his "animals" comment by scolding the press for taking his comment out of context. Fake News Media had me calling Immigrants, or Illegal Immigrants, "Animals." Wrong!

Teeny tiny Van Gogh's "Starry Night" on a pumpkin seed? Astronauts on the head of a figurative pin? I know, I couldn't believe it myself until I saw it with my own eyes. Miniaturist painter and sculptor Salvador Fidai sees life in microcosm, using pumpkin seeds and matchboxes as his canvas. Fidai, a Russian artist, also carves tiny delicate sculptures of such things as the Eiffel Tower on the tip of a lead pencil. Watch him carve two interlocking hearts from a pencil tip. You can see more of Fidai's work on Instagram , his Facebook page , or at his website . His forte' is in original handmade paintings, carved pencil sculptures, miniatures and copies of famous paintings. If you liked that, you'll probably like these crayon sculptures of New York City landmarks and inlaid flowers . Take a look at this miniature hand thrown pottery . Size does matter, according to Jon Almeda Miniature Small Scale Ceramics! Solution to urban blight? A sugar shack - literally This sugar shack lives up to its name. "Each of the 162 panels is made of sugar cooked to different temperatures and then sealed between two panes of window glass. The space functions as both an experimental greenhouse, growing three species of miniature citrus trees, and a meditative environment. In warm months, a 5x8 ft panel on each side of the house opens up to allow viewers to enter and exit the house from all directions." -- William Lamson Solarium Reviving a masterpiece From painstaking to easy computer clicks: Restoring art. What does it take to revive a masterwork? Retouching, structural work, re-varnishing, and other conservation techniques. In these posts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art website, restorers introduce you to Charles Le Brun's 355-year old portrait of Everhard Jabach and his family , explaining how a painting that old is restored to its original vibrancy. A series of short video clips help the reader understand the process. According to ThisIsColossal.com , "Completed in 1660, Charles Le Brun's painting of Everhard Jabach and His Family had seen better days. The 355-year-old family portrait was covered in a badly tinted varnish, had multiple superficial scratches and structural damage had split the painting nearly in half. This video documents the 10-month restoration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art lead by Michael Gallagher that involved retouching, structural work, re-varnishing, and numerous other conservation techniques to bring this giant painting back to life. The Met also documented the process in some 20+ blog posts over on their website. (via Sploid )." Argentinian photographer and retoucher Joaquin Villaverde shows his abilities with modern-day Photoshop software, reviving a damaged black and white portrait of a young girl. Watch the time lapse video that compresses two hours work into three minutes to see how it was done. America the Beautiful Hillsdale College's choir celebrated Independence Day with a breathtaking rendition of America the Beautiful accompanied with a patriotic video montage that's a fantastic way to honor the 4th of July. Hillsdale College is located in Hillsdale, Michigan and you can find information about their free online courses here. And like I have done, you can get a free copy of Imprimis . the free monthly speech digest of Hillsdale College, sent to you each month. Imprimi s "is dedicated to educating citizens and promoting civil and religious liberty by covering cultural, economic, political, and educational issues. The content of Imprimis is drawn from speeches delivered to Hillsdale College-hosted events. First published in 1972, Imprimis is one of the most widely circulated opinion publications in the nation with over 2.8 million subscribers." One other thing: Hillsdale College does not accept federal taxpayer subsidies for any of its operations. Unexpected pianist Hat tip to Twitchy for posting : "Former U.S. Secretary of State and accomplished pianist Condoleezza Rice teamed up with Grammy-nominated concert violinist Jenny Oaks Baker to perform a wonderful rendition of Amazing Grace. Proceeds from the download at iTunes go to the Wounded Warriors Project ." I defy you to watch this and not be moved. From the Wounded Warrior website: "Our nation's injured veterans, perhaps more than many, are impacted by this holiday in a particularly unique way: their personal enlistment in the military is in direct correlation to the value they place on independence. No stronger motivation exists for the kind of valor and unspeakable sacrifices veterans make in the name of keeping us protected and free. Independence Day has deeply personal meanings for our brave service members; when we honor the holiday, we honor them."

Fidai, a Russian artist, also carves tiny delicate sculptures of such things as the Eiffel Tower on the tip of a lead pencil.

Sleep is an essential part of being human. As each day comes to a close, most of us retire to bed with intentions of resting and recharging for the next day. It may surprise you to know that approximately 33 percent of our lives are spent sleeping, and inevitably, dreaming. So, why is it that some dreams are good, some are nightmares, and all take so long to dream but almost no time at all to explain? Since so much of our lives are dedicated to sleeping and dreaming, it's important that we understand the science behind the stories created by our sleeping minds. 1. Sleep , 2. Brain Scan , 3. Sigmund Freud , 4. Pods , 5. TED Talk , 6. Worldwide , 7. Dream State Caitlin Phillips is a freelance writer spending her summer in Budapest, Hungary.

Since so much of our lives are dedicated to sleeping and dreaming, it's important that we understand the science behind the stories created by our sleeping minds. 1. Sleep , 2. Brain Scan , 3. Sigmund Freud , 4. Pods , 5. TED Talk , 6. Worldwide , 7. Dream State Caitlin Phillips is a freelance writer spending her summer in Budapest, Hungary.

While THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, seems to cause memory and learning impairment in young mice, surprising new research suggests that it actually reverses cognitive decline in elderly mice. From Scientific American : Researchers led by Andreas Zimmer of the University of Bonn in Germany gave low doses of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, marijuana's main active ingredient, to young, mature and aged mice. As expected, young mice treated with THC performed slightly worse on behavioral tests of memory and learning. For example, after THC young mice took longer to learn where a safe platform was hidden in a water maze, and they had a harder time recognizing another mouse to which they had previously been exposed. Without the drug, mature and aged mice performed worse on the tests than young ones did. But after receiving THC the elderly animals' performances improved to the point that they resembled those of young, untreated mice. "The effects were very robust, very profound," Zimmer says... When the researchers examined the brains of the treated, elderly mice for an explanation, they noticed neurons in the hippocampus--a brain area critical for learning and memory--had sprouted more synaptic spines, the points of contact for communication between neurons. Even more striking, the gene expression pattern in the hippocampi of THC-treated aged mice was radically different from that of untreated elderly mice. "That is something we absolutely did not expect: the old animals [that received] THC looked most similar to the young, untreated control mice," Zimmer says. The findings raise the intriguing possibility THC and other "cannabinoids" might act as anti-aging molecules in the brain. Read the rest Boing Boing pal Jody Radzik designed this incredible infographic of marijuana strains for Berkeley, California's Patient's Care Collective who claim to be "the longest continuously operating medical marijuana dispensary on the planet." Click the images to expand (your mind)! Michael Costuros is an "executive coach" in California's Marin County (birthplace of the hot tub) who every year takes a group of entrepreneurs to South America on a trip within a trip. Each spends $10,000 to hopefully leverage "the healing power of ayahuasca," Costuros says. From Chris Colin's feature in California Sunday: Chris Hunter, co-founder of the company behind the alcoholic energy drink Four Loko, signed on in hopes that it would help him navigate some sticky professional relationships. Jesse Krieger, publisher of Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press, wished for insight into growth strategies. Other participants included the founder of a financial technology company, the scion of a footwear empire, and a firearms executive looking for a pivot. Under the guidance of Costuros and a local shaman, they would participate in a San Pedro ceremony -- San Pedro is another powerful plant-based psychedelic -- followed by two separate ayahuasca ceremonies.... The participants -- all men this year -- spent their first day traveling to the retreat center, getting situated, and enjoying massages. At 8 a.m. the next day, they assembled in a small, open-air structure. Following an initial cleansing ceremony, they drank their first batch of medicine (fermented wheatgrass and dirt is how Krieger described the taste) and lay down on thin mats under a thatched roof. There they'd remain for ten hours. The first 60 minutes of the ayahuasca ceremony felt like two weeks for (AirHelp CEO Henrik) Zillmer. Uncontrollable vomiting and feverish shivering aside, he was unable to move and watched helplessly as his mind departed his body and descended into a vast black hole. Read the rest

"That is something we absolutely did not expect: the old animals [that received] THC looked most similar to the young, untreated control mice," Zimmer says. The findings raise the intriguing possibility THC and other "cannabinoids" might act as anti-aging molecules in the brain. Read the rest Boing Boing pal Jody Radzik designed this incredible infographic of marijuana strains for Berkeley, California's Patient's Care Collective who claim to be "the longest continuously operating medical marijuana dispensary on the planet."

Back in 1912, when European scientists were grappling with the theory of evolution and evidence that the earliest humans came from the African savannas, a man named Charles Dawson claimed to have found the bones of a new ancestor. He would go on to call it Piltdown Man, and for more than four decades, experts tried to purge it in vain from the human family tree in textbooks and museums, realizing it was all an elaborate hoax. Far from an early hominid, Piltdown Man was a human skull with an orangutan jaw lined with chimpanzee teeth. But why did it take so long for the truth to win out, and why were the critics sidelined until the 1950s? Well, partially because a popular early hunch at the time expected our brain to grow in size before a switch in diet, so the modern looking skull wasn't a big surprise. But the "fossil" held on to its place in the halls of science after that idea was shown to lack merit thanks to good, old-fashioned racism. For all their devotion to the facts, scientists are fallible humans, and no human is immune from prejudices. In the heyday of racial science, the world was ruled by empires who often justified their colonialism by declaring that they were simply helping the less evolved savages with their enlightened rule. Being able to point to a fossil of an all-European human ancestor, instead of having to acknowledge that humanity came out of the "Dark Continent" and were genetic siblings to the people eugenicists were furiously busy painting as lesser, sub-human species, helped soothe nervous racists of the time. This most certainly played a major part in why various debunkings of the Piltdown Man bones were more or less ignored by the scientists who could make a skeptical investigation into the find a priority. By the 1950s, a preponderance of evidence made keeping the Piltdown discovery on the record look unreasonable. And this was always the problem with so-called "race science." It was never about studying the differences in humanity and finding out why they existed. It was created by bigots with an agenda to prove that they were superior to all other ethnic groups and thus fit to rule them, if not own them as property. And it existed for many decades before the theory of evolution was accepted as a valid science. It used and abused everything from lumps thought to be on and inside of skulls, to the shapes of people's faces to justify their stance on anyone too dark or too foreign for their tastes. Though we tell ourselves the soothing lie that this kind of pseudoscience is dead and gone, exorcized like the other terrible ghosts of our past, the truth is that it's far from buried. It lives on through small, low quality studies with obvious cherry-picking , and large analyses which pretend that there are no income or educational inequalities from a long history of discrimination. Or insists that these concerns were perfectly remedied and systemic racism no longer exists for "insert implausible, simplistic reason here." Over the decades and through countless experiments, we've learned that just about everything that racial supremacists think about genes, intellect, athletic ability, and the best course for human reproduction is pretty much the exact opposite of how the real world works. Far from making us better off as a species, their advice would actually leave us vulnerable and inbred , and make it much easier for the next climate disaster or massive epidemic to send us down the road to extinction. Basically, listening to someone who supports racial junk science is kind of like listening to an astrologist who thinks he finally figured out how to read the stars after many years of failure, but he's also sure the stars say he's a superior celestial being and should be in charge of all you lesser beasts. And the stars never really seem to change their mind about that according to his friends, who also just so happen to be astral ubermensch. This is one of the reasons why editors of science columns need to be very mindful of how the headlines they write might be perceived. A good example is the case with two stories about fossilized footprints found of what might be an early human ancestor on the Greek island of Crete. Both declare that the finding means humans may have evolved in Europe, not Africa, which is a huge gimme to the racist pseudoscience to which the alt-right subscribes, and also a massive leap to conclusions that wildly overstates the study's implications. Considering that we have substantial genetic data to trace our evolution, a few footprints of one of the several species of upright biped leave far too many unanswered questions about where they fit in the family tree. Were they our actual ancestors or just another hominid species? Did they evolve in Europe and stay there? Did they migrate to Africa? Or did they evolve in Africa and migrate to Europe? Can we trace their lineage to see if they fit into the evolutionary story that ended with the earliest modern humans in North Africa some 195,000, and even possibly 300,000 years ago ? To its credit, the study itself makes no such grand claims and bases the idea that the footprints are hominid solely on morphology. It also references an older humanoid species known from one 7.2 million year old mandible also found in Greece, and a subject of similar claims in popular science write-ups. Ultimately, the researchers say they simply don't have enough proof to make any definitive conclusions and mark it down as curious evidence that needs a lot more study and context, warning against jumping into rewriting human history based on a single jaw and some footprints. They're right to urge caution, especially since they rely on morphology, or in science-speak, detailing what things look like. Noting visual similarities is useful, but very limited, especially when we have reams of genetic data we collected over the last few decades. Since sharing genes is a much stronger and more reliable indicator of heredity than visuals from reconstructions of fossil remains, we can use them to help answer the question of how Homo sapiens sapiens, our exact sub-species, came to be and what it should call its home. So far, all evidence points to Africa. In fact, Africans have far greater genetic variety than Europeans. The farther we get from the continent, the less diversity we see in genetic data , which is a very strong sign of fanning out from a primary population during waves of migration more than likely driven by climate change over the course of some 120,000 years. This doesn't rule out the various early hominids wandering the Greek islands as their evolutionary relatives roamed from modern day Kenya to Chad, and beyond. But it does indicate that they were probably offshoots, not direct ancestors, otherwise we'd see more genetic variability in Europe, or at least find more fossil evidence of these early bipeds. And this is why headlines touting revolutionary proof that humans evolved on a different continent than previously thought are so ill-advised. Not only do they add significance to studies that the authors don't even try to claim, they ignore a large body of scientific work that directly contradicts the bold headlines. They're going for clicks by claiming controversy because that's how you turn a curious find into a must-read popular science article. But in the process, they're sacrificing accuracy, distorting facts, and sabotaging the public's understanding of scientific discourse on key issues. Modern humans come from North Africa according to archeological, genetic, and morphological evidence. How our ancestors got there in the first place need not be a tidy story that fits into a straightforward narrative because it's not like they knew or cared about borders or whether their descendants will care about their migratory paths. But until we have much stronger evidence for our species living in large numbers elsewhere more than 300,000 years ago, we're not going to be rewriting our textbooks. In fact, the only place where the curious discoveries in Greece are rewriting history are sloppy headlines by editors who aren't respecting the science or the history of how such breathless sensationalism was used by some, erm... "very fine people" over the last century and will be used for the foreseeable future to justify more junk science for their malevolent agendas.

Back in 1912, when European scientists were grappling with the theory of evolution and evidence that the earliest humans came from the African savannas, a man named Charles Dawson claimed to have found the bones of a new ancestor.

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - According to the Kurdish news site Rudaw, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson weighed in on the Kurdistan referendum on independence from Iraq, held last Monday, saying it is illegitimate and the US does not recognize it. The statement of the Department of State said, "The vote [...] By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Kurdistan Regional Government on Thursday rejected the decisions of the Iraqi parliament and government. It nevertheless expressed a willingness to conduct a dialogue in order to resolve the problems. It will at the same time launch legal challenges to the sanctions imposed on it. The [...] by Sam Pizzigati | ( Inequality.org ) | - - Our 'free market' health care system gives CEOs the freedom to squeeze us. Blogging Our Great Divide. Our current health care system in the United States works just fine -- for the corporate executives who run it. Take, for instance, Michael Mussallem. This eminent power [...] By Haifaa Jawad | (The Conversation) | - - In an unexpected move that surprised everyone, including his own people, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia has suddenly passed a royal decree permitting women to drive. His stunning decision comes after years of the ban, which was justified using Islam as a pretext. [...] By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Iraqi parliament on Wednesday passed a resolution demanding that the Iraqi army take control of the province of Kirkuk and reclaim the Kirkuk oil fields as a national patrimony. The parliament also demanded that the government arrest and try Kurdistan president Massoud Barzani for treason. [...] TeleSur | - - U.S. forces responded with an airstrike but one of the missiles went off course in a "malfunction," causing several casualties. Kabul's airport has been attacked by militants during a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to Afghanistan. The U.S. responded to the attacks with an airstrike that killed multiple civilians, [...] By Medea Benjamin | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - No matter their age, Saudi women are treated like minors -- to the point that many require permission from their sons to work, study, or travel. It looks like 27 years of protesting, along with international pressure and government recognition that it needs more [...]

According to the Kurdish news site Rudaw, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson weighed in on the Kurdistan referendum on independence from Iraq U.S. forces responded with an airstrike but one of the missiles went off course in a "malfunction," causing several casualties

The University of California, Irvine is encouraging students to attend "Safe Zone training" in response to the "offensive language" used to advertise an upcoming appearance by Milo Yiannopoulos. According to The Tab , members of the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) and College Republicans (CR) student groups placed several provocative posters around campus promoting Yiannopoulos' speech, sparking a backlash from classmates on social media and condemnation from the administration. "Let me be clear: Bigotry has no place here or anywhere." The event will be titled "Social Justice is Cancer," alluding to a comment Yiannopoulos made recently at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst that reduced one progressive student to hysterics, a now-viral temper tantrum caught on video by Campus Reform . Playing on Yiannopoulos' theme of antagonizing liberals with humorous references to his own homosexuality (his current speaking tour is called the "Dangerous Faggot" tour), the posters include messages such as "Make America *Gay* Again" and "If you can take a dick, you can take a joke!!!" By Friday, the outcry had become so great that some students began to fear that the university would try to cancel the event, though others said they appreciated the online outrage for making them aware of Yiannopoulos' appearance. Dr. Douglas Haynes, UCI Vice Provost for Academic Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, subsequently sent an email to the campus community Monday night denouncing the "offensive language" used in the posters and recommending that students participate in " Safe Zone training ," which Haynes credits with helping him become an "ally" to the LGBT community. "Homophobia--as well as other forms of bias--contradicts our campus' enduring commitment to inclusive excellence. Let me be clear: Bigotry has no place here or anywhere," Haynes wrote. "This type of incident should be a reminder about what connects us: UCI. Every member of our community has chosen to come to UCI to learn and teach and explore and create in an environment that is supportive and affirmative." The incident is "all the more distressing," he added, because "it occurred a day after the third annual Anteater Equity Games ," which are dedicated to "learning about and appreciating the richness of our campus diversity, including the lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, and queer community." The UCI College Republicans responded to Haynes' email with posts on the Facebook event page for Yiannopoulos' speech , lamenting that the administration felt compelled to condemn the posters and pointing out that there was no such reaction when unnamed students tore down posters advertising an address by David Horowitz last week. "The posters we created to promote the event, I have been told, invaded some 'safe spaces'," CR President Ariana Rowlands told The Tab . "Despite their controversial nature, the posters generated a reaction ... The posters did their job: they created a thought within the minds of students that they would not have otherwise had." The YAL group, however, was more circumspect, issuing a statement acknowledging that some of its members were involved in hanging the "inflammatory" posters, but adamantly denying that the messages had any official sanction, even as the group defended their content. Pointing out that "the statements made on these posters are strictly direct quotes from Milo Yiannopoulos," YAL argues that "anyone who takes issue with use of homophobic slurs ought to note that Milo has titled his speaking tour as 'The Dangerous Faggot Tour' and this is simply a statement of fact, not at all an attempt to be derogatory." The group then goes on to distance itself from the posters, saying "our love of free speech is tempered with the recognition that inflammatory speech for the sake of being inflammatory is largely meritless," and explaining that the goal in bringing Yiannopoulos to campus is merely "to bring an alternate perspective [to] the largely liberal and politically correct culture on our campus." On Sunday night, the CRs announced that the event had been postponed until June 2 due to scheduling conflicts with Yiannopoulos' other tour dates (he had originally been scheduled to appear on May 24), but Rowlands reassured those interested in attending that she had spoken with administrators, who told her the university has "no intention of shutting it down whatsoever." Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @FrickePete

The University of California, Irvine is encouraging students to attend "Safe Zone training" in response to the "offensive language" used to advertise an upcoming appearance by Milo Yiannopoulos. According to The Tab , members of the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) and College Republicans (CR) student groups placed several provocative posters around campus promoting Yiannopoulos' speech, sparking a backlash from classmates on social media and condemnation from the administration. "Let me be clear: Bigotry has no place here or anywhere."

Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey, which has a research station at the Halley VI ice base in the Antarctic had to flee the lab as a crack in the floating ice shelf, dubbed the Halloween Crack, extended over the last year. The Halley VI ice base has already been relocated once because of a fracture in the Brunt Ice Shelf. Now, experts have been forced to leave for the Antarctic winter - which runs from March to November - due to the Halloween crack. Authorities say nobody has been hurt, but the evacuation took place because of the unpredictable nature of the region.

Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey, which has a research station at the Halley VI ice base in the Antarctic had to flee the lab as a crack in the floating ice shelf, dubbed the Halloween Crack, extended over the last year.

An attack on a student from Rome, who died three weeks later, was not hate-related, police have said. Mariam Moustafa, 18, whose family moved to Italy from Egypt died last Wednesday, three weeks after she was allegedly punched repeatedly by six women on a bus in Nottingham. One 17-year-old has been bailed after arrest on suspicion of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm. Mariam Moustafa was left in a coma after being jumped by the group of female yobs outside a shopping centre while she waited for a bus at 8pm on February 20. The teenager had been shopping in Nottingham city centre before she was repeatedly assaulted by the women in an unprovoked attack on Parliament Street. The engineering student was rushed to Nottingham City Hospital and placed in an induced coma but died on Wednesday (14/3). Her family believe she was targeted in a racially-motivated attack by a group of women who had previously hurled abuse at her in the street. According to an Egyptian newspaper, Moustafa's mother Nessrin Shehata posted a video on social media saying: "Four months ago, two of the same ten women abused my daughter in the street with no specific reason. "We went to the police station and issued an official complaint; however, nothing happened". She added that when the women saw her in the street walking alone, they attacked her once again and dragged her about twenty meters in the street. Nessrin told Egypt Today: "She managed to get up and run towards one of the buses, but they went after her and started to beat her again. "Just one man tried to defend her, but no one else tried to interfere". A 17-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm and was subsequently released on conditional bail. A Home Office post-mortem examination is due to take place. Mariam, who was a Central College engineering student in Beeston, is understood to have suffered a bleed on the brain as well as a stroke during the attack. She was reportedly punched several times before she was further verbally assaulted after getting onto the number 27 bus. Mariam, who had just been offered a place at university in London , had originally been discharged, but started to deteriorate at home and was rushed back to hospital. Her sister, Mallak, 15, said previously: "We are very upset about what has happened, "She is such a kind, ambitious person and one who was running after her dreams of being an engineer. "We don't understand who would do this to her, she is very quiet and never gets involved in any problems." Lawyer Emad Abu Hussein, from the Egyptian Embassy in London, said: "Mariam has been in coma for three days after she underwent a critical surgery in the brain to treat her deteriorated condition. "The hospital sent her home despite her severe cerebral haemorrhage." Detective Chief Inspector Mat Healey, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Our thoughts are with the woman's family who we are giving support to at this difficult time. "Our investigation is ongoing and extensive enquiries have already been completed but we're urging anyone with any information that could help us with our enquiries to get in touch with us as soon as possible. "We know there were a lot of people standing at the bus stop when the assault happened and we're urging them to please come forward with any information which could help us."

We know there were a lot of people standing at the bus stop when the assault happened and we're urging them to please come forward with any information which could help us."

One possibility would be "Petite Amande Dog Fragrance," yes, a perfume for dogs. This cologne has "notes of French blackcurrant, Tunisian neroli, mimosa and violet leaf on a base of sweet vanilla bourbon... with a little almond," according to the manufacturer. Or you might want to consider a lovely wig for your animal companion. A wide variety is available from Total Diva Pets, which offers "afros, curly sues and even a pink diva 'do," according to the company's website. It might be a matter of concern that most of the pets pictured in the company's ads don't look particularly happy about the whole thing. Another idea: If you've been frustrated that you bought your pet a gift, but they were more interested with playing with the box, a company called Caboodle will sell you a lovely, cat-sized, corrugated cardboard box for $29.95. The "feline environment: allegedly is "easy on the environment." "These feline towers are made from 100 percent cardboard and printed with flexographic soy-based inks that contain no harmful toxins," says the company. "The cardboard is extra strong in order to cater for those full-figured kitties." Better yet, you can arrange them and decorate them however you like. Bring on the felt tip pens and decals! Throw in your cat's favorite pillow, and voila, your cat has a cozy 3-story corrugated condo." Next on the list are lovely bonnets and caps for your beloved pet. What fun! And from Canine Hipster Clothing, the holidays "can be a fun time for your pet as well -- that is, if you give them fun pet costumes to outfit your cuddly creature for the occasion. "Your pet may not particularly like having to wear a wig, a moustache or a Stars Wars getup at first," acknowledges the manufacturer, "but after you give it some pet-friendly treats, it will succumb to your wishes. Pet costume ideas are boundless. You can even match your pet's costume to your own if you wish."

One possibility would be "Petite Amande Dog Fragrance," yes, a perfume for dogs.

EVERYONE'S favourite singleton is back, and PREGNANT - but who's the daddy? The new trailer for the latest Bridget Jones film reveals the hilarious moment our darling Bridget (Renee Zellweger) finds out she's managed to get herself up the duff, yet she has no idea who by. 7 Hurrah! Everyone's favourite singleton is back! To be fair it could be worse. We learn the father is either charming American Jack, played by Patrick Dempsey, or Bridget's brooding ex Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Neither are a gene pool to be sniffed at. 7 The two potential dads vie for Bridget's affection, but who will she choose? In the next chapter of the saga we join Bridget in her forties, five years after breaking up with Mark. Although her 'happily ever after' hasn't quite gone to plan when it comes to her love life, she's managed to bag herself a top job as a news producer. But despite thinking she has everything under control, things quickly start to spiral when a dashing American chap catches her eye at the office. 7 Getting mucky... Bridget starts up a steamy fling with hunky American Jack, played by Patrick Dempsey Related Stories Who's The Daddy? New posters for Bridget Jones' Baby has everyone drooling over Patrick Dempsey and Mr Darcy HIGH STYLE 'Bridget Jones' pants are BACK and famous ladies just can't get enough of huge undies BRIDG OF SIGHS Bridget Jones star Renee Zellweger is baffled by people's obsession with her character's weight Vin the Kingsman Vinnie Jones feels at home in Union Jack slippers on first day of filming Brit spy flick Parents turning Potty Harry Potter films have inspired people to name their kids after JK Rowling's books, says new data The pair enjoy a steamy six-hour session and Bridget seems smitten - until she bumps into former flame Mark at a christening. It seems old habits die hard, as the reminiscing pair quickly fall into bed - literally. Soon after, Bridget finds out she's unexpectedly expecting - but who's baby is it? Fame Flynet 7 Bridget has no idea which man is the father What ensues is a hilarious battle for Bridget's affections - but whether a clumsy brawl on the street is on the cards in this film remains to be seen. The much-anticipated chick flick also stars cake-loving, award-winning Emma Thompson (Saving Mr Banks), while Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones reprise their roles as Bridget's parents. Sally Phillips also returns as Bridget's best mate Shazza - and it looks like she's well and truly settled down as she's got a couple of kids. Fame Flynet 7 Bridget is joined in the new film by a host of familiar faces The film, directed by Sharon Maguire (Bridget Jones's Diary), is the latest instalment in the beloved comedy series, based on creator Helen Fielding's classic novel. How Bridget manages to end up with two handsome men fighting over her AGAIN is a mystery - but who will turn out to be the proud father? Bridget Jones' Baby hits UK cinemas on 16 September this year. Theodora Fashesin &lt;Theodora.Fashesin@waytoblue.com 7 Bridget Jones' Baby hits UK cinemas on 16 September this year

EVERYONE'S favourite singleton is back Bridget Jones PREGNANT who's the daddy? Patrick Dempsey, or Bridget's brooding ex Mark Darcy (Colin Firth)

1.It's a miracle half of the country doesn't perish in a grid of turkey fryer fires that merge together to create one giant death trap. America gonna 'Murica, y'all! 2.Whelp...who's up for McDonald's? 3.Not all food pics are created equal. Before you share that picture, ask yourself..."What would Martha Stewart do?". 4.Just because you can make it doesn't mean you should. 5.If your turkey isn't properly thawed, turning up the temperature in the oven is actually the opposite of a solution. 6.Test your dish designs. If they come out looking like genitalia...bring the paper plates instead. 7.Your pet doesn't give a shoot about your Thanksgiving plans. 8.Leave the decorating to the experts. 9.Be sure to preserve all the most awkward awkwardness so you can laugh at said awkwardness at all your future awkward family dinners 10.The Thanksgiving dessert rule is a good rule for life in general - KISS...Keep It Simple Stupid.

turkey fryer fires Not all food pics are created equal. Before you share that picture, ask yourself..."What would Martha Stewart do?".

If any of us ceased to exist tomorrow, little would change beyond the subjective emotional states of the people in our immediate circles. Unsplash We all experience the world like we are at the center of reality. We think and we feel in relation to how our senses absorb information and how this information mingles with our personal memories. The subjective perception created by these interactions provides the illusion of importance. We forget that this perception only exists in our minds and that everyone near us is walking around under exactly the same psychological mindset. In truth, we're just one of billions, and over the course of history, everything about us is insignificant. Even people like Newton and Einstein, who we revere for their contributions to humanity, are only slightly less insignificant. Our universe contains one septillion stars (a one followed by 24 zeroes) and a lot of these stars contain many, many more modes of dust that we call planets. If any of us ceased to exist tomorrow, little would change beyond the subjective emotional states of the people in our immediate circles. Earth would continue its orbit, and the laws of physics would remain in tact. We're nothing more than a fraction of a ripple in an infinite sea of entropy. We're nothing more than a fraction of a ripple in an infinite sea of entropy. Unsplash Many of us don't like hearing this. It conflicts with the story our mind tells. We're brought up to think that we're special, and we like believing it. But I don't say any of this as a cynic or to depress you. In fact, quite the opposite. I say it because distinguishing between our subjective perception and the objective reality is the key to living a meaningful and important life. Acknowledging unimportance liberates us from the grips of the self-centered voice in our head that's chiefly responsible for many of life's difficulties. It's the voice that compares us to people that don't matter, it's the same voice that convinces us that we're entitled to a comfortable and easy life, and it's indeed this voice that has us chasing arbitrary measures of success. And the result? We spend our time acquiring things we don't want or need, we falter at the first sign of hardship and inconvenience, and one day, we wake up to a ticking clock realizing that, all this time, we've lived somebody else's life. The surest way to be unfilled is to walk around like you hold some sort of a privileged position in the universe. It's not only a completely false and harmful illusion, but it also overlooks the fringe benefits of being a nobody. I'd like to walk you through them. 1. Being a nobody allows us to truly experience and appreciate the profoundness of the sublime. In 1757, Edmund Burke published one of the most influential works in aesthetics. It's a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty. In it, he separated sensory experiences into The Beautiful and The Sublime . We're all familiar with The Beautiful . It can be summarized by the standard definition. We see it every day in the things we find stunning and pleasant. The Sublime , however, is different. It's more than just visually enticing. It's overwhelming. It makes us feel small, and it has the power to engorge us. It's found when we are in awe at the might of nature, it's experienced in the emotion of love, and it's discovered when we are compelled by a great work of art. It's a heightened sense of existence beyond comfort and normalcy. Every day we see things we find stunning and pleasant. Unsplash To fully indulge in The Sublime , we have to give up a part of ourselves. We are forced to accept a degree of inferiority for a connection to something greater. The risk of vulnerability is balanced by the reward of ecstasy. No one is immune from experiencing this wonder, but an ego and a deep sense of personal importance get in the way. They seek ecstasy without accepting vulnerability, and they then find themselves cornered with fear. There is nothing desirable about it. It leads to a kind of paralysis that steals the potential of experiencing some of the great joys in life. It may be masked with humor or rationality, but in truth, it's nothing more than insecurity. Being a nobody, you don't have this problem. You accept that you're already naked, so you may as well put it on display to try and gain something. More often than not, you do. 2. Being a nobody frees us from the irrational pressures and expectations of an uncertain world. We live our lives guided by labels and hierarchies. It's how we make sense of a complex reality. That said, these labels and hierarchies aren't absolute. A tree isn't a tree because a law of nature has defined it as a tree. It's a tree because our cognitive brains have learned to understand it as such. It's our way of translating sensory noise into a mode of organization that's useful. This is a crucial distinction. Our observation of reality is an approximation confined by the boundaries of language. It's uncertain and in large part unpredictable. As the late Nobel Laureate Albert Camus noted, we live to reason with an unreasonable world and it often leads to a conflicted life. When you bind these labels and hierarchies too closely to your identity, you anchor your expectations to things that are fundamentally fragile. Our observation of reality is an approximation confined by the boundaries of language. Unsplash If you gain your worth from being a CEO and the fact that you wield a degree of power in the context of a business, rather than, say, from intrinsic values, then you will eventually find yourself in a position of conflict. Life isn't concerned with your artificial sense of importance. At some point, there will be a divergence between the story you tell yourself and the cold, hard reality. Your net worth won't matter, and the fall will be much steeper. When you are a nobody, however, you don't pretend that a label -- whether good or bad -- is anything more than a figment of our collective imagination. You liberate yourself from many of the petty societal pressures of existence. You may still assume a certain role with pride, but knowing that it doesn't make you any more or less important grounds you on a firmer foundation. It's a small mental shift that makes a big difference. 3. Being a nobody gives us the humility to realize that it's our struggles that define us, not our desires. When we convince ourselves that we're more special than what the universe dictates, we tend to develop a sense of entitlement about what life owes us. We choose to believe the surface-level stories about what happiness and success look like, and we are quick to think that they don't cost a thing. The harsh truth is that the universe doesn't owe anyone anything. It's utterly indifferent to what you or I want. It exists as it does based on the forces that act on it, and to shape an outcome in our favor, it's on us to pick our battles. It's fine and well to want an amazing career, but walking around with the assumption that you deserve one won't get you there. It's the price that you are willing to pay that will. It's that initial unrewarded work and those long, long hours of blood and sweat and tears with no end in sight that will. The harsh truth is that the universe doesn't owe anyone anything. Unsplash To accept such struggles, it takes humility. It requires you to acknowledge that you're just like everybody else that wants a great job, a wonderful relationship, and consistent happiness. Your desires aren't unique. It means that you accept that the difference isn't in what you want, but in what you are willing to suffer for. It's about the trade-offs you're willing to endure, the beatings you're willing to take, and it's about knowing that in spite of all of that, the fruits of your labor may still not amount to anything. It's about boldly staring life in the face and having the courage to say, "I might not be much, and I know I won't always get what I want, but it sure as hell doesn't mean that I won't try." And that, ultimately, is the purpose of life. To try and see reality in its true form and then to do what you can to shape it into what you wish it were. You're already a nobody, and as am I. We're not owed anything. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we can focus on the things we can change. And there's a lot we can change. It's not easy, but that's precisely why it's valuable. We're each a negligible part of a vast cosmic entity, and there really is something beautiful about that if you choose to see it for what it is. Want more? Zat Rana publishes a free weekly newsletter at Design Luck . He uses engaging stories to share unique insights on how to live a better life by dissecting science, art, and business.

Our universe contains one septillion stars (a one followed by 24 zeroes) and a lot of these stars contain many, many more modes of dust that we call planets.

Newsweek columnist takes home D.C. funniest celebrity prize By Amy Shelter/AllPolitics WASHINGTON (November 12) -- With impressions of President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore after smoking marijuana and jokes that targeted Republicans and Democrats alike, Newsweek columnist Matt Cooper won top honors Wednesday night as "Funniest Celebrity in Washington." Cooper triumphed over nine competitors in the annual comedy contest which benefits the Child Welfare League of America. Monica Lewinsky's former attorney William Ginsburg took second place. While he refrained from poking fun at his most famous client, Ginsburg brought down the house with jokes about Linda Tripp and Ken Starr. "What's the difference between a catfish and Ken Starr?" Ginsburg asked a crowd of Washington, D.C. movers and shakers. "One is a bottom-dwelling, scum-sucking scavenger and the other is just a fish." American Enterprise Institute Resident Scholar Norm Ornstein shed his intellectual skin and pushed the envelope with his comedy stylings, taking home third prize. Also competing were Capital Style Magazine Editor Bill Thomas, Norah O'Donnell of Roll Call, Kellyanne Fitzpatrick of the polling company, inc., Westwood One Radio's Jim Bohannon, USA Today's Walter Shapiro and Tony Snow of Fox News. Fitzpatrick, a frequent guest on political talk shows, suggested slogans for various presidential campaigns. For Al Gore: "Action figure sold separately." Lamar Alexander: "Dead men do wear plaid." And a Ross Perot/Jesse "The Mind" Ventura ticket: "A mind-and-a-half is a terrible thing to waste." Former Lewinsky attorney William Ginsburg was the second place winner The audience was also treated to a performance by Regular Joe, the band led by Florida Republican Rep. Joe Scarborough. The 35-year-old conservative showed the crowd that politicians are people too, performing his original song, "I Guess I'll Be A Congressman." Contestant Letitia Baldridge, the former White House social secretary and etiquette expert, shared humorous anecdotes about the Kennedy White House. Performing at the event, but not competing, were local comedian Bob Somerby and Guest of Honor Mark Russell who had patrons doubled over with laughter from his song parody. Set to the tune of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," the song included all the body parts detailed in the definition of sexual relations as used in the Paula Jones case. Washingtonian Magazine Editor Chuck Conconi emceed the lively event which was held at The D.C. Improv Comedy Theater.

Newsweek columnist takes home D.C. funniest celebrity prize The 35-year-old conservative showed the crowd that politicians are people too, performing his original song, "I Guess I'll Be A Congressman."

Quantity Theory Revisited The price of gold fell another ten bucks and that of silver another 28 cents last week. Perspective: if you are waiting for the right moment to buy, the market is offering you a better deal than it did last week (literally, the market price of gold is at a 7.2% discount to the fundamental price vs. 4.6% last week). If you wanted to sell, this wasn't a good week to wait. Which is your intention, and why? Gold vs. TMS excl. memorandum items (the... What Have You Done For Me Lately? Precious Metals Supply and Demand Aragorn's Law or the Mysterious Absence of the Mad Rush Last week the price of gold dropped $8, and that of silver 4 cents. There is an interesting feature of our very marvel of a modern monetary system. We have written about this before. It sets up a conflict, between the perverse incentive it administers, and the desire to protect yourself in the long term. Answer: usually when it is too late... [PT] Consider gold. Many people know they should own it. They... An Inquiry into Austrian Investing: Profits, Protection and Pitfalls Incrementum Advisory Board Discussion Q3 2018 with Special Guest Kevin Duffy "From a marketing perspective it pays to be overconfident, especially in the short term. The higher your conviction the easier it will be to market your investment ideas. I think the Austrian School is at a disadvantage here because it's more difficult to be confident about your qualitative predictions and even in terms of investment advice it is particularly difficult to be confident in these times because we... Climbing the Milligram Ladder - Precious Metals Supply and Demand FRN Muscle Flexing Shh, don't tell the dollar-paradigm folks that the dollar went up 0.2mg gold this week. Or if that hasn't blown your mind, the dollar went up 0.01 grams of silver. It's less uncomfortable to say that gold went down $10, and silver fell $0.08. It doesn't force anyone to confront their deeply-held beliefs about money. But it does have its own Medieval retrograde motion to explain. Even the freaking leprechaun is now offering government scrip... this really... Introducing the Seasonax Web App Economists expected the Producer Price Index would jump in July. Instead, the PPI was flat and bond yields tumbled. [...]

Quantity Theory Revisited The price of gold fell another ten bucks and that of silver another 28 cents last week. If you wanted to sell, this wasn't a good week to wait. Which is your intention, and why? Gold vs. TMS excl. memorandum items

I am a Muslim, and I want to shut down pro-terrorism Facebook users. ISIS supporters are numerous on Facebook, masquerading behind "Islamic education" pages. They spread messages of violence, hatred against Muslims who do not support them, and propaganda designed to attract more supporters. These pages have thousands of supporters who "like," share, and comment on their posts. And yet, Facebook does not think they violate Facebook's Community Standards. The current system for reporting posts and pages is poorly-designed and allows too much to slip between the cracks. There is no option to report users for pro-terrorism sentiment. Reports of comments do not take context into account. This is dangerous. It is for the safety of everyone that terrorists and their supporters should not be allowed an easily-accessible public forum to corrupt people and spread messages of violence. As a Muslim, I believe it is my duty to live by the Islamic principles of peace, justice, truth, and love. That is why I stand against terrorists and their harmful propaganda. Tell Facebook: Help us fight terrorism by making it easier to report. Remove pro-ISIS accounts and pages. Say #no2ISIS.

ISIS supporters are numerous on Facebook, masquerading behind "Islamic education" pages.

Irresponsible ... Not saying ... Yesterday, the morning after President Donald Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, NBC reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell deleted a tweet claiming Justice Kennedy only resigned after knowing Trump would pick Kavanaugh. She reported this with only one source. It received well over 1,500 retweets and spread like wildfire through the digital news ecosystem. She claimed it was a transactional deal between Kennedy and the White House. Caldwell is now reporting that Kennedy provided the White House with a list of people he thought should replace him and that Kavanaugh was one. This was shoddy reporting. It pushed a narrative that is not provable. Yes, Caldwell retracted, but as Fox News explains, the damage had been done . WaPo duped by satire site ... This is just embarrassing. Yesterday, the Washington Post was duped by satire site ClickHole. In an article about efforts to make Green Day's "American Idiot" top the charts in the U.K. ahead of a Trump visit, the Post used ClickHole's article on the meaning of the song. They've retracted. The Onion, a sister publication to ClickHole, tweeted : Washington Post Offers Non-Subscribers 10 Free Articles To Fact Check Per Month https://t.co/oY8TYFqbGW pic.twitter.com/IcCpgkoo5E -- The Onion (@TheOnion) July 10, 2018 Bravo. Paging New Jersey ... Recently I shared with you how the state of New Jersey has allocated $5 million to fund local news in the state. I warned that with government funding comes government control. Here's a story from the U.K. that shows what can happen. The BBC, which is state-owned, has set up a fund to hire reporters to help cover local beats. In one instance , a local official blackballed the reporter, and the editor of the newspaper changed stories to placate the official. This is what happens with state control: The government controls the narrative. It isn't a free press. It's strings attached. Let's FIGHT BACK together ... ... against the mainstream media's biased reporting, selective facts, and outright propaganda. Sign up now for the daily dose of sunlight you need to disinfect the media's lies. It's free! Today's links ... Here are some of the things I've been reading. Daily Beast : NY Times executive editor: Yes, we did too many Alan Dershowitz stories CJR : A news outlet is suing the NYPD for the Trump family's gun permits NewsBusters : Seinfeld and Galifianakis agree on 'Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee': 'Nothing liberal about shutting someone up' New York Times Magazine : Profile of Michael Avenatti Creators Syndicate : Bozell & Graham: The media vs. Brett Kavanaugh NewsBusters : MSNBC Kavanaugh coverage: 27 guests, ZERO conservatives The Verge : Star Wars Episode IX will reportedly feature Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian Tell a friend ... I can't fight back alone against the mainstream media. I need your help. There are two ways you can help. First, send your friends - and even your enemies - over to the WTF MSM!? email subscription page and get them to sign up. Second, email me at [email protected] with anything questionable you see the media do. Together, we can fight back. Author: Rob Eno Robert Eno is the director of research for Conservative Review. He is a conservative from deep blue Massachusetts but now lives in Greenville, SC.

Irresponsible ... Not saying ... Yesterday, the morning after President Donald Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, NBC reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell deleted a tweet claiming Justice Kennedy only resigned after knowing Trump would pick Kavanaugh. She reported this with only one source.

The South African EXO fandom known as EXO-Ls showed their love for the K-pop group on its sixth year anniversary by embodying the groups charitable endeavours. On Sunday April 8, 28 South African EXO-Ls gathered at the Platbos Forest in Gansbaai in the Western Cape and planted 40 trees in EXO's name. Each tree represented the 40 fan bases that form part of the Worldwide EXO-L Union (WWEXOL). This was part of the South African fanbases contribution to a worldwide six year anniversary project for the anniversary of its debut. "The idea was brought to us by the WWEXOL, which we're a member of, and we started planning the event three months ago," EXO-L South Africa said to The Daily Vox. WWEXOL planned a global project to commemorate EXO's journey, music and the effect the group had in their lives. "We stand united and loyal... that is our timeless promise. Wherever we are... we are ONE!" WWEXOL said on its fundraiser page where it raised funds to fund charitable endeavours all over the world. A Timeless Promise -- WWEXOL's 6th Anniversary Project EVENT #6 - AFRICA Cape Town, South Africa The Platbos Reforestation *1 tree for each fanbase in WWEXOL #6YearsWithEXO @weareoneEXO pic.twitter.com/HR4qXnusJj -- EXO Worldwide Union (@WWEXOL) April 8, 2018 Melissa Limenyande (24) was at the Gansbaai event and said it was awe-inspiring. "We woke up early to travel to Gansbaai and once we got there, the owner told us about the forest and its importance. We planted 40 trees and got down and dirty and it felt incredible, knowing the difference those trees were going to make to the environment," she said. Limenyande first became an EXO-L in 2013 after seeing multiple posts about EXO's Growl music video on her Tumblr account. "EXO is the first K-pop group I got into and their music and personalities made me stay," she said in an interview with The Daily Vox, "they're such down-to-earth guys so it's hard not to be an EXO-L". Planting 40 trees for EXO's 6th Anniversary with @ExoL_SA #6YearsWithExo #HappyEXOday pic.twitter.com/f5ASPhHzzV -- #6YearsWithExo I love 9 men (@FlopNochang) April 8, 2018 Besides the music and the personalities, the group inspires its fandom to give back and do better. "EXO inspires and encourages us to give back in the same way we receive from them. I also think anything that you love can manifest itself into doing good," Limenyande said. Another EXO- L, Yasmeen Brown (20) said buying merchandise and albums are all just material things to show support to EXO, doing good in the name of EXO brings more meaning. "Statistics on who sold the most albums or magazines don't have any meaning if you look at it in the grand scheme of what's happening in the world right now. If we can do good and at the same time do it in the name of EXO it's a benefit," Brown said. Brogan Anne Philander (19) said the event was absolutely wonderful. "With fellow EXO-L's we planted trees, shared food and spent much time together in the name of EXO. It was an experience that I will remember forever," she said. "As fans we represent EXO, and to show the humility and humbleness EXO often expresses, it is important that we participate in projects that exist to better our communities and environment," Philander said. Some of the other WWEXOL events this year included a $1000 AUD charity donation to Syrian children via UNICEF Australia, a Sky Lantern Festival in Manila, the Philippines, and a Rs91,300 (approximately R17,000) donated to cancer patients by Team EXO India. Indian EXO-Ls donated the money in the name of EXO and Kim Jonghyun of SHINee who committed suicide in December 2017. It's easy to see why fans are so inspired. The K-pop group has been involved in multiple outreach projects both individually and as a collective. EXO member Lay made multiple cash donations to charities and even donated 10 ambulances to children's hospitals, maternity hospitals, and impoverished hospitals in the city that he was born in in 2016. EXO's Chen donated 20 million Won (about R227,500) to a non-profit organisation that provides welfare for those living in poverty in Siheung called the Siheung 1% Fund. Fans have bumped into EXO members delivering briquettes for those living with old heaters in their homes; volunteering in casual clothing and masks to hide their identities. exo members were delivering coal briquettes so owners could keep their homes heated during cold weather (they had jus landed from china too) pic.twitter.com/LymWwkvXnb -- BABYSOO (@dayumexo) August 10, 2017 The group also donated all profits from their albums, EX'ACT and For Life and their collaboration song with Yoo Jae Suk called Dancing King to charity. The members also wear clothing items supporting anti-racism and gender equality. Likewise EXO has a very charitable fandom. EXO member Xiumin's fans reportedly donated a total of two billion Won over two years (approximately R2.14 million) to various charities; D.O.'s fans donated 2.5 million Won (approximately R26,747) to Habitat Korea as his birthday gift, and toiletries and other necessities to the Korea Blind Union; and Baekhyun and Sehun's twin fan page LIGHT, BREEZE donated to the Korea Childhood Leukemia Foundation to celebrate the end of 2016 and beginning of 2017. Keep shining, keep giving EXO-Ls!

On Sunday April 8, 28 South African EXO-Ls gathered at the Platbos Forest in Gansbaai in the Western Cape and planted 40 trees in EXO's name.

In order to talk about Angela Davis, we first need to take off our racial blinders and peer into how the United States values black life. It's difficult to think of our country in terms of racial value. But whether it is something we on an individual level are actively thinking about or not, the symptoms of its presence on a macro level are everywhere. Black men are more likely to be incarcerated in federal and state prisons now than they were in the 1960s... According to the CDC, women just can't have it all, and by "all," they're talking wine and sex. Our bodies might serve as incubators for another human being someday, and if the CDC had its way, women would show proof of their date of birth as well as birth control prescription when your buying booze. They recommend that in order to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome, all women of childbearing age avoid alcohol if they are sexually active but not on contraceptives. CDC Principal Deputy Director Anne... The actual scum of the Earth, Daryush Valizadeh (Roosh V), has announced on his site Return of Kings that his planned worldwide pro-rape fest will be cancelled. "International Tribal Meetup Day" was supposed to be a gathering of all those wholesome dudes who think rape is totally okay if done in your own home. Valizadeh wrote that he must cancel the events because "I can no longer guarantee the safety or privacy of the men who want to attend on February 6." Yes, you read... Oftentimes when we discuss sexual violence, we fail to address the most important part: how society reacts and treats the victims after their assault. There is a programmed response immediately after an assault from law enforcement and other government entities. After the initial response, however, victims are often expected to be healed or feel better if they decide to report the crimes to the police. It seems that there is an expected timeline for healing for the victims of sexual violence, and that they are... Abortion. What female image comes to mind when you think of the concept? Maybe a distressed woman sitting alone in her bedroom, staring at an unwanted-- and unexpected--positive pregnancy test. Maybe she's too young to raise a baby, she's still a baby herself. Maybe she's already a mom with three babies and can't feed a fourth. Maybe she doesn't like kids and doesn't want a baby. Maybe she wanted a baby but finally realized her husband is an abusive unfit father-to-be. It's her body, her choice,... I did not know Janese Talton-Jackson on a personal level. There's a chance I might have seen her before. And a lesser chance I might have spoken to her. But if I did either, I don't remember.But after news of her death began to circulate Facebook Friday afternoon, and more and more people spoke of her, I learned there weren't many degrees of separation between us. Practically none, actually.She left behind three children. Twin girls and a one-year-old son. The father of her daughters is the... Anti-rape activist Amber Amour posted a picture of herself on Instagram minutes after she was raped by an acquaintance in a hotel room in Cape Town, South Africa in Nov. 2015. She sat in the shower, tears streaming down her face, knees against her chest as she detailed the rape to her followers, "As soon as I got in the bathroom, he forced me to my knees. I said 'stop!' but he just got more violent. He lifted me up and put his penis in... If you needed another reason to love Connie Britton, we've got one: she's judging a feminist video contest. Pro-woman media compay SheKnowsMedia and the Ms. Foundation will be holding #TheFWord Video Contest as a part of the #TheFWord: Feminism is Not a Dirty Word campaign, which launched in fall 2015. Britton championed the campaign when it was announced, and she's doubling down on her involvement by judging the contest. If you're interested in enterting, the videos should be two to three minutes long and describe your... "As we convene this morning, you look around the chamber, the presiding officer is female. All of our parliamentarians are female. Our floor managers are female. All of our pages are female," remarked Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R), noticing something unusual about the Capitol Tuesday morning. With Leslie Knope-level dedication to the issues, the Senate convened for a short session on Tuesday, despite campus being closed due to 29 inches of snowfall from the previous weekend. Other federal offices remained closed, and though the District government... Dear Sarah,I understand that it must be deeply shameful to have a son who has been arrested for domestic assault. Notice that I point out you're probably ashamed that your son was "arrested" for domestic assault, but not that you're probably ashamed that your son committed domestic assault? That's because your decision to pin the blame for your son's actions on Barack Obama says it all. You're not interested in actually getting help for your son and encouraging him to change. You're not interested in getting help...

According to the CDC, women just can't have it all, and by "all," they're talking wine and sex.

Milo Yiannopoulos, the former bright star of the Alt Right, has fallen from grace after a video emerged of him appearing to defend pedophilia as a great way for young boys to "discover who they are." Apparently the GOP is perfectly fine with sexism, racism, and anti-Semitism, but pedophilia is the breaking point. Ring of Fire's Farron Cousins discusses this. Transcript of the above video: For about the last year, Milo Yiannopoulos from Breitbart has been the rising star among the alt right. Basically the rising star amongst all of the racist Republicans that helped to put Donald Trump in office. Well this past weekend, new audio/video from a podcast emerged that Yiannopoulos had done a while back, where Yiannopoulos told us that he believes people under the age of 16 in the United States, some teenagers should be legally allowed to consent to sex. Essentially what Milo Yiannopoulos did here was say that he thinks that pedophilia in some cases is okay because anyone under the age of 16, by law if you engage in intercourse with them, consensual or not, it is considered pedophilia. You become a registered sex offender because that is against the 1956 sexual offenses act in the United Kingdom at least. Here's the thing, after this audio of Yiannopoulos surfaced, he lost his speaking position at this week's CPAC convention. Shortly thereafter he lost his book deal with Simon and Schuster and as it stands right now is most likely, if he hasn't already, going to actually lose his job at Breitbart News. Yiannopoulos in the span of three days has lost his entire future and deservedly so. There is no sympathy. There are no tears for this madman. He is a man who was banned from Twitter last year for sexist and racist attacks on the cast of Ghostbusters, the Ghostbusters reboot. His whole career is built around essentially being the male version of Ann Coulter, just a little bit more extreme. Racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, you name it, this guy has done it all. To be honest for Republicans, up until the pedophilia comments, all of this was perfectly fine. In fact going back to those comments, Yiannopoulos actually said during that podcast that he thinks sex for 13, 12 year old boys is perfectly fine because it helps them discover who they are. At that age of 12 or 13 a child, a teenager is not able to fully understand one the choice that they're making and two any potential consequence from those choices. Yiannopoulos is dangerously misguided on this issue and he is a dangerous person, not just because of the pedophilia comments but because of the way he seems to hate any non-white person. Yes, it is good that Yiannopoulos has lost his future. He's lost his book deal. I am sure there's some other right wing publisher that's already talking to him right now. He's going to write a book. He's going to make millions off it because there's enough hateful disgusting people in this country that are going to go out and buy it. They're still going to listen to what this guy says, so he hasn't lost everything. He's still going to be around, this little cockroach is going to survive this nuclear storm that's currently happening in his life, but he doesn't deserve to. Anyone like that, anyone who makes a career off of peddling hate in this country, or in any country, should not be given credence. They should not be given guest spots on Real Time with Bill Maher, where Bill Maher appeared to be best friends with Milo. This is the kind of guy that you ignore. This is the kind of guy that you don't talk about, and I can promise you, this is going to be the only time that we actually address what this whack job did, because to be honest, beyond this he's not worth our time.

Milo Yiannopoulos, the former bright star of the Alt Right

Marking the third anniversary since the last national minimum wage increase, low-paid workers and living-wage advocates across the country on Tuesday are calling out for a renewed focus on the paltry, sub-poverty earnings that millions of Americans are expected to get by on. Marches and rallies are planned, according to McClatchy , at congressional district offices and at businesses that pay low wages. In Chicago, protesters will hold a trolley tour of low-wage employers, while activists in Pittsburgh will rally for higher wages outside City Hall. Similar events are planned in dozens of cities, including New York, Washington, Miami, Kansas City, Mo., Sacramento, Calif., and Philadelphia. "We're having this national day of action to get a message to our elected officials that we are serious about how the minimum wage is not a livable wage," said Cathy Kaufmann, deputy Ohio director of the Fight for a Fair Economy, part of SEIU, or the Service Employees International Union. At $7.25 an hour, the current minimum wage comes to just $15,080 a year for full-time work -- a figure still below the official poverty line. Recent studies by the Center for Economic and Policy Research shows that the "minimum wage is now far below its historical level by all of the most commonly used benchmarks - inflation, average wages, and productivity." And Holly Sklar, director of the Business for a Fair Minimum Wage project, adds that though "worker productivity grew 80 percent from 1973 to 2011" the average worker's wage -- adjusted for inflation -- "fell 7 percent." In a column highlighting the economic inequality engendered in the minimum wage and calling for its increase, economist Dean Baker and CEPR co-director writes: "At the current rate of $7.25 an hour, a full-time year-round worker would have gross pay of less than $15,000 a year. This is less than half of what the average Fortune 500 CEO makes in a day. It would be hard enough for a single person to survive on this income, imagine trying to support a child or even two on this money." Advocates of the increase argue that if the minimum wage had kept up with inflation since 1968, its historical high point, it would now be over $10.50 per hour. This, they say, despite the fact that today's low-wage workers are older and better educated than in the past. Had the minimum wage also risen in step with low-wage workers' age and educational attainment since 1968, it would even higher in 2012, approaching $11 per hour. Opponents of minimum wage increases have long argued that such adjustments impact hiring, but much economic research contradicts such claims. "Increases to minimum wage have not produced the loss of jobs in the ways that opponents of these types of proposals predict," said Jeannette Wicks-Lim, an assistant research professor at the University of Massachusetts' Political Economy Research Institute. Wicks-Lim said the recent research shows minimum wage laws enacted in the past "have not had a negative impact on workers' job opportunities." "Businesses don't expect the costs of energy, rent, transportation and other expenses to remain constant, yet some want to keep the minimum wage the same year after year, despite increases in the cost of living," said David Bolotsky, founder and CEO of UncommonGoods and a member of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage. "That kind of business model traps workers in poverty and undermines our economy." Supporters will lobby for a provision of the Rebuild America Act, introduced in the Senate this year by Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), calling for the federal minimum wage to be increased to $9.80 per hour by 2014. In June, Congressmen Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.), John Conyers (D-Mich.), and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) introduced the "Catching Up to 1968 Act of 2012" (H.R. 5901) - legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $10 per hour. In the Republican controlled House, the bill has gone nowhere. Small business owners made the following statements in support of Tuesday's action and the call for an increase of the minimum wage: David Bolotsky, Founder and CEO of UncommonGoods in Brooklyn, New York , said, "Businesses don't expect the costs of energy, rent, transportation and other expenses to remain constant, yet some want to keep the minimum wage the same year after year, despite increases in the cost of living. That kind of business model traps workers in poverty and undermines our economy. The minimum wage should require that all businesses pay employees a wage people can live on." Camille Moran, Owner of Caramor Industries and Four Seasons Christmas Tree Farm in Natchitoches, Louisiana , said, "A minimum wage increase is long overdue. It's not right or smart for any business to pay a wage that impoverishes not only working men and women and their families, but also impoverishes our communities and our nation. Boosting the wages of low-paid workers who could then purchase the goods and services they need is the best medicine for our ailing economy." Julie Paez, Owner of Big Bad Woof pet supply stores in Hyattsville, Maryland and Washington, DC, said, "Paying employees a living wage makes good business sense. It helps keep qualified employees - cutting down on training expenses - and helps foster company loyalty, which, in turn, produces higher sales and increases customer retention. It's a win win." Lew Prince, Managing Partner of Vintage Vinyl in St. Louis, Missouri, said, "The evidence that trickle-down economics doesn't work is all around us. People are falling out of the middle class instead of rising into it. Putting money in the hands of people who desperately need it to buy goods and services will give us a trickle-up effect. Raising the minimum wage is a really efficient way to circulate money in the economy from the bottom up where it can have the most impact in alleviating hardship, boosting demand at businesses and decreasing the strain on our public safety net from poverty wages." Marilyn Megenity, Owner of Mercury Cafe in Denver, Colorado , said, "We opened our doors in 1975, and I know that raising the minimum wage is not only affordable to restaurants and other businesses - it's crucial for our economy. It's important that all employees be able to make a decent wage, in order to pay rent and all the other costs of living. Our government needs to take charge of this now, just as it did in the past. We cannot continue a minimum wage that keeps even people who are working full time, year round in poverty." Brian England, Co-Owner of British-American Auto Care in Columbia, Maryland , said, "Have you ever wondered why every time you visit some businesses the staff has changed? Well chances are it is because they only pay an inadequate minimum wage. Instead of paying a fair wage, they are inviting costly constant turnover and unreliable customer service. In raising the minimum wage, we should be moving people away from just surviving. We should be moving working Americans as far away from needing the social safety net as possible. Raising the minimum wage raises everyone up." Jim Wellehan, President of Lamey Wellehan Shoes in Auburn, Maine , said, "Our family business is nearly a hundred years old, and clearly our country does better when all believe that their hard work will bring good results for them and their loved ones. Now, as Bloomberg BusinessWeek Magazine reports, the USA has higher income inequality and lower social mobility than most industrialized countries. If you are born poor, you are quite likely to die poor. Raising the minimum wage is a step to correcting this worsening situation. And the ability of a broad segment of our society to have a bit more spending money will benefit every area of our economy. Our increasingly unequal economic structure has no long-term viability." Joseph Rotella, Owner of Spencer Organ Company in Waltham, Massachusetts , said, "As a small business owner and an American, I support proposals to raise the federal minimum wage to at least $9.80 by 2014, because I strongly support workers being able to earn a living wage. America should be a country where no one who puts in a fair day's work can't afford to make ends meet, and no business owner who offers a living wage has to be undercut by competitors who do not. Not only is increasing the minimum wage the right and fair thing to do, but it will also help stimulate our struggling economy by putting more money into the hands of workers who need to spend it."

national minimum wage increase, low-paid workers

Young Islamists and their sympathizers are tagging, stenciling, painting, vandalizing and using every genre of graffiti to spread the global jihadist message. Similar to other gangs they are using spray paint to mark their territory, demonstrate their allegiance, advertise their gang's status and power, memorialize fallen fellow gang members, praise violence and threaten their enemies. Jihadist graffiti functions as communication and recruitment and is popping up in cities around the world including: Toronto, London, Dublin, Derry, Glasgow, Augsburg, Munich, Moscow, Toulouse, Frejus, Helsinki, Rome, Crete, Jerusalem, Beirut, Salt lake City, New York City, Washington, D.C. Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, Oakland and many others. Islamist graffiti is a popular artistic form of rebellion that portrays the global jihad movement as hip and cool. It appeals to young people who do not consider graffiti vandalism but view it as artistic expression and an agency for popular resistance and change. Spray painting Islamist slogans and jihadist phrases goes beyond graffiti as protest art. Islamist graffiti is a symbolic warfare tactic, a successful stealth information strategy camouflaged as street art. Although Islamist graffiti is relatively new to Western cities, the words, signs and symbols of terrorist groups have been proudly spray painted on their home turf for decades. Similar to gangs who mark their neighborhoods with slogans or symbols exclusive to the gang, Palestinian terrorist groups spray paint their emblems on the walls of Nablus, Gaza City and Ramallah, often not far from posters glorifying suicide bombers. Gang graffiti also frequently includes the territory claimed by the gang. Similarly Palestinian graffiti often depicts the map of Israel to represent what they consider to be their turf. Gang graffiti often includes threats and challenges to rival gangs. Islamist gang graffiti functions the same way. On December 10, 2009, the words 'Islam will dominate the world -- Osama is on his way' and 'Kill Gordon Brown' were spray painted on a war memorial in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. On August 4, 2011 a swastika and the message "Islam will rule" were spray-painted on the Robbins Hebrew Academy, an elementary school attached to a Synagogue in Toronto. On May 13, 2008 stores, pavements and the walls of four synagogues in Stamford Hill and Clapton Common neighborhoods in London were spray painted with 40 pieces of graffiti that read "Jihad to Israel" and "Jihad to Tel Aviv. Often Jihadist gang graffiti is not even considered vandalism or threatening and goes unrecognized as hate speech or terroristic threats. This is because the most common words that appear in Islamist graffiti: Jihad, Intifada and Allahu Akbar, are regarded as non-threatening expressions of faith and/or resistance to oppression. The word Jihad has been the subject matter in graffiti for years, often flying under the radar as street art. On June 15, 2013 JIHAD was spray painted in black lettering, nearly 20 feet high, on a wall along the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 in Delray Beach, Florida. In Oakland, California a graffiti writer who goes by the name of JIHAD is part of the PI Crew and has been painting large scale (master) pieces of the word JIHAD all over Oakland. The incongruity of the term jihad appearing in large graffiti pieces makes one question if the street artist name was chosen to garner attention and perhaps completely unrelated to Islam. Images of hijab clad women by the same graffiti artist put to rest any doubt. Imagine the response if a graffiti writer chose 'RAHOWA', a white supremacists acronym for Racial Holy War, as his street name and painted 50 foot murals of the white supremacist call to holy war all over the city. He would be accused of racism and charged with a hate crime. Even if this young street artist believes jihad means inner struggle and is unaware that he is advocating holy war, his 'JIHAD' graffiti is extremely popular on the internet spreading the message. Jihadists around the world must be enjoying the fact that their battle cry is being proudly displayed in American cities. Perhaps Jihad of the PI Crew is a young Muslim convert who knows exactly what he is doing and his graffiti bombing is a prelude to actual bombings. Jihadists often spray paint the phrase Allahu Akbar on war memorials and churches symbolizing Islam's supremacy over other religions. On December 4, 2013 the gates of the Augsburg Cathedral, the Moritz church and the evangelical Ulrich church in Augsburg, Germany were sprayed with white Arabic letters spelling out Allahu Akbar. The next day "Allahu Akbar, Jihad" in Arabic was sprayed on St. Michael's and St. Benedict's churches in Munich, Germany. On September 30, 2013, "Allahu Akbar" in Arabic was spray painted in red on a paratrooper memorial in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem. In August 2013 the Helsinki Living Word Church located in Eastern Pasila, was vandalized three times with Islamist graffiti. The messages read "Allahu Akbar", "Jesus is a Muslim" and "Islam is the answer". Gangs often leave graffiti at the scene of a burglary or other crime. Similarly, jihadist gangs write Allahu Akbar at the scene of their crimes as a mark of victory and supremacy. Victory graffiti that read "Allahu Akbar" and "Death to Russians!" was spray painted on the wall of Planernaya subway station in the Moscow subway on April 3, 2010 marking the success of two suicide bombings that occurred a few days earlier. On September 11, 2012 after murdering the American Ambassador to Libya members of al Qaeda gang set Ansar al Sharia spray-painted Allahu Akbar on the burned out buildings of the U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi marking their turf and further dishonoring America. A burned out house in Windsor, Connecticut also had Allahu Akbar painted on it. A photo of the house was posted on Jihad watch on August 17, 2013. On June 28, 2012 the words "Allah Wakbar" were written in pink and black marker on a seat in the World Trade Center memorial plaza. The misspelled word could be the result of a non-English speaker or a young American recruit who has not yet learned how to spell the battle cry. These are just a few examples of Jihadist gang victory graffiti left at the scene of crimes. Graffiti is often used to promote or enhance the names and reputations of the gang and to memorialize dead gang members. Osama bin Laden, the Sheik of the Mujahideen gangbangers has been both glorified and memorialized in graffiti. Similar to the word 'Jihad' the name Osama has been spray painted by graffiti writers in large letters on walls and trains. A popular method of glorifying bin Laden is a stencil graffiti of his portrait similar in style to the iconic image of Che Guevara. The stenciled graffiti portrait that sometimes includes the words Rest in Peace have popped up everywhere from Brooklyn, New York to Bangor, Wales. On May 2, 2011, immediately after the news of his death, a 50 foot long tribute to bin Laden was spray painted in black on the sound wall of Orange County's I-405 freeway in Westminster, California. The memorial to the al Qaeda gang leader depicted an upside down American flag with the words un-American written over it flanked by the script "R.I.P. Osama" and "Forever." Mohamed Merah, the 23 year old al Qaeda Mujahideen gangbanger who killed three French paratroopers, a rabbi and three children ages 4, 5, and 7 in a series of three gun attacks in March 2012 in Toulouse and Montauban, France has several graffiti tributes. Graffiti on the wall of a French house in Tarbes read, "You were a valiant Knight of Islam! You fought the shit Zionist and the false Muslims. You died guns in hand... I salute you Mohamed my brother, my friend... Rest in peace!" Graffiti in Toulouse read "Viva Merah", and in the Sainte-Croix neighborhood of Frejus graffiti paying respect to Mohamad Merah and al Qaeda was spray painted on a house. Who knows how many other young discontented French teens were inspired by Merah and look forward to having their name celebrated in spray paint. Jihadists use graffiti in the same manner and for the same reasons as any other criminal street gang. The writings need to be recognized and documented using methods that law enforcement currently employ to track gang activity, membership, rivalries and affiliations with larger gangs. Spray painting the words Jihad, Intifada or Allahu Akbar does not represent benign expressions of faith or popular resistance. Jihadist gang graffiti embodies Islamist messaging that has a significant impact in recruiting homegrown terrorists, inciting violence and is an indicator of future criminal and terrorist activity.

tagging, stenciling, painting vandalizing graffiti to spread the global jihadist message This is because the most common words that appear in Islamist graffiti: Jihad, Intifada and Allahu Akbar, are regarded as non-threatening expressions of faith and/or resistance to oppression.

MINISTERS are studying a bold new plan to end rough sleeping on the streets of Britain for good. They are considering a PS100 million help-and-homes project which could eradicate the scourge of homelessness within three years. Getty Images 5 Ministers are considering a PS100million help-and-homes project to end homelessness within three years It provides vagrants with a stable, independent pad, plus easy access to drug, alcohol and mental health services. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid will travel to Finland soon to examine a ground-breaking system in operation there. Called "Housing First" it rents homes from private landlords and lets them out without any of the normal strings attached to get on the ladder. 5 Communities Secretary Sajid Javid will travel to Finland to examine a similar scheme Mr Javid hopes it can be adopted in the UK where the number of people sleeping rough has nearly doubled in the last six years - from 1,800 in 2010 to over 4,000 last year. Every year, an estimated 34,500 people sleep rough in England, costing the government PS1billion in health, drug rehabilitation and criminal justice spending. Getty Images 5 The project would provide the homeless with a stable, independent pad, along with access to drug, alcohol and mental health services Experts estimate that Housing First in the UK would cost PS110 million a year but pay for itself within three years. Mr Javid is enthused by a report by the Centre for Social Justice, the think tank set up by former Tory Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith. MOST READ IN POLITICS SEX DUNGEON Four people caught having 'orgy' next to Cardiff Castle as kids played nearby drug nightmare Mum paralysed after weekend hippy crack binges while son, 3, was with dad SHELL SHOCK Angry biker told 'remove helmet' at Shell garage - as woman in burka fills up 'WHO'S MAEVIS?' Woman realises she has called her neighbour the wrong name for 14 YEARS A CANDLE FOR SAMMY Heartbroken ex-fiance's tribute to 'murdered' midwife Samantha Eastwood HOT CAR TRAGEDY Baby dies after granddad left her in car for 8 hours in 30C heat in Majorca 'THEY THREATENED ME' Woman wanted for 'knife threat' to mum & tot on Tube says SHE'S victim FEELING LUCKY? Winning Lotto numbers for Saturday August 11 2018 PS13.8million jackpot BANGED UP ABROAD Brit, 26, arrested for 'tying up, raping & beating woman in Majorca' 'IT'S ALL DOWN YOUR BACK!' Stomach-churning moment a 25-year-old cyst gets popped He said: "I warmly welcome this report and the ideas for ending rough sleeping once and for all. "My department will be studying the recommendations closely, as this is a cause close to my heart. Getty Images 5 A report for the Centre for Social Justice urges the government to set up a national Housing First programme "I'm particularly interested in Housing First as a means to ending chronic homelessness. I intend to travel to Finland to learn more about the approach." The CSJ report urges the government to set up a national Housing First progamme as well as increasing the supply of low-cost rental accommodation. AP:Associated Press 5 One of Theresa May's first initiatives as PM was a PS40million programme to tackle homelessness Theresa May has vowed to tackle homelessness and announced a PS40 million programme as one of her first initiatives as PM. Former MP Brooks Newmark, who chaired a working group behind the report, said: "Homelessness remains a blight on our society. Many rough sleepers I have met have complex needs. "The problem is not unsurmountable. It's just a question of political will."

MINISTERS are studying a bold new plan to end rough sleeping on the streets of Britain for good. They are considering a PS100 million help-and-homes project which could eradicate the scourge of homelessness within three years.

Garnette Cadogan, an old-school flaneur and essayist, wrote a fantastic piece describing the differences between walking while black in his home county of Jamaica , compared to New Orleans and New York City in the US. As he notes, he developed his habit of late-night strolling as a tween in Jamaica of the 1980s, when the streets were wracked with violence, and you could "get killed if a political henchman thought you came from the wrong neighborhood, or even if you wore the wrong color". Yet he found it even more destabilizing to walk in US cities, where he was the subject to endless suspicion from other passersby and the police. He winds up finding it difficult to achieve precisely what city-walking is supposed to permit: That feeling of losing yourself in your surroundings. There's so much great detail and nuanced observation in this piece, you should go read it all; but this passage near the end struck me as particularly deft. Cadogan talks about the randomness -- the capriciousness -- with which police or other people would suddenly threaten him in US cities, and how that's particularly psychologically wearing: I realized that what I least liked about walking in New York City wasn't merely having to learn new rules of navigation and socialization--every city has its own. It was the arbitrariness of the circumstances that required them, an arbitrariness that made me feel like a child again, that infantilized me. When we first learn to walk, the world around us threatens to crash into us. Read the rest Friends of mine at Because We Can (a local Bay Area "design build architecture" firm) shared some good news : Congratulations to the Long Now Foundation on beginning installation of the 10,000 year clock. This is a must-see video showing publically for the first time just how far along they are on this bold, ambitious, and world-changing project. Here's some info about the incredible clock from the Long Now site : There is a Clock ringing deep inside a mountain. It is a huge Clock, hundreds of feet tall, designed to tick for 10,000 years. Every once in a while the bells of this buried Clock play a melody. Each time the chimes ring, it's a melody the Clock has never played before. The Clock's chimes have been programmed to not repeat themselves for 10,000 years. Most times the Clock rings when a visitor has wound it, but the Clock hoards energy from a different source and occasionally it will ring itself when no one is around to hear it. It's anyone's guess how many beautiful songs will never be heard over the Clock's 10 millennial lifespan. The Clock is real. It is now being built inside a mountain in western Texas. This Clock is the first of many millennial Clocks the designers hope will be built around the world and throughout time. There is a second site for another Clock already purchased at the top of a mountain in eastern Nevada, a site surrounded by a very large grove of 5,000-year-old bristlecone pines. Read the rest

Garnette Cadogan, an old-school flaneur and essayist, wrote a fantastic piece describing the differences between walking while black in his home county of Jamaica , compared to New Orleans and New York City in the US. Long Now Foundation on beginning installation of the 10,000 year clock

THE polls put the Leave and Remain sides neck and neck, but I strongly suspect the UK will choose to quit the European Union because one side cares far more than the other side. The Leave side has passion, conviction and belief. The Leave side is aching to get our country back. The Leave side can't wait to jump out of bed on June 23 and dash to the polling booth. Nothing in the world could prevent me from voting to bail out of this decaying superstate. And there are millions like me. But what about the other side? From Downing Street to the Labour Party's HQ, the liberal elite warns us that doom and destruction await us if we choose to restore our national sovereignty. As if Europe would suddenly stop trading with the fifth largest economy in the world. Why would they? What would be in it for them? The arguments to keep us under the boot heel of Brussels lack all credibility. The PS9million of your money that the Government blew on their feeble pro-EU leaflet looks like a whimper of desperation. Jeremy Corbyn -- a lifelong Eurosceptic until Thursday -- instructs us that we should vote to remain and embrace the EU, "warts and all." Warts? The borders are kaput. The euro is kaput, condemning a generation of young Europeans to exile or the dole. And the German Chancellor's unilateral decision to invite the Third World to claim a new life and a free pair of lederhosen in the West has laid the foundation for decades of virulent extremism. The European Union doesn't have warts. It has terminal cancer. London News Pictures Ltd But Corbyn is not the only hypocrite to change his tune about the EU. All the senior Tory cheerleaders of the Remain campaign have been scathing about the EU when they wanted a nice round of applause at the Conservative Party conference. The change of heart from William Hague, Theresa May and the Prime Minister himself is baffling, not to mention nauseating. Eleven million suckers voted for Cameron at the General Election -- including me! -- because we BELIEVED him when he said he was going to fight for a new deal for the UK in Europe and that he "ruled nothing out" if he didn't get what he wanted. Cameron swanned into Downing Street on the back of a lie. His renegotiation with the EU had as much substance as the weapons of mass destruction that Tony Blair swore were hidden in Saddam Hussein's shed. In 1975, the last time we had any say, the British people were told we were joining a Common Market. But like a metastasising tumour, the EU has grown into a bloated superstate that makes nobody prosperous, nobody safe and nobody free. And unlike the tepid souls on the other side, those of us who want our country back care deeply about this issue. That is why we will march to the polling booths in our millions on June 23. That is why we will win. And I promise you now -- it will not even be close. ROBERT DE NIRO told NBC's Today Show that his wife Grace continues to blame their son's autism on the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. The claim that there is a link between the MMR jab and autism has been discredited, but some parents of autistic children - like the Hollywood actor's wife - will insist until their dying day that they saw their child change almost overnight after the vaccination. Many parents agonised about the MMR jab. Our daughter had the jab only after a doctor told me exactly what De Niro believes today. "The vaccines are dangerous to certain people who are more susceptible," says De Niro. It was only allowing for this element of doubt - and the belief that not having the MMR would be even more dangerous to our daughter - that persuaded us to go ahead. De Niro organises New York's Tribeca Film Festival where he has just dropped a film by disgraced British scientist, Andrew Wakefield, the man responsible for the panic around the MMR jab. But the actor maintains parents should never be afraid to question the medical profession. And he's right. They are doctors, not gods. Time aid stayed in Britain CUTS to benefits for the disabled. Tightened belts for the Armed Forces, police and junior doctors. Yet the British blow more than PS12billion a year on foreign aid - an absurd PS1 of every PS7 given by the developed world! Why exactly? So David Cameron can show us how much he cares. So George Osborne can preen with Bob Geldof at the GQ Men of the Year awards. So researchers in Colombia can study flatulence in cattle and its impact on climate change. PS15million for farting cows! What an obscene and spectacular waste of taxpayers' money when so many of our own people are suffering. Our foreign aid budget has nothing to do with helping the poor. And it clearly does nothing to stop millions in the Third World from wanting to come and live here. -- FOR years it was that loyal, loving dog the Staffordshire bull terrier that was routinely abandoned by idiots who owned them to look tough. These days it is the tiny handbag breeds filling rescue centres - pugs, Pomeranians, miniature pinschers. They should be put down. Not the dogs - the idiots who dump them after discovering that owning a pug doesn't turn them into Paris Hilton. -- SPEAKING in front of an American Senate subcommittee, U2's Bono told Washington that the way to beat Islamic State is with comedy. "Don't laugh," Bono said. Don't worry, Bono - we're not. "I think comedy should be deployed," Bono said. "You speak violence, you speak their language. But you laugh at them when they're goose-stepping down the street, and it takes away their power." Bono suggested that Sacha Baron Cohen could be sent to defeat Islamic State. Thanks for your input, Bono. But I think we will stick with the drone strikes. -- NARENDRA MODI , India's Prime Minister, was so keen to make the most of his photo opportunity with Prince William that he held on with a psychotic enthusiasm. After their handshake, William's mitt looked as if it had third-degree burns. William gets stick for taking on fewer royal engagements than his 94-year-old grandfather. But when you see William obliged to keep smiling with the likes of Modi, you can't blame him for wanting to stay at home with Kate and the kids. Who's the hardman, Colonel? EVERY father of a daughter is a feminist, so I applaud political journalist Isabel Hardman for highlighting what happened to her at the hands of a sexist old booby. Tory MP Colonel Bob Stewart approached Hardman in Westminster with the offensive line: "I want to talk to the totty." Oh Bob - how can you possibly imagine that this could do anything but make a woman's flesh crawl? Bonking Bob, hero of Bosnia and MP for Beckenham, clearly needs to treat women in the workplace with more respect. But I do hope this doesn't spoil the working relationship between these two Westminster stalwarts. And Isabel feels free to approach Bob and say: "I want to talk to the drooling old duffer who a woman like me wouldn't touch with a sticky bargepole." -- IN his documentary, What British Muslims Really Think, former equalities chief Trevor Phillips argued that a large part of the Muslim community live in this country without remotely subscribing to our views on tolerance, freedom and equality between the sexes. Many British Muslims, Philips said, "do not accept the values and behaviour that make Britain what it is." Phillips confirmed what many of us already suspected. Our British tolerance has encouraged ghettoes where intolerance thrives. And the idea that only a "tiny minority" of Muslims hold woman-hating, anti-Semitic, homophobic, medieval views looks ever more like wishful thinking. -- THE last ever FA Cup tie at Upton Park was graced by a cracking game and one of the most bizarre moments ever seen at that great old ground. As Manchester United's Ander Herrera dawdled leaving the pitch, West Ham's Mark Noble lost patience, lifting the Spanish midfielder into the air and carrying him from the field. And the spooky thing was that Herrera didn't seem to mind at all.

ROBERT DE NIRO told NBC's Today Show that his wife Grace continues to blame their son's autism on the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella.

The Shape of Water, the latest fantasy from director Guillermo del Toro ( Hellboy , Pan's Labyrinth ), is essentially a children's movie for adults, inspiring a sense of wonder but also of passivity. It looks marvelous--one can easily get caught up in the lavish production design and inventive special effects, and the graceful camera movements carry one through the meticulously designed environments. The storytelling is fantastic and straightforward, like that of a fairy tale. Yet The Shape of Water is also a patronizing film; del Toro and his cowriter, Vanessa Taylor, tell viewers what to think and feel at every turn, then congratulate them for responding appropriately. Set in the early 1960s, the film depicts the social mores of that era in simple, black-and-white terms to make contemporary audiences feel good about their modern, liberal values. Its primary aim is to reassure. Continue reading >> By Ben Sachs See our full review: Guillermo del Toro tapped Daniel Kraus to help write the story behind the Oscar-nominated blockbuster. >> The visual achievement of Guillermo del Toro's new fantasy can't alleviate its reductive worldview. >>

The Shape of Water inspiring a sense of wonder but also of passivity social mores of that era in simple

A survey of more than 1,600 business leaders revealed that a third planned to scale back hiring staff if the PS7.20 an hour rate for adults increased to PS9 by 2020. Others were looking at changes to staff hours, benefits or pay growth. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said the changes revealed by its research showed the rising cost burden on many companies. Two out of three firms paid their staff above the national living wage (NLW), but 25 per cent of those that were affected had increased their wage bill slightly, and 9% had increased it significantly, the report said.

The British Chambers of Commerce

Protesters rally in NY's Manhattan's Penn Station demanding release of Ahed Tamimi and other Palestinians imprisoned on political charges. (Photos: Joe Catron, Palestine Chronicle) Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi, 16, has gone on trial before an Israeli military court. Israel has faced criticism for prosecuting the teen who has become a powerful symbol of the Palestinian resistance. Only family members were allowed to remain in the courtroom at Ofer military base, and diplomats were also asked to leave. After the prosecution read out the indictment, Tamimi's trial was adjourned until March 11. Ahed Tamimi is back in court today - and she's facing up to 10 years in prison. This is no more than a desperate attempt by #Israel to intimidate Palestinian children who dare to stand up to repression. Take action to stand by Ahed now - https://t.co/d3QlBt4yqL #FreeAhedTamimi pic.twitter.com/GqPfT4EjIw -- Amnesty UK (@AmnestyUK) February 13, 2018 Tamimi's hearing has been twice delayed since it was scheduled to begin on January 31. The teen is charged with aggravated assault relating to an incident in the West Bank in December. A seven-page indictment lists 12 charges against the 16-year-old. On December 15, Tamimi and her family were protesting against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. During clashes with Israeli forces, Tamimi's 14-year-old cousin, Mohammed, was shot in the head at close range by an Israeli soldier. He required intensive surgery to dislodge the rubber bullet. Later that day, Ahed confronted Israeli soldiers when they forced themselves into the courtyard of her family's home. Ahed's military trial began today. Judge kicked out all diplomats, media & supporters & ordered a closed-door trial, saying its for Ahed's own good! After charges read, trial adjourned til March 11. Ahed still denied bail. World will still be WATCHING #FreeAhedTamimi pic.twitter.com/5F7NKHHsiS -- Huwaida Arraf (@huwaidaarraf) February 13, 2018 A video, which has since gone viral, shows the unarmed teenage girl slapping, kicking, and shoving two armed Israeli soldiers who were wearing protective gear. UN experts have pointed out that Tamimi was arrested in the middle of the night by armed soldiers, and questioned by Israeli security officials without a lawyer or family members present. "This violates the fundamental legal guarantee to have access to counsel during interrogation," Jose Guevara, chair of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, said on Tuesday. As Ahed Tamimi's unjust trial begins today, following her ongoing unjust detention in Israeli prisons, over 10 million Indian women demand her freedom. They demand freedom for all Palestinian child prisoners & endorse BDS to end Israeli human rights abuses https://t.co/EBV4eGsLrt pic.twitter.com/TF8SLtgfbl -- BDS Movement (@BDSmovement) February 13, 2018 Experts have also expressed concern that Tamimi's place of detention - Hasharon prison in Israel - was in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states that the deportation of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the occupying power, or to that of any other country, is prohibited, regardless of the motive. Speaking to RT's 'Going Underground' in January, Ahed's father, Bassem Tamimi, said: "I am a father. My heart, my soul, my wife, my daughter are in the hands of my enemy. I am scared, worried, sad, everything." Despite it all, he said he's "proud" of his daughter and that she is strong to face the "enemy." He also said Israel has no respect for international law and acts with impunity because of its "power." Take a good look. This is what the Israeli occupier gunmen did just before Ahed Tamimi slapped one of them. But she is the one on "trial." https://t.co/0iu3F0lAY6 -- Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) February 5, 2018 "There is nothing more provocative than Israel's occupation [of Palestine]...so the normal reaction is to resist," Bassem Tamimi said. In 2012, Amnesty International labeled Bassem Tamimi a prisoner of conscience during one of his numerous stints in an Israeli prison. Meanwhile, Nariman Tamimi has been detained five times by Israeli forces for protest action. Ahed has been detained twice under the same circumstances. -- Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 12, 2018 In January, European Union representatives and EU heads of mission in Jerusalem and Ramallah released a statement in which they expressed "deep concern" over the arrests of Ahed Tamimi and other Palestinian minors. HRW says Tamimi's pre-trial detention - 56 days and counting - is both a "violation of international law and unnecessary." It also says her case raises concerns that "Israel's military justice system, which detains hundreds of Palestinian children every year, is incapable of respecting children's rights." Glenn #Greenwald : Federal Court Strikes Down a Law that Punishes Supporters of Israel #Boycott https://t.co/GO3Xxlunvu via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/1SukPmSfMe -- Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 11, 2018 This is not an "isolated case," said Michael Lynk, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory on Tuesday. "Figures from Palestine show that Israel detains and prosecutes between 500 to 700 Palestinian children in military courts annually." (RT, PC, Social Media)

Protesters rally in NY's Manhattan's Penn Station demanding release of Ahed Tamimi and other Palestinians imprisoned on political charges.

(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) A report showing which of America's colleges have the most hateful tweets has caused such an uproar that its authors took it offline . Collegestats.org looked at all the tweets coming from a 1 or 3 mile radius of a college campus and compared them to a list of "hate" words. These words included everything from slurs against gay people to people of different ethnic groups, such as "junglebunny" or "raghead." Then CollegeStats.org sorted the data to create lists including "Most Derogatory Tweets," "Most Anti-Black Tweets" and "Most Anti-Gay Tweets." The results showed that hateful language used on social media could be seen on campuses across the country. Among the top 10 schools with derogatory tweets were Eastern Michigan University, SUNY Cortland in New York State and Southeast Missouri State University. (CollegeStats.org) The report also measured derogatory language towards women, led again by Southeast Missouri State. When the word "b***h" was removed from the data, two Connecticut schools made the top ten list: Albertus Magnus College and Yale University. The most anti-gay tweets came out of Husson University in Bangor, Maine, and the most anti-black tweets came from the very place that saw one of its first high schools integrated -- Little Rock, Arkansas' University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. But the study's authors say people misconstrued the data. "The recent study on the tweeting of derogatory words on or near college campuses has been removed from our website because some have misinterpreted the data presented," reads a statement online. Critics had pointed out that the study didn't take into account the context of the tweets and the data could have been skewed by tweeters who lived near campus but weren't students. But the study's authors still stand by their work. "The study could have spurred thoughtful discussion of the impact of derogatory language on society. By highlighting the derogatory words tweeted, the affected colleges and universities had an opportunity to address, denounce, and educate. But the findings were misconstrued and sensationalized beyond recognition, undermining the potential useful purpose of the study."

America's colleges have the most hateful tweets These words included everything from slurs against gay people to people of different ethnic groups, such as "junglebunny" or "raghead."

(CAMPUS REFORM) -- A dorm display at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst is using Care Bears to help students who feel "grumpy or stressed." "Feeling grumpy or stressed? Let the Care Bears help!" the display states above a large, hand-drawn rainbow adorned with bit of advice for students. "It's important to take care of ourselves! Self-care is an active choice and you should treat it as such," one section proclaims, while other suggest that students "surround yourselves with supportive people" and "reminders of what you love." The display also suggests goofing around with friends, making time for fun, eating healthy, and getting enough sleep.

"Feeling grumpy or stressed? Let the Care Bears help!" A dorm display at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst is using Care Bears to help students who feel "grumpy or stressed."

The trailer for "On the Basis of Sex," a forthcoming movie about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, twists the text of the U.S. Constitution. This move proved rather fitting, as Ginsburg is one of several liberal justices who take a "living Constitution" approach to America's founding document, reading into the text "rights" that simply aren't there. At the trailer's climax, Ginsburg (Felicity Jones) argues a sex discrimination case before a panel of judges. "The word 'woman' does not appear even once in the U.S. Constitution," one judge declares. "Neither does the word freedom, your honor," Ginsburg quips. The entire moment is silly, and it merely reflects Hollywood's inability to understand legalese. Yes, the text of the Constitution does not say "woman" anywhere. Neither does it say "man." Even so, the Constitution clearly refers to both men and women in the word "person." The 18th Amendment, concerning women's suffrage, does not technically include the word woman. It does state, however, that "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." Ginsburg's quip is the fundamental problem, however. "Woman" does not appear in the Constitution, but "freedom" emphatically does. Both "freedom" and another word that means essentially the same thing -- "liberty" -- appear throughout the Constitution. First, there's the preamble: "We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility , provide for the common defence , promote the general Welfare , and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity , do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America" (italics added, capitalization original). Then there's the 1st Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" (emphasis added). There's also the 5th Amendment: "No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury ... nor be deprived of life, liberty , or property, without due process of law..." (emphasis added) And of course the 14th Amendment: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty , or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws" (emphasis added). Does this matter? Not really. Ginsburg's quip about freedom not appearing in the Constitution is just a cinematic moment. For all I know, the movie later on goes to correct her. The only reason it's worth commenting on is that this twisting of the Constitution for cinematic effect mimics Ginsburg's willingness to twist the Constitution for political effect. The "notorious RBG" holds to the "living Constitution" school -- the idea that judges must actually " give meaning " to the document. In 2012, the notorious RBG made a stunning admission. "I would not look to the U.S. Constitution, if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012," she said, mentioning a preference for the constitution of South Africa." Like far too many other Supreme Court justices, Ginsburg believes that the Constitution must be altered -- not by amendments the way the founders intended, but by judicial fiat. Good examples of this came in 1973 with Roe v. Wade and 2015 with Obergefell v. Hodges . Both cases took existing law -- the 14th Amendment quoted above -- and read into it a right to abortion and a right to same-sex marriage. Not only does the text of the 14th Amendment say nothing about these rights, but those who drafted it would be horrified to see their words twisted in this direction. Indeed, compared to such a perversion, the claim that "freedom" appears nowhere in the Constitution seems rather innocent.

The trailer for "On the Basis of Sex," a forthcoming movie about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, twists the text of the U.S. Constitution. Ginsburg (Felicity Jones)

Everyday Rebellion presents the naked truth. The Internet's Own Boy brings Aaron Swartz's story to the mainstream. Mr. Sulu shows what it's like To Be Takei. For info and tickets, see hotdocs.ca . To Be Takei True to the intro of the iconic TV show that made him a household name, George Takei has boldly gone where no man has gone before. He's an outspoken queer rights activist, a star on social media (if you don't follow @GeorgeTakei you're doing something wrong) and he's candid and revealing about his childhood experience in an internment camp for Japanese-Americans. This doc chronicles the making of a musical based on that traumatic time. And you can hear his booming voice in person when he visits the fest with the film on April 26. April 26, 6 pm, and April 27, 1 pm, Bloor American Interior When he's not fronting rock band Super Furry Animals, Gruff Rhys indulges in some charming, unapologetically strange filmmaking. In 2010's Separado!, he examined his connection to the Welsh community of Patagonia. This project, part of Hot Docs' Mystery, Myth & Legend program, finds him following in the footsteps of an 18th-century ancestor who came to America looking for native Americans descended from Welsh royalty. Also, because it's a Gruff Rhys joint, we can expect music and at least one puppet. April 25, 4 pm, Scotiabank; April 26, 7 pm, Royal; May 3, 11:30 pm, Bloor Beyond Clueless What's your favourite teen movie? The Breakfast Club? Mean Girls? The Alicia Silverstone (remember her?) flick that gives this doc its title? Director Charlie Lyne looks at over 200 of these films in this visual essay, which is sure to make you feel like you're back at the cafeteria holding your tray and wondering where to sit. April 29, 10 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox, May 1, 11:30 pm, Bloor; May 4, 12:30 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox The Case Against 8 A riveting procedural documenting the legal case against California's ban on gay marriage, which went all the way to the Supreme Court. Though the two couples yearning to marry are the centrepiece of the trial, it's lawyer Ted Olson arguing for them who's the star - yes, the same guy who represented George Bush against the Florida recount in 2000. NOW's Susan G. Cole moderates a panel featuring the film's director and subjects after the April 29 screening. April 29, 6:30 pm, Bloor; April 30, 10:30 am, Isabel Bader When writer/producer Dan Harmon was fired from Community, the sitcom he created, he took his weekly Los Angeles cabaret show-cum-therapy session on a 20-city road trip with girlfriend Erin McGathy, old pal Jeff Bryan Davis, audience member-turned-dungeon master Spencer Crittenden and documentarian Neil Berkeley. The resulting concert film offers a look into the crisis spiral of an artist whose creative genius is matched only by his self-loathing. Given Harmon's ferociously devoted fan base, the free Docs At Dusk screening on May 1 will play like a rock show. April 25, 11:59 pm, Bloor; April 27, 3:15 pm, Hart House; May 1, 9 pm, Quad (free screening) Happy Valley Amir Bar-Lev (The Tillman Story) turns his relentless gaze on the sexual abuse scandal that rocked Penn State, where football coach Joe Paterno lost his job and his reputation for failing to take action against assistant coach and child rapist Jerry Sandusky. The film promises to pay special attention to the townspeople of State College, Pennsylvania, who show an unseemly loyalty to their heroes. Could be a fascinating meditation on fandom. April 29, 9 pm, Isabel Bader; May 1, 7 pm, Hart House Everyday Rebellion Protest just isn't what it used to be. Arash T. Riahi travels to Spain, Syria, Iran, Ecuador and elsewhere to illustrate the ingeniously creative ways rebels are making themselves heard - always through non-violence. Political action as you've never seen it before. April 25, 9:30 pm, and April 27, 10:30 am, Isabel Bader; May 4, 4 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox The Overnighters When hydraulic fracking came to Williston, North Dakota, it brought the promise of high-paying jobs to a depressed community - and attracted thousands of hopeful applicants from all over America. Filmmaker Jesse Moss tracks the efforts of Jay Reinke, a Lutheran pastor, to shelter those who fail to find work - and the push-back from a community fearful of strangers in their midst. April 25, 9 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox; April 26, 1 pm, ROM; May 2, 7 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox The Internet's Own Boy: The Story Of Aaron Swartz Boy genius Aaron Swartz helped develop Reddit, Creative Commons and RSS, but he ditched Silicon Valley and a guarantee of millions to become an activist, working with the successful campaign to prevent the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and trying to provide access to supposedly public information. After the U.S. government arrested him on, among other things, charges of computer fraud (which were long outdated), the 26-year-old hanged himself. This film should help bring his inspiring but tragic story to a mass audience. A panel with author Cory Doctorow happens after the April 30 screening. April 24, 10 pm, April 25, 2 pm, and April 30, 6:30 pm, Bloor Florian Habicht's concert movie follows Jarvis Cocker and his bandmates as they prepare to mark their 25th anniversary as Britpop royalty with a concert in their native Sheffield. Songs will be sung, stories will be told, and pies will be eaten, because the only way to fully understand Pulp is to hang out in the town that birthed the band. "Sing along with the common people" isn't just a lyric - it's a mission statement. April 27, 11:59 pm, Bloor; April 28, 4 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox; May 4, 7 pm, Royal

The Internet's Own Boy brings Aaron Swartz's story to the mainstream

So I was cleaning up some items from my mom's room a couple months back, and I came across her Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart Nursing School graduation picture, Class of '47. There she is, donned in her starched white nurse's cap, along with a few other dozen graduates, including one of her best friends for life, Connie ("Aunt Connie," to us kids). I brought it up to her room, where she's currently, at 91, confined to her bed due to severe arthritis and osteoporosis, to remind her of that wonderful time in her life. Fast forward to today, where I'm texting back and forth with an old college friend about the new movie Chappaquiddick . We get into the details, some of which I never realized. (I was not yet five at the time it happened.) Anyway, in the digital discussion I mention my mom attended Manhattanville at the same time as one of the Kennedy daughters, Jean, I believe, and that Ethel Kennedy, then Skakel, was also a classmate. As I'm browsing the various Kennedy biographies on Wikipedia, I note that Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy also attended Manhattanville. My grandmother Elaine attended there too, but later than Rose, so there seems to be some interweaving of the two families. (My grandfather actually proposed to my grandmother in the school parlor.) All this is less interesting than what I discovered later in linking to the history of Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart. An excerpt : In the 1930s, the Manhattanville student body consisted of approximately 200 female students. Though small, the college made headlines across the country for taking a strong position promoting racial equality decades before the Civil Rights Movement of the late 1950s, into the 1960s and 1970s. In May 1933, students created the "Manhattanville Resolutions" a document that pledged an active student commitment to racial justice. This commitment was tested when the first "Negro" (the then-current term, now Black or African-American) woman student was admitted to the college in 1938. Alumnae response to an racially integrated but all-female student body was mixed and somewhat controversial for a time. While the vast majority of letters praised Manhattanville for its courageous action, College President Grace Dammann, RSCJ, viewed the negative responses as an opportunity to open hearts and minds. At the annual Class Day reunion on May 31, 1938, she delivered a passionate speech entitled "Principles Versus Prejudices." She stated that education is the key to rising above prejudices. "The more we know of man's doing and thinking throughout time and throughout the world's extent, the more we understand that beauty and goodness and truth are not the monopoly of any age nor of any group nor of any race. " The speech went on to be published in several national publications and established Manhattanville as a leader in higher education and human rights. When President Dammann died suddenly in 1945, The New York Times obituary summarized her life's work with the headline, "Mother Dammann, College President: Head of Manhattanville Since 1930 Dies-Champion of Racial Equality." Manhattanville would continue its work in social action first through the National Federation of Catholic College Students and to this day with the Duchesne Center for Religion and Social Justice and the Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action. Geez, I thought, you don't hear of this kind of thing too often: A group of nuns who ran an elite school, decades before it was "woke" to be for civil rights, took a courageous stand when it could have really cost them something. What a pleasant surprise! (And what a nice change of pace from all the awful stuff that's gotten dredged up about Catholicism of late.) My mom had always spoken highly of the school (back before they dropped the "of the Sacred Heart"). She'd gotten the best education from the most wonderful group of nuns who treated these young women like their own daughters and prepared them for life in so many ways. (If you watch the HBO documentary on Ethel Kennedy, you get some sense of that.) My mom continued to correspond with her mentor from Manhattanville, Mother Williams, many decades later. And my mom always attributed the inspiration those nuns provided as what spurred her to get involved in something outside the narrow confines of her own suburban life, in my mom's case, the pro-life movement. It's hard not to feel we lost something when we lost those religious women. Hats off to ya, ladies, in this month dedicated to Women's History! Published in General

All this is less interesting than what I discovered later in linking to the history of Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart. An excerpt : In the 1930s, the Manhattanville student body consisted of approximately 200 female students. Though small, the college made headlines across the country for taking a strong position promoting racial equality decades before the Civil Rights Movement of the late 1950s, into the 1960s and 1970s.

In an interview this morning with CNN's Dana Bash, Bernie Sanders took the highest and grumpiest road he could find when asked about Bill Clinton's sex life. Bash asked Sanders whether or not former President Clinton's "sexual history" should be fair game as Donald Trump has suddenly insisted that it is. Sanders responded that he disagreed with Trump on many issues, from global warming to raising the minimum wage, before adding, "Maybe Trump should worry about those issues rather than Bill Clinton's sex life." Bash, determined to get an answer about important issues facing the nation (i.e. Bill Clinton's sex life), responded , "Only Bernie Sanders can segue from climate change to Bill Clinton's sex life. That was impressive. But what is the answer?" Sanders replied, "I think we have more important things to worry about in this country than Bill Clinton's sex life." The line of questioning was in response to Trump's recent turn towards promoting pay equity and gender equality, a turn that he took after being accused of misogyny. The Republican candidate has continued to beat the drum of Hillary Clinton's sexism, what he calls "playing the woman card," part and parcel of which is her marriage to Bill. In a Sunday morning interview with Meet the Press , Trump said : "It hasn't been a very pretty picture for her or for Bill. Because I'm the only one that's willing to talk about his problems. I mean, what he did and what he has gone through I think is frankly terrible, especially if she wants to play the woman card." And the presidential primaries continue apace. Only 309 days until our shared national misery is over. Image via AP .

Bernie Sanders, interview this morning with CNN's Dana Bash

Each year the holidays bring with them an increase in both the consumption of alcohol and concern about drinking's harmful effects. Alcohol abuse is no laughing matter, but is it sinful to drink and make merry, moderately and responsibly, during a holy season or at any other time? As a historical theologian , I researched the role that pious Christians played in developing and producing alcohol. What I discovered was an astonishing history. Religious orders and wine-making Wine was invented 6,000 years before the birth of Christ, but it was monks who largely preserved viniculture in Europe. Religious orders such as the Benedictines and Jesuits became expert winemakers. They stopped only because their lands were confiscated in the 18th and 19th centuries by anti-Catholic governments such as the French Revolution's Constituent Assembly and Germany's Second Reich . In order to celebrate the Eucharist, which requires the use of bread and wine, Catholic missionaries brought their knowledge of vine-growing with them to the New World. Wine grapes were first introduced to Alta California in 1779 by Saint Junipero Serra and his Franciscan brethren, laying the foundation for the California wine industry . A similar pattern emerged in Argentina , Chile and Australia . Monks in a cellar. Joseph Haier 1816-1891, via Wikimedia Commons Godly men not only preserved and promulgated oenology, or the study of wines; they also advanced it. One of the pioneers in the "methode champenoise," or the " traditional method " of making sparkling wine, was a Benedictine monk whose name now adorns one of the world's finest champagnes: Dom Perignon. According to a later legend, when he sampled his first batch in 1715, Perignon cried out to his fellow monks : "Brothers, come quickly. I am drinking stars!" Monks and priests also found new uses for the grape. The Jesuits are credited with improving the process for making grappa in Italy and pisco in South America, both of which are grape brandies. Beer in the cloister And although beer may have been invented by the ancient Babylonians, it was perfected by the medieval monasteries that gave us brewing as we know it today. The oldest drawings of a modern brewery are from the Monastery of Saint Gall in Switzerland. The plans, which date back to A.D. 820, show three breweries -- one for guests of the monastery, one for pilgrims and the poor, and one for the monks themselves. One saint, Arnold of Soissons, who lived in the 11th century, has even been credited with inventing the filtration process. To this day and despite the proliferation of many outstanding microbreweries, the world's finest beer is arguably still made within the cloister -- specifically, within the cloister of a Trappist monastery . Liquors and liqueurs Equally impressive is the religious contribution to distilled spirits. Whiskey was invented by medieval Irish monks , who probably shared their knowledge with the Scots during their missions. Monk sneaking a drink. Scanned from Den medeltida kokboken, Swedish translation of The Medieval Cookbook by Maggie Black, via Wikimedia Commons. Chartreuse is widely considered the world's best liqueur because of its extraordinary spectrum of distinct flavors and even medicinal benefits. Perfected by the Carthusian order almost 300 years ago, the recipe is known by only two monks at a time. The herbal liqueur Benedictine D.O.M. is reputed to have been invented in 1510 by an Italian Benedictine named Dom Bernardo Vincelli to fortify and restore weary monks. And the cherry brandy known as Maraska liqueur was invented by Dominican apothecaries in the early 16th century. Nor was ingenuity in alcohol a male-only domain. Carmelite sisters once produced an extract called " Carmelite water " that was used as a herbal tonic. The nuns no longer make this elixir, but another concoction of the convent survived and went on to become one of Mexico's most popular holiday liqueurs -- Rompope. Made from vanilla, milk and eggs, Rompope was invented by Clarist nuns from the Spanish colonial city of Puebla, located southeast of Mexico City. According to one account, the nuns used egg whites to give the sacred art in their chapel a protective coating. Not wishing the leftover yolks to go to waste, they developed the recipe for this festive refreshment. Health and community So why such an impressive record of alcoholic creativity among the religious? I believe there are two underlying reasons. First, the conditions were right for it. Monastic communities and similar religious orders possessed all of the qualities necessary for producing fine alcoholic beverages. They had vast tracts of land for planting grapes or barley, a long institutional memory through which special knowledge could be handed down and perfected, a facility for teamwork and a commitment to excellence in even the smallest of chores as a means of glorifying God. Historically, alcohol was seen to be promoting health. Fritz Wagner (1896-1939) (Dorotheum) , via Wikimedia Commons Second, it is easy to forget in our current age that for much of human history, alcohol was instrumental in promoting health . Water sources often carried dangerous pathogens, and so small amounts of alcohol would be mixed with water to kill the germs therein. Roman soldiers, for example, were given a daily allowance of wine , not in order to get drunk but to purify whatever water they found on campaign. And two bishops, Saint Arnulf of Metz and Saint Arnold of Soissons , are credited with saving hundreds from a plague because they admonished their flock to drink beer instead of water. Whiskey , herbal liqueurs and even bitters were likewise invented for medicinal reasons. And if beer can save souls from pestilence, no wonder the Church has a special blessing for it that begins : "O Lord, bless this creature beer, which by Your kindness and power has been produced from kernels of grain, and may it be a health-giving drink for mankind." Michael Foley , Associate Professor of Patristics, Baylor University

Alcohol abuse is no laughing matter, but is it sinful to drink and make merry, moderately and responsibly, during a holy season or at any other time? As a historical theologian , I researched the role that pious Christians played in developing and producing alcohol.

Day 4: Day 4: Today was the day the Raging Grannies of New York City came to the 100 Hours of NO! at the Fox Fascist News Network. They came to show their solidarity with the 5-day-long continuing protest, and the upcoming July 15th national demonstrations. The Raging Grannies are a singing group known all over the country and internationally. The "Grannies" sang their songs ridiculing the Trump regime with parodies and satire--and seriousness. They finished their short "concert" by singing their parody-- "Trump Will Make Us Great Again," to the tune of "Happy Days Are Here Again!" Hour after hour people have been coming by and stopping to hear the speakers on the bullhorn, attend events like the Grannies, and learn more. The huge posters have drawn a lot of interest; they are loaded with facts about what this regime has done, plans to do, and what they have unleashed around the country and world. People are stopping, taking out their smart phones, and taking pictures of all of the posters in order to read them later! One of the organizers of the 100 Hours of NO! at the Fox Fascist News Network, described the response they've been getting from across the country. "We're here in New York City and we're reaching people on the streets, but we're reaching a lot more people on social media! On Facebook people are commenting constantly on all of our videos and our posts saying how inspired they are by us. People from around the country; from Michigan, some from Alabama, and from Texas, a lot of places. People hearing Sunsara and others, saying, 'I'm so proud of you.' 'We're so proud of you.' 'Keep resisting! Keep resisting!' A lot of people say 'I'm with you from here.' 'We support you.' 'How can I help?' It's really exciting. Of course there are the fascist trolls, but way more often than not, you know there are signs of the tons of people who want to drive out this regime." She said "More than one person has come up to us in tears. Last night this one white guy came up to us, so racist, he was threatening us, hitting my phone with his umbrella, and someone, a man about 60-years-old, came walking by, and he stopped to watch us. And afterwards I went to talk to him, and he just said, 'I can't believe what just happened. And I'm so glad you guys are out here.' And then he started crying. He said, 'I can't believe this is happening. Sometimes I just feel so sad at what's happening, and what's going to happen.' So many times people come up and they are so emotional. And we need to bring those people in. If you don't know that it's possible to drive them out, if you don't know there's a way for you to act, it's a terrible way to have to live. It's heartbreaking." Tonight, the Revolution Club, New York, is coming out for an Open Mic night. Stay tuned. Day 3: Excerpts from remarks by Hawk Newsome, President of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York: People say Donald Trump is un-American. No. Donald Trump is exactly what America is. America is racism, America is sexism, America is oppression. Donald Trump is the embodiment of America. And not that bullshit pill they give us to swallow that says "this is the land of the free and the home of the brave." This is the land of the dollar sign. And punishment for the poor.... We need to break this thing down, and build it up. From the ground up. For the people. For these young people. Give them a hope for the future. Don't tell them that this is what America is. Banning immigrants from this country. I'm from the South Bronx. When I walk outside in front of my apartment I see Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Jews, I see Russians. I see people from all over the world. You can't tell me these people don't have a right to stay in this country as much as anyone else.... They stepped back and told us "Oh, you had a Black president in Barack Obama, so things are better for you now." Bullshit. The Black Lives Matter movement was born under Barack Obama. The same government that wasn"t giving us justice then isn't giving us justice now. We gotta call a spade a spade. We gotta hold people accountable.... So I'm with you all out here in these streets. And I hope that every other American gets out into these streets and they say "enough is enough!" Because your silence is your consent. Each time you sit back and talk trash and sit on your couch you're co-signing oppression, you're co-signing fascism. You need to get off of your couch and get into the streets, and July 15th is a perfect opportunity to do that. People are taking to the streets across the country to say "enough is enough." These people out here, we're not worried about terrorists. We're worried about the police department killing our brothers and sisters. We're worried about the government taking away our health care. We're worried about people not being able to live in their homes. They're running around pushing their fascist agenda. They're the terrorists. They're the ones that are taking lives daily. They're the ones who are starving children, allowing people to die a long, drawn-out death because they won't give them health care. That's who I fear. Who do I fear? White supremacy. Who do I fear? The police. Who do I fear? The government. Because that's who harms people that look like me. No one else. I love America just like everyone else. But I love the idealistic America. The America where the people can really shape the government. Not when you have dictators, and when you have bullshit news networks like Fox who pushes their agenda and tells blatant lies to your face.... All that I see from this administration is lies. When do you say that enough is enough? When do you get out into the streets? When do you do something? When do you fight back? We're walking around spineless around here. We have no courage.... We let the government do whatever they want to the poor people and we sit back and say "heh, better them than me." And like Amanda said, you're next. I knew when he started talking about Mexicans that Blacks were coming right after. Who's coming right after this? The poor white people who voted him into office are the ones out here suffering just as much as us but they're too stupid to realize it.... I'm gonna keep fighting. You're gonna keep fighting. And little by little we'll keep growing, we'll keep convincing people to say No to the fascism; to say No to Donald Trump; to say No to Pence; to say No to this bullshit fucked up America. You're right, America was never great. But we the people of all colors have the opportunity to make America great. And the first step is pushing out this regime. Thursday afternoon marked the halfway point of Refuse Fascism's "100 Hours of NO!" in front of Fox Fascist News Network. The activists continued their striking and powerful protest. Chalked messages were written on the sidewalk today. The relentless exposure of the crimes of this regime spoken through the bullhorn, together with the large display of posters filled with facts about what they've done, and intend to do, drew forward people who hate Trump and all that he stands for. As they listened to the speakers, and read the posters, people were more deeply realizing the seriousness of the situation, and the seriousness of this movement to drive out this regime. A woman who works on 6th Avenue just a few blocks away stopped, read, and listened. She said she stopped because "I heard the woman talking about the 'horror show' taking place in Syria, and I was reading the posters, and... I hate Trump. I think he should be made to go away. He's unfit to be president. He's unfit to run a country. He's a narcissist, and megalomaniac, he's just a horrible human being! But they both scare the hell out of me. I'm very afraid about what I know about Pence. If they get rid of Trump and give us Pence, he'll take this country back, maybe to the '50s? And those values are not my values. He does not represent me, and he does not represent a lot of people." She got a copy of Revolution newspaper, and was very interested in the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America . And as she began to learn more about the call to drive out the Trump/Pence regime she decided on the spot she wanted to get involved with Refuse Fascism. At 4 pm there was a speak-out, which drew attention to the mass incarceration of Black, Latino and other oppressed people, and the moves by Attorney General Sessions that are aimed at putting even more people into prison. To highlight this, two activists stood in orange jumpsuits and chains next to Sunsara Taylor as she spoke. They then gave statements themselves. Sunsara challenged people to break out of the thinking that it's possible to just protest and "wait till the next election." She said, "The ground we're standing on is being undermined." She talked about the protesters in DC arrested on Inauguration Day, now facing 75 years in jail. "This is a police state being imposed, being normalized. We can't just do protest as usual. We have to go out of the boundaries they're imposing on us. And the only way to do that is to come together and to put the demand, The Whole Regime Must Go!" A statement was given by Hawk Newsome, the president of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York. He saluted the Refuse Fascism protest in front of Fox, and called on everyone to join in taking to the streets on July 15th. "I'm with you all out here in these streets. And I hope that every other American gets out into these streets and they say 'enough is enough!' Because your silence is your consent. Each time you sit back and talk trash and sit on your couch you're co-signing oppression, you're co-signing fascism. You need to get off of your couch and get into the streets, and July 15th is a perfect opportunity to do that. People are taking to the streets across the country to say, 'enough is enough.'" Later there was a candlelight vigil for those who have been or will be victims of the regime, a dramatic scene that caused people to stop and talk. Wednesday, July 12, Day 2 of Refuse Fascism's action in front of Fox Fascist News, condemning and indicting them for their role as a mouthpiece for the fascist Trump/Pence regime. First up--the spirited delivering of their written indictment of the station inside Fox headquarters. Listen to an interview with Eva from Refuse Fascism who describes this delivery. Then, at 4 pm, Refuse Fascism powerfully exposed and indicted Donald Trump and his regime for the horrific crimes they have already committed against women in this country and around the world, and the greater crimes they are threatening to commit. They were joined by four "Handmaids" who held the Refuse Fascism poster titled: " Women and LGBTQ people are full human beings, not objects to be grabbed, demeaned, victimized, and denied their fundamental right to control their reproduction, and how they choose to live . " The poster is filled with the damning facts about these crimes. The speakers condemned the Christian fascist Mike Pence and his many actions against women and LGBTQ people when he was governor of Indiana, including his determination to end abortion entirely. They called out the threat to women's lives by this regime and their Republi-fascist cohorts in Congress, who plan to slash health benefits for over 20 million people, and their plan to deprive women of life-saving medical assistance by blocking all funds going to Planned Parenthood. They also called out the disgusting promotion of misogyny that Trump represents and has turned loose, and the impact this is already having in society, including on young children in the schools. Sunsara Taylor said: "The Fascist Fox News Network puts misogynists and women-haters on the air, because the fascist-backed news station is misogyny incorporated; women-hating incorporated." And she spoke about how they whipped up a lynch mob atmosphere against abortion providers, including Dr. George Tiller, one of the few doctors in the country who performed third-trimester abortions, who was assassinated in his church after he was called "Tiller, the baby killer" 28 times by Bill O'Reilly and other Fox News reporters. During this passionate and inspiring event half a dozen or more passersby, mainly women, stopped and picked up the NO! signs, holding them while they listened intently to the speakers. Each of the Handmaids made statements, including a young writer who decided she had to come down and be a part of it. At the end the plans for the July 15th demonstrations were announced. This is the challenge: If any of these true crimes of the Trump regime move you, you need to be out there on July 15th, standing with the half of humanity who are women. The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go! Refuse Fascism Kicks Off 100 Hours of NO! at the Fox "Fascist News Network" (See photos below) Tuesday at noon, RefuseFascism.org kicked off 100 continuous hours of protest in front of "Fox Fascist News Network" in midtown Manhattan. In their press release they described Fox as "the Goebbels of the Fascist Trump/Pence Regime. This is not hyperbole. This statement is based on actual facts, unlike the steady stream of lies and threats spewed from the regime's mouthpieces at FOX." The plan is for Sunsara Taylor, RefuseFascism.org , and many others to "deliver a living indictment of the Fox Fascist News Network and the Trump/Pence Regime. For 100 Hours, day and night, they will call on people to come testify and protest against the Trump/Pence Regime and the hate-filled bullshit from the mouthpiece of FOX." It did not take long to attract attention and draw sharp dividing lines among the streams of passersby. Sunsara and a number of speakers from Refuse Fascism called out the vicious, racist, anti-Muslim, misogynist actions and more already carried out by the Trump/Pence regime, and what they have in store if they aren't forced out of power. They have set up a powerful display of seven 4-foot high posters at street level, each with facts about the Trump regime--about what they have done; what they say they will do; and what they have unleashed across the country--to women and the LGBTQ community; to immigrants; to Muslims; to Black, Latino and other oppressed people; to the environment; to civil liberties; and to the countries and people of the world. Right away people began stopping to listen, to read, and many to learn about the movement to Drive Out the Trump/Pence Regime and the call for the July 15 nationwide protests. Matthew Shipp, the renowned American pianist, composer and bandleader, took the bullhorn in front of Fox News to speak about the importance of driving out the Trump/Pence regime. Afterwards he commented about what he feels is one of the outrages about this regime: In a day when cops are murdering Black kids you can't have as an attorney general somebody who has... Jeff Sessions is the only person to my mind who Martin Luther King's widow wrote a letter about saying he was capable of undoing the legacy of her husband. So why would somebody go and pick somebody like that to be the chief law enforcement officer. To me that is stunning - it's galvanizing in the mind that something's wrong. Many were glad to see and hear a raw, uncompromising condemnation of the Trump/Pence regime and the role that Fox News has been playing as the regime's leading propaganda organ. They listened to the agitation; looked at, read, and took pictures of the posters to read later; and some signed up to become a part of Refuse Fascism and July 15. Others stopped, horrified and in some cases angered to see "their" president being so boldly exposed and denounced. Some of these people were so steeped in their own "alternative" facts they denied every actual fact on the posters. According to NBC News, things "quickly came to a boil" and a passerby shouted, "Make America great again!" And there were many others who were challenged, some because they are attracted to Trump's "America First" call, while having questions about many of the things Trump has said and done. This "occupation" is a very dynamic situation; it calls for many, many people to spread the word about and join the protest in front of Fox, and to get organized for July 15. 12 noon Tuesday July 11 100 Hours Of NO! at The FOX FASCIST NEWS NETWORK Culminating on July 15 in protests in 15 cities to demand: THE TRUMP/PENCE REGIME MUST GO! In the name of humanity, We REFUSE to Accept a Fascist America! What: 100 continuous hours of indictment of FOX Fascist News When: 12:00 pm Tuesday 7/11 going for 100 hours Where: Fox Fascist News Network 1211 Ave of the Americas, NYC FOX is the Fascist News Network -- the Goebbels of the Fascist Trump/Pence Regime. This is not hyperbole. This statement is based on actual facts, unlike the steady stream of lies and threats spewed from the regime's mouthpieces at FOX. RefuseFascism.org says that this must be stopped and can only be stopped by the mass action of the people. For 100 hours beginning at high noon Tuesday, July 11, building towards and culminating in nation-wide protests on Saturday July 15 to demand, " The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go! " Sunsara Taylor, RefuseFascism.org , and many others will deliver a living indictment of the Fox Fascist News Network and the Trump/Pence Regime. For 100 Hours, day and night, they will call on people to come testify and protest against the Trump/Pence Regime and the hate-filled bullshit from the mouthpiece of FOX. Mexicans are "rapists." Punch protesters "in the face." Grab women by their genitals. This is Trump. This is what FOX promotes. The Trump/Pence Regime is using the full force of the state to terrorize and tear apart immigrant families; to ban Muslims; to pour gasoline on the flames of a climate in crisis; to deprive women, LGBTQ people, disabled people, and Black, Latino, Native American people of basic rights; to menace the world with nuclear weapons; and to fire, bludgeon, threaten, and unleash violence against all opposition. The Trump/Pence Regime is a fascist regime. Fox is their biggest bullhorn. History has shown that fascism must be stopped before it becomes too late. It starts on Tuesday July 11. The truth about this regime will be spoken. The lies of Trump/Pence/FOX refuted. We are calling on people to come down and testify. 100 HOURS OF GETTING READY for July 15 Nationwide Protests to Demand: The Trump Pence Regime Must GO! #100HoursOfNo #J15TrumpPenceMustGo Sunsara Taylor is a writer for Revolution newspaper and co-initiator of RefuseFascism.org who has sparred over years on Fox with Bill O'Reilly and other hosts, most recently with Tucker Carlson when she compared Trump to Hitler. RefuseFascism.org is a nationwide movement that unites people of many perspectives and from all walks of life who recognize that the Trump/Pence Regime is a fascist regime that must be driven from power through the mass political protest of millions of people. They do this not just for themselves, but in the name of humanity.

Raging Grannies of New York City Fox Fascist News Network They came to show their solidarity with the 5-day-long continuing protest, and the upcoming July 15th national demonstrations.

Indigenous students lead an opening ceremony and land acknowledgement during the three-day camp-out at New Brunswick's Mount Allison University. Photo by Lauren Latour. On a February morning in 2017, Tina Oh and more than 50 students are waiting impatiently in Mawita'mkw, a small gathering space for Indigenous students and community members at Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B. Anxious chatter fills the room until suddenly, it's silent. "It's time," Oh tells them, and the students, dressed entirely in black, follow her lead and file into the halls. As they make their way through the building, the group begins singing quietly to calm their nerves. "People going to rise like the water, going to calm this crisis down," they chant. Their voices grow louder and more confident, echoing as they march through the doors to Tweedie Hall in the student centre. Within seconds of arriving in the room, they collapse suddenly on the hardwood floors. Suit-clad policy makers stand in surprise, moving to the sides of the space, and watching on with with crossed arms as the students lay limp for nearly an hour. The group is staging a "die-in"--a protest representing the lives endangered by the devastating effects of climate change and the fossil fuel industry. The group has interrupted a board meeting with a set of demands: They call on the administration to cut Mount Allison's financial ties with the top 200 publicly traded fossil fuel companies within the next five years; they urge them to establish a sustainable and transparent investment policy. After some muttering among board members, it becomes clear they will be agreeing to no such thing. Holding hands and chanting, the students stand their ground. They are not leaving the building until their demands are met. "We are demonstrating today against the inaction and the violent silence that this board has demonstrated to us," Oh says. "Understood," chair Ron W. Outerbridge tells her, and the board members shuffle out of the room, trying not to step on the bodies in their way. "Being an advocate for climate justice has always been mandatory for me, especially as a woman of colour," says Oh, a philosophy, political science, and economics student who was born in South Korea and grew up in Edmonton. Most of Oh's relatives still live in South Korea, where many rely on agricultural work for their livelihood. In recent years, floods, typhoons, and droughts caused by climate change have had a severe impact on the country. That damage is echoed in the devastation caused by recent climate disasters around the world--hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, wildfires across North America, earthquakes in Mexico, and monsoon rains across South Asia. The divestment campaign at Mount Allison, Divest MTA, began in 2013. It is one of more than 30 active divestment campaigns on campuses across Canada. The groups are calling on their schools to remove investments from the fossil fuels industry and buy into students' futures by directing new funds in sustainable industries. As campaigns gain momentum, organizers are turning to public, often radical actions to spread their message and sway administrative bodies. Students at Mount Allison participate in a die-in to protest divestment on campus. Photo by Lauren Latour. On campuses from coast to coast to coast, divestment organizers are behind one of the most ambitious efforts to fight climate change in Canada. Universities hold a unique position as leaders in thought. Subsequently, organizers believe institutions' commitment to divestment will tarnish the fossil fuel industry's reputation in the public consciousness, rendering the industry untouchable. The divestment movement speaks to a growing understanding that individual commitments to environmentalism no longer suffice in the efforts to tackle climate change. Organizers also know they cannot rely on performative promises of sustainability from governments and corporations. And for many leaders on campus, channelling people power through grassroots collective organizing--and figuratively dropping dead in front of authority figures--is the only way to hold major institutions accountable, effect change, and secure our rights. Fossil fuel divestment has roots in the student movement, beginning on campuses in the United States in 2011. More than 100 educational institutions, many based in the U.S. and U.K., have since committed to divestment. The campus movement has also grown into something much bigger, reaching a vast range of influential establishments, including governments, religious organizations, and philanthropic groups. To date, more than 800 institutions have divested $5.5 trillion from the fossil fuel industry globally. Divestment is part of the intersectional climate justice movement, which recognizes climate change is an ethical and political issue that disproportionately affects Indigenous people, people of colour, women, poor nations, and LGBTQ folks. The divestment movement is also largely driven by young people, generations who will be disproportionately burdened by the effects of climate change. Members of Divest Dal emphasized this point in fall 2016, when 30 students occupied an administration building on Dalhousie campus to receive stick-and-poke "birthmark" tattoos. Each person was marked with a three-digit tattoo representing the amount of carbon in the air in the year they were born. Climate scientists agree that 350 parts per million (PPM) is the safe limit for a healthy climate. Laura Cutmore patiently waited her turn and tried not to flinch as the needle dug into the skin of her wrist, marking her with a small 356. Last year, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air passed 400 PPM. To date, more than 800 institutions have divested $5.5 trillion from the fossil fuel industry globally "Getting a tattoo doesn't seem very radical compared to the damage that's being inflicted on the earth," says Cutmore, who has been organizing with Divest Dal for about two years. A handful of people got tattoos after learning about the severity of the issue, and there was so much demand, Divest Dal had to set up another session at a later date. Back in New Brunswick, student activists have taken on less permanent methods of action--writing and presenting reports to board members, hosting a sit-in at a local MP's office, and staging a vigil in protest of the Kinder Morgan pipeline. But after years of lobbying, Divest MTA's actions left administration unmoved. The group opted for an even more in-your-face demonstration than a die-in. Last March, they organized a three-day camp-out, occupying the lawn of the school in protest. They stayed put amid -10 C temperatures and a massive blizzard; many tents collapsed in the middle of the night. When Robert Campbell, the school's president, refused to acknowledge the group's presence, more than 80 people took the protest to the steps of his office, demanding a meeting. Hours later, after they refused to leave, Campbell agreed to meet with Oh and another student. He disagreed that it was his role to recommend divestment and left soon after. Crestfallen and exhausted with no idea what to do next, Oh burst into tears. Much of the group cried with her. As she was taking down the camp, Oh started feeling significant pain. She realized that sleeping on the ground had aggravated a severe prior internal injury from a car accident. Later, at the ER, a doctor told her she should have been bedridden with agony days earlier; only the adrenaline kept her going. Out west, Sadie-Phoenix Lavoie, a Two-Spirit Anishinaabe land defender from Sagkeeng First Nation, is a member of the divestment movement as a former student at the University of Winnipeg. Lavoie grew up with a deep connection to the environment, fishing and hunting with their family since they were young. But that environment is under threat. Located at the mouth of the Winnipeg River, 120 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, Sagkeeng has been deeply affected by industry pollution and development projects, leading to the erosion of reserve lands and a decline of fisheries. Lavoie organized with Divest UW because they believe the school's ongoing investment in fossil fuels is upholding colonizing behaviour. "It's disrespecting Indigenous land rights, the right to denial of consent to pipelines, and Indigenous knowledge of what sustainability means," they say. "It's just a huge slap in the face for Indigenous students who want to come to a university where the school is respecting them and their connection to the environment." "I wanted to make it known that they didn't break me. They weren't going to silence me in any way" The work done by divestment organizers is not restricted to the campus bubble. In October 2016, Lavoie, Oh, and Cutmore were three of 99 young people arrested on Parliament Hill as part of Climate 101, a youth-led mass civil disobedience in protest of rumours that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau planned to approve the Kinder Morgan pipeline. Two weeks later, Lavoie and Oh attended COP22, the United Nations Climate Change conference in Morocco, where they were part of a group of youth holding Canada accountable to its international environmental agreements. Lavoie also had a high-profile confrontation with the prime minister, standing behind him at a town hall in Winnipeg with a banner that read: "Water is Sacred / No Pipelines!" While there, Lavoie and a handful of other young people interrupted him to ask about the lack of Indigenous consent for government-approved resource extraction projects. Trudeau gave a short speech--in a tone Lavoie describes as condescending--about the importance of listening to each other respectfully and asked for permission to continue speaking. Gaining applause from people in the crowd, Trudeau told the young people that if they didn't allow him to speak, he would have to ask them to leave. "I thought it was really ironic that he was asking for consent to speak but he was denying our right to consent to refuse these pipelines," Lavoie says. Lavoie graduated in October, but their work is far from over. When they crossed the stage to accept their diploma at graduation, Lavoie held up a banner that read, "Stop Funding Fossils." "I wanted to make it known that they didn't break me. They weren't going to silence me in any way even though I was leaving the university," they say. "I will never give up." Despite mounting pressure from students and alumni, Canadian post-secondary institutions have been hesitant to jump on board. After five years of organizing across the country, one major post-secondary institution has committed to full divestment. In February 2017, after a brief four-month campaign, Quebec City's Laval University agreed to redirect its endowment fund investments in fossil energy elsewhere, including into renewable energy. Alice-Anne Simard, who founded ULaval sans fossiles, says their campaign was similar to others across the country: They reached out to students, wrote letters and petitions, compiled researchbased reports, and gained support from student associations. She credits the victory to student involvement and one powerful administrator's genuine commitment to sustainability. Most of all, administration at Laval recognized the value of bragging rights: The school can say it is the first university in Canada to divest, a claim to sustainable leadership that boosts their image. Now Simard is encouraging other campaigns to organize, noting how bad it will look for a school to be the last to do so. This could be the reality for schools that have refused to address or flat-out reject divestment. The University of Toronto, McGill, and Queen's are among schools whose boards of governors have considered and voted down tabled motions to divest. When McGill turned down divestment for the second time in 2016, it stated that there is no proof it would have a real-world impact. A sign from the Mount Allison camp-out, where dozens of students set up tents in freezing temperatures to protest. Photo by Catherine Dumas, Radio Canada Acadie. Some post-secondary institutions have responded by creating alternative investment policies. In 2017, UBC reversed its prior refusal to consider divestment, investing up to $25 million in a fossil-free fund over the next two years. A year earlier, the University of Ottawa committed to "shifting" its fossil fuel investments to reduce its carbon footprint by 30 percent by 2030. And in 2015, Concordia University agreed to redirect half of its $10 million investment in fossil fuels elsewhere. But divestment organizers refuse to consider these steps victories, believing a rejection of full divestment undermines the idea of institutions distancing themselves from fossil fuel companies. Lavoie, for example, calls UWinnipeg's plan to create a sustainable investment policy and optional fossil-free fund for donors a greenwashing measure taken to avoid concrete change. When Canadian universities reject divestment, they frequently cite a fiduciary duty to students and shareholders, stating divestment would compromise the financial well-being of the school. Katie Perfitt, the Canadian divestment organizer with 350.org, an online organization that supports grassroots campaigns to oppose international oil, coal, and gas projects, says this financial argument has become the most prominent reason why universities refuse to reject divestment across the country. She hesitates to bring money into the divestment conversation--the purpose of the movement is to focus on and bring justice--but notes that some research shows divestment can be healthy for financial assets. A report by Genus Capital, a B.C. investment firm with a fossil-free investment division, shows that fossil-free funds performed just as well-- sometimes better--than funds invested in the industry. Perfitt also notes that the fossil fuel industry is on the decline. The Canadian oil industry currently relies on $3.3 billion in government subsidies a year. On a global scale, the expense of sustaining the fossil fuel industry is staggering--and on the rise. According to one report, subsidizing the global fossil fuel industry cost $4.9 trillion in 2013. By 2015, the cost rose to $5.3 trillion. Those numbers account for government policies that lower the cost of fossil fuel production, raise the price received by producers, and lowers the price paid by consumers. But they also reflect broader costs, such as expenses related to global warming and deaths from air pollution. As the push for green energy grows, even the CEO of Shell has stated during a conference that public trust in the oil industry "has been eroded to the point that it is becoming a serious issue for [Shell's] long-term future." The goal of the divestment movement, however, has never been to affect fossil fuel companies' bottom line. "The idea isn't that we're trying to bankrupt them. We're trying to stigmatize them in the public realm," says Perfitt. "So many institutions in our world are complicit in the climate crisis by remaining tied to the fossil fuel industry. We want to expose those relationships, and bring an issue that otherwise would have not been in the public realm to light." In some places, these relationships are more evident than others. When Emma Jackson walks to class at the University of Alberta, she is bombarded by reminders of the institution's intimate ties to oil companies. Hallways in academic buildings are covered in gold plaques boasting the names of major donors: Imperial Oil, Encana, Enbridge, Suncor. "Everywhere you turn, you're surrounded by donor walls dominated by oil and gas companies, student organizations branded by Shell, and corporate representatives who have been invited into academic departments as guest professors," says Jackson. It isn't just U of A. Most postsecondary institutions are entangled with the industry beyond their investment portfolios. Oil companies regularly donate to universities across the country, funding research, scholarships, and fellowships. At UWinnipeg, Enbridge Pipelines Inc. funds a scholarship specifically for Indigenous students. Last August, Dalhousie announced a $2.2-million donation from Irving Oil to revamp the school's engineering and architecture campuses; the donation will also fund more than $700,000 in scholarships, including co-op opportunities with the New Brunswick-based company. In Edmonton, climate organizers were met with violent criticism--even death threats--from pipeline supporters Katie Perfitt says one intention of such sponsorship deals on campuses is to "train our minds to think about those companies as just a natural part of our life. The fossil fuel industry wants to maintain control of the way we think about climate change and its relationship to the industry." These deals also come with a more explicit ability to influence campus life. Leading up to Dalhousie's 2014 vote on divestment, the school's Dean of Science told media a representative from Shell threatened to withdraw academic funding if the motion passed. A Shell spokesperson later downplayed the concerns. In October 2017, an investigation of the University of Calgary's establishment of the Enbridge Centre for Corporate Sustainability revealed a professor lost his position as director of the centre after he disclosed his opposition to Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline. It also named a "troubling" conflict of interest involving the school's president, who at the time held a highly paid position on Enbridge's board. The sponsorship came with a commitment from the university that it would "enhance Enbridge's reputation." (Enbridge denied this in a statement, calling it a "no-strings-attached" pledge.) The investigation called for an overhaul of the board of governor's approval process, transparency in its decision-making, and stricter regulations on corporate gifts and sponsorships. Jackson moved to Edmonton to pursue a master's at the University of Alberta after nearly four years of organizing with Divest MTA. She says doing climate justice work is hard no matter where you are, but she finds it particularly challenging in Alberta, where ties to oil companies are pervasive. There is interest in divestment on campus, but it's one of the most difficult places to sustain momentum in Canada. One of the main challenges in Edmonton, Jackson says, is not that people are ardently pro-oil, but that they have "resigned themselves to the degree of influence the industry holds in the province and feel powerless in the face of it all." Because of the environment in Alberta, Jackson and other climate justice organizers in Edmonton are focusing their energy in areas other than divestment--in particular supporting Indigenous land and water protectors. Because of its proximity to the oil sands, Jackson refers to Edmonton as "ground zero of extractivism" in Canada. "Every pipeline that is being fiercely contested across Turtle Island can be traced back here," she says. "So I think it becomes a question of how we can use this geographic position to our advantage." After it was announced that Energy East was killed, Jackson and a small group of activists dropped a "No Kinder Morgan" banner from the High Level Bridge to dispel the myth that all Albertans support the project. It was praised as a "beautiful action" by climate organizers, but was also met with violent and condescending criticism--even death threats--from pipeline supporters online. Jackson says backlash is common when organizing around climate justice, but she has never received such a hateful response as after the banner drop. She thinks the reaction speaks to many workers' fears about the industry losing ground. "It's hard to contend with fear when it manifests as such violent anger," she says. "But if we can find ways to cut through that and have people believe us when we promise they won't be left behind, then we'll have won." The anger and violence directed at those fighting the fossil fuel industry is far from confined to the west coast. Back at Mount Allison, Tina Oh can relate to Jackson's experience. In 2016, she was followed home and videotaped by a member of the community in Sackville who is pro-oil and offended by Oh's advocacy work. The person had confronted Oh before but never to such a physical extent. Terrified, she called the police. An officer told her that police get videotaped all the time, but they don't complain about it. "It was one of the last things you'd want to hear after being so scared and so removed from the positions of power that police are in," says Oh. Despite her fear and trauma, Oh can still make sense of the experience. "A lot of the attacks we get are from people who would be personally affected if we had a carbon-free future because the industry employs a lot of people and those people have mouths to feed," she says. It's personal for Oh too--she has family and friends who have been, and still are, employed by the Alberta oil industry. She stresses that the climate justice movement is not forgetting about the workers of the industry, but making sure they're being taken care of, too. Working to include industry labourers, she says, is just one way the divestment movement can improve. Perfitt believes it could take a long time before we know the lasting impact of divestment campaigns in Canada. She knows campus organizers who have been working on this for many years are frustrated because they feel like they are not winning. "But as someone who has been in it for five years, I am constantly in awe of how powerful the movement has been and how transformative it's been for hundreds of organizers," she says. "One of the legacies of the campaign is that there are now hundreds of more people involved in the climate movement." Oh counts herself among that frustrated and exhausted group. But she says the Canadian campaigns' collective tiredness has bonded them, and that connection has given them the momentum to go forward. "The point of escalation is to escalate," she says. "And after what we've been through, we have to keep going." Madi Haslam is a journalist in Tiotia:ke (Montreal) and a guest on traditional and unceded Kanien'keha:ka territory. She is a research intern at Maisonneuve and a former intern at This . 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Indigenous students lead an opening ceremony and land acknowledgement during the three-day camp-out at New Brunswick's Mount Allison University.

Gun Rights News AmmoLand News delivers positive gun rights news and opinion on the pressing issues for the second amendment community. With reports from David Codrea, Dean Weingarten, Jeff Knox, Mark Walters, AWR Hawkins and many more. Keep reading as they cover the latest happenings and gun rights topics. Today is Saturday, August 11, 2018 RSS feed The Council of Great City Schools has published a resolution calling for severe infringements on the Second Amendment. Read More >>> If we are asked to accept what he said on one case because he said it, it's fair to ask whether we ought to accept something else he said for the same reason. Read More >>> The proposed bill text, likely to be adopted soon, would create an entirely new class of highly-regulated items called "firearm precursor parts". Read More >>> The left's crusade against Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt should be seen for what it is -- a witch hunt. Read More >>> With ISIS on the run in Syria, President Trump this week declared that he intends to make good on his promise to bring the troops home. Read More >>> When he said America First we did not think he meant that we would be the first target. Read More >>> But he wants to expand infringements and punishments to be applied to prior restraints that have nothing to do with harmful actions. Read More >>> At VFW post 4073, 60 gun culture members learned how to build AR-15 rifles. Those same 60 learned that 30 protesters, organized by Professor Wilson, are ignorant, but want their guns made illegal. Read More >>> Who is at fault for 17 dead children and staff in the Parkland, Florida high school? What worked, what failed this time, and what fails over and over? Read More >>> Our hunters are enjoying some of the best big-game hunting Pennsylvania has provided in decades, likely even in the agency's history. Here are just a few highlights... Read More >>> In weaving together this false narrative, members of the elite media are collectively building an effort to uplift left-wing values and diminish the achievements of conservative leadership. Read More >>> Former MX President Vicente Fox offered his condolences to the victims of the Florida school shooting before adding that the tragedy is "what you get" with "aggressive & violent language" from Trump Read More >>> We aren't surprised that Justice Stevens would support repealing the Second Amendment, & would welcome the opportunity to have an open and honest debate about the right to arms.. Read More >>> The study was interrupted by Kenneth Baines, who announced an armed robbery. A 57-year-old armed church member was seated inside. The church member was legally armed and had a concealed carry permit. Read More >>> Open borders tour guides in Mexico illegally shepherding 1,500 Central Americans to the United States border declared victory this week.. Read More >>> Socialists decided to push gun control. That didn't turn out quite the way they planned. Our culture is changing faster than our politicians can follow..and faster than the media can spin a story. Read More >>> Ammoland Inc. Posted on April 4, 2018 by Ammoland The Murphy Administration has filed an anticipated motion to dismiss Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Club's federal court challenge to New Jersey's unconstitutional carry laws. Read More >>> There is no legitimate reason for this ordinance. It is merely a harassment of the law-abiding gun purchasers, who live, pay taxes and vote in Leon county.. Read More >>> David Hogg is nothing more than an exploited child tool of the ultra-left being fed anti-1st and 2nd Amendment propaganda.. Read More >>> Make no doubt about it. If we let the left get away with silencing Ingram, then they will continue to target other right-leaning media figures until there are none left. Read More >>> Posts navigation

Gun Rights News AmmoLand News delivers positive gun rights news and opinion on the pressing issues for the second amendment community. ISIS Open borders tour guides in Mexico illegally

As President-elect Donald Trump continues to round out his cabinet and White House staff, his policies and priorities are coming more into focus. All indications so far point to a bleak future for addressing climate change, or even recognizing it as one of the world's largest challenges. A number of his cabinet nominees, political appointees and closest advisors are outright climate deniers while others have funded the denial of climate change or are lukewarm on accepting the science. At best, climate action will likely take a backseat to other issues. At worst, there could be an all-out assault on the science, and as important, the funding that makes it possible. To glean a clearer picture of where Trump's administration stands and where it may be headed, we've created a list of his major cabinet and agency appointees as well as his senior advisors. We'll continue to update this as appointments are made. Steve Bannon, Senior Advisor His views: Since 2012, Bannon has been in charge of Breitbart News, a site that espouses extremist right-wing views on a number of issues, including climate change . Under Bannon's leadership, Breitbart News has repeatedly referred to climate change as a hoax and denigrated everyone from scientists ("dishonest" and mostly "abject liars") to the Pope ("a 16-year old trotting out the formulaic bilge") who has spoken out about the need to rein in carbon pollution. According to James Delingpole , a writer for Breitbart, "one of his pet peeves is the great climate-change con . . . it's going to be a core part of his administration's political program." Bannon has also framed dealing with climate change and terrorism as an either/or choice (a similar theme has emerged with Trump's national security picks as well. It's also a false dichotomy ). What he could do: As senior advisor, Bannon will be in position to influence Trump's thinking on a wide range of issues, including climate change. Reince Priebus, Chief of Staff His views: As chair of the Republican National Committee, Priebus oversaw the creation of the 2016 party platform that called the widely respected Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change "a political mechanism, not an unbiased scientific institution." During the primaries, Priebus criticized Democratic candidate Martin O'Malley for saying that "the cascading effects" of climate change contributed to the rise of ISIS despite the research directly linking the climate-change fueled Syrian drought to instability in the region. More recently, Priebus reiterated that Trump "has his default position, which most of it is a bunch of bunk" when it comes to climate science. What he could do: As chief of staff, Priebus will also have Trump's ear and advise him on all fronts, including climate change. Traditionally, the chief of staff also acts as a gatekeeper to the president and works with Congress to communicate and enact the president's agenda. Senator Jeff Sessions, nominee for Attorney General His views: Sessions, R-Alabama, has repeatedly questioned climate change and voted against climate action. In a 2003 floor speech in opposition to the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act, Sessions said, "I believe there are legitimate disputes about the validity and extent of global warming . . . Carbon dioxide does not hurt you. We have to have it in the atmosphere. It is what plants breathe. In fact, the more carbon dioxide that exists, the faster plants grow." Sessions repeated an oft-debunked claim that there's been "almost no increase" in temperatures over the past 19 years during a December 2015 episode of Washington Watch, a podcast put out by the conservative think tank Family Research Council. Sessions also signed a letter to cut U.S. contributions to the United Nations Green Climate Fund, which is designed to help poor countries adapt to climate change. He is also on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works where Republicans have attacked the U.S. commitments to the Paris Agreement and the EPA's implementation of the Clean Power Plan. What he could do: As attorney general, Sessions would be advising Trump on the legality of various climate rules and treaties, including the Clean Power Plan and the Paris Agreement. Sessions would also be head of the Justice Department, which is currently defending the Clean Power Plan in court . As Attorney General, Sessions could tell federal government to stop arguing the case, though how that would work and what would come after is unclear according to Michael Burger, executive director of Columbia's Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. Burger said there are a number of states, cities and environmental organizations that could continue the defense. Rep. Mike Pompeo, nominee for Director of the CIA His views: Pompeo, R-Kansas, has been an outspoken critic of factoring climate change into national security issues during his tenure in the House of Representatives. In a December 2015 statement, Pompeo said, "For President Obama to suggest that climate change is a bigger threat to the world than terrorism is ignorant, dangerous, and absolutely unbelievable." The Pentagon doesn't necessarily support that view nor the idea that climate and terrorism is an either/or issue (more on that below). Pompeo has referred to the Paris Agreement -- a pact forged between nearly 200 countries to voluntarily take steps to reduce their impacts on the climate beginning in 2020 -- as a "radical climate change deal" and even used last year's mass shooting in San Bernardino to claim that President Obama "continues his pursuit of misguided policies, including his radical climate change agenda." On C-SPAN in December 2013 , Pompeo responded to a question on if he agrees that global warming is a problem by saying "Look, I think the science needs to continue to develop. I'm happy to continue to look at it. There are scientists who think lots of different things about climate change. There's some who think we're warming, there's some who think we're cooling, there's some who think that the last 16 years have shown a pretty stable climate environment." That statement belies the fact that the world has warmed dramatically, with temperatures increasing about 1degC since the start of the Industrial Revolution. This year will be the hottest on record, marking the third year in a row that's happened. The 2000s were the warmest decade on record and the 2010s are easily on the path to surpass that mark. What he could do: As the CIA's director, Pompeo would be responsible for how the U.S. approaches national intelligence and security. The CIA shut down its climate program last year, but an agency spokesperson said "it continues to evaluate the national security implications of climate change." Under Pompeo, it's likely that resources focused on climate change would be further scaled back or scrapped altogether. Lt. General Michael Flynn, National Security Advisor His views: Similar to Pompeo, Flynn has railed against the idea that climate change should be a national security priority, a stance that would fly in the face of the Pentagon's risk assessment and planning. Dealing with climate change and terrorism is not a simple one-or-the-other decision. The two are linked, with numerous studies showing climate change is tied to conflict and that climate change will only further destabilize the world. The Pentagon itself has described climate change as an "immediate" risk and major threat multiplier, one that could cause crops to fail, spark mass migrations and increase conflict for dwindling water resources (to say nothing of the threat sea level rise poses to U.S. naval bases around the world). What he could do: As national security advisor, Flynn will be Trump's main sounding board and trusted source on security issues. If he downplays the threat of climate change, Flynn could create a huge blind spot for the administration's security plans. Betsy DeVos, nominee for Education Secretary Her views: Of all Trump's appointees so far, DeVos, an heiress to the Amway fortune and philanthropist, has the most moderate views on climate change (though she'll likely have little influence in that realm as head of the Department of Education). WindQuest Group , the investment management firm she operates with her husband Dick DeVos, has overseen investments in clean technology. But that moderation is somewhat tempered. DeVos has donated to the political campaigns of a number of Republican senators and representatives who deny climate change and have voted on an array of bills that would increase offshore oil drilling, end fuel efficiency standards and bar the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases. Of course, that's a bit of guilt by association as over the past eight years Republicans have been steadfast in their opposition to Obama's climate and energy policies and any donation to her party would have resulted in votes against meaningful climate action. But given Republicans will soon control the White House, Senate and House, the legislators she's backed will likely play a role in further gridlocking climate action or actively dismantling it. What she could do: As education secretary, DeVos would have little direct sway on climate policy as there are no national education standards. But Ann Reid, head of the National Center for Science Education , said DeVos' interest in providing vouchers and school choice could have an indirect effect on climate education. "It's not at all clear these charter schools are held to the same standards as public schools with curricula," Reid said. "Part of their point is to be creative and teach in new ways. That sounds grand but what if they don't accept climate change? Are they going to be held to the standards of the state? That's a big, big change." K.T. McFarland, Deputy National Security Advisor Her views: Like Bannon, Pompeo and Flynn, McFarland views climate change and terrorism as mutually exclusive. McFarland worked in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations on national security and is currently a commentator on Fox News. It's in the latter position where she's espoused views that terrorism is a greater threat than climate change. Speaking about President Obama attending the 2015 climate conference in Paris in the wake of the terrorist attacks that killed 130, she told Fox host Neil Cavuto : "Well, because President Obama thinks that climate change is the greatest strategic and geological and existential threat to our future. You know, here we are -- and the irony, if it were not so tragic it would be funny -- here we have ISIS, which is attacking with suicide vests and Kalashnikovs and potentially chemical weapons in the French water supply. What are we doing? We're going to fight ISIS. We're going to have windmills. We're going to have solar panels. We're going to show them. It's just really -- all it does is it gives encouragement to the terrorists who feel that they have been selected and chosen by Allah to establish the caliphate and kill everybody who disagrees with them. They now look at this and they are laughing. "This is a threat and an assault against all western civilization. We will not defeat it with windmills and solar panels." What she could do: As deputy national security advisor, McFarland will occupy a similar role to Flynn, and her views on climate change appear to line up with his. Rep. Tom Price, nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary His views: The voting pattern of Price, R-Georgia, in the House lines up with his fellow cabinet nominees Pompeo and Sessions. He has voted against having the EPA regulate greenhouse gases and voted no on subsidies for renewable energy as well voting to continue giving subsidies for oil and gas exploration. Price also signed a pledge created by Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group funded by the Koch brothers, vowing to oppose climate legislation. What he could do: As Health and Human Services Secretary, Price would have sway over a number of agencies and centers that do research on climate-related diseases and health issues, including the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health. Elaine Chao, nominee for Transportation Secretary Her views: In a 2009 blog post for the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, where she was a fellow at the time, Chao derided a proposed cap-and-trade system as a policy that "would drain trillions of dollars out of the private economy and into federal coffers." While the economics of any cap-and-trade system are worthy of debate, it's clear something has to be done about climate change and Chao has shown no interest in any alternative. Letting global warming continue unabate could cause trillions in economic losses from drowned coastal cities to decreased agricultural productivity. Chao was on the board of Bloomberg Philanthropies' board until January 2015. She chose to step down after the foundation decided to ramp up its "Beyond Coal" campaign. The move came shortly after her husband, Senator Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.), won re-election during a campaign where he was attacked for accepting money from "enemies of coal," a veiled reference to Chao's board membership at Bloomberg. What she could do: As Transportation Secretary, Chao would be tasked with overseeing a large chunk of Trump's proposal to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure over the next 10 years. She would also be tasked with building out the electric vehicle charging corridors proposed by the Obama administration earlier this month, a project that is unlikely to fit with Trump's plans that focus on the private sector . Steven Mnuchin, nominee for Treasury Secretary His views: It's a mystery. Mnuchin has worked at Goldman Sachs, hedge funds and as a financier in Hollywood. Through all that, he's said nary a word about climate change or energy-related issues. His political donations also don't say much about his views. He and his wife donated $5,400 to Trump, the maximum amount allowed under campaign finance law, and $309,600 to the Republican National Committee. That's not surprising since he was Trump's campaign finance chair. He also donated $2,000 to Kamala Harris, California's new Senator who has been outspoken about the need to address climate change (in sharp contrast to Trump). What he could do: As Treasury Secretary, Mnuchin would essentially help Trump set economic policies for the country. Climate change is expected to cost the U.S. -- and the world -- trillions if actions aren't taken. Speaking at the Brookings Institute in 2014, current Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said, "if the fiscal burden from climate change continues to rise, it will create budgetary pressures that will force hard tradeoffs, larger deficits or higher taxes." The Treasury has also had to loan $24 billion to the National Flood Insurance Program to cover hurricane damages from Katrina, Rita, Wilma and Sandy, underscoring that planning for a fiscal response to near- and longer-term climate shocks will be a part Mnuchin's job. Wilbur Ross, nominee for Commerce Secretary His views: Ross is a billionaire who made his fortune in buying distressed companies, cutting costs and selling them for a profit. In the past, he's invested in coal companies and has recently moved into the oil and gas industry. Beyond those investments, Ross hasn't said anything about his interest or understanding of climate science. What he could do: As Commerce Secretary, he would oversee the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's $189 million climate research budget . One of Trump's advisors has suggested shifting some of NASA's climate science responsibilities to NOAA, further expanding the amount of climate work Ross would be in charge of. Editor's note: This story has been updated to correctly note that Kamala Harris is California's newest Senator, not governor.

President-elect Donald Trump Trump's national security

the daily shoah the right stuff Keith Preston recently issued a response to a short letter we wrote a while back asking him to stop calling himself an anarchist because of his racism, misogyny, and support for libertarian variants. In what is probably the most anarchist thing he could do, he responded with a letter defending his pan-anarchism and associating us with totalitarian elements of the left. This accusation is a go-to for fascist organizers shut down by anti-fascist movements, as if the freedom for loud and angry loud men to rant and rave is what liberation is really all about. The issue with Preston as an associate and supporter of the far-right is an important reason to isolate his website, Attack the System, from having any association with anarchism, as is his idea that he can reconcile completely disparate philosophical tendencies that have literally no association with one another other than the "anarcho" prefix. Preston himself mentions this after citing John Zube's bizarre dialogue on anarchism. There are indeed many readily identifiable traditions within anarchism, some of which maintain a paradoxical relationship to each other. He goes on to mention that anarchists are like divisions in the Christian church that refuse to recognize each other as being appropriately Christian. What Preston hopes is that his critique will allow him to ride the wave of critiques that his title suggests, that we are being "More Anarchistic Than Thou." This is a very real response that began in the 1990s where deconstruction and a "culture of critique" formed around post-left anarchism where by people began a "one-upmanship" of who could be more "radical" or attack oppression at more "systemic" levels. This can lead to some destructive behavior as small disagreements become overpowering and destroy even fleeting unity, but this is not what is happening with Preston. While disagreements over lifestyle choices or the specifics of anti-capitalist economics are applied are completely within the realm of disagreement between associated ideologues, arguing over racial nationalism, gender essentialism, and whether or not capitalism is acceptable is simply not. No person inside of anarchist anti-oppression politics, where the "More Anarchistic Than Thou" situation often arises, would extend this anarchist umbrella to Keith Preston as the different cultural elements he celebrates (racism and capitalism) are opposed at the foundation of the anarchist project. As was said in the original article, anarchists oppose the State not out of some revulsion to organization, but because it serves a class and hierarchy. A pan-secessionist movement that Preston advocates means empowering movements that seek to crystalize the elements of the State and general social system that motivate anarchism's revolutionary potential. Plainly put: Anarchism is founded on the desire to smash capitalism, racism, sexism, and the like, so you cannot make friends out of movements that seek to celebrate those tyrannies. While Attack the System is more known for its National Anarchism than its Anarcho-Capitalism, the libertarian traditions are well represented on the site. Capitalism is not "a central project" of anarchism, but, in a lot of ways, the central project that began the movement. Anarchism comes out of the socialist tradition, yet a libertarian version of this as opposed to Marx's conception of revolutionary socialism developing out of Proletarian Dictatorship through a Worker's State. Anarcho-capitalism is an idea that really did not become apparent until the 1970s-80s, and comes not from the liberatory movements associated with the anarchist tradition, but for the deregulation of capitalism for completely different motivations. There were socially "left" people associated with disparate strains of Anarcho-capitalism, but that does not make them any more associated with the tradition than liberals who share the anarchist disdain for sexism. The question of Anarcho-capitalism, which is a strong part of the synthesis that Preston attempts, is brought up into the massive FAQ project that Ian McKay as put together. While "anarcho"-capitalists obviously try to associate themselves with the anarchist tradition by using the word "anarcho" or by calling themselves "anarchists" their ideas are distinctly at odds with those associated with anarchism. As a result, any claims that their ideas are anarchist or that they are part of the anarchist tradition or movement are false. "Anarcho"-capitalists claim to be anarchists because they say that they oppose government. As noted in the last section , they use a dictionary definition of anarchism. However, this fails to appreciate that anarchism is a political theory . As dictionaries are rarely politically sophisticated things, this means that they fail to recognise that anarchism is more than just opposition to government, it is also marked a opposition to capitalism (i.e. exploitation and private property). Thus, opposition to government is a necessary but not sufficient condition for being an anarchist -- you also need to be opposed to exploitation and capitalist private property. As "anarcho"-capitalists do not consider interest, rent and profits (i.e. capitalism) to be exploitative nor oppose capitalist property rights, they are not anarchists. Part of the problem is that Marxists, like many academics, also tend to assert that anarchists are simply against the state. It is significant that both Marxists and "anarcho"-capitalists tend to define anarchism as purely opposition to government. This is no co-incidence, as both seek to exclude anarchism from its place in the wider socialist movement. This makes perfect sense from the Marxist perspective as it allows them to present their ideology as the only serious anti-capitalist one around (not to mention associating anarchism with "anarcho"-capitalism is an excellent way of discrediting our ideas in the wider radical movement). It should go without saying that this is an obvious and serious misrepresentation of the anarchist position as even a superficial glance at anarchist theory and history shows that no anarchist limited their critique of society simply at the state. McKay goes on to deconstruct allegations that Individualist anarchists that some anarchists claim affinity with are capitalist, who have a much different conception of property than people like Hayek or Rothbard. The question comes up of exactly what totalitarianism is as it is the "totalitarian humanism" that Preston talks about is a problem of the left and distracts the left's claims of liberation. Preston's critique is especially precious given his belief that completely deregulated capitalism is acceptable in his "liberated" society. As Daibhidh points out in Anarcho-Hucksters , to allow a "Boss" to take place in an "anarchist" society, which is unequivocally necessary in any form of capitalism, undermines the basic assumptions of the anarchist project. "Anarcho" capitalists talk of freedom as a negative, in a (Ayn) Randian definition of: "the absence of physical violence" . They see capitalism as the epitome of this ethic, and the State as the antithesis of it (defining the State as "the institution with a monopoly of force") . This is the cornerstone of their professed anarchism. They say, "we oppose the State; anarchists oppose government; ergo, we are anarchists." But anarchists look at that statement and ask: What of the boss in the workplace? What of the wealthy owner of property? What of the capitalist industrialist? What of the church elder? What of the judge? What of the patriarch of a family? Don't these people have very real authority over others' lives? Haven't each of these, in their way, brought shame, misery, and degradation to those under their control? The "anarcho" capitalist has no problem with rulers below State level, so long as they don't impinge on profit and property! So, if your boss eavesdropped on your calls, the "anarcho" capitalist would say, "hey, you can always get a new job" rather than taking the anarchist stance of "how dare X boss eavesdrop on their employees?! We must work to end workplace tyranny!" In fact, to the "anarcho" capitalist, being able to work for whomever you want (including working for clients [e.g., "self"-employment) is what they consider "freedom". This amounts to choosing who gets to be your boss! Some choice, huh? Anarchists, in contrast, don't think there should BE any bosses. Everyone pulls their fair share of the collective social burden of day-to-day living. And, while everyone works, the distinction between this and typical capitalist drudgery is that, in anarchy, you'd be working for your own needs, rather than for the profit of another! As such, you wouldn't have to put in 40+ hour weeks lining the pockets of whoever owns the company you work for (or servicing your clients' needs). The tyranny that people experience is rooted in fundamental inequalities, both social and systemic. Without the ability to challenge those dynamics then there is no liberation, and to allow wage-slave systems in other "city-states" (or whatever Preston thinks his ideological enclaves would be called) would be the opposite of the ongoing revolutionary transformation of anarchism. Attack the System itself has a banner at the top of the website that shows images of some of the famous anarchists of the past that Preston respects and says is a part of his own tradition. If we look at their own work, it is pretty clear that their opinions about capitalism do not for allow for Preston's idea that anarchism can collaborate with capitalism. According to Mikhail Bakunin, capitalism undermined any sense of freedom for the vast majority of humanity. Juridically they are equal; but economically the worker is the serf of the capitalist . . . thereby the worker sells his person ant his liberty for a given time. The worker is in the position of a serf because this terrible threat of starvation which daily hangs over his head and over his family, will force him to accept any conditions imposed by the gainful calculations of the capitalist, the industrialist, the employer.... The worker always has the right to leave his employer, but has he the means to do so? No, he does it in order to sell himself to another employer. He is driven to it by the same hunger which forces him to sell himself to the first employer. The worker's liberty . . . is only a theoretical freedom. lacking any means for its possible realization. ant consequently it is only a fictitious liberty. an utter falsehood. The truth is that the whole life of the worker is simply a continuous and dismaying succession of terms of serfdom-"voluntary from the juridical point of view but compulsory from an economic sense-broken up by momentarily brief interludes of freedom accompanied by starvation; in other words, it is real slavery. Alexander Berkman, the author of the ABC's of Anarchism, is known for outlining many of the ideas that brought anarchism into the 20 th Century. He noted that capitalism represented the foundations of a society that had to be torn apart. If you can see, hear, feel, and think, you should know that King Dollar rules the United States, and that the workers are robbed and exploited in this country to the heart's content of the masters. If you are not deaf, dumb, and blind, then you know that the American bourgeois democracy and capitalistic civilization are the worst enemies of labor and progress, and that instead of protecting them, you should help to fight to destroy them. Even Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, a person who shared some of Preston's bigotries and was more of a proto-anarchist than the anarchism we would call today said that "property is theft." We could really go down the line on this, but what we would find is not just that these anarchists have a different opinion about capitalism, they find anti-capitalism foundational. What Preston attempts to do though is to say that anarchism naturally has the ability to take on fully contradictory ideas, as he mentions also with religious anarchism. There certainly is a broad anarchist movement with many colliding ideas, but the fundamental values do remain the same. No one in the broad anarchist movement, even on the primitivism or post-leftist fringes would accept capitalism or racial nationalism. Even the more nuanced anarchists from fringe traditions, like Max Stirner and Hakim Bey, seem to be little understood by Preston and his writers, though they pull at anyone vaguely associated with the anarchist tradition to give relevance to their absurdity. It is like someone who thinks a political movement can be summed up by describing its members clothing and hair styles: he seems to know nothing about the fundamental values and motivating factors of the revolutionary anarchist movement. For Attack the System, and Preston personally, the real issue is of this new concept of National Anarchism. When stripped of its pseudo-mystical tracts and overly jargon filled double speak, the notion here is almost identical to Preston's idea of pan-secessionism. Groups, known as tribes, would create separate enclave based either on identity, such as race, or on social choice, such as economic system. The NA's themselves focus on racial identity as they are essentially anti-State nationalists, who maintain the same violent racism and misogyny that most neo-Nazis do. Troy Southgate, former organizer with the National Front and some even more unsavory and violent white nationalist groups, is the ideological frontrunner of the NA theory, and has written most of their few works of theory. Spencer Sunshine outlines this beautifully as you can see where their true allegiances are. The National Anarchists claim they are not "fascist." Still, Troy Southgate looks to lesser known fascists such as Romanian Iron Guard leader Corneliu Codreanu, and lesser light Nazis like Otto Strasser and Walter Darre. Part of Southgate's sleight of hand is to claim to be 'against fascism' by claiming he is socialist (as did Nazis such as Strasser) and by supporting political decentralization (as do contemporary European fascists such as Alain de Benoist). Sometimes he proclaims fascism to be equivalent to the capitalism he opposes, or promoting a centralized state, which he also opposes. Southgate is undoubtedly sincere in his aversion to the classical fascism of Hitler and Mussolini, and has cited this as a reason for his break from one of the National Front splinter groups. He sees the old fascism as discredited, and an abandonment of the true values of revolutionary nationalism. But his ultimate goal, shared with the European New Right, is to create a new form of fascism, with the same core values of a revitalized community that withstands the decadence of cosmopolitan liberal capitalism. This cannot be done as long as his views are linked in the popular mind to the older tradition. Spencer Sunshine attempts to look a little closer at the ideas of NA to see if they are aligned with anarchism on any fundamental level, yet sees instead the same kinds of deeply run bigotries you find on Stormfront.org. The National-Anarchists are quite open about their antifeminism and desire to exile queer people into separate spaces, but tend to hide their deeply antisemitic worldview. Troy Southgate says of feminism, "Feminism is dangerous and unnatural... because it ignores the complimentary relationship between the sexes and encourages women to rebel against their inherent feminine instincts." The stance on homophobia is more interesting. Southgate said: Homosexuality is contrary to the Natural Order because sodomy is quite undeniably an unnatural act. Groups such as Outrage are not campaigning for love between males -- which has always existed in a brotherly or fatherly form -- but have created a vast cult which has led to a rise in cottaging, male-rape and child sex attacks... But we are not trying to stop homosexuals engaging in this kind of activity like the Christian moralists or bigoted denizens of censorship are doing, on the contrary, as long as this behaviour does not affect the forthcoming National-Anarchist communities then we have no interest in what people get up to elsewhere. What this means in his schema is that queer people will be given their own separate "villages." The recent National-Anarchist demonstrations in San Francisco were against two majority-queer events, the Folsom Street Fair and the related fair Up Your Alley. Their orchestrator, "Andy," declares that he is a "racist" who hates queer people. Andy also denies the charge of antisemitism against National-Anarchists, claiming that they merely engage in a "continuous criticism of Israel and its supporters," 53 as do the majority of Leftists and anarchists. Once again, this is a typical disingenuous attempt by National-Anarchists to duck criticism. Antisemitism is an important element of the political world views of Southgate and Herferth. Southgate actively promotes the work of Holocaust deniers, including the Institute for Historical Review, and holds party line antisemitic beliefs about the role of the international Jewish conspiracy. As a dodge, he sometimes uses the euphemism "Zionist"; for instance, he says "Zionists are well known for their cosmopolitan perspective upon life, not least because those who rally to this nefarious cause have no organic roots of their own."54 In another interview he says that, "there is no question that the world is being ruthlessly directed (but perhaps not completely controlled) by International Zionism. This has been achieved through the rise of the usurious banking system." And he describes the Protocols of the Elders of Zion (a forgery which is the world's most popular antisemitic text) as a book which "although still unproven, accordswith the main events in modern world history." Meanwhile, his Australian counterpart Welf Herferth is even more explicit in his neo-Nazi antisemitic views. In one speech, he describes the Holocaust as an "extrapolation" that "has been an enormously profitable one for the Jews, and one which has brought post-war Germany and Europe to its knees," before referring to Israel as "the most powerful state in the Western world." Herferth concludes that "by liberating Germany from the bondage to Israel and restructuring a new Germany on the basis of a new 'volksgemeinschaft,' the German nationalists will liberate Europe, and the West as well." Preston would have us believe that since anarchists of the left and post-left variety share anti-capitalism and opposition to the State with them that we should ally with them even though they represent a complete break from all of our motivating ideas. Preston goes on to make some claims that are bizarre on their surface since their refutation is really implicit. First he says: Attack the System does not oppose the maintenance of identity politics by African-Americans, Native-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Arab-Americans, Asian-Americans, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Wiccans, the LGBTQ umbrella, feminists, atheists, vegetarians, vegans, immigrants, environmentalists, the elderly, young people, disabled people, fat people, ugly people, students, gamers, drug users, sex workers, slut walkers, street gangs, prison inmates, or Star Wars fans. Likewise, Attack the System does not oppose the maintenance of identity politics by Protestant evangelicals, Catholic traditionalists, adherents of Eastern Orthodoxy, Mormons, Europeans, Caucasian-Americans, Southerners, Midwesterners, Catalans, Scots, Basques, Russians, Englishmen, Irishmen, Scientologists, Moonies, the white working class, WASPs, yuppies, men, social conservatives, cultural traditionalists, ethnic preservationists, Euro-pagan tribalists, gun owners, meat eaters, tobacco smokers, rednecks, military veterans, motorcycle gangs, survivalists, metal heads, or aficionados of classical music. Let's think about this for just a second. The first on the list are racial groups who have been historically oppressed by white majorities that use both unregulated social systems and the State to oppress them. Later there are groups that also could fit under the oppressed banner: fat people, disabled people, Jews, Muslims, sex workers, etc. The point here is that this identity means something in that the identity is a point of resistance to oppression, not identity for identity's sake. This "identity politics" (though it is clear he does not understand what identity politics are and why most anarchists oppose them) is something that the radical right often highlights since they want to compare their "white nationalism" with "black nationalism" as if they are both equally movements towards racial identity and the advocacy of an ethnic identity. The difference is that black nationalism is a response to white oppression and an identity use only as a tool to resist that historic oppression. For white nationalists to say that they are the same project is to deny the fact that the purpose is fundamentally different. White nationalists seek to double down on their perceived identity, essentializing their racial characteristics. This is fundamentally a different project, for a different purpose, and a radically different politic. Preston goes on to identity feminists in his list, which he has to understand is not an "identity" as much as a movement to overhaul society and dethrone patriarchy. To list this as an "identity" is again a sign that he doesn't clearly understand why identities are used in anti-oppression politics. It is not that "identity" is something that the left wants to create dividing lines around, but instead, for some people, a piece of their lives through which they have been oppressed, and therefore need to create solidarity with others who share the same background of oppression. To say that white people are in the same boat as people of color in terms of racially defined oppression is offensive right from the start. Preston often likes to cite obscure pseudo-anarchists from history, while ignoring ninety-five percent of anarchist history and theory. The best example of anarchist social organization existed in response to the rise of the Fallange fascist party in Catalonia, and were eventually crushed fighting for survival against the Catholic nationalists. Anarchists rose up as primary actors in fighting the fascist party machine in Italy, Romania, Austria, and Germany, all of which show the history of the radical right as being the direct inverse of anarchism and dedicated to its destruction. As you prance around the National Policy Institute and promote your Americanized pan-libertarianism, you are celebrating the forces that have been the historic enemy of the anarchist movement and who have murdered anarchists by the thousands. Preston also lists a number of often considered right-wing political issues that he says anarchists are not vocal on. These include gun control, home schooling, and alternative medicine. This is a red herring as he is again looking for surface politics while failing to go deeper. Most anarchists do oppose bourgeois gun control, yet the politics motivating that movement are xenophobic and reactionary. To join that movement in equal parts is to undermine our founding purpose, even if there is tacit support. The rest of the list has disparate political ideas that would be boring to go through point by point, but needless to say there are left-anarchists associated with most of those projects. They certainly are not primary political issues because they are incredibly marginal and many of the motivating factors would not be shared by anarchists, but that is certainly an individual's choice as to whether or not to support home schooling or zoning regulations. Preston himself now has zero connection to larger anarchist movements and seems to have been deemed persona non grata from all political arenas except the far-right. At the National Policy Institute "Become Who We Are" conference , the last that Preston spoke at as of this writing, there were speakers advocating for whites to have their own state, claiming that Jews control world affairs, and that there are racial differences in intelligence. NPI, Radix, the Daily Shoah, American Renaissance, and the Occidental Observer were all represented organizations there right along Attack the System, which puts Keith and his website firmly in the camp associated with neo-Nazis and Klan supporters. Preston will likely put out a response to the response (we are sincere when we say this behavior is the closest you have come to contemporary anarchist conduct), in which he will quote his own cadre of unknown authors to try and justify his racist connections, but luckily his backward jargon works on no actual anarchist communities. We could go on a detailed analysis of what "is" and what "is not" anarchism, but the reality is that there are dozens of books available that do this wonderfully and do not include you are any of your ideas. This notion that anarchism is just anything anyone says it is, that its opposition to authority means that no one can define it, is a-historical and non-useful to those who actually try to utilize anarchism as a revolutionary idea. Keith himself has not actually organized in a couple decades, and has resigned himself to racist conferences and internet blogs. You may want to criticize Antifa organizers for what you see as censorship (Angry white men always scream censorship when their bullshit is disallowed by the community, usually because they have never been told "no" before in their lives.), but we are out in the streets and fighting in solidarity with movements across the world to bring together a liberated society. We are not sure what part of standing with Richard Spencer as he argues for a White European Empire, but since "anarchism" is just a t-shirt you like to wear on top of your opportunistic Third Positionism, you try to make yourself immune to common sense and reason.

the daily shoah the right stuff Keith Preston recently issued a response to a short letter we wrote a while back asking him to stop calling himself an anarchist because of his racism, misogyny, and support for libertarian variants. The NA's themselves focus on racial identity as they are essentially anti-State nationalists, who maintain the same violent racism and misogyny that most neo-Nazis do.

feature image credit Robert Haasch If you were alive and in the United States last week, chances are you heard about Arizona's Senate Bill 1062. The bill , while supposedly intended to protect an individual's right to "exercise [their] religion," was quickly recognized for what it actually was -- a reactionary piece of legislation meant to "protect" people who don't want to make wedding cakes with two brides on them , and so broadly worded it could be used to justify discriminating against pretty much anyone. It's similar to bills that have been proposed in thirteen other states. But while most of those bills were quickly killed off (in Kansas , Maine , and South Dakota ), sidelined into legislative purgatory (in Idaho , Tennessee , Hawaii , and North Carolina), or are being redrafted to avoid "fiascos" (in Oklahoma and Ohio), SB 1062 actually passed in the Arizona House and Senate . It made it all the way to Governer Jan Brewer's desk -- and although she (thankfully) vetoed it, it lingered long enough to give us a peek into what happens when someone tries to put this kind of bill through in 2014. It turns out some surprising forces are marshalling to our defense -- and it's hard to know how to feel about that. ARIZONA GOVERNOR JAN BREWER In the days before she vetoed the bill, Governer Brewer got a lot of mail with official letterhead. Last Monday she received a message from "the heads of four Arizona business consortiums," including the CEOs of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The letter cited concerns about the bill's potential to have a "negative effect on our tourism industry" and to "harm job creation efforts and the ability to attract and retain talent," and "respectfully request[ed]" that she veto it. A separate letter from American Airlines CEO W. Douglas Parker urged the same thing , predicting that passing the bill would "reduce the desire of businesses to locate in Arizona," and saying that many of his 10,000 or so Arizona-based employees were "tremendously concerned." JP Morgan & Chase made a public statement supporting a veto, as did Intel and American Express; the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee announced that they had "heard loud and clear from various stakeholders that adoption of this legislation... would deal a significant blow to the state's economic growth potential"; and eighty-four companies, including PetSmart and AT&T, signed another letter urging a veto and calling the bill "frivolous, unnecessary, and fiscally perilous." This is the latest, loudest incarnation of a pretty new but very real trend -- discrimination against gay people has become bad for business. "The Arizona legislation was an especially acute uproar over gay rights and religious liberty, but the larger dynamic at play there -- pitting powerful business interests against ardent social conservatives -- has played out over and over" in recent gay rights battles across the country, says Politico , pointing to Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates's donations towards marriage equality in Washington State, and the "host of major corporations" that submitted an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to overturn DOMA. There are other examples: in 2011, companies like DuPont, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Comcast spoke out against a bill that would have allowed the state of Tennessee to overrule anti-discrimination laws passed by its own cities. Disney just decided to cut funding for the Boy Scouts . In light of all this, Politico concludes that "there's currently no more powerful constituency for gay rights than the Fortune 500 list." HELP I'M DIZZY The takeaway from this development is complicated. On the one hand, this particular outcome was great -- I'm certainly glad that S.B. 1062 didn't pass, and I'm thankful that so many powerful people took the opportunity to speak out firmly against discriminatory legislation. It's encouraging, as a societal barometer, that this was a PR fiasco for the state. It's great that companies don't care who you love as long as you work hard and buy their stuff. And it's heartening that a social movement can wield this kind of economic influence. On the other hand, it's frightening (always!) to be reminded that economic players wield this kind of political influence -- just because they happen to be using that muscle for good this one time doesn't make that fact any less scary. And it's non-intersectional, bad-spirited, and false to characterize "the Fortune 500 list" as "the most powerful constituency for gay rights" when they're so markedly bad at supporting other oppressed (and overlapping) communities, or other queer issues that don't happen to immediately affect their bottom line. For proof of all of this, just go a few years back in time. In 2010, Arizona passed SB 1070 -- the country's most stringent immigration bill . SB 1070, a controversial, terrible law that allows law enforcement officials to detain people upon suspicion that they might have entered the country illegally, invites racial profiling and breaks a few amendments. Obama publicly decried it, hundreds of thousands of people nationwide demonstrated against it, and the Supreme Court eventually struck down three of the law's four provisions for being unconstitutional. The city councils of Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, and San Francisco pledged to boycott Arizona-based businesses and government agencies. But you know who was notably silent at the time? JP Morgan & Chase, American Airlines, Intel, American Express, PetSmart, and AT&T. They didn't write any letters until 2011, when it became clear that the bill's passage had negatively affected the economy -- then there was, suddenly, "a strong, unified feeling within the mainstream business community that the state had hit its theoretical limit in the area of immigration reform," as Arizona Chamber of Commerce CEO Glenn Hamer explained . PHOENICIANS RALLY AGAINST SB 1070 If that strong, unified feeling (which I think was probably more of a strong, unified number-crunch) hadn't cast a shadow over SB 1062 -- and everyone from Hamer to Senator John McCain has stated unequivocally that it did -- Governor Brewer might have made a very different decision last week. Looked at in this light, the SB 1062 victory becomes bittersweet. It took economic proof that discrimination against brown and undocumented people was bad for the state of Arizona in order for corporations to become convinced that further discrimination would also be bad. They couldn't get there on their own. And all of the attendent fears they expressed -- that Arizona would lose tourism and "talent" and reputation points -- are specific fears about losing benefits that certain gay people can provide, specifically economically privileged gay people, likely to be cisgender and white. Other oppressed groups don't have the same clout with corporations literally because they are economically marginalized and systematically discriminated against. And that means corporations won't bother to speak out to stop that kind of discrimination. This is the terrible flipside of the circular relationship between politics and economics that got SB 1062 vetoed. If you need another example, there are equally notable current silences from corporate entities on social issues. In a few weeks the Supreme Court will start to hear arguments in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. The owners of Hobby Lobby Stores are arguing that, due to their religious beliefs, they shouldn't be required to provide emergency contraceptives as part of employee health insurance. This is a different level of the same religious-based license-to-discriminate legislation as SB 1062. As a group of fifty LGBT, health-related, and women's groups put it in an official Statement of Opposition , "all of these attacks are cut from the same dangerous cloth... if corporations get a license to discriminate under the guise of religious liberty, LGBT people could be turned away at hotels and restaurants, women could be denied access to birth control, people with HIV or AIDS could be denied health care, single mothers could be denied bank loans, and children could be prevented from getting immunizations." Lambda Legal filed a similar amicus brief. Guess who remains statementless, letterless, and briefless? The whole business community. As Jeffrey Toobin of The New Yorker points out, "when, as with expressing opposition to S.B. 1062, it costs business nothing, companies are now happy to display their support for gay rights." But when, as with Hobby Lobby, they could potentially avoid having to pay for something, they throw the gays under the bus -- along with other even more PR-friendly groups, such as, you know, "children." They'll never put their money where their mouths are. It's important to remember that -- especially as we benefit more and more from their support.

The bill , while supposedly intended to protect an individual's right to "exercise [their] religion," was quickly recognized for what it actually was -- a reactionary piece of legislation meant to "protect" people who don't want to make wedding cakes with two brides on them , and so broadly worded it could be used to justify discriminating against pretty much anyone. A separate letter from American Airlines CEO W. Douglas Parker urged the same thing , predicting that passing the bill would "reduce the desire of businesses to locate in Arizona," and saying that many of his 10,000 or so Arizona-based employees were "tremendously concerned." JP Morgan & Chase made a public statement supporting a veto, as did Intel and American Express; the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee announced that they had "heard loud and clear from various stakeholders that adoption of this legislation... would deal a significant blow to the state's economic growth potential"; and eighty-four companies, including PetSmart and AT&T, signed another letter urging a veto and calling the bill "frivolous, unnecessary, and fiscally perilous."

Now that March is nearly upon us -- less than 24 hours away, actually -- it's obvious that many of us are excited about The Hunger Games coming to theaters in just about three weeks. But one of the major elements of Suzanne Collins' trilogy is how exceptionally ordinary the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, is. She's just a normal girl, thrown into a horrible situation, and then she handles the crap out of it. She sends a message that fantastical superpowers aren't all that necessary if there is a battle afoot. Even an epically huge, life-or-death battle that concerns the welfare of a country, a planet, or even a universe. This week, we're talking about Katniss' predecessors -- superheroines of geekdom who don't wear costumes, nor do they have superpowers. Some of them might be barely educated or inexperienced, some of them are wildly smart. But what they all have in common is that if you have them on your team in a fight, you will win. Hands down. Read More

excited about The Hunger Games coming to theaters we're talking about Katniss' predecessors

Sun Tzu's advice in The Art of War remains as true today as when he first wrote it down 2,500 years ago: "Know yourself; know your enemy; in a hundred battles you will never be defeated." Among the first steps in formulating any strategy is to understand one's adversary, including how the adversary thinks. How then do terrorists think about strategy? More specifically, in what ways do they think about strategy differently than we do? Through a careful study of terrorist organizations spanning the globe, Professor Walling has distilled the key lessons Americans must learn about terrorist strategy in order to defeat terrorists. Professor Walling served as an interrogator in the U.S. Army from 1976-1980. He earned his BA from St. John's College in Annapolis and completed his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago in 1992. Following teaching and research appointments with Harvard University, Carleton College, the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado College, and the Liberty Fund, he has served with the Naval War College since 2000. Walling is the author of Republican Empire: Alexander Hamilton on War and Free Government and co-editor, with Brad Lee of Strategic Logic and Political Rationality .

terrorist organizations spanning the globe Professor Walling has distilled the key lessons Americans must learn about terrorist strategy in order to defeat terrorists

The online publication finds her impressive for her ability to grab headlines, attack Wall Street, pursue Trump like a hellion, and her progressive ideology. She thinks it's crazy that people over 50 have to pay back their student loans when they are not successful. We should all pay for them. 387k Social Security recipients are struggling to pay student loans but have been diagnosed with a disability so severe they can't work. -- Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) December 23, 2016 Tim Kaine Next up is Marxist, Tim Kaine who will make a superb candidate according to Mother Jones because of his popularity in Virginia and his Progressive background. Plus he's never lost a race. If you will remember, Kaine was able to draw crowds in the single digits to his rallies and was caught in outright lies almost as much as Hillary. He's also a bad Catholic and a good Marxist. While in Honduras Tim Kaine embraced the radical interpretation of the gospel, liberation theology. That version of theology at the time was full-blown communism and is believed to have originated with the Soviets. Amy Klobucher Third is a name you probably haven't heard -- Amy Klobuchar. The Minnesota senator has sky-high approval ratings in the left-wing state and the publication thinks she is a great candidate. That's the state that elected Al Franken, a vile leftist comedian. Kirsten Gillibrand They couldn't leave out New York. Kirsten Gillibrand, senator from New York is next up. They didn't comment on her successes, which are well-hidden from us New Yorkers, but we do know that Harry Reid thinks she's the "hottest" member of Congress. He should have added the most easily manipulated. Kamala Harris, the second Barack California's leftist attorney general, Kamala Harris, is their fifth choice for presidential candidate. The fake news newspaper Washington Post thinks she might be the next Barack Obama. Harris is planning to hide the illegal alien gang database from Trump so California can protect their illegal alien gang members. Tammy Duckworth Leftist Tammy Duckworth served her country and lost both legs and she's Asian-American so of course she's high on Soros's list, coming in sixth. Cory T Booker, former Mayor of Newark New Jersey's Cory Booker is their seventh candidate because he once saved a woman in a burning building. However, Newark made no progress whatsoever while he was mayor and he has no political accomplishments except to say he's a Progressive. The New York Times found Newark still sucks after Cory Booker. Martin O'Malley Martin O'Malley is eighth and Mother Jones thinks he's viable because he's allegedly technocratically competent. He couldn't beat Bernie Sanders and says the stupidest things during debates. He doesn't think all lives matter, just black lives. As a candidate, he is truly a joke and we vote for him. Chris Murphy Chris Murphy is their number nine candidate. The Connecticut senator is horrible but not to Mother Jones. They say he is best known for his outspoken gun control advocacy in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre in his state. In June, he received substantial media attention when he spearheaded a 15-hour filibuster in support of firearms legislation. Which is exactly why he's awful. Hickenlooper drinking polluted water from the Animus River. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper made it as number ten. He's popular in a swing state. That's his claim to fame. Hopefully, they will pick him because he runs a lousy campaign. Former Barack Obama adviser David Axelrod recently declared that he "would bet everything" he owns that Michelle Obama won't run for office, but that's who came in as number eleven. They would love her to be the candidate. God help us if she runs. Michelle Obama

The online publication finds her impressive for her ability to grab headlines Former Barack Obama adviser David Axelrod recently declared that he "would bet everything" he owns that Michelle Obama won't run for office, but that's who came in as number eleven. They would love her to be the candidate. God help us if she runs. Michelle Obama

Newsletter - Positive Actions You Can Take This Summer By Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.popularresistance.org June 24, 2017 | Newsletter Newsletter - Positive Actions You Can Take This Summer 2017-06-24 2017-06-24 https://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2017/12/popres-shorter.png PopularResistance.Org https://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2017/06/1health3-e1500837352684-150x99.jpg 200px 200px This week, we look at some of the current struggles in the United States and ways that you can get involved this summer. Stephanie Woodward, of Rochester, NY, is removed from a sit-in at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office. CREDIT: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin Health Care Fight Heats Up This week, the Senate came out from behind closed doors to reveal the contents of their version of the American Health Care Act and were met with a firestorm of opposition. Dozens of disability rights activists protested loudly outside of Mitch McConnell's door and had to be carried away by police. The Senate legislation differs from the House bill in several ways: slower but harsher cuts to Medicaid; preventing insurers from excluding people on the basis of pre-existing conditions, but allowing states flexibility to drop coverage requirements; and smaller tax credits for the purchase of health insurance. Like the House version, the Senate bill cuts taxes on the wealthy, drops the mandate requiring people to buy insurance or pay a penalty and allows insurers to charge older people up to five times more for coverage. Pharmaceutical companies would receive an almost $3 billion per year tax break , even though they are already making high profits. The GOP bill still has a way to go before it can become law. If three Republican Senators refuse to vote for it, then it will die in the Senate. If it does pass, the House and Senate versions will most likely have to be reconciled into a single bill and voted on again. Republicans are very divided on the bill, especially those who live in states that expanded Medicaid. A few Senators offered a telling proposal - to give Medicare to every person with a pre-existing condition so that private health insurers can continue to cover the healthy and satisfy their investor's greed. Throughout the din, the call for National Improved Medicare for All continues to rise. And it's obviously having an impact because the Washington Post launched a smear campaign. Dr. Adam Gaffney responded with a dose of reality - Medicare for All is the best way to control healthcare costs and provide comprehensive health benefits to everyone. Here are a few actions that you can take this summer to build the movement for National Improved Medicare for All: 1. Join the Health Over Profit for Everyone (HOPE) campaign. 2. Put a sign in your window showing you support for National Improved Medicare for All. 3. Participate in the Call to Action for Medicare's birthday at the end of July. Waves of Action for Net Neutrality The new chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Ajit Pai, a Verizon lawyer, introduced a rule to undo net neutrality in May and the response has been huge. Almost five million people have submitted comments to the FCC so far, surpassing the four million comments in 2014. A recent poll by Politico, a corporate media outlet, shows majority support for protecting net neutrality among both Republicans and Democrats. It's no wonder Netflix reversed their position and have come out in support of net neutrality. A former head of the FCC, Michael Copps, explains why net neutrality touches on many fundamental issues from access to news to applying for a job to free speech and prisoner's rights. The current FCC comment period ends on July 17. Click here for easy step-by-step instructions on how to make a comment. And join the National Day of Action on July 12! Some groups are hosting online actions, but we want to reach beyond that. That's why we are encouraging people to hand out information at their local train stations. Click here to learn why that's relevant and how to get involved. Taking it to the Streets and the Courts Environmental and climate justice actions are happening at a frenzied pace . From uranium mining to fracking to pipelines and export terminals, people across the US are saying: "Keep it in the ground!" There is probably a climate justice campaign near you. Marylanders succeeded in banning fracking this year, but continue to face threats from fracked gas. Dominion Energy is building a fracking refinery and export terminal in Southern Maryland at Cove Point. This is driving more fracking, pipelines and compressor stations in Maryland and surrounding states. This week, after actively petitioning him for the past year, Governor Hogan denied residents' requests for a safety study for the facility. Fracking refineries can catch fire and explode. A normal buffer zone is two miles, but there is no buffer zone for this facility. There are almost 2,400 houses withing two miles. Click here to learn more and take action . Demonstrators protest the Dakota Access pipeline outside a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. (Clara Romeo / Truthdig) The fight to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline has moved into the courtroom. Lawyers are calling for a new review of the impacts of the pipeline in an open process that includes public participation. Supporters rallied outside the DC courthouse this week during one of the hearings. With the current attempts by the Trump administration to remove many environmental protections, lawyers are busy challenging changes to federal regulations on many fronts. There is also concern that investment in new infrastructure will lead to projects that are built without consideration for their environmental impact. The court room is also the site of a group of challenges to stop the use of Glyphosate, found in Monsanto's RoundUp. It is having an impact. Fewer farmers are growing GMO products. Building a New Economy A fundamental key to changing the political system is changing the economy to reduce the wealth divide, meet people's needs and empower people to be civically engaged. Sam Pizzigati of TooMuch writes that CEOs can either make products or they can do as many have done, sell off manufacturing assets (and jobs) and cut wages and benefits to produce greater profits and stock values, thereby enriching themselves at the worker's expense. Companies are also moving to greater automation when it comes to manufacturing, which is gutting middle skill jobs and pushing people into lower skill and lower paying service jobs. Workers are fighting back. In Vermont, hundreds marched on Ben and Jerry's this week to pressure them to implement the Milk with Dignity program for the farm workers. In Rojava, the community has embraced a social economy based on cooperatives, creating jobs and preventing monopolies. A large part of Rojava's economy is food production. The state of Maine took an interesting step recently when the governor signed a law allowing small food producers to sell their products directly to purchasers for home consumption or community events without regulatory oversight. We can reduce the wealth divide and provide for everyone's basic necessities. The problem is not having enough money to do it, the problem is not having access to the money. Recently, the city of Seattle and the state of Massachusetts introduced proposals to tax the rich. Seattle, the home of billionaires such as Bill Gates, is holding hearings in the city council on a wealth tax. Massachusetts will vote on a wealth tax in the 2018 election. In the mean time, we can all pull our money out of the Wall Street banks and support our local credit unions and community banks instead. Read more about that here . You can learn more about the New Economy that prioritizes the needs of people and protection of the planet at It's Our Economy . Summer time is a great time to learn more about resistance efforts and work to build alternative systems that are transformative. If you'd like to stay up to date on a daily basis, click here to sign up for the Popular Resistance Daily Digest .

Newsletter This week, we look at some of the current struggles in the United States

Thoughts and prayers to the families of the five Dallas Police Officers who were killed by a racist gunman who declared he wanted to "kill white people" and "kill white police officers" Lorne Ahrens, Michael [...] July 8, 2016 vivaliberty 0 Five Dallas law enforcement officers were killed and seven more injured late Thursday in an ambush by at least two gunmen, one of whom told police he was angry about recent fatal shootings of black [...] July 7, 2016 vivaliberty 0 Police believe there were 3 snipers, one suspect photo released by Dallas police. POLICE OFFICERS ARE DOWN! FOUR Officers are dead! SHOOTING AT DALLAS BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTEST!! READ MORE: GATEWAY PUNDIT

Thoughts and prayers to the families of the five Dallas Police Officers who were killed racist gunman law enforcement officers were killed and seven more injured

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced on September 9 a novel approach to stemming the flow of refugees from Syria: bombing the country. He also announced plans to accept a further 12,000 Syrian refugees on top of his government's miserly quota, but was quick to dispel any hopes that Australia might be abandoning its status as the Western world's leading abuser of refugees. Abbott told ABC Radio National on September 10 that Syrian refugees being held in the Australian-run concentration camps in Nauru and Manus Island would not be released. Rojava, the Kurdish-majority liberated zone in northern Syria, is the location of a unique experiment in grassroots, participatory democracy. It is undergoing a profound social revolution that emphasises social and economic equality, ecology, religious tolerance, ethnic inclusion, collectivity combined with individual freedom and, most obviously, feminism. It very quickly became "Border Farce". Within hours of the Australian Border Force -- Prime Minister Tony Abbott's paramilitary amalgamation of the Customs Service and immigration department -- announcing on August 28 that they would be joining the Victorian police and privatised public transport operators in Operation Fortitude to check the visa status of "anti-social" elements on the streets of Melbourne, hundreds of protesters had gathered at Flinders Street Station and social media had exploded in outrage. On August 25 the Melbourne Magistrates Court dropped terrorism charges against 18-year-old Harun Causevic, who had spent 120 days in maximum security solitary confinement for the alleged "Anzac Day terror plot". In April more than 200 police were deployed to arrest five Melbourne teenagers. The mainstream media unquestionably repeated police allegations about the plot, allowing politicians to talk and act as if its existence were an established reality. The only thing unclear about Abbott's likely response to a request to join the US air war in Syria is how many flags Abbott will stand in front of when he makes the announcement. Prime Minister Tony Abbott has denied reports his government lobbied the US to formally request for Australia to extend its involvement in the US-led air war against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) -- and bomb targets in Syria, not just Iraq. "The only cost-effective way to stop illegal immigrants trying to storm through the Channel Tunnel is to set up a machine gun and take out a few people," Steve Uncles, the extreme right-wing English Democrats' candidate for the post Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, wrote in an August 4 Facebook rant. "[T]hat would stop it very quickly and immediately cut dead this tactic ... who has got the guts to do this in our politically correct society?" The July 23 deal between the US and Turkey -- which gives the US access to Turkey's Incirlik airbase and officially brings Turkey into the US-led "war on ISIS" -- makes one thing clear. For Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the real enemy is not the terrorist group calling itself the Islamic State -- more commonly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). It is the Kurdish freedom movement and the Turkish left. On July 20, 32 people were killed in a suicide bombing attack on a cultural centre in Suruc, a town in Turkish Kurdistan. More than 100 were injured. Suruc is located across the border from the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane, which was besieged by forces of the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), between September and January.

Abbott told ABC Radio National on September 10 that Syrian refugees being held in the Australian-run concentration camps in Nauru and Manus Island would not be released. It is undergoing a profound social revolution that emphasises social and economic equality, ecology, religious tolerance, ethnic inclusion, collectivity combined with individual freedom and, most obviously, feminism.

We have covered numerous examples of Palestinian terrorists blowing themselves up during what are called "work accidents." In some of the cases it's clear that it was a self-inflicted martyrdom, in others it's suspicious that perhaps the Israelis had a hand: Add one Ahmed (Ahmad) Mansour Hassan to the list, the Jerusalem Post reports: Two Palestinians were killed and one was wounded in an explosion on Sunday in a building in Gaza, health officials said.... "An explosion took place this morning in a house west of Gaza City," police spokesman Ayman al-Batnijiy said. He gave their ages as 35 and 13. "The police launched an investigation into the cause of the explosion." Israeli media identified the victims as Ahmad Mansour Hassan, a commander of an Al-Aqsa Marty'r Brigade missile unit. He was apparently killed while preparing a rocket. The explosion also killed his son, and a third individual was critically injured. The Times of Israel has more on Hassan's career: The head of a missile unit belonging to an offshoot of the al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades was killed in a mysterious blast that rocked central Gaza on Sunday morning, Palestinian media reported.... Ahmad Husan was the head of the missile unit of the Ayman Jawda Group of the al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades, according to the Ma'an news website. Here's the image the Palestinian Maan News Agency uses: Palestinian media is raising questions as to whether this really was an accident (via Google Translate): Palestinian sources said that an Israeli reconnaissance plane bombed the building near the Shifa Medical Complex west of Gaza, while other sources suggested that the explosion was caused by an accident. So was it really a work accident? In other news, in 1996 Hamas master-bombmaker Yahya Ayyash's cell phone *accidentally* blew up when he was holding it to his ear.

We have covered numerous examples of Palestinian terrorists blowing themselves up during what are called "work accidents."

If you're like me and you have no dog in the fight that is known as the Super Bowl, then you're probably not watching the game. If you're considering even tuning in, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) probably just killed that thought for you. Sorry, everyone: New England is #notdone . Let's go @Patriots ! #superbowl #GoPats pic.twitter.com/cx8misYGJu -- Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) February 4, 2018 Elizabeth, you look like a big goober. @mattstarrett @JohnTDoucette Now I'm definitely cheering for the Eagles -- Matt Goodwin (@realwelcomematt) February 4, 2018 I'll be joining you there. As if I wasn't cheering for the Eagles already ... https://t.co/s8IWlO9dhr -- The?FOO (@PolitiBunny) February 4, 2018 Pats have too many tRump lovers, -- craig s (@csloball) February 4, 2018 Are there now Republican teams and Democratic teams? Must have missed that memo. Noooo, the Pats owner is a Trump donor -- Dan Dini (@danielorourke81) February 4, 2018 OMG. He MUST be evil. I don't think I like you any more...... You just broke my heart. -- Bill Smith (@techbsmith) February 4, 2018 The snowflakes are melting! I would vote for you Elizabeth. But now I know that you are a patriot follower. I have to rethink my position. Yes I am a die hard patriot too but am a eagle follower. And I certainly have seen more patriotic action by the eagles. #liberal @hearth -- kees docter (@hetbakkertje) February 4, 2018 You know America is doomed when voters are considering who to vote for based on the politician's team choice. Oh. My. Gosh. Gee I thought she would be a Redskins fan? -- william Harker (@williamHarker2) February 4, 2018 Didn't you hear? The Redskin play wasn't working out for her so she jumped on a different bandwagon. -- ?Abby (@AbbyismsUneditd) February 4, 2018 She persisted? More like she put on a freaking football outfit.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren I would vote for you Elizabeth

International Women's Day, March 8, became an official working-class holiday 105 years ago. Revolutionary women were inspired by a march of 15,000 garment workers, mostly women immigrants from Ireland, Italy and Eastern Europe, in New York on March 8, 1908. At the Second International Socialist Women's Conference in Copenhagen in 1910, German socialist Clara Zetkin proposed March 8 as International Women's Day. The resolution passed unanimously, and in 1911 hundreds of demonstrations were held throughout Europe on that date. Since that time, International Women's Day has been commemorated by socialists and progressive activists around the globe. Women in Detroit marched against a planned "men's rights" convention, June 7. WW photo: Kris Hamel Whether it's now called International Working Women's Day or Month, or Working Women's History or Liberation Month, it is a time to salute the struggles of working-class and oppressed women around the world for justice, equality and liberation. Members and friends of Workers World Party will be involved in the many activities scheduled to take place in the United States. Here are some of these events. In celebration of International Women's Day in Chicago, a "Food Is a Human Right" march and forum on Friday, March 6, are being sponsored by Dominican University Nutrition Science and the Food Is a Right Chicago People's Assembly. The march will gather at 10 a.m. at the Dirksen Federal Building at 219 S. Dearborn at Adams; the forum starts at 12 p.m. at 135 South LaSalle, Suite 4300. Participants are invited to speak, and the floor will be open for discussion on such topics as the Black Lives Matter movement and proposals for action. Some of the demands raised include stop all cuts to SNAP (food stamps) and other government food programs; healthy, affordable food for all (no food deserts); and economic justice for food, agricultural and all workers, including a $15 an hour minimum wage and the right to unionize. For more information, call 708-524-6904. The women of Workers World Party in Detroit are hosting the second annual Women's Speakout for Liberation and Justice on March 7 to commemorate International Women's Day. Women there have participated in and led many struggles in the past year, including defending the city's people against big banks and the emergency manager's bankruptcy; demanding hands off retiree's pensions and health care; marching and blockading to stop mass water shutoffs, foreclosures and evictions; and fighting racism and repression. All women are invited to share their stories and struggles in the spirit of camaraderie and solidarity. The program, including dinner, starts at 5 p.m. at 5920 Second Ave. For more information, call 313-378-2369. 'Free our sisters! Free ourselves!' The International Working Women's Day Coalition in New York City on Sunday, March 8, will gather women and men to demand an end to state repression, police terror and U.S. militarization. Events begin with a 12 p.m. rally at Herald Square, 34th Street at 6th Avenue and Broadway. The march steps off at 1 p.m. and a speakout, which includes food and cultural presentations, starts at 2 p.m. at the Solidarity Center, 147 W. 24th Street, 2nd floor in Manhattan. For more information, call 212-633-6647 or monitor the Facebook page of the International Working Women's Day Coalition. (Plans may be changed if there is inclement weather.) In Oakland, Calif. , on March 8, "Uphold the legacy and power of women's resistance here and abroad!" will include a 12 p.m. rally and speakout, a 12:30 march and a 1:30 celebration to honor the legacy of the 105th anniversary of International Working Women's Day. Initiated by GABRIELA USA, the event will be held at the Oakland Lake Merritt Amphitheater, 12th Street and 1st Street. Workers World Party is included among the dozens of endorsers and organizers. For information, contact [email protected] "Free our sisters! Free ourselves!" is the clarion call of Baltimore 's International Women's Day event on March 8. Initiated by the Baltimore People's Power Assembly, the youth group FIST (Fight Imperialism, Stand Together) and others, the march will gather at 3 p.m. at 421 Fallsway at Hillen. The march, led by women, will begin its journey at 3:30 p.m. to the women's detention center at Fallsway and Eager streets and then on to the Unitarian Church hall. A dinner and rally there will pay homage not only to women of the past but also to today's activists. The event will include music, song and poetry. To get involved ,call 410-218-4835. Sharon Black, Teri Kay, Monica Moorehead and J. White contributed information for this report.

International Women's Day, March 8, became an official working-class holiday 105 years ago.

When President Donald Trump signed a $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill, he approved what his administration calls the largest military budget in US history, $700 billion. That budget is packed with funding for new weapons as well as upgrades for older systems. The Pentagon asked for 70 of these stealth jets, for $10.8 billion, and Congress threw in $2.9 billion more to add 20 more to the order. Questions remain about the jets' effectiveness; the Project on Government Oversight reports the 235 F-35s in service now are mission capable only 26% of the time. UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter These helicopters are the US Army's primary platform for tactical transport and air assault. The Pentagon asked for 48 new ones, for $1.1 billion. Congress funded that request, added $108 million for eight additional ones and added $400 million for eight of the Navy's version of it, the MH-60R Seahawk. Congress saw fit to pony up $2.1 billion for 10 of the aircraft, three units and $501 million more than the Pentagon asked for. P-8As have been in the headlines several times in the past several years, being the targets of intercepts by both Chinese and Russian jets.

President Donald Trump signed a $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill, he approved what his administration calls the largest military budget in US history

It's A World of Laughter A World of Tears by Jill Pantozzi Jan 31st I am so excited to show you all this video. Why? Because Kristen Bell is really, really, really excited and it's contagious. As someone who gets extremely emotional when it comes to animals, even just watching them on television, this video makes me very sympathetic for the Veronica Mars / Forgetting Sarah Marshall actress. Her boyfriend gave her a very special present for her 31st birthday, something she'll never forget. A visit from a sloth. And yes, he captured her reaction on video and she let Ellen DeGeneres play part of it on her show even though it's kind of embarrassing. In Bell's own words , "Welcome to @theellenshow ! todays topic? Kristen Bells inability to handle her emotions!" I adore you, Kristen Bell. (via Videogum ) Read More

Her boyfriend gave her a very special present for her 31st birthday, something she'll never forget.

In a small ballroom at the Best Western Hotel near Vancouver's airport, Kirsten Stevens, a tattooed single mother of three, rises to take the podium, her hands trembling. Dressed casually in black cords and an emerald green shirt, the forty-two-year-old resident of Campbell River, BC, known as the Widow to many in attendance, stands out from the suit-clad presenters who preceded her. Petite--just five feet three and 115 pounds--with a barely tamed bob of cinnamon-coloured hair and brown eyes, she surveys the audience from behind stylish cat's-eye glasses. "This is going to be my first time telling this story," she says, clearing her throat and glancing at the sheets clutched in her hands. "Four years ago, I could not have conceived of speaking at an aviation leadership forum. Four years ago, I was a housewife with two children and a newborn baby. In just under two weeks, it will be the fourth anniversary of the day I became a widow--the day the picket fence blew down." On February 28, 2005, Stevens' husband, Dave, a professional logger, and four others were en route from Campbell River to a camp near Knight Inlet on BC's rugged west coast when their De Havilland dhc-2 Beaver float plane plunged into the water just six minutes after takeoff. Two days later, Dave's body, buoyed by the survival jacket Kirsten had bought him years before, washed up on Quadra Island, five kilometres from where the plane had taken off. His was the only body ever recovered. The autopsy showed that he had escaped the aircraft largely unharmed, only to succumb to severe hypothermia and drown while awaiting a rescue that never came. A resident of Quadra Island heard cries for help but couldn't see their source. It had taken four hours for the office of the air carrier (which has since shut down) to alert search and rescue teams, even though staff knew the plane was missing within twenty minutes of takeoff. Dave's death opened a chasm of what-ifs for Stevens. "What if the aircraft was perfectly maintained? " she asks her audience. "What if aircraft were always tracked? What if there had been no delay in notifying authorities of the missing aircraft? Could the accident have been prevented? Could all five men have been rescued? Could they have rescued the only man wearing a life jacket--my husband? Could we have celebrated a successful emergency water landing like the one on the Hudson River, instead of mourning the losses of five families? Ten children left without their fathers? " After a three-day search failed to turn up any trace of the downed plane or the victims, government authorities handed the matter over to the rcmp , which classified it as a missing persons case. A month later, all official searches were completely shut down. Stevens expected that a government agency would investigate the deaths of her husband and the four others as workplace fatalities, but none did. Pooling their meagre resources, the families recovered the wreckage and, later, the plane's engine. Stevens also appealed in vain to a wide and varied list of authorities: the federal minister of transport, infrastructure, and communities; BC's minister of transportation and infrastructure; Canada's Transportation Safety Board; the federal minister of labour; the provincial ministry of labour and citizens' services; the provincial ombudsman of justice; her provincial mla ; her federal MP; several BC senators; the standing committee on transport and communications; and BC's Workers' Compensation Board. Eventually, the families hired a private investigative firm, which found that the plane's floats were "leakers" long overdue for reskinning, that there were non-conforming parts on the aircraft, and that the plane was due for a major overhaul. The firm also speculated that the airline had not carried out mandatory 100-hour inspections of the plane's engine. The only official report Stevens received came from BC's chief coroner's office--more than four years after the crash. The account, she says, was riddled with inaccuracies and omissions and failed to provide her or the other victims' families with any sense of closure. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada--the independent agency mandated to investigate crashes for cause and contributing factors--did not follow up, claiming there was nothing new to be learned. (Nor, says Stevens, is there any reference to the accident on the tsb 's website, which lists only two passenger deaths by air taxi in 2005, the year of her husband's crash.) In a discussion with the coroner, Stevens learned that Bill Yearwood, the board's Pacific Region manager for aviation, had submitted a preliminary report on the accident, which she obtained by submitting an access to information request. In Yearwood's account, the tsb 's inspection showed no evidence of problems with the aircraft's engine, performance, or maintenance. Instead, it indicated that poor weather and the pilot's qualifications and experience may have been factors--an outcome Stevens refers to as "blaming the dead guy." When she realized her husband's death might have been prevented, Stevens began reading everything she could about the aviation industry: Canadian aeronautics regulations, the Aeronautics Act, crash investigation reports, civil aviation studies and recommendations, and books with titles like Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents ; Black Box: Why Air Safety Is No Accident ; and Flying Blind, Flying Safe . She also joined AvCanada , Canada's busiest aviation employment website and discussion forum, where she discovered that many aviation professionals shared her concerns about the lack of oversight of Canada's commercial air carriers. Then she got vocal. Fuelled by coffee and menthol cigarettes, she worked six hours a day out of a dimly lit den at the back of her three-storey house, not far from where her husband died. She wrote letters to unions and government officials, and launched QuestForJustice.ca and a blog called dhc 2 Widow's Space , both dedicated to aviation safety. She initiated a petition to Stephen Harper's office, asking for a public inquiry into her husband's accident and the air taxi industry in Canada. Slowly, others in the air safety community started paying attention. Her mission has since broadened to encompass the overall decline in Canada's aviation safety standards, and especially recent federal legislation involving a cost-cutting approach called safety management systems. sms is a form of industry self-regulation in which airlines develop and maintain their own safety protocols. Under sms , the responsibility for hands-on monitoring largely shifts from the government to the airlines themselves. The legislation has been making its way through Parliament in various forms since 2001. Its latest incarnation, Bill C-7, An Act to Amend the Aeronautics Act, died last September when Parliament was dissolved in advance of the federal election, but Transport Canada is moving ahead with sms nonetheless. The department intends to have the protocol fully implemented across all regulated civil aviation organizations by November 2011. In concert with other critics, Stevens charges that the government is using self-regulation to justify extensive cutbacks to traditional oversight programs. She has mounted a spirited campaign to stop Transport Canada, garnering support from pilots, victims' families, whistle-blowers, and organizations across the country. When Stevens finishes speaking, the audience gives her the only standing ovation of the day. As she makes her way back to her table, the first person to offer a congratulatory hug is Yearwood. During the coffee break that follows, delegates surround her. Among them are two old-time pilots. "We learned something from you," says Horst, a robust, greying man with a thick German accent. "We always have our life jackets in the back. We're going to wear them." Wilf, a former air force pilot with a wiry build, raises a finger in the air. "Accountability," he says with conviction, "that's what's needed." The Pilot SMS has already been implemented in many corners of Canadian aviation, including at major airlines like Air Canada and WestJet. Next on the horizon are the country's smaller operators, which have fewer resources and face greater risks than the big carriers. Transport Canada's supervision of this sector has traditionally been lax, raising serious concerns about the 600 operators flying more than 2,000 small aircraft nationwide. This fleet encompasses air taxis (single- or multi-engine planes that can carry up to nine passengers) and commuter craft (multi-engine or turbo-powered planes, plus helicopters, carrying between ten and nineteen passengers). Collectively, such operators transport upwards of 100,000 passengers a year in Canada, serving as feeders for the major airlines, and providers of specialty services such as transporting tourists to fishing lodges and the injured to hospitals. They also conduct aerial work, carry workers to various service jobs in industry (logging, hydro, and district court services) and ferry food and freight to remote northern communities. The sector accounts for more than half the country's commercial aviation--and a disproportionate number of its accidents and fatalities. Bush flying, the forerunner of modern air taxi and commuter operations, originated in the Canadian North, where poor weather, harsh terrain, scant roads, and the isolation of communities made air transport essential. In his 2004 book, Bush Pilots: Canada's Wilderness Daredevils , Peter Boer notes that early bush pilots "endured the aggravation of malfunctioning equipment, primitive living quarters and the constant threat of death for relatively low wages... They took satisfaction in surviving in the face of almost overwhelming odds. Landing a plane in the middle of a snowstorm, changing an engine in the middle of the dreaded Barren Lands of the Northwest Territories or hiking endless hours through the bush in search of aid were commonplace events." Today the bulk of Canadian aviation still happens in the North. The pilots who fly in the bush tend to be young and inexperienced, and they work in a highly competitive market subject to a kind of "go fever" that encourages them to take risks and push limits. And the conditions in which they fly remain as perilous as ever: bad weather and difficult terrain, not to mention poorly maintained planes. They also typically fly alone. Most rookie pilots cut their teeth with small operations--and since those who can't make it here often don't make it at all, the pressure to conform is high. Owners of air taxi services, meanwhile, were typically bush pilots themselves, and they tend to run their businesses with the same hard-driving attitude, expecting their pilots to fly on a shoestring and to get the job done regardless of weather, fatigue, or cargo load. That they often operate in remote locations further erodes the government's ability to oversee them. Erik Vogel understands the perils as well as anyone. Standing six feet three, with broad shoulders, a full head of dark hair, and a neatly groomed moustache, he's the picture of confidence in uniform. Today his uniform is a firefighter's, but twenty-five years ago, in 1984, it was that of a rookie pilot with Wapiti Aviation, a small air taxi operation in northern Alberta. That year, his ten-seater Piper Navajo Chieftain slammed into a shrouded ridge, killing provincial ndp leader Grant Notley and five other passengers. (Disclosure: one of the four survivors of the crash was my father, Alberta housing minister Larry Shaben.) Vogel hadn't wanted to fly that night. The weather was bad, and his co-pilot had been bumped to accommodate another paying customer: Notley himself. Vogel had lost twenty-five pounds in the five weeks he'd been with Wapiti, and had flown seventeen flights the previous week. He'd also been on call for medevac flights. And he didn't trust his plane. Its autopilot system had been acting erratically, one of its wing de-icers had broken during a flight earlier that day, and one of its automatic direction finders was also malfunctioning. Getting into the small, uncontrolled airstrips along his flight path would be treacherous. He was in way over his head, and he knew it. He also felt he had no choice but to fly. If he refused, he risked losing his job. Thirty-three pilots had quit or been fired from Wapiti in the previous year. The crash ended his career. "There's hardly a day that goes by that I don't think about it," he says, seated at a small table at a Vancouver Starbucks. Among the firefighters at Station 4 in Burnaby, he is known as Mr. Safety--a reputation that doesn't bother him. "I don't ever again want to be the one to have something bad happen on my watch," he says. Vogel still experiences deja vu when news of other airplane crashes hits the media--for example, the Sonicblue Airways accident in January 2006 near Port Alberni, BC, in which the pilot of a small plane died along with two of his seven passengers. After the crash, the pilot's father, Jonathan Huggett, complained publicly about conditions at Sonicblue, alleging that his son had been abused, grossly underpaid (junior co-pilots with the company normally earned a meagre $28 for a fourteen-hour shift, amounting to about $7,300 a year), and forced to fly in dangerous conditions. "It was Wapiti all over again," says Vogel, shaking his head. Like Wapiti, Sonicblue had a history of safety violations, though Transport Canada did not suspend the carrier's licence until after the fatalities occurred. Whereas the Sonicblue crash was caused by a faulty engine part, Vogel acknowledges he made a mistake the night of his crash, descending below the minimum en route altitude through a bank of thick cloud in an attempt to spot the dim lights of a snow-covered airstrip. Talking about it, he curls his hands into fists then opens them wide, splaying his fingers. "Arthritis," he says matter-of-factly. When he felt the trees hitting the plane, he instinctively raised his hands in front of his face. They were mangled in the crash, and he's been losing feeling and mobility in them ever since. "I run into burning buildings now, and I think my new career is much safer," Vogel says. To support his three children, he also drives an eighteen-wheeler on his days off. When he's trucking, he notes, he's subject to constant checks to ensure he doesn't exceed his duty time of fourteen hours a day, and his rig can be spot checked at any scale. During the public inquiry into the crash, he asserted that Transport Canada was partially to blame for allowing airlines like Wapiti to cut corners, push their pilots, and put lives at risk. Then, in a precedent-setting case in 1990, the widows of two men killed in the crash sued the federal government and won. The judge in Swanson v. Canada (Minister of Transport) ruled that Transport Canada was one-third responsible for the deaths, having failed to sanction Wapiti for its repeated violations in the years preceding the crash. Vogel hoped things would change for the better after Swanson, but he doesn't think they have--a belief confirmed by "Jason," a young pilot who declined to give his real name for fear of being blacklisted. Jason affirms that many of today's bush pilots are cowboys, and says that those who promote a culture of safety are often dismissed. Last year, for example, he shared the cockpit with the owner and chief pilot of his company, during which he was expected to fly perhaps ten metres off the water with a planeload of passengers. "I told my boss I wasn't comfortable flying below the minimums," he says. His boss told him to lower them. This season, the company didn't hire Jason back, saying he "hadn't been helpful." Another rookie pilot, who Jason says flew "like an idiot," remained on the company's roster. The Whistle-Blower "Swanson meant a lot to me," reflects Hugh Danford, a former aviation system safety inspector and course instructor with Transport Canada. Danford, who lives on a peaceful tract of farmland forty minutes from Ottawa, along the Rideau Canal, once taught new inspectors about Wapiti and the Swanson case as part of Transport Canada's basic aviation enforcement course. "I used it as an example of why inspectors need to do their jobs," he says, surveying his recently planted plot of garlic. Looking back, he now believes that Swanson, rather than ushering in an era of government responsibility, actually created a chill, marking the beginning of his department's efforts to get out of the enforcement business. Before he went to work for the government, Danford was a pilot. His career spanned thirty years and took him to places as far flung as the Arctic and Antarctic, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Maldives. Sixty-two, with a ruddy complexion, blue eyes that sparkle behind wire-rimmed glasses, and a full head of white hair, he'd be a shoo-in for a shopping mall Santa--if, that is, he weren't so angry. Danford started at Transport Canada in 1998. Shortly after being hired, he was appointed to a tri-national safety working group of Canadian, American, and Mexican aviation experts seeking to determine the root causes of North American airplane crashes. In 25 percent of the Canadian accidents he reviewed, lack of regulatory supervision appeared to be the problem. One of those accidents involved the "controlled flight into terrain" (literally, flying a plane into the ground) of a De Havilland dhc -6 Twin Otter off Davis Inlet, Labrador, in 1999. Marcel Jaspar, the pilot in command on the flight, which killed its twenty-two-year-old first officer, Damien Hancock, had been in four previous crashes and had a lengthy enforcement record with Transport Canada. In spite of this, the department took no action against the pilot or the airline immediately following the Davis Inlet crash. Nor did it investigate the incident (it wasn't until 2002, after Danford submitted a report, that Jaspar's licence was suspended). The accident report released by the Transportation Safety Board in 2001 stated, "In certain areas of commercial operations, the safety oversight efforts of Transport Canada have been somewhat ineffective." As a result of these findings, in June of that year the tsb issued Recommendation A01-01, which Danford calls one of the most important safety regulations in years. It urged that "the Department of Transport undertake a review of its safety oversight methodology, resources and practices particularly as they relate to smaller operators and those operators who fly in or into remote areas to ensure that air operators and crews consistently operate within the safety regulations." When he checked the government database that tracks Transport Canada's responses to tsb recommendations (which the department is required to submit within ninety days), Danford found that the department was on record as having satisfied Recommendation A01-01. One of the initiatives cited as proof was a plan to implement a new safety protocol known as sms . Another involved the hiring of a consulting firm to conduct a comprehensive review of the department's safety oversight program for commercial operations. Danford went looking for a copy of the review. And that, he says, is when the trouble began. His superiors told him to leave it alone; one, he says, referred to it as "worthless." Eventually, he located the report--conducted by Montreal's dmr Consulting Group at a cost to taxpayers of $690,000--and discovered that it had nothing to do with Recommendation A01-01. "Transport Canada lied to Parliament," he says. His attempts to bring the situation to light made for some heated discussions. He had his mental health questioned, was arrested for uttering threats, and was ultimately forced to resign in 2004. The days that followed were dark ones, and he didn't emerge until three years after his resignation, when a friend encouraged him to testify before Parliament's Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure, and Community. Danford managed to get himself on the agenda for a review of Bill C-6, An Act to Amend the Aeronautics Act--the legislation sanctioning the controversial aviation safety management systems protocol. The minute he entered the political fray, Stevens found him, and the two have been collaborating ever since. "She's like a sister to me," he says. His involvement in the campaign and the relationships it has forged have helped him overcome his anger. "Who knows? " he adds, scuffing the dirt under which 900 cloves lay buried. "If this garlic comes up, maybe I can make a living." The Protocol Canada's civil aviation fleet is the world's second-largest, with close to 3,000 operators. It currently carries upward of 99 million passengers annually--a number that is expected to grow by 40 percent as of 2015. Like airlines in other countries, Canadian carriers are under intense pressure to cut costs and keep planes flying without interruption. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization--the UN agency responsible for supervising the safe and orderly growth of international aviation--the rapid expansion of the industry is making it increasingly difficult to manage safety with traditional methods. The icao has concluded that the solution is safety management systems, and has asked its member states to require airlines to establish them by 2012. Safety management systems originated in the chemical industry in the early 1980s, with the aim of shifting to a focus on overall processes--that is, the interaction of human, organizational, technical, and environmental factors--rather than individual events. Presumably, this would allow organizations to identify potential hazards early on and take appropriate preventive measures. The approach has since gained favour in other industries. In 2001, for example, the Chretien government introduced safety management systems into the Canadian rail sector. Transport Canada has been promoting sms for the civil aviation industry since at least 1999. One of the leading voices supporting the push is Merlin Preuss, who recently retired after a lengthy tenure as Canada's director general of civil aviation. Preuss, who declined to be interviewed for this piece, has long maintained that sms will allow for more thorough identification and resolution of potential problems. He describes the traditional regulatory approach as reactive, and suggests that sms will make companies more responsive and proactive. However, ndp MP and former transportation critic Peter Julian believes the experience of Canada's rail system shows otherwise. "We saw derailments increase," he says. Indeed, a 2008 report on the rail industry's safety management policy, quietly tabled in Parliament last year, found that implementation had been inconsistent, and that Transport Canada hadn't dedicated enough resources to the initiative. More recent data from the Canada Safety Council shows that fifteen major incidents had taken place on Canadian railways between January 7, 2007, and March 5, 2008--more than in the previous six years combined. "The problem of sms all along," says Julian, has been that "theoretically, it's a more intelligent way of approaching safety because companies are involved as well," but in reality governments have tended to use the protocol to justify cutbacks. Transport Canada has already introduced sms to the business aviation sector, granting rule-setting responsibility to the Canadian Business Aviation Association in 2003. The decision in effect gave an industry trade association and lobby group oversight of the safety of its own members' aircraft. In 2007, Transport Canada reviewed the changes the association had introduced and found a system plagued with problems. No structured system had been put in place, nor any procedures for cancelling or suspending an airline's certificate. And some member companies had been operating without safety management protocols for five years. "It's the listeriosis of the aviation industry," Danford says, referring to sms implementation. Last year's tainted meat scandal, which resulted in twenty-two deaths, occurred after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency shifted responsibility for food testing to the meat-packing industry. Following the outbreak, Richard Arsenault, a manager at the cfia , said, "It's like in aviation: we can't look under each jet engine of an airline, but we can make sure the maintenance service works." As it turned out, not only had inspectors failed to swab for listeria on the plant floor, they had failed to check company records properly, to ensure that packers had performed the necessary tests and that their results were above board. Ultimate responsibility for the transition to sms lies with John Baird, Canada's minister of transportation and infrastructure. According to a department insider, Baird has been especially wary of allowing civil servants to speak to the media about sms , a subject the insider acknowledges is a "hot potato" for the ministry. Baird declined repeated requests for an interview, but in a letter to Ottawa's Hill Times newspaper in March, he wrote, "Safety Management Systems are about adding more accountability to the inspection system, while maintaining the responsibilities of the federal government. In fact, the government continues to conduct independent audits and has access to more information than ever before. What sms does is add another layer of accountability." In a written response to an interview question for Baird, Transport Canada's manager of media relations and monitoring, Patrick Charette, referred to sms as "another layer of safety." "That is an absolute fabrication," responds retired Alberta judge Virgil Moshansky, an internationally respected aviation authority. Lean and distinguished, the straight-talking former justice of the Court of Queen's Bench is also a long-time pilot. Nearly two decades ago, that combination of credentials landed him the signature appointment of his career: head of the commission of inquiry into the 1989 Air Ontario crash at Dryden, a commuter airline accident in which twenty-four people died. Though tasked primarily with investigating the causes of the crash, Moshansky saw the commission as an exceptional opportunity for an in-depth review of the entire Canadian aviation system. His groundbreaking 2,000-page report, released in 1992, was arguably the most exhaustive judicial review in Canada's aviation history. Its findings resulted in a number of significant aviation safety improvements, including stringent new de-icing procedures. It also helped earn him the Order of Canada in 2004, for singular dedication to enhancing aviation safety. Moshansky now fears the gains he helped win are being eroded. "Canada is the only country in the world introducing sms without maintaining regulatory oversight," he says from his Calgary home. He alleges that implementation of the new system is motivated primarily by budget concerns. "Transport Canada management is well rewarded for cost cutting," he says. "And they save money by cutting the number of inspectors." He also notes that the government's civil aviation inspectorate is significantly smaller than it was at the time of the Dryden inquiry, and has grave doubts that Transport Canada can ensure a safe aviation environment for the travelling public as a result. The department's solution to this shortfall, he says, has been to axe its oversight programs, notably its national audit program. Under that system, cancelled a few years ago, federal inspectors conducted detailed checks and on-site monitoring of airline operations, meaning they boarded planes, rode along on flights, and studied maintenance logbooks. Moshansky's paper also mentions a November 2006 directive from Transport Canada to its inspectors, which instructed that no enforcement action be taken against an sms -covered enterprise except in rare circumstances. The judge tells of receiving confidential notes from the department's inspectors expressing serious concerns about these trends. "The time is past due for a commission of inquiry to investigate the state of aviation in this country," he says. Last year, the Auditor General of Canada, Sheila Fraser, examined Transport Canada's handling of air transportation safety. In her annual report to Parliament in May 2008, she commended the department for its leadership in introducing safety management systems, noting that Canada is one of the first countries in the world to do so in the aviation sector. However, she also raised a number of concerns. In reallocating resources from traditional oversight activities to sms activities, she wrote, "the Department did not document risks, such as the impact of the transition on oversight of air transportation safety, or identify actions to mitigate the risks. Nor did it forecast the overall costs of managing the change. In addition, it has not measured the impact of shifting resources from traditional oversight to the new approach." Fraser later told a parliamentary committee that "Transport Canada could not demonstrate to us that it is carrying out a sufficient number of inspections during the transition." She also noted that the number of inspectors and engineers in the department has decreased by 8 percent in the past five years, that "Transport Canada has not yet identified how many inspectors and engineers it needs, with what competencies, during and after the transition," and that there is a "risk that the Department will not be able to recruit the people it needs in a timely manner." Greg Holbrook, former national chair of the Canadian Federal Pilots Association--the bargaining organization representing approximately 470 professional pilots who work as Transport Canada inspectors, tsb investigators, and civil air navigation professionals--asserted in an interview earlier this year (prior to taking a job as a Transport Canada inspector himself) that the International Civil Aviation Organization never intended for safety management systems to replace regulatory monitoring. "It's like jumping into the water without a life preserver," he said. He further contended, in concert with Moshansky, that sms implementation wasn't about safety. "If we go back to the documentation Transport Canada put together in 2001 [the same time Recommendation A01-01 was issued]," he said, "the proposal to implement sms was justified to senior staff based on saving dollars, reducing the number of employees, and ultimately reducing the liability to the minister of transport." As pilots working in safety and enforcement at Transport Canada retire, he continued, the government is replacing them with "accountants" focused on inspecting paperwork rather than planes. His members were concerned. A survey commissioned by the cfpa in 2007 showed that while almost all respondents thought sms could improve aviation safety in theory, two-thirds said that sms as it was being implemented by Transport Canada would increase the likelihood of an aviation accident. One surveyed federal employee complained, "If the general public knew the amount of decisions made by Transport Canada supervisors regarding the safety of the air travel system in this country who are not professional members of the aviation community there would be a mass revolt." The Hush-Up Transport Canada's below-the-radar implementation of sms has underscored long-standing concerns about the secretive nature of the department. In a 2007 paper presented to the Royal Aeronautical Society, Justice Moshansky revealed for the first time the challenges his commission faced during its three-year investigation into the Air Ontario crash in Dryden. Among other revelations, he wrote that the commission had contended with the sheltering of evidence, a lack of access to witnesses, widespread opposition, and threats of a Federal Court injunction by Transport Canada counsel for allegedly going beyond the terms of his mandate. Twenty years on from the inquiry, he noted, "the public still continues to be without direct representation in aviation concerns. When the system breaks, the executive branch of government determines causality and identifies violations of legislative branch requirements. No one accountable to the public acts to establish the basis and appropriateness of these requirements and whether executive branch actions are sufficient and competently performed." The result, according to Moshansky's paper, is that "reporters and investigators are often unaware of significant aspects known only to airline safety managers." None of this surprises Robb Cribb, a reporter with the Toronto Star and former head of the Canadian Association of Journalists. Speaking from Toronto, he described Transport Canada as "one of the most resistant ministries when it comes to public accountability." Cribb worked alongside colleagues from the Hamilton Spectator and the Kitchener-Waterloo Record on a major investigation into Canada's aviation industry, published over 2006 and 2007. He and his fellow journalists were forced to wait four years for aviation accident data they requested from Transport Canada in 2001. It wasn't until 2005, after they took their case to Canada's information commissioner, and just days before the two sides were scheduled to go to court over the matter, that Transport Canada finally released the information. "I was astounded at how far they would go to protect data that is readily available in the US," says Fred Vallance-Jones, a twenty-four-year veteran journalist who worked with Cribb on the investigation. Last year, the caj nominated Transport Canada for its Code of Silence Award, for "proposed draconian secrecy provisions in amendments to the Aeronautics Act"--the same legislation that includes sms . According to the caj , "If implemented, these will see a veil of secrecy fall over all information reported by airlines about performance, safety violations, aviation safety problems and their resolution." Under the proposed legislation, voluntary reporting about safety-related incidents--including material from flight data recorders and self-reported violations--will remain confidential. Transport Canada argues that these measures are a necessary cornerstone of trust in a successful sms . However, such legislation allows the department to shield information from public scrutiny by designating safety reports as "mandatory exclusions" under the Access to Information Act. Safety reports would therefore not be subject to access to information requests; they could never be released, nor reviewed by the Access to Information commissioner. Most troubling of all to Transport Canada's detractors, however, is that it is moving ahead with sms even though the Conservatives have twice failed to pass supporting legislation in the House of Commons. "This is just contrary to democracy," says the ndp 's Peter Julian. "One of the oldest rules of Parliament is that the government may not act without the legislative authority granted by the House of Commons and the Senate." With opposition mounting, it has become unlikely that Bill C-7 will be reintroduced. Transport Canada's Patrick Charette responds to such complaints by saying, "Legislative powers are already in place for sms expansion." And indeed, the Aeronautics Act allows Transport Canada to introduce amendments to Canadian aeronautics regulations without parliamentary approval. Critics of sms have therefore turned to the only recourse they feel they have left: capturing the public's attention. The Summit This past April, Kirsten Stevens orchestrated an unprecedented gathering of parliamentarians, professional pilots, aviation experts, accident survivors, victims' families, and whistle-blowers on Parliament Hill. The purpose was a round-table discussion on the decline of air safety in Canada. Fourteen people spoke for more than three hours on the crisis facing Canadian aviation, among them Stevens, Hugh Danford, Peter Julian, Greg Holbrook, and Jonathan Huggett, as well as representatives from the Canada Safety Council, Teamsters Canada, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform, and Canadians for Accountability. At a press conference afterward, ndp transportation critic Dennis Bevington remarked, "From what I heard, this is a disaster waiting to happen. Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board have developed a culture of secrecy, where whistle-blowers are persecuted and fatal accidents are seen as just a cost of doing business." Also present in Ottawa this year, if a bit earlier in the spring, was a woman named Freda Hancock, the mother of the twenty-two-year-old pilot killed in the Davis Inlet crash that first attracted Hugh Danford's attention. The 1,500-kilometre flight west from her tiny Labrador community was the first time in the decade since her son's death that the soft-spoken, elegant woman had found the strength to speak personally with the former Transport Canada inspector. Hancock said that when he first contacted her, five years after the crash, she wasn't able to hear what he was telling her--that the system had killed her son. "They're the people who were supposed to protect you and keep you safe, and you realize they failed you," she said from Danford's home, where she was staying. "I took all of this for granted. I didn't stop to think that somebody wasn't doing their job." In the wake of the round table, Danford was left feeling optimistic that the hardship he'd inflicted on his family and himself might not have been in vain. "All 900 heads of garlic came up," he said in a recent phone conversation. He'd just mailed a box of bulbs from his harvest to Stevens, who was still putting in full days on her campaign. She'd just launched SafeSkies.ca , designed as a virtual rallying point for aviation safety advocates, and a watchdog for transparency and public accountability at Transport Canada. "We need people who are willing to stand up and be vocal and tell the truth," she told me, "or we'll see more victims--like those at Davis Inlet, like those at Dryden, like those at Wapiti, like those in my accident. It's people like me who can remind everyone why it's so important to do it right the first time."

"Four years ago, I could not have conceived of speaking at an aviation leadership forum.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Current and former corrections officers at the Cheatham County Jail were charged in the tasing case of an inmate originally uncovered by NewsChannel 5 Investigates. In the An Amesbury, Massachusetts police officer faced a judge Tuesday for allegedly beating his 14-year-old autistic son. Larry Bybee is charged with two counts of assault and battery on a child, Canada's national police force is facing a mammoth $1.1-billion lawsuit -- believed to be the biggest in the force's history -- over bullying and harassment claims that could eventually represent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. In the An Amesbury, Massachusetts police officer faced a judge Tuesday for allegedly beating his 14-year-old autistic son. Canada's national police force is facing a mammoth $1.1-billion lawsuit

LA Pride returned on June 6 through June 8, showcasing three days of fun, music, games and a parade to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual pride down the streets of Santa Monica Boulevard. The event featured celebrity guest Demi Lovato as the parade's grand marshal; Lovato performed her song "Really Don't Care." Opponents of the LGBT community protested at the event with signs that read "Homo Sex is Sin," to which Lovato said, "I believe in the Lord, and I am still up for equality. You don't have to hate because my Jesus loves all". Lovato was not the only mainstream singer to grace the audience with her presence. Jennifer Hudson showed her support for the LGBT community by performing songs such as her single "Spotlight" at West Hollywood Park on Saturday. The festival portion of the event provided attendees with three separate stages for different artists like Azealia Banks, and groups like Kingdoms and The Bangles, which performed throughout the day. A skating rink in West Hollywood Park was opened up to the public, and people joined in on the fun by sporting their best rollerblading gear. Erotic paintings, movies, sculptures and other forms of art were also displayed at the West Hollywood Park. Vendors and shops were set up in tents around the park selling t-shirts, and handing out free energy drinks, beads and candy. LA Pride gathered attention from around the world with some attendees flying to the United States to participate in the event. Denmark native, Nicklas Von Eckendorff, said he was blown away by the diversity found at the event. "In Denmark, it is not so multi-cultural there as it is here," Eckendorff said. "I love seeing the diversity here and it is nice to see all types of people participating." Participants Rebecca Lin, a Northridge native, said she felt that the event helped promote the community. "Well, here you have a lot of straight people as well, celebrating along with the gay community," Lin said. "I think that this will bring more exposure for the LGBT community, and will help send their message out there to a wider audience." While there were some areas that were meant for adult audience, the West Hollywood Park also featured some family-oriented sections, like a carnival and an arcade. The next Pride event in California will take place in San Francisco on June 28 to 29 at the city's Civic Center.

LA Pride returned on June 6 through June 8, showcasing three days of fun, music, games and a parade to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual pride down the streets of Santa Monica Boulevard.

In the Trump era, a majority of voters have told pollsters that the wealthy and corporations have too much power, that the financial industry is under-regulated , and that the economy is rigged against them. More than half of voters favor a $15 national minimum wage, regardless of the displacing effects it will have on low-skilled and entry-level workers. Six out of 10 Americans say "it is the federal government's responsibility to make sure all Americans have healthcare coverage" and about half of all Americans support the creation of a government monopoly on health insurance. From " tuition-free college " to forgiving student loan debt to a federal employment guarantee, pluralities support almost every plank of the democratic-socialist agenda. At least, in theory. Even the Democratic Party's centrists and pragmatists can recognize an ascendant coalition when they see one, and nearly all the party's 2020 hopefuls are prostrating themselves before this set of aspirations masquerading as policy proposals. This remarkable consensus is due, primarily, to Democratic unity on policy. Where there is real internal tension and, thus, opportunity for Republicans is less about what the Democratic Party's coalition should strive to achieve but what it should look like. "I have a problem, guys, with that phrase, 'identity politics,'" Senator Kamala Harris told a gathering of progressives at the annual Netroots Nation conference this weekend. "That phrase is used to divide, and it is used to distract. Its purpose is to minimize and marginalize issues that impact all of us. It is used to try and shut us up." Harris's attempt to stigmatize attacks on the liberal conception of "identity politics" as a "pejorative" is a savvy preemptive effort to neutralize what may be the left's biggest weakness: its commitment to racial and demographic hierarchies. The liberal conundrum was perhaps best illustrated by a collection of protesters who later stormed the Netroots Nation stage. According to the Advocate 's Alex Westwood, the demonstrators attacked the conference for hosting panels dedicated to combating the "white savior" phenomenon. Such panels were considered problematic because they amounted to a demand that minorities volunteer their time to teach white people how to do that which minorities were already doing. Worse, those demands were made "from a position of white comfort." Netroots watchers, such as Westwood, would be quick to note that a collection of malcontents disrupts proceedings every year, but it's of note that this collection is almost always doggedly focused on issues related to race. In 2015, Black Lives Matter activists targeted the self-described democratic socialist Bernie Sanders for being insufficiently committed to racial justice. Last year, demonstrators shouted down U.S. House Rep. Stacey Evans, a former chair of the state's Democratic House Caucus, for challenging Stacey Abrams in the gubernatorial primary because she was the first black woman to lead her party in the state's legislature. "Trust black women," they shouted. This contingent may lack raw numerical strength, but it enjoys outsize influence over the political discourse and, thus, the Democratic Party. What's more, the intra-party dispute threatens to expose deeper fissures within the Democrats' ascendant progressive wing. "It is not good enough for somebody to say, 'Hey, I'm a Latina, vote for me,'" Sanders argued in 2016. "This is where there is going to be division within the Democratic Party. It is not good enough for someone to say, 'I'm a woman! Vote for me!'" This line was opportunistically savaged for being insufficiently "woke" by Hillary Clinton's communications team , but self-identified democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appears to have internalized Sanders's admonition. She leaned into her identity as a Latina woman from the Bronx while savaging those who rely on their accidents of birth to prove progressive bona fides. Her message was lost on Democracy for America spokesman Neil Sroka, who is campaigning on behalf of a progressive Muslim candidate for governor of Michigan recently endorsed by Ocasio-Cortez. "Other than Cynthia Nixon in New York, they are also overwhelmingly young and people of color," Sroka said of 2018's class of progressive insurgents, "which also speaks to a rising belief that we need to have leaders of the party who reflect the party, which means more young people, women, and people of color in positions of power." Nixon, the only exception to the rule Sroka was trying to illustrate, was heralded as the first potential governor of New York who is also openly gay. Liberals in good standing have warned of the dangers that Democrats face if they dedicate themselves to the kind of divisive identity politics that "breeds its equal and opposite reaction" in the form of a collective racial consciousness among white Americans. Indeed, it will be too tempting for Republicans to avoid following in Donald Trump's lead and exacerbating racial tensions within the Democratic coalition to siphon off the votes of alienated whites. "We need a post-identity liberalism, and it should draw from the past successes of pre-identity liberalism," wrote Columbia University professor Mark Lilla. His recommendation came not just from a place of concern for national comity, but with the best interests of the electoral strength of the Democratic Party in mind. The progressive left is having none of this. "Apologizing for 'identity politics' precipitates an electoral death spiral," wrote Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Steve Philips, "because it doesn't work to woo Trump voters, who will always opt for the real racist, and it also depresses the enthusiasm of the very voters we need to win." Identity, not economics, is where the fault lines lie within the Democratic coalition. Traditional liberals, even progressives, are not convinced that appeals to racial and demographic solidarity will win back Democratic majorities . The identitarian left is convinced that making overtures toward Donald Trump's white working-class voters represents a compromise with the unenlightened and racially suspect. And that is where the fight will be; not over Medicare-for-all but over social and racial justice.

In the Trump era, a majority of voters have told pollsters that the wealthy and corporations have too much power, that the financial industry is under-regulated , and that the economy is rigged against them.

UPDATE - JUNE 6, 2012 - In light of Cardinal Collins' reaction to Bill 13 passage The original post below was written in a spirit of hopefulness based on the unwavering nature of the bishops' Respecting Difference document vis-a-vis GSAs and prohibiting homosexual activism. However, the situation has changed. On June 5th, after MPPs passed Bill 13 by a vote of 65 to 36, Cardinal Thomas Collins, president of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario issued a brief statement in which it appears that he will comply with the legislation and permit the homosexual-activist clubs known as "Gay-Straight Alliances" in Catholic schools. We encourage you to RESPECTFULLY contact the bishops of Ontario and urge them to invoke Section 93 of the Constitution Act which permits them to reject legislation which adversely affects faith and morals. In invoking Section 93, the bishops would not be doing anything extraordinary, but in fact merely heeding their own instructions to laity in a recent pastoral letter on Freedom of Conscience and Religion . ORIGINAL POST - JANUARY 28, 2012 - In response to Respecting Difference document Analysis of the Catholic Bishops of Ontario's response to the GSAs demanded by Dalton McGuinty Dalton McGuinty has been pressuring Catholic schools to allow openly-homosexual student-led clubs that would predictably celebrate gay pride, under the guise of "eradicating bullying". Faithful Catholics, and parents of other religions who send their kids to separate schools, have been waiting anxiously for a response by Ontario's Bishops. They've been praying for the Bishops to resist McGuinty's belligerent attack against parental rights and religious freedom. We're pleased to report that prayers have been answered! Although we have been encouraging the Bishops to reject the government's directive outright (by asserting Catholic constitutional rights), they did the next best thing. On January 26, 2012 they released a framework for anti-bullying clubs that would appease the government's alleged desire to "support students who are bullied", while at the same time side-stepping the government's apparent, real desire to have all students celebrate homosexuality. The document, titled Respecting Difference , was released through the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association (OCSTA). In our opinion, the guidelines are well-thought out. They anticipate homosexual-activism and try to put control mechanisms in place to discourage such activities and attitudes. Here is a list of the various controls laid out in the guidelines for the Respecting Difference student clubs to be permitted in Catholic schools: Maintains a ban on GSAs, stating that "GSA clubs, per se, are not acceptable in Catholic schools". Prohibits discussion of issues of gender identity and sexual attraction in an open forum . Neither is "peer counseling" permitted. Instead, these issues are to be dealt with privately, with proper counseling and chaplaincy staff. The document acknowledges that open forum discussion on these delicate issues could put students at risk, psychologically and spiritually. Prohibits activism , protest or advocacy of anything that is not in accord with the Catholic foundation of the school. A Staff Advisor must be present from start to finish of every Respecting Difference group meeting. The Staff Advisor "must be knowledgeable about and committed to Catholic teaching ". Any outside speakers must be respectful of Catholic teaching. All activities and groups "must be respectful of and consistent with Catholic teaching" All materials for "group use" or "school awareness" must be reviewed and approved by the staff advisor. Before permitting a group to be established, the Principal must review the student's proposal in advance, including the resources that the student plans to use, and then decide whether to allow it, or to amend the student's proposal if necessary. The chaplaincy leader will be invited to participate in group meetings. Responsibility for ensuring fidelity to Catholic teaching by these student groups and proper monitoring by the Staff Advisor, is appropriately placed squarely on the shoulders of the school Principal. Furthermore, the document makes some important clarifications that are helpful to steer Catholic educators onto the right path, especially amidst the deliberate attempt by the government and the gay lobby to muddy the waters around Catholic teaching. Some key points made in the document are: a. States that the primary teaching document of the Catholic Church is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. b. Clarifies that persons with same-sex attraction are called to chastity (as are heterosexuals). c. States that: "respect for difference" must be "discussed against a clear moral background". d. Clarifies that "Being tolerant of another person does not mean we have to accept that what he or she says is immune from moral evaluation or criticism". e. Clarifies that "it is possible to respect, affirm and support the dignity of another person, while at the same time disagreeing with their viewpoint on sexual morality". To read the Ontario Catholic Bishops' Respecting Difference document, published by OCSTA, click here . To read the media release sent January 27 by Campaign Life Catholics, click here . Now it will be necessary for all schools to ensure that both the letter and the spirit of this document is followed. That is an area where Catholic parents and ratepayers can get involved at their local school level. Involvement by parents is crucial especially since Dalton McGuinty's Equity & Inclusive Education policy has several more threats to the Catholic faith than just the GSA component. The problem still remains of all the other dangerous elements still in the curriculum such as LGBTTIQ gender theory, "homophobia" and "heterosexism" to name a few. A showdown brewing - McGuinty rejects the Bishops' guidelines The other unknown factor in this situation is just how totalitarian Dalton McGuinty will choose to behave. On January 30, four days after the Respecting Difference document was made public, the Education Minister Laurel Broten, told The Catholic Register that the document is unacceptable. Apparently, she was so confident in her bullying of the Catholic Church, that she did not expect the Bishops to have the gall to mandate "that all clubs and activities must be respectful of and consistent with Catholic teaching". It seems she expected them to simply surrrender the hearts and minds of Catholic children to the secular, anti-Catholic agenda of McGuinty and his gay-activist allies. Will Dalton and his pitbull Broten back down? Are they simply testing the bishops, to try and get further concessions from them? Minister Broten told The Catholic Register she rejects the Respecting Difference document, stating "We've been absolutely crystal clear that we expect students to participate in groups and have the issues important to them talked about". She insists that Catholic schools must allow single-issue, homosexual clubs. Therefore, it is possible that this will head into a court battle between the Catholic Church and Dalton McGuinty. Please take the time to encourage Ontario's bishops to stand firm against the government, and if necessary, to tell Premier McGuinty, "We'll see you in court". Encourage our bishops to defend Catholic constitutional rights as guaranted in Section 93 of the Constitution Act, 1867. Contact info for Ontario bishops can be found here .

prohibiting homosexual activism On June 5th, after MPPs passed Bill 13 by a vote of 65 to 36, Cardinal Thomas Collins, president of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario issued a brief statement in which it appears that he will comply with the legislation and permit the homosexual-activist clubs known as "Gay-Straight Alliances" in Catholic schools.

Boston Symphony Orchestra principal flutist Elizabeth Rowe is suing her employers for $200,000 in damages. The reason: her closest counterpart in the orchestra, a man, is making a shitload more money for doing almost the same damn job as she does. Rowe's lawsuit was filed one day after the state of Massachusetts brought its equal pay law into effect. Before slamming the Boston Symphony Orchestra with her suit, Rowe attempted, on a number of occasions, to sort the issue of the pay gap out amiably and out of court. Since the Orchestra wouldn't own up and do the right thing, I suspect they will now be skinned alive under the state's wicked harsh new pay equality laws. From NPR : Rowe was hired for the Boston Symphony's top flutist job in 2004 -- a high-profile and extremely competitive position at one of the world's foremost orchestras. According to her suit, she has been profiled as a soloist with the orchestra 27 times in the years since she was hired -- more than any other BSO principal musician -- and that the orchestra has repeatedly highlighted her in its marketing, publicity and social media materials. Rowe says that she is currently the top-paid female principal player in the BSO, while the BSO's principal oboist, John Ferrillo, is the symphony's top-paid male principal musician. According to the BSO's 2016 IRS Form 990, Ferrillo was paid $286,621, the largest salary paid to any BSO principal musician. (Violinist Malcolm Lowe -- the orchestra's concertmaster, who serves as something of a liaison between the symphony's musicians and its conductor -- earned $415,402 in 2016.) The BSO's three other highest-paid musicians -- its principal trumpet, principal viola and timpanist -- are all male. Read the rest Dr. Joon Song, a gynecologist in New York, has filed a $1 million lawsuit against Michelle Levine for leaving bad reviews on Yelp and other review sites. From CBS : "After I got a bill for an ultrasound and a new patient visit, whatever that means, and it was not billed as an annual I wrote a review about it," she told CBS2's Lisa Rozner. She says she complained to the doctor's office, but nothing happened. The lengthy critical review, among other things, complained of "very poor and crooked" business practices and was posted on sites like Yelp, Zocdoc, and Healthgrades. "And I gave them one star on Facebook, which they also put in their complaint," Levine said. After getting sued, Levine says she took down all her reviews but Dr. Song still wants her to pay around $1 million in damages plus legal fees. Levine has so far spent $20,000 defending herself against the lawsuit. Dr. Song's attorney told CBS: "While everyone is entitled to their opinion, outright lies masquerading as reviews can inflict serious damage to a medical practice or small business." Three former CBS employees are suing television journalist and talk show host Charlie Rose for sexual harassment and threatening their jobs when they were in their 20s. The lawsuit, which was filed in the New York Supreme Court today, "alleges that Rose habitually made sexually suggestive comments and engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with the three employees," reports Variety . The lawsuit also complains that CBS executives knew that Rose routinely harassed women but did not warn new employees. From the lawsuit : At various times, Mr. Rose threatened to fire Plaintiffs, intimidated them and/or verbally abused them as part of his predatory behavior, sexual dominance over them, and retaliation against them. A few examples of his conduct include: (a)Mr. Rose told Ms. Harris that she lacked skills and talent and "I didn't know that I hired a fucking kindergartner;" (b)Mr. Rose told Ms. McNeal "you can't be a fucking idiot and have this job"; and (c)Mr. Rose told Ms. Wei she was a "fucking idiot" for booking a flight on a plane that did not have flat folding seats, when Ms. Wei had previously advised Mr. Rose of same before booking the flight Read the rest Mark Frauenfelder / 12:44 pm Mon, Sep 12, 2016 In May 2014, Carla Denise Garrison's 8-year-old daughter picked up a hypodermic needle in the parking lot of a Target in Anderson, South Carolina. When Garrison swatted the needle away from her daughter, she accidentally jabbed herself with the needle. Garrison was prescribed medication to prevent contracting diseases from the needle, which made her bedridden. She asked Target to pay $12,000 to cover her medical bills. Target said no, so she sued Target and was awarded $4.6 million. From USA Today : According to court documents, the HIV drugs made Garrison sick and caused her to be bedridden. Garrison's husband, Clint, had to take time off work to care for her, according to her attorney. "When we started this, we were just trying to get Target to make my client whole, to pay for her medical bills and the time that her husband had to take off work," said Garrison's attorney, Joshua Hawkins of Greenville. "We tried to be reasonable and not take this to trial. But Target took a really hard stance on it ... and I think the jury sent a message." Read the rest The Daily Beast openly suggests (albeit with a "Betteridge" headline) that Ailes is the "next Bill Cosby." The impression that presenters are hired at Fox to someone's tastes has long been in play; there's no mystery regarding whose. In response to learning of Carlson's complaints, Carlson's lawsuit alleges, Ailes purportedly responded by calling Carlson a "man hater" and telling her she needed to learn to "get along with the boys." The lawsuit cites examples of Ailes' alleged sexual and sexist comments, including claims that Ailes engaged in "ogling Carlson in his office and asking her to turn around so he could view her posterior," "commenting repeatedly about Carlson's legs," and "claiming that Carlson saw everything as if it 'only rains on women' and admonishing her to stop worrying about being treated equally and 'getting offended so God damn easy about everything.'" Read the rest AMC claims that spoilers (and even predictions ) of its show, The Walking Dead , infringe copyright. As spoilers are other people's descriptions of something they've seen, in their own words, this would put all unauthorized reviews and commentary in the same boat. But that hasn't stopped it issuing legal threats to fans . AMC finally reached out to us! But it wasn't a request not to post any info about the Lucille Victim or any type of friendly attempt at compromise, it was a cease and desist and a threat of a lawsuit by AMC Holdings, LLC's attorney, Dennis Wilson. They say we can't make any type of prediction about the Lucille Victim. Their stance is that making such a prediction would be considered copyright infringement. AMC tells us that we made some claim somewhere that says we received "copyright protected, trade secret information about the most critical plot information in the unreleased next season of The Walking Dead" and that we announced we were going to disclose this protected information. We still aren't sure where we supposedly made this claim because they did not identify where it was. ... Basically what it all comes down to is if we post our Lucille Victim prediction and we're right, AMC says they will sue us. Whether there are grounds for it or not is not the issue, it still costs money to defend. That is the way our justice system works. Would we have defenses? Sure. But it also costs money to mount that defense. Read the rest Alternative subtitle: "No matter who wins, we news." In 2001, a Mississippi chicken breeder claimed a lumber company inflicted $300,000 worth of damage to his pasture. The New York Times' Brett Weiner dramatized a bizarre deposition from the lawsuit, using dialogue completely verbatim to the official transcripts. From the original story : As I research legal transcripts for the Op-Doc video series "Verbatim," I search for unusually worded arguments and objections that tell us something about our judicial process. The transcript dramatized for this latest episode hooked me when I read how a plaintiff explained himself to a roomful of captive lawyers, telling them simply: "Because I follow the chicken." The case involves a plaintiff suing a lumber company for damaging his land and chicken coop. As the deposition goes on, the plaintiff answers simple questions with increasingly absurd non sequiturs, which become immortalized in the legal record. Because the "Verbatim" series is about reinterpretation, I don't try to recreate the body language and tone of voice used during the actual deposition. Instead, I use the transcripts as the basis for a heightened atmosphere -- and a film that expresses a point of view about our legal system. Fortunately, these "Follow the Chicken" transcripts are a wonderful starting point for my approach See also "Photocopier," wherein the Cuyahoga County Records department was sued for charging $2 per page and a staffer played dumb over whether or not he knew what a photocopier was.

Boston Symphony Orchestra principal flutist Elizabeth Rowe is suing her employers for $200,000 in damages. The reason: her closest counterpart in the orchestra, a man, is making a shitload more money for doing almost the same damn job as she does.

That was the question asked by Denver University Professor Alan Gilbert during the morning panel. Here is the answer I gave, as best as I can reconstruct it: The question is: "Is there hope for the rule of law in America?" My answer is: No. Begin with the assassination of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham and Prime Minister to King Charles I Stuart, on 23 August 1628. Nobody at the time doubted the king's power to torture the confessed assassin, John Felton, on the rack--the king's father James I Stuart had tortured Guy Fawkes and the other Gunpowder Plot suspects. But the king's power to torture was part of his prerogative powers of state, and Charles I Stuart sought to reserve his prerogative powers for use in more important arenas--that is, to raise money with them. Thus Charles I asked his judges to authorize the torture of John Felton not as an act of state under the royal prerogative but as part of the process of the criminal law. And let's let William Blackstone pick up the story at IV, 25, 326 of his Commentaries on the Laws of England: [T]rial by rack is utterly unknown to the law of England; though once... [the] ministers of Henry IV [Lancaster]... laid a design to introduce the civil law into the kingdom as a rule of government... erected a rack for torture, which was called in derision the Duke of Exeter's daughter, and still remains in the Tower of London; where it was occasionally used as an engine of state, not of law, more than once in the reign of queen Elizabeth. But when, upon the assassination of Villiers, duke of Buckingham, by Felton, it was proposed in the privy council to put the assassin to the rack in order to discover his accomplices, the judges, being consulted, declared unanimously, to their own honour and the honour of English law, that no such proceeding was allowable by the laws of England... With the Great Revolution of the 1640s the prerogative powers of the monarch of the United Kingdom shrank. And with the Glorious Revolution they shrank again. And with the accession of the German-speaking Hanover dynasty they shrank yet again. And by 1789, when James Madison and company moved the then-powers of the monarch of the United Kingdom to make them the powers of the President of the United States, there were no prerogative powers left: the President was 100% Chief Magistrate with the power and the duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and 0% princeps legibus solutus . So things stood for 200 years--save for Abraham Lincoln's arrogation to himself of Congress's Art. I SS9 power to suspend the "privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in "cases of rebellion or invasion" but only when such suspension was "required" for the public safety. So things stood until John Yoo. Now John Yoo is an interesting case. In 2000 he was arguing at the Cato Institute that the President's powers as commander-in-chief were extremely crabbed and narrow--and that President Clinton had, in fact, exceeded his c-in-c powers and undermined the rule of law by ordering American soldiers to obey the orders of a British NATO general. That the president--or, indeed, that any commander--does not have the power to place American soldiers under allied command would have been a great shock to Dwight D. Eisenhower, or Harry S Truman, or Franklin D. Roosevelt, or Woodrow Wilson, or William McKinley, or indeed George Washington himself. Yoo's claim in 2000 had absolutely no warrant in the constitution, in the law, in precedent, or in history. But that is how it is with Yoo. Sources who should know and whom I believe to be reliable tell me that when his tenure case moved through the University of California at Berkeley, historians objected to his use of history in his published articles: "What the frackity-frack is this?" they asked. "This isn't history. This isn't how it happened. This isn't history wie es eigentlich gewesen ." The response of then then-Dean of Berkeley Law School, a response that was convincing to the then-Chancellor of the University of California is said, by sources I believe reliable, to have been that history plays a special role in legal academia and argument. In legal academia, one's claims about history do not have to be true, the argument went. Indeed, a major mode of legal argumentation and academic debate is to make false claims about what the law has been in past in the hope that those claims will then shape what the law will be in the future. By 2001, with a Republican as president, John Yoo had reversed field from his 2000 position by 180 degrees. He was making a very different set of false claims about what the law of America had been. He was then claiming that the president's commander-in-chief powers contained within them prerogative powers to torture and kill outside of legal procedure that would have astonished George III Hanover, and even exceeded those of William I Conqueror. When William I Conqueror tortured or killed his tenants-in-chief, he agreed he owed his barons at least an after-the-fact accounting of why, if not any before-the-fact procedural checks. Backed by John Yoo and company, George W. Bush claimed that he did not owe even an after-the-fact accounting. And Barack Obama holds to the same line. So I see no hope.

That was the question asked by Denver University Professor Alan Gilbert during the morning panel. Here is the answer I gave, as best as I can reconstruct it: The question is: "Is there hope for the rule of law in America?" and still remains in the Tower of London

When Vice President walked out of the Colts game this weekend, he thought he was just following orders from his toddler-in-chief. However, some found the Vice President's behavior to be nothing short of revolting. Of course, Trump praised Pence for doing as instructed and leaving when the player kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial injustice in America. But one Republican strategist in particular early blasted Pence for walking out of an NFL game in Indianapolis, calling the vice president's behavior "utterly appalling," The Hill reports. MSNB strategist Steve Schmidt told "Morning Joe" hosts that the act was"Utterly appalling, wasteful, profligate, disgusting behavior from the vice president. He ought to be ashamed of himself." Nonetheless, as instructed by his boss, Pence and his wife left the Colts game on Sunday after some San Francisco 49ers kneeled during the anthem. What's more, many think this act goes beyond following orders and that the entire escapade was staged to carry out some elaborate public relations stunt by the administration. The problem with that is it was paid for by taxpayer dollars. In fact, many are calling Pence's actions a "political stunt." The fact that the trip to the game cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars has not helped his cause. Schmidt explained: "It's truly amazing. So he took Air Force Two, full package of Secret Service from Las Vegas to Indianapolis for a stunt, inconvenienced tens of thousands of Colts fans to, again, use the flag and the anthem as a prop." Do you agree with Schmidt? Was it all an elaborate ruse? Furthermore, should Pence be required to pay back taxpayer money he wasted in order to make a very expensive point that perhaps backfired in his face? Watch the entire discussion below and comment with your thoughts.

When Vice President walked out of the Colts game this weekend, he thought he was just following orders from his toddler-in-chief

A black female doctor was greeted with racism as she offered to help a sick passenger on a Delta flight. Tamika Cross, a doctor who is completing her residency at McGovern Medical School at University of Texas-Houston, tried to help a sick passenger on a Delta flight flying to Houston from Detroit, but was told to "sit down" by a stewardess. The condescending Stewardess called Cross "sweetie" and explained that they didn't believe she was a doctor. The stewardess proceeded to ask an older white man for his help instead. Later on, Cross showed her credentials, to which the Stewardess still expressed disbelief. After the situation worsened, the stewardess approached Cross and begged her for her help and offered her free air miles to make up for her insulting behavior. Cross took to Facebook and ripped Delta apart for their blatant racism. Recounting the story, Cross remembered the stewardess dismissing her and saying they needed real doctors. "I raised my hand to grab her attention. She said to me 'oh no sweetie put ur (sic) hand down, we are looking for actual physicians or nurses or some type of medical personnel, we don't have time to talk to you.'" "I tried to inform her that I was a physician but I was continually cut off by condescending remarks," she said. After receiving no help, they requested the help of a physician over the ship's intercom. Cross promptly pressed the button to get the attention of the cabin crew. "She said 'oh wow you're an actual physician?' I reply yes. She said, 'let me see your credentials.'" "'What type of Doctor are you? Where do you work? Why were you in Detroit?' (Please remember this man is still in need of help and she is blocking my row from even standing up while bombarding me with questions)." Around that time, an older white male doctor was selected over Cross. Cross made it clear that this wasn't a situation that could be smoothed over by simple air miles. "I don't want skymiles in exchange for blatant discrimination. Whether this was race, age, gender discrimination, it's not right" she said. Delta issued a statement on Thursday, saying that they were investigating the incident and that "discrimination of any kind is never acceptable."

A black female doctor was greeted with racism as she offered to help a sick passenger on a Delta flight

Immediately upon leaving the European Union (EU), Britain will seek to drastically reduce immigration. The news comes from leaked documents obtained by The Guardian newspaper. The two key proposals include limiting the amount of migration... President Donald Trump "blindsides" the GOP by agreeing to a deal with leading Democrats on a "short-term bump" in the debt ceiling. Republicans are shocked that the president would cut them out of the deal... Editor's Note: This is the third part of a multi-part series of an Exclusive Interview with former Deputy Assistant to the President, Dr. Sebastian Gorka. In this series, Dr. Gorka talks about the MAGA platform... UPDATED Developments at end of article. DALLAS - A statue of Robert E. Lee in Dallas' Lee Park will be removed from public display following a city council vote on Wednesday. The vote passed 13-1. The... The Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, has announced in response to President Trump's decision on DACA, that his city will continue to welcome Dreamers and that Chicago will be a "Trump-Free Zone." The contentious mayor,... North Korea threatened the United States once again Tuesday, vowing to send more "gift packages" similar to its recent underground nuclear weapons test. The ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the... US Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp signed an emergency order on Monday to allow seizure of private guns, ammunition, explosives and property that the National Guard may need to respond to Hurricane Irma. Gov. Mapp... In an interview with Spain's El Mundo last week, EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, Gilles de Kerchove claimed that there are over 50,000 radical Islamists currently living in the European Union. He told the Spanish newspaper that... Editor's Note: This is the second part of a multi-part series, Exclusive Interview with former Deputy Assistant to the President, Dr. Sebastian Gorka. In this series, Dr. Gorka talks about the MAGA platform and current... Companies that hire summer and seasonal workers have been "forced" to hire American workers due to President Trump's crackdown on visa schemes and illegal immigration. Businesses are having to pay more for American workers, which... The controversial program that allows children of illegal immigrants to gain work permits has been a major topic in immigration debate since it was introduced under former president Barack Obama. After campaigning on repealing the... UPDATED: School District Response Below Article. On Thursday, a high school teacher removed two students from her class because they were wearing T-Shirts with President Trump's slogans on them. She then compared the term "Make... North Korea announced Sunday afternoon that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb ready to be deployed via its newly-developed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The statement followed an earthquake detected by South Korea's meteorological agency... Smallpox is thought to only exist in small quantities in two places in the world; both carefully controlled, high-security environments. One is in Atlanta, and the other in Russia. However, questions are being raised after... An unnamed police deputy from Sacramento has penned a heartfelt letter of anger and frustration in response to the vitriol and hatred being propagated by "activist groups." The deputy (known only as Deputy Matt), submitted... Los Angeles City Council this week voted to rescind its ban on ultracompact firearms after facing increasing pressure from pro-second amendment groups. Mayor Eric Garcetti is set to sign off the decision, which passed 12... The amnesty program, created under former president Barack Obama, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) looks set to be taken down by President Trump this week. A study by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg's FWD.us group -... One of President Donald Trump's main campaign promises, and his most contentious issue to date, was to build a southern border wall between Mexico and the U.S. Since his inauguration, there has been significant pushback... American historical monuments continue to be vandalized and removed as the cultural debate makes its way to Australia. After a violent clash between white nationalists, Antifa and other counterprotestors in Charlottesville, Virginia earlier this month,... The US Defense Secretary, Gen. James Mattis, has announced that contrary to President Trump's transgender military service order, transgender service members will be allowed to continue to serve until such time as a report with...

This is the third part of a multi-part series of an Exclusive Interview with former Deputy Assistant to the President, Dr. Sebastian Gorka

Aljazeera English (below) asks whether the Syria crisis will spill over onto neighbors and what impact it may have on the region. Aljazeera English reports: In fact, the longer the crisis goes on, the more likely it is that it will have consequences for its neighbors... 5. As Syrian refugees flow into Turkey, the possibility [...] Clouds rolled in and wept tears on the field. Without wine, purple flowers cannot grow. The greenery provides pleasant scenery for me today. For whose delight will my remains nurture grass tomorrow? Translated by Juan Cole from [pdf] Whinfield 73 Ben White writes in a guest editorial for Informed Comment: It has just come out that the Israeli military has earmarked ten percent of the land in the Occupied West bank for Israeli settlements. In addition, the Israeli government is moving forward with an outrageous plan that will mean the expulsion of tens of thousands [...] The Arab League is meeting in Baghdad for the first time in 22 years, in the absence of long-time fixtures such as Zein El Abidin Ben Ali of Tunisia, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Muammar Qaddafi of Libya, and Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen- all overthrown by the popular uprisings of 2011-12. Of the remaining two [...] The good and bad that are in human nature, the joy and grief that are in fate and destiny- do not attribute them to the movement of heavenly bodies; for according to the path of science, the stars are a thousand times more helpless than you. Translated by Juan Cole from [pdf] Whinfield 96 Below, the USG Open Source Center translates an article from Russian about President Dmitry Medvedev's reaction to Mitt Romney calling Russia the "number one geopolitical foe" of the United States. The Russian leader reminded Romney that the Cold War has been over for a while, suggested that he has seen too many Hollywood movies, and [...]

It has just come out that the Israeli military has earmarked ten percent of the land in the Occupied West bank for Israeli settlements. In addition, the Israeli government is moving forward with an outrageous plan that will mean the expulsion of tens of thousands [...]

Images via screenshots/YouTube. Fox News's 20th anniversary is today, and everything is going really well on their end. Sean Hannity and Megyn Kelly are great friends , no one is suing anyone for sexual harassment, and Hillary Clinton recently spontaneously combusted, raining a cascade of green goo and Benghazi dust onto a New York City sidewalk. Here are some things you can do to honor this special day. 1. Ask a Chinese person if they "know Karate." 2. Remind your friends and loved ones that Santa is actually white . 3. Approach a friend and demand she do a "twirl." 4. Refuse to believe the testimonies of multiple female colleagues who alleged that your disgusting boss sexually harassed them. 5. Walk into oncoming traffic and shriek: "What's next, dolphin-human marriage?!" 6. Construct an argument around a completely made-up poll, chart, or graphic. 7. Get very angry with Beyonce. 8. Ask groups of white men for their opinions on women's interest topics. 9. Suggest that perhaps we ought to get rid of Black History Month. 10. Treat conspiracy theories like interesting facts. 11. Refer to the staff of Jezebel.com as "a bunch of angry chicks that just hate on really attractive women." 12. Photoshop pictures of people who are smarter than you to make them look like 12th century anti-Semitic propaganda. 13. Suggest that an innocent teenager deserved to die. 14. Have a public meltdown. 15. Fall in love with a demagogue. 16. Give your coworker a "terrorist fist jab." 17. Destroy the world. 18. Tell a liar he's right. 20. Blow out your hair, put on high heels and a curve-hugging dress, and walk around a Bible in circles for several hours until you finally collapse. Happy anniversary, y'all!

Fox News's 20th anniversary is today, and everything is going really well on their end. Sean Hannity and Megyn Kelly are great friends , no one is suing anyone for sexual harassment, and Hillary Clinton recently spontaneously combusted, raining a cascade of green goo and Benghazi dust onto a New York City sidewalk

After living under decades of Israeli occupation, Palestinian Bedouins now face an Israeli plan for their forced displacement to urban areas, which, they say, do not suit their nomadic lifestyle. Abu Raed, a 66-year-old leader of a Palestinian Bedouin community near Jerusalem, described the Israeli plan as "the worst threat we have ever faced." The area where he and his family live was labeled by the Israeli government "E1" - one of Israel's settlement expansion plans that was approved by the Israeli authorities in 1999 but was delayed due the international pressure. If realised, the E1 plan, which aims to build new Jewish settlements on an area of 12,000 dunams, will link the settlements of Ma'ale Adumim, Mishor Adumim and Kfar Adumim in the occupied West Bank to East Jerusalem. One dunam of land is roughly equivalent to 1,000 square meters. To achieve this, Israeli authorities will relocate Raed's family, along with many Bedouin communities, to the Jordan Valley near Jericho. "We heard that the Israelis would bring thousands of outsiders into this land, which would mean forced displacement for us. All the Jewish settlements around will be combined and united with Jerusalem," Abu Raed told Anadolu Agency . He said that moving into an urban township would bring their traditional lifestyle - which they have enjoyed for centuries - to an end. "Our life depends on livestock. We cannot live in the city. That is against our lifestyle. We cannot feed and water our livestock in a city," he lamented. Palestinian Bedouin, he said, also fear losing the privilege of keeping at least 200 meters between their homes, in accordance with their traditions - a custom that would become untenable in the city. "Bedouin women don't associate with outsiders, but in a crowded town, they won't be able to keep this tradition anymore," he said. "City life is totally against our lifestyle. We are shepherds. We only know how to feed animals. We will be like brutes in the city," he added. He asserted that they didn't reject modernity. They just want to become a modern society - but in the mountains instead of the city. Asking European countries to help them against the settlement plan, Abu Raed voiced fear that there would be no local Palestinian village left in the area if Israel forced them off the land. "It is impossible to bring peace with this kind of eviction plan," he argued. Last month, Israeli daily Haaretz reported that the European Union sought to persuade Israel not to take a series of moves in the occupied West Bank deemed "red lines" by the union - including settlement building in the E1 area. According to the paper, the European Union believes that crossing any of these "red lines" by Israel could undermine the possibility of a future Palestinian state alongside Israel - a risk that could draw further European sanctions against Israel. The roots of the Israel-Palestine conflict date back to 1917, when the British government, in the now-famous "Balfour Declaration," called for "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people." Jewish immigration rose considerably under the British administration of Palestine, which was consolidated by a League of Nations "mandate" in 1922. In 1948, with the end of the mandate, a new state - Israel - was declared inside historical Palestine. As a result, some 700,000 Palestinians fled their homes, or were forcibly expelled, while hundreds of Palestinian villages and cities were razed to the ground by invading Jewish forces. Israel went on to occupy East Jerusalem and the West Bank during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state - a move never recognized by the international community. Palestinians, for their part, continue to demand the establishment of an independent state in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, with East Jerusalem - currently occupied by Israel - as its capital. History of displacement Mohamed al-Korshan, head of the Jerusalem Bedouin Cooperative Committee, an NGO, says the Bedouin living in Khan al-Ahmar had taken refuge in the area after becoming refugees when Israel was created in 1948. According to al-Korshan, the Bedouin tribesmen who lost their land in the wake of the creation of Israel had settled in the Khan al-Ahmar area, refusing - for two main reasons - to move into refugee camps. "Firstly, we thought we would get back our land very soon. And the second reason was to keep our traditional lifestyle," he said. "We currently live near Jerusalem; we don't want to move away from the holy city due to its religious and commercial significance," he added. "Israel's construction of the separation barrier has already isolated us from Jerusalem," al-Korshan lamented. According to the Ramallah-based Palestinian government, the separation barrier - which snakes through the West Bank, isolating large swathes of Palestinian territory - cuts some 50,000 Palestinian residents of Jerusalem off from the city center. Sacred to both Muslims and Jews, Jerusalem is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which for Muslims represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times. International law regards the West Bank and East Jerusalem as occupied territories and all Jewish settlement building in these areas as illegal. Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered construction of a further 1,060 Jewish-only housing units in East Jerusalem in a move that drew Palestinian, Arab and international condemnation. Palestinians already accuse Israel of waging an aggressive campaign to "Judaize" the historic city with the aim of effacing its Arab and Islamic identity and ultimately driving out its Palestinian inhabitants. Legal fight Al-Korshan said that Bedouin communities' access to natural resources, such as fresh water and natural grasses for their livestock, were restricted after the 1967 war. "Natural resources now go mainly to the settlers living around us," he said. "The area where we live used to be considered 'empty land' by Israel - as if we had never existed." In order to avoid forced eviction, the Jerusalem Bedouin Cooperative Committee is bracing to fight the plan in court. "Israel is making plans about us without consulting with us. We are now in coordination with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and the Palestinian Authority," he said. According to Israeli law, any relocation plan must be published in two Hebrew-language newspapers and one English-language newspaper, so that it might be discussed for 60 days before being implemented. However, al-Korshan said Israel had only shared the E1 plan with Jewish settlers, thus violating its own law. "Our Israeli lawyers said that Israel's plan for us is not transparent; that it was prepared behind closed doors," he said. Yet in a worst-case scenario, the committee is working on a plan aimed at allowing relocated communities to retain their traditional lifestyles - even if they have to move to a different area. "We are working on an alternative plan, but we have not submitted it yet to Israeli authorities," he said. In August, Israeli authorities published six municipal plans, according to which 7,000 Bedouin would be relocated to townships. One of these towns is Al-Nuway'imah, a Palestinian Bedouin community located just outside Jericho in the West Bank. It is surrounded by Jewish settlements and Israeli military bases. Abu Faisla, a Bedouin leader in Al-Nuway'imah, fears that if other Bedouin communities in Khan al-Ahmar were to relocate here, there would be hostility between local residents and the newcomers. "We live on little land. If the Bedouin communities in Khan al-Ahmar moved in, the land would be overcrowded," he said. "Each Bedouin community has its own traditions. Mixing us [together] as a big town might start a fight between us," he warned. He believes that, by this plan, Israel wants to play Bedouin communities off against one another. "If Israel goes ahead with the E1 plan, we won't be able to live as we have lived for centuries," he said. This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License . If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them. What does that mean? For permissions beyond the scope of this license, please contact us . Spotted an error on this page? Let us know

After living under decades of Israeli occupation, Palestinian Bedouins now face an Israeli plan for their forced displacement to urban areas, which, they say, do not suit their nomadic lifestyle

At an event for Iowa's largest anti-gay group The Family Leader, 2012 presidential hopeful Herman Cain told Marie Diamond of Think Progress that he would not have a problem appointing an openly gay person to his cabinet -- because at least they're not a Muslim ! Said Cain: Nope, not at all. I wouldn't have a problem with that at all. I just want people who are qualified, I want them to believe in the Constitution of the United States of America. So yep, I don't have a problem with appointing an openly gay person. Because they're not going to try to put sharia law in our laws. Watch the clip, AFTER THE JUMP ... Cain made the comments while standing next to anti-gay activist Bob Vanderplaats, whose campaign last year successfully ousted three Supreme Court judges for their rulings legalizing marriage equality. The Des Moines Register made note of other portions of Cain's speech : "The retired Georgia businessman wove several references to God into his speech to 140 Pella-area conservatives, saying that laws come from God and that 'the biblical purpose for government is to punish evil and encourage good.' He later quoted the book of Matthew." On a side note, Chris Barron of gay conservative group GOProud offered Cain "kudos" for the support . Previously... Cain, Palin See Big Gains in Presidential Polling in Iowa [tr]

At an event for Iowa's largest anti-gay group The Family Leader, 2012 presidential hopeful Herman Cain told Marie Diamond of Think Progress that he would not have a problem appointing an openly gay person to his cabinet -- because at least they're not a Muslim !

Unlike a lot of tribalistic, single-issue trolls who rage on Twitter, I can generally sit down and have a beer and a few laughs with anyone. Yes, even people who identify as feminist. Let me blow your mind: not all feminists are the love children of Vox and BuzzFeed. A genderless VoxBuzz. Half woman, half screeching hippopotamus. However, some feminists are that demented swamp thing. Like Lena Dunham (see Lena Dunham Blames Her Weight Loss on... Donald Trump and Sexism? Lena Dunham: Extinction of White Men Would Lead to 'Evolution of Better Men...' ). Who is every bad leftist stereotype rolled into one oozing Pixar villian. Think Serpentor from the old G.I. Joe comics. Here Millennials, let me help you with that reference . That's the only logical excuse for tweets like this. https://twitter.com/lenadunham/status/1004941784357597186 Why are you the way you are? The tweet was from 12:30 in the morning. Maybe there was some Pinot involved. I'm sure she meant this to be an analogy for something. But that didn't stop the Internet from doing Internet things. https://twitter.com/mthrfcknnature/status/1004953290998722560 https://twitter.com/_NotYourMom/status/1004947001086099456 Why do you have to make everything sound so wrong? since when did we feminists start hating men? it's okay for humans to look out for each other. I have seen my guy friends help out each other. It's not like they think women are incapable. It's just looking out for one another. -- Stay_Unbasic (@Stay_Unbasic) June 8, 2018 This one is my favorite: What if you were in Sesame Street and the manhole was a banana peel? Would you go off on Elmo? Nothing would improve your image more than shouting down Elmo for being kind. You are so Grover, too! Highly recommend the book, BTW. pic.twitter.com/BqZYQ1S20I -- James Maxwell (@JamesMaxwell3) June 8, 2018 It's Friday. It's been a long week. Tell me it doesn't feel good to laugh. Also, Lena, we're still going to tell you to watch your step if you're about to tumble into a pile of dog sh!t, manhole, or puddle of Hillary Clinton's former body. Because we're still decent human beings even if your preferred gender pronoun is "pile of garbage." NOT SUBSCRIBED TO THE PODCAST? FIX THAT ! IT'S COMPLETELY FREE ON BOTH ITUNES HERE AND SOUNDCLOUD HERE .

However, some feminists are that demented swamp thing. Like Lena Dunham

When Parenthood says its final goodbye to the Braverman family this Thursday, we'll lose something very important. I'm not just talking about the end of a mini-feel-good-TV era. (We'll still have a few sappy, good-hearted shows to sustain us, but how can Parenthood and Parks and Recreation leave us at the same time!?) I'm talking about your weekly Parenthood cry. You know the one. For six seasons the show would give us the weekly excuse to let it all out. While the Bravermans celebrated their minor victories, mourned their defeats, and took solace in each other, we, the viewer, felt it all right with them. At the end of each episode, everything that had built up over the past week, months, years, came out in one Parenthood -enabled ugly cry. Usually to the gentle strains of some carefully selected soft-rock ballad. Oh Parenthood , you beautiful, cathartic bastard, what will we do without you? And just how did Parenthood do it? With pulse-pounding plot twists, emotionally manipulative murders, or nail-biting cliffhangers? No. Never. Sure, the show had a dramatic cancer plot, an ill-advised infidelity plot, and will likely end with a major death in family. But these are all things that happen in real life to real families. Parenthood is a holdover from a different age of television, but it never felt out of date or irrelevant. Chalk that up to great writing and great performances. Through Parenthood 's special brand of alchemy, little everyday moments become soaring triumphs. Not just the births, weddings, graduations, and deaths. But the late-night sibling dance parties, romantic games of mini-golf, and a kid's first home run. So, goodbye, Parenthood . We'll miss our weekly sob-fest. (I suppose, what, we'll have to start going to therapy now?) Here's a look back at the shows most emotional, tearjerking moments, one for each Braverman. Get Vanity Fair's HWD Newsletter Sign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood. E-mail Address Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement . Full Screen Photos: 1 / 16 16 Reasons Why We'll Miss Our Weekly Parenthood Sob-Fest Kristina Braverman Says Goodbye to Alex (S3E4) Kristina has had so many tear-jerking moments, particularly with her own kids and her battle with cancer in Season 4. (And we'll get there.) But it's also worth remembering the times the Braverman adults were able to parent kids who didn't even belong to them. The breakup between Haddie and Michael B. Jordan's Alex was devastating, but not for the usual romantic, teenage reasons. But because, for Alex, saying goodbye to Haddie meant saying goodbye to her family. His tearful parting hug to Kristina marks the end of a solid relationship based on earned trust and awkward fist bumps . Joel Graham Has a Game of Catch with His Son (S4E4) We're not going to talk about Season 5 Joel, and you can't make us. Instead, let's remember Joel as he was meant to be remembered: Super-Dad and Super-Husband extraordinaire. In the fourth season, Joel and Julia struggled to connect with their adopted son, Victor. For Joel, it was especially important to bond with his son over his favorite sport, baseball. (Baseball is big with the Bravermans in general.) Victor pushed back against Joel before finally succumbing and asking his new dad for a game of catch. Joel's beaming-dad face is all that's required to get the tears flowing. Eat your heart out, Kevin Costner . Max Braverman Wins the Election (S4E6) It's never easy to connect with Max. That's basically the whole point of Max. So he wasn't often the source of good, cathartic cries. The way Kristina and Adam reacted to him and his struggles with autism tugged at the heartstrings. But Max's most emotional moment came during this Student Council speech where he explained how his autism would make him an effective leader. The standing ovation he got from his classmates was as much a surprise to us as it was to him. Camille Braverman Goes to Italy (S5E5) One of the best plots of Season 5 involved Camille's struggle to exert her own independence. For most of the show's run, Camille played a supporting role in the drama affecting both her kids and the imposing Braverman paterfamilias, so it was wonderful to see her take a stand for what she wanted and strike out on her own. Adam Braverman Sits Vigil (S4E11) If you made it through Kristina's goodbye video to her kids with a single uncried tear still left in your head, congratulations. You're a robot. But if you did have any tears left to shed, you surely squeezed a few out for Adam, who, after watching the video, pleads for his wife to make it through her cancer treatment in one piece. (Spoiler alert: she did!) Amber Holt Gets Tough Love (S2E22) You could plaster the entire Internet with images of the wonderful Mae Whitman crying. Her tears are eloquent. Amber's eyes are often brimming (and when she cries, we cry), but this speech from her grandpa, Zeek, who dishes out some very tough love after she gets in a careless car accident), was enough to break even the most cynical watcher. He told Amber that when he was a soldier in Vietnam, he dreamed about her, and all his other future grandchildren, and that she didn't have the right to mess with his dreams. Sounds cheesy when written out, but Amber? Scared straight. The rest of us? Sobbing messes. Zeek Braverman Meets Baby Zeek (S6E12) That special bond between Amber and Zeek is a thread that runs all the way through the show. (It makes sense, he has a special relationship with her mother, too.) Once again, it may sound cheesy that this show will almost certainly end with Zeek Braverman's death and baby Zeek's birth, but Craig T. Nelson sells the hell out of this moment where a proud patriarch looks on his legacy and prepares himself to let go.

When Parenthood says its final goodbye to the Braverman family this Thursday, we'll lose something very important

Original illustration by Emilie Majarian for The Mary Sue. Welcome to Bond Girl, a series where we'll be re-watching and re-evaluating every James Bond film until Spectre's release. The 2006 version of Casino Royale is infinitely better than the version of the film that came out in 1967. Regardless of how you feel about Daniel Craig in the role, it's obvious early on that Craig is a better Bond than Niven and that the Bond franchise was never meant to be comedic. Even if I hadn't already watched the more recent Casino Royale a dozen times before ever even starting this recap project, I'd rank it higher than Niven's version of the film. But as it stands, I've always liked this version of Casino Royale , even with my complicated feelings towards the film. Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in Eon Production's James Bond franchise and Daniel Craig's first in the role. It's the third screen adaption of Fleming's 1953 novel Casino Royale and this one isn't a direct adaptation (although it's very close). This version of Casino Royale is a reboot that revolves around Bond at the start of his career and the earliest moments of his time as 007, when the ink on his licence to kill has barely dried. After stopping a terrorist attack at an airport in Miami (that looks nothing like the actual Miami International Airport, by the way), Bond ends up on the trail of a very dangerous man who actively finances terrorism (Mads Mikkelsen's Le Chiffre) and winds up falling in love with Vesper Lynd, a treasury employee with a secret. This movie really is set up to reintroduce us to James Bond. In this film, the man we're seeing tear his way through Madagascar and who shoots first, isn't the same character we've seen before. And that's something that's both fantastic and frustrating about Casino Royale as well as Daniel Craig's performance. Daniel Craig's James Bond is a whole new animal. He's new to MI6 and what the role of a 00 calls for, but he's established on killing. Part of the recurring themes of James Bond films--starting, mind you, with the non-Eon film Never Say Never --has been a lowkey conversation about how spies like James Bond are becoming obsolete and how they're little more than liabilities for their respective governments. With Casino Royale , we see what happens when you bring Fleming's book version of Bond into the twenty-first century. Where Brosnan was Eon brining the film version of the character into proper modernity, Craig's Bond is quite honestly a faithful vision of the original character from 1953 that has been brought into our time. The thing about James Bond in film is that for the most part, prior-to Craig, he's been portrayed as a character ho's very charming and very clever. He's a killer and he's good at it but he became known for his wit, his dry humor, and his ability to think his way out of a situation thanks to Q's gadgets and his own ingenuity. Craig's Bond? He's as likely to kill you as he is to kiss you. We see this from the start of the film. The opening of Casino Royale feels like it was pulled straight from a noir film. Done in black and white with Bond and his target--a section chief for MI6 that's been selling secrets--talking in an office building in Prague while their conversation is interspersed with flashbacks that show Craig's Bond fighting an assailant in his target's pocket. It's a brutal fight scene, one of many in the film, and it really sets the stage for what kind of Bond we're getting. Bond holds his assailant's head under water until he's unconscious (or as good as) and then, when the man tries to shoot him, Bond fires the first shot and kills him. And of course, Bond kills the section chief with a shot between the eyes, ending their rather one-sided conversation without much of a warning. Honestly, I have feelings about Craig's ultra-violent Bond that have been further complicated in the wake of Anthony Horowitz saying that Idris Elba was "too street" to play James Bond . ( Whether or not Horowitz intended to be racist isn't up for debate , but his use of coded language that combined classism and racism definitely is something that left me seething when I first heard about it on twitter.) Craig's Bond isn't exactly a suave portrayal of the character. His approach to international espionage is entirely to beat the crap out of people or kill him. He in fact obviously hates the fact that he can't shoot his way out of certain situations and that he can't just go in and shoot Le Chiffre in the head. He's a brute in a different way from Sean Connery's Bond or even Timothy Dalton's Bond (as he was the Bond actor whose films discomfited me the most as far as violence was concerned). And while there's nothing wrong with Bond as a hard hitting guy who sees killing as the easiest way to quell a situation, it's interesting that we're essentially seeing an argument that Idris Elba as an actor is "too 'street'" (essentially too rough and not suave enough) to play a character who spent his first rebooted movie bumbling through the field. One serious example of this is during the scene in Madagascar where Bond chases bomb-maker Mollaka through a construction site next to an embassy. I've seen people refer to it as Bond doing parkour. No. That's not at all what that scene is about and that is so not what Bond is doing. Bond is a mess in this scene. He's basically bursting through walls and stumbling over cords while chasing someone far more skilled than he will ever be in this arena. He's not graceful. He's not fluid. Honestly, Craig's Bond lacks a lot of the charisma of other Bond portrayals. He's just... kind of a mess that is finding his legs. Unfortunately, this path is very clumsily taken. Watching Craig's Bond bumble and blunder his way through international espionage is interesting to me because even in his most recent film, there's a marked focus on how different he is from the previous James Bond incarnations we've seen before. This Bond is uncomfortable in his bespoke suits and doesn't dive into wealth the way that previous Bonds have. Regardless of his backstory, the man that Bond is now isn't familiar with this luxury and he certainly isn't comfortable with it. In essence, Craig's Bond isn't suave. He's not portrayed as cultured. He's actually a bit of a brute. Despite his backstory, he's not what you would think of as filling this particular role. So to watch this movie and write about it while knowing that Black actors like Idris Elba are considered unfit for the role because they're considered too rough, too uncouth, is kind of upsetting. The usage of coded language is so painful because we can look at Craig's Bond crashing through scenery and dragging MI6 into public scrutiny and see that he didn't start out as this suave spy and he was given the chance to change opinions. Okay, with that said, it's not as if I dislike this portrayal of James Bond or the movie. The point of Casino Royale as a reboot is to showcase Bond's beginning. Not his backstory or his early time with MI6, but the early history of this character who has just gained a licence to kill and uses it without compunction. The movie succeeds at showing us Fleming's James Bond at an early part of his life and it has absolutely nothing to do with any of the films that we've seen before. Craig's Bond is absolutely unlike anything we've seen before in the franchise but it works. He's brutal and cruel at times, terrible with women (and that's saying a lot considering how we all watched Connery's questionable attempts at flirting), and he's actually seriously vulnerable here. It's not something that I was always looking for in these films because of my near singular focus on the women in the film, Bond's vulnerability and the idea that he's always generally a 'safe' character was shaken in Die Another Day but here - Yeah. We see Bond broken down in an entirely different way, coming close to death twice (once in the torture scene at Le Chiffre's hands and rope in an uncomfortable scene that shows Bond literally stripped of his defenses and placed at Le Chiffre's less than tender mercies). Bond's brave face is such a front and it's hard to watch him take the torture from Le Chiffre until he's all but screaming from the pain being inflicted on his body. Really, much of this movie revolves around Bond being tortured and pulled out of his limited comfort zone. He deals with physical torture as well as emotional. After dealing with the original torture, he has to then deal with the loss of the love of his life after she betrays him? How messed up is that? This is a Bond that hasn't lost Tracy (yet) and so this is set up to be his first meaningful loss and it's intense. Actually, all of Bond's emotions are intense. He doesn't do anything lukewarm in this film except kill--that seems to be easy for him. Throughout the film, we see Bond acting first and then dealing with those actions. He's impulsive and reckless. What he sees as the best set of actions often... isn't and that gets him into trouble with MI6 and with M. And oh... M. One big change in this rebooted film is M's position in Bond's life. Gone is much of the professional distance between M and 007. In this reboot, M is a more overt maternal figure to Bond. It's to a point where she even kind of puts Bond in a time out after the Madagascar incident winds up blasted across newspapers all over the world. M : I need you out of my sight. Go and stick your head in the sand somewhere and think about your future. She still kind of treats Bond with disdain but there's definitely a note to it that is leading towards a more maternal and personal relationship with Bond. It's weird. None of the M's that have interacted with Bond before or after Dame Judi Dench have been easing towards this sort of relationship. Even during Pierce Brosnan's run, the relationship between Bond and M was professional. The shift here towards framing M as Bond's 'mother figure' when no M before or after that has been placed in the 'father figure position' is something I have tons of questions about. Especially because it doesn't actually seem as though they like one another. At the same time that M sees him as a liability, he sees her as someone that's keeping him from doing what must be done, and we're supposed to see this maternal relationship (something that gets played up more and more until Skyfall 's conclusion). Actually, now that we're on the subject of Bond's relationship with M in Casino Royale , let's talk about the rest of his relationships with women in the film. James Bond has always been aggressive about going after the women that he's wanted (especially for the sake of his mission) and it doesn't change here. The first woman that we see sleeping with Bond is the wife of our first bad guy to go belly up. Solange Dimitrios is the wife of Alex Dimitrios and basically the sort of character you can't help but want good things for. We don't see much of her relationship with Alex, but what we do see is that he doesn't treat her very well. So when Bond shows up with her husband's car and a relatively roguish smile on his face, she tumbles into bed with him. I actually liked her scenes with Bond because Solange is one of those characters that I always wind up falling for in these movies. She's very similar to the model Bond Girl, but she's this kind of sweet character who admits openly that she knows that she's doing wrong by sleeping with him. Playful and very aware of the choices that she's made, she seems a good match for Bond who really is only interested in in the moment and the information. Once he gets it, he's gone, but we get the feeling that this sort of thing (picking up a lover while her husband is distracted or in a poor mood) is something that's probably par for the course for her. Of course, Solange's fate is sadly predictable. Wife of a bad guy who gets killed? The last person that'd know what Alex Dimitrios' plans would be? Of course she gets tortured and killed. Of course. From the moment that she picked up the phone to speak with her husband while she and Bond were rolling around on the floor, we knew that her fate was sealed. Because neither the organization that Dimitrios worked for before his death nor Le Chiffre take kindly to betrayals, even the accidental kind. I do think that her death, while really horrible, doesn't quite count as a fridging. I did think it did for the longest time but while her death might not count as a fridging, it's still one of those angry-making moments in Bond history. Why? Because Bond doesn't care. He doesn't look as if he's moved by Solange's torture or her death, something that M points out in the scene. Sure, it's one of those logical ends. Of course, Solange has to die as she's the last loose end. However, the way that Bond reacts to her death--or rather, the very obvious non-reaction--is something that reinforces something that many people believe about Bond and how he feels about women. Even with Vesper Lynd, the woman that Bond falls hard for over the course of the film, you're sitting there and frowning at the screen because he's kind of a jerk to her. Even when he's being sensitive, you find yourself waiting for the other shoe to drop. And of course, other shoe drops and it drops hard. At first, Vesper and Bond's relationship is contentious. He tries to read her and she successfully reads him. She's resistant to his charms (laughing outright when he tries to use a line on her after the poker scenes in Montenegro), just as acerbically witty as he is, and clever. We see the relationship start to shift after Bond's fight with Steven Obanno, a leader of a Ugandan terrorist group that has given money to Le Chiffre to invest. Because Vesper "helps" Bond kill him, she becomes traumatized and convinced that she has blood on her hands. When Bond finds her in the shower, still fully dressed and shaking, he does the unthinkable. He helps. He gets into the shower and comforts her, showing a very unexpected moment of sympathy. (Of course in a scene a few minutes later, he grabs Vesper and holds her arms tight enough to hurt her so Bond isn't even close to perfect with his treatment of women...). Even after their victory, there's still a distance between them. But the aftermath of the torture from Le Chiffre and his associates, things change. James Bond falls for Vesper and she falls for him in return. It's love, fast burning and hot. And that's why it can't end well. Because the thing is, it's Vesper. Like Tracy Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service , the one constant is that she dies and leaves an indelible imprint on Bond's heart. Unlike Tracy though, Vesper betrays Bond before that. She's the first person that Bond opens up to and the first person that seriously breaks his trust. The realization when it hits Bond that she's betrayed him and their country is kind of heartbreaking because she cracked his shell. They were adorable and happy together and then--WHAM. She shatters him. Regardless, he does try to rescue her. He does. Charging after Vesper and the henchmen that've been pulling her strings, he does try to save her. We get some unbelievably gory scenes in this attempt (including a moment where Bond shoots a henchman in the eye with a nail gun ) and yet, Vesper still dies. Vesper Lynd's death is just tragic. It's weird because it's hard to classify. Is it a fridging or is it a sacrifice? Vesper isn't killed to drive Bond's pain--though her death does manage to shore up his desire to get to the bottom of it all. In fact, Vesper's death is actually a suicide. She refuses to allow Bond to save her, dropping the key to the elevator cage to the ground into the water beneath her on purpose because of her guilt. By the time that he does manage to get her out of the elevator, it's too late and Vesper doesn't revive when he performs CPR on her. After the fact of course, Bond finds out from M that Vesper's boyfriend was kidnapped by that shady organization and blackmailed into cooperation. Too late for anyone to do anything about it, but In that same scene when Bond reaches M, they have the following, telling exchange: M : Get back as soon as you can. We need you. Bond : Will do. M : If you do need time... Bond : Why should I need more time? The job's done... And the bitch is dead. I'm not here for anything where a man calls a woman a bitch. However, this is definitely something we've seen before: Bond absolutely failing at handling grief. He doesn't actually. With both Vesper and Tracy, we've seen him go off to get revenge but he doesn't grieve. He doesn't allow himself to. All he does is bottle up the emotion while outwardly showing detachment. It's not something I approve of but it's so true to his character, to what makes Bond Bond , that I get it. I do. At this point, Bond is very raw and the film shows us that he isn't even close to healing the hurt caused by Vesper's betrayal as well as her death and I like that we get to see this side of Bond that is a little more human, a little less hired gun for her majesty. The thing about Casino Royale for me is that even with the things I strongly dislike about the film, I like that we got this reboot. I like that we got this look at Bond from the beginning and the way that we see what makes him tick. While my viewing of the film and my review of it were definitely colored by recent events, Craig does a good job of bringing Fleming's character to life. Yes, this includes the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of the character. Honestly, Craig's take on Bond is one of my favorites because it is complicated, because I have complex feelings for a Bond that essentially is nothing like the characters that came before him. I could easily write four or five thousand words about this movie. I had to cut words from my draft because of how much I wrote and how much I just loved talking about all of the aspects of the film. What I'm Looking forward to: Quantum of Solace is one of those movies that no one can agree on. When I bring up James Bond in my office job, one thing that incites disagreement is this movie. Out of Craig's run, this is my least favorite Bond movie. I appreciate the nods to earlier canon ( Goldfinger !!) and the way that the film wraps up the plot started in Casino Royale but it also wasn't very memorable to me. I may have watched this movie tons of times but Quantum of Solace ? Maybe I've watched it three times prior to this project. Maybe. It's going to be interesting to talk about how this film develops Bond further as a character and how the women in the film are portrayed. But after that movie? Zina Hutton writes about comics, nerd history, and ridiculous romance novels when not working frantically on her first collection of short stories. Find her on her blog or on Twitter . --Please make note of The Mary Sue's general comment policy .-- Do you follow The Mary Sue on Twitter , Facebook , Tumblr , Pinterest , & Google + ?

Welcome to Bond Girl, a series where we'll be re-watching and re-evaluating every James Bond film until Spectre's release

Errol Morris is an academy award-winning documentary filmmaker. His films include Gates of Heaven, The Thin Blue Line, A Brief History of Time, Fast, Cheap, & Out of Control, and Standard Operating Procedure . Roger Ebert said, "After twenty years of reviewing films, I haven't found another filmmaker who intrigues me more...Errol Morris is like a magician, and as great a filmmaker as Hitchcock or Fellini." Recently, The Guardian listed him as one of the ten most important film directors in the world. Our two French bulldogs, Boris and Ivan. I think they look like the Olsen twins, no? When I am packing to go away, they try to get in my bag either because they don't want me to go away or because they want me to take them. No checked luggage. If it can't go in overhead, it's not worth taking. Sorry bulldogs, next time. Click the thumbnails above to see images and captions. Tape recorders. Two. An Olympus WS-210S and an Edirol R-09HR . You never know when you are going to have to tape someone. Be prepared. Also extra batteries. AA and AAA. Better safe than sorry. (Truman Capote said that he had a "photographic" recall of interviews. I think he was lying.)

Errol Morris is an academy award-winning documentary filmmaker.

[dropcap]In[/dropcap] 1983, I was traveling with a tiny theater company doing vaudeville-type shows in community centers and bars--anywhere we could earn $25 each plus enough gas money to get to the next small town in our ramshackle yellow bus. As we passed through Bozeman, Montana, in early February, a heavy snow slowed us down. The radio crackled warnings about black ice and poor visibility, so we opted to impose on friends who were doing a production of Fiddler on the Roof at Montana State University. See a show, hit a few bars, sleep on a sofa: This is as close to prudence as it gets when you're an itinerant 20-something troubadour. After the show, well-wishers and stagehands milled behind the curtain. I hugged my coat around me, humming that "If I Were a Rich Man" riff from the show, aching for sunrise and sunset, missing my sisters. What a wonderful show that was--and is. A heavy metal door swung open, allowing in a blast of frigid air, and clanged shut behind two men who stomped snow from their boots. One was big and bearlike in an Irish wool sweater and gaiters; the other was as tall and skinny as a chimney sweep in a peacoat. "... but I'm just saying, it would be nice to see some serious theater," one of them said. "Chekhov, Ibsen, anything but this musical comedy shtick." "Excuse me?" I huffed, hackles raised. "Anyone who doesn't think comedy is an art form certainly hasn't read much Shakespeare, have they?" I informed them that I was a "professional shticktress" and went on to deliver a tart, pedantic lecture on the French neoclassics, the cultural impact of Punch and Judy as an I Love Lucy prototype, and the importance of Fiddler on the Roof as both artistic and oral history. The shrill diatribe left a puff of frozen breath in the air. I felt my snootiness showing like a stray bra strap as the sweep in the peacoat rolled his eyes and walked away. The bear stood there for a moment, an easy smile in his brown eyes. Then he put his arms around me and whispered in my ear, "I love you." Edwin Fothingham/Matthew Mahon [dropcap]I[/dropcap] took in a deep, startled breath--winter, Irish wool, coffee, and fresh-baked bread--and then pushed away with a jittery half-joke. Something like, "Watch it. I have pepper spray." "OK," he said with a broad baritone laugh. "Come for a walk, then. It'll be nice." I shook my head. Alarm and skepticism warred with spreading, unsteady warmth behind my collarbone. "Walking around in the freezing dark with a total stranger is not nice," I said. I tipped a glance to the well-worn gaiters. "Planning to do some cross-country skiing?" "Riding my bike," he said, and then added without apology, "I'm between vehicles." He held the heavy door open expectantly. I moved the pepper spray from my purse to my coat pocket and followed my heart out under the clear, cold stars. "What are you reading?" I asked, because that question always opens doors of its own. I was in the habit of asking the nuns at the bus stop, a barber who paid me to scrub his floor once a week, elderly ladies and children at the park. To this day, I ask people who sit beside me on airplanes, baristas at Starbucks, exchange students standing in line with me. Over the years, "What are you reading?" has introduced me to many of my favorite books and favorite people. The bear had a good answer: " Chesapeake . Have you read it?" "No, but I love James Michener," I said. "When I was 12, I fell in love with Hawaii and vowed that if I ever had a daughter, I'd name her Jerusha after the heroine." "Big book for a 12-year-old." "We didn't have a TV. And I was a dork." He laughed that broad baritone laugh again. "Literature: last refuge of the tragically uncool." "Same could be said of bicycling in your ski gaiters." The conversation ranged organically from books and theater to politics and our personal histories. Having embraced the life of an artsy party girl, I was the black sheep of my conservative Midwestern family, thoroughly enjoying my freedom and a steady diet of wild oats. He'd spent a dysfunctional childhood on the East Coast. A troubled path of drug and alcohol abuse had brought him to one of those legendary moments of clarity at which he made a hard right turn to an almost monkish existence in a tiny mountain cabin. He'd built an ascetic life that was solitary but substantive, baking bread at a local restaurant, splitting wood for his heating stove, staying out of trouble. "That probably sounds pretty dull to you," he said. "Agonizingly dull, but don't worry," I said, and then patted his arm. "Maybe someday you'll remember how to have fun." He shrugged. "Maybe someday you'll forget." We talked about the things people tend to avoid when they're trying to make a good impression: hopes subverted by mistakes, relationships sabotaged by shortcomings. My bus was leaving in the morning, and we would never see each other again, so there was no need to posture. Fingers and chins numb with cold, we found refuge in a Four B's Restaurant and sat across from each other in a red vinyl booth. We had enough money between us for a short stack of buckwheat pancakes. A few morning papers were delivered to the front door, and we worked our way through the crossword puzzle, coffee cups between our hands. Matthew Mahon [dropcap]The[/dropcap] sun came up, and we emerged from Four B's to discover a warm chinook blowing in. Already the eaves were weeping, icicles thinning on trees and telephone wires. This is what Montana does in midwinter: clears off and gets bitter cold, and then suddenly it's as warm and exhilarating as Easter morning. Don't believe it for a minute, you tell yourself as the streets turn into trout streams, but the sheer pleasure of the feeling makes a fool of you. You forget your scarf and mittens on a hook behind the door. You know it's still winter, but that's just what you know; the chinook is what you believe in. The bear held my hand inside his coat pocket as we walked in silence back to the parking lot to meet my company's bus. Before he kissed me, he asked me if I was ready. Ready for what I have no idea, but ready is how I felt. I was stricken with readiness. Humbled by it. "I hope you have a wonderful life," I told him. "You too," he replied before nodding stiffly and walking away. The bus lumbered through the slush and labored over the mountains to a fading Highline town where we were booked to play a quaintly shabby old opera house. The guy at the box office immediately pegged me as a party girl who'd been up all night and invited me to go to the bar next door for a hair of the dog before the show, but I could not for the life of me remember why that used to sound like fun. Later that evening, as I did my shtick out on the foot-lit stage, I heard the bear's distinctive baritone laughter from somewhere in the audience. After the show, he was waiting for me by the door. I didn't bother asking him how he'd gotten there. He didn't bother asking me where I wanted to go. I can't endorse the idea of love at first sight, but maybe there are moments when God or fate or some cosmic sense of humor rolls its eyes at two stammering human hearts and says, "Oh, for crying out loud." I married the bear a few months later in a meadow above his tiny cabin in the Bridger Mountains. We weren't exempted from any of the hard work a long marriage demands, but for better or worse, in sickness and in health, that moment of unguarded, chinook-blown folly has somehow lasted 30 years. We laugh. We read. I do dishes; he bakes bread. Every morning, we work through the daily crossword puzzle. Our daughter, Jerusha, and son, Malachi Blackstone (named after his great-grandfather and an island in Chesapeake Bay) tell us we are agonizingly dull. We listen to their 20-something diatribes and smile. Joni Rodgers is the author of the bestselling memoir Bald in the Land of Big Hair.

1983, I was traveling with a tiny theater company doing vaudeville-type shows in community centers and bars

Corn is harvested in Iowa. Scott Olson/Getty Images We are seeing the gradual AI and robot augmentation of today's industries, from manufacturing to radiology, legal research to dermatology . So long as a job requires constant repetition and consistent quality, it can be easily automated. Anyone who has ever weeded a flower bed or garden knows it takes constant repetition. And anyone who has ever looked at a few acres of farmland and noticed the tidy rows of plants can see that farming has begun replacing human labor with robots. There are robotic cow milkers , robotic lettuce weeders , robotic tractors and robotic vine pruners. Farming is full of examples where technology supplanted human labor, but it's now at the point where U.S. manufacturing was a few decades ago: The nature of the job is about to change and far fewer jobs will be available. So what? One of the most pressing issues in U.S. agriculture today is a labor shortage . It is leading farmers to curtail the amount of food they produce, which will, in turn, be reflected in consumers' grocery bills. While the 2017 agricultural season won't be saved by a wave of robots coming in to flawlessly harvest crops, technologies that reduce human overhead--and eliminate some of the most physically brutal tasks--are projected to cost as much or less than human labor by 2020. This tech won't be cheap, which raises another issue for farmers. Right now only large farms can afford drones for crop-spraying and livestock monitoring. Most farms are caught in a cycle of loans and debt servicing with major ag companies--did you know that John Deere is the fifth largest agricultural bank in the U.S.? And that its $2.2 billion in loans produce a third of overall revenue and boast four times the profit margins that equipment sales get? Turns out the farm-loan business is incredibly lucrative. As for the farmers on the other end of it? Total U.S. farm debt is expected to rise by 5.2 percent this year, while total farm assets (i.e. the stuff farmers can sell for cash) is expected to drop by 1.8 percent. That ratio imbalance suggests bad news for farmers. The robot revolution might be delayed if nobody can foot the bill. Who cares? People in the agricultural industry. Farmers are facing two separate, somewhat related labor dilemmas: Either there aren't enough people willing to work for the wages farmers are willing pay or there isn't enough money to pay for what wages are supposed to be and still keep the farm going. For example, last year California passed a law that phases in shorter working days and higher wages for farm workers. By 2023, farmers will be mandated by law to pay a minimum wage of $15 per hour plus overtime once employees have worked eight-hour days six days a week. Proponents of the bill point out that this means farm workers will finally have the same legal protections as other hourly workers and may actually be able to feed their families on their earnings: Two out of every three farmworkers in the Salinas Valley, AKA "America's Salad Bowl," are food insecure, meaning they lack consistent access to affordable food. Critics charge that the rising labor costs will squeeze farmers to the point that they will either cut back their production or hire more workers. An op-ed from the American Farm Bureau hypothesizes a solution to this pending labor crisis : How does a farmer do more with less, or at least keep up? Technology is providing the answer, as the heartbeat of agriculture gets drowned out by the eerie low hum of mechanization. Many hands to make light work will no longer be needed due to automation. Crews of 20 to 30 workers are now being replaced by one machine. Take for example the Splat 2.0 and the Mantis Thinning Rover, which takes one person to swiftly hoe and thin a field of leafy greens, a task that once required dozens of workers. In 2017, we romanticize a picturesque farm-to-fork process during which farmers lovingly handpick fresh produce. While we sporadically appreciate and consistently expect the same quality, most people are unwilling to do the same work. It's not just a question of unwillingness to do the work; it's a question of unwillingness to do the work for what the work currently pays . That, in turn, points to a bedrock condition in agricultural markets: Our food prices are what they are right now thanks to low labor costs. It is probably less of a challenge to find a way to keep production costs steady than it is to persuade Americans to pay more for food. The jobs being replaced by machines are ones that are physically demanding and poorly compensated. Is it really worth grieving over how people used to spend their lives stooped over weeds for a few dollars a day? It's true that for farmers, adopting new technologies has always carried an enormous risk--the phrase "to bet the farm on it" didn't make it into the popular lexicon because it implies little to no downside in staking your entire livelihood on something new. The 4-H's very history points to an ongoing dialogue between America's farmers and agricultural researchers who want to change how people grow or raise foodstuffs. Moving to a robot-augmented workforce would require a significant chunk of change, especially for smaller farms. If we're going to scrutinize how farmers manage their workforce, the least we can do is provide a way to mitigate the operational risks we're asking them to assume as we also ask them to fix the same labor issues we consumers helped impose upon them into in the first place.

Corn is harvested in Iowa. Scott Olson/Getty Images We are seeing the gradual AI and robot augmentation of today's industries By 2023, farmers will be mandated by law to pay a minimum wage of $15 per hour plus overtime once employees have worked eight-hour days six days a week

To read an annotated version of this article, complete with interviews with scientists and links to further reading, click here . I. 'Doomsday' Peering beyond scientific reticence. It is, I promise, worse than you think. If your anxiety about global warming is dominated by fears of sea-level rise, you are barely scratching the surface of what terrors are possible, even within the lifetime of a teenager today. And yet the swelling seas -- and the cities they will drown -- have so dominated the picture of global warming, and so overwhelmed our capacity for climate panic, that they have occluded our perception of other threats, many much closer at hand. Rising oceans are bad, in fact very bad; but fleeing the coastline will not be enough. Indeed, absent a significant adjustment to how billions of humans conduct their lives, parts of the Earth will likely become close to uninhabitable, and other parts horrifically inhospitable, as soon as the end of this century. Even when we train our eyes on climate change, we are unable to comprehend its scope. This past winter, a string of days 60 and 70 degrees warmer than normal baked the North Pole, melting the permafrost that encased Norway's Svalbard seed vault -- a global food bank nicknamed "Doomsday," designed to ensure that our agriculture survives any catastrophe, and which appeared to have been flooded by climate change less than ten years after being built. Related Stories The Doomsday vault is fine, for now: The structure has been secured and the seeds are safe. But treating the episode as a parable of impending flooding missed the more important news. Until recently, permafrost was not a major concern of climate scientists, because, as the name suggests, it was soil that stayed permanently frozen. But Arctic permafrost contains 1.8 trillion tons of carbon, more than twice as much as is currently suspended in the Earth's atmosphere. When it thaws and is released, that carbon may evaporate as methane, which is 34 times as powerful a greenhouse-gas warming blanket as carbon dioxide when judged on the timescale of a century; when judged on the timescale of two decades, it is 86 times as powerful. In other words, we have, trapped in Arctic permafrost, twice as much carbon as is currently wrecking the atmosphere of the planet, all of it scheduled to be released at a date that keeps getting moved up, partially in the form of a gas that multiplies its warming power 86 times over. Maybe you know that already -- there are alarming stories in the news every day, like those, last month, that seemed to suggest satellite data showed the globe warming since 1998 more than twice as fast as scientists had thought (in fact, the underlying story was considerably less alarming than the headlines). Or the news from Antarctica this past May, when a crack in an ice shelf grew 11 miles in six days, then kept going; the break now has just three miles to go -- by the time you read this, it may already have met the open water , where it will drop into the sea one of the biggest icebergs ever, a process known poetically as "calving." Watch: How Climate Change Is Creating More Powerful Hurricanes But no matter how well-informed you are, you are surely not alarmed enough. Over the past decades, our culture has gone apocalyptic with zombie movies and Mad Max dystopias , perhaps the collective result of displaced climate anxiety, and yet when it comes to contemplating real-world warming dangers, we suffer from an incredible failure of imagination. The reasons for that are many: the timid language of scientific probabilities, which the climatologist James Hansen once called "scientific reticence" in a paper chastising scientists for editing their own observations so conscientiously that they failed to communicate how dire the threat really was; the fact that the country is dominated by a group of technocrats who believe any problem can be solved and an opposing culture that doesn't even see warming as a problem worth addressing; the way that climate denialism has made scientists even more cautious in offering speculative warnings; the simple speed of change and, also, its slowness, such that we are only seeing effects now of warming from decades past; our uncertainty about uncertainty, which the climate writer Naomi Oreskes in particular has suggested stops us from preparing as though anything worse than a median outcome were even possible; the way we assume climate change will hit hardest elsewhere, not everywhere; the smallness (two degrees) and largeness (1.8 trillion tons) and abstractness (400 parts per million) of the numbers; the discomfort of considering a problem that is very difficult, if not impossible, to solve; the altogether incomprehensible scale of that problem, which amounts to the prospect of our own annihilation; simple fear. But aversion arising from fear is a form of denial, too. In between scientific reticence and science fiction is science itself. This article is the result of dozens of interviews and exchanges with climatologists and researchers in related fields and reflects hundreds of scientific papers on the subject of climate change. What follows is not a series of predictions of what will happen -- that will be determined in large part by the much-less-certain science of human response. Instead, it is a portrait of our best understanding of where the planet is heading absent aggressive action. It is unlikely that all of these warming scenarios will be fully realized, largely because the devastation along the way will shake our complacency. But those scenarios, and not the present climate, are the baseline. In fact, they are our schedule. Related Stories The present tense of climate change -- the destruction we've already baked into our future -- is horrifying enough. Most people talk as if Miami and Bangladesh still have a chance of surviving; most of the scientists I spoke with assume we'll lose them within the century, even if we stop burning fossil fuel in the next decade. Two degrees of warming used to be considered the threshold of catastrophe: tens of millions of climate refugees unleashed upon an unprepared world. Now two degrees is our goal, per the Paris climate accords, and experts give us only slim odds of hitting it. The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issues serial reports, often called the "gold standard" of climate research; the most recent one projects us to hit four degrees of warming by the beginning of the next century, should we stay the present course. But that's just a median projection. The upper end of the probability curve runs as high as eight degrees -- and the authors still haven't figured out how to deal with that permafrost melt. The IPCC reports also don't fully account for the albedo effect (less ice means less reflected and more absorbed sunlight, hence more warming); more cloud cover (which traps heat); or the dieback of forests and other flora (which extract carbon from the atmosphere). Each of these promises to accelerate warming, and the history of the planet shows that temperature can shift as much as five degrees Celsius within thirteen years. The last time the planet was even four degrees warmer, Peter Brannen points out in The Ends of the World , his new history of the planet's major extinction events, the oceans were hundreds of feet higher.* The Earth has experienced five mass extinctions before the one we are living through now, each so complete a slate-wiping of the evolutionary record it functioned as a resetting of the planetary clock, and many climate scientists will tell you they are the best analog for the ecological future we are diving headlong into. Unless you are a teenager, you probably read in your high-school textbooks that these extinctions were the result of asteroids. In fact, all but the one that killed the dinosaurs were caused by climate change produced by greenhouse gas. The most notorious was 252 million years ago; it began when carbon warmed the planet by five degrees, accelerated when that warming triggered the release of methane in the Arctic, and ended with 97 percent of all life on Earth dead. We are currently adding carbon to the atmosphere at a considerably faster rate; by most estimates, at least ten times faster. The rate is accelerating. This is what Stephen Hawking had in mind when he said , this spring, that the species needs to colonize other planets in the next century to survive, and what drove Elon Musk, last month, to unveil his plans to build a Mars habitat in 40 to 100 years. These are nonspecialists, of course, and probably as inclined to irrational panic as you or I. But the many sober-minded scientists I interviewed over the past several months -- the most credentialed and tenured in the field, few of them inclined to alarmism and many advisers to the IPCC who nevertheless criticize its conservatism -- have quietly reached an apocalyptic conclusion, too: No plausible program of emissions reductions alone can prevent climate disaster. Related Stories Over the past few decades, the term "Anthropocene" has climbed out of academic discourse and into the popular imagination -- a name given to the geologic era we live in now, and a way to signal that it is a new era, defined on the wall chart of deep history by human intervention. One problem with the term is that it implies a conquest of nature (and even echoes the biblical "dominion"). And however sanguine you might be about the proposition that we have already ravaged the natural world, which we surely have, it is another thing entirely to consider the possibility that we have only provoked it, engineering first in ignorance and then in denial a climate system that will now go to war with us for many centuries, perhaps until it destroys us. That is what Wallace Smith Broecker, the avuncular oceanographer who coined the term "global warming," means when he calls the planet an "angry beast." You could also go with "war machine." Each day we arm it more. II. Heat Death The bahraining of New York. In the sugarcane region of El Salvador, as much as one-fifth of the population has chronic kidney disease, the presumed result of dehydration from working the fields they were able to comfortably harvest as recently as two decades ago. Photo: Heartless Machine Humans, like all mammals, are heat engines; surviving means having to continually cool off, like panting dogs. For that, the temperature needs to be low enough for the air to act as a kind of refrigerant, drawing heat off the skin so the engine can keep pumping. At seven degrees of warming, that would become impossible for large portions of the planet's equatorial band, and especially the tropics, where humidity adds to the problem; in the jungles of Costa Rica, for instance, where humidity routinely tops 90 percent, simply moving around outside when it's over 105 degrees Fahrenheit would be lethal. And the effect would be fast: Within a few hours, a human body would be cooked to death from both inside and out. Climate-change skeptics point out that the planet has warmed and cooled many times before, but the climate window that has allowed for human life is very narrow, even by the standards of planetary history. At 11 or 12 degrees of warming, more than half the world's population, as distributed today, would die of direct heat. Things almost certainly won't get that hot this century, though models of unabated emissions do bring us that far eventually. This century, and especially in the tropics, the pain points will pinch much more quickly even than an increase of seven degrees. The key factor is something called wet-bulb temperature, which is a term of measurement as home-laboratory-kit as it sounds: the heat registered on a thermometer wrapped in a damp sock as it's swung around in the air (since the moisture evaporates from a sock more quickly in dry air, this single number reflects both heat and humidity). At present, most regions reach a wet-bulb maximum of 26 or 27 degrees Celsius; the true red line for habitability is 35 degrees. What is called heat stress comes much sooner. Related Stories Actually, we're about there already. Since 1980, the planet has experienced a 50-fold increase in the number of places experiencing dangerous or extreme heat; a bigger increase is to come. The five warmest summers in Europe since 1500 have all occurred since 2002, and soon, the IPCC warns, simply being outdoors that time of year will be unhealthy for much of the globe. Even if we meet the Paris goals of two degrees warming, cities like Karachi and Kolkata will become close to uninhabitable, annually encountering deadly heat waves like those that crippled them in 2015. At four degrees, the deadly European heat wave of 2003, which killed as many as 2,000 people a day, will be a normal summer. At six, according to an assessment focused only on effects within the U.S. from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, summer labor of any kind would become impossible in the lower Mississippi Valley, and everybody in the country east of the Rockies would be under more heat stress than anyone, anywhere, in the world today. As Joseph Romm has put it in his authoritative primer Climate Change: What Everyone Needs to Know , heat stress in New York City would exceed that of present-day Bahrain, one of the planet's hottest spots, and the temperature in Bahrain "would induce hyperthermia in even sleeping humans." The high-end IPCC estimate, remember, is two degrees warmer still. By the end of the century, the World Bank has estimated, the coolest months in tropical South America, Africa, and the Pacific are likely to be warmer than the warmest months at the end of the 20th century. Air-conditioning can help but will ultimately only add to the carbon problem; plus, the climate-controlled malls of the Arab emirates aside, it is not remotely plausible to wholesale air-condition all the hottest parts of the world, many of them also the poorest. And indeed, the crisis will be most dramatic across the Middle East and Persian Gulf, where in 2015 the heat index registered temperatures as high as 163 degrees Fahrenheit. As soon as several decades from now, the hajj will become physically impossible for the 2 million Muslims who make the pilgrimage each year. It is not just the hajj, and it is not just Mecca; heat is already killing us. In the sugarcane region of El Salvador, as much as one-fifth of the population has chronic kidney disease, including over a quarter of the men, the presumed result of dehydration from working the fields they were able to comfortably harvest as recently as two decades ago. With dialysis, which is expensive, those with kidney failure can expect to live five years; without it, life expectancy is in the weeks. Of course, heat stress promises to pummel us in places other than our kidneys, too. As I type that sentence, in the California desert in mid-June, it is 121 degrees outside my door. It is not a record high. III. The End of Food Praying for cornfields in the tundra. Climates differ and plants vary, but the basic rule for staple cereal crops grown at optimal temperature is that for every degree of warming, yields decline by 10 percent. Some estimates run as high as 15 or even 17 percent. Which means that if the planet is five degrees warmer at the end of the century, we may have as many as 50 percent more people to feed and 50 percent less grain to give them. And proteins are worse: It takes 16 calories of grain to produce just a single calorie of hamburger meat, butchered from a cow that spent its life polluting the climate with methane farts. Pollyannaish plant physiologists will point out that the cereal-crop math applies only to those regions already at peak growing temperature, and they are right -- theoretically, a warmer climate will make it easier to grow corn in Greenland. But as the pathbreaking work by Rosamond Naylor and David Battisti has shown, the tropics are already too hot to efficiently grow grain, and those places where grain is produced today are already at optimal growing temperature -- which means even a small warming will push them down the slope of declining productivity. And you can't easily move croplands north a few hundred miles, because yields in places like remote Canada and Russia are limited by the quality of soil there; it takes many centuries for the planet to produce optimally fertile dirt. Drought might be an even bigger problem than heat, with some of the world's most arable land turning quickly to desert. Precipitation is notoriously hard to model, yet predictions for later this century are basically unanimous: unprecedented droughts nearly everywhere food is today produced. By 2080, without dramatic reductions in emissions, southern Europe will be in permanent extreme drought, much worse than the American dust bowl ever was. The same will be true in Iraq and Syria and much of the rest of the Middle East; some of the most densely populated parts of Australia, Africa, and South America; and the breadbasket regions of China. None of these places, which today supply much of the world's food, will be reliable sources of any. As for the original dust bowl: The droughts in the American plains and Southwest would not just be worse than in the 1930s, a 2015 NASA study predicted , but worse than any droughts in a thousand years -- and that includes those that struck between 1100 and 1300, which "dried up all the rivers East of the Sierra Nevada mountains" and may have been responsible for the death of the Anasazi civilization. Remember, we do not live in a world without hunger as it is. Far from it: Most estimates put the number of undernourished at 800 million globally. In case you haven't heard, this spring has already brought an unprecedented quadruple famine to Africa and the Middle East; the U.N. has warned that separate starvation events in Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Yemen could kill 20 million this year alone. IV. Climate Plagues What happens when the bubonic ice melts? Rock, in the right spot, is a record of planetary history, eras as long as millions of years flattened by the forces of geological time into strata with amplitudes of just inches, or just an inch, or even less. Ice works that way, too, as a climate ledger, but it is also frozen history, some of which can be reanimated when unfrozen. There are now, trapped in Arctic ice, diseases that have not circulated in the air for millions of years -- in some cases, since before humans were around to encounter them. Which means our immune systems would have no idea how to fight back when those prehistoric plagues emerge from the ice. The Arctic also stores terrifying bugs from more recent times. In Alaska, already, researchers have discovered remnants of the 1918 flu that infected as many as 500 million and killed as many as 100 million -- about 5 percent of the world's population and almost six times as many as had died in the world war for which the pandemic served as a kind of gruesome capstone. As the BBC reported in May, scientists suspect smallpox and the bubonic plague are trapped in Siberian ice, too -- an abridged history of devastating human sickness, left out like egg salad in the Arctic sun. Experts caution that many of these organisms won't actually survive the thaw and point to the fastidious lab conditions under which they have already reanimated several of them -- the 32,000-year-old "extremophile" bacteria revived in 2005, an 8 million-year-old bug brought back to life in 2007, the 3.5 million-year-old one a Russian scientist self-injected just out of curiosity -- to suggest that those are necessary conditions for the return of such ancient plagues. But already last year, a boy was killed and 20 others infected by anthrax released when retreating permafrost exposed the frozen carcass of a reindeer killed by the bacteria at least 75 years earlier; 2,000 present-day reindeer were infected, too, carrying and spreading the disease beyond the tundra. What concerns epidemiologists more than ancient diseases are existing scourges relocated, rewired, or even re-evolved by warming. The first effect is geographical. Before the early-modern period, when adventuring sailboats accelerated the mixing of peoples and their bugs, human provinciality was a guard against pandemic. Today, even with globalization and the enormous intermingling of human populations, our ecosystems are mostly stable, and this functions as another limit, but global warming will scramble those ecosystems and help disease trespass those limits as surely as Cortes did. You don't worry much about dengue or malaria if you are living in Maine or France. But as the tropics creep northward and mosquitoes migrate with them, you will. You didn't much worry about Zika a couple of years ago, either. As it happens, Zika may also be a good model of the second worrying effect -- disease mutation. One reason you hadn't heard about Zika until recently is that it had been trapped in Uganda; another is that it did not, until recently, appear to cause birth defects. Scientists still don't entirely understand what happened, or what they missed. But there are things we do know for sure about how climate affects some diseases: Malaria, for instance, thrives in hotter regions not just because the mosquitoes that carry it do, too, but because for every degree increase in temperature, the parasite reproduces ten times faster. Which is one reason that the World Bank estimates that by 2050, 5.2 billion people will be reckoning with it. V. Unbreathable Air A rolling death smog that suffocates millions. By the end of the century, the coolest months in tropical South America, Africa, and the Pacific are likely to be warmer than the warmest months at the end of the 20th century. Photo: Heartless Machine Our lungs need oxygen, but that is only a fraction of what we breathe. The fraction of carbon dioxide is growing: It just crossed 400 parts per million, and high-end estimates extrapolating from current trends suggest it will hit 1,000 ppm by 2100. At that concentration, compared to the air we breathe now, human cognitive ability declines by 21 percent. Other stuff in the hotter air is even scarier, with small increases in pollution capable of shortening life spans by ten years. The warmer the planet gets, the more ozone forms, and by mid-century, Americans will likely suffer a 70 percent increase in unhealthy ozone smog, the National Center for Atmospheric Research has projected. By 2090, as many as 2 billion people globally will be breathing air above the WHO "safe" level; one paper last month showed that, among other effects, a pregnant mother's exposure to ozone raises the child's risk of autism (as much as tenfold, combined with other environmental factors). Which does make you think again about the autism epidemic in West Hollywood. Already, more than 10,000 people die each day from the small particles emitted from fossil-fuel burning; each year, 339,000 people die from wildfire smoke, in part because climate change has extended forest-fire season (in the U.S., it's increased by 78 days since 1970). By 2050, according to the U.S. Forest Service , wildfires will be twice as destructive as they are today; in some places, the area burned could grow fivefold. What worries people even more is the effect that would have on emissions, especially when the fires ravage forests arising out of peat. Peatland fires in Indonesia in 1997, for instance, added to the global CO2 release by up to 40 percent, and more burning only means more warming only means more burning. There is also the terrifying possibility that rain forests like the Amazon, which in 2010 suffered its second "hundred-year drought" in the space of five years, could dry out enough to become vulnerable to these kinds of devastating, rolling forest fires -- which would not only expel enormous amounts of carbon into the atmosphere but also shrink the size of the forest. That is especially bad because the Amazon alone provides 20 percent of our oxygen. Then there are the more familiar forms of pollution. In 2013, melting Arctic ice remodeled Asian weather patterns, depriving industrial China of the natural ventilation systems it had come to depend on, which blanketed much of the country's north in an unbreathable smog. Literally unbreathable. A metric called the Air Quality Index categorizes the risks and tops out at the 301-to-500 range, warning of "serious aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly" and, for all others, "serious risk of respiratory effects"; at that level, "everyone should avoid all outdoor exertion." The Chinese "airpocalypse" of 2013 peaked at what would have been an Air Quality Index of over 800. That year, smog was responsible for a third of all deaths in the country. VI. Perpetual War The violence baked into heat. Climatologists are very careful when talking about Syria. They want you to know that while climate change did produce a drought that contributed to civil war, it is not exactly fair to saythat the conflict is the result of warming; next door, for instance, Lebanon suffered the same crop failures. But researchers like Marshall Burke and Solomon Hsiang have managed to quantify some of the non-obvious relationships between temperature and violence: For every half-degree of warming, they say, societies will see between a 10 and 20 percent increase in the likelihood of armed conflict. In climate science, nothing is simple, but the arithmetic is harrowing: A planet five degrees warmer would have at least half again as many wars as we do today. Overall, social conflict could more than double this century. This is one reason that, as nearly every climate scientist I spoke to pointed out, the U.S. military is obsessed with climate change: The drowning of all American Navy bases by sea-level rise is trouble enough, but being the world's policeman is quite a bit harder when the crime rate doubles. Of course, it's not just Syria where climate has contributed to conflict. Some speculate that the elevated level of strife across the Middle East over the past generation reflects the pressures of global warming -- a hypothesis all the more cruel considering that warming began accelerating when the industrialized world extracted and then burned the region's oil. What accounts for the relationship between climate and conflict? Some of it comes down to agriculture and economics; a lot has to do with forced migration, already at a record high, with at least 65 million displaced people wandering the planet right now. But there is also the simple fact of individual irritability. Heat increases municipal crime rates, and swearing on social media, and the likelihood that a major-league pitcher, coming to the mound after his teammate has been hit by a pitch, will hit an opposing batter in retaliation. And the arrival of air-conditioning in the developed world, in the middle of the past century, did little to solve the problem of the summer crime wave. VII. Permanent Economic Collapse Dismal capitalism in a half-poorer world. The murmuring mantra of global neoliberalism, which prevailed between the end of the Cold War and the onset of the Great Recession, is that economic growth would save us from anything and everything. But in the aftermath of the 2008 crash, a growing number of historians studying what they call "fossil capitalism" have begun to suggest that the entire history of swift economic growth, which began somewhat suddenly in the 18th century, is not the result of innovation or trade or the dynamics of global capitalism but simply our discovery of fossil fuels and all their raw power -- a onetime injection of new "value" into a system that had previously been characterized by global subsistence living. Before fossil fuels, nobody lived better than their parents or grandparents or ancestors from 500 years before, except in the immediate aftermath of a great plague like the Black Death, which allowed the lucky survivors to gobble up the resources liberated by mass graves. After we've burned all the fossil fuels, these scholars suggest, perhaps we will return to a "steady state" global economy. Of course, that onetime injection has a devastating long-term cost: climate change. The most exciting research on the economics of warming has also come from Hsiang and his colleagues, who are not historians of fossil capitalism but who offer some very bleak analysis of their own: Every degree Celsius of warming costs, on average, 1.2 percent of GDP (an enormous number, considering we count growth in the low single digits as "strong"). This is the sterling work in the field, and their median projection is for a 23 percent loss in per capita earning globally by the end of this century (resulting from changes in agriculture, crime, storms, energy, mortality, and labor). Tracing the shape of the probability curve is even scarier: There is a 12 percent chance that climate change will reduce global output by more than 50 percent by 2100, they say, and a 51 percent chance that it lowers per capita GDP by 20 percent or more by then, unless emissions decline. By comparison, the Great Recession lowered global GDP by about 6 percent, in a onetime shock; Hsiang and his colleagues estimate a one-in-eight chance of an ongoing and irreversible effect by the end of the century that is eight times worse. The scale of that economic devastation is hard to comprehend, but you can start by imagining what the world would look like today with an economy half as big, which would produce only half as much value, generating only half as much to offer the workers of the world. It makes the grounding of flights out of heat-stricken Phoenix last month seem like pathetically small economic potatoes. And, among other things, it makes the idea of postponing government action on reducing emissions and relying solely on growth and technology to solve the problem an absurd business calculation. Every round-trip ticket on flights from New York to London, keep in mind, costs the Arctic three more square meters of ice. VIII. Poisoned Oceans Sulfide burps off the skeleton coast. That the sea will become a killer is a given. Barring a radical reduction of emissions, we will see at least four feet of sea-level rise and possibly ten by the end of the century. A third of the world's major cities are on the coast, not to mention its power plants, ports, navy bases, farmlands, fisheries, river deltas, marshlands, and rice-paddy empires, and even those above ten feet will flood much more easily, and much more regularly, if the water gets that high. At least 600 million people live within ten meters of sea level today. But the drowning of those homelands is just the start. At present, more than a third of the world's carbon is sucked up by the oceans -- thank God, or else we'd have that much more warming already. But the result is what's called "ocean acidification," which, on its own, may add a half a degree to warming this century. It is also already burning through the planet's water basins -- you may remember these as the place where life arose in the first place. You have probably heard of "coral bleaching" -- that is, coral dying -- which is very bad news, because reefs support as much as a quarter of all marine life and supply food for half a billion people. Ocean acidification will fry fish populations directly, too, though scientists aren't yet sure how to predict the effects on the stuff we haul out of the ocean to eat; they do know that in acid waters, oysters and mussels will struggle to grow their shells, and that when the pH of human blood drops as much as the oceans' pH has over the past generation, it induces seizures, comas, and sudden death. That isn't all that ocean acidification can do. Carbon absorption can initiate a feedback loop in which underoxygenated waters breed different kinds of microbes that turn the water still more "anoxic," first in deep ocean "dead zones," then gradually up toward the surface. There, the small fish die out, unable to breathe, which means oxygen-eating bacteria thrive, and the feedback loop doubles back. This process, in which dead zones grow like cancers, choking off marine life and wiping out fisheries, is already quite advanced in parts of the Gulf of Mexico and just off Namibia, where hydrogen sulfide is bubbling out of the sea along a thousand-mile stretch of land known as the "Skeleton Coast." The name originally referred to the detritus of the whaling industry, but today it's more apt than ever. Hydrogen sulfide is so toxic that evolution has trained us to recognize the tiniest, safest traces of it, which is why our noses are so exquisitely skilled at registering flatulence. Hydrogen sulfide is also the thing that finally did us in that time 97 percent of all life on Earth died, once all the feedback loops had been triggered and the circulating jet streams of a warmed ocean ground to a halt -- it's the planet's preferred gas for a natural holocaust. Gradually, the ocean's dead zones spread, killing off marine species that had dominated the oceans for hundreds of millions of years, and the gas the inert waters gave off into the atmosphere poisoned everything on land. Plants, too. It was millions of years before the oceans recovered. IX. The Great Filter Our present eeriness cannot last. So why can't we see it? In his recent book-length essay The Great Derangement , the Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh wonders why global warming and natural disaster haven't become major subjects of contemporary fiction -- why we don't seem able to imagine climate catastrophe, and why we haven't yet had a spate of novels in the genre he basically imagines into half-existence and names "the environmental uncanny." "Consider, for example, the stories that congeal around questions like, 'Where were you when the Berlin Wall fell?' or 'Where were you on 9/11?' " he writes. "Will it ever be possible to ask, in the same vein, 'Where were you at 400 ppm?' or 'Where were you when the Larsen B ice shelf broke up?' " His answer: Probably not, because the dilemmas and dramas of climate change are simply incompatible with the kinds of stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, especially in novels, which tend to emphasize the journey of an individual conscience rather than the poisonous miasma of social fate. Surely this blindness will not last -- the world we are about to inhabit will not permit it. In a six-degree-warmer world, the Earth's ecosystem will boil with so many natural disasters that we will just start calling them "weather": a constant swarm of out-of-control typhoons and tornadoes and floods and droughts, the planet assaulted regularly with climate events that not so long ago destroyed whole civilizations. The strongest hurricanes will come more often, and we'll have to invent new categories with which to describe them; tornadoes will grow longer and wider and strike much more frequently, and hail rocks will quadruple in size. Humans used to watch the weather to prophesy the future; going forward, we will see in its wrath the vengeance of the past. Early naturalists talked often about "deep time" -- the perception they had, contemplating the grandeur of this valley or that rock basin, of the profound slowness of nature. What lies in store for us is more like what the Victorian anthropologists identified as "dreamtime," or "everywhen": the semi-mythical experience, described by Aboriginal Australians, of encountering, in the present moment, an out-of-time past, when ancestors, heroes, and demigods crowded an epic stage. You can find it already watching footage of an iceberg collapsing into the sea -- a feeling of history happening all at once. It is. Many people perceive climate change as a sort of moral and economic debt, accumulated since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and now come due after several centuries -- a helpful perspective, in a way, since it is the carbon-burning processes that began in 18th-century England that lit the fuse of everything that followed. But more than half of the carbon humanity has exhaled into the atmosphere in its entire history has been emitted in just the past three decades; since the end of World War II, the figure is 85 percent. Which means that, in the length of a single generation, global warming has brought us to the brink of planetary catastrophe, and that the story of the industrial world's kamikaze mission is also the story of a single lifetime. My father's, for instance: born in 1938, among his first memories the news of Pearl Harbor and the mythic Air Force of the propaganda films that followed, films that doubled as advertisements for imperial-American industrial might; and among his last memories the coverage of the desperate signing of the Paris climate accords on cable news, ten weeks before he died of lung cancer last July. Or my mother's: born in 1945, to German Jews fleeing the smokestacks through which their relatives were incinerated, now enjoying her 72nd year in an American commodity paradise, a paradise supported by the supply chains of an industrialized developing world. She has been smoking for 57 of those years, unfiltered. Or the scientists'. Some of the men who first identified a changing climate (and given the generation, those who became famous were men) are still alive; a few are even still working. Wally Broecker is 84 years old and drives to work at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory across the Hudson every day from the Upper West Side. Like most of those who first raised the alarm, he believes that no amount of emissions reduction alone can meaningfully help avoid disaster. Instead, he puts his faith in carbon capture -- untested technology to extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which Broecker estimates will cost at least several trillion dollars -- and various forms of "geoengineering," the catchall name for a variety of moon-shot technologies far-fetched enough that many climate scientists prefer to regard them as dreams, or nightmares, from science fiction. He is especially focused on what's called the aerosol approach -- dispersing so much sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere that when it converts to sulfuric acid, it will cloud a fifth of the horizon and reflect back 2 percent of the sun's rays, buying the planet at least a little wiggle room, heat-wise. "Of course, that would make our sunsets very red, would bleach the sky, would make more acid rain," he says. "But you have to look at the magnitude of the problem. You got to watch that you don't say the giant problem shouldn't be solved because the solution causes some smaller problems." He won't be around to see that, he told me. "But in your lifetime ..." Jim Hansen is another member of this godfather generation. Born in 1941, he became a climatologist at the University of Iowa, developed the groundbreaking "Zero Model" for projecting climate change, and later became the head of climate research at NASA, only to leave under pressure when, while still a federal employee, he filed a lawsuit against the federal government charging inaction on warming (along the way he got arrested a few times for protesting, too). The lawsuit, which is brought by a collective called Our Children's Trust and is often described as "kids versus climate change," is built on an appeal to the equal-protection clause, namely, that in failing to take action on warming, the government is violating it by imposing massive costs on future generations; it is scheduled to be heard this winter in Oregon district court. Hansen has recently given up on solving the climate problem with a carbon tax alone, which had been his preferred approach, and has set about calculating the total cost of the additional measure of extracting carbon from the atmosphere. Related Stories Hansen began his career studying Venus, which was once a very Earth-like planet with plenty of life-supporting water before runaway climate change rapidly transformed it into an arid and uninhabitable sphere enveloped in an unbreathable gas; he switched to studying our planet by 30, wondering why he should be squinting across the solar system to explore rapid environmental change when he could see it all around him on the planet he was standing on. "When we wrote our first paper on this, in 1981," he told me, "I remember saying to one of my co-authors, 'This is going to be very interesting. Sometime during our careers, we're going to see these things beginning to happen.' " Several of the scientists I spoke with proposed global warming as the solution to Fermi's famous paradox, which asks, If the universe is so big, then why haven't we encountered any other intelligent life in it? The answer, they suggested, is that the natural life span of a civilization may be only several thousand years, and the life span of an industrial civilization perhaps only several hundred. In a universe that is many billions of years old, with star systems separated as much by time as by space, civilizations might emerge and develop and burn themselves up simply too fast to ever find one another. Peter Ward, a charismatic paleontologist among those responsible for discovering that the planet's mass extinctions were caused by greenhouse gas, calls this the "Great Filter": "Civilizations rise, but there's an environmental filter that causes them to die off again and disappear fairly quickly," he told me. "If you look at planet Earth, the filtering we've had in the past has been in these mass extinctions." The mass extinction we are now living through has only just begun; so much more dying is coming. And yet, improbably, Ward is an optimist. So are Broecker and Hansen and many of the other scientists I spoke to. We have not developed much of a religion of meaning around climate change that might comfort us, or give us purpose, in the face of possible annihilation. But climate scientists have a strange kind of faith: We will find a way to forestall radical warming, they say, because we must. It is not easy to know how much to be reassured by that bleak certainty, and how much to wonder whether it is another form of delusion; for global warming to work as parable, of course, someone needs to survive to tell the story. The scientists know that to even meet the Paris goals, by 2050, carbon emissions from energy and industry, which are still rising, will have to fall by half each decade; emissions from land use (deforestation, cow farts, etc.) will have to zero out; and we will need to have invented technologies to extract, annually, twice as much carbon from the atmosphere as the entire planet's plants now do. Nevertheless, by and large, the scientists have an enormous confidence in the ingenuity of humans -- a confidence perhaps bolstered by their appreciation for climate change, which is, after all, a human invention, too. They point to the Apollo project, the hole in the ozone we patched in the 1980s, the passing of the fear of mutually assured destruction. Now we've found a way to engineer our own doomsday, and surely we will find a way to engineer our way out of it, one way or another. The planet is not used to being provoked like this, and climate systems designed to give feedback over centuries or millennia prevent us -- even those who may be watching closely -- from fully imagining the damage done already to the planet. But when we do truly see the world we've made, they say, we will also find a way to make it livable. For them, the alternative is simply unimaginable. *This article appears in the July 10, 2017, issue of New York Magazine. *This article has been updated to provide context for the recent news reports about revisions to a satellite data set, to more accurately reflect the rate of warming during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, to clarify a reference to Peter Brannen's The Ends of the World , and to make clear that James Hansen still supports a carbon-tax based approach to emissions. Listen to this story and more features from New York and other magazines: Download the Audm app for your iPhone.

If your anxiety about global warming is dominated by fears of sea-level rise, you are barely scratching the surface of what terrors are possible, even within the lifetime of a teenager today.

When Vice President walked out of the Colts game this weekend, he thought he was just following orders from his toddler-in-chief. However, some found the Vice President's behavior to be nothing short of revolting. Of course, Trump praised Pence for doing as instructed and leaving when the player kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial injustice in America. But one Republican strategist in particular early blasted Pence for walking out of an NFL game in Indianapolis, calling the vice president's behavior "utterly appalling," The Hill reports. MSNB strategist Steve Schmidt told "Morning Joe" hosts that the act was"Utterly appalling, wasteful, profligate, disgusting behavior from the vice president. He ought to be ashamed of himself." Nonetheless, as instructed by his boss, Pence and his wife left the Colts game on Sunday after some San Francisco 49ers kneeled during the anthem. What's more, many think this act goes beyond following orders and that the entire escapade was staged to carry out some elaborate public relations stunt by the administration. The problem with that is it was paid for by taxpayer dollars. In fact, many are calling Pence's actions a "political stunt." The fact that the trip to the game cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars has not helped his cause. Schmidt explained: "It's truly amazing. So he took Air Force Two, full package of Secret Service from Las Vegas to Indianapolis for a stunt, inconvenienced tens of thousands of Colts fans to, again, use the flag and the anthem as a prop." Do you agree with Schmidt? Was it all an elaborate ruse? Furthermore, should Pence be required to pay back taxpayer money he wasted in order to make a very expensive point that perhaps backfired in his face? Watch the entire discussion below and comment with your thoughts.

Of course, Trump praised Pence for doing as instructed and leaving when the

A new survey of conservatives shows Reps. Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise as the leading candidates to replace outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan. Ryan's pick of California Rep. Kevin McCarthy did not reach double digits. In the survey conducted among 455 members of GOPUSA's "Survey Team," respondents chose Jordan as the top choice with 27.3%. Scalise was a close second with 24.9%. Others breaking into double digits were Rep. Devin Nunes with 13.9% and Rep. Louie Gohmert with 12.2%. Current House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy received only 7.2% backing from survey respondents. As reported on GOPUSA last week, Ryan said in an interview that he and "other members of the Republican leadership" support McCarthy for the job. "We all think Kevin is the right person to become speaker," Ryan said in an interview to air Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press. "I fully anticipate handing the gavel over to the next speaker of the House after this term, and I think Kevin's the right guy to step up." Ryan said he believes there will be a "seamless transition" from him to the next speaker. "I think what we want to do is focus on getting our jobs done, what we want to do is focus on executing our agenda, focus on fighting for our majority, and all these other things would be needless distractions from the task at hand," Ryan said. Despite talk in the media about the upcoming mid-term elections favoring the Democrats, GOPUSA survey respondents felt overwhelmingly that Republicans would maintain control of both house of the legislature. 62.7% of respondents feel that is is likely or very likely that the GOP will keep the House and Senate. Survey Team members were asked to name the biggest obstacle that President Trump faces in advancing his agenda. "Democrats in Congress" was the second choice with 22.8%, while "The media" finished third with 13.4%. The leading answer with 33.3% was "Deep state bureaucrats." Respondents are nearly unanimous in their support for Trump's border wall (95.2%) and on limits to legal immigration (95.6%). Survey respondents also feel strongly (88.6%) that " qualified public school teachers should be allowed to be armed in order to help prevent mass shootings." More surveys will be coming in the future, and this one paints an interesting contrast between what Republicans say in Washington, and what grassroots conservatives believe in the heartland. What do you think? You Might Like VN:D [1.9.6_1107]

A new survey of conservatives shows Reps. Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise as the leading candidates to replace outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Protesters demonstrate on Fifth Avenue outside Trump Tower, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016, in New York, in opposition of Donald Trump's presidential election victory. AP Photo/Julie Jacobson Sen. Chuck Schumer has penned an open letter to the LGBTQ community, encouraging resistance and hope during difficult times now that we have a president-elect Donald Trump. While Trump attempted to gain the favor of the LGBTQ voting bloc numerous times in his campaign, including giving us a nod in his Republican National Convention speech and holding up an upside down Pride flag at a rally, he also pledged to sign anti-LGBTQ legislation , appointed a homophobe for vice president , and said he would appoint judges like Justice Antonin Scalia. Since then he has appointed a man who believes people can choose to stop being gay, and another who is an apparent white nationalist who has called progressive women "dykes." These are not encouraging times for the community, Schumer admits in his Advocate op-ed. Reed Saxon, Associated Press Students from several high schools rally after walking out of classes to protest the election of Donald Trump at City Hall in downtown Los Angeles. "There are many fellow citizens -- the LGBT community, immigrants, communities of color, women, our young people, Democrats and progressives of all stripes -- who are profoundly worried about what the future holds," he writes. "And following everything that was said during this campaign by our now president-elect, it is entirely reasonable to be nervous and even angry. I am not sure what will come next after so many fought so hard for so long to gain the right to say 'love is love' no matter what. I am worried about what tomorrow holds and what this new administration may attempt to roll back." Joshua Guerra / The Daily Texan via Associated Press Students at the University of Texas at Austin lead an anti-Trump protest down to Congress Bridge the day after the presidential election. As hard as it was to imagine witnessing a White House lit up with rainbow colors, it is just as hard now to imagine that we seem to have moved backwards so quickly. "I will not forget what happened at Stonewall or what happened at Pulse -- or any of the countless physical assaults, emotional taunts, and bullying endured by homosexual fellow citizens over the generations. I will not forget North Carolina's passage of House Bill 2 or the trickle-down of hateful rhetoric inspired by these laws that causes children to take their own lives rather than continue to face the torment of bullies at school. I will not forget the 24 transgender Americans murdered this year alone. "But I also won't forget when West Point opened the doors of its historic chapel for its first same-sex wedding after President Obama repealed 'don't ask, don't tell.' I won't forget Edie Windsor's boundless joy when the Supreme Court handed down its decision to make marriage equality the law of the land. And I won't forget my family, my friends, my colleagues, or the New Yorkers who depend on me to protect their constitutional rights." Losing hope and giving in cannot be the answer, because it is only that which ensures failure. He continues: "Keep fighting; keep working; keep pushing for all LGBT Americans, all Muslim Americans, all Americans with disabilities, all Latino Americans, all African-Americans, all white-black-brown working-class Americans struggling to have a fair shot at the American dream. And keep in the back of your head the words preached by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: 'The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'" Schumer also promises to "all in my power to prevent any backsliding on hard-won rights and to push back against a national discourse that allows for anything less than a full measure of respect for all Americans and would-be Americans." Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, has condemned protesters as "professionals" and said they should not be in the streets and instead stick to the sidewalks. Giuliani is being talked about for an appointment to Trump's cabinet, either as secretary of state or attorney general. Trump aides say Giuliani is the leading contender for secretary of state, The New York Times reports. On 3rd St & Congress: "We are here & we are queer" pic.twitter.com/J4zRmjHo8j -- Briana Santiago (@BrianaSantiago) November 9, 2016 Schumer is in line to take over as leader of the Senate Democrats from Harry Reid, who is retiring. U.S. Capitol police arrested 17 protesters on Monday who oppose Schumer taking over as minority leader, arguing he is too closely tied to the banking and finance industries. Schumer voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996 and was previously in favor of civil unions instead of same-sex marriage. He came out in support of same-sex marriage in 2009 and helped work for its passage in New York.

Protesters demonstrate on Fifth Avenue outside Trump Tower, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016, in New York

The ACLU is organizing grassroots volunteers across the country to resist the Trump administration's attacks on our civil liberties. Help flip state legislatures and governors' seats from red to blue. A simple guide to learn what you can do to affect real change in Congress. MoveOn is a service - a way for busy but concerned citizens to assert their collective power in a system dominated by big money and big media. OFA works to ensure the voices of ordinary Americans are heard in Washington, while training the next generation of grassroots organizers that will keep fighting for change. Connecting communities to actionable information and tools to reject the Trump / GOP agenda in every state and protect communities from harm. Helping recruit and support under-35 year old progressives running for down-ballot office to build a Democratic bench. Let's take back the House. Find your closest Swing District and sign up to support a progressive win there in 2018. Register to vote. Check your registration status. Get your absentee ballot. Fast, free, easy, secure, nonpartisan.

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren at a rally organized by the liberal Patriotic Millionaires group / Getty Images BY: Joe Schoffstall Follow @JoeSchoffstall November 21, 2017 3:20 pm A group of deep-pocketed progressive millionaires seeks to "fundamentally reset" America's ideology and economy and "expose the dogma of free enterprise, limited government, and traditional family values," according to a brochure obtained by the Washington Free Beacon at a secretive progressive dark money donor conference. The group, called Patriotic Millionaires, is a Washington, D.C.-based organization that consists of wealthy liberals with an income of at least $1 million. The organization initially formed in 2010 to "demand an end to Bush tax cuts for millionaires" and has launched a recent campaign against the Republican tax cut plan. Patriotic Millionaires's newest organizational overview, which is not the same brochure that is currently available on its website, was obtained by the Free Beacon at the Democracy Alliance's fall investment conference held last week at the swanky La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, Calif. Each Democracy Alliance member vows to steer hundreds of thousands in funding to approved left-wing organizations the group supports. The group is led by Morris Pearl, a former managing director at BlackRock, one of the world's largest investment firms, and identifies its core values as pushing for "equal political representation," a "livable minimum wage," and a "fair tax system" that rejects free enterprise, limited government, and traditional family values. "We hope to facilitate a wholesale rejection of modern conservatism, exposing the dogma of 'free enterprise, limited government, and traditional family values' for what it truly is: a thin veil concealing rapacious capitalism, social Darwinism, and a profound misunderstanding of--and disinterest in--the human condition," the group writes in its brochure. Race, immigration, reproductive freedom, social equality, mass incarceration, and global climate change are labeled as the group's most pressing issues, suggesting they can be dealt with if "a political economy capable of meeting the basic needs of our citizens" is established. The group hopes to establish these tenets as the dominant political system in the United States by 2026, when America celebrates its 250th birthday, its brochure states. "In a political system that has become more an oligarchy than a democracy, our power lies in being seen as members of the 'elite' class arguing against our perceived self-interest," the brochure reads. "The truth, however, is that values we support will make the country more stable and more prosperous for all its citizens, including rich ones." The wealthy progressive activists say that the country is facing an "unstable president, a volatile political climate, and an almost wholesale capture of government" by moneyed interests, and wants to capitalize by leveraging their position to promote a "powerful new governing framework" in public debate and "fundamentally reset" America's ideology and economy. "The 2016 election sparked a profound awakening, creating a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fundamentally reset America's ideological course and its political economy," they write. "Voters are rejecting the wholesale capture of government that began 50 years ago, and they are demanding their elected officials focus on the fundamental issues of power and money that have always been at the heart of the Patriotic Millionaire's work." Patriotic Millionaires writes this is "once in a lifetime opportunity" to relentlessly push for a "new American paradigm around two things that matter the most in a capitalistic democracy: Power and money." The organization also boasts of its issues on the national, state, and local level, ranging from the minimum wage to tax policy. Patriotic Millionaires joined former President Barack Obama at the White House for his 2012 Tax Day address and his 2014 signing of an Executive Order raising the wages of federal contract employees. In order to become a member of the group, an individual must have an income of more than $1 million and/or assets of more than $5 million, which can include funds in family foundations, and can choose to have their names public or private. The organization's members operate through education, which includes providing perspective and analysis to journalists and members of the media; advocacy, such as testifying in front of lawmakers on the national, state, and local levels; and funding, with each member providing annual donations to support their education and advocacy work. The group boasts of generating hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of media attention and has appeared on national television programs. Most recently, the organization has popped up in outlets such as the Atlantic , Vox , Huffington Post , Newsweek , and others, pushing back against the Republican tax cut plan. Patriotic Millionaires did not return a request for comment on its operations or what kind of American ideology and economy they would like to see instead of one that supports "free enterprise, limited government, and traditional family values." This entry was posted in Politics and tagged Democracy Alliance , Democratic Donors . Bookmark the permalink .

Sen. Elizabeth Warren at a rally organized by the liberal Patriotic Millionaires group

Ready to join the resistance? Sign up for Take Action Now and we'll send you three actions every Tuesday. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation's journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation , check out our latest issue . Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. Fight Back! Sign up for Take Action Now and we'll send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation's journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation , check out our latest issue . Travel With The Nation Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Sign up for our Wine Club today. Did you know you can support The Nation by drinking wine? While thousands of union workers and their supporters protested outside the Michigan Capitol Tuesday, Governor Rick Snyder signed into law two bills that dramatically limit labor rights. "This isn't about us versus them. This about Michiganders," Snyder said at a news conference in which he announced signing the legislation. However, the events unfolding outside and inside the Capitol couldn't have contradicted his statement more sharply. A very real ideological battle is occurring in Michigan right now between labor and the forces that wish to destroy the power of collective bargaining. From the first rumblings of a potential protest within the Capitol, law enforcement officials have made it very clear they don't intend to allow Michigan to become another Wisconsin, and police donning riot gear and armed with tear gas canisters, pepper spray and batons patrolled the corridors, determined to prevent a similar occupation to the one that lasted in the Wisconsin Capitol for nearly three weeks. (photo by @JeffRae ) State Police officials confirmed that one of their troopers used pepper spray on a protester (the AP bizarrely reports the pepper spray was used to " calm the protester "), and even though police claim the man "grabbed a trooper," he wasn't arrested. Two other people were arrested after they reportedly tried to force their way into another building on the grounds where Snyder has offices. Mark Schauer, a Democrat who previously represented the state in the US House, told Lansing news services MIRS that he was pepper-sprayed in a separate incident while protesting.[...] "Unfortunately while people were exercising their first amendment rights, I among them got pepper sprayed by police officers," Schauer said in a MIRS video. "We were not endangering the building in any way but we wanted to make sure, since the Republicans have not provided for any public hearings or opportunities for people to speak on these bills, that they can hear how the people really feel. Unfortunately, some of us are paying a price for it." Mounted police rode into a crowd of protesters and used the bodies of their horses to push the crowd back as the protesters booed and screamed at the police. Ryan Knight of Ann Arbor was among those near the front. He got pushed back by a horse, which he said also stepped on him. "This was a peaceful protest," he said, holding a protest sign. "I don't know why they decided to do that." Knight said that he is not a member of a union, but came to support them. (photo by @roopraj ) A tent set up by Americans for Prosperity, a group supporting Snyder's anti-worker bill and that fronts special interests championed by the oil billionaire David Koch, collapsed during the protest, and there are varying reports explaining the events leading up to the tent falling. Authorities described "pushing and shoving" among protesters before the tent being torn down, while other reports described belligerent behavior from AFP supporters beforehand, including reports that AFP supporters threw pennies at union protesters saying, " Your work isn't worth these ." Even though the tent collapse has now been seized by the right-wing media as evidence of "violent union behavior"--one report hilariously described the parties involved as "rabid union members"--authorities report no one was hurt. AFL-CIO representative Eddie Vale distanced the pro-union supporters from the particular group that was involved in the tent being torn down, but also accused the AFP supporters of being "disciples of James O'Keefe," who were "attempting to instigate the crowd all day." Indeed, the few videos that emerged in the immediate aftermath of the incident appear to be heavily edited, with large chunks of footage having obviously been deleted. Naturally, obsession over an incident in which no one was hurt distracted from the larger purpose of the protest, which is that Michigan has become the twenty-fourth state to adopt laws to prohibit requiring union dues as a condition of employment. Of course, by making the payment of union dues voluntary for private-sector unions, many may opt to save their already meager means instead of paying into a union, thereby further weakening their options to collectively bargaining for things like higher wages, and fulfilling their downward spiral into disempowerment and poverty. Passing so-called right-to-work legislation in Michigan is particularly symbolic given the state's long history of being the center of American labor activity. Times Union : Valerie Constance, a reading instructor for the Wayne County Community College District and member of the American Federation of Teachers, sat on the Capitol steps with a sign shaped like a tombstone. It read: "Here lies democracy." "I do think this is a very sad day in Michigan history," Constance said. ABC News reports that voters will have the option to invoke a referendum to "approve or reject" the law, and opponents of the law will have ninety days after the legislature adjourns to gather 8 percent of the total votes cast in the last gubernatorial race, which were more than 3 million. If they succeed, the law will be placed on the ballot and subject to a statewide vote. Allison Kilkenny Twitter Allison Kilkenny is the co-host of the progressive political podcast Citizen Radio ( wearecitizenradio.com ) and independent journalist who blogs at allisonkilkenny.com . Her work has appeared in The American Prospect , the LA Times , In These Times , Truthout and the award-winning grassroots NYC newspaper the Indypendent . To submit a correction for our consideration, click here.

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A BOYFRIEND was stabbed more than 70 times by his girlfriend's secret lover and his corpse was then left for her to discover. Aaron Swift, 33, killed Nick Williams, 26 after Elizabeth Carrigan, 24, told him their affair was over. Swift then left his victim's body in the living room for Miss Carrigan to discover. Swift was jailed for just nine-and-a-half years at Leeds Crown Court after pleading guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of loss of control. Days before the killing, which took place on December 16 last year, in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Miss Carrigan had told Swift their tryst was over as she planned to start a family with Mr Williams. Swift then traced the couple's address and drove to the property from his home in South Yorkshire. He arrived at the house, told Mr Williams that he had been seeing Miss Carrigan behind his back and began his brutal attack. CCTV footage showed Swift approaching the property and knocking on the door before being allowed inside. Prosecutor Jonathan Sharp told a jury how Swift carried out the killing soon after entering. He said: "Aaron Swift had the advantage of surprise. He inflicted no fewer than 72 wounds to Nick. Most of them were to his neck. "Those wounds cut in to his jugular vein. He bled profusely." Swift took Mr Williams mobile and moved the landline so he was left helpless. He also overturned furniture and the Christmas tree to make it look like there had been a struggle. Miss Carrigan found her partner's body the next morning after returning from work, with blood covering the living room. She said: "I was in absolute shock and could not think straight. "When Aaron rang me it was a quick conversation and he was stuttering on the phone, telling me to go to my family and that I needed my dad and that he would contact me later." Swift destroyed his mobile phone and tried to arrange an alibi when it became clear police wanted to talk to him. Initially, he claimed he acted in self-defence after Mr Williams attacked him. However, Mr Justice Edis told Swift he had acted with "calculated dishonesty" and said: "In truth you are so self-obsessed that nothing mattered to you last December but to break the bond of your victim and his partner. "This was a killing done with intent to kill and with savagery. It was done in fear but also in anger caused by sexual possessiveness. "The circumstances in which violence began was arranged by you and not the victim. It is therefore a very serious cause of manslaughter. "You knew at all times what you did was not reasonable self-defence." A victim statement was read out on behalf of Mr Williams' mother, Kathleen Hurst, who said: "My world has collapsed. I feel I have lost a part of me that will never return. "Why someone would want to take Nick away from me I do not know. "He was planning to start a family with Lizzie, his girlfriend. I was looking forward to becoming a grandmother." Detective Inspector Andrew Welbourn of the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team welcomed the sentence and thanked everyone who had responded to police appeals. He said: "We welcome the sentencing of Aaron Swift today for the brutal crime which resulted in the death of a well-liked and decent man. "Swift carried out a truly ferocious assault, inflicting multiple stab wounds from which Nicholas had virtually no chance of survival."

Aaron Swift, 33, killed Nick Williams, 26 after Elizabeth

Thomas Cole, View of the Round-Top in the Catskill Mountains (Sunny Morning on the Hudson) , 1827. Oil on panel, 18 5/8 x 25 3/8 in . Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Gift of Martha C. Karolik Thomas Cole is remembered as one of the foremost American landscape painters of the 19th century, and for good reason. Considered the founder of the Hudson River School of painting, his verdant vistas, especially those depicting New York's Catskills and the wilderness of the East Coast, were instrumental in building America's brand when it was just a small start up of a democracy. Yet, as much as this artist may have fathered an ideal of Americanness, he was an immigrant to these shores rather than a native son. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, a new exhibition is intent on hammering this point home (and not a moment too soon, given the precipitous politicking around issues of immigration in America today that lately caused our government to shut down). "Thomas Cole's Journey: Atlantic Crossings," on view through May 12, explores how Cole's unique view of the United States was shaped by both his upbringing in a riotous, industrial Manchester, England, as well as an early adulthood spent traveling back and forth to Britain and abroad. Thomas Cole, Clouds , ca. 1830s. Oil on paper laid down on canvas, 8 3/4 x 10 7/8 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Featuring over 70 works -- including major loans of paintings by British landscape artists John Constable and J.M.W. Turner, and American artists like Frederic Church and Asher B. Durand--the exhibition represents the Met's first major investigation of Hudson River School painting in over three decades. "It's exciting to see how the subject of national identity, landscape and the environment has even greater currency now, 30 years later," said Sylvia Yount, the Met curator in charge of the American Wing, to a group of assembled press on Monday morning. Indeed, the show does an exceptional and not at all subtle job of contextualizing Cole's life in terms seen bandied about in the daily news in our own era. From the outset of the exhibition, the artist is cast an "economic migrant" due to the perilous conditions he and his family endured while northern England found itself ravaged by industrial machinery and under attack by the workers this change displaced. Scenes like the 1801 Coalbrookdale by Night by Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg show a fire-and-brimstone world created by new technologies like coal and steam power. A rare print, The Leader of the Luddites from 1812, suggests the kind of labor Cole found himself doing as a teenage low-wage factory worker in a cotton mill making pattern print engravings for fabrics despite earning a high quality education. Thomas Cole's Course of the Empire series. Margaret Carrigan Unable to make a living, his family fled to America in search of better opportunities. "He arrived on on these shores as a 17 year old, an economic migrant fleeing hardship at the moment of the Industrial Revolution. He was essentially coming from a modern dystopia," said Tim Barringer, a professor of Art History at Yale University , who explained that Cole's England was far from the rolling moors of the Bronte sisters. "Can you imagine what it was like for him to see something like the Catskill mountains?" Thomas Cole, The Course of Empire: Destruction , 1836. Oil on canvas, 39 1/4 x 63 1/2 in. New-York Historical Society Looking to one of his earlier works in the show, a large, overly lush Biblical scene titled The Garden of Eden from 1828, it's actually not hard to imagine Cole's burgeoning environmental appreciation once he reached U.S. soil. He saw America was a land of promise and his small but reverent View of the Round-Top in the Catskill Mountains (Sunny Morning on the Hudson) (1827) foreshadows his later romanticized depictions of our wild, rolling countryside. This is seen at its best in the Met's View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm (The Oxbow) , 1836 -- the type of image ingrained in our collective imagination as deeply as the figure of Uncle Sam and and appreciation for apple pie. The artist's travels to London and other European capitals (places he had never visited while he was a child, as he left Britain from Liverpool) where he encountered works by French landscape master Claude Lorrain and met with British artistic heavyweights Constable and Turner prompted his magnum opus The Course of Empire (1835-36). The entirety of this five-piece series depicting the rise and fall of a Classically inspired, imaginary metropolis is on view in its entirety and is ostensibly the didactic crux of the Met's "Atlantic Crossings" show. Thomas Cole, View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm--The Oxbow, , 1836. Oil on canvas, 51 1/2 x 76 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Mrs. Russell Sage According to Barringer, Cole returned from his time abroad--a newly naturalized U.S. citizen--in the early 1830s with an improved "global world view" and promptly assessed that the country had been taken over by "dollar-godded utilitarianists" under a new polarizing president, Andrew Jackson. "I'll leave more contemporary parallels to your imaginations," Barringer joked, while noting that the political climate fostered a sense of moralizing urgency in Cole's work. The Met's wall text explaining Cole's intentions behind the series is less humorous, however, stating that The Course of Empire may well be a fable but one that underscores the self-destructiveness of human progress, especially when progress is fueled by "a venal love of wealth and luxury." The artist may have been trying to warn his peers of such political perils so 19th-century American society could correct its course. Yet, in the 21st century, the allegory he presents seems more a prophetic vision, especially since the final paining, Desolation , reveals a large lunar orb--a super moon, perhaps?--rising over a crumbling, deserted city devoid of citizens, poor immigrants and enterprising millionaires alike.

Thomas Cole, View of the Round-Top in the Catskill Mountains (Sunny Morning on the Hudson) , 1827. Oil on panel, 18 5/8 x 25 3/8 in . Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Last month, Ben Shapiro summarized the current NeverTrump calculus for a lot of conservatives and independents: We know Hillary will be a terrible, hard-core ideological leftist; there is probably a 75 percent chance that Trump would govern less badly than Hillary. There is also a 25 percent chance that Trump would do something so catastrophically awful that he seriously harmed the country in ways Hillary wouldn't dream of. It's like you have to take your family on a trip in January and the only two options are a war-torn country with a beach, where you might have a nice time by the ocean but there's a material chance you'll all die, and North Dakota, where you won't have any fun but you'll live to talk about it and your family may eventually forgive you. Bismarck, here we come. The fear of catastrophe for the country is based on the combination of two fears about Trump: One, that he's unstable and, two, that he's not controllable by those around him. The evidence for these fears has been sufficiently documented elsewhere that it needn't be here. Trump supporters have obviously disputed the chances of the catastrophic result. Through at least August 17, Never Trumpers weren't budging. But on that date, Trump installed Kellyanne Conway as his new campaign manager and there's been a discernible( if, so far, brief) shift in Trump's behavior, towards consistency of message and away from insane tangents. (Where there's been an insane tangent -- e.g., a cold tweet about the murder of a young woman in Chicago -- there was, at least, a swift correction .) Could this shift, combined with the fact that someone may be controlling him enough to induce it, reduce the odds that he's unstable and uncontrollable, thereby reducing the odds of the catastrophic result of NeverTrump fears? The lifespan of the young shift was likely on the minds of many today, as Trump traveled to Mexico, the country whose citizens have taken the brunt of much of his rhetorical bashing, to meet with its President, Enrique Pena Nieto, and later, from Phoenix, delivered a speech on immigration. In an ordinary campaign, neither step would be particularly remarkable. In Trump's case, there may be a couple layers of significance. First, the facts of Trump a) Meeting with a foreign leader, in what could be called an adversarial context, on the foreign leader's turf; and b) Delivering a policy speech with some actual policy detail, together paint a picture of a candidate who's both listening to advisors and giving meaningful thought to key issues. Second, in terms of execution, by all accounts, the day went pretty well. There was arguably one wrinkle, a debate about whether the invoice for The Wall came up in the meeting with Pena Nieto. But it seems as though it may be over semantics: Trump said the issue wasn't "discussed;" Pena Nieto said he told Trump that Mexico wouldn't pay for the wall; the two statements aren't necessarily contradictory. Otherwise, to hit the high points, a) Trump said positive things about Pena Nieto and Mexico, b) His immigration policy speech was fairly conventional in its terms and contained a noticeable strain of warmth and compassion, for Americans especially but, more notably, also for foreign citizens, and c) Above all, he didn't say anything crazy. Additionally, it seems fair to note, Trump maintained -- if not elevated -- his hard-to-resist salesmanship of patriotic themes. In particular, his repeated point that immigration policy should be primarily about the well-being of American citizens felt like another landed punch, this one to the nose, in his rhetorical fight against political correctness. (I'd say Trump should give Kevin D. Williamson credit for the line, but I know he doesn't want it.) One more point about the shift: Trump's been ridiculed, and fairly so given the incredible gaffes of his campaign, for his statements that he only hires the best people. But if Trump's now found a compatible and capable campaign manager, the fact that he had to fire several others to get to this point probably reinforces, not undermines, his message. Regardless, two weeks in to what will be an eighteen-month campaign isn't not enough to live-down what he's done thus far, and it's certainly not enough to generate faith in what he'll do moving forward. Frankly, as I type this, I half-expect that some new scandal will have erupted by the time I hit "Publish." But if -- and by that I mean, if -- this shift continues? Then the calculus explained by Shapiro could shift, and that could change everything.

NeverTrump calculus for a lot of conservatives and independents:

Turkish regimes committed their greatest attacks on Anatolian Christians during the 1914-1923 genocide against Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians (Syriacs/Chaldeans). Sadly, there has been no public protest in Turkey against the government's refusal to acknowledge the genocide, in which at least three million Christians were killed. Pictured above: Armenian civilians, escorted by Ottoman soldiers, marched through Harput, April 1915. ( American Red Cross/Wikimedia Commons) Since the Trump administration's official recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been ramping up his anti-Israel rhetoric, calling the country " a state of occupation and terrorism ." This is worse than ironic. The Jews are not "occupiers" in their ancient native homeland, where they have lived for more than 3,000 years. Turks, on the other hand, 3,000 years ago were most likely in Central Asia, nowhere near the area that is now Turkey. To add hypocrisy to injury, Erdogan also said about his own country, "Let it be known that there has never been any holocaust or genocide in this nation's past. There's no campaign of ethnic cleansing, massacres, persecution, or torture in this nation's history." Oh really? The cities in today's Turkey -- most of which are in Anatolia (Asia Minor) and the Armenian highlands -- were actually built by Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians; and Jews have lived there since antiquity. Turkic jihadists from Central Asia invaded and conquered the Christian Byzantine Empire in the eleventh century, thereby paving the way for the gradual Turkification and Islamization of Anatolia and Armenia. The Ottoman invasion of Constantinople (Istanbul) in the fifteenth century brought about the complete destruction of the Byzantine Empire. Throughout those years, many Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians in the region converted to Islam to escape death, exile, or the exorbitant "protection" tax, the jizya , imposed on non-Muslims. As a result, only around 0.3% of Turkey's population remains Christian or Jewish at this time. According to Dr. Bill Warner , director of the Center for the Study of Political Islam : "The process of annihilation [of Greek Christian civilization in Anatolia] took centuries. Some people think that when Islam invaded, the Kafirs [non-Muslims] had the choice of conversion or death. No, absolutely not. Sharia law was put into place and the Christian dhimmis continued to have their 'protected' status as People of the Book who lived under the Sharia law. The dhimmi paid heavy taxes, could not testify in court, hold a position of authority over Muslims and was humiliated by social rules. A dhimmi had to step aside for the Muslim, offer him his seat, could not carry a weapon and defer to a Muslim in every way. In all matters of society the dhimmi had to yield to the Muslim. Over the centuries, the degradation, lack of rights and the dhimmi tax caused the Christian to convert. It is the Sharia that destroys the dhimmis. "Today, Turkey is 99.7% Muslim. The Christian and Greek civilization of Anatolia is gone. It is annihilated. "What is tragic is that it seems that no one knows or cares..." Even today, expansionist Islamic raids against non-Muslim peoples have been and are accompanied by mass murder, rape, sex slavery, forced conversions, looting, plundering and deportations, by Islamic State, Boko Haram and others. The goal of this jihad is to expand Islam and submit people worldwide to sharia [Islamic law] and Islamic supremacy. Once under Islamic rule -- such as during the Ottoman Empire -- Christians and Jews become dhimmis : third-class, "tolerated" citizens forced to pay a tax in exchange for "protection." No matter how much money they pay, however, dhimmis are never allowed the same religious rights or freedoms as Muslims. This is something that Turkish school children are not taught. Instead, they learn in school about the "glorious" Ottomans, and how bestowing dhimmi status on non-Muslims was an example of Ottoman mercy, justice, and compassion -- not a tool for humiliating and enslaving them. Far more recently, as Erdogan knows but aggressively denies, Turkish regimes committed their greatest attacks on Anatolian Christians: the 1914-1923 genocide against Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians (Syriacs/Chaldeans). Sadly, there has been no public protest in Turkey against the government's refusal to acknowledge the genocide, in which at least three million Christians were killed. There are several reasons for this: State propaganda Turks are continually exposed to the denial of the genocide in school, the media, and in parliament. Millions of Turks have been brainwashed to believe that what took place was not genocide, but rather a legitimate act of self-defense against "treacherous" Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian elements . Myths about Turkish nationhood According to official myths, the Turks have never wronged or victimized any other people; it is they who have been wronged and victimized throughout history. As a result, according to these myths, any and all violent actions they may have committed were carried out in self-defense. Economic concerns Turkey fears what it calls derogatorily as the Armenians' "Four T" Plan : Tanitim, Taninma, Tazminat ve Toprak (Propaganda, Recognition, Compensation, and Territory). The government worries that if the Armenians are successful in their efforts to obtain international recognition of the genocide, they will demand money and land. This concern is shared by those who inherited property seized from the victims of the genocide. Such Turks fear losing the wealth they amassed through the spoils of mass murder. Islamic culture The political doctrine of Islam, which was largely responsible for the Christian genocide, still plays a role in Turkey's denial of it. In his contribution to a recently released collection of essays on the topic -- " Genocide in the Ottoman Empire: Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks, 1913-1923 ," edited by Professor George N. Shirinian -- historian Suren Manukyan writes that the planners of the Armenian genocide: "... activated social forces by the policies they pursued, including the proclamation of jihad at the beginning of World War I, to mobilize religious fanaticism among the population of the empire. "After the proclamation of jihad on November 14, 1914, the killing of Armenians was seen to bear legitimacy in religious terms. In many areas, clerics led the columns of Muslims and blessed them for punishing the unbelievers... One slogan was repeated everywhere: 'God, make their children orphans, make widows of their wives... and give their property to Muslims.' In addition to this prayer, legitimization of plunder, murder, and abduction took the following form: 'it is licit for Muslims to take the infidels' property, life and women.'" The Ottoman Tanzimat reforms in the nineteenth century had "abolished" the dhimmi status accorded to non-Muslim subjects. Regardless of this official change, non-Muslims continued to face various forms of institutional discrimination. Similarly, when the Republic of Turkey was established in 1923, non-Muslims no longer possessed the legal status as dhimmis , but their unofficial dhimmitude continued, if not intensified. In 1934, there was an anti-Jewish pogrom in eastern Thrace; in 1941-1942, there was an attempt to enlist and enslave all non-Muslim males in the Turkish military -- including the elderly and mentally ill -- to force them to work under horrendous conditions in labor battalions; in 1942, a Wealth Tax was imposed to eliminate Christians and Jews from the economy; in 1955, there was an anti-Greek pogrom in Istanbul; and in 1964, Greeks were forcefully expelled from Turkey. All of the above contributed to the previous ethnic cleansing of Turkish Christians and Jews. Not only has the Turkish government not recognized, apologized for or given reparations for any such incidents in its history, but there is little media coverage of the current intimidation of and violence against Christians, Jews, and Yazidis in Turkey. In addition, fundamentalist Muslims in Turkey -- and elsewhere -- do not see jihad, forced conversions or other forms of persecution against non-Muslims as criminal. On the contrary, their religious scriptures openly command them "to chop off heads and fingers and kill infidels wherever they may be hiding," among many other openly violent teachings. Hence, what the rest of the world would describe as "genocide," "massacre," "persecution," or "ethnic cleansing" is viewed by radical Muslims as a "righteous" way of spreading Islam and of liberating kafir (infidel) lands. Erdogan is clearly such a radical, which is why he takes pride in his country's criminal history, while chastising and rewriting that of other states, such as Israel. The West's misunderstanding of all this knows no bounds.

Armenian civilians, escorted by Ottoman soldiers, marched through Harput, April 1915.

One Billion Rising is a global campaign to end violence against women and girls . Last year 250 countries participated and one billion people danced the flashmob dance and rallied for justice. Watch this to learn more and be inspired! CODEPINK is calling on women and men everywhere to LISTEN! ACT! RISE!! and join our sisters in action at these events throughout the country. Los Angeles, CA - Flashmob and Community Rally When: February 13th at 11am Where: Sal Guarriello Veterans Memorial At the intersection of Holloway and Santa Monica Blvd. What to expect: CODEPINK will join the City of West Hollywood's annual program supporting the One Billion Rising Global movement and Women Manifest. Be inspired by a short community rally with speakers, performers and the FLASHMOB DANCE! San Francisco, CA - 1 Vision! 1 Voice! 1 Victory! When: February 13, 2016 from 7pm - 9:30pm Where: Historic Sweet's Ballroom, 1933 Broadway Oakland, CA 94612 What to expect: Signature VDay event to end violence against women and girls, this year is focused on the resilience of women of color. Alicia Garza, founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, will be the keynote speaker along with high energy musical performances by MEDUSA, "the Angela Davis of hip-hop" and Skip the Needle, a rock band made up of the huge successful talent of Kofy Brown, Shelley Doty, Katie Colpitts, and the incomparable Vicki Randle. Additionally, there will be vocal and drumming workshops, art exhibits and local D.V. prevention organizations providing resources and support. San Francisco, CA - Golden Gate Bridge Dance When: February 14, 2016 at 12pm - 2pm Where: Golden Gate Bridge What to expect: An afternoon dance across the Golden Gate Bridge at 12:00pm. Gather at the southeast end of the eastern walkway (San Francisco side). We will dance to the center of the bridge and return. Ithaca, NY - Community Flash Mob When: February 14, 2016 at 12pm Where: Ithaca Commons, E M.L.K. Jr. St, Ithaca, NY 14850 What to expect: Flash mob dance to call attention to violence and oppression against women and girls. This event is organized by 13-year-old, Ithaca Ballet dancer and Lehman Alternative Community School student, Isabella Gold. You can learn the Flash Mob dance by watching this link to learn the dance at home. Hope to see you at these events, Aida, Alli, Ariel, Chelsea, Janet, Jodie, Medea, Michaela, Michelle, Nancy K., Nancy M. ,Rebecca, Sam & Tighe

An afternoon dance across the Golden Gate Bridge at 12:00pm.

By Brad Wilmouth | May 4, 2009 12:18 AM EDT On ABC's World News Saturday, and the same day's CBS Evening News, correspondents suggested that conservative positions on social issues were responsible for the Republican party's recent electoral misfortunes, as the two programs filed stories about an appearance in Arlington by Jeb Bush, Eric Cantor and Mitt Romney as part of an effort to rebuild the party's appeal. ABC cited a recent ABC News / Washington Post poll showing only 21 percent of Americans identify themselves as Republicans, while CBS cited a Pew Research poll finding the number had dropped from 30 percent in 2004 to 23 percent currently. After a soundbite of Jeb Bush explaining that Republicans needed to spend more time "listening," "learning," and "upgrading our message," ABC's Rachel Martin contended that "That means moving hot-button social issues like abortion and gay marriage to the side, and shifting the focus to health care, education and the economy." And, ignoring the fact that a substantial number of moderate House Democrats have taken conservative positions on issues like guns and abortion to win in their own conservative leaning districts, CBS's Kimberly Dozier more directly charged that conservative positions on such issues by Republicans had hurt the party: "The trio notably avoided controversial touch stones like gun rights or abortion, which are blamed for driving away moderates and independents." Notably, 65 House Democrats recently sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder stating their opposition to a new assault weapons ban.

ABC's Rachel Martin contended that "That means moving hot-button social issues like abortion and gay marriage to the side, and shifting the focus to health care, education and the economy.

On Wednesday afternoon Andrea Mitchell, MSNBC host of Andrea Mitchell Reports, corrected a guest on her show for using the term pro-life. When the guest, Republican strategist Juleanna Glover, started to define herself as "deeply pro-life," Mitchell immediately countered "What I would call anti-abortion...to use the term that I think is more value neutral." Andrea Mitchell challenging Juleanna Glover's "pro-life" terminology The ideological battle over abortion is at the forefront of our national conversation, to the point that even the underlying terminology is being fervently debated. According to an article on the evolution of popular phrases published in The Ocala Sta r-Banner on September 15, 1990, a 1976 New York Times article featured the first use of the term "pro-life" as we understand it today. The dueling ideologies of "pro-life" and "pro-choice" became firmly cemented in the wake of Roe v. Wade, as defendants of the decision advocated a woman's right to choose, and enraged dissidents argued on behalf of the "life" of the unborn fetus. Free Download: A Feminist Guide to the Resistance Don't give up the fight! Featuring inspiring interviews with resistance leaders; how-tos on community organizing, running for office, and much, more. Plus, get the latest from BUST. "Pro-Lifers" h8 "Baby Killers" The problem with "pro-life" is what it implies about the rest of us: that if you're not pro-life, you're automatically pro-death. By framing the abortion debate as an epic battle between life and death, anti-abortion activists demonize their opponents as baby killers, muting "pro-choicers" cogent pleas for reproductive rights. Recently, Planned Parenthood has identified the many problems inherent to today's reigning abortion terminology. Their studies show that a sizable contingent of women consider themselves "pro-life," and would never consider getting an abortion themselves, but nevertheless do not believe that Roe v. Wade should be overturned. While these women believe in the value of a fetus' life, they also believe in reproductive rights--thus occupying an ideological space that is neither exclusively "pro-life" nor "pro-choice." By abandoning these entrenched terms, Planned Parenthood hopes to appeal to all women on the basis of reproductive rights. I, for one, can't believe it's taken us this long to question rhetoric that necessarily asserts that abortion is murder. Of course, this movement towards unbiased language is unpopular amongst vocal "pro-lifers." Discussing Ms. Mitchell's statements on her show, Jeffrey Meyer, a writer for LifeNews.com, attacked the newscaster's "attempt to inject her liberal bias into a discussion of abortion." Hopefully, someone will explain the definition of "bias" to Mr. Meyer. And, while they're at it, the definition of "irony." Photos via jezebel.com, prolife.com, and aim.org

The ideological battle over abortion is at the forefront of our national conversation

Trump has Set Millions of Dollars to Construct the Mexico Boarder Wall. Another White House Lie! 0 Do you remember Trump's promise during his campaign trail saying t hat Mexico would fund the border line with the US? .Well, Mexico refused. Now the Trump administration has passed a budget for the construction of the border wall. White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said, "The Trump administration will use several hundred million dollars of a $1.5 billion border security spending increase approved in the soon-to-be-approved bipartisan budget deal to begin work on the wall." How about that! They want to repeal Obamacare and allow 100% funding for the wall. Where did we go wrong on the country's priorities? The government is proud of talking about the metrics construction of the damned wall! "When you heard in the last 48 hours about the deal, did you think we could build this?" Mulvaney said, pointing to a picture of the 20-foot high steel wall on the US-Mexico border. "I bet you didn't. Nobody did. OK." That's their excuse. Mulvaney acknowledged the funding wouldn't finance a "new wall" -- certainly not the gigantic concrete barricade Trump promised his supporters -- but unveiled the plans to replace and fix the current fencing with a "see-through steel wall."

Do you remember Trump's promise during his campaign trail saying t hat Mexico would fund the border line with the US? .Well, Mexico refused

I disagree. He's stirring up a trade war because he's an idiot and he has a fanbase of people who think this is some kind of aggressive alpha-country move and therefore a good idea. 3 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 12:59:15pm down 10 up report Trump imposed solar tariffs. Beijing started investigating $1b of US sorghum exports that could result in tariffs (retaliation) China's sorghum move foreshadows what US farmers/manufacturers might face with Trump's steel/aluminum tariffs By @WillMauldin https://t.co/db0r84QDF4 4 A Mom Anon Mar 3, 2018 * 12:59:30pm down 26 up report Isn't this madness also manipulating the stock/commodity market so shareholders can make money? Because if that's what's happening, isn't that insider trading? [Embedded content] Two crops I would not be able to identify: Sorghum, and Alfalfa. 6 jaunte Mar 3, 2018 * 1:02:54pm down 12 up report re: #4 A Mom Anon Carl Icahn: just lucky I guess. 7 FormerDirtDart Mar 3, 2018 * 1:03:50pm down 9 up report My read of the article, from witness statements, I think it's likely the shooter took the weapon from his parents car, and brought it back into the facility before he shot anyone. The gun a Central Michigan University student allegedly used to kill his parents on campus Friday belonged to his father, an Illinois police officer, officials said. https://t.co/dhkczWsQFh pic.twitter.com/SF6kL1Ybeg 8 Eclectic Cyborg Mar 3, 2018 * 1:04:25pm down 7 up report Uh, he does know countries can choose to stop importing cars from us right? 9 PhillyPretzel Mar 3, 2018 * 1:04:29pm down 6 up report re: #3 Backwoods_Sleuth Solar tariffs. Wonderful. ::: quickly hiding my panels from the uncouth one ::: I know but solar makes a great back up especially with those storage batteries. 10 FormerDirtDart Mar 3, 2018 * 1:05:15pm down 17 up report I guess he thought the CNN Town Hall counted... WATCH: Father of Florida shooting victim says Rubio is the only lawmaker who didn't call to offer condolences https://t.co/tBWcIHggBU pic.twitter.com/2GRekTNeb4 11 jaunte Mar 3, 2018 * 1:05:32pm down 5 up report Secret Service Statement Regarding March 3, 2018 Shooting Incident Near the White House. At approximately 11:46 AM, a white male suffered a self-inflicted gun-shot wound to the head outside the North White House fence line. The subject is deceased. The subject approached the vicinity of the North White House fence line and removed a concealed handgun and fired several rounds, none of which appear at this time to have been directed towards the White House. The President and First Lady were not in the White House at the time of the incident. The Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department will be the lead investigative organization for this shooting, supported by the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office and other law enforcement organizations. No other persons were injured as a result of this incident to include Secret Service and responding law enforcement and medical emergency response personnel. Note: The deceased has been identified by Secret Service and MPD authorities - name intentionally withheld pending next of kin notifications. ### re: #8 Eclectic Cyborg Uh, he does know countries can choose to stop importing cars from us right? GERMANY can choose to stop importing GERMAN cars from us, speaking of things he doesn't seem to know. 13 Ace Rothstein Mar 3, 2018 * 1:07:06pm down 11 up report This jackass does know that BMW and Mercedes-Benz make some of their models in the United States, right? In the states that voted for him, right? 14 Belafon Mar 3, 2018 * 1:07:34pm down 8 up report re: #13 Ace Rothstein This jackass does know that BMW and Mercedes-Benz make some of their models in the United States, right? That's too complicated for him. re: #13 Ace Rothstein This jackass does know that BMW and Mercedes-Benz make some of their models in the United States, right? In the states that voted for him, right? Also VW, in TN. 16 jaunte Mar 3, 2018 * 1:10:40pm down 35 up report "At this point, the only reason left to support this President, is that he reflects your hateful heart; he shares your contempt of people of color, your hostility toward outsiders, your ignorant bigotry, your feelings of supremacy." https://t.co/oFPAf4xq8j -- Spry Guy ( @SpryGuy ) February 1, 2018 "...And what is painfully obvious in these moments, isn't simply that the person alleging to lead this country is a terrible human being--it is that anyone left still defending him, applauding him, justifying him, amening him, probably is too. At this point, the only reason left to support this President, is that he reflects your hateful heart; he shares your contempt of people of color, your hostility toward outsiders, your ignorant bigotry, your feeling of supremacy. A white President calling countries filled with people of color shitholes, is so far beyond the pale, so beneath decency, and so blatantly racist that it shouldn't merit conversation. It should be universally condemned. Humanity should be in agreement in abhorring it. And yet today (like so many other seemingly rock bottom days in the past twelve months) they will be out there: white people claiming to be good people and Christian people, who will make excuses for him or debate his motives or diminish the damage." 17 plansbandc Mar 3, 2018 * 1:15:08pm down 7 up report re: #13 Ace Rothstein No he doesn't know that. He doesn't know a fucking thing. 18 sagehen Mar 3, 2018 * 1:15:43pm down 16 up report re: #4 A Mom Anon Isn't this madness also manipulating the stock/commodity market so shareholders can make money? Because if that's what's happening, isn't that insider trading? Members of congress, their staff, and admin appointees are specifically exempted from laws about insider trading. Convenient, huh? 19 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 1:15:58pm down 9 up report By 23-13 vote, Florida's GOP-controlled Senate has defeated a Democratic amendment to get rid of the state law that bans cities and counties from imposing stricter gun laws than the state - and allows the state to remove mayors from office or fine them $5,000 if they disobey. 20 Ace Rothstein Mar 3, 2018 * 1:16:52pm down 7 up report 21 Unshaken Defiance Mar 3, 2018 * 1:23:25pm down 4 up report "It pays to be king" is the new 'It's good to be King" 22 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 1:24:15pm down 26 up report Mark Levin: The attacks on Trump and his family are 'unparalleled in American history!' https://t.co/ZuMvbssfvj -- Donald Trump Jr. ( @DonaldJTrumpJr ) March 3, 2018 Call me back when Alex Jones claims your step-mom murdered Joan Rivers to cover up that she's a man. https://t.co/qytJ7Qyo1k 23 Charles Johnson Mar 3, 2018 * 1:28:18pm down 17 up report Almost as depressing as Trump's stupid pointless trade war: the Trump fans jabbering, "YAA! You show them furriners, Mr. Trump sir! MAGAAAA!!!!" https://t.co/hj2DuKyXMt "MAGAAAA!!!!" is the sound they make right before following their fellow lemmings over the cliff. 24 The Ghost of a Flea Mar 3, 2018 * 1:33:57pm down 5 up report re: #23 Charles Johnson For the record, the lemmings had to be herded off that cliff by the people shooting that "documentary." People: not rational. Animals: rational in ways that are pretty fucked up. 25 Charles Johnson Mar 3, 2018 * 1:34:29pm down 15 up report NBC: Nobody at State, Treasury or Defense was told a tariff decision was being announced yesterday; no paperwork was ready; there was no plan for communicating with foreign countries, Congress or the public; people at the meeting hadn't been vetted. https://t.co/agEjzjqeFt -- Daniel Dale ( @ddale8 ) March 2, 2018 No process. Dysfunctional White House. POTUS who doesn't do homework. In this case, a pointless and self-defeating trade war. What happens in a crisis like Ebola, or a potentially catastrophic war with North Korea? https://t.co/kW7ARCCvWc 26 Jay C Mar 3, 2018 * 1:35:27pm down 5 up report OK: Serious question time: while I like to think I'm a bit more conversant with things like governmental practices than the "average" citizen (low bar, etc.): one thing about the Orange Anus's stupid "trade war" moves puzzles me. Is setting tariff rates and other trade policies solely in the purview of the President ("Executive Orders" or something?) - or does Congress have any say in the matter? I realize US Presidents have a fairly wide range of powers (assuming no legal/Constitutional challenges) - but is US trade policy really ONLY in the (diminutive) hands of the Executive? 27 SteelPH Mar 3, 2018 * 1:36:28pm down 1 up report 28 The Ghost of a Flea Mar 3, 2018 * 1:37:02pm down 9 up report re: #25 Charles Johnson I seriously wonder if these spontaneous announcements and threats are done to make the markets bounce. Like with Carl Icahn's happy sell-off "accident" before this tariff. I mean, that would be a truly Trump move, in keeping with his previous business practices: fuck everybody to benefit a small number of inside players, mostly family and "friends." eta: Consider--because of the instant-reaction nature of both media and the stock market, policies don't even have to stick. You can just toss out something stupid that panics sellers, cause a dip, then things recover. There's actually multiple exploits to the combo of fast trading and having the most powerful mouthpiece in the world. 29 SteelPH Mar 3, 2018 * 1:38:03pm down 8 up report Simple. We all die, while the MAGA morons continue chanting "USA!" as they're being vaporized. 30 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 1:38:42pm down 24 up report Last week, a West Virginia Teacher telling me about Go365 said "You're telling me my deductible is going up, but I can do exercises to earn an Amazon gift card? Are you kidding me? Fuck you." https://t.co/I8QpeY4OKQ pic.twitter.com/2kdmVo4ghe -- Scott Heins ( @scottheins ) March 3, 2018 This is the future republicans want. https://t.co/RbkGgxvZNS 31 Belafon Mar 3, 2018 * 1:38:51pm down 6 up report re: #26 Jay C OK: Serious question time: while I like to think I'm a bit more conversant with things like governmental practices than the "average" citizen (low bar, etc.): one thing about the Orange Anus's stupid "trade war" moves puzzles me. Is setting tariff rates and other trade policies solely in the purview of the President ("Executive Orders" or something?) - or does Congress have any say in the matter? I realize US Presidents have a fairly wide range of powers (assuming no legal/Constitutional challenges) - but is US trade policy really ONLY in the (diminutive) hands of the Executive? From what I've read, the president has some flexibility in setting tariffs if they are considered to be done in the interest of national security, which can include economic security depending on the interpretation. 32 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 1:40:48pm down 11 up report That buck and a half tax cut a week for the Little People just looks better and better, doesn't it? 33 Belafon Mar 3, 2018 * 1:41:47pm down 3 up report re: #32 Skip Intro That buck and a half tax cut a week for the Little People just looks better and better, doesn't it? Someone posted in the previous thread that Republicans are pulling ads touting the tax cut in the upcoming PA special election. 34 dangerman Mar 3, 2018 * 1:41:48pm down 3 up report The President and First Lady were not in the White House at the time of the incident As it's the weekend the president was nowhere near his desk He actually plays this like a 9-,5 weekday job And with extra executive (break) time 35 Amory Blaine Mar 3, 2018 * 1:42:20pm down 11 up report 36 dangerman Mar 3, 2018 * 1:43:27pm down 3 up report 37 DobermanBoston Mar 3, 2018 * 1:44:21pm down 3 up report "Extremism in the defense of nostalgia is no vice!" -Trumpist attitude on trade. 38 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 1:44:38pm down 16 up report Sometimes I lose heart. Then I remember why we all have to keep fighting. #Resist #NeverAgain #VoteThemOut #BlueWave2018 pic.twitter.com/BgsI9KwCcN 39 dangerman Mar 3, 2018 * 1:45:48pm down 3 up report [Embedded content] Well no president before has done what this family has 40 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 1:46:07pm down 5 up report TFW when you've come back after getting a haircut and everyone says it looks fine but you know in your heart of hearts that it's pretty bad. pic.twitter.com/AiCD34a5tX 41 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 1:47:07pm down 6 up report Well no president before has done what this family has And no president before had such an army of media ass kissers ignoring every single rotten thing he does. 42 Eclectic Cyborg Mar 3, 2018 * 1:47:20pm down 6 up report Every photo I see of Trump he looks like he's either pissed off or doesn't know what's going on...or both. 43 Amory Blaine Mar 3, 2018 * 1:48:34pm down 13 up report I'm having a real hard time giving a shit about right wing farmers and trades people who stand to lose money. Maybe they can go out and get better jobs. I would rather Mexican farmers build up their own farms and help their own than american farmers using slave labor to pad their own pockets. 44 SteelPH Mar 3, 2018 * 1:48:55pm down 7 up report re: #42 Eclectic Cyborg Every photo I see of Trump he looks like he's either pissed off or doesn't know what's going on...or both. Or giving off that disgusting fake smile of his. 45 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 1:51:49pm down 12 up report Watch Trump jump out of the SUV and run up the stairs as though the draft board was right on his tail. Pres. Trump and the First Lady board Air Force One at Dulles International Airport in preparation to depart for Rev. Billy Graham's funeral in Charlotte, North Carolina. https://t.co/ocOqjmeBwd pic.twitter.com/v2ttKDlnA6 46 dangerman Mar 3, 2018 * 1:52:54pm down 5 up report re: #26 Jay C OK: Serious question time: while I like to think I'm a bit more conversant with things like governmental practices than the "average" citizen (low bar, etc.): one thing about the Orange Anus's stupid "trade war" moves puzzles me. Is setting tariff rates and other trade policies solely in the purview of the President ("Executive Orders" or something?) - or does Congress have any say in the matter? I realize US Presidents have a fairly wide range of powers (assuming no legal/Constitutional challenges) - but is US trade policy really ONLY in the (diminutive) hands of the Executive? It's unclear and it depends. There ought to be a fight between trump and Congress over whose turf this is. There won't be. 47 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 1:53:22pm down 15 up report re: #45 Skip Intro Watch Trump jump out of the SUV and run up the stairs as though the draft board was right on his tail. [Embedded content] he was askeert that the wind would reveal his bald spot again 48 dangerman Mar 3, 2018 * 1:55:08pm down 3 up report re: #41 Skip Intro And no president before had such an army of media ass kissers ignoring every single rotten thing he does. And a complicit congress 49 dangerman Mar 3, 2018 * 1:56:18pm down 6 up report re: #43 Amory Blaine I'm having a real hard time giving a shit about right wing farmers and trades people who stand to lose money. Maybe they can go out and get better jobs. I would rather Mexican farmers build up their own farms and help their own than american farmers using slave labor to pad their own pockets. Hey if the conditions of your job change and you're unhappy, just move. Right? Easy peasy 50 Amory Blaine Mar 3, 2018 * 1:58:06pm down 8 up report The never ending welfare payments to farmers has promoted their deluded sense of entitlement that they are, somehow, special. That they are a protected class that deserves, while urban areas, don't. 51 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 1:58:43pm down 10 up report "No American has a right to a job". GOPer and Golden Parachute recipient Carly Fiorina. 52 FormerDirtDart Mar 3, 2018 * 1:59:54pm down 15 up report re: #45 Skip Intro Watch Trump jump out of the SUV and run up the stairs as though the draft board was right on his tail. [Embedded content] It was windy. He didn't want to leave himself exposed to another embarrassing video on his ridiculously complex comb over And, he's piece of garbage 53 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 2:01:26pm down 20 up report "These are the darkest days in at least half a year, [aides] say, and they worry just how much farther Pres. Trump and his administration may plunge into unrest and malaise before they start to recover. As one official put it, 'We haven't bottomed out.'" https://t.co/UuSr2J4zPh "The president is starting to wobble in his emotional stability..." [General Barry] McCaffrey said. "Trump's judgment is fundamentally flawed, and the more pressure put on him and the more isolated he becomes, I think, his ability to do harm is going to increase." https://t.co/YphEeWnbn8 54 Amory Blaine Mar 3, 2018 * 2:02:47pm down 13 up report How are higher wages achieved? Through a penny-a-pound premium pledge. Tomato pickers earn less than two cents for every pound of tomatoes they pick (which we buy for $1 to $4 per pound in the grocery store). The "penny-per-pound" pledge provides an extra penny per pound, which goes directly to the tomato pickers. "The extra penny a pound means that participating companies together pay an additional $4 million a year for tomatoes," reports the the New York Times. This translates into an extra $60 to $80 a week for tomato pickers, or a 20-to-35 percent weekly pay increase. This is what I'm talking about. 1 penny a pound to pick. The ground it grows in is subsidized. The water that grows them is subsidized. The equipment used in production is subsidized. The sun that actually grows the tomato is free, no capitalist required. WHERE THE FUCK IS THE VALUE OF THE FARMER? 55 plansbandc Mar 3, 2018 * 2:03:46pm down 3 up report 56 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 2:05:22pm down 6 up report LOL! Wingnuts have finally figured out that they do not own all of the guns... When The Left Says Take The #Guns Away DECODED: Take The Guns Away From Law Abiding Patriots So THEY Have A Monopoly On Force So THEY Can IMPOSE Their #Marxist Policies On Defenseless People #SupportTheNRA pic.twitter.com/N07CA9OaCJ 57 The Ghost of a Flea Mar 3, 2018 * 2:06:22pm down 6 up report re: #54 Amory Blaine There's a book called Tomatoland that they recommend at the end of that piece. Everybody should read it and never, ever buy a fucking Florida tomato. I won't say every red state farmer needs to go out of business, but Florida tomatoes are the worst-possible pile-up of everything shitty in agriculture (including a shitty end-product that you don't realize is shitty, because it's the kind of tomato you're used to). 58 FormerDirtDart Mar 3, 2018 * 2:06:25pm down 17 up report Sad day on Sesame Street. pic.twitter.com/icE7eWkzjw Bert and Ernie sitting shiva... https://t.co/XPUTIMGqYc to where, to what condition????? You can't recover if you haven't ever, er, covered 60 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 2:08:20pm down 16 up report Yes, they're totally mocking the media @realdonaldtrump and not the fact that Putin threatened to nuke your golf club and you kept silent like the obedient little bitch you are. Seriously, the whole world is laughing at you! And way to stand up the @NRA hahah! #Coward #BoneSpurs pic.twitter.com/QZGZYte37E 62 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 2:09:25pm down 17 up report My friends, THIS is a slogan. pic.twitter.com/p2KqWvmnEE Good now I don't have to 64 Amory Blaine Mar 3, 2018 * 2:10:27pm down 32 up report I may be crabbier than usual as my dad is in the hospital, recovering from a breathing incident. Fucking 45 years of smoking 3+ pack of Kools a day. 65 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 2:11:08pm down 15 up report WaPo: "Trump seethed with anger last Wednesday night over cable-news coverage of a photo, obtained by Axios, showing Sessions at dinner with Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein" https://t.co/NAwbDNu06K 66 goddamnedfrank Mar 3, 2018 * 2:12:34pm down 9 up report re: #28 The Ghost of a Flea I seriously wonder if these spontaneous announcements and threats are done to make the markets bounce. Like with Carl Icahn's happy sell-off "accident" before this tariff. I mean, that would be a truly Trump move, in keeping with his previous business practices: fuck everybody to benefit a small number of inside players, mostly family and "friends." eta: Consider--because of the instant-reaction nature of both media and the stock market, policies don't even have to stick. You can just toss out something stupid that panics sellers, cause a dip, then things recover. There's actually multiple exploits to the combo of fast trading and having the most powerful mouthpiece in the world. It's just Trump being his dumbass self and some people around him seeing such moves telegraphed in private and quickly moving to capitalize on them prior to their announcement. There were rumors early in the week that Trump was thinking about steel tariffs, but at the same time nobody actually in charge was prepared for them because there was no official policy paper. Under the fog of confusion Wilbur Ross then snuck the steel executives in without notifying any other cabinet secretaries and Trump made the call during an epic temper tantrum following the departure of Hope Hicks and the continuing fallout with Kelly over Kushner's security clearance and the Rob Porter fiasco. He was also probably in a mood over having to grovel before the NRA and reverse his bizarre comment about wanting to take guns from people without due process. On top of all that he'd just started a new diet, which will put anybody on edge. Point being, it's probably a mistake to ascribe the decision itself to any rationale beyond Trump's need to lash out in anger and feel once again like he's in control. Reportedly Trump was baffled about the market reaction on Thursday and asked Kelly what was going on. Kelly's response was reportedly a rare bout of brutal honestly verging on rebuke, telling Trump that this was exactly what Cohn and Mnuchin told him would happen. 67 PhillyPretzel Mar 3, 2018 * 2:13:17pm down 37 up report Pww/VtC7mDxzQB4O+v1FAc9Jh11SQsORaZ/+Vpd0Wn5Dp6Efg1h2Ya2FwHT0eESQihyUtl0LhrsshkDQhZMX2L8LLtKDEDZ62yGcHTNZC1BSluIxi03CBtjoasbeSkYE1e6/37oNuKRgwJUyaDSoVmv4eL5WLp+NZ0iKvW6olDFvL8rT7NjcSDTnt++JzEFDW32OF63DcL6MzaJdCU1fVIKwjaNYQblw9jkI3KjzrAHPy3RzYxpbn0lDHKJwQTQl61psLjPllqc3zw0YimKTBUHkJKmgbqmcUupy91fK6In5aG7eIqOJAW2p9lr9A26vt0QYRo8WIvzXJuGjT785D4hSDn2vqG7J9Xe1DFjUkAlxUPBcWVn/Ite6boUT+hMLC0sufoWzj/Q= 68 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 2:14:13pm down 5 up report 69 plansbandc Mar 3, 2018 * 2:14:55pm down 7 up report With the tariff crap, my seething hatred of Prez Racist Grandpa has once again popped to the surface. Booze time. 70 plansbandc Mar 3, 2018 * 2:16:02pm down 3 up report 71 PhillyPretzel Mar 3, 2018 * 2:17:38pm down 4 up report It's hard to remember that "doesn't know what they're doing" is an option. 73 Amory Blaine Mar 3, 2018 * 2:18:33pm down 16 up report I talked to my dad last Saturday. He was on his way out the door to a soup party out in the desert. Dozens of different kinds of soup. Also, they burned a 16 foot penis. 74 FormerDirtDart Mar 3, 2018 * 2:18:37pm down 12 up report What the hell? He flew to FL for a fund raiser and a round of golf? 75 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 2:19:42pm down 8 up report re: #74 FormerDirtDart It's not like it costs him anything to do it. 76 Targetpractice Mar 3, 2018 * 2:21:07pm down 8 up report Mission Accomplished! I'm old enough to remember when "serious" pundits were assuring us he'd settle down, grow into the presidency, and America would benefit from having an "unconventional" president. 77 Decatur Deb Mar 3, 2018 * 2:21:17pm down 5 up report re: #73 Amory Blaine I talked to my dad last Saturday. He was on his way out the door to a soup party out in the desert. Dozens of different kinds of soup. Also, they burned a 16 foot penis. I knew Burning Man would go to shit when they moved the Playa. 78 The Ghost of a Flea Mar 3, 2018 * 2:21:20pm down 5 up report Whatever you're taking, mail me some. 79 Blind Frog Belly White Mar 3, 2018 * 2:22:04pm down 19 up report And then the next morning, he announced the steel and aluminum tariffs. The top official at the Justice Department had dinner with the number two and number three officials at the Justice Department. https://t.co/FViGMGfUhG pic.twitter.com/slOm2kQFF8 80 goddamnedfrank Mar 3, 2018 * 2:23:44pm down 6 up report re: #73 Amory Blaine I talked to my dad last Saturday. He was on his way out the door to a soup party out in the desert. Dozens of different kinds of soup. Also, they burned a 16 foot penis. That escalated quickly. 81 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 2:24:02pm down 17 up report Since I, and I think many others here are sick of seeing Trump's ugly face on so many threads may I suggest we use this as his official picture instead? Thank you. 82 FormerDirtDart Mar 3, 2018 * 2:24:53pm down 7 up report re: #74 FormerDirtDart the funeral was in NC, not FL. Last time I checked, it is possible to fly from NC to DC, without a round of golf in FL 83 The Ghost of a Flea Mar 3, 2018 * 2:25:00pm down 4 up report re: #66 goddamnedfrank Reading this kind of analysis takes me back to histories of child kings like Richard II, where the person with all the executive power is like that goat carcass they use for buzkashi. 84 Amory Blaine Mar 3, 2018 * 2:25:17pm down 2 up report Heh. He's quite the character. 85 sagehen Mar 3, 2018 * 2:25:44pm down 6 up report Mission Accomplished! Try to imagine any other president, EVER, being angry that the AG, Deputy AG and Solicitor General ate dinner together. 86 plansbandc Mar 3, 2018 * 2:26:50pm down 1 up report 87 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 2:26:59pm down 6 up report If I believe the reports, Trump seems to spend the time he isn't watching Fox in a boiling rage. So why hasn't he stroked out yet? 88 The Ghost of a Flea Mar 3, 2018 * 2:27:02pm down 2 up report re: #81 Skip Intro Anyone else see a Cenobite that wasn't cool enough to hang with the others? 89 A Mom Anon Mar 3, 2018 * 2:27:49pm down 38 up report re: #64 Amory Blaine I can commiserate. My husband is in ICU for the next few weeks. After well over 15 yrs of not managing type 2 diabetes leading to necrotizing fasciitis. AKA as His Own Damned Fault. And he's being a full fledged pain in the ass.' I've had to leave the ICU more than once to keep from punching him in the sternum. I know he's scared and in pain, but I'm over it. I'm exhausted and I have not a single fucking friend who has my back. So it's me and the kid and it's just not enough. The Husband's employer has offered help for various things. Monday I begin asking, IDGAF what The Husband thinks. Cranky is an understatement to describe my mood. I hope things go much smoother for you and yours. 90 Decatur Deb Mar 3, 2018 * 2:28:41pm down 6 up report re: #87 Skip Intro If I believe the reports, Trump seems to spend the time he isn't watching Fox in a boiling rage. So why hasn't he stroked out yet? He has not fulfilled his destiny--to teach us all to get off our asses and GOTV. Try to imagine any other president, EVER, being angry that the AG, Deputy AG and Solicitor General ate dinner together. Try to imagine any other President, EVER, where the AG, Deputy AG, and Solicitor General having dinner together would be seen as defiance. 92 The Ghost of a Flea Mar 3, 2018 * 2:31:38pm down 6 up report re: #87 Skip Intro If I believe the reports, Trump seems to spend the time he isn't watching Fox in a boiling rage. So why hasn't he stroked out yet? Semi-serious answer: a lot of "angry all the time" people are having a great time. There may be a source of frustration that causes them stress, but their soothing mechanism is raging at people. The outward expression we associate with anger doesn't mean they're experiencing the health-damaging stress that's the product of long-term parasympathetic arousal. 93 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 2:32:55pm down 10 up report re: #89 A Mom Anon That's horrible. I can't imagine having that condition or dealing with some one who does. I hope you can find a way to get some peace while the doc's are dealing with it. 94 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 2:33:46pm down 4 up report re: #92 The Ghost of a Flea That would explain why total assholes seem to live so long. 95 The Ghost of a Flea Mar 3, 2018 * 2:34:32pm down 5 up report re: #94 Skip Intro Caring about people the same way you care about an ashtray removes a considerable quantity of the stress that eats at people. 96 Interesting Times Mar 3, 2018 * 2:37:05pm down 2 up report re: #92 The Ghost of a Flea The outward expression we associate with anger doesn't mean they're experiencing the health-damaging long-term stress that's the product of long-term parasympathetic arousal. I can't find it now, but I could swear there was a study that showed psychopaths had their heart rate decrease when they engaged in raging/violent behavior. 97 Amory Blaine Mar 3, 2018 * 2:37:43pm down 7 up report re: #89 A Mom Anon ((A Mom)) I'm so sorry to hear this. Please don't forget to take care of yourself also. 98 Jay C Mar 3, 2018 * 2:37:47pm down 3 up report re: #91 Blind Frog Belly White Try to imagine any other President, EVER, where the AG, Deputy AG, and Solicitor General having dinner together would be seen as defiance. Probably guilt. The top three officials at Justice might have been simply going over inter-office minutiae over dinner, and of course, our Embarrassment-in-Chief goes ballistic that they're - what? - plotting against him? We should only be so lucky..... 99 Joe Bacon Mar 3, 2018 * 2:38:28pm down 11 up report re: #32 Skip Intro That buck and a half tax cut a week for the Little People just looks better and better, doesn't it? What tax cut? My health insurance premium went up by 18%. Add in the 5% rent increase... After this great $1.50 tax cut my paycheck has gone down by $58! Thank You Lyin' Ryan! 100 The Ghost of a Flea Mar 3, 2018 * 2:39:06pm down 4 up report re: #96 Interesting Times I know the study you're talking about...I think. Data like that was featured in a book called "When Men Batter Women" (that's at least 18 years old--I read it in college) where the worst abusers (the most calculating, the more likely to use extreme violence) experienced the drop, even while "arguing" with their wives during a controlled study that involved counseling while hooked up to a cardiograph and (I think) a GSR monitor. Since I've seen studies that there's people who experience that BP drop who aren't psychopaths, but as a consequence do very well in stressful tasks. edited for a few added details 101 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 2:40:13pm down 4 up report re: #73 Amory Blaine I talked to my dad last Saturday. He was on his way out the door to a soup party out in the desert. Dozens of different kinds of soup. Also, they burned a 16 foot penis. a new twist on Burning Man, was it? 102 Joe Bacon Mar 3, 2018 * 2:41:36pm down 1 up report re: #89 A Mom Anon 1aLEcWK4MgxRA0WfBa5Ud3UTx0UYFvJ7u9ryzgk26ChnYXaArclvHeUk1IaYJYkyTzsVO9LzpGsWBk9wbhtN4976Cq0KCxiuZ9qXPcHabLMyZrzCjI349fCjbFFbvnl1dMPWpOm019qdwZqiKZ+hmvXWN3zcsc0C5fLUfO5B7lJgP0bXD8UKcq+N1GUinMx8O423MFHfxFusP+5D3g+1mnlLx2OPVlsxDKQwiCE0PnmT0osCAeY9Bu2XmGAq5RQjvnzMa7//QtLZD6cLuJMhU12Dq06HFJxL+Hr6hhycZlg= 103 The Ghost of a Flea Mar 3, 2018 * 2:42:19pm down 8 up report 104 Amory Blaine Mar 3, 2018 * 2:44:16pm down 3 up report re: #101 Backwoods_Sleuth Probably. He doesn't do Burning Man anymore because of his COPD and emphysema with all the dust. But he does do regional stuff and some of the side parties him and his hippy friends do. He still does drum circles every edit:Sunday ( I think they still do that out at Red Rock Canyon ) 105 The Ghost of a Flea Mar 3, 2018 * 2:44:38pm down 3 up report I just realized the safety of this nation may be impacted by the president's dislike of salads. The Mar-a-Lago barrow wights probably aren't very happy. Kale is like holy water to them. 106 Amory Blaine Mar 3, 2018 * 2:47:14pm down 5 up report 107 A Mom Anon Mar 3, 2018 * 2:47:30pm down 17 up report re: #93 Skip Intro I keep telling myself that the good thing is that it's not antibiotic resistant, it's two types of staph which can be treated with specific antibiotics. The first skin grafts come on Monday, then we wait. I know he's hurting and scared, but he needs to quit demanding that I fetch him coffees and run out for special food. Or texting me while I'm on the way to the freaking hospital to get him yet some other thing when there is no place on the way to get whatever. And then acting like I don't love him when I just can't. I'm doing all I can not to have a fight in the ICU. 108 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 2:48:10pm down 5 up report What tax cut? My health insurance premium went up by 18%. Add in the 5% rent increase... After this great $1.50 tax cut my paycheck has gone down by $58! Thank You Lyin' Ryan! I don't understand. They said you be getting more money, and even better health care for next to nothing. You must have added things up wrong. 109 Interesting Times Mar 3, 2018 * 2:49:56pm down 12 up report A white nationalist podcast host is also a Florida public school teacher. On her podcast she talks about how some races are smarter than others and how she influences the school with her beliefs. New from me, @letsgomathias and @ohheyjenna : https://t.co/G32a7aU43U Just the kind of person you want carrying an AR-15 e_e 110 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 2:50:29pm down 3 up report re: #107 A Mom Anon I had never heard of that condition before, looked it up and scared myself. I hope it's not as bad as it sounds. 111 A Mom Anon Mar 3, 2018 * 2:53:19pm down 7 up report re: #102 Joe Bacon 8vkZlG+/SBNpFf1tg//my6zHZ69boTeF/qvydL/28CkLi5LMZXSZ1xqgT6WlD4+IfHNqfxhDFkP9xBxADcqoYckQyEHO4mAZ05hGRdUfEx1LN7qiIz5J/dVp4zD29wM7naBpd8qACHMi6TRrpxkP4svyon+D6UvAOc2J8n7I1l0p0UE43TDcyz7RR+LSu53+HecxfN953D8QbpAAVWobxHHr9z27a6JyN1IlKqD+2pgQ4asEj4qzw4Fy0KbzNsV1DtQFoxZN0vt1RS7YXWSdX+2nPlX8i5N8fJaf5xZWI2wxjD+HctTMhCUEgCmomF5H18YGlcfYJVerABm+z7aZomOifDqWOGZizasp5WdoX/k/AXoaZjRKeqyOp1h+Kmuc9lKOWrbKZa+xEpJPE596wI2EQRBdYiih6NzTeN2gk4M= 112 Targetpractice Mar 3, 2018 * 2:55:30pm down 2 up report re: #73 Amory Blaine I talked to my dad last Saturday. He was on his way out the door to a soup party out in the desert. Dozens of different kinds of soup. Also, they burned a 16 foot penis . ...kinky. 113 A Mom Anon Mar 3, 2018 * 2:55:31pm down 15 up report re: #110 Skip Intro Um yeah it is that horrid. Sadly. Really, the last year can just go kiss my ass, I'm about one more disaster away from a crime spree. 114 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 2:56:01pm down 7 up report Looks like Melon has a new book coming out. 115 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 2:57:29pm down 5 up report re: #113 A Mom Anon I've been having a pretty crappy health year myself, for what it's worth, and there's more to go. Just try to relax if you can. 116 ObserverArt Mar 3, 2018 * 2:58:37pm down 4 up report Is it a race of who can drive who out of office quicker now between Jeff Sessions and Donny Trump? Actually, Sessions has the advantage here. Be funny if the little imp fucked over Trump as payback for how he's been treated. 117 Joe Bacon Mar 3, 2018 * 2:59:01pm down 1 up report re: #111 A Mom Anon 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 118 fern01 Mar 3, 2018 * 2:59:23pm down 5 up report re: #53 Backwoods_Sleuth "The president is starting to wobble in his emotional stability..." Media still looking for a way out - what they should be saying the president has NO emotional stability - never has, never will 119 Amory Blaine Mar 3, 2018 * 3:00:23pm down 1 up report This was a party dad took me to ~8 years ago (apologies for the techno). I ate about a half ounce of mushrooms. 120 Targetpractice Mar 3, 2018 * 3:00:30pm down 2 up report Media still looking for a way out - what they should be saying They keep holding onto this hope that this is just a small aberration, that the man's not cracking under the pressure, he's just finding the job more stressful than he was expecting. But the reality is that the man is totally unsuited for this job, he's showing that day by day, and it's a wonder he hasn't stroked out with all the anger and hatred he's stoking by the hour. 121 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 3:01:09pm down 26 up report re: #111 A Mom Anon [Embedded content] 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 122 FormerDirtDart Mar 3, 2018 * 3:01:41pm down 7 up report Chris Wallace also states the Hope Hicks was "the person closest to the President amongst his White House staff" Of course, I immediately thought "Ivanka, and Jared are members of the his staff..." WATCH: Fox News host reads long list of Trump scandals: "Other than that, it's sweetness and light" https://t.co/W52BPGZt9R pic.twitter.com/o2A6fvl8AV I've included the video from Youtube, so you can skip going to The Hill's web site. I find their pages always gum up the work in my computer. 123 dirkdigglerjr Mar 3, 2018 * 3:03:42pm down 3 up report This photo is at least a couple of months old, but what the hell is/was eating his elbow? 124 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 3:03:53pm down 6 up report After an international copyright lawsuit from Germany, the popular book repository, Project Gutenberg ( @gutenberg_org ) was required to block all access in #Germany . The books are still available from other countries. https://t.co/Avcxdk8rqu #ebooks #copyright #internationallaw 125 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 3:04:58pm down 16 up report can we talk about how fucked up the use of "interfere" is in this headline pic.twitter.com/ndlMlzRKwL 126 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 3:05:31pm down 3 up report This photo is at least a couple of months old, but what the hell is/was eating his elbow? 127 mmmirele Mar 3, 2018 * 3:06:09pm down 8 up report re: #113 A Mom Anon Um yeah it is that horrid. Sadly. Really, the last year can just go kiss my ass, I'm about one more disaster away from a crime spree. I am counting my lucky stars. I just had an argument with my elderly, not especially mobile, legally blind, deaf mother. She wanted to go to the Baby Lock and Bernina dealers. To look for books on thread painting, she says. But no, that's not why she really wants to go. She wants to see if they have a stitch regulator for sale that will fit one of her machines. And they don't. Because her machines are older models and no, stitch regulators do not fit them. On top of that, she's legally blind. So I pretty much told her no and said I'd order her a book off Amazon. But she has to see what it is, first, because she might already have it. I keep reminding myself how she could be asking me to drive her over to one of the Indian casinos so she can blow her Social Security check on the slots. Pushing her away on the whole sewing machine thing is manageable. 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 128 plansbandc Mar 3, 2018 * 3:11:18pm down 11 up report An amoral traitor running our country (into the ground). Not what I ever thought would happen to us, but here we are. Fuck. 129 ObserverArt Mar 3, 2018 * 3:13:43pm down 8 up report re: #89 A Mom Anon I can commiserate. My husband is in ICU for the next few weeks. After well over 15 yrs of not managing type 2 diabetes leading to necrotizing fasciitis. AKA as His Own Damned Fault. And he's being a full fledged pain in the ass.' I've had to leave the ICU more than once to keep from punching him in the sternum. I know he's scared and in pain, but I'm over it. I'm exhausted and I have not a single fucking friend who has my back. So it's me and the kid and it's just not enough. The Husband's employer has offered help for various things. Monday I begin asking, IDGAF what The Husband thinks. Cranky is an understatement to describe my mood. I hope things go much smoother for you and yours. Mom. Please do ask for all the help you can get. You deserve it. Sending as much strength your way as I can with words. 130 dangerman Mar 3, 2018 * 3:17:32pm down 6 up report re: #73 Amory Blaine I talked to my dad last Saturday. He was on his way out the door to a soup party out in the desert. Dozens of different kinds of soup. Also, they burned a 16 foot penis. I like him 131 dangerman Mar 3, 2018 * 3:20:26pm down 2 up report re: #87 Skip Intro If I believe the reports, Trump seems to spend the time he isn't watching Fox in a boiling rage. So why hasn't he stroked out yet? Ah The makings of a plan..... 132 dangerman Mar 3, 2018 * 3:23:06pm down 2 up report re: #92 The Ghost of a Flea Semi-serious answer: a lot of "angry all the time" people are having a great time. There may be a source of frustration that causes them stress, but their soothing mechanism is raging at people. The outward expression we associate with anger doesn't mean they're experiencing the health-damaging stress that's the product of long-term parasympathetic arousal. Doctor to Oscar Madison (tv show,) "You're what we call a yeller" 133 Joe Bacon Mar 3, 2018 * 3:24:52pm down 3 up report re: #87 Skip Intro If I believe the reports, Trump seems to spend the time he isn't watching Fox in a boiling rage. So why hasn't he stroked out yet? I really don't want to go there. I remember when right wing preachers like H L Hymers here in Los Angeles prayed for Obama and Bill Clinton's death numerous times. Hymers also prayed for the death of pro-choice Judges. 134 plansbandc Mar 3, 2018 * 3:24:53pm down 8 up report There's some serious shit going on here. 135 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 3:25:24pm down 21 up report Bill Maher: "Did you protect President Obama?" Eric Holder: "The difference between me and Jeff Sessions is I had a president I did not have to protect." https://t.co/AfO9croWtM There's some serious shit going on here. Blast from the Past! Is that Jane Byrne smoking in front of Bozo????? 137 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 3:26:28pm down 2 up report re: #136 Joe Bacon Blast from the Past! Is that Jane Byrne smoking in front of Bozo????? My thought exactly! 138 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 3:27:57pm down 4 up report "Definitely when you see the cabinet meetings, it's kind of painful, frankly, to watch." Sen. Flake discusses the Trump presidency in an interview on David Axelrod's show, "The Axe Files," airing on CNN Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. https://t.co/7iOoA32NGb pic.twitter.com/hK9CW8Q5Zv 139 ozharas Mar 3, 2018 * 3:28:34pm down 9 up report Our Prime Minister and Trade Minister had just arrived back from a visit with Washington and Trump, when this tariff news broke. So much for the US-Aus special relationship - can't even get an answer to a simple question, about our steel/aluminium exports to the US. The Turnbull government still doesn't know if the US steel tariffs will apply to Australia, as a decision has not yet been made by Donald Trump. The Australian trade minister, Steve Ciobo, revealed that he had spoken to the US trade secretary, Wilbur Ross, but was still unclear about whether the tariffs would apply to Australia. On Friday Trump announced the US would this week impose impose tariffs of 25% on steel imports and 10% on imported aluminium, sparking concern from the Australian government, which believed it had negotiated an exemption from US protectionism on steel. On Sunday Ciobo told Sky News it was unclear whether Australia would be captured by the US policy because the reach of the tariff had "yet to be determined". 140 Joe Bacon Mar 3, 2018 * 3:28:49pm down 3 up report re: #137 Backwoods_Sleuth My thought exactly! I remember back in Pittsburgh when they had a Bozo show, a kid told a dirty joke on live TV and Bozo replied, "That's a Bozo No-No". The kid told Bozo to do a rather naughty act...the next day Bozo was fired from WPGH 53... 141 Sea Mexican! Mar 3, 2018 * 3:29:37pm down 13 up report re: #99 Joe Bacon My health insurance premium went up by 18%. Add in the 5% rent increase... After this great $1.50 tax cut my paycheck has gone down by $58! Thank You Lyin' Ryan! There are rumors here at work that we will be hit by a $150+ increase in the health care plan. And last year the government wanted to cut 2 work days per month, effectively a 10% salary cut. And we haven't seen a salary raise in more than 10 years. Between hurricane Maria, the high incompetence of the local government, the oversight board's insistence on paying vulture capitalists over growing the economy, and the Ryan Tax Scam, it looks like things in Puerto Rico can get more dire. 142 Slump-chan Mar 3, 2018 * 3:29:53pm down 2 up report re: #105 The Ghost of a Flea Jeez, just let Trumpy have his damn KFC and big macs. 143 austin_blue Mar 3, 2018 * 3:30:11pm down 2 up report This photo is at least a couple of months old, but what the hell is/was eating his elbow? That Voldemort is a real scamp! 144 dangerman Mar 3, 2018 * 3:31:58pm down 3 up report [Embedded content] Just the kind of person you want carrying an AR-15 e_e Its souther in North florida 145 Joe Bacon Mar 3, 2018 * 3:32:16pm down 7 up report re: #141 Sea Mexican! There are rumors here at work that we will be hit by a $150+ increase in the health care plan. And last year the government wanted to cut 2 work days per month, effectively a 10% salary cut. And we haven't seen a salary raise in more than 10 years. Between hurricane Maria, the high incompetence of the local government, the oversight board's insistence on paying vulture capitalists over growing the economy, and the Ryan Tax Scam, it looks like things in Puerto Rico can get more dire. All the time Ah-Nold was Governor here in California, he furloughed the State's Disability Determination Service workers 1 day a week, paying them only 80% of their salary and the end result was that cases backed up to the point that there was a 7 month minimum processing time. Other states had to step in and help reduce California's backlog. Another reason why I hate that steroid junky and rank him as the worst Governor California ever had! 146 Jay C Mar 3, 2018 * 3:32:17pm down 3 up report This photo is at least a couple of months old, but what the hell is/was eating his elbow? I hate to say what that looks like, so I'll paraphrase: A) The President is growing a (one of his favorite grabbing-objects) on his arm. B) It's just saggy old-man elbow flesh flapping because he's extended the arm straight. Gonna go with B) 147 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 3:39:57pm down 2 up report re: #142 Slump-chan Jeez, just let Trumpy have his damn KFC and big macs. oh...somebody is sneaking them to him... 148 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 3:41:38pm down 27 up report Just imagine what this little girl is thinking, hoping, dreaming. [?] pic.twitter.com/qBXnM6E3sC re: #148 Backwoods_Sleuth I love this more than anything today. 150 austin_blue Mar 3, 2018 * 3:43:06pm down 6 up report re: #147 Backwoods_Sleuth oh...somebody is sneaking them to him... "I'm the goddam President! Get me a bucket of original with extra gravy!" 151 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 3:43:40pm down 5 up report re: #149 A Mom Anon I love this more than anything today. me, too! 152 wrenchwench Mar 3, 2018 * 3:46:16pm down 11 up report Tour de France to drop podium girls following Formula One and darts Race organisers hold talks about ending tradition of using models to greet stage winners at this year's Tour [...] The Times say race officials have held extensive talks about ditching the use of the ladies, who flank the winner on the podium each day. They are as much a recognised part of the Tour as the cycling itself - but bosses believe the time has come to end the practice. Like those in charge of darts and F1, they believe the use of scantily clad women to promote their events is becoming outdated. [...] The decision was criticised by the podium girls who lost their jobs, claiming they were being denied work because of the demands of feminists. There's always a complainer... 153 austin_blue Mar 3, 2018 * 3:46:23pm down 14 up report re: #149 A Mom Anon I love this more than anything today. It was reported that she asked the guy to her left, "Is she a queen?" I hope he replied, "Yes, my dear, yes she is". 154 Sionainn, the Nasty Devilbitch Mar 3, 2018 * 3:48:25pm down 3 up report re: #104 Amory Blaine Probably. He doesn't do Burning Man anymore because of his COPD and emphysema with all the dust. But he does do regional stuff and some of the side parties him and his hippy friends do. He still does drum circles every edit:Sunday ( I think they still do that out at Red Rock Canyon ) Didn't realize he lived in my city! 155 austin_blue Mar 3, 2018 * 3:49:41pm down 13 up report There's always a complainer... It was a legal issue. Last year, over 50% of the podium girls grew moustaches and chest hair after smooching the athletes. 156 Ace Rothstein Mar 3, 2018 * 3:50:27pm down 1 up report re: #87 Skip Intro If I believe the reports, Trump seems to spend the time he isn't watching Fox in a boiling rage. So why hasn't he stroked out yet? There's time. 157 wrenchwench Mar 3, 2018 * 3:50:49pm down 6 up report re: #155 austin_blue It was a legal issue. Last year, over 50% of the podium girls grew moustaches and chest hair after smooching the athletes. I see a future for Lance Armstrong as a Russian coach. 158 Eclectic Cyborg Mar 3, 2018 * 3:51:40pm down 5 up report Why not put a woman AND a man at the podium to congratulate winners? Modest dress of course. 159 sagehen Mar 3, 2018 * 3:52:09pm down 3 up report re: #145 Joe Bacon All the time Ah-Nold was Governor here in California, he furloughed the State's Disability Determination Service workers 1 day a week, paying them only 80% of their salary and the end result was that cases backed up to the point that there was a 7 month minimum processing time. Other states had to step in and help reduce California's backlog. Another reason why I hate that steroid junky and rank him as the worst Governor California ever had! One of Reagan's budget moves was to release 1/4 of the inmates from the penitentiary. It did save a ton of money, and was actually very popular in some circles... 160 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 3:52:32pm down 15 up report Roy Moore asks for money, says resources are "depleted" https://t.co/NkfKgEI2Xl pic.twitter.com/GbtR4MhmuK Dear Roy Moore: Thankfully in America we provide a safety net for those in need: Medicaid Medicare Social Security Obamacare Emergency room services Public Defenders Even though many of your supporters have abandoned you, our government is still here for you. https://t.co/IrG4mKOCHa 161 wrenchwench Mar 3, 2018 * 3:53:26pm down 5 up report re: #158 Eclectic Cyborg Why not put a woman AND a man at the podium to congratulate winners? Modest dress of course. Pay increase would have to happen. Cheaper this way. 162 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 3:55:15pm down 27 up report "The left has to make peace with anti-semites if it wants to defeat Trump" might be the most backwards hot take of all time. Honey, if I wanted to make peace with anti-semites, I would have voted for the guy. 163 Grunthos the Flatulent Mar 3, 2018 * 3:56:47pm down 7 up report Nah. Burning Manhood. 164 mmmirele Mar 3, 2018 * 4:00:17pm down 9 up report A friend of mine from college who now lives in NYC was paid $100 to participate in a focus group for a new television network. 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 165 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 4:01:05pm down 24 up report Hey, kids--the House and Senate aren't going to do anything about guns. Neither is the president, a morally vacant boob who will say anything. We have to do it ourselves. Get as many NRA sweethearts as possible out in November. We can do this. Stephen, the kids are ON IT! 166 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 4:02:46pm down 11 up report "...they worry just how much farther President Trump and his administration may plunge into unrest and malaise before they start to recover." Why assume they'll recover at all? It can, after all, just get worse and worse. https://t.co/4nHCjOY4Yd 167 jaunte Mar 3, 2018 * 4:04:06pm down 13 up report . @realDonaldTrump has restored hope, security, and patriotism to our country. He's given a voice to the Americans who have been ignored for too long. What inspires grown adults to throw this kind of cult-like adulation unprompted? It is bizarre and disgusting. https://t.co/46nBwFslWq 168 Eclectic Cyborg Mar 3, 2018 * 4:04:27pm down 6 up report re: #166 Backwoods_Sleuth And another day without a peep from the GOP. They are complicit in the destruction of our country. By any reasonable measure, Trump should have been gone months ago. 169 HappyWarrior Mar 3, 2018 * 4:06:19pm down 3 up report The mistake is assuming Romma is an adult. 170 jaunte Mar 3, 2018 * 4:08:12pm down 13 up report "Trade wars are good," says the business genius with six bankruptcies. Doctor to Oscar Madison (tv show,) "You're what we call a yeller" The Odd Couple , such a classic (the original series, not the ho-hum reboot). 172 wrenchwench Mar 3, 2018 * 4:13:56pm down 4 up report [What inspires grown adults to throw this kind of cult-like adulation unprompted?] It's her job. The phrase, 'putting lipstick on a pig' came to mind. 173 jaunte Mar 3, 2018 * 4:15:34pm down 9 up report Next she'll be praising his swim across the Yangtze. 174 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 4:17:46pm down 19 up report To clarify: Martha Stewart went to jail when her advisor told her about bad news and she sold 230k in stocks. Long-time trump advisor Carl Icahn just dumped $32,000,000 in stock that is RELIANT ON STEEL IMPORTS, RIGHT BEFORE trump announced the tariffs. Cronyism at its finest. 175 Decatur Deb Mar 3, 2018 * 4:17:53pm down 4 up report [Embedded content] That tweet's a keeper. When Trump is sitting on his golden shitter on some distant island, it must never be forgotten that he is the GOP, and the GOP is Trump. 176 goddamnedfrank Mar 3, 2018 * 4:19:04pm down 18 up report I half think that eliciting this exact response was China's real goal here. CNN obtained a tape of Trump at a closed-door fundraiser. He said this about China's president: "He's now president for life. President for life. And he's great. And look, he was able to do that. I think it's great. Maybe we'll give that a shot some day." https://t.co/FzLjVtlhl1 177 Decatur Deb Mar 3, 2018 * 4:21:16pm down 13 up report I half think that eliciting this exact response was China's real goal here. "Maybe we'll give that a shot some day." Don't ever think that's a passing fancy. re: #155 austin_blue It was a legal issue. Last year, over 50% of the podium girls grew moustaches and chest hair after smooching the athletes. HA! Of course, given the drug-of-choice for cycling, they're more likely to stroke out from all the red cells making their blood as thick as pudding. 179 Joe Bacon Mar 3, 2018 * 4:23:39pm down 12 up report But he still won't let you use your middle name. You're beyond pathetic! 180 dirkdigglerjr Mar 3, 2018 * 4:24:14pm down 5 up report re: #99 Joe Bacon Same story here. Work for local government but insurance is issued through the state. Premium increase of 10 percent means I pay nearly 800 per month pre-tax for me and mrsdirk. She is retired but due to changes in retiree insurance she would be paying the same non-pre-tax if she had taken that option. Based on the February check that included the new rates, my tax cut "earnings" are a $10 decrease per month. 181 The Ghost of a Flea Mar 3, 2018 * 4:24:22pm down 16 up report re: #147 Backwoods_Sleuth oh...somebody is sneaking them to him... Barrow wight: FRIED CHICKEN FOR THE MASTER. HE SHALL OVERCOMB ALL. Health advisor: He can't eat that. This new diet is supposed to help with his heart issues and stress. Wight: HEART? HEART? A VESTIGIAL ORGAN. THE HAIR REQUIRES GREASE. THROUGH THAT OLEAGINOUS LUSTER ITS CHANNELS THE POWERS OF THE NECROPOLIS OF THE INFARCTED DITTOHEAD. Health advisor: Hey, we're sort of on the same side here...I think. The...um, hair...is attached to an aging man I'm responsible for the health and welfare of. Maybe throw in some boiled vegetables, or a sala-- Wight: SAY NO MORE I WILL SUMMON A LETTUCE WEDGE FROM THE FLAVORLESS PIT. Health advisor: It's covered in blue cheese, bacon bits, and boiled eggs. You've nullified what little benefit there was to eating a green And iceburg lettuce is pretty much crunchy water. Wight: IT IS THE CONDENSED EMPTINESS OF THE EIGHTIES ON A PLATE. DURAN DURAN, BUT SLIGHTLY LESS EDIBLE. Health advisor: Yeah, but maybe we could try something with some fiber or nutrients. Kale, arugala, watercress, mache.... Wight: CEASE THIS CURSE...*withers to ash* Second barrow wight: YOU HAVE TURNED THE CHEF DE CUISINE. BY UNHOLY RIGHT I, THE SAUCIER, CLAIM HIS TOQUE. TONIGHT WE SHALL MAKE A TOPHET OF THE BAKED ALASKA! IA! IA! Health advisor: I give up. I clearly don't understand how the kitchen around here works. Just...please...steam some broccoli or something. Anything. 182 ObserverArt Mar 3, 2018 * 4:24:41pm down 4 up report There's always a complainer... I'm an F1 fan...and I have heard the complaints. Some guys are threatening to stop watching the sport. I thought they liked racing, but you never know. Tradition! F1 was tossing around the idea of using kids from the various countries to do the grid number thing before the race start instead of local models. 183 Joe Bacon Mar 3, 2018 * 4:25:05pm down 3 up report I see on a family member's Facebook page that Alex Jones got his third You Tube strike...is this confirmed???? 184 FormerDirtDart Mar 3, 2018 * 4:27:12pm down 3 up report Pay increase would have to happen. Cheaper this way. Kids, yeah kids. You barely have to pay them t all 185 dirkdigglerjr Mar 3, 2018 * 4:28:15pm down 1 up report 186 FormerDirtDart Mar 3, 2018 * 4:28:25pm down 4 up report The President of the United States on the unelected leader of authoritarian China: "He's now president for life. President for life. And he's great," Trump said. "And look, he was able to do that. I think it's great. Maybe we'll give that a shot some day." https://t.co/Pqb7iOKiWo 187 Unshaken Defiance Mar 3, 2018 * 4:29:37pm down 3 up report Trump President for life? Just shoot me. If he becomes President For Life, I suspect he'll have a short Presidency. 189 goddamnedfrank Mar 3, 2018 * 4:29:54pm down 3 up report re: #181 The Ghost of a Flea Kitchen Liches is a show I would watch the absolute hell out of tbh. re: #187 Unshaken Defiance Trump President for life? Just shoot me. Right idea. Wrong target. // 191 ObserverArt Mar 3, 2018 * 4:30:22pm down 1 up report The mistake is assuming Romma is an adult. The head of the damn party committee. It's nuts all the way down. Or up. It's all nuts. 192 Decatur Deb Mar 3, 2018 * 4:30:24pm down 3 up report Trump President for life? Just shoot me. That's acceptable, as long as he's out of office before 2020. 193 Barefoot Grin Mar 3, 2018 * 4:30:43pm down 4 up report Maggie's tweet is a bit on the "duh" side, but the comments are golden. Have been reminded by two people in last day of the things Trump hates most - being called dumb, being caught off guard, and other people making money/getting benefits off his name. re: #193 Barefoot Grin Maggie's tweet is a bit on the "duh" side, but the comments are golden. [Embedded content] You'd think he'd be accustomed to being called dumb, after all this time. 195 ozharas Mar 3, 2018 * 4:37:57pm down 3 up report And... On Saturday, among donors gathered in the grand ballroom named for himself at Mar-a-Lago, Trump pondered the happiness of his former rival, wondering aloud whether she was enjoying life after the campaign. "Is Hillary a happy person? Do you think she's happy?" he said. "When she goes home at night, does she say, 'What a great life?' I don't think so. You never know. I hope she's happy." 196 Decatur Deb Mar 3, 2018 * 4:40:16pm down 6 up report Awright, Texans--ya got me. WTF? Donations of deer semen make up majority of contributions in Texas candidate's race: report 197 mmmirele Mar 3, 2018 * 4:41:37pm down 2 up report re: #183 Joe Bacon I see on a family member's Facebook page that Alex Jones got his third You Tube strike...is this confirmed???? I don't know about that, but there's an article on CNN from a couple of hours ago with this headline: Advertisers flee InfoWars founder Alex Jones' YouTube channel A quick Twitter search didn't show any outrage over a third strike, so probably not true, at least right now. 198 Unshaken Defiance Mar 3, 2018 * 4:42:22pm down 5 up report Awright, Texans--ya got me. WTF? Donations of deer semen make up majority of contributions in Texas candidate's race: report Wife looking over my shoulder at your post... "How do they"... DONT ASK I (quickly) say. 199 goddamnedfrank Mar 3, 2018 * 4:42:51pm down 8 up report re: #193 Barefoot Grin Maggie's tweet is a bit on the "duh" side, but the comments are golden. [Embedded content] 200 Decatur Deb Mar 3, 2018 * 4:46:06pm down 4 up report re: #198 Unshaken Defiance Wife looking over my shoulder at your post... "How do they"... DONT ASK I (quickly) say. Thought it was bad when Daughter1 gave SIL1 deer piss for his birthday. 201 Quoth the raven, Covfefe. Mar 3, 2018 * 4:48:19pm down 2 up report I would be okay with a President for life, if it meant we got to shoot them whenever we decided it was time for a new President. /half re: #201 Quoth the raven, Covfefe. I would be okay with a President for life, if it meant we got to shoot them whenever we decided it was time for a new President. /half That's how it works historically. 203 BigPapa Mar 3, 2018 * 4:49:52pm down 9 up report Are you a homeless dog or hooman 204 Quoth the raven, Covfefe. Mar 3, 2018 * 4:51:08pm down 8 up report I had a pizza today that was pinapple and bacon. PINEAPPLE AND BACON. It was yum. 205 Blind Frog Belly White Mar 3, 2018 * 4:51:08pm down 2 up report "I hereby declare myself President For Life!" CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!! // 206 stpaulbear Mar 3, 2018 * 4:51:23pm down 3 up report And... On Saturday, among donors gathered in the grand ballroom named for himself at Mar-a-Lago, Trump pondered the happiness of his former rival, wondering aloud whether she was enjoying life after the campaign. "Is Hillary a happy person? Do you think she's happy?" he said. "When she goes home at night, does she say, 'What a great life?' I don't think so. You never know. I hope she's happy." Every word he says in that article is soooo much projection. I think it's great that someone is recording events that Trump wants to be media-free. I wonder if one of the members is a plant for CNN? I don't even wonder if any of the staff are Russian plants. That's a given. 207 ObserverArt Mar 3, 2018 * 4:51:25pm down 4 up report And suddenly the thread turns. Not sure where to, but it is turning. 208 Quoth the raven, Covfefe. Mar 3, 2018 * 4:52:22pm down 6 up report And suddenly the thread turns. Not sure where to, but it is turning. I knew we shoulda taken a left turn at Albuquerque. /Ha, I spelled it right the first time, and without spell check! I are smrt! 209 BigPapa Mar 3, 2018 * 4:52:43pm down 5 up report re: #204 Quoth the raven, Covfefe. I had a pizza today that was pinapple and bacon. PINEAPPLE AND BACON. It was yum. Yeah, well, like, bacon is cheating, man. 210 ObserverArt Mar 3, 2018 * 4:53:45pm down 4 up report re: #204 Quoth the raven, Covfefe. I had a pizza today that was pinapple and bacon. PINEAPPLE AND BACON. It was yum. It's godless man! This is why even the Evangelicals will not have you. Repent! Cast out the fruit. Go forth without Pizza Sin. And... On Saturday, among donors gathered in the grand ballroom named for himself at Mar-a-Lago, Trump pondered the happiness of his former rival, wondering aloud whether she was enjoying life after the campaign. "Is Hillary a happy person? Do you think she's happy?" he said. "When she goes home at night, does she say, 'What a great life?' I don't think so. You never know. I hope she's happy." One wonders whether he's musing on how great it would be to have lost and not have all his shit being looked into, not have all these people demanding his time and attention, and all these decisions to make. Sniping from the sidelines is easy and fun - he still does it, even though he's the guy with the ball. It's godless man! This is why even the Evangelicals will not have you. Repent! Cast out the fruit. Go forth without Pizza Sin. Ahem...Tomatoes and peppers would like a word. 213 Quoth the raven, Covfefe. Mar 3, 2018 * 4:54:54pm down 3 up report It's godless man! This is why even the Evangelicals will not have you. Repent! Cast out the fruit. Go forth without Pizza Sin. The irony of that statement is that I had it at lunch with my church, as we are setting up for a combined service and I had a hard day of work setting up the tech stack. They ordered us pizza. 214 Decatur Deb Mar 3, 2018 * 4:56:20pm down 4 up report re: #213 Quoth the raven, Covfefe. The irony of that statement is that I had it at lunch with my church, as we are setting up for a combined service and I had a hard day of work setting up the tech stack. They ordered us pizza. So we can assume you're not Jewish or Italian. 215 ObserverArt Mar 3, 2018 * 4:56:24pm down 2 up report re: #212 Blind Frog Belly White Ahem...Tomatoes and peppers would like a word. Come on this is religion. We aren't going to get picky here are we? You're sorta blowing the game. Move along with your questions. Come on this is religion. We aren't going to get picky here are we? You're sorta blowing the game. Move along with your questions. I thought religions were all about being picky. 217 BigPapa Mar 3, 2018 * 4:58:17pm down 14 up report Prelim planned vaca with my sis from Australia: fly in to LA road trip to Grand Canyon, come back doing the Route 66 thing, fly out of LA. Her Aussie keiki will get their minds blown at Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon. Been a while but I need some long hours out in the desert. 218 dirkdigglerjr Mar 3, 2018 * 4:59:04pm down 5 up report re: #198 Unshaken Defiance One of the best articles I ever got to write was about the theft of $250,000 in bull emissions. Money quote from the local sheriff's office: "This was some prized bull semen." 219 majii Mar 3, 2018 * 5:04:15pm down 4 up report re: #183 Joe Bacon "I see on a family member's Facebook page that Alex Jones got his third You Tube strike...is this confirmed????" I read about this a few days ago. I don't know if it's been confirmed, but I certainly hope it's true. If he gets booted from the platform, it's a definite win for America. 220 austin_blue Mar 3, 2018 * 5:05:09pm down 1 up report Huh. Live NHL hockey game from the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Leafs and Caps. Should be good, as Toronto is hot as a rocket right now. 221 The Vicious Babushka Mar 3, 2018 * 5:05:25pm down 6 up report I half think that eliciting this exact response was China's real goal here. [Embedded content] O G_D that article. He's out of control and out of fucks. 222 FormerDirtDart Mar 3, 2018 * 5:06:39pm down 14 up report Imagine the morale this evening, as CNN starts releasing excerpts from last nights fund raising gaff session... 223 Joe Bacon Mar 3, 2018 * 5:06:46pm down 3 up report I don't know about that, but there's an article on CNN from a couple of hours ago with this headline: A quick Twitter search didn't show any outrage over a third strike, so probably not true, at least right now. I know what a bullshitter he is. That's why I wanted to touch base here and see if anyone else can confirm. Really hurts to have relatives who worship the ground Jones walks on... 224 Quoth the raven, Covfefe. Mar 3, 2018 * 5:07:48pm down 7 up report ...whom he had looked upon as one of his own children. Perhaps the way he looks at Ivanka?/// 225 FormerDirtDart Mar 3, 2018 * 5:08:10pm down 3 up report I bet this changes pretty fast Early look at Sunday's front page ... Complaints of serial subway masturbators have surged, and there's no easy fix https://t.co/rISu7upWg2 pic.twitter.com/HwhisryCbc -- New York Daily News ( @NYDailyNews ) March 4, 2018 226 Joe Bacon Mar 3, 2018 * 5:10:22pm down 2 up report re: #203 BigPapa I look at that and it reminds me of how Mom could doctor up a Chef Boyardee Pizza Kit with fines herbs and very thin slices of real mozzarella Sometimes she would add green pepper, onion and mushroom slices. But mom would NEVER put pineapple slices on a pizza. She would save fresh pineapple slices and cloves for her baked hams... 227 ObserverArt Mar 3, 2018 * 5:11:16pm down 3 up report Heh, was digging through some music at YouTube and came across this. I don't know. Seems kind of fitting for the times. I give you ( I Am The God of Hell and Fire ) Arthur Brown doing Sea of Vodka . The tune will be familiar. They say it is a classic in its influences. 228 ObserverArt Mar 3, 2018 * 5:12:48pm down 2 up report re: #216 Blind Frog Belly White I thought religions were all about being picky. Not mine. We go with what works. Good for the collections. 229 teleskiguy Mar 3, 2018 * 5:12:52pm down 10 up report re: #64 Amory Blaine Kools were my brand for years. I forgot when I stopped smoking, it's been almost two years, that's certain. 230 Quoth the raven, Covfefe. Mar 3, 2018 * 5:14:25pm down 3 up report Kools were my brand for years. I forgot when I stopped smoking, it's been almost two years, that's certain. Yeah, it's been a while. I remember when you started on the quitting. 231 austin_blue Mar 3, 2018 * 5:15:06pm down 4 up report Heh, was digging through some music at YouTube and came across this. I don't know. Seems kind of fitting for the times. I give you ( I Am The God of Hell and Fire ) Arthur Brown doing Sea of Vodka . The tune will be familiar. They say it is a classic in its influences. [Embedded content] He lives here in Austin, now. House painter. Plays guitar for old folks in nursing homes. Nice guy. Also, like 6' 8". Oh, and the hockey game is on NBC. 232 austin_blue Mar 3, 2018 * 5:18:22pm down 4 up report Oh, they've got the US Men's curling team on the ice pre-game. 233 dirkdigglerjr Mar 3, 2018 * 5:21:40pm down 1 up report re: #211 Blind Frog Belly White Well that and the threat of jail time. 234 stpaulbear Mar 3, 2018 * 5:29:51pm down 1 up report re: #231 austin_blue He lives here in Austin, now. House painter. Plays guitar for old folks in nursing homes. Nice guy. Also, like 6' 8". Oh, and the hockey game is on NBC. Does he have any scars on his head from malfunctioning flaming helmets that he wore while perfoming "Fire"? 235 teleskiguy Mar 3, 2018 * 5:30:19pm down 9 up report re: #89 A Mom Anon Egads! All I want to do now is hug you and take you for a walk in the woods to some gorgeous mountain vista. 236 The Ghost of a Flea Mar 3, 2018 * 5:31:42pm down 18 up report Kitchen Lich sounds like the world's most terrifying magical convenience gadget. How much would you pay for a thousand years of accumulated cooking skill? It slices, it dices, it makes longevity potions from the litter box contents...it's the Kitchen Lich (tm) ! The one-stop solution for all of your food preparation and necromancy needs. As long as you hold the phylactery, it will make dinner while you're at work and reanimate meat scraps to attack your neighbors. Watch it cut through a tin can, the carving board, and most of the German Shepherd without dulling or chipping the blade of its balefire-forged knives. Makes soup in seconds with spells that obliterate the coherence of organic matter! Save on power bills and heating with an oven that connects to Hell! Start dinner while still at work by screaming directions at the mummified head or eery glowing crystal that contains the lich's essence--the ultimate in convenience for the double-income household. You haven't eaten Thanksgiving turkey until you've had one roasted with the turkey's soul still trapped in the carcass! Mother-in-law always complaining about holiday dinners? Not after a taste of the damnation that awaits her! Picky kids will buckle down and eat their vegetables rather than listen to the unending wailing of broccoli florets bestowed crude sapience. And all of this value comes with an after-lifetime guarantee! If your Kitchen Lich (tm) fails to continue its bleak existence until the sun is a cinder, we'll provide your accursed family line with a new one at cost! Kitchen Lich (tm) is controlled entirely by its phylactery. Company is not legally responsible for injury or soul theft caused by misplacing this item. Staring into the empty eyes sockets of the Kitchen Lich is not suggested, and may result in oily discharge from the crown chakra, squid eye, or eternity trapped in aspic. Company is also not legally culpable for loss of True Name, eternal thralldom, Sudden Infant Tentacle Syndrome, haunted pelvis or any other phenomenon speculated but not proven to occur around Kitchen Lich (tm) . Do not allow pets or pregnant women to touch Kitchen Lich (tm) , dream about Kitchen Lich (tm) or inhale the greenish miasma Kitchen Lich (tm) emits while operating. Kitchen Lich (tm) is safe to operate and easy to handle, but certain precautions will increase ease of use and decrease likelihood of a wave of the undead pouring forth and covering the world in endless shadow: - do not leave anything that can be made into a horcrux within the reach of Kitchen Lich (tm) - ignore whispered secrets or telepathic suggestions from the Kitchen Lich (tm) itself, the hellfire oven, or any of the implements fashioned of bones and Animal Crackers that the Kitchen Lich (tm) creates in its spare time. - rinse meat in holy water thoroughly before and after processing by Kitchen Lich (tm) . Chicken carcasses should be staked before disposal. - Kitchen Lich (tm) does not need hugs to function, no matter how often it insists otherwise. - attempting to operate more than one Kitchen Lich (tm) will result in dungeon construction, riddle contests, and root vegetables singing in the disembodied voice of August Escoffier. Warranty void in homes containing prophesied children and in cases of divine intervention. 237 teleskiguy Mar 3, 2018 * 5:33:36pm down 5 up report re: #230 Quoth the raven, Covfefe. Yeah, it's been a while. I remember when you started on the quitting. At work, I'd say two-thirds of my co-workers smoke. Whenever they ask me if they can take a smoke break I always oblige and I *always* tell them "I think you should quit." 238 austin_blue Mar 3, 2018 * 5:38:16pm down 1 up report Does he have any scars on his head from malfunctioning flaming helmets that he wore while perfoming "Fire"? [Embedded content] Ha! No, he's pretty bald. 2-1 Caps after 6:10 seconds. Fun! 239 whitebeach Mar 3, 2018 * 5:38:17pm down 2 up report re: #220 austin_blue Huh. Live NHL hockey game from the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Leafs and Caps. Should be good, as Toronto is hot as a rocket right now. Fortunately when that came on I was able to find some Columbo reruns. No offense to hockey fans, but the whole sport leaves me ... cold. re: #232 austin_blue Oh, they've got the US Men's curling team on the ice pre-game. My lord, the excitement just keeps building. 240 freetoken Mar 3, 2018 * 5:38:46pm down 11 up report So, Trump wanted to reward his friends with billions of dollars, and so did the GOP in Congress, so they gave their friends huge tax breaks. Which will lead to giant deficits. Which in turn means huge borrowing by the Treasury. That is, the selling of US notes/bonds around the world to raise money. At the same time, Trump wants a trade war with China, the EU, Canada, and everybody else. The same people the US Treasury expects to pick up trillions of dollars of future Treasury notes/bonds. Am I getting this correct? 241 Joe Bacon Mar 3, 2018 * 5:41:52pm down 7 up report So, Trump wanted to reward his friends with billions of dollars, and so did the GOP in Congress, so they gave their friends huge tax breaks. Which will lead to giant deficits. Which in turn means huge borrowing by the Treasury. That is, the selling of US notes/bonds around the world to raise money. At the same time, Trump wants a trade war with China, the EU, Canada, and everybody else. The same people the US Treasury expects to pick up trillions of dollars of future Treasury notes/bonds. Am I getting this correct? Yes and watch what happens when they refuse to buy Treasury securities and then turn around and dump the securities they already have...which leads Standard & Poors to further downgrade the United States from the A's to the B and possibly C categories...requiring the Fed to jack the interest rates on those securities to double digit levels...inflation triggers... 242 Hecuba's daughter Mar 3, 2018 * 5:43:32pm down 5 up report re: #107 A Mom Anon gPlmuYlDJSd5UiewzQvNu/H3MgGFsHmPLzEw5l04I2pSL6rvQUu7/tKxZB5tPz0mV51HNnYbjUWHHgvD1FG+lh+z9LtQXXrWqKuRM7GJtZeuhArZ3aKXmjg+3BBwoyzF1fIhJR1vzRUzd3i6ItCD+RMkO64VWP1xdx9S8Jo6iOFYWR9Ogss+oZIYupafVlrbRu9XvAG9TV+CftaAygYDTPTIMXGmMvJAapVW5hoQyROJfjNe0Mu4U7z66XpAZUXKQ9jB4W9RHg3XZh+nBxrZCPKOdduOE8hAmtdKJsEIA5kuQDG+bBKtzwalPNdeStsiK05LuFpxxf6u+5wcJup/q+50aIchf4hw0cztFzWaVQI= 243 Citizen K Mar 3, 2018 * 5:43:40pm down 7 up report At this point, he simply hasn't earned the benefit of the doubt. And the fact that our president would be joking about being a "president-for-life" would be a career killer for any other modern president or candidate. -- Citizen K Calls BS ( @Citizen_Kryptik ) March 4, 2018 244 freetoken Mar 3, 2018 * 5:44:54pm down 22 up report 245 Unshaken Defiance Mar 3, 2018 * 5:45:11pm down 3 up report re: #241 Joe Bacon Yes and watch what happens when they refuse to buy Treasury securities and then turn around and dump the securities they already have...which leads Standard & Poors to further downgrade the United States from the A's to the B and possibly C categories...requiring the Fed to jack the interest rates on those securities to double digit levels...inflation triggers... Right about the time our enemies pull the trigger on all that stolen personal and bank data. SWIFT goes down. 246 Joe Bacon Mar 3, 2018 * 5:46:29pm down 5 up report re: #245 Unshaken Defiance Right about the time our enemies pull the trigger on all that stolen personal and bank data. SWIFT goes down. I would not be surprised to see Trump and the Republicans default on the debt the next time the limit comes up for a vote. 247 The Major Mar 3, 2018 * 5:48:56pm down 2 up report re: #12 Blind Frog Belly White GERMANY can choose to stop importing GERMAN cars from us, speaking of things he doesn't seem to know. Yeah, that nice Mercedes-Benz Alabama plant may start to have some layoffs thanks to Hair Furor.... 248 teleskiguy Mar 3, 2018 * 5:49:17pm down 3 up report Dude, this thread is heavy. Sending vibes throughout. 249 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 5:50:23pm down 5 up report re: #246 Joe Bacon I would not be surprised to see Trump and the Republicans default on the debt the next time the limit comes up for a vote. Trump said he'd do that on Treasurys during the campaign. Nobody paid any attention because of Hillary's emails. 250 stpaulbear Mar 3, 2018 * 5:51:02pm down 4 up report YouTube rabbit hole time: Desmond Dekker & The Aces - Israelites (1969). This was a pretty big hit, even with the line "Wife and my kids, they fuck off and-a leave me..." 251 Joe Bacon Mar 3, 2018 * 5:52:05pm down 3 up report Wow! Will Texans give George P Bush the boot? Bush has run an anaemic - one might say low-energy - campaign, with scant media availability and no events listed on his website. He is still the favourite, but if he fails to get above 50% of the vote on 6 March - when Texas holds the country's first primaries ahead of the 2018 midterms - he will face a potentially dangerous runoff. "It's quite possible that the Bush political dynasty, at least for this generation, could end in the spring of 2018 because if George P Bush fails to win the GOP nomination for land commissioner it's tough to see him coming back from that any time soon," said Mark Jones, a political scientist at Rice University. The dynasty began with Prescott Bush - George P's great-grandfather - becoming senator for Connecticut in 1952. Even in Texas, being a Bush is no longer much of an asset in an election that typically sees a high turnout from a base of far-right conservatives. "The Bush name hurts George P Bush more than it helps him with Republican primary voters," Jones said. That may explain why, despite the insults flung at Jeb Bush, and though George HW and George W Bush hold the present occupant of the White House in low esteem, lthe 41-year-old embraced Trump a couple of months before the presidential election. 252 The Major Mar 3, 2018 * 5:56:55pm down 7 up report 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 253 Interesting Times Mar 3, 2018 * 5:59:30pm down 20 up report Well played: I feel bad that Roy Moore is broke. I'm going to donate half of my $1.50 a week raise to him to help him out. After taxes, that leaves .52C/. A stamp now cost .50C/. That leaves .02C/. Here is my .02C/. You. Are. A. Loser. That's sad. He played the *best* prig. 255 Amory Blaine Mar 3, 2018 * 6:08:09pm down 8 up report 256 teleskiguy Mar 3, 2018 * 6:18:34pm down 3 up report Do you have a book for sale? I'll buy it right now. 257 jaunte Mar 3, 2018 * 6:19:23pm down 10 up report The special counsel inquiry appears to be widening its focus to include an adviser to the U.A.E. https://t.co/gQxex3yOdv -- The New York Times ( @nytimes ) March 4, 2018 1. It's Saturday night!!! Breaking news like this on a Sat night? COME ON!!! OK so: Mueller has been focusing his investigation on George Nader, a Lebanese-American businessman. https://t.co/KGuieAp22g 3. In "recent weeks" (meaning at least a month and a half ago if this is being disclosed now) Mueller has QUESTIONED Nader. Also, he's been asking witnesses about the UAE BUYING POLITICAL INFLUENCE quite literally, by pouring money into Trump's campaign. This is BIG news. 258 teleskiguy Mar 3, 2018 * 6:21:43pm down 12 up report Hoover Dam power plant, Nevada side. I have to say this kind of blew my mind. Floor of the observation deck. pic.twitter.com/6zcfk5F4BL -- Charlie Vogel, aka His Teleness the Charlie Lama ( @teleskiguy ) May 10, 2016 259 The Major Mar 3, 2018 * 6:23:28pm down 3 up report Back then we knew how to build shit. These days, we'd rather outsource it.... 260 Hecuba's daughter Mar 3, 2018 * 6:24:10pm down 6 up report My RW Trumpster brother had these "insights" today: >>In a couple months, Mueller will come out with a report that there is nothing there. >>Trump will not go through with the tariffs. Let's hope the second comes true. 261 Unshaken Defiance Mar 3, 2018 * 6:28:36pm down 3 up report re: #260 Hecuba's daughter My RW Trumpster brother had these "insights" today: >>In a couple months, Mueller will come out with a report that there is nothing there. >>Trump will not go through with the tariffs. Let's hope the second comes true. First one requires a rather severe state of denial. We already have more than nothing. 262 teleskiguy Mar 3, 2018 * 6:29:01pm down 8 up report Out of all the pictures I took at Hoover Dam this one is my favorite. 263 The Ghost of a Flea Mar 3, 2018 * 6:29:05pm down 8 up report Do you have a book for sale? I'll buy it right now. Little Green Footballs exclusive. 264 teleskiguy Mar 3, 2018 * 6:30:05pm down 3 up report Your writing is much appreciated! 265 austin_blue Mar 3, 2018 * 6:31:08pm down 4 up report re: #251 Joe Bacon Wow! Will Texans give George P Bush the boot? Bush has run an anaemic - one might say low-energy - campaign, with scant media availability and no events listed on his website. He is still the favourite, but if he fails to get above 50% of the vote on 6 March - when Texas holds the country's first primaries ahead of the 2018 midterms - he will face a potentially dangerous runoff. "It's quite possible that the Bush political dynasty, at least for this generation, could end in the spring of 2018 because if George P Bush fails to win the GOP nomination for land commissioner it's tough to see him coming back from that any time soon," said Mark Jones, a political scientist at Rice University. The dynasty began with Prescott Bush - George P's great-grandfather - becoming senator for Connecticut in 1952. Even in Texas, being a Bush is no longer much of an asset in an election that typically sees a high turnout from a base of far-right conservatives. "The Bush name hurts George P Bush more than it helps him with Republican primary voters," Jones said. That may explain why, despite the insults flung at Jeb Bush, and though George HW and George W Bush hold the present occupant of the White House in low esteem, lthe 41-year-old embraced Trump a couple of months before the presidential election. Possible. Texas R's are pretty nuts right now. Abbot, Patrick, and Paxton are somewhat to the right of Attila the Hun. And Bush is, let's face it, half Cuban. Not a beaner, maybe a black beaner, therefore suspect. Also, he's kind of a lightweight, and he got sideways with the Alamo people. You do *not* piss off the Alamo people in Texas. So, yeah, he could lose, or get taken to a runoff and lose that. 266 Hecuba's daughter Mar 3, 2018 * 6:33:15pm down 4 up report re: #261 Unshaken Defiance First one requires a rather severe state of denial. We already have more than nothing. He is so totally brainwashed. He may still believe Hillary will be indicted -- 2 weeks ago he was muttering about the Uranium one nonsense 267 Jay C Mar 3, 2018 * 6:33:43pm down 5 up report re: #261 Unshaken Defiance First one requires a rather severe state of denial. We already have more than nothing. The second one also assumes facts not particularly in evidence. Unless Trump can somehow convince himself that he can convince the ROW that he was merely bullshitting about all those tough-talking tariffs he's been pushing.... Or, find someone else to blame...Obama? Hillary? 268 Belafon Mar 3, 2018 * 6:35:21pm down 2 up report re: #254 austin_blue That's sad. He played the *best* prig. The first time I saw him on Two Guys and a Girl (and a Pizza Place) I howled with laughter. 269 MsJ Mar 3, 2018 * 6:36:48pm down 3 up report re: #261 Unshaken Defiance First one requires a rather severe state of denial. We already have more than nothing. Nothing matters to then but collusion. Pleas of guilty don't matter. They ignore them. Russian influence, nope. Don't care. The only thing they talk about is No Collusion!!!11!!! And that's all you'll see or hear. 270 teleskiguy Mar 3, 2018 * 6:37:02pm down 5 up report "This generation may be the one that will face Armageddon." --Ronald Reagan, People magazine, December 26, 1985 Aides tell WaPo 'Trump seethed with anger' over the photo of Sessions at dinner with Rosenstein and the Solicitor General. The next morning, Trump was still raging about the photo, venting to friends and allies it was an intentional show of disloyalty. https://t.co/UuSr2J4zPh 272 Skip Intro Mar 3, 2018 * 6:41:56pm down 3 up report re: #271 The Vicious Babushka Every time I read things like this I have to wonder if any of it is true. Are the leakers just planting more Trump bullshit just to keep everyone else off balance? You just can't trust anything that comes from this administration. re: #272 Skip Intro Every time I read things like this I have to wonder if any of it is true. Are the leakers just planting more Trump bullshit just to keep everyone else off balance? You just can't trust anything that comes from this administration. Whatever is leaked is a distraction from the actual real bad stuff. 274 Ace-o-aces Mar 3, 2018 * 6:44:14pm down 19 up report Saturday night, when most people his age are out with friends or on dates, Jacob sits by himself, pushing hashtags with Russian bots. Sad! 275 teleskiguy Mar 3, 2018 * 6:46:08pm down 7 up report re: #274 Ace-o-aces Hey Jacob, here's some ointment for this burn. pic.twitter.com/YFh2IL8IW4 -- Charlie Vogel, aka His Teleness the Charlie Lama ( @teleskiguy ) March 4, 2018 276 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 6:55:00pm down 16 up report My sister took a Polaroid of the dog in the snow but he blends in too well and pic.twitter.com/I3YrzgK2RD 277 Backwoods_Sleuth Mar 3, 2018 * 6:55:56pm down 11 up report NRA: "You can't change the Second Amendment. It's in the Constitution!" Someone tell them that the Second Amendment WAS a change to the Constitution. It came after a Free Speech change (since unchanged) and before a Prohibition change (since changed again!). #MarchForOurLives 278 dirkdigglerjr Mar 3, 2018 * 6:56:22pm down 3 up report What an incredibly beautiful, poignant photo. 279 teleskiguy Mar 3, 2018 * 7:00:02pm down 2 up report What an incredibly beautiful, poignant photo. It's a ray of light in this dark world, that's for sure. 280 austin_blue Mar 3, 2018 * 7:03:07pm down 2 up report 5-2, end of the second, Caps. US Women's Hockey Team showing off their gold medals during the break. Bad ass women, throwing shade. Although I'm sure it wasn't planned that we are showing of our Gold's in Curling and Hockey while the Leafs are in town. 281 Eclectic Cyborg Mar 3, 2018 * 7:03:49pm down 11 up report 282 dirkdigglerjr Mar 3, 2018 * 7:11:01pm down 3 up report Gotta say that an in-person hockey game is one of the best sports experiences. Hockey on TV largely sucks. 283 dirkdigglerjr Mar 3, 2018 * 7:14:32pm down 5 up report He was "only" 75? I would have thought he would have been in his mid-80s at least. Regardless, what a funny, funny man. 284 jaunte Mar 3, 2018 * 7:17:56pm down 9 up report Mark Levin: The attacks on Trump and his family are 'unparalleled in American history!' https://t.co/ZuMvbssfvj -- Donald Trump Jr. ( @DonaldJTrumpJr ) March 3, 2018 Mark Levin is almost as dumb as you. Your dad taunted Obama about his citizenship because he was black. Obama made your father, who knows his white privilege is his only attribute, feel nervous. You're trash, your sister and other dumb brother are trash and daddy is mega trash https://t.co/UTKv5T0Acg -- grain pyramids, y'all ( @PolitikMasFina ) March 4, 2018 285 dirkdigglerjr Mar 3, 2018 * 7:22:56pm down 4 up report re: #251 Joe Bacon Imagine if H.W. had won the battle with Reagan in 1980. At the time, H.W. favored federal payment for abortion and had been known as "Rubbers" from his earlier time in Congress. Having no doubt that he would have defeated Carter, how much would this have changed the trajectory of "conservatism" compared to what it has metastasized into today. 286 The Vicious Babushka Mar 3, 2018 * 7:31:46pm down 10 up report Here's The 2nd Most Disgusting Thing Happening In 45 's Chaos White House. Ivanka Abdicated Her Role As A Voice For Women By Thinking ALL 19 Women Lied Against Her Predatory Dad. So Now They Want The Nazi Misogynist To Handle Women's Issues! Holy Hell! pic.twitter.com/rgsnHCtjDl 287 teleskiguy Mar 3, 2018 * 7:33:13pm down 13 up report . @YouTube PLEASE censor and ban @RealAlexJones . He's a piece of shit. Doesn't deserve to use your platform to push his "kids didn't die in a mass school shooting" conspiracy theories. You are culpable, @youtube . End it already. Bye! 288 whitebeach Mar 3, 2018 * 7:37:16pm down 1 up report YouTube rabbit hole time: Desmond Dekker & The Aces - Israelites (1969). This was a pretty big hit, even with the line "Wife and my kids, they fuck off and-a leave me..." [Embedded content] Aw, man, everybody I knew in San Francisco at that time loved this song. But you don't need YouTube to go down a musical rabbit hole. I just watched an insurance commercial in which a woman had dented a fender of her car. The music expressing her agony was Nirvana's "Love Hurts." Opinions may vary greatly, but to me this is one of the most original and most haunting songs on the theme of love ever made. Jesus not only wept, but in the next verse he said, "Dad, can't we do something about these fucking philistines?" 289 The Ghost of a Flea Mar 3, 2018 * 7:37:30pm down 1 up report And directly below there's multiple instances of people using that "triple bracket equals Jew." 290 teleskiguy Mar 3, 2018 * 7:38:43pm down 11 up report Actress Jennifer Lawrence says she's going to spend a year away from movie sets to help get young people engaged with politics https://t.co/LCeldjvV24 pic.twitter.com/jtoJMUo8dW I love her for doing this, I must say it's an easy job. All she has to do is tell everyone to A) Register to vote and B) Vote for all the folks that have a big 'D' next to their name. https://t.co/dqcPTfj5cI -- Charlie Vogel, aka His Teleness the Charlie Lama ( @teleskiguy ) March 4, 2018 291 goddamnedfrank Mar 3, 2018 * 7:39:03pm down 5 up report That's sad. He played the *best* prig. I can understand why they didn't list his role as John Cusack's Dad in Better Off Dead in the article but the world should never forget this. 292 Patricia Kayden Mar 3, 2018 * 7:40:14pm down 1 up report re: #165 Backwoods_Sleuth Stephen, the kids are ON IT! Yes. Vote out the NRA hostages and replace them with politicians who will strengthen gun laws. Otherwise we will have more mass shootings and nothing will change. 293 teleskiguy Mar 3, 2018 * 7:41:20pm down 0 up report I think Jennifer Lawrence should quit smoking cigarettes. 294 Colere Tueur de Lapin Mar 3, 2018 * 7:41:55pm down 3 up report re: #259 The Major Back then we knew how to build shit. These days, we'd rather outsource it.... When the Hoover dam was built, materials were expensive; labor was cheap. You added flourishes to all architecture, even utilitarian . Now, materials are cheap and labor is expensive. Buildings get put up as fast as possible to save on labor; everyday utilitarian buildings tend to not to get those flourishes. 295 Hecuba's daughter Mar 3, 2018 * 7:45:18pm down 2 up report I half think that eliciting this exact response was China's real goal here. Brian Stelter @brianstelter CNN obtained a tape of Trump at a closed-door fundraiser. He said this about China's president: "He's now president for life. President for life. And he's great. And look, he was able to do that. I think it's great. Maybe we'll give that a shot some day." cnn.com ... 6:15 PM - Mar 3, 2018 Of course, his supporters will claim Trump is just joking here. There is no doubt that this represents his real desires. Maybe this can be weaponized -- to persuade enough Republicans to turn against him. 296 dirkdigglerjr Mar 3, 2018 * 7:54:59pm down 0 up report 297 dirkdigglerjr Mar 3, 2018 * 8:02:24pm down 1 up report As if I could not love her any more than I already do. 298 teleskiguy Mar 3, 2018 * 8:12:51pm down 0 up report The universe is a vast place where anything can happen. 299 Eclectic Cyborg Mar 3, 2018 * 8:22:18pm down 0 up report re: #286 The Vicious Babushka "We've decided to put the Foxes in charge of all hen related matters." 300 petesh Mar 3, 2018 * 10:12:14pm down 0 up report I think Jennifer Lawrence should quit smoking cigarettes. Ms Lawrence can do whatever she wants, say I. Whenever and wherever, too. 301 John Hughes Mar 5, 2018 * 8:58:41am down 0 up report

At this point, the only reason left to support this President, is that he reflects your hateful heart

DECEMBER 25 : Full moon will rise on Christmas for the first time in 38 years and the last time until 2034 : "The closest full moon to the winter solstice is known as the Long Night's Moon, with less than 9 and a half hours of daylight at this time of year. Monday and Tuesday were the 'shortest' days of the year." 2016 ELECTION : Secret tape from Ted Cruz fundraiser shows Cruz lied to donors about gay marriage other issues . GOP operative: "Wow. Does this not undermine all of his positions? Abortion, Common Core -- all to the states? ... Worse, he sounds like a slick D.C. politician -- says one thing on the campaign trail and trims his sails with NYC elites. Not supposed to be like that." FORTUNATELY, UNFORTUNATELY : Next Republican debate may limit number of onstage candidates to 6 : "As you might expect, there is bad news as well: Rather than winnow the field, Fox Business will hand everyone who loses out on the main stage the opportunity to appear on another one of those undercard debates." FREE : New Jersey housewife Teresa Giudice is out of jail for bankruptcy fraud and she's already receiving expensive gifts : "The mom of four walked out of the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Conn., just after 5 a.m. She arrived at her Montville, N.J. house around 7:30 a.m. to find a Lexus wrapped with a red bow waiting in the driveway." Teresa Giudice is home. Arriving in a convoy of cars and cameras. @ABC7NY pic.twitter.com/x9E7aJeH91 -- Dray Clark (@DrayClarkABC7) December 23, 2015 MARTIN SHKRELI : Turing Pharmaceuticals seeking new chief executive : " The private Swiss-based company will also expand its board to include new, independent members, it added. Shkreli, 32, resigned as CEO on Friday, a day after his arrest on charges that he had engaged in a Ponzi-like scheme. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $5 million bail." HAZARDS : A World Cup skier was nearly hit by a drone that fell from the sky : "Skier Marcel Hirscher was nearly hit by a drone which fell out of the sky, landing inches from the athlete as he made his way through the course during his second run of the event." ROBOTS : Boston Dynamics celebrates Christmas with a sleigh and three not-so-tiny reindeer: ADVERTISING : A Mexican restaurant which was targeted by burglars, used the surveillance footage to create an ad: HUMP DAY HOTTIE : Professional limb mover and face contortionist Jesse Kovarsky: A post shared by Jesse Kovarsky (@scruffyjester) on Dec 21, 2015 at 7:06am PST

Secret tape from Ted Cruz fundraiser shows Cruz lied to donors about gay marriage other issues

Bernie Sanders opened a campaign office in Brooklyn last month, and his staff is embracing his Brooklyn roots. The office is tucked away in a warehouse within " a whole new Gowanus ." I visited it over the weekend and spoke with his national press secretary Symone Sanders (no relation), who I last saw back in Des Moines . She said, We're happy to be home, as the senator would say. The office is marked with Bernie posters. Alexandra Svokos Bernie Sanders grew up in Brooklyn and went to Brooklyn College before transferring to the University of Chicago. Symone said, When we talk about economic inequality, when we talk about opportunity for hardworking families, families that don't come from wealthy backgrounds, that don't have the opportunities that other folks have, Senator Sanders is speaking directly from the knowledge that he has from his upbringing. So I think that makes it authentic, that makes it real. That's the reason voters can connect with him. I think that's why you've seen so many young people get behind his message in our campaign. Step inside the heart of Bernie's New York campaign: Alexandra Svokos Volunteers who help organize the New York campaign greet you. Alexandra Svokos Symone explained, These are Bernie's people. This is his community, and we're happy that he's home and we're looking forward to coalescing that support into a win for us in Brooklyn -- but hopefully in New York state as well. The office features a very patriotic, democratic suggestion box. Alexandra Svokos Bernie's Brooklyn office stands in stark contrast to the swankier Brooklyn campaign headquarters Hillary Clinton has had for the last year. Alexandra Svokos A Clinton staffer recently said while she is campaigning like a senator, Sanders is campaigning like a "Brooklynite." The Sanders campaign took it as a compliment instead of a dig. Symone explained campaigning like a Brooklynite means going old-school with smaller, individualized events to reach voters. She said, You hear the media and pundits talking about it's all superdelegates, but this is still in the hands of the American people. This election is in the hands of the people of New York, and we want to earn their support. The most important part of any campaign office is its food supply. Alexandra Svokos Alexandra Svokos But be sure not to be too loud with your munching -- there's real work going on here. Alexandra Svokos Symone told me the New York campaign has many events targeted at younger voters, including young professional happy hours and watch parties. She said, I don't want people to think that we just have all the support of all the young people already. We still have to go out there and earn votes. Volunteers are hard at work speaking to voters about Bernie. Alexandra Svokos Lisa, a volunteer from Park Slope, said, It's an opportunity not to be missed. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Finding a candidate of this integrity, who has the courage to run for national office, is just breathtaking. Running a campaign is all about collaboration and coordination. Alexandra Svokos Symone said even unregistered voters can help out with Bernie's campaign. In addition to traditional volunteering, young people can help by speaking about the issues Bernie cares about, including student debt and tuition, on campuses and in their communities. She said, We're interested in elevating the platform of those issues because, as the senator has said, this campaign is not about him. This campaign is about the issues. This campaign is about the people and elevating the conversation because we believe that voters deserve an elevated conversation. The office is decorated with Bernie signs, newspaper clippings and handouts. The wall of signs is regularly updated. Alexandra Svokos Symone encouraged young people to vote, even if you think your vote doesn't count. She said, Every vote is going to count in this election and turnout is going to be key. We have always said when voter turnout is high, we do extremely well. When voter turnout is low, well, you know, sometimes we don't do as well... I'd say if you believe that we need to reform our criminal justice system, if you believe that we could do better in investing in the middle class, if you believe in a 15-dollar minimum wage, if you believe black lives matter, if you believe that we have to do something about addressing housing disparities right here in New York City, come out and vote, and vote Bernie Sanders. Symone Sanders gets energy from Bernie fans and Bernie himself. Alexandra Svokos She said, The energy was real and people are ready for this political revolution. People want to be engaged, they want to be involved, and they help energize me. The senator helps energize me as well. He's the most lively 74-year-old I know. Whenever I'm feeling a little bit drained, a Starbucks coffee [helps] -- but a Bernie Sanders rally always is a good pick-me-up. The New York state primary is coming up on April 19.

Bernie Sanders opened a campaign office in Brooklyn last month

It's disappointing that Naomi Wolf's response to my criticism of her November 25 Guardian column - and earlier blog-post -- doesn't address the many misstatements of fact, logical leaps and baseless assertions which I highlighted. Wolf instead spends much time on a general discussion of heightened federal surveillance and the increased coordination between federal and local law enforcement agencies, which she says I am naive not to acknowledge, and devotes an enormous amount of space to establishing that federal law enforcement agencies have had some sort of role in at least monitoring the Occupy Movement and offering some guidance to local law enforcement agencies. She claims repeatedly and falsely that I wrote that DHS had "no involvement whatsoever," when I acknowledged that DHS had reportedly offered advice to local law enforcement agencies. All of the paragraphs she devotes to discussing the Freedom of Information request filed by the National Lawyers Guild - and the fact that DHS hasn't denied any role - are wasted space. DHS officials have stated that they had some minimal supporting role. That isn't in dispute. So it appears that Wolf glosses over the debate at hand. The question is not whether federal law enforcement agencies had some role in assisting cities that chose to raid their occupations; the issue in dispute, as I made crystal clear in my critique, is whether any outside agency had "some unseen hand directing, incentivizing or coercing municipalities to [crack down] when they would not otherwise be so inclined." The difference is not, as some of Wolf's defenders have suggested, a matter of semantics or a minor distinction. Aside from the fact that federal encroachment into what are strictly matters for local law enforcement is a serious assault on our federal system, whereas advising local officials is not, we have seen brutal instances of police brutality, and some blatant contempt for Americans' Constitutional rights. Contrary to Wolf's claims, there remains no evidence that the fault for these abuses lies anywhere but with city and police officials in New York, Oakland, Denver and elsewhere, but Wolf would deflect our attention from these officials who in fact bear ultimate responsibility for their decisions, onto a non-profit police research organization, the House Homeland Security Committee and DHS. This is an important story to get right. My criticism rested on Wolf's reckless disregard for the available facts, a tendency towards inaccuracy that she displays in the very second paragraph of her response: Holland's main premise is that I am part of a "flurry of speculation" that is without basis in fact, and that there was no federal involvement in the crackdown. I cited evidence that DHS was on the 18-member conference call of mayors, which Oakland Mayor Jean Quan alluded to in an interview with the BBC on 15 November, and my source was Wonkette on 15 November. Holland argues that his assertion to contrary has been qualified, and I am happy to adjust the citation accordingly. Nobody has suggested that DHS took part in the two conference calls organized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. It wasn't suggested in the Wonkette post Wolf references as her source (serious journalism that featured a Darth Vader Youtube video), or anywhere else. Jean Quan alluded to - and others subsequently confirmed - the fact that 18 mayors participated in two calls organized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors to discuss a variety of issues surrounding the Occupy Movement. These were not calls devoted solely to talking about evictions -- although we can assume that was among the topics covered -- and there has been no indication that DHS participated in those calls by anyone other than Naomi Wolf. She confuses that credibly reported fact with a second story , from the Examiner.com blog, which said that a series of crack-downs were "coordinated with help from Homeland Security, the FBI and other federal police agencies." (That same post noted, "the ultimate decision on how each jurisdiction handles the Occupy protests ultimately rests with local law enforcement." In a follow-up post , the same author, Rick Ellis, wrote that his sources assured him that "DHS is not actively coordinating with local governments or police agencies on the 'Occupy' evictions.") Wolf also devotes a lot of space to a general discussion of recent history - claiming, for example, that I am "unaware of the billions that DHS has pumped into domestic police forces," or that DHS has established a so-called "downtown security zone" in Manhattan. These are widely reported issues, which are all irrelevant to the narrow question of whether any outside force compelled any city to move against an occupation on which city officials did not themselves choose to crack down. Similarly, Wolf says my criticism is "ahistorical," and then cites a long list of previous instances where federal officials also played no direct role in the local policing of protests -- they offered advice and monetary assistance but, as appears to be the case here, they didn't direct, coerce or otherwise compel the cities to do anything local officials didn't opt to do. But historical determinism is also dangerous. In his own criticism of Wolf's column, political scientist Corey Robin, author of The Reactionary Mind, offers some history that Wolf would be wise to take to heart. "Like many critics of state coercion in America," writes Robin, "Wolf seems to assume that political repression requires or entails national coordination and centralized direction from the feds. But ...that notion gets it wrong." From the battles over abolition to the labor wars at the turn of the last century to the Red Squads of the twentieth-century police departments to the struggles over Jim Crow, state repression in America has often been decentralized, displaying that very same can-do spirit of local initiative that has been celebrated by everyone from Alexis de Tocqueville to Robert Putnam. Though Tocqueville and Putnam were talking of course about things like creating churches and buildings roads, the fact is: if the locals can build a church or a road on their own, they can also get rid of dissenters on their own, too, no? Even where there has been coordination and direction from above, as in the epic cases of the Red Scare, McCarthyism, COINTELPRO, or now the War on Terror, what's been most striking is how local police and officials have managed to manipulate that federal involvement to their own ends. This gets off track, however, as my criticism of Wolf's piece was based on the many inaccuracies in her writing - it was not intended to be a "historical" analysis. Just consider the substantive points I raised which she left unaddressed. In her November 22 blog post, Wolf claimed that "municipal police are being pushed around by a shadowy private policing consultancy affiliated with DHS," in reference to the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). She added: "municipal police are being forced to comply with brutal orders from this corporate police consultancy, by economic pressure." I noted that PERF - a non-profit whose most recent available tax filings reveal a modest $6 million annual budget for 2009 - is a research and membership organization that organizes meetings and conference calls and issues reports. It has no police powers whatsoever and certainly can't issue "brutal orders" to anyone. I als noted how tenuous the connection between the organization and DHS really is. Wolf ignored this substantive cricism entirely in her response. In her November 25 Guardian column, Wolf claims that Rep Peter King, R-New York, chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, "told the DHS to authorise mayors to order their police forces - pumped up with millions of dollars of hardware and training from the DHS - to make war on peaceful citizens." I noted that while the committee has oversight of the agency, the chain of command goes up to Janet Napolitano - Congress doesn't have any control over day-to-day operations and can't order DHS to do anything. I also noted that mayors require no "authorization" to order their police forces to do anything - the authority is theirs. Wolf's only substantive response to this criticism is to note that members of Congress "also draft legislation." That's indisputably true, but wholly unresponsive to the point. Wolf claimed that a proposal to smear the Occupy Movement prepared by CLGC, a lobbying firm, for the American Bankers' Association was evidence of her nationwide crackdown. I simply noted that a proposal prepared by a private company - which was reportedly rejected - is irrelevant to a discussion of what the government is or is not doing. Wolf's response is two-fold. First, she notes that this proposal "was written by sophisticated and connected political insiders," including lobbyists who formerly worked for Speaker John Boehner. Then, she says that I was "journalistically careless" because she was also referring the "'message coordination' that I was witnessing as rightwing commentators on television shows were using similar soundbites." This again, is irrelevant to her theory that the federal government is mounting a nationwie crackdown (right-wing commentators are always on-message). So, what we're left with, after thousands of words back and forth, is what we began with: * There are reports that federal law enforcement agencies are offering advice to local law enforcement agencies. * Some police officials participated in two conference calls set up by PERF, a police think-tank. * The US Conference of Mayors set up two additional conference calls to discuss various issues surrounding the Occupations. Maybe the FOIA requests Wolf makes so much of will reveal more. Maybe they won't. Until then, we should keep our focus on the city and police officials who appear to be wholly responsible for these often violent crack-downs. Don't let big tech control what news you see. Get more stories like this in your inbox, every day. Joshua Holland is an editor and senior writer at AlterNet. He is the author of The 15 Biggest Lies About the Economy: And Everything else the Right Doesn't Want You to Know About Taxes, Jobs and Corporate America . Drop him an email or follow him on Twitter .