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<p>If you didn’t catch it, Donald Trump had an amazing rally in Hersey, Pennsylvania yesterday and the winning is not going to stop any time soon.</p>
<p>According to top pollster Frank Luntz on Sean Hannity, Trump is going to create a permanent Republican majority.</p>
<p>Thank God. The Democrats were wanting to bring this country down. Thank God that all the strong-willed Americans stood them down and voted for Trump.</p>
<p>Here’s the video via <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/hannity/" type="external">Sean Hannity</a>:</p>
<p />
<p>This is huge.&#160;Let’s take a look at what Frank Luntz said:</p>
<p>Frank Luntz:&#160;“I did not think Trump had a good chance. But I thought he was absolutely viable because of what he said and how he said it… If Trump can keep this majority of these new voters who have never voted Republican before and bring back some of those Republicans from the suburbs who voted for Clinton but voted Republican all the way down the line this is a long term majority. He has a chance to change politics as we know it if he can keep both of these two groups together and he has the ability to do it.”</p>
<p>*** Ain’t that the truth! Get ready to share this!</p>
<p>Let’s all come together this&#160;Christmas season under Trump. Let’s make America great again! Share this article if you can’t wait to see how well Trump does!</p>
<p>Share this article with your liberal friends – if you have them.</p>
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<p>Website owners select the type of content that appears in our units. However, if you would like to ensure that Content.ad always displays family-friendly content on this device, regardless of what site you are on, check the option below. <a href="https://d32oduq093hvot.cloudfront.net/site/family_friendly_v1.html?utm_medium=modal&amp;utm_source=widget_272430" type="external">Learn More</a></p> | OH MY GOD! Sean Hannity Just Gave Trump The Best News Of All Time Moments Ago! | true | http://usainfonews.com/index.php/2016/12/18/oh-god-sean-hannity-just-gave-trump-best-news-time-moments-ago/ | 2016-12-18 | 0 |
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<p>This cartoon requires Macromedia’s Flash Player. If you don’t see the cartoon above, <a href="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" type="external">download the player here</a>.</p>
<p>Mark Fiore is an editorial cartoonist and animator whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Examiner, and dozens of other publications. He is an active member of the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists, and has a <a href="http://www.markfiore.com" type="external">web site</a> featuring his work.</p>
<p /> | Short Attention Span Nation Presents … Foreign Aid! | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2005/01/short-attention-span-nation-presents-foreign-aid/ | 2005-01-05 | 4 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
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<p>Top-seeded Artesia and No. 2 Belen squared off on the opening night of the high school football season and have been barreling toward each other ever since. The Bulldogs and Eagles, both 11-1, will finally meet again tonight in a highly anticipated Class 5A championship game in Belen.</p>
<p>History favors Artesia, which won that season-opener 44-14 on its home field back in August.</p>
<p>Belen High quarterback Chris Peralta (10) will lead the Eagles against Artesia High in the Class 5A state football title game tonight in Belen. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>“They whipped our butts,” Belen coach John Lerma said. “They played beautifully that night, and we didn’t.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>More distant history is very much on the Bulldogs’ side, as well. One of the state’s most storied football programs has 27 state championships since the New Mexico Activities Association began tracking them in 1950.</p>
<p>Belen has never won a football crown and is playing in just its third title game, having finished as runner-up in 1963 and 2009.</p>
<p>Longtime Artesia coach Cooper Henderson is not counting on tradition to carry the day. He attended the 2009 championship game in Belen and knows his team will be venturing into a crazy atmosphere tonight.</p>
<p>“That community gets really excited about football,” Henderson said. “It’s going to be a great playoff atmosphere, and I anticipate a great game.”</p>
<p>The first Belen-Artesia meeting was not a great night for the Eagles. Their team bus had a flat tire en route to the game, causing kickoff to be delayed 20 minutes, with a hasty warm-up session for the visitors.</p>
<p>Things did not get better when the game started as Artesia dominated.</p>
<p>“No excuses,” Lerma said. “Artesia was the better team that night by far.”</p>
<p>This time it will be the Bulldogs making a bus ride to visit a Belen community swept up in football fever.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“Maroon, gold and white are everywhere,” Belen athletic director Jason Baca said. “The support from the community has been amazing, from all of Valencia County really.”</p>
<p>But Baca is well aware Belen fans will have lots of company tonight. Artesia fans are famous for following the Bulldogs wherever they may roam, especially with a championship at stake.</p>
<p>“They called to let me know they’ll be shutting down the town,” Baca said. “We’ll be doing everything we can to make Artesia’s fans welcome.”</p>
<p>Belen’s home field typically seats between 3,500 and 4,000, Baca said, but extra bleachers have been arriving throughout the week. Baca estimates the stadium will be ready to accommodate roughly 10,000 fans if necessary.</p>
<p>Both coaches expect fans to be treated to a close, hard-fought game.</p>
<p>“I really thought any of the top four seeds could win it on a given day,” Henderson said. “We had to win a dogfight (42-41 over Goddard) last week and so did Belen (31-24 over Centennial). We’re expecting another one this week.”</p>
<p>Artesia features its typical explosive offense, employing four wideouts and a single running back. Quarterback Justin Houghtaling has made the system thrive, passing for 3,198 yards and 34 touchdowns.</p>
<p>Andy Azua is the top receiving threat for the Bulldogs, but just one of four with 34 receptions or more this season. Running back Travis Wilkinson has amassed more than 1,200 rushing yards.</p>
<p>Belen’s offense is typically more ground-oriented, with tailback Manuel Romero (1,266 yards and 25 touchdowns) the featured weapon. Quarterback Chris Peralta has rushed for 812 yards and seven scores, but the Eagles have shown they can turn to the air in recent weeks.</p>
<p>Peralta has completed 61 percent of his passes and tossed 14 touchdown strikes. Jonathan Barba, who had nearly 400 yards of total offense against Centennial, and Nick Aragon are Peralta’s top targets.</p>
<p>“Both teams score a lot of points,” Lerma said, “but I don’t expect the offenses to dominate. Our defense has been very consistent all year, and Artesia has one of the best front sevens in the state.</p>
<p>“Both these teams have grown up a lot since the beginning of the season,” Lerma added. “I’m excited to see how we match up now.”</p>
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<p /> | Belen hosts Artesia with 5A football title on the line | false | https://abqjournal.com/505737/eagles-seek-a-measure-of-revenge.html | 2 |
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<p>Photo: Courtesy St. Martin's Griffin (4)</p>
<p />
<p>Yes, the US military really did produce <a href="" type="internal">a cartoon instructional manual about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell</a>. And the American government is by no means the only entity to use cartoons in humorless way.</p>
<p>Indeed, if you’re going to shove your political agenda down people’s throats, there may be no more entertaining method than comics. Which is precisely why <a href="http://www.sekventiellt.se/" type="external">Comic Art Propaganda: A Graphic History</a> is so inviting and unnerving. In this collection of cartoon agitprop, Fredrik Strömberg, a Swedish comics expert, <a href="http://www.sekventiellt.se/" type="external">surveys everything</a> from evangelical Archie strips and hysterical Cold War fantasies to ’70s feminist comics and 9/11 kitsch. Much of the material is laughable, but artifacts like legendary cartoonist Milt Caniff’s wartime pamphlet “How to Spot a Jap” remain vivid illustrations of comics’ inflammatory potential.</p>
<p /> | Comic Art Propaganda: A Graphic History | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2010/08/comic-art-propaganda-graphic-history/ | 2010-08-31 | 4 |
<p>Mohamed Harkat arrived in Canada in 1995. In 1997, he was granted status as a Convention refugee after successfully claiming government persecution if he were to return to Algeria. On December 10, 2002, Mohamed Harkat was arrested by undercover police outside his home in Ottawa. Mohamed spent one year of his 3 ½ year detention in solitary confinement. He was released on bail on June 21, 2006, with the strictest bail conditions in Canadian history.</p>
<p>Mohamed Harkat, a refugee in Canada, was arrested in 2002 and detained for four years without charge. He was then released under the toughest bail conditions in Canada's history. He was under an immigration law know as a Security Certificate, meaning he could be held indefinitely without charge, and all evidence against him can be kept secret. A special detention center was built after 9/11 to house the men accused under Security Certificates, earning the nickname "Guantanamo North". Lia Tarachansky talks to Mohamed and his wife Sophie Harkat as well as their lawyer Matthew Webber, about the recent concluding ruling in their case and what it means if he will be deported.</p>
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<p /> LIA TARACHANSKY, JOURNALIST, TRNN: This is Lia Tarachansky with The Real News in Ottawa, Canada. On Friday, January 21, the Canadian government decided to deport Mohamed Harkat. January ended with devastating news for the Harkat family. After years of imprisonment, followed by the harshest bail conditions in Canada's history and an eight-year legal battle that led all the way up to the Supreme Court, Mohamed Harkat was ruled inadmissible in Canada and ordered to be removed. His case is one of three high-profile security certificates cases in Canada, and on Friday, January 21, the federal court decided to deport him to Algeria, where he says he could be tortured. In between interviews speaking about their fight, I caught up with Mohamed and his wife Sophie at the CBC building in Ottawa.
<p />
<p />~~~
<p />
<p />TARACHANSKY: The initial arrest happened in 2002. We're now in 2011 and you haven't been charged with anything yet.
<p />
<p />MOHAMED HARKAT, DETAINED BY SECURITY CERTIFICATE: Yes. I didn't--I--never charged me or never have charged in Canada or outside Canada and never been on a--
<p />
<p />SOPHIE HARKAT, SPOUSE TO MOHAMED: Charged anywhere in the world.
<p />
<p />M. HARKAT: --charged anywhere in the world.
<p />
<p />~~~
<p />
<p />TARACHANSKY: If you're a Canadian citizen and you're suspected of terrorism-related charges, like the famous case of the Toronto 18, you'll be arrested, charged, the evidence against you will be disclosed in a criminal court, and you'll be prosecuted. But if you're not a citizen, if you're a permanent resident or a refugee, then you get issued a security certificate and you will probably be deported. Security certificates are a controversial immigration tool, because when they're issued, the person can be imprisoned indefinitely without charge, the evidence against them is kept secret, and if they're a refugee rather than a permanent resident, there is a greater risk they'll be deported. When Harkat was finally released in 2006 after four years of imprisonment, including in the special wing of the Millhaven penitentiary known as "Guantanamo North", he was placed under the toughest bail conditions in Canada's history.
<p />
<p />~~~
<p />
<p />M. HARKAT: The phone is tapped.
<p />
<p />S. HARKAT: The mail is intercepted.
<p />
<p />M. HARKAT: Yeah, the mail intercepted. There is a camera in the house. We can't go without CBSA [Canadian Border Services Agency] approval for four hours outings. CBSA follow us for the outing.
<p />
<p />S. HARKAT: We were only allowed three outings a week for four hours. And every outing, we had--two to six CBSA officers would wear bulletproof vests and weapons, following us around. Every individual entering our residence had to be preapproved in advance, including our newborn nephew and my 80-year-old grandmother. We couldn't speak to anybody that wasn't preapproved. No cell phones are allowed in the house. The computer is under lock. My husband cannot access any computer or have access to Internet. We cannot leave Ottawa without permission. He could not access a boat, a vessel, a train station, an airport. He doesn't have any travel documents. He has large sums of money over his head as surety, he has over $150,000 in surety money, plus $35,000 in an account for the Crown.
<p />
<p />M. HARKAT: Wearing a GPS.
<p />
<p />S. HARKAT: Yes. And there are two surveillance cameras. There was one in a hallway, and one in the living room as well. That Mo could never be left alone for a 24 hour period. He would have to be watched inside or outside the residence. So we had a curfew on the property. And when he went to the backyard, he had to be supervised by one of the three court surety appointed by the court. When he was inside the residence, he had to be also supervised. For example, when he went to a public washroom, he couldn't go by himself because he could never be left alone, or a change room or a doctor's appointment. He could never be left alone. So one of us always had to accompany him, even including a public marshal.
<p />
<p />TARACHANSKY: But if I understand correctly, you haven't actually seen any of the evidence.
<p />
<p />S. HARKAT: No. All we've been given is a report of allegation, which says, we assume, we believe that in the past, present, or future he may be involved in acts of terrorism. We haven't [been] given any evidence whatsoever.
<p />
<p />~~~
<p />
<p />TARACHANSKY: The certificates were previously used against Nazi sympathizers and alleged spies, but since 9/11 they've been used against Muslim or Arab men alleged to have links to terrorist groups. In 2007, after years of legal struggle, the Harkat case, along with other security certificates cases, took the legality of the system to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court unanimously voted 9-0 that the security certificates system was unconstitutional. The decision had little effect on any of the ongoing cases but led to the law being amended. Now the accused person's lawyer reviews a selective summary of the evidence against their client.
<p />
<p />MATTHEW WEBBER (VOICEOVER), BA, LLB, LAWYER REPRESENTING HARKAT: Well, the court didn't really outline exactly what they said was constitutionally required. They just said that what preexisted, this system, was not constitutional. So, you know, the special advocates have been in place, and more information has been provided to the main person as a result of that decision. The question is whether or not what we have now and the manner in which Mr. Harkat's case played out, whether or not that in fact does meet constitutional requirements. You know, our position, with the greatest of respect, is that it still doesn't. The court, in Mr. Harkat's case, did to some extent summarize materials in CSIS's [Canadian Security Intelligence Service] files and make them available, but on numerous parts of the case did make findings of fact against Mr. Harkat in areas where no evidence was disclosed. So that's still one of our complaints about the process is on numerous issues that formed part of the allegations no evidence was disclosed. Nevertheless, adverse findings were made against Mr. Harkat on those issues.
<p />
<p />TARACHANSKY: CSIS and the Canadian Border Service Agency declined to give an interview on the issue, but the Ministry of Public Safety issued the following statement: "The government of Canada issues a certificate only in exceptional circumstances where the information to determine the case cannot be disclosed without endangering the safety of any person or national security." The federal court ordered CSIS to release some of the information, but the agency claimed it had destroyed the evidence.
<p />
<p />WEBBER: The reputation of the administration of justice has been damaged by virtue of this conduct on the part of CSIS. As a result, numerous hearings took place in secret where CSIS people were called to testify and explain themselves to the court. You know, we had hoped at the end of the day that that would in some respect or the other [inaudible] to Mr. Harkat's benefit, but at the end of the day, the court found that it was satisfied with their explanations for what they had done and nevertheless did rely on human source information, and given all of the circumstances and given that there were proceedings taking place in secret, that at a minimum these special advocates should have been given an opportunity to cross examine these people, as would be the case in a criminal trial [inaudible] brought into court in camera and cross examined by Mr. Harkat's special advocates, but that didn't happen.
<p />
<p />~~~
<p />
<p />S. HARKAT: And we know that if we had the original material and all that, it might have changed the outcome of the case. So that's one of the problems that we've come across in our cases, that all original material has been destroyed. There's also been four other things which have affected the processes, that CSIS is known to use information that comes from or derives from torture. They raid our home in May of last year, two weeks short of a hearing that was scheduled to start on the reasonableness.
<p />
<p />M. HARKAT: At the same time, the informant himself, he failed a lie detector, and they never gave it to the judge.
<p />
<p />S. HARKAT: What happened was when the CSIS failed to lie--they failed to tell the first judge, they also failed to tell the second judge that the informant had failed a lie detector test. That was discovered through a process. And the last thing they did was CSIS and CBSA listened to solicitor-client calls, which of course are prohibited, until they were caught by the federal court.
<p />
<p />~~~
<p />
<p />TARACHANSKY: CSIS alleged that Mohamed Harkat may have worked with an al-Qaeda operative named Ibn Khattab in Pakistan and may have traveled to Afghanistan for terrorist-related activities, something Harkat denies. In another security certificates case, federal judge Richard Mosley ruled that Ibn Khattab, who was linked to Chechen rebels, may have received funds from bin Laden but had not been quoted as calling for jihad between Islam and the West; his struggle was against Russia and its occupation of Muslim lands. Ibn Khattab was assassinated in 2002 in a killing widely attributed to the Russian spy agency FSB. The federal judge in the Harkat case, Simon Noel, contradicted this ruling. He did not reveal any link between Harkat and Ibn Khattab, nor any other suspect, but in declassified footnotes noted that there is a lot of information on Khattab and his link to Osama bin Laden. So was Mohamed Harkat or the other cases linked to potential terrorist operatives? Or was he wrongly accused and thrown into a deportation system with little transparency or accountability? Because neither Canada's intelligence or border security agencies nor the Ministry of Public Safety agreed to an interview, The Real News couldn't pose these questions to them. And with the original evidence undisclosed or allegedly destroyed by CSIS itself, it's currently impossible to determine. But the way this process is going now, it's very likely Harkat will be deported to Algeria, where expert witnesses claim he may be tortured, imprisoned, or killed.
<p />
<p />~~~
<p />
<p />WEBBER: Our position is that if in fact they're going to take place outside of the criminal law, that all of the Section 7 rights that are part and parcel of a fair trial need to be incorporated into the immigration process.
<p />
<p />TARACHANSKY: Okay. Is there any way to appeal the judge's decision that the security certificate is reasonable?
<p />
<p />WEBBER: Well, we are in the midst now of launching an appeal. The appeal is not so much centered on the reasonableness conclusion, but it is centered on the constitutionality or fairness of the proceeding.
<p />
<p />~~~
<p />
<p />S. HARKAT: Legal experts, expert that testify, they were shock by the outcome of the decision. Shock. We were all--it was like we all got a big punch in the guts, a slap in the face. It was very, very difficult to take. And we've been devastated since then. And this just adds on to the devastation that we've been living. And the deportation Mo's been facing since 2002, it's been a cloud over our head for the past eight years. It just makes it look very serious now, because we have--if we don't get an appeal, we don't have any other outcomes right now.
<p />
<p />~~~
<p />
<p />TARACHANSKY: For The Real News, this is Lia Tarachansky in Ottawa.
<p />
<p />End of Transcript
<p />
<p />DISCLAIMER: Please note that transcripts for The Real News Network are typed from a recording of the program. TRNN cannot guarantee their complete accuracy. | Canadian Secret Trial: Man May Face Deportation and Torture | true | http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D31%26Itemid%3D74%26jumival%3D6198 | 2011-02-02 | 4 |
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — The swift steps ending a messy and expensive government shutdown has enabled hundreds of thousands of federal workers to return to work Tuesday, but some say they fear they could find themselves in limbo again in a few more weeks.</p>
<p>Congress sped toward moving to reopen government after Democrats reluctantly voted to temporarily pay for resumed operations on Monday afternoon. The House approved the measure shortly thereafter, sending the spending bill to President Donald Trump, who quickly signed it.</p>
<p>Ali Niaz, a Department of Labor employee who was sent home Monday, took advantage of the partial three-day federal paralysis to tap into shutdown discounts offered by a tavern in the nation’s capital. He asked the bartender if the same deals would be “offered next month when the government shuts down again” — already pointing to when a temporary spending measure ends in early February.</p>
<p>For days, the shutdown effectively cleaved the federal workforce in half as hundreds of thousands of workers were sent home while others declared essential employees stayed on the job.</p>
<p>Felicia Sharp, a lab tech with the Defense Department at Fort Belvoir in northern Virginia, was deemed essential and reported to work Monday. She said the whiplash that occurs when employees are furloughed makes it hard to plan upon returning to work.</p>
<p>Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged Democrats to vote to end the government shutdown. (Jan. 22)</p>
<p>Sharp, who also serves as a local president for the American Federation of Government Employees, said the deal that keeps government open for a few weeks, “only just postpones the inevitable for a while.” When the next deadline approaches, she predicted, “it will be the same situation all over again.”</p>
<p>During the 2013 shutdown, which lasted more than two weeks, Sharp took on two part-time jobs to make sure her bills were paid.</p>
<p>J. David Cox, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 700,000 federal and D.C. government workers, said his members have been exasperated with the inability of Congress and Trump to negotiate a budget.</p>
<p>“We can’t be the ball for the pingpong game,” Cox said, after Senate Democrats dropped their objections Monday to a temporary funding bill in return for assurances from Republicans leaders that they will soon take up immigration and other hot-button issues.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Denise Lavoie in Richmond, Virginia, and Ashraf Khalil in Washington contributed to this report.</p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — The swift steps ending a messy and expensive government shutdown has enabled hundreds of thousands of federal workers to return to work Tuesday, but some say they fear they could find themselves in limbo again in a few more weeks.</p>
<p>Congress sped toward moving to reopen government after Democrats reluctantly voted to temporarily pay for resumed operations on Monday afternoon. The House approved the measure shortly thereafter, sending the spending bill to President Donald Trump, who quickly signed it.</p>
<p>Ali Niaz, a Department of Labor employee who was sent home Monday, took advantage of the partial three-day federal paralysis to tap into shutdown discounts offered by a tavern in the nation’s capital. He asked the bartender if the same deals would be “offered next month when the government shuts down again” — already pointing to when a temporary spending measure ends in early February.</p>
<p>For days, the shutdown effectively cleaved the federal workforce in half as hundreds of thousands of workers were sent home while others declared essential employees stayed on the job.</p>
<p>Felicia Sharp, a lab tech with the Defense Department at Fort Belvoir in northern Virginia, was deemed essential and reported to work Monday. She said the whiplash that occurs when employees are furloughed makes it hard to plan upon returning to work.</p>
<p>Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged Democrats to vote to end the government shutdown. (Jan. 22)</p>
<p>Sharp, who also serves as a local president for the American Federation of Government Employees, said the deal that keeps government open for a few weeks, “only just postpones the inevitable for a while.” When the next deadline approaches, she predicted, “it will be the same situation all over again.”</p>
<p>During the 2013 shutdown, which lasted more than two weeks, Sharp took on two part-time jobs to make sure her bills were paid.</p>
<p>J. David Cox, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 700,000 federal and D.C. government workers, said his members have been exasperated with the inability of Congress and Trump to negotiate a budget.</p>
<p>“We can’t be the ball for the pingpong game,” Cox said, after Senate Democrats dropped their objections Monday to a temporary funding bill in return for assurances from Republicans leaders that they will soon take up immigration and other hot-button issues.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Denise Lavoie in Richmond, Virginia, and Ashraf Khalil in Washington contributed to this report.</p> | As shutdown eases federal workers fear prospect of another | false | https://apnews.com/3128a11bc067437b95c54b46172a40f5 | 2018-01-23 | 2 |
<p />
<p>The VaselinesV for Vaselines Rosary Music</p>
<p>Talk about poor timing. Scottish duo the Vaselines split up in 1989, the week their debut album was released, so they weren’t around to take advantage when Kurt Cobain became a fan and recorded three of their songs with Nirvana. But things have been going more smoothly since 2008, when Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee got back together. On the rousing&#160;V for Vaselines, their second post-reunion outing, the rowdy twosome offers a fizzy update of classic male-female sparring matches in the grand tradition of Johnny Cash and June Carter, or John Doe and Exene Cervenka of X. Whether trading scruffy lead vocals or combining for bracing harmonies, Kelly and McKee make exuberant punk-pop that captures interpersonal strife with entertaining zest. Memorable snotty lyric of the week, from “Number One Crush”: “Being with you/Kills my IQ.”</p>
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<p /> | The Vaselines are Back | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2014/10/v-vaselines-new-album-nirvana-kurt-cobain/ | 2014-10-13 | 4 |
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<p>On Saturday evening, the <a href="https://twitter.com/search/users?q=60%20minutes" type="external">60</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/users?q=60%20minutes" type="external">Minutes</a> Twitter feed began looking suspiciously authoritarian and conspiracy-minded:</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p />
<p>Needless to say, this is not how the investigative news program typically <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIjpP-XngKA" type="external">does business</a>. The torrent of anti-Americanism is widely believed to have been the result of hacking by pro- <a href="" type="internal">Assad</a> elements irked by the State Department’s <a href="http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2013/04/207810.htm" type="external">announcement</a> on Saturday that the US would double non-lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition and provide new humanitarian aid. Since Saturday, the 60 Minutes Twitter account (as well as CBS’ 48 Hours <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/60-minutes-48-hours-twitter-443384" type="external">account</a>) have been suspended.</p>
<p>“We are resolving the issue with Twitter now,” a spokesman for 60 Minutes told me late Monday afternoon, insisting on anonymity. (At the time of this post’s publication, the show’s account remained <a href="https://twitter.com/swin24/status/326466070749782016" type="external">suspended</a>.)</p>
<p>CBS is hardly the first institution targeted by the armada of pro-Assad, pro- <a href="" type="internal">mass murder</a> hackers. Since early 2012, the loosely defined <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/08/syrias-digital-counter-revolutionaries/244382/" type="external">Syrian Electronic Army</a> (yes, that’s SEA) has disrupted the online and social-media operations of NPR, BBC Weather, AFP, Reuters, FRANCE 24, Al Jazeera, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/03/17/syrias-pro-assad-hackers-infiltrate-human-rights-watch-web-site-and-twitter-feed/" type="external">Human Rights Watch</a>, and others. A Twitter account associated with the group was indeed <a href="http://allthingsd.com/20130421/syrian-pro-government-hackers-take-their-fight-to-cbs-and-twitter/" type="external">recently suspended</a>, though there’s no indication of US government involvement.</p>
<p>“We had a breach that stemmed from a successful <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/spearphishing-dirty-email-trick-favored-nastiest-hackers-1C8422406" type="external">spearphishing</a> attack,”&#160; <a href="http://www.hrw.org/bios/emma-daly" type="external">Emma Daly</a>, communications director at Human Rights Watch, says, regarding the incident in March. “Someone was able to get access and post a <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/03/17/syrias-pro-assad-hackers-infiltrate-human-rights-watch-web-site-and-twitter-feed/" type="external">message</a> on the site, and posted it in such a way that it was automatically sent to our Twitter feed…I don’t want to say it was a minor [incident], but it was not a sophisticated attack. [Whoever did it] obviously didn’t like our <a href="http://www.hrw.org/middle-eastn-africa/syria" type="external">reporting on Syria</a>.”</p>
<p>UPDATE (4/23, 4:18 p.m. EDT): The Syrian Electronic Army <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-hackers-ap-twitter-syrian-electronic-army-20130423,0,244289.story?track=rss" type="external">claimed responsibility</a> for hacking the Associated Press Twitter account on Tuesday, and sending out a Tweet falsely claiming that President Obama had been injured after two explosions rocked the White House. That tweet caused a brief <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/newsgram/articles/2013/04/23/ap-twitter-account-tweets-fake-obama-assassination-attempt" type="external">stock market panic</a>.</p>
<p>UPDATE (4/24, 8:30 p.m. EDT): The 60 Minutes Twitter account is <a href="https://twitter.com/60Minutes" type="external">no longer suspended</a>.</p>
<p /> | “60 Minutes” on Their Pro-Assad Twitter Hack: We’re Working on It | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2013/04/60-minutes-twitter-pro-assad-syria-hackers/ | 2013-04-22 | 4 |
<p>TOP STORIES</p>
<p>Wheat Futures Pop on Plains Drought</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>A drought in the Great Plains sparked a rally in wheat prices Tuesday.</p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Agriculture said that the condition of the hard red winter wheat crop, primarily grown in southern Plains states like Kansas, dropped sharply as farmers in the region struggle through dry conditions.</p>
<p>Drought Dampens South Africa's 2018 Corn Plantings -- Market Talk</p>
<p>1544 GMT -- South African corn farmers have slashed plantings for the 2018 season as Africa's top producer of the grain grapples with drought, says the government's Crop Estimates Committee. Plantings likely will drop 12% to 2.3 million hectares as the dry spell pressures growers in the main producing region in the country's west. Plantings for white corn--a regional staple--are down 22% while acreage for yellow corn--used mainly in animal feeds--is 4% higher on year. It is a reversal of fortunes for a country that posted a record crop of 16.7 million tons last year, more than double the 7.8 million tons produced in 2016 after rains aided a recovery from the 2015-2016 drought fueled by El Nino. ([email protected];@Nicholasbariyo)</p>
<p>STORIES OF INTEREST</p>
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<p>USDA Says 132,000 Tons of Corn Sold to Spain in 2017-18</p>
<p>WASHINGTON--Private exporters reported to the U.S. Department of Agriculture export sales of 132,000 metric tons of corn for delivery to Spain during the 2017/2018 marketing year.</p>
<p>The marketing year for corn began Sept. 1.</p>
<p>Value Meals Drive McDonald's Sales - 2nd Update</p>
<p>McDonald's Corp. gained sales again by luring core customers to its cheapest meals and drinks.</p>
<p>The burger giant attributed U.S. sales growth in the fourth quarter to a "McPick 2" meal deal and low-price beverages, as well as to higher-priced Buttermilk Crispy Tenders. The chain introduced a new nationwide value menu this month with items priced at $1, $2 and $3, hoping consumers drawn in for cheap sodas and burgers will also order more expensive items.</p>
<p>THE MARKETS</p>
<p>Live Cattle Futures Ease</p>
<p>Cattle futures were mixed Tuesday, easing off multimonth highs.</p>
<p>The futures market started the week by hitting a two-month high, after cash prices for physical cattle rose more than expected. But analysts say futures bumped up against selling pressure after falling from those highs, with chart signals suggesting to traders that prices were headed lower.</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>January 30, 2018 17:52 ET (22:52 GMT)</p> | Grain Highlights: Top Stories of the Day | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/09/28/grain-highlights-top-stories-day.html | 2018-01-30 | 0 |
<p>Q: Is Obama’s brother really dirt poor in Kenya and living on a dollar a day? A: CNN tracked down George Obama, and he said that he was "brought up well" and "live[s] well now."</p>
<p />
<p>Q: Does Barack Obama have Kenyan citizenship? A: No. He held both U.S. and Kenyan citizenship as a child, but lost his Kenyan citizenship automatically on his 23rd birthday.</p>
<p /> | false | https://factcheck.org/tag/kenya/ | 2 |
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<p />
<p>Chinese regulators have reportedly ordered bitcoin exchanges in the country to shut down, in Beijing’s latest effort to crack down on the use of cryptocurrencies.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Regulators in Shanghai, the country's financial center, gave verbal instructions to exchange operators to shut down, newspapers China Business News and 21st Century Economic Report said on their websites. They gave no other details.</p>
<p>The central bank has yet to respond to questions about bitcoin's future in China but earlier warned it was traded without regulatory oversight and might be linked to fraud. The bank banned initial offerings of new digital currencies last week.</p>
<p>Bitcoin is created and exchanged without the involvement of banks or governments. Transactions allow anonymity, which has made bitcoin popular with people who want to conceal their activity. Bitcoin can be converted to cash when deposited into accounts at prices set in online trading.</p>
<p>Rumors that China planned to ban bitcoin has caused its market price to tumble in recent days, after hitting an all-time high of nearly $5,000 earlier this month. Aside from the concerns in China, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s remarks this week calling bitcoin “a fraud” that was destined to fail caused the digital currency’s value to slide.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Interest in China in bitcoin surged last year after the price rose. A Chinese business news magazine, Caixin, said at one point up to 90 percent of global trading took place in China.</p>
<p>Trading volume has fallen as regulators tightened controls.</p>
<p>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</p> | China to shutter bitcoin exchanges in crackdown: Reports | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/09/14/china-to-shutter-bitcoin-exchanges-in-crackdown-reports.html | 2017-09-14 | 0 |
<p>By Molly Knefel</p>
<p>Every few months, another article pops up about women in comedy.&#160; Perhaps it is by some dude boldly proclaiming that women aren’t funny, patting himself on the balls in self-congratulations for his bravery.&#160; Or it’s a response to some such article, or a narrative from a female comedian talking about her experience.&#160; These articles happen a lot.&#160; For people who like to read about gender in comedy, it’s exhausting.&#160; I am here to throw another article into the fray.&#160; Here’s why:</p>
<p>Yesterday’s New York Times features a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/arts/television/eddie-brill-and-the-comics-on-david-lettermans-show.html" type="external">profile of Eddie Brill</a>, the 53-year-old comic who books Letterman.&#160; It positions Brill as an older comic stylistically outside of the younger “alt” generation but&#160; portrays him unquestioningly as an expert in his field.&#160; It describes Brill’s background, his skill in training comics to succeed on television, and his taste.&#160; Brill likes vulnerability in comedy, the piece tells us.&#160; To me, this is a little like saying you like lyrics in music– of course you do.&#160; Most people do.&#160; But not all comics have that persona, so fine, it’s worth noting, and also he likes punchlines (again, not especially surprising) and also he doesn’t think women are funny.</p>
<p>That last one kind of sneaks up on you.&#160; In 2011, the NYT tells us, Brill booked only one woman for the Late Show.&#160; Even if that alone doesn’t stand as sufficient evidence of Brill’s sexism, he also said this:</p>
<p>“There are a lot less female comics who are authentic,” Mr. Brill said. “I see a lot of female comics who to please an audience will act like men.”</p>
<p>The Times, hilariously, quotes comic Jessica Kirson as saying, “What does that mean?” and quickly moves on in the next paragraph to talk more about vulnerability and why it’s so important.</p>
<p />
<p>There you have it.&#160; The gatekeeper to one of the most important opportunities a comic can get (the article itself emphasizes this) mentions that he doesn’t think women are “authentic” and that they “act like men,” and a paragraph later, we have moved on.&#160; The piece ends with a declaration by Brill that comedy is universal, a comparison between Mark Twain and Ricky Gervais, and the somewhat stunningly un-self-aware quote, “Comedy has always been the same.”&#160; Privileging the voices of white men?&#160; Indeed, it has always been the same.</p>
<p>My main criticism lies with Brill’s statement about women, of course.&#160; I’m not sure where the “women act like men” belief fits in with the other common explanations of why women aren’t funny, most of which cite an abundance of gynecologist and period jokes.&#160; More importantly, to echo Kirson, what does it mean to act like a man?&#160; Does it mean that they are not acting sexy enough for Brill?&#160; Or not submissive enough?&#160; Does it mean they have gender-neutral material, or that they are too dirty, or not dirty enough?&#160; What is a woman– or, I suppose, what are all women—supposed to act like, for Brill to think they aren’t acting like men?</p>
<p>But I feel like the Times deserves some criticism as well.&#160; Maybe it’s not the the NYT’s job to explore the deeply hurtful, and deeply historical, sexism that Brill casually throws out.&#160; But to devote only two tiny paragraphs to such a blatantly untrue and destructive idea, and to move on like it’s just another fun fact about Eddie, seems irresponsible.</p>
<p>By the end of the piece, we all feel good, because who doesn’t love Mark Twain and Ricky Gervais?&#160; Meanwhile, Eddie Brill and the Times have done their part to add to the ridiculous, tired, and hateful “women aren’t funny” echo chamber.&#160; This is why it’s still important to talk about gender in comedy.&#160; This is why some women keep bringing it up.&#160; Brill can keep women’s voices off Letterman, but women will continue to talk about their experience, no matter how inauthetic and manly they may be.</p>
<p>Molly Knefel is a writer, comedian, and co-host of a thrice-weekly internet radio show called <a href="" type="external">Radio Dispatch</a>.&#160; Read her tweets at @mollyknefel.</p> | Guest post: This is why we keep talking about gender in comedy | true | http://feministing.com/2012/01/13/guest-post-this-is-why-we-keep-talking-about-gender-in-comedy/ | 4 |
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<p>As Trump begins to fulfill some of his campaign pledges (see <a href="" type="internal">CLEANUP: Trump Fires 500 From VA, Suspends 200 More</a>), many are patiently awaiting the promised wall. You know the one. THE WALL. There’s been <a href="" type="internal">lots of talk</a> regarding just how we should acquire the funds to pay for the&#160;beauteous barrier. All of which have, of course, triggered buckets of offended! outrage! from! leftists!</p>
<p>Fret not, babies,&#160;GOP Rep. Steve King has <a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/steve-king-use-planned-parenthood-food-stamp-money-to-fund-border-wall/article/2628374" type="external">a new solution in mind</a>.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, argued Wednesday that Congress should build President Trump’s border wall by taking money from Planned Parenthood and federal food stamps.</p>
<p>On CNN, King said he supports the $1.6 billion in funding that the House is considering as a start for building the wall. But he said he’d add another $5 billion if he had his way.</p>
<p>“And I would find half of a billion dollars of that right out of Planned Parenthood’s budget,” he said. “And the rest could come out of food stamps and the entitlements that are being spread out for people that haven’t worked in three generations.”</p>
<p>&lt;img class="size-full wp-image-10577 aligncenter" src="http://www.louderwithcrowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/giphy-4.gif" alt="" width="500" height="200" /&gt;</p>
<p>CNN’s Alyson Camerota almost died. Naturally, working for a Fake News Factory such as CNN, Alyson isn’t a fan of such rational ideas. CNN is&#160;not in the business of solving problems. Blackmailing Redditors for creating funny GIFs on the other hand? Put them in the “YES” column&#160;(see <a href="" type="internal">CNN Threatens to “Dox” Anonymous Trump/WWE GIF Creator. Americans’ Backlash Begins</a>). Memers beware.</p>
<p>But Mr.&#160;King has a great point. The&#160; <a href="" type="internal">majority of Planned Parenthood’s services are abortions</a>&#160;and, seeing as the murder of tiny humans is not a human right, PP could survive off of significantly less federal funding. Pardon us for not shedding tears.</p>
<p>&lt;img class="size-full wp-image-1645 aligncenter" src="http://www.louderwithcrowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ByeBye.gif" alt="" width="500" height="278" /&gt;</p>
<p>We also know there are loads of loafers lazing about collecting government benefits they don’t need. Unless you count increasing one’s risk for diabetes as a “need.” Before any leftist, puckered sphincters start huffing and puffing – here’s how we know.&#160;Multiple states have implemented policies where welfare recipients have to work to receive benefits. It resulted in a&#160;big pile of no thanks. Read&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Mississippi Passes Law Requiring Welfare Recipients to Work. The Results?</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Maine Makes Welfare Recipients Work for it. Guess What Happens Next</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="" type="internal">GET OUT! Food Stamp Doles Decline Dramatically When Work is Required</a>. It’s almost like there’s a track record of this stuff.</p>
<p>Rather than shoveling more money into the incinerator, we should put our&#160;taxpayer money to good use. Border security is a good start. Especially considering the amount of people who, you know, voted for it. Also protecting the nation’s border is actually a responsibility of the government. Funding the slaughter of unborn babies? Not so much.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>NOT SUBSCRIBED TO THE PODCAST?&#160; <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/louder-with-crowder/id929121341?mt=2" type="external">FIX THAT</a>! IT’S COMPLETELY FREE ON BOTH&#160; <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/louder-with-crowder/id929121341?mt=2" type="external">ITUNES&#160;HERE</a>&#160;AND&#160; <a href="https://soundcloud.com/louderwithcrowder" type="external">SOUNDCLOUD&#160;HERE</a>.</p>
<p /> | HECK YES! Steve King Wants to Use Planned Parenthood, Welfare Funding to Build The Wall… | true | https://louderwithcrowder.com/rep-steve-king-pay-for-border-wall-with-funding-from-planned-parenthood-food-stamps/ | 2017-07-12 | 0 |
<p>Jan. 2 (UPI) — At least 25 people died Tuesday when a bus plunged 330 feet off a cliff on a beach in Peru north of the capital, local officials said.</p>
<p>The bus was carrying 57 passengers when it crashed along a stretch of road called Curva del Diablo, meaning The Devil’s Bend in English, on the Pan-American Highway. The driver and one crew member also were on board.</p>
<p>​”At least 25 people are dead and around five are injured among those found,” Dino Escudero, chief of highway police, told Channel N, as translated <a href="https://sputniknews.com/world/201801021060482742-peru-bus-crash/" type="external">by Sputnik</a>. “The police and firefighters are working to rescue the victims of the crash, but we believe the death toll could rise.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-42546980?ocid=socialflow_facebook&amp;ns_mchannel=social&amp;ns_campaign=bbcnews&amp;ns_source=facebook" type="external">The BBC</a> reported the bus may have collided with a trailer attached to another vehicle before it plummeted. Escudero said authorities had launched an investigation.</p>
<p>The bus departed Tuesday morning from Huacho and was en route to Lima.</p> | Peru bus plunges off cliff killing dozens | false | https://newsline.com/peru-bus-plunges-off-cliff-killing-dozens/ | 2018-01-03 | 1 |
<p>By Bob Allen</p>
<p>“The gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many,” Matthew’s Gospel quotes Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount. “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”</p>
<p>The early churches were small enough to meet in homes. The first Baptists sought to emulate the pattern.&#160;</p>
<p>“A church ought not to consist of such a multitude as cannot have particular knowledge one of another,” Thomas Helwys, founder of the first Baptist church in England — a congregation that some scholars estimate numbered about 10 members — wrote in the 1600s.</p>
<p>“The members of every church or congregation ought to know one another, so that they may perform all the duties of love one towards another, both to soul and body,” Helwys wrote. “And especially the elders ought to know the whole flock, whereof the Holy Ghost hath made them overseers.”</p>
<p>That’s a far cry from Baptists today, when many congregations have multiple worship services and programs that divide members into small groups scattered by age or interest sometimes into separate buildings.&#160;</p>
<p>Even so, the majority of American churches today are small. Of the 350,000 religious congregations in the United States, the Hartford Institute for Religious Research <a href="http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/fastfacts/fast_facts.html" type="external">estimates</a> 59 percent are smaller than 100. The median U.S. church has 75 regular participants in worship on Sunday morning.</p>
<p>Despite that, most churchgoing Americans attend larger congregations. Smaller churches draw 11 percent of those who attend worship, while 50 percent of churchgoers attend the largest 10 percent of congregations, those with 350 or more regular participants and up.</p>
<p>Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, reports there were approximately 50 megachurches in America in 1970. Today there are 1,600. That growth rate has slowed considerably the last seven years, however — a trend worth watching.</p>
<p>The megachurch, Rainer said, catered to lifestyles of the Baby Boomers and reflected cultural trends when people flocked to large shopping malls. Younger generations like the Millennials, who triggered cultural phenomena like Starbucks and social media, gravitate toward intimacy and smallness.</p>
<p>Small communities deliver deeper friendships, accountability relationships and maximum participation, Rainer said. They also deliver environments for spiritual growth and missional opportunities for members who want to be personally involved.</p>
<p>Different size churches require different leadership skills, said Ircel Harrison, a consultant with Pinnacle Leadership Associations and retired coordinator of Tennessee Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.&#160;</p>
<p>Many seminary students’ first pastorate is the “family church” of 50 or fewer participants. They often include a patriarch or matriarch viewed as an undesignated leader, and they see a lot of preachers come and go. In that setting, the pastor is more or less a “chaplain of the family” in place to love and accept the members as they are, to preach and teach, exercise pastoral care through visiting and perform “priestly functions” like weddings and the Lord’s Supper.</p>
<p>Those functions continue when the church grows to between 50 and 150, but a shift occurs to a more pastor-centered fellowship. Expectations are higher for preaching proficiency, and the pastor leads through personal relationships and by delegating responsibilities. One of the greatest challenges becomes time management.</p>
<p>When churches get even larger, attendance, programs and ministries multiply to where the pastor can no longer be the coordinator of everything but must depend on staff members in other leadership areas. When a church becomes very large, the senior pastor usually is seen as the chief executive officer.</p>
<p>Rainer predicts megachurches still will be around in 20 years, but they will shift from large facilities to smaller buildings and multiple venues. He believes churches of all size will “downsize,” or at least not build as quickly once their worship services seem overcrowded, as they did in the past.</p> | Small is big for Millennials | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/small-is-big-for-millennials/ | 3 |
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<p>PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia might use civilians to keep traffic moving in the city.</p>
<p>City Council President Darrell Clarke plans to introduce a resolution on Thursday to explore what civilian traffic enforcement officers could do so that police could focus on criminal investigations.</p>
<p>Clark tells <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/business/transportation/philly-civilian-traffic-cops-traffic-clarke-vision-zero-safe-crash-dangerous-roads-20180124.html" type="external">Philly.com</a> civilian officers could issue tickets, but they would not carry firearms or have the ability to make arrests.</p>
<p>The mayor's office has been pursuing a safer-streets initiative.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: Philly.com, <a href="http://www.philly.com/" type="external">http://www.philly.com/</a></p>
<p>PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia might use civilians to keep traffic moving in the city.</p>
<p>City Council President Darrell Clarke plans to introduce a resolution on Thursday to explore what civilian traffic enforcement officers could do so that police could focus on criminal investigations.</p>
<p>Clark tells <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/business/transportation/philly-civilian-traffic-cops-traffic-clarke-vision-zero-safe-crash-dangerous-roads-20180124.html" type="external">Philly.com</a> civilian officers could issue tickets, but they would not carry firearms or have the ability to make arrests.</p>
<p>The mayor's office has been pursuing a safer-streets initiative.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: Philly.com, <a href="http://www.philly.com/" type="external">http://www.philly.com/</a></p> | Philadelphia might use civilians to keep traffic moving | false | https://apnews.com/amp/914404f3af644f9e8c4ab010fa9d2e3e | 2018-01-25 | 2 |
<p>Right wing commentator Erick Erickson <a href="http://theresurgent.com/mitt-romney-should-reconsider-a-third-party-bid/" type="external">writes</a>:</p>
<p>Mitt Romney has given up on trying to recruit someone for a third party effort against Clinton and Trump. I opposed Romney in 2008 and 2012, but I think the time has come for Mitt Romney. I’d gladly work for a Romney Presidency given the choices between Clinton and Trump.</p>
<p>There is more and more data out there that the time is right for a third party bid. More and more Americans are horrified and disgusted at the thought of voting for either Trump or Clinton.</p>
<p>No one wants to vote for a candidate because they are against the other candidate. People want to vote for a candidate because they like that candidate.</p>
<p>Romney could provide that. I can’t believe I’m even writing this. But seriously, Mitt Romney should run for President again and transcend party for the good of the country.</p>
<p>From <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/erick-erickson-mitt-romney-223420" type="external">Politico</a>:</p>
<p>Erickson, who has said he would never vote for Trump, opposed Romney during his previous presidential runs. On Wednesday, Yahoo News reported that Romney has ruled out an independent bid for president and is not trying to get any other Republicans to take up the mantle despite remaining hopeful for someone else to surface.</p>
<p>Romney has also refused to back the presumptive Republican nominee, attacking Trump for refusing to release his tax returns and previously saying “Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence.</p> | Erick Erickson: This Is Mitt Romney’s Time | true | http://joemygod.com/2016/05/21/erick-erickson-this-is-mitt-romneys-time/ | 2016-05-21 | 4 |
<p>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa state lawmaker was arrested early Friday on suspicion of drunken driving and possessing a firearm while under the influence, following a report his vehicle was weaving between lanes in the early morning hours.</p>
<p>Rep. Chip Baltimore, a Republican from Boone whose legal first name is Francis, was driving in Ames near Interstate 35 when he was stopped shortly after 3:30 a.m., according to Ames Police Sgt. Mike Arkovich.</p>
<p>Arkovich said a police radio received a report around the time of a car driving “recklessly” in the area. An officer then spotted the vehicle, driven by Baltimore, and initiated a traffic stop.</p>
<p>Baltimore, 51, recorded a blood alcohol level of 0.147 percent. The blood alcohol limit for drivers in Iowa is 0.08 percent.</p>
<p>Arkovich said a pistol was also found under the driver’s seat. He said Baltimore has a permit to carry, but it became void because of his high blood alcohol level.</p>
<p>Baltimore was cited for a failure to maintain lanes, according to Arkovich, and booked into the Story County Jail. The lawmaker faces charges of first offense operating while intoxicated and possession or carrying a firearm while under the influence. He was released from jail Friday afternoon.</p>
<p>A phone number listed to Baltimore’s home is not accepting messages. He did not immediately return an email left Friday.</p>
<p>House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, the top Republican in the House, said in a statement: “Drunk driving is unacceptable behavior for anyone, let alone a state legislator. We will work through this issue and take appropriate action quickly. We will also work with Rep. Baltimore to get him the help and support that he needs at this time.”</p>
<p>Baltimore, an attorney, is serving his fourth term as a state representative. He is chairman of the House judiciary committee, a legislative body that has advanced legislation in recent years to add more penalties for individuals arrested for drunken driving.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This version corrects spelling of Baltimore’s first name to Francis from Frances.</p>
<p>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa state lawmaker was arrested early Friday on suspicion of drunken driving and possessing a firearm while under the influence, following a report his vehicle was weaving between lanes in the early morning hours.</p>
<p>Rep. Chip Baltimore, a Republican from Boone whose legal first name is Francis, was driving in Ames near Interstate 35 when he was stopped shortly after 3:30 a.m., according to Ames Police Sgt. Mike Arkovich.</p>
<p>Arkovich said a police radio received a report around the time of a car driving “recklessly” in the area. An officer then spotted the vehicle, driven by Baltimore, and initiated a traffic stop.</p>
<p>Baltimore, 51, recorded a blood alcohol level of 0.147 percent. The blood alcohol limit for drivers in Iowa is 0.08 percent.</p>
<p>Arkovich said a pistol was also found under the driver’s seat. He said Baltimore has a permit to carry, but it became void because of his high blood alcohol level.</p>
<p>Baltimore was cited for a failure to maintain lanes, according to Arkovich, and booked into the Story County Jail. The lawmaker faces charges of first offense operating while intoxicated and possession or carrying a firearm while under the influence. He was released from jail Friday afternoon.</p>
<p>A phone number listed to Baltimore’s home is not accepting messages. He did not immediately return an email left Friday.</p>
<p>House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, the top Republican in the House, said in a statement: “Drunk driving is unacceptable behavior for anyone, let alone a state legislator. We will work through this issue and take appropriate action quickly. We will also work with Rep. Baltimore to get him the help and support that he needs at this time.”</p>
<p>Baltimore, an attorney, is serving his fourth term as a state representative. He is chairman of the House judiciary committee, a legislative body that has advanced legislation in recent years to add more penalties for individuals arrested for drunken driving.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This version corrects spelling of Baltimore’s first name to Francis from Frances.</p> | Iowa state lawmaker arrested on suspicion of drunken driving | false | https://apnews.com/22cbbdd52c004d3ab74af3e3bf3d0a10 | 2018-01-19 | 2 |
<p>Published time: 13 Jul, 2017 10:39</p>
<p>A photo of smoke billowing from Mount Vesuvius shows what appears to be a ghoulish face looming above southern Italy’s famous volcano. The disturbing image was taken as wildfires force evacuations from surrounding areas.</p>
<p>“After millennia the monster of Vesuvius came out,” Rosario Scotto Di Minico posted on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rosario.minico" type="external">Facebook</a> along with the image, which shows a menacing face emerging from the pattern of smoke.</p>
<p>Speaking to RT.com he said the nightmarish image was captured on camera phone by Albarosa Scotto di Minico.</p>
<p>Despite the quantity of smoke billowing from Vesuvius, it’s not in the process of erupting, instead wildfires have led to evacuations of locals.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/396046-vesuvius-on-fire-smoke-engulfs-volcano/" type="external">READ MORE: Mount Vesuvius on fire: People evacuated as smoke engulfs volcano, seen from Pompeii</a></p>
<p>High temperatures in Italy are straining emergency services with 698 operations taking place across the country, according to the national fire service. Some 476 of the operations are wildfires, with Vesuvius amongst the most serious.</p>
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<p>(13lug-8:00) Sono in corso in Italia 698 interventi ad opera delle squadre <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/vigilidelfuoco?src=hash" type="external">#vigilidelfuoco</a>. 476 riguardanti incendi di vegetazione</p>
<p>— Vigili del Fuoco (@emergenzavvf) <a href="https://twitter.com/emergenzavvf/status/885379732585447424" type="external">July 13, 2017</a></p>
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<p>Does the smoke resemble a skull?</p> | Menacing skull cloud rises above Vesuvius in apocalyptic scene (PHOTO & POLL) | false | https://newsline.com/menacing-skull-cloud-rises-above-vesuvius-in-apocalyptic-scene-photo-poll/ | 2017-07-13 | 1 |
<p>(Screenshot via YouTube.)</p>
<p>“Doc McStuffins,” the hit Disney Junior&#160;children’s cartoon, recently included an interracial, lesbian couple as the parents of two kids.</p>
<p>The episode titled “The Emergency Plan” showcases a doll couple, voiced by Wanda Sykes and Portia de Rossi, who are forced to split up after a toy dragon causes an earthquake. Doc brings the family back together and teaches them how to make emergency kits to be more prepared.</p>
<p>In a behind-the-scenes clip, Sykes explained why representation on TV is important to her&#160; 8-year-old twins, Lucas Claude and Olivia Lou.</p>
<p>“I’m a fan of ‘Doc McStuffins,’ my kids, they watch the show. In this episode, they see a family that looks like our family. We’re two moms and a boy and a girl, two kids. It’s going to be very exciting for them to see that, to see our family represented. Families stick together,” Sykes says.</p>
<p>While some are happy to see diversity in a children’s show, the organization <a href="https://onemillionmoms.com/current-campaigns/disney-junior-features-two-mom-family-in-doc-mcstuffins/" type="external">One Million Moms</a> has called out the cartoon for featuring a same-sex couple.</p>
<p>“Just because an issue may be legal or because some are choosing a lifestyle doesn’t make it morally correct. Disney should stick to entertaining and providing family-friendly programming instead of pushing an agenda,” One Million Moms states in its press release.</p>
<p>The organization also calls for a boycott of the Disney Channel if the episode aired.</p>
<p>In a recent post for <a href="https://www.glaad.org/blog/disney-debuts-doc-mcstuffins-episode-featuring-wanda-sykes-portia-de-rossi-two-moms" type="external">GLAAD</a>, &#160;“Doc McStuffins” creator Chris Nee, an out lesbian, explained that she was proud to include an episode that reflected her own family life.</p>
<p>“I always envision Doc McStuffins as a show about what it means to accept everyone as part of our communities. As part of a two-mom family, I’m proud to have an episode that reflects my son’s world, and shows everyone that love is love in McStuffinsville.”</p>
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<p><a href="" type="internal">Chris Nee</a> <a href="" type="internal">Doc McStuffins</a> <a href="" type="internal">GLAAD</a> <a href="" type="internal">One Million Moms</a> <a href="" type="internal">Portia de Rossi</a> <a href="" type="internal">Wanda Sykes</a></p> | ‘Doc McStuffins’ features lesbian parents; One Million Moms calls for boycott | false | http://washingtonblade.com/2017/08/08/29075484/ | 3 |
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<p>Gravity is being hailed as a must-see movie. The IMAX experience is one of incredible beauty and thrilling danger. Most of us who see this movie will go for all of the tail-end-of-summer action adventure that it promises, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a spiritual and philosophical metaphor for the inextricable relationship between life and death.</p>
<p>Sandra Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, an engineer making her first trip to outer space which becomes tragic when debris from a destroyed satellite hurtles towards her ship. Suddenly, what was a routine mission becomes an incredible fight to find a way to return to Earth. While the movie is receiving great reviews for the spectacular space ride some are under-whelmed by the plot. But I’m not sure the movie is intended to rest on the storyline per se. For me, Ryan’s journey into space is a metaphorical, dreamlike working out of her subconscious struggle between giving up life altogether and finding the strength to face her own despair. In the construct of outer space, the doctor becomes a vulnerable woman whose saving grace is an acute awareness of her own mortality.</p>
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<p>We live in a culture where we do everything we can to avoid the reality of death. We are shocked and incensed when tragedy or difficulty enters our lives as if it were some sort of injustice, a betrayal of what life or God owes us. We prefer to go through life untouched by these things, numb to their reality. But Gravity points out that by doing so we choose to live asleep, floating around in a neither fully alive nor yet dead state. In this less-than reality we are unable to connect with one another or with ourselves. We live perpetually as we find Dr. Ryan Stone in the movie — cut off, isolated. Whether it’s in her space suit, a tiny pod or her car back on Earth, she has chosen the seemingly protected silence of shutting out the voices of pain and suffering.</p>
<p>Yet, as Christians, we know that often it is in pain and suffering that God is revealed. The early Christian Desert Fathers practiced a way of self-denial and strict asceticism, believing that a deep acquaintance with one’s mortality was a helpful necessity to confronting our deep and hidden selfishness and being given true freedom and life in Christ. A dying to self is integral to the Christian faith, and in a way, life’s journey can be seen as a series of little deaths, learning to kill and let go of false expectations, desires and needs on the way to maturity.</p>
<p>In outer space, Dr. Stone learns to expect to confront tragedy, difficulty and loss like clockwork as debris from the destroyed satellite circles the globe every 90 minutes threatening her life. In this barrage of pain and stress she finally gives up the pretense that she can hide from the grief of her daughter’s death. She is forced to choose to live or die, but the shell of half living is no longer an option.</p>
<p>In this, she is given a gift. Most of us are never in a situation where we are forced to choose and so we can travel our whole lives feeling as if we are running out of air — lonely, fearful and disconnected. Ryan Stone is an everywoman character traveling this path for us. In her story we find a call to “wake up,” to choose to embrace the threatening pull of reality on our lives, the gravity that grounds us in distinct time with a beginning and an end. We are reminded that life is not about arriving, about safety or security or certainty. To be protected from harm or pain is to die, to be walking and yet asleep. Only through embracing our mortality, embracing what constantly pulls us down toward the grave, are we aware of what we have in the ability to stand, to live, to move and to treat our moments as a gift.</p>
<p>Gravity suggests, as do the Desert Fathers, that we are only as ready to live as we are to die.</p>
<p>Lisa Cole Smith ( <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>) is pastor of Convergence: A Creative Community of Faith, in Alexandria, Va.</p> | OPINION: The glorious weight of gravity | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/opinionthegloriousweightofgravity/ | 3 |
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<p>PLAINS, Ga. (RNS) — With its aging storefronts and small train depot, its graceful pecan trees and clipped fields of peanuts, cottons and hay, peace still seems possible in this tiny town.</p>
<p>And nowhere is that peace protected more fiercely than at Maranatha Baptist Church, where former President Jimmy Carter teaches adult Sunday school class two or three Sundays of every month.</p>
<p>Jan Williams, who taught Amy Carter when she was in fourth grade, is the head peacekeeper at the simple country church set in a grove of pecan trees. At 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning, Williams — known universally as ”Miss Jan” — steps out the church’s front doors and encounters a line of visitors already forming.</p>
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<p>“Are you a member of the Secret Service?” a woman in the line asked, noting the men wearing earpieces who stepped out behind her.</p>
<p>“No, I’m Jan Williams. I’m in charge,” Williams said. “They say I’m too dangerous to carry a loaded gun.”</p>
<p>Even though Carter left office 30 years ago, security remains tight at the church, which is open to anyone who wants to come to Sunday school. But first they have to get past Miss Jan and the Secret Service.</p>
<p>A civilian Marine and a bomb-sniffing dog check each vehicle. Secret Service agents comb the church, sometimes checking each hymnal in the pews. Everyone who comes in, including regular members and Williams herself, is stopped as their pockets and purses are checked with a metal-detecting wand.</p>
<p>Williams was one of the Maranatha members to realize early on that if they were going to continue to enjoy Carter’s Bible-based teaching, and also keep their church open to visitors, there would have to have some rules.</p>
<p>“It was a circus,” Williams said. “People were standing up to take pictures. They were talking. It was not worship; it was entertainment. We had members going home because there was not room to sit.”</p>
<p>That’s when Williams took charge.</p>
<p>“My church maybe will have the one-time witness to someone who has never had the opportunity to hear the gospel,” Williams said. “For many, it is the first time they have ever been to church or to a Christian service.”</p>
<p>The line moves inside, guided by other members, including Williams’ husband, George, who hands out bulletins. Six visitors are seated on each row in the center section of pews; portions of the side pews are reserved for members.</p>
<p>Williams walks the conglomeration of visitors from around the world through the steps. She practices how Carter would ask where they were from and orchestrates as each section called out: China, Korea, Denmark, Brazil, and every state, it seemed, from Alabama to Wyoming.</p>
<p>Williams shows off the mahogany offering plates, and the new wooden cross hanging behind the choir loft, both of which Carter turned in his own shop. She walks through the process of staying after church if you want a picture with the Carters.</p>
<p>“Whatever you do, do not attempt to shake his hand unless he extends his first,” Williams said. “People, he’s 85 years old. How do you think germs are passed?”</p>
<p>Williams pauses in her list, lowering her gaze.</p>
<p>“Do not think that you can leave this church after Sunday school, go on down to Mom’s Kitchen to eat and then attempt to jump back into my picture line after church.”</p>
<p>Also on Miss Jan’s list of rules: “Whatever you do, do not applaud when he walks in or after the lesson,” Williams says. “He hates that. The kind of applause President Carter wants from you is that when you leave here, you will go out and live the Christian life.”</p>
<p>And that, in many ways, is what animates this small rural church. Founded in the 1970s with 29 members who split from Plains Baptist Church, Maranatha never expected to be huge; membership is now at about 130, with about 40 members coming each week.</p>
<p>But as long as Carter’s here — and hopefully, they say, even after that — the church’s outreach will arrive, quite literally, at Maranatha’s front door.</p>
<p>“This is one church that does missions without having to go anywhere,” says pastor Jeffery Summers, 36, who’s led the congregations for five years.</p>
<p>Williams closes her briefing with prayer for the guests, those in the military, and thanks God “for the man who comes to give a lesson to us today.”</p>
<p>Carter, who entered quietly during her prayer, is suddenly standing by the podium at one side, checking his microphone. On cue, he asks, already knowing the answer, “Do we have any visitors?”</p>
<p>Carter braces as cameras are raised in what Miss Jan had said would be the only photo opportunity in the church. Violators would have their cameras confiscated and turned over to the Secret Service.</p>
<p>As the cameras are put away and the Sunday school quarterlies opened, Carter becomes much more comfortable. And he should be: he’s been teaching regularly since he was 18. The text was from the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus calls Matthew, a despised publican, as his disciple.</p>
<p>“Jesus taught that what is most important is the love — of whom? Of people who are not lovely. Of people who didn’t love him back, necessarily,” Carter says.</p>
<p>“Jesus picked out the scum of the earth as an example of a person who had the proper relationship with God. He came to show that all people are equal in the eyes of God.”</p>
<p>Carter pauses and looks at the crowd.</p>
<p>“I think that’s a very disturbing lesson. If you’re a Republican, it’s hard to believe that a Democrat is equal,” he says in the only political references he made. “And I know from experience that if you’re a Democrat….”</p>
<p>The chuckles from the congregation complete his sentence.</p>
<p>Carter teaches for about 50 minutes before the organist begins a prelude of lively hymns. “You will sit down and be quiet,” Miss Jan warns, and then moves to the piano for the opening hymns. Carter takes a seat in a side pew with Rosalynn, who is on the list to provide flowers for the sanctuary May 30. A Secret Service agent stands quietly at the end of their pew.</p>
<p>Miss Jan and other members know their church functions as merely a tourist attraction for some guests, but also as a pilgrimage site of sorts for others. Why people come isn’t their problem, she said. Their mission is to do what they can to serve them once the Secret Service lets them in the door.</p>
<p>“People sometimes come looking for one thing — to see a former president and first lady in person — but when they leave, they leave with so much more,” Williams said after the service. “It is just such a blessing to provide this service to people.”</p>
<p>Kay Campbell writes for The Huntsville Times in Huntsville, Ala.</p> | At Carter’s church, former president still a draw | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/atcarterschurchformerpresidentstilladraw/ | 3 |
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<p>Might it just be as simple as turning cells back to normal? A new study has found a simple injection is enough to return cancerous cells back to healthy tissue.</p>
<p>As <a href="http://www.mnrdaily.com/article/us.mayo.clinic.scientists.discover.how.to.cure.cancer.by.turning.cells.to.healthy.tissue/3379.htm" type="external">MNR Daily</a>reports, a team of scientists at the Mayo Clinic’s cancer unit in Florida were able to turn cancerous bladder and breast cells back to normal by injecting them with a microRNA molecule. Cancer occurs when cell regulation is disrupted and abnormal cells grow wildly and uncontrollably. In this study, however, the protein PLEKHA7 turned the cancer-proliferation into benign cell clusters.</p>
<p>Lead author Panos Anastasiadis called the technique “an unexpected new biology that provides the code, the software for turning off cancer.”</p>
<p>So far all tests have only been conducted in tissue in a test tube, so it is too soon to understand if the same technology would work on tissue in a human body. However, the initial results are promising enough that research will continue.</p>
<p>Ideally, injecting cancer cells with the protein will halt their advances, preventing metastasis and continued survival of the affected cells. Anastasiadis explained, “By administering the affected microRNAs in cancer cells to restore their normal levels, we should be able to re-establish the brakes and restore normal cell function.”</p>
<p>Stay tuned.</p>
<p /> | An off switch? Exciting new cancer-fighting method found | false | http://natmonitor.com/2015/08/26/an-off-switch-exciting-new-cancer-fighting-method-found/ | 2015-08-26 | 3 |
<p>Nov. 15 (UPI) — The U.S. Army Chief of Staff said the army has failed to property report soldiers’ criminal activity to law enforcement agencies like the FBI.</p>
<p>“We have significant amount of omissions that concern the secretary [of the Army] and I,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told reporters Wednesday, according to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/11/15/army-has-problem-not-reporting-criminal-violations-federal-database-top-general-says/868260001/" type="external">USA Today</a>.</p>
<p>Milley said as many as 10 to 20 percent of the Army’s total cases are not reported.</p>
<p>Milley’s comments come after the mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas earlier this month. The shooter, Devin Patrick Kelley, was a former member of the U.S. Air Force who received a bad conduct discharge after serving one year in prison for assaulting his wife and child. But Kelley’s military conviction was never reported to law enforcement and he was legally able to purchase firearms.</p>
<p>If Kelley’s military conviction was entered into the federal database, <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/11/06/Air-Force-never-entered-Texas-shooters-conviction-in-database/4791509966958/" type="external">he would not have been able</a> to purchase weapons he used to kill 26 people at a Texas church.</p>
<p>“It’s not just an Air Force problem,” Milley said, according to <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/army-chief-staff-gaps-failures-reporting-criminal-activity/story?id=51174762" type="external">ABC News</a>. “It’s a problem across all the services where we have gaps in reporting criminal activity of people in service when they’re convicted or they get a dishonorable discharge or those sorts of things, getting that over the appropriate law enforcement agency.”</p>
<p>Milley said about 150 soldiers receive a court martial and are dishonorably discharged from the Army each year and are required to be reported to law enforcement.</p>
<p>“We need to make sure every one of those is transmitted over to the civilian law enforcement agencies, the FBI for example,” he said.</p> | Army fails to report soldiers' criminal activity to law enforcement, Army chief of staff says | false | https://newsline.com/army-fails-to-report-soldiers039-criminal-activity-to-law-enforcement-army-chief-of-staff-says/ | 2017-11-15 | 1 |
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<p>Update Friday, December 12, 2014: On Thursday night, the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/12/us/congress-spending-bill.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;module=first-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news&amp;_r=0" type="external">House passed</a> the spending bill with the Citigroup-written provision. The Senate is expected to approve the legislation.</p>
<p>A year ago, Mother Jones <a href="" type="internal">reported</a> that a House bill that would allow banks like Citigroup to do more high-risk trading with taxpayer-backed money was written almost entirely by Citigroup lobbyists. The bill passed the House in October 2013, but the Senate never voted on it. For months, it was all but dead. Yet <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/10/us/politics/congressional-leaders-reach-deal-on-spending.html?ref=politics" type="external">on Tuesday night</a>, the Citi-written bill resurfaced. Lawmakers snuck the measure into a <a href="http://rules.house.gov/bill/113/hr-83" type="external">massive 11th-hour government funding bill</a> that congressional leaders negotiated in the hopes of averting a government shutdown. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the legislation.</p>
<p>“This is outrageous,” says Marcus Stanley, the financial policy director at the advocacy group Americans for Financial Reform. “This is to benefit big banks, bottom line.”</p>
<p>As I <a href="" type="internal">reported</a> last year, the bill eviscerates a section of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform act called the “push-out rule”:</p>
<p>Banks hate the push-out rule…because this provision will forbid them from trading certain derivatives (which are complicated financial instruments with values derived from underlying variables, such as crop prices or interest rates). Under this rule, banks will have to move these risky trades into separate non-bank affiliates that aren’t insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and are less likely to receive government bailouts. The bill would smother the push-out rule in its crib by permitting banks to use government-insured deposits to bet on a wider range of these risky derivatives.</p>
<p>The Citi-drafted legislation will benefit five of the largest banks in the country—Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo. These financial institutions control more than 90 percent of the $700 trillion derivatives market. If this measure becomes law, these banks will be able to use FDIC-insured money to bet on nearly anything they want. And if there’s another economic downturn, they can count on a taxpayer bailout of their derivatives trading business.</p>
<p>In May 2013, <a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/05/23/banks-lobbyists-help-in-drafting-financial-bills/?ref=politics" type="external">the New York Times reported</a> that Citigroup’s proposed language was reflected in more than 70 lines of the House financial services committee’s 85-line bill. Mother Jones was the first to publish the document showing that Citigroup lobbyists had drafted most of the legislation. Here is a side-by-side of a key section of the House bill:</p>
<p>The bill—sponsored by two Dems and two Republicans—passed easily out of the House financial services committee on a <a href="" type="internal">53-6 vote</a>. The six no votes came from Democrats. In October 2013, the measure <a href="" type="internal">passed</a> the Republican-controlled House 292-122. <a href="http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll569.xml" type="external">Seventy Dems</a> voted in favor, but that was <a href="" type="internal">far fewer than expected</a>, partly due to press coverage of Citi’s involvement in the bill’s drafting.</p>
<p>Back then, the bill’s chances of becoming law seemed dim. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew voiced his opposition to the measure, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/30/hr-992_n_4178116.html" type="external">saying</a> it would be “disruptive and harmful.” Obama <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/30/hr-992_n_4178116.html" type="external">signaled</a> to lawmakers that he opposed it. It never came up for a vote in the Senate.</p>
<p>And the legislation was left on the table for corporate-friendly lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to now sneak into the pending spending bill. But Democratic leadership <a href="http://www.democraticleader.gov/newsroom/pelosi-house-dems-troubled-provisions-2015-omnibus/" type="external">is raising concerns</a> about the Wall Street-friendly provision. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) blasted out a statement Wednesday morning slamming the provision for allowing “big banks to gamble with money insured by the FDIC.” And Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is calling on the House to strike the Citi-written language from the spending bill.</p>
<p>“I am disgusted,” Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House financial services committee, said in a statement. “Congress is risking our homes, jobs and retirement savings once again.”</p>
<p>Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) issued an even more dire warning, calling the bill “a good example of capitalism’s death wish.”</p>
<p /> | Citigroup Wrote the Wall Street Giveaway The House Just Approved | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2014/12/spending-bill-992-derivatives-citigroup-lobbyists/ | 2014-12-10 | 4 |
<p>You may recall Velma Hart, the African-American woman at the CNBC town hall meeting featuring President Obama who said that she was tired of "defending" him because the change he promised had not come fast enough. She spoke about her fears about the economy. "My husband and I joked for years that we thought we were well beyond the hot-dogs-and-beans era of our lives," she said during the town hall broadcast. "But quite frankly, it's starting to knock on our door and ring true that that might be where we're headed again. And quite frankly, Mr. President, I need you to answer this honestly: Is this my new reality?" Unemployment is Hart's new reality, since she has been laid off as chief financial officer at Am Vets, a nonprofit Maryland-based veteran services organization. A victim of the bottom line, Hart's position was cut, so the financial fears she expressed in the town hall have come to fruition. Hart's comments to Obama, which were broadcast all over the place, became "proof" that the president was losing his die-hard supporters - African-American voters. Unfortunately, this tough economy is tough on a lot of people, even those who ask tough questions and make tough statements.</p>
<p>Read more at the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/22/AR2010112205270.html?hpid=artslot" type="external">Washington Post</a>. Watch the video of her comments below:</p>
<p>&lt;</p> | Woman Who Said She Was Tired of 'Defending' Obama Laid Off | true | https://theroot.com/woman-who-said-she-was-tired-of-defending-obama-laid-of-1790881706 | 2010-11-23 | 4 |
<p>ImmunoGen, Inc. (IMGN) will report its next earnings on Nov 03 BMO. The company reported the earnings of $-0.61/Share in the last quarter where the estimated EPS by analysts was $-0.19/share. The difference between the expected and actual EPS was $-0.42/share, which represents an Earnings surprise of -221.1%.</p>
<p>Many analysts are providing their Estimated Earnings analysis for ImmunoGen, Inc. and for the current quarter 8 analysts have projected that the stock could give an Average Earnings estimate of $-0.09/share. These analysts have also projected a Low Estimate of $-0.13/share and a High Estimate of $-0.06/share.</p>
<p>In case of Revenue Estimates, 4 analysts have provided their consensus Average Revenue Estimates for ImmunoGen, Inc. as 13.6 Million. According to these analysts, the Low Revenue Estimate for ImmunoGen, Inc. is 7.58 Million and the High Revenue Estimate is 21.54 Million. The company had Year Ago Sales of 13.85 Million.</p>
<p>When it comes to the Analysis of a Stock, Price Target plays a vital role. Analysts reported that the Price Target for ImmunoGen, Inc. might touch $16 high while the Average Price Target and Low price Target is $9.29 and $3 respectively.</p>
<p>The Relative Volume of the company is 0.37 and Average Volume (3 months) is 3.92 million.</p>
<p>The company shows its Return on Assets (ROA) value of -60.9%. The Return on Equity (ROE) value stands at 77.4%. While it’s Return on Investment (ROI) value is 120.9%.</p>
<p>While looking at the Stock’s Performance, ImmunoGen, Inc. currently shows a Monthly Performance is 6.4%, Quarterly performance is -14.66%, 6 Months performance is 14.79% and yearly performance percentage is 182.52%. Year to Date performance value (YTD perf) value is 185.29%. The Stock currently has a Weekly Volatility of 5.34% and Monthly Volatility of 7.87%.</p> | Notable Stock Analysts Ratings ImmunoGen, Inc. (IMGN) | false | https://newsline.com/notable-stock-analysts-ratings-immunogen-inc-imgn/ | 2017-11-24 | 1 |
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<p>Photo by Sam | <a href="" type="internal">CC BY 2.0</a></p>
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<p><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/brexit" type="external">Brexit</a> is English nationalism made flesh, but the English underrate its destructive potential as a form of communal identity. Concepts like “nationalism” and “self-determination” have traditionally been seen as something that happens to foreigners. An English failing today is an inability to recognise the egocentricity implicit in such nationalism and the extent to which it alienates and invites confrontation with other nations in the British Isles and beyond.</p>
<p>A classic example of this blindness to the consequences of this new type of nationalism came this week when <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/TheresaMay" type="external">Theresa May</a> denounced <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/nicola-sturgeon" type="external">Nicola Sturgeon</a> for “playing politics with the future of our country” in demanding a second referendum on Scottish independence. This immediately begs the question about the nature and location of this “country” to which such uncritical loyalty is due. If the state in question is the UK, then why do the advocates of Brexit ignore the opposition – and take for granted the compliance – of Scotland and Northern Ireland in leaving the EU?</p>
<p>It is worth recalling the degree to which British politics was divided and poisoned by fierce disputes over Irish independence for the whole of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, right up to the moment that Ireland achieved self-determination in 1921. What used to be called “the Irish Question” has now been reborn as an all-consuming issue by “the Scottish Question” and, whatever the timing and outcome of a second Scottish referendum, it is not going to go away. Supposing that Theresa May really believes, as her patronising rejection of another poll in Scotland might suggest, that “the Scottish Question” can be indefinitely delayed, then she will be joining a long dismal list of British leaders down the centuries who made the same mistake about Ireland.</p>
<p>English politicians have frequently had a tin ear when it comes to other people’s nationalism, imagining that it can be satisfied by material concessions or rebutted by arguments about independence inflicting unacceptable economic damage. English people often have an equally muddled or myopic vision of their own nationalism, using the terms “English” and “British” as if they were synonymous or marked a distinction of no great account. They therefore do not see how their nationalism has changed significantly in the last few years and is making the continuation of the UK less and less likely. The transformation is also obscured because the ingredients of nationalist identity are in any case hazy since a successful nationalist movement becomes the vehicle for all sorts of grievances and protests.</p>
<p>British nationalism was in the past more fluid than Irish or continental nationalism because it did not face such intense pressures. It needed to be adaptable and inclusive enough to meet the needs of empire and a post-imperial world. It was primarily territorial within the island of Britain, rather than ethnic, religious or linguistic, and was so successful and self-confident that it did not closely define exactly what made somebody British. Strident assertions by Ulster Protestants about their “Britishness” sounded foreign and rather embarrassing to people in the rest of the UK.</p>
<p>The new English nationalism that surfaced so strongly during the Brexit campaign is, ironically, much closer to continental traditions of nationalism. It is much more ethnically and culturally exclusive than the English/British tradition, which developed when British politics stabilised after prolonged turmoil and civil war at the beginning of the eighteenth century.</p>
<p>What makes the new English nationalism so dangerous post-Brexit is that it is deeply felt but incoherent and comes with little self-knowledge. It is more dangerous than the elephant in the room, whose presence nobody will acknowledge, because in this case the elephant is scarcely aware of its own bulk and impact upon others. As a system of beliefs the new nationalism is much more appropriate to an English nation state than to a more diverse United Kingdom. Yet there is genuine bafflement among English people when the Scots apply the same arguments as Brexiters used to justify leaving the EU to justify Scottish independence. It takes a good deal of cheek for Theresa May, as she initiates Britain’s withdrawal from the EU – the consequences of which even its protagonists admit nobody knows – to accuse Nicola Sturgeon of setting “Scotland on a course for more uncertainty and division, creating huge uncertainty.”</p>
<p>It should be quickly said that there is nothing wrong with there being an English nation state. The left tends to denigrate or suspect nationalism as a mask for racism or, at best, a diversion from more important social and political issues. It can be both, but nationalism has also been the essential glue for progressive and liberal movements since the American War of Independence. If it has fallen into the hands of the xenophobic right in England and the US in recent years, that is the fault of those who saw it as illegitimate, obsolete and irrelevant in a globalising world.</p>
<p>Because the new nationalism sees itself in a vague way as seeking to return to a mythical England, which seems to have had its terminal date in about 1960, it is not good at seeing that its project is new and different from what went before. The old British state, as it developed from the end of the seventeenth century, was known – and often detested by other states – for its acute sense of its own interests. The new English nation state stretching from the Channel to the Tweed seems to have little idea of its own strengths and weaknesses and will be much less capable of charting an independent course in the world, whatever its pretensions “to be taking back control”.</p>
<p>One of the curiosities of the Brexit referendum was that, while the Leaves frequently beat the patriotic drum and spoke of the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and the Battle of Britain in 1940, they showed little interest in or knowledge of history. Before the eighteenth century, English governments spent much of their energies and resources fighting the Scots, Irish and Welsh. In the years before Agincourt, Henry V learned to be a soldier suppressing Welsh uprisings. Scottish and Irish rebellions played a central role in precipitating and determining the outcome of the English Civil War. An end to this disunity through repression or conciliation launched Britain as a great power. A return to instability in relations between the nations living in the British Isles will have the opposite effect.</p>
<p>Britain is already weaker as a state than it was two years ago because its government is wholly preoccupied with Brexit and the prospect of Scottish secession from the UK. All other pressing problems facing the country must wait, possibly for decades, until these issues are dealt with. The break-up of Britain is not something that may or may not happen as the result of a second referendum, but is already upon us. The confrontation between English and Scottish nationalism is not going to moderate or evaporate. The one certainty is that “The Scottish Question” and Brexit have come together to destabilise Britain for years to come.</p> | Brexit, Nationalism and the Damage Done | true | https://counterpunch.org/2017/03/20/brexit-nationalism-and-the-damage-done/ | 2017-03-20 | 4 |
<p>The past two days were a roller-coaster for me in the national struggle for meaning in the realm of war and peace. First, I was talking with a friend about his conscientious objector status specifically to the Vietnam War. This was early in the war, and he made it under the wire. Soon, draft boards realized they better stop giving CO status to those morally opposing a specific war, lest they encourage a groundswell of opposition among potential combatants that could undermine an unpopular war like the one the US government chose to unleash on the Vietnamese. The war really began in 1945 when President Truman betrayed our WWII ally, the Vietnamese, and supported re-colonization by the French.</p>
<p>Later that night, I was part of an hour-long group phone call of fellow Vietnam veterans and friends in an organization called Full Disclosure [1]. The group works to counter the government’s well-funded 13-year propaganda project to clean up the image of the Vietnam War; it emphasizes individual heroism and passes out badges and plaques to veterans. Members of Full Disclosure are very concerned right now about the upcoming Ken Burns 10-week PBS documentary series on the Vietnam War. Trying to get any kind of influence with Burns or members of his team on how the war is to be represented to Americans in 2017 is an uphill struggle.</p>
<p>Following the Full Disclosure phone call, I watched Mel Gibson’s excruciating film Hacksaw Ridge, about a CO medic who refused to even touch a rifle and saved 75 men from certain death in a horrific battle on the island of Okinawa in May 1945. I find Mel Gibson to be a repugnant lout; but my CO friend told me the film was a must-see. The husband of a gay Vietnam veteran friend who was a Navy corpsman with a Marine infantry unit in Vietnam also told me the film was good and how it reminded him of his husband’s experiences in Vietnam. (My medic friend felt no need to personally sit through Gibson’s gore fest.) Like the protagonist of Hacksaw Ridge, my friend refused to carry a weapon and saved men with sucking chest wounds and mangled and bleeding legs. He had been assured by a Navy recruiter he would be sent to journalism school, but Navy leaders did not need young men to assemble facts and information on the war; they needed what is historically known as cannon fodder, specifically cannon fodder able to keep other men alive. As cannon fodder, my friend’s sexual preference was irrelevant.</p>
<p>While Hacksaw Ridge suffers from Gibson’s aesthetic psychosis for wrenching agony and gore, this doesn’t overwhelm the story of Virginia pacifist Desmond Doss who, along with his brother and mother, was regularly beaten by his drunken father. The father is a WWI veteran suffering a harrowing case of PTSD. One of the marvels of the film is how we’re made to sympathize with this bastard, played by Australian actor Hugo Weaving. In a key scene, Desmond (Andrew Garfield) comes very close to actually shooting his father for beating up his mother, but instead declares he will never touch a firearm again. The movie is about how Doss adjusts to the military towards the end of the war. He eventually earns a Congressional Medal of Honor. Gibson does broach new ground for a war film in American pop culture; in the eras of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, a determined pacifist as hero/protagonist would have been unthinkable. Some may recall Gary Cooper as a Tennessee pacifist in the military in the 1941 film Sergeant York; York overcomes his character shortcoming to become a sharpshooter who kills dozens of Germans. This was the popular message in 1941.</p>
<p>McCain goes on at great length on how “exceptional” the US is and how great our “values” are. We are a nation “distinct from all others in our achievement, our identity and our enduring influence on mankind. Our values are central to all three.” The assumption is that our values are always morally exceptional and the world reveres us for it.</p>
<p>This is the Age of Trump, and I do appreciate a good line of bullshit as much as the next guy. We’re all assaulted and overwhelmed by so much information from all quarters that material like the McCain op-ed is how we establish meaning in this bizarre culture — especially in the upper reaches of society where the decisions on war and peace are made. Facts and truth are overrated. Son and grandson of famous admirals, John McCain and his POW story have become iconic; the man functions as a flesh-and-blood Mount Rushmore figure. So he can say virtually anything and have credence.</p>
<p>The trouble is — and this is why his op-ed is insidious — it’s all emotional platitudes that pollsters know resonate with much of the public. An open-minded, honest reading of the history of the Vietnam War, where McCain earned his iconic status, does not bear out the image of the United States as a beacon of moral values. Sure, the United States has a lot going for it, and I’m glad to stand up for the good things. When and where actually applied, the Constitution and Bill of Rights are magnificent documents. But it’s dishonest or naïve to suggest the rights they provide and the justice that’s possible under them is available to everyone; as all honest Americans know, those without power must fight very hard and have significant financial resources to obtain the justice ballyhooed in the Constitution.</p>
<p>McCain starts his paean to American exceptionalism by citing Ronald Reagan for supporting Soviet dissidents and, as governor of California, for supporting POWs like himself in Vietnam. Governor Reagan “had often defended our cause, demanded our humane treatment and encouraged Americans not to forget us.” You’d think Reagan stood courageously alone for POWs. First off, the antiwar movement (even Jane Fonda) never did not “support” American POWs. Though it’s done all the time, it’s counter-intuitive nonsense to suggest the antiwar left had anything to do with causing war casualties or making life difficult for POWs in Vietnam. The left never wanted the war in the first place and fought valiantly to stop it and get our POWs home. It may be the most exasperating attack on the antiwar movement. It’s a no-brainer that it was those who manufactured the war and prosecuted it long after it was deemed unwinnable who caused all the casualties and kept the POWs in captivity so long. And that would include Ronald Reagan.</p>
<p>I spent a fair amount of time as a photographer in Central America during the Reagan years. So Ronald Reagan as a giant for moral values and human rights is a bit much. I heard too many harrowing stories of death squad victims in El Salvador and in the Contra War in Nicaragua to not realize Reagan’s moral “values” in these instances was entirely politically oriented. The syllogism went something like this: We’re fighting communism. Poor central Americans are communists. So killing Central American peasants is good. Or as a Marine acquaintance of mine used to put it: “Kill a Commie for Mommy.” Reagan literally defended people who were torturing peasants in El Salvador and murdering citizens in Nicaragua. He got away with it because it was out of sight, out of mind. What kind of American values does this represent? The answer is, the same values that led to the genocide of the American Indian. We can talk about the Jewish holocaust in Germany and Poland, but we can’t talk about the holocaust of Native Americans in America. It’s the great American value called forgetting or looking the other way.</p>
<p>Everything depends on whose ox is gored, how loud a victim class’ megaphone is and, of course, whether the exceptional American media and the people glued to it like sheep are curious enough to want to know about something. Donald Trump and Rex Tillerson are not unusual in that they coldly base American policy on what they deem to be the American interest. John McCain certainly understands this. In his op-ed, he’s simply initiating an insider pissing contest with the Trump administration, hoping to gain the Republican high ground. It’s true that Trump and company may be more elitist and ruthless than McCain in the pursuit of their American interest. But that doesn’t alter the fact McCain’s op-ed is a raft of platitudes and patriotic bullshit.</p>
<p>Ken Burns and The Vietnam War</p>
<p>In light of all this talk about values and meaning focused on the Vietnam War, in anticipation of the upcoming Ken Burns’ PBS documentary series on that war, the normal assumptions should be suspended and a serious set of questions should be raised and set loose over America like a hovering cloud of critical thought:</p>
<p>What was the Vietnam War really about? Why was it necessary? Did it accomplish anything at all except death, destruction and disunity in America? Is it possible to fairly account for the suffering and courage of US soldiers (like McCain) caught up in such a morally questionable war without glorifying the war itself? Is it possible for Americans to discuss the war without relinquishing the moral questions? How do such moral questions undermine the traditional line about exceptionalism and patriotism found in John McCain’s op-ed? Is it time to revise that line of thinking for a better future?</p>
<p>I hate to be cynical, but after 40 years of post-Vietnam experience in the antiwar movement I find it hard to conceive of the US government and mainstream media outlets like PBS assuming a position that declares the brutal war against Vietnam “immoral” or “criminal.” At best, it will be treated as a tragic, but honorable, mistake, a painful and controversial period in US history that left a difficult legacy all Americans still live with.</p>
<p>There are many voices that say the war could have been won. (I’d put them in with Sylvester Stallone and the Rambo view of Vietnam.) As even Robert McNamara understood in the mid-1960s, the effort was doomed from the start. Ward Just got it right when he wrote: “The Vietnamese would have fought us for a thousand years.” There’s no doubt some voices will say we actually won the war, since Vietnam is now an Asian capitalist miracle. But, then, there’s the voices that will point out how Ho Chi Minh and his Viet Minh guerrillas were US allies during World War Two and actually loved Americans and wanted to emulate us. In 1945, they literally quoted our Declaration of Independence in their declaration, hoping the US would support their independence against the French who wanted to re-colonize the place after being broken and humiliated by the Japanese.</p>
<p>But it was no deal. Roosevelt might have done it differently. But he was gone. Cold War hysteria ruled in the Truman White House. Vietnam was doomed to suffer 30 years of death and destruction from the most powerful nation in the world. It’s true, the Vietnamese were not softies; they could dish out violence in their own fashion just as well as we could. They suffered much, much more than we did, and they did it more gracefully.</p>
<p>I was quite aware how violent the Vietnamese were when I was a 19-year-old radio direction finder trying to locate young Vietnamese radio operators — men intent on killing me! — in the mountains west of Pleiku. The fact is, like most of my comrades, I was clueless about what was really going on. Using myself as an example, I’ve asked am I willing or able to relinquish any sense of honor about such a vital episode in my young life? Compared to many others, I had it relatively easy. I saw examples of courage in Vietnam. The most courageous thing I did was intercede when I encountered a frustrated, drunken infantryman shooting up a bar filled with terrified prostitutes. In his drunken state, he thought I was an officer, something I took advantage of. I don’t delude myself that this fellow was prevented from any future excesses of violence. I was a kid and part of a massive army. We were like the worst American tourists; instead of cameras, we had loaded guns and a sense of power that often included the power of life and death. That’s a lot to put in the mind of a 19-year-old male. When someone tells me “Thanks for your service,” I always say, “I don’t want to be thanked for my service; I want to be thanked for learning something from my service.”</p>
<p>How exactly the documentary wunderkind Ken Burns treats the overarching moral issues relevant to Vietnam is something on the minds of all members of Full Disclosure. Will he succumb to the flagrant avoidance of moral self-criticism exhibited in the McCain op-ed? Probably not. As is his inclination, he will tell many stories through compelling human artifacts and voices. He’ll no doubt concede the war was controversial. Presumably he will be fair, complete and won’t cheap-shot the real story of the antiwar movement, including civilians and veterans. That also goes for the important Vietnamese side of the story.</p>
<p>Burns has said he can’t make a “blanket statement of judgment on the war.” For me, that’s dangerously close to a blanket statement. As a writer/journalist, I’ve run into this state-of-mind since my first job on a newspaper and throughout my career. It’s called moral accommodation for the sake of access, popularity, sales or getting published at all. This is very much an American value. Mark Twain famously made such accommodations with Huckleberry Finn. The first third of the classic is morally courageous, even revolutionary. Then he puts the manuscript up for years, not sure where he wants to go with it. He wants to make money from the selling of his work, so he establishes his own publishing company. He finishes the book with a middle third of wonderful satiric incident along the river. Then there’s the disastrous third section where he inserts Tom Sawyer, and Nigger Jim is relegated to a chicken coop, where he’s more Step’n Fetchit than the full man and surrogate father of Huck he was in the beginning. Clint Eastwood did it with The Unforgiven, a would-be raw and honest telling of killing in the west that ends with an absurd gunfight right out of the spaghetti western mode. The movie was very popular.</p>
<p>Herman Melville, on the other hand, didn’t accommodate to popular morality. After initial sales of 2,300 books, for the rest of his life Moby Dick sold 27 copies a year. Melville had to get a job as a customs inspector in New York to support his family. His magnum opus was out of print when he died.</p>
<p>To paraphrase H. Rap Brown on violence, moral accommodation in the popular culture realm is as American as cherry pie.</p> | US Values, Moral Accommodation and Remembering Vietnam | true | https://counterpunch.org/2017/05/12/us-values-moral-accommodation-and-remembering-vietnam/ | 2017-05-12 | 4 |
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<p>So why should unopposed candidates receive the state’s public campaign funding intended to reduce the influence of private money in politics?</p>
<p>They shouldn’t.</p>
<p>The way current campaign financing law is written, unopposed candidates for the Public Regulation Commission and statewide judicial offices get to dip into the public kitty just like candidates in contested races. Yes, unopposed candidates are given half of what candidates in opposed races receive. But in some races this last election season that amounted to tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars for the lucky recipients.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Unopposed Public Regulation Commission candidates Pat Lyons, a Republican, and Lynda Lovejoy, a Democrat, were both unopposed and each drew 100 percent of the votes cast in their districts in November, according to unofficial election results.</p>
<p>Lyons received $29,444 in public financing to run his general election campaign, and Lovejoy got $27,574 for hers. Both used some of the money for campaign ads and travel. Lyons bought tires, a battery and brakes for a campaign truck. He is the same official who, when running for re-election as state land commissioner in 2006, spent $29,700 in campaign funds to buy a Ford F-250 SuperCab to take him around the state. “You can’t run a campaign without a truck,” Lyons said at the time.</p>
<p>Lyons was also unopposed in this year’s PRC primary, and for that non-race he got $12,186. So far, he’s returned $8,700 that he didn’t spend and says he plans to return some more of the money.</p>
<p>Lovejoy, after winning a three-way race in the primary, paid $10,000 to a campaign consultant and lobbyist – who just happens to represent several clients regulated by the PRC. That’s not a conflict of interest, consultant Mark Fleisher says, because other lobbyists make donations to candidates or help them raise private money.</p>
<p>Both Lyons and Lovejoy appear to be operating within the rules. So the fact that none of this appears to be a problem is the problem.</p>
<p>The state has provided optional public financing to candidates for the PRC since 2006 and for candidates for the state Appeals and Supreme courts since 2008. The money comes from the Public Election Fund, which is financed with fees the PRC levies on companies it regulates and with $1.2 million a year from the state’s proceeds from unclaimed property.</p>
<p>Former state Sen. Dede Feldman, a Democrat from Albuquerque, helped push for public financing of campaigns. “That is a mistake we made,” she noted concerning the ability of unopposed candidates to take the money. Indeed, it would appear so.</p>
<p>State Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, who says he is opposed to public funding for unopposed candidates, says he plans to propose an overhaul of public financing in the next legislative session and funding for unopposed candidates can be considered.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Appeals Court Judge Miles Hanisee this year became the state’s first judge to be elected with public financing. His race included opposition. He would like to see public financing no longer available to candidates in uncontested judicial races.</p>
<p>Instead, that money could be used to expand the program to candidates for state district courts. Not a bad idea. Do we really want our judges taking money from lawyers and others who may someday appear before them?</p>
<p>Common Cause New Mexico says it will propose that public financing for uncontested elections either be eliminated or reduced.</p>
<p>The Legislature should consider making this reform one of its priorities when it convenes in January because New Mexicans shouldn’t be in the business of financing candidates’ free rides.</p>
<p>This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.</p>
<p /> | Editorial: Public campaign financing rules in need of a revamp | false | https://abqjournal.com/503140/public-campaign-financing-rules-in-need-of-a-revamp.html | 2 |
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<p>Avoiding surprise seems the order of the day when it comes to Iraq. Invasion plans are out in the open. The Bush Administration has pledged against any “October Surprise” — war to boost Republicans in November elections.</p>
<p>Yet potential “surprises” remain.</p>
<p>Surprise! The war will not necessarily make us safer from WMD: The stated goal of targeting Saddam Hussein is to eliminate the threat that he might use weapons of mass destruction (WMD), presumably against Americans or our allies. Although Saddam has biological and chemical weapons, few U.S. officials believe he has nuclear weapons, and it’s doubtful he could use the former against Americans.</p>
<p>Containment and a renewed commitment to meaningful inspections can keep nuclear weapons from Saddam’s grasp. The key is to tighten control — the very control that would slip away in the chaos of war. This legal approach will also avoid the mass killing and misery that war always brings.</p>
<p>If it turns out that Saddam has more capabilities than now believed, then a U.S. assault could actually trigger Iraq to use all of its weapons, in self-defense. So might all this talk of war. Indeed, the increasing doom that Saddam must feel could give him incentive to smuggle any WMD he might have to terrorists now, or to launch missiles as his own preemptive strike.</p>
<p>Surprise! The war will not defeat terrorism: The Bush Administration openly, and unsuccessfully, has tried to tie Iraq to the September 11 attack. But what if the Bush Administration finds evidence? Should we then declare war?</p>
<p>Military responses to terrorism have, to date, failed. According to many U.S. officials, the war in Afghanistan has not made us safer from terrorism by al Qaeda. Israel’s war on the Palestinians is another example; it has succeeded only in escalating terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians.</p>
<p>The best successes against terrorism have resulted from work by police and intelligence agents, coordinated among many nations. For example, a plot to bomb the U.S. embassy in Paris was foiled last fall. A plot to bomb New Year’s 2000 celebrations was thwarted by customs inspectors in Washington state. The perpetrators of the 1993 World Trade Tower bombing were arrested in the U.S. and convicted in federal court.</p>
<p>That brains, not bombs, are necessary to defeat terrorism is clear. Transnational terrorist groups such as al Qaeda funnel money from country to country. Members cross borders. Members discuss plans for attacks. Armies, navies, and air forces are not equipped, or trained, to detect and disrupt these plans.</p>
<p>Surprise! The war will increase the danger of terrorism: Iraqis whose families will be uprooted or killed by U.S. bombs won’t necessarily forgive the U.S., even if it removes their vicious leader. Litmus test for human emotion: How did Americans feel after being bombed on September 11? Expect similar reaction from Iraqis and others, especially in the Arab world, if they watch U.S. forces rout Iraqi troops and wreak “collateral damage.” This anger and resentment will be exploited by those who recruit terrorists.</p>
<p>Surprise! Civilian casualties and mass slaughter: If a bomb falls in another country and no American hears it, does it make any noise? Yes. It kills people, too. The Gulf War killed so many people that many Arabs call it “The Gulf Massacre.” (U.S. officials estimated in June, 1991 that 100,000 Iraqi soldiers were killed. Baghdad reported 35,000 civilian casualties. Since then, some scholars have revised these numbers downward.) In the Afghan war, U.S. bombs have killed thousands of Afghani civilians. A new war with Iraq promises more large scale killing. Yet possible civilian casualties in Iraq were not a focus of last week’s Senate hearings on the proposed war, and the danger to Iraqi civilians was barely mentioned in the mainstream media.</p>
<p>In any event, U.S. forces will kill mostly soldiers, and that’s good, right? But who are these enemy troops? Many Iraqi soldiers, if not most, are conscripts, young men and teenagers. In the Gulf War, some of Saddam’s soldiers were civilian men plucked off the streets and dumped at the front.</p>
<p>That soldiers may be “innocents” is never mentioned by U.S. leaders eager for war. How innocent? Worldwide, according to UN estimates, 300,000 children are being used as soldiers in various conflicts. This might not be the case in Iraq (where the UN sanctions wipe out 5,000 children every month), but it is the case in many poor nations — nations targeted in the war on terror.</p>
<p>“War” might be an inapt description of U.S. military operations in the past decade — the lopsided scorecards tell the story. Fewer than 200 U.S. troops were killed in combat in the Gulf War, the Kosovo war and the Afghanistan war combined. Contrast that with the 100,000 Iraqi soldiers, 5,000 Yugoslavian soldiers, and an estimated 10,000 Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters killed in these wars. Using the above figures, that’s almost 600 enemy soldiers killed per each American killed. So efficient is the U.S. military that, in the Afghan war, American generals called the shots all the way from Central Command in Tampa, Florida.</p>
<p>As a practical matter, the use of advanced weaponry yields the same result as fighting unarmed people.</p>
<p>Surprise! Refugees and starvation: Last September, the mere announcement by U.S. leaders that they would bomb Afghanistan caused millions of Afghani civilians to flee their homes. Uprooted, these Afghanis lugged what belongings they could to cramped, unsanitary refugee camps, where thousands died from starvation, exposure, and sickness.</p>
<p>Such misery is sure to be inflicted on Iraqis if Bush wages war. UN economic sanctions since the Gulf War have caused the death of more than 600,000 Iraqi children. A new war could be a death sentence for people already so weak.</p>
<p>Surprise! Destruction, disorder, and yet more death: Rebuilding infrastructure such as dams, bridges, water purification plants, irrigation, highways and communications centers — all targets in modern U.S. war practice — is an enormous task. When infrastructure is destroyed, disorder and disease take hold. In fact, most of the 5,000 children who die each month in Iraq die as a result of impure water. Materials needed to rebuild the purification plants are under UN embargo, because they could conceivably be used to make WMD.</p>
<p>The prospects that a new war against Iraq might somehow avoid such waste are bleak. The Bush Administration categorically dismisses reconstruction as “nation building” and in Afghanistan has left that task to allies. Nation building, which helps “drain the swamp” where anger, misery, poverty and chaos fester, could be a potent weapon against terrorism. The Bush Administration has offered no exit strategy for Iraq, and experts warn that post-war chaos could result in a civil war between Kurds, Sunnis and Shias, a war that could flare into animosity, and even terrorism, against Americans.</p>
<p>Surprise! “Conflict contagion”: A little-discussed effect of war is “conflict contagion.” Simply put, conflicts often lead to more conflicts. Such was the result of the U.S. war against Afghanistan, which brought that region to a near boil: India and Pakistan teetered on the brink of nuclear war, and Israel upped its own war on terror.</p>
<p>A new war against Iraq could prompt Saddam to hurl missiles at Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to disrupt the flow of oil, causing Western economies to nosedive. He might fire missiles at Tel Aviv, as he did in the Gulf War, to incite a broader Arab war against the West. If so, will the Sharon government restrain itself from unleashing its own nuclear weapons?</p>
<p>As a member of the Kuwaiti royal family pleaded last week in the New York Times, “Afghanistan is in turmoil, the Middle East is in flames, and you want to open up a third front in that region? That would truly turn into a war of civilizations.”</p>
<p>Surprise! The war will not “spread democracy”: Some Americans support war against Iraq because toppling a brutal dictator would appear to “spread democracy.” Yet the opposite will likely obtain, because the U.S. will need to cut deals to win the support of other nations. And there are no plans or pledges to create a democratic post-war Iraq.</p>
<p>U.S. deal-making to win international support for war has thwarted the spread of democracy in the past. For example, securing UN Security Council support for the Gulf War required preempting a likely Chinese veto. So U.S. leaders lifted the trade sanctions imposed for the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and resumed relations with China, despite a continued crackdown on dissidents.</p>
<p>To gather support for its fight against Afghanistan, the U.S. has nourished repressive regimes in Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia. Other countries saw a green light to go after their own internal — and often legitimate — political opponents in the name of fighting terrorism.</p>
<p>The need for allies in a war against Iraq could likewise limit democracy and human rights. The Bush Administration has already promised Turkey that it will not support any political autonomy for Kurds in a post-Saddam Iraq if Turkey backs the war. (Turkey feared such autonomy could inspire its own Kurdish population to seek similar freedom.)</p>
<p>Surprise! International criticism: There is no meaningful support for this war around the world. If the Bush Administration goes ahead anyway, nations will criticize the U.S. for not following international law and acting unilaterally, perhaps even as a “rogue nation.” Why?</p>
<p>After World War II, the U.S. helped draft, and signed, the UN Charter, promising to place control of its military forces in the hands of the UN Security Council. Under the Charter, nations may use military force unilaterally only in self-defense against an armed attack, and then only until the Security Council can take over.</p>
<p>Preemptive strikes — the crux of the “Bush Doctrine” — are forbidden. If a country can go to the Security Council, it must. More importantly, the UN Charter requires all nations to seek peaceful alternatives to war.</p>
<p>Given that international cooperation is crucial to defeating terrorism, listening to allies and respecting the laws that apply to all nations make eminent good sense.</p>
<p>Surprise! Americans will be forced to tighten their belts: The Gulf War cost almost $80 billion in 2002 dollars. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Japan picked up 80 percent of the tab. A new war would likely have a similar price tag — but Americans will have to bear all the costs alone. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Japan have indicated they won’t pay this time.</p>
<p>At the Senate hearings last week, Scott Feil, a retired Army colonel who specializes in post-war rebuilding, advised that to create a stable, post-war Iraq, U.S. troops would have to occupy it for at least six years. Price tag: more than $16 billion Without occupation, there would be no guarantee against chaos, or that Saddam’s successor won’t have a similar appetite for WMD.</p>
<p>Experts have also predicted that if the Bush Administration attacks Iraq, oil prices will soar, stocks will tumble, and the federal budget deficit will deepen. These effects are no tonic for an already-ailing U.S. economy. The resulting recession could put many Americans out of work.</p>
<p>A positive surprise: Americans might be able to stop this war before it starts: Saddam poses a danger, and certainly no reasonable person would suggest that we sit by and do nothing. To initiate another Gulf War, however, given the pain it would inflict on others and the financial burdens and misery it would inflict on us, defies common sense. Instead of passively observing our leaders plan for war, we should force them to find more intelligent, more responsible, ways to deal with Iraq.</p>
<p>BRIAN J. FOLEY is a professor at Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware.</p>
<p>He can be reached at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | No Iraqi Surprise | true | https://counterpunch.org/2002/08/12/no-iraqi-surprise/ | 2002-08-12 | 4 |
<p>Wait a second. I thought big banks are bad. Back in 2009, President Barack Obama called those on Wall Street “ <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB126073152465089651" type="external">fat cats</a>,” which helped establish an uneasy relationship between banks and the White House.</p>
<p>But less than a year out of office, Obama has had NO problem taking money from said “fat cats” for his speeches. Obama cannot run for president again, but remains an influence and just how will this affect a party that’s already in shambles?</p>
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<p>Kevin Lewis, an Obama spokesman, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-18/obama-goes-from-white-house-to-wall-street-in-less-than-one-year" type="external">told Bloomberg</a> that the former president’s speeches have remained “true to his values” and that $2 million from said speeches have gone “to Chicago programs offering job training and employment opportunities to low-income youth.”</p>
<p>From <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-18/obama-goes-from-white-house-to-wall-street-in-less-than-one-year" type="external">Bloomberg</a>:</p>
<p>Last month, just before her [failed Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton] book “What Happened” was published, Barack Obama spoke in New York to clients of Northern Trust Corp. for about $400,000, a person familiar with his appearance said. Last week, he reminisced about the White House for Carlyle Group LP, one of the world’s biggest private equity firms, according to two people who were there. Next week, he’ll give a keynote speech at investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald LP’s health-care conference.</p>
<p>Cantor’s CEO Howard Lutnick said that Obama “will make remarks and take questions.” He hopes that during the time Obama spends at the three day conference the current and prospective clients “will really talk about the Affordable Care Act in interesting and nuanced ways.”</p>
<p>2016 Democrat presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and his colleague Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) have been trying to stop budding relationships between the Democrats and Wall Street. Back in April, Warren said the news of Obama’s $400,000 speech “ <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2017/04/27/elizabeth-warren-says-she-troubled-wall-street-speaking-fee-for-obama/H4XczWw1yYMyMSAYAiGoyN/story.html" type="external">troubled</a>” her.</p>
<p>Sanders lashed out at the speech. From <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/28/politics/bernie-sanders-obama-wall-street-speech/index.html" type="external">CNN</a>:</p>
<p>“I just think it does not look good,” Sanders said. “I just think it is distasteful — not a good idea that he did that.”</p>
<p>While campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sanders, a hugely influential voice among progressives, often criticized opponent Hillary Clinton for her paid speeches to Wall Street banks. Many times, the senator demanded the former secretary of state release transcripts of those appearances.</p>
<p>“Look, Barack Obama is a friend of mine, and I think he and his family represented us for eight years with dignity and intelligence,” Sanders said. “But I think at a time when we have so much income and wealth inequality … I think it just does not look good.”</p>
<p>“It’s not a good idea, and I’m sorry President Obama made that choice,” he added.</p>
<p>Matthew Yglesias <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/4/25/15419740/obama-speaking-fee" type="external">wrote at Vox</a> that the money Obama receives for his speeches “will undermine everything he believes in.” He wrote:</p>
<p>Indeed, to not take the money might be a problem for someone in Obama’s position. It would set a precedent.</p>
<p>Obama would be suggesting that for an economically comfortable high-ranking former government official to be out there doing paid speaking gigs would be corrupt, sleazy, or both. He’d be looking down his nose at the other corrupt, sleazy former high-ranking government officials and making enemies.</p>
<p>Which is exactly why he should have turned down the gig.</p>
<p>I’m a capitalist. I personally have no problem with Obama’s speeches. But like I mentioned, this could have an affect on the Democratic Party, which is trying to put the pieces back together after an awful November…for them. And for Obama, who railed against Wall Street and implemented reforms on banks, it seems pretty hypocritical for him to do this.</p>
<p>Jeff Hauser, head of the Revolving Door Project, told Bloomberg that since Obama still works with the Democratic Party he should “play by the same rules:”</p>
<p>“He’s continuing to exercise the authority,” Hauser said, citing Obama’s support for the party’s redistricting committee and the push he gave Tom Perez in the race to head the Democratic National Committee. If he wants to play a role, “he ought to forgo a few hundred thousand here and maybe a half-million there.”</p> | Obama Following Hillary’s Footsteps…to Wall Street | true | http://legalinsurrection.com/2017/09/obama-following-hillarys-footsteps-to-wall-street/ | 2017-09-18 | 0 |
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<p>Don Perkins is congratulated by members of the Bernalillo County Commission. (Courtesy: Bernalillo County)</p>
<p>Time magazine has its Person of the Year, and People magazine has its annual most beautiful list. Now Bernalillo County commissioners are jumping into the mix, proclaiming 2018 as the Year of Donald A. Perkins.</p>
<p>Perkins – a University of New Mexico football star who went on to play for the Dallas Cowboys – was honored during Tuesday’s County Commission meeting both for his accomplishments on the field and for being a role model and community servant.</p>
<p>“There are very few people that we actually have a year named after, but you are one of those exceptional human beings that really deserve this honor,” said Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins, who presented the proclamation.</p>
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<p>Standing with Perkins were several family members and friends.</p>
<p>“I’ll defer, since I’m a person of very few words, to my son here Randy who will speak for me,” Perkins said.</p>
<p>“We didn’t know him as Don Perkins the Cowboy,” Randy Perkins said. “… We knew him as Don Perkins the servant dad who gave back to the community that gave him so much.”</p>
<p>Born in Waterloo, Iowa, in 1938, Don Perkins moved to Bernalillo County in 1956 to play football for the Lobos. He set 12 school records, led the nation in kickoff return yardage in 1959, earned All-American Honors and went on to an eight-year career with the Dallas Cowboys. He earned six Pro Bowl honors with the Cowboys, and when he retired in 1968 had the fifth most rushing yards in NFL history. The proclamation states that Don Perkins was also instrumental in changing the Cowboys’ segregation policies.</p>
<p>He moved back to New Mexico to raise his family after leaving the NFL. Perkins retired from both the state and the city after more than 25 years of combined service. He has also dedicated his time to community groups and causes such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the NAACP and the Albuquerque Police Department’s gang prevention initiatives.</p>
<p>“Mr. Perkins has consistently represented the best values of our community through his willingness to put others first and work hard,” the proclamation states.</p>
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<p>Earlier version of this post</p>
<p>Don Perkins is congratulated by members of the Bernalillo County Commission. (Courtesy: Bernalillo County)</p>
<p>Time magazine has its Person of the Year, and People magazine has its annual most beautiful list. Now Bernalillo County commissioners are jumping into the mix, proclaiming 2018 as the Year of Donald A Perkins.</p>
<p>Perkins — a University of New Mexico football star who went on to play for the Dallas Cowboys — was honored During Tuesday’s County Commission meeting both for his accomplishments on the field and for being a role model and community servant.</p>
<p>“There are very few people that we actually have a year named after, but you are one of those exceptional human beings that really deserve this honor,” said Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins, who presented the proclamation.</p>
<p>Standing with Perkins were several family members and friends.</p>
<p>“I’ll defer, since I’m a person of very few words, to my son here Randy who will speak for me,” he said.</p>
<p>“We didn’t know him as Don Perkins the Cowboy,” Randy Perkins said. “… We knew him as Don Perkins the servant dad who gave back to the community that gave him so much.”</p>
<p>Born in Waterloo, Iowa, in 1938, Don Perkins moved to Bernalillo County in 1956 to play football for the Lobos. He set 12 school records, led the nation in kickoff return yardage in 1959, earned All-American Honors and went on to an eight-year career with the Dallas Cowboys. He earned six Pro Bowl honors with the Cowboys, and when he retired in 1968 had the fifth most rushing yards in NFL history. The proclamation states that that Don Perkins was also instrumental in changing the Cowboys’ segregation policies</p>
<p>He moved back to New Mexico to raise his family after leaving the NFL. Don Perkins retired from both the state and the city after more than 25 years of combined service. He has also dedicated his time to community groups and causes such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the NAACP and the Albuquerque Police Department’s gang prevention initiatives.</p>
<p>“Mr. Perkins has consistently represented the best values of our community through his willingness to put others first and work hard,” the proclamation states.</p> | Ex-Lobo, Cowboy Don Perkins honored by county commission | false | https://abqjournal.com/1105917/httpswwwabqjournalcom1105804bernalillocountycommissionhonorsperkinshtml.html | 2017-12-13 | 2 |
<p>Rick Santorum has a history of taking a hard line on Iran, but he engaged in a bit of revisionist history when he regaled South Carolina Republicans with the tale of a Senate battle over an Iran sanctions bill:</p>
<p>Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator who is <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/06/politics/rick-santorum-election-2016-announcement/" type="external">preparing to run for president</a>, urged Republicans at the South Carolina Freedom Summit to consider actions, not words, when picking the party’s next presidential nominee. “Look at their record,” he said.</p>
<p>With that advice, Santorum gave a history lesson on the Iran Freedom and Support Act as an example of the kind of leader he is. (His remarks begin about <a href="http://www.c-span.org/video/?325754-4/former-senator-rick-santorum-rpa-south-carolina-freedom-summit" type="external">9 minutes</a> into the video.)</p>
<p>Santorum, May 9: Back in 2004, ladies and gentlemen, I authored a bill called the Iran Freedom and Support Act. It was a bill that put sanctions on the Iranian nuclear program and when I authored it I couldn’t get a single cosponsor. No one was worried about Iran. Eventually, two years later, we fought, got it on the floor of the Senate, it was defeated on the floor, and who stood up and voted against me? Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. But six months later we passed that bill unanimously. It is now — the sanctions that you hear about that are crushing Iran, that brought them to the table, I was the author of a lot of those sanctions.</p>
<p>There is a lot here, so let’s take it in chronological order.</p>
<p>The first thing to know is that he is talking about similarly titled but substantially different bills. The first was the <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/108/s2681" type="external">Iran Freedom and Support Act of 2004</a>. That’s the bill he is talking about when he starts with the phrase “back in 2004.” But he follows with two false statements about that bill.</p>
<p>Santorum says that “[i]t was a bill that put sanctions on the Iranian nuclear program,” but it wasn’t. It was a bill that expressed “the sense of Congress” that the U.S. should support “regime change” in Iran by providing support to “foreign and domestic pro-democracy groups.” There was nothing about sanctions. That will come later — as we will explain shortly.</p>
<p>Still talking about the 2004 bill, Santorum says, “[W]hen I authored it I couldn’t get a single cosponsor. No one was worried about Iran.” At this point, he sticks his hand up and waves, as if to say, “Except me. I was worried about Iran.”</p>
<p>The Iran Freedom and Support Act of 2004 didn’t have much support, but it had two cosponsors. In fact, Santorum’s office issued <a href="http://www.referendum-iran.org/Docs/Press-Release-of-Senator-Santorum.pdf" type="external">a press release</a> on July 20, 2004, noting that Sen. John Cornyn of Texas was “an original cosponsor.” Sen. Jim Inhofe signed on as a cosponsor less than two months later on Sept. 7, 2004. It’s important to remember, though, that this bill had nothing to do with sanctions.</p>
<p>And the notion that “no one was worried about Iran” is simply false.</p>
<p>Two months before Santorum introduced the Iran Freedom and Support Act of 2004, the House on May 6, 2004, <a href="http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2004/roll152.xml" type="external">voted 376-3</a> on <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:h.con.res.00398:" type="external">a resolution</a> that authorized the use of “all appropriate means” to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. And one day before Santorum issued a press release announcing the introduction of his bill, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60286-2004Jul18.html" type="external">the Washington Post wrote</a> that the Bush administration was “under mounting pressure to take action to deal with Iran.”</p>
<p>Washington Post, July 19, 2004: Since May, Congress has been moving — with little notice — toward a joint resolution calling for punitive action against Iran if it does not fully reveal details of its nuclear arms program. In language similar to the prewar resolution on Iraq, a recent House resolution authorized the use of “all appropriate means” to deter, dissuade and prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weaponry — terminology often used to approve preemptive military force. Reflecting the growing anxiety on Capitol Hill about Iran, it passed 376 to 3.</p>
<p>So, this notion that Santorum was the only one worried about Iran when he introduced the Iran Freedom and Support Act in July 2004 is wrong.</p>
<p>After discussing the lack of support for his bill, Santorum jumps ahead two years without explaining that he is now talking about similarly titled but substantially different bills, <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/s333" type="external">the Iran Freedom and Support Act of 2005</a>, which he introduced on Feb. 9, 2005, and <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/s3971" type="external">the Iran Freedom Support Act</a>, which he introduced on Sept. 28, 2006.</p>
<p>Both bills, like the 2004 bill, called for supporting pro-democracy groups in Iran. However, these bills also included a section that codified existing executive orders that imposed economic sanctions on Iran — <a href="http://www.cfr.org/iran/lengthening-list-iran-sanctions/p20258" type="external">some of which date to 1979</a>. The 2005 bill had 61 cosponsors, including 23 Democrats, and the 2006 bill had nine cosponsors. So he had much more support for the sanctions bills than he did for the 2004 bill that did not address sanctions — despite claiming that he “couldn’t get a single cosponsor” for “a bill that put sanctions on the Iranian nuclear program.”</p>
<p>Santorum goes on to say, “Eventually, two years later, we fought, got it on the floor of the Senate, it was defeated on the floor, and who stood up and voted against me? Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.” At this point, a murmur of disapproval goes through the crowd.</p>
<p>But in singling out the Democratic opposition, including from the woman who wants to be president, Santorum leaves out the fact that the Republican president at the time — and 14 fellow Republican senators — also “stood up” against him.</p>
<p>Here’s what happened: Santorum sought to attach the Iran Freedom and Support Act <a href="https://www.congress.gov/amendment/109th-congress/senate-amendment/4234/text" type="external">as an amendment</a> to the defense appropriations bill, but it was <a href="http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&amp;session=2&amp;vote=00172" type="external">defeated 46-53</a> in a vote on June 15, 2006, after the White House lobbied against it.</p>
<p>In a letter to Sen. John Warner, a Republican who chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee, Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Jeffrey T. Bergner warned that the amendment would disrupt ongoing negotiations to halt Iran’s nuclear program. ( <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2006-06-15/pdf/CREC-2006-06-15-senate.pdf" type="external">See page S5919</a>.)</p>
<p>Bergner, June 15, 2006: The amendment runs counter to our efforts and those of the international community to present Iran with a clear choice regarding their nuclear ambitions. This amendment, if enacted, would shift unified international attention away from Iran’s nuclear activities and create a rift between the U.S. and our closest international partners. Moreover, it would limit our diplomatic flexibility.</p>
<p>Warner entered the letter into the record, expressed his concern about the timing of Santorum’s amendment, and voted against it.</p>
<p>As Santorum pointed out to his South Carolina audience, the Senate did ultimately pass the Iran Freedom Support Act. (Technical points: It wasn’t six months later, as Santorum said; it was about three months later in September 2006. And it wasn’t Santorum’s 2005 bill, but rather the House version.)</p>
<p>After the White House reached a compromise with Republican congressional leaders, GOP Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen introduced a revised version of the <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/hr6198" type="external">Iran Freedom Support Act</a> on Sept. 27, 2006, and the House passed that bill a day later by voice vote. Santorum introduced a Senate version of the House bill on the same day that the House passed its bill, and two days later the Senate unanimously approved the House bill.</p>
<p>But Santorum went too far when he said “the sanctions that you hear about that are crushing Iran, that brought them to the table, I was the author of a lot of those sanctions.”</p>
<p>The Iran Freedom Support Act did three major things with respect to Iran:</p>
<p>We asked Santorum’s office to point to specific sanctions Santorum authored that are “crushing Iran.” Matt Beynon, a spokesman for Santorum’s presidential exploratory committee, said: “The fact remains that Senator Santorum is the author of the Iran Freedom and Support Act, those sanctions have played a key role in bringing Iran to its knees and to the negotiating table, and Senator Santorum successfully did so in the face of opposition from now-President Obama and then-Senator Clinton.” (As we noted earlier, the Iran Freedom Support Act passed the Senate unanimously.)</p>
<p>We do not question Santorum’s history of advocating for tough measures against Iran. It’s his revisionist history that we call into question.</p>
<p>— Eugene Kiely</p> | Santorum’s Puffery on Iran | false | https://factcheck.org/2015/05/santorums-puffery-on-iran/ | 2015-05-13 | 2 |
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<p>THE HAGUE, Netherlands - A man who sparked a major security alert at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport was a homeless Polish citizen who claimed to be a "terrorist," Dutch military police said Wednesday.</p>
<p>The 25-year-old man, who was carrying two backpacks, made the claim, "under the influence of alcohol," the police said in a statement after interrogating him. The man's identity was not released.</p>
<p>When he was arrested Tuesday night, a sniffer dog checked the backpacks and indicated that they could contain "dangerous materials," the police said. Military explosives experts summoned to the airport checked the bags and found nothing dangerous.</p>
<p>Heavily armed military police, wearing body armor and ski masks, patrolled Schiphol for four hours while the man's bags were checked.</p>
<p>The tense operation left many passengers stranded outside the airport. However, flights were unaffected and trains continued running to the airport's underground station.</p>
<p>Police have sent the case to prosecutors who will decide whether to press charges.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Man who caused Dutch airport alert claimed to be 'terrorist' | false | https://abqjournal.com/756600/man-who-caused-dutch-airport-alert-claimed-to-be-terrorist.html | 2 |
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<p>He was to have played Dmitri Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. But the NMSO shut down a week before the scheduled concert. Felberg was dismayed, but now he has a second chance to perform the work, this time with the New Mexico Philharmonic.</p>
<p>“The philharmonic’s artistic advisory task force decided to have me play it,” Felberg said. “Barring any natural disasters, a tsunami, I’m hoping it goes through.”</p>
<p>He said he had become obsessed with the concerto after first hearing it on the radio one day when he was in college.</p>
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<p>“I didn’t know what it was but it had these signature four notes,” Felberg recalled. “I said, ‘I have to learn it.’ It’s so incredible, so dramatic, virtuosic. It’s got lyrical playing. It has long buildups on intensity, volume, speed, quicker notes adding on to the orchestration.”</p>
<p>He described it as “a huge drama unfolding.”</p>
<p>The piece begins to unfold in the first movement, which Felberg said is kind of a nocturne that is not sure where it’s going. The second movement is an emotional release with what he said is “a wild scherzo that goes all out, so to speak. It requires not only virtuosity from the violin soloist but from the orchestra as well.”</p>
<p>For the third movement, Felberg said, the composer borrowed from a passacaglia, a type of Baroque recurring passage. “The orchestra begins with a passacaglia and then the violin plays over it. It builds to an incredible climax,” he said.</p>
<p>That flows into a cadenza for solo violin in the fourth movement. In turn, the cadenza goes into the finale “that’s a wild romp,” Felberg said.</p>
<p>Also on the program are the overture from Alexander Borodin’s opera “Prince Igor” and Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.” (At intermission, the winning drawings in a competition among high school students will be displayed. The images correspond to movements of the Mussorgsky work.)</p>
<p>Guest conducting the philharmonic is Israeli Uriel Segal.</p>
<p>Segal served as Leonard Bernstein’s assistant with the New York Philharmonic in 1969 and 1970. He has guest conducted the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. He also conducts opera orchestras.</p>
<p>The April 21 concert is the Classics Series finale for the New Mexico Philharmonic.</p>
<p>The orchestra opens its expanded second season of Classics concerts on Sept. 15 with a performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the New Mexico Symphonic Chorus.</p>
<p>Other concerts in the series are Nov. 10 in a program that includes Johannes Brahms’ “Requiem”; Jan. 19 with guest artist Rachel Barton Pine performing Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto; March 9 with guest artist Alexander Gavrylyuk performing Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3; March 23 with guest artist Ilya Kaler performing Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto; April 13 with Daniel Goiti performing Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto; and April 27, a celebration of Igor Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.”</p>
<p>The philharmonic also will have a five-concert Pops Series beginning on Sept. 8 and a yet-to-be-announced series at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.</p>
<p>For information on season subscriptions and single ticket sales visit <a href="http://www.nmphil.org" type="external">www.nmphil.org</a>.</p> | Violinist gets another chance at Shostakovich | false | https://abqjournal.com/100214/violinist-gets-another-chance-at-shostakovich.html | 2012-04-15 | 2 |
<p>Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell during his corruption trial in 2014AP/Steve Helber</p>
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<p>The Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United, which overturned restrictions on corporate and union campaign contributions, has been blamed for a lot of things: a flood of “ads that pull our politics into the gutter” (per President Barack Obama), the increased power of billionaires in politics, and even <a href="" type="internal">the rise of Donald Trump</a>. This year, critics might be able to add another item to that list: keeping disgraced former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell out of prison.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments <a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/mcdonnell-v-united-states/" type="external">in the criminal case</a> against the former rising star of the Republican Party. In January 2015, a federal judge sentenced McDonnell to two years in prison on corruption charges, stemming from his acceptance of loans and gifts from a political supporter. McDonnell is now fighting the sentence before the Supreme Court. The former governor argues that the charges against him should be thrown out, <a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/15-474-ts.pdf" type="external">pointing to the court’s ruling in Citizens United</a> where the court’s majority rejected the notion that political favors are always equivalent to criminal corruption. If the court agrees with McDonnell, prosecutors might have a more difficult time going after public corruption in the future.</p>
<p>Here are the facts of the case. When McDonnell took office in 2010, he and his wife were in deep financial trouble, in large part because of bad real estate investments. He owed credit card companies nearly $75,000 and was losing money on rental properties he owned with his sister in Virginia Beach that were mortgaged to the hilt. He’d borrowed $160,000 from friends and family to stay afloat.</p>
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<p>The McDonnells found a savior in Virginia businessman Jonnie Williams Sr., who owned a dietary-supplement company that made a tobacco-based supplement called Anatabloc that could supposedly cure everything from arthritis to multiple sclerosis. Williams hoped to get McDonnell’s help in persuading state universities to conduct clinical trials on Anatabloc so it could get FDA approval as a more lucrative prescription drug. Williams lent McDonnell his private plane to travel to a California political event and came along for the ride so he could try to convince the governor to assist him.</p>
<p>That fateful meeting kicked off what the government said was a long-running conspiracy in which the McDonnells asked for and received more than $175,000 in luxury goods, gifts, and loans from Williams. Williams also let McDonnell drive his Ferrari during an expenses-paid weekend at Williams’ vacation home and took McDonnell’s wife, Maureen, on a shopping spree. McDonnell then helped arrange a number of meetings with state officials who might be able to help Williams’ firm persuade state universities to undertake research on Anatabloc.</p>
<p>The McDonnells were indicted in January 2014, and Bob McDonnell was convicted of 11 corruption charges that fall. Among the charges was honest services fraud, a statute that has been in the crosshairs of judges and criminal-defense lawyers for a number of years. The statute, which has been used to prosecute the likes of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and media mogul Conrad Black, is vague, simply making it a crime “to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services.” Critics see it as unconstitutionally broad, allowing prosecutors to bring charges against white-collar criminals and politicians for activities that are not well defined.</p>
<p>It was this statute that former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling successfully challenged in <a href="http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/09pdf/08-1394.pdf" type="external">his 2010 Supreme Court case,</a>in which the court significantly narrowed the list of crimes that could be included under the wide-ranging statute. Before his case, lawyers had argued that it turned such innocuous things as calling in sick or going to a baseball game into federal crimes. The high court in Skilling’s case narrowed the parameters and ruled that it could apply only to bribery and kickbacks.</p>
<p>In McDonnell’s case, the corruption charges required proof that he took money and gifts in exchange for performing “official acts” on Williams’ behalf. His lawyers argue that what the government has called “official acts” are indistinguishable from the sorts of things governors do every day in their jobs, including proposing and scheduling meetings, sending emails, and attending luncheons. (They also argue that the money and gifts shouldn’t be considered bribes when Virginia state law allows state politicians to accept unlimited gifts and loans.)</p>
<p>McDonnell argues that nothing he did for Williams met the criteria of the “quid” in the quid pro quo arrangement necessary for a bribery conviction. Indeed, thanks largely to some savvy staffers and state employees who rebuffed Williams’ requests, McDonnell never gave Williams much of anything other than access to a few state officials. The state universities never agreed to clinical trials for Anatabloc, which has since been taken off the market. “This case marks the first time in our history that a public official has been convicted of corruption despite never agreeing to put a thumb on the scales of any government decision,” McDonnell’s brief argues.</p>
<p>McDonnell says that if his conviction is allowed to stand, just about anything an elected official does in the course of his work—like “inviting donors to the White House Christmas Party”—could qualify as an “official act” under the bribery statute. “These laws threaten First Amendment rights by transforming every campaign donor into a potential felon,” McDonnell argues in his brief. “This is a constitutional minefield.”</p>
<p>To support his argument, McDonnell cites Citizens United, in which the court ruled that “ingratiation and access…are not corruption.” The justices were notably skeptical in that case of campaign finance reformers’ arguments that limits on corporate political spending were a necessary defense against corruption, nor did they buy that cozy relationships between donors and politicians were necessarily corrupt. They wrote that campaign contributions “embody a central feature of democracy—that constituents support candidates who share their beliefs and interests and candidates who are elected can be expected to be responsive to those concerns.” McDonnell’s lawyers are clearly hoping to appeal to that sentiment here.</p>
<p>Whether they’ll succeed is an open question. The honest services fraud statute was much hated by the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who was undoubtedly one of the votes in favor of taking up McDonnell’s case in the first place. Without him, much less is certain. Justice Samuel Alito is a former prosecutor whose sympathies may lie with his law enforcement colleagues. As for the rest of the justices, their views are anyone’s guess. While the liberals didn’t sign on to the court majority’s argument in Citizens United that money is not a corrupting force in politics, they did side with Skilling and his contention that the honest services statute was too vague. Liberal icon Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the majority opinion in that case, in fact.</p>
<p>The government poked a hole in the Citizens United argument by reminding the justices in its brief, “The bribes at issue here were personal payoffs, not campaign contributions.” McDonnell and his wife got more than $175,000 in personal loans and gifts and others freebies from Williams, and the government argues that Ferrari rides and custom golf bags are far different from checks to a campaign fund or a super-PAC. That kind of behavior isn’t just sleazy politics, they say; it’s a criminal offense.</p>
<p /> | Will Citizens United Save Bob McDonnell From Prison? | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2016/04/will-citizens-united-save-former-virginia-governor-bob-mcdonnell/ | 2016-04-26 | 4 |
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<p>Sandy R. Jones</p>
<p>OCCUPATION: Small-business owner, construction</p>
<p>RESIDENCE: Williamsburg</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>PARTY: Democratic</p>
<p>RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: Small business owner for 30 years, Past PRC Commissioner 4 years.</p>
<p>EDUCATION: Graduate of West Mesa High School</p>
<p>CAMPAIGN WEBSITE: <a href="http://www.Jones4PRC.com" type="external">www.Jones4PRC.com</a></p>
<p>CANDIDATE STATEMENT: I am Sandy Jones, and I asking for your vote to return to the PRC where I served for four years. I operated a small business for 30 years and understand the needs of New Mexico. The PRC has the ability to promote business and economic development that our state desperately needs. I bring a business and regulatory background we need to create those opportunities to move us in the right direction.</p>
<p>When I was there I worked hard to keep utilities affordable, create jobs and make sure the PRC was accessible to every county I represented.</p>
<p>1. Do you support recent legislative changes that raise the bar on qualifications required to be a commissioner? If so, why?</p>
<p>I understand the voter’s frustration with the PRC and wanting more qualified individuals serving. Equally as important is that the PRC maintain the highest ethical standards of commissioners and staff. That is why I launched the first ethics review and training to address many of the concerns that the public had at the time. I will continue to work to do the same and renew the voter’s trust in the PRC.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>2. From a regulatory standpoint, what are some of the most urgent issues facing the PRC regarding electric utilities and energy development in New Mexico?</p>
<p>The PRC will be facing some very big issues in the near future. I believe the most pressing issue facing electric utilities is the mounting political pressure to take coal fired generation out of the energy mix. History has shown that electric utilities that have a diverse portfolio; nuclear, coal, natural gas, renewables, have maintained long-term affordable rates. As much as 40% of New Mexico’s energy comes from coal-fired generation and hastily removing this from the mix has the potential to significantly increase rates. Therefore, our challenge will be finding a reliable and affordable replacement.</p>
<p>3. What are some of the biggest issues regarding regulation of transportation and taxi services?</p>
<p>The biggest issue in transportation services, and always should be, is consumer protection in ambulance, taxi, towing and household moving services.</p>
<p>Without regulatory oversight by the PRC, those companies have the ability to take advantage of consumers. As an example, when someone hails a cab I want to know that the vehicle is safe, the driver is qualified and insured, the company is licensed and the consumer is charged a fair rate. Those who violate that trust should face significant penalties.</p>
<p>When I served on the commission, I assisted numerous consumers to get reimbursed for overcharges by predatory transportation companies.</p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>1. Have you or your business, if you are a business owner, ever been the subject of any state or federal tax liens?</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>2. Have you ever been involved in a personal or business bankruptcy proceeding?</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>3. Have you ever been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of drunken driving, any misdemeanor or any felony in New Mexico or any other state? If so, explain.</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Public Regulation Commission, District 5 (D) — Sandy R. Jones | false | https://abqjournal.com/471017/public-regulation-commission-district-5-d-sandy-r-jones.html | 2 |
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<p>These days, the biggest hurdle for international artists who want to perform in the U.S. is getting their passport stamped. Even Grammy-award winning musicians have become prime victims of America’s post-9/11 Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act. The U.S. now routinely denies artists visas based on their ethnicity. Visa applications have become a long-form for censorship, and an expensive fee is pocketed by Uncle Sam in the process.</p>
<p>The government denied entry to all 22 Cuban musicians slated to appear at this year’s Latin Grammy Awards, including celebrated pianist Chucho Valdes. British rock band Cousteau arrived in New York without the band’s principal songwriter, who had the misfortune of being born in Beirut. Other casualties include ten of 28 members of an Iranian troupe scheduled for the Lincoln Center Festival and Yugoslav classical pianist Aleksandar Serdar, who INS deemed not “an artist of extraordinary ability or achievement.” On the eve of a meeting between President Bush and President Vladimir Putin, Russian members of the American-Russian Youth Orchestra were almost denied visas by the US Consulate in Moscow. The list is long and absurd, and even the blue-haired patrons of the nation’s fine arts centers hiss the president at news of yet another cancelled performance.</p>
<p>If you doubt this battle is equal parts security, stupidity and culture war, listen to State Dept. spokesman Stuart Patt. “The fact is, there are many people in the world who will take advantage of something like music or performing and use it for their own sinister purpose,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Arts and culture is something that carries with it a patina of goodness and purity, but it can be misused, and it’s our job to see if somebody is trying to do that.”</p>
<p>Goodness and purity, let alone the patina of such, aren’t spelled out on the visa application form, but never mind: the published and ever-changing rules are daunting enough.</p>
<p>Artists who want to perform in the U.S. have to develop a craft, carve a career, attract representation by a premier booking agent or make a recording/distribution arrangement, and develop a fan base big enough to warrant touring the country. Applications for visas can be made once an artist has booked a complete tour, with travel itinerary and signed contracts in hand. A recording (usually) and sufficient press clips to demonstrate “unique merit and international standing” — code for “not replacing an American worker” –must also be submitted, along with an essential letter of support from an artist union such as the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) or the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA).</p>
<p>In other words, all of the negotiations and much of the expense are incurred before access can be guaranteed. Given the new timeline added by visa processing, tours would have to be submitted before arts centers have received their planning budgets. It defies the logic of any business plan. An oil company would never be forced to operate this way; but then, the United States has never considered the arts to be legitimate enterprise.</p>
<p>Applicants for temporary P and O visa categories (reserved for artists, athletes, and special workers) face interminably long delays and a shakedown for more cash. In June 2001, immigration instituted a $1,000 expedite fee, ostensibly to speed the processing of visas to worker-hungry high tech markets. The fast-track fee theoretically guarantees processing within 15 days; however, such applications take upwards of 6 months. Submit an application at the regular rate of $130 and you’ll receive a letter requesting the $1000.</p>
<p>The State Dept. forwards all visa petitions to the FBI’s National Security Threat List Unit. Since January, men ages 16-45 must fill out a detailed biographical form, as must all applicants from China, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Russia, Somalia, Sudan, and Vietnam. In addition, applicants from countries officially linked to terrorism, as well as others the State Department won’t identify, are subject to further security checks, adding at least 12 weeks to the process. It’s impossible to know whether to build that extra three months into an artist’s application process, though, since the State Department refuses to provide a list of such nations (according to the Washington Post, about 40 countries are on the list).</p>
<p>How are artist unions responding to their constituents’ needs? In the case of the AGMA, by implementing a service charge of its own, a whopping $250 per visa petition. To date, the AFM has not set such a fee, but attorneys expect that to change.</p>
<p>If an artist has the time and money, can afford to hire an immigration lawyer, and doesn’t have the misfortune to have been born in the “axis of evil,” his career still hinges on the arbitrary judgment of an INS employee. There’s no special “arts desk” to handle the 85,000 annual P and O visa requests and there are only four visa processing centers in the whole country. On any given day, an official may review petitions for students, high tech workers, athletes, touists, academics, journalists, health care workers, and business people.</p>
<p>“The INS has been hindering visa applications way before Sept. 11,” says Dan Behrman, the expatriate American program manager of the Montreal International Jazz Festival. “I had problems getting visas for Italian, French, Hungarian and Haitian artists as early as 1988,” he says, adding that frustrated promoters created a lobbying organization called Arts for All. “In the meantime, more American professionals suffer losses as a result, and performers have to cancel tours and take losses and humiliating aggravation.” In the last decade, visa aggravation has been a constant topic at professional networking conferences such as WOMEX, APAP, and the Folk Alliance.</p>
<p>When a tour is cancelled, it can cost the artist and the artist’s American representatives tens of thousands of dollars in lost wages and unrecouped expenses. Theaters go dark, hotel and airline business is lost, and music retailers lose sales. Record labels are becoming more cautious about releasing recordings by artists whose nationality might prohibit them from obtaining visas to promote recordings.</p>
<p>If a performer does have a philosophical stance that applies to the domestic culture war, INS staff discern it no better than they figure “artistic merit.” Bebo Valdes (Chucho’s father) is, at age 84, one of the great figures of 20th century music. He won a Latin Grammy in the traditional tropical category this year, and appears with his son in the film “Calle 54.” But he was denied a visa this fall for a highly anticipated tour that was to include appearances in Los Angeles and New York. The INS denied the elder Valdes, a Swedish citizen, because he was born in Cuba, even though he’s been an outspoken opponent of Castro since 1960.</p>
<p>SUSAN MARTINEZ lives in Berkeley. Her last essay for CounterPunch was the extraordinary review of <a href="" type="internal">Alejandro Escaveda’s By the Hand of the Father.</a></p>
<p>She can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | How the INS is Killing Music | true | https://counterpunch.org/2002/12/31/how-the-ins-is-killing-music/ | 2002-12-31 | 4 |
<p>Photo Credit: Image by Shutterstock, Copyright Voronin76</p>
<p>Generational grievances pitting struggling young millennials against supposedly better-off seniors is creeping back into American politics, fanned by a new wave of deficit hawks who want to undermine public confidence in Social Security and Medicare—as the first step in cutting the social insurance programs.</p>
<p>In a string of recent examples— <a href="//video.msnbc.msn.com/the-cycle/54799629/?utm_source=twitterfeed&amp;utm_medium=twitter#54799629" type="external">rants</a> from MSNBC’s wealthy young commentator, a notorious <a href="//www.nicktroiano.com/" type="external">elderly-attacking</a> House candidate, think tanks <a href="//www.npr.org/2014/03/04/285581006/millennials-to-bear-burden-of-boomer-s-social-safety-net" type="external">promoted</a> on NPR—generational warfare cheerleaders are proclaiming that America is heading toward an epic and immoral conflict as better-off seniors are robbing millennials of shrinking federal dollars because retirement programs cost too much.&#160;That’s simply false, as Social Security is <a href="//www.ssa.gov/oact/trsum/" type="external">solvent</a> through 2033, and spending on all mandatory programs as a percentage of GDP is <a href="//www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-abby-20140328,0,5688966.story#axzz2xDPOmNVj" type="external">close to</a> where it’s been since 1975, at 21 percent.&#160;</p>
<p>This line of attack isn’t in a political vacuum. It comes as some Democrats are <a href="//www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/03/13/push-to-expand-social-security-not-cut-it-gets-another-boost/" type="external">reframing</a> the debate on Social Security and <a href="//www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/03/24/a-vulnerable-dem-who-is-campaigning-on-expanding-social-security/" type="external">campaigning</a> for increased benefits. Nor is it a new argument, as a right-wing club of libertarians, Wall Street bankers and deficit hawks have tried for decades to undermine and privatize the program. Amazingly, the generational warmongers are not just <a href="//www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/npr-tells-us-that-pew-expert-paul-taylor-wants-to-promote-generational-conflict" type="external">irking</a> progressives who see shifting political winds; they're scaring at least one Republican congressman who called out the generational warfare ruse and game plan in a fundraising letter.&#160;&#160;&#160; &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>Pennsylvania Republican Tom Marino is a former U.S. Attorney and conservative two-term incumbent. His re-election website boasts he is anti-Obamacare, pro-gun, pro-fracking and anti-gay marriage. Yet, the top news item on his website is a&#160; <a href="//www.tommarinoforcongress.com/News.php" type="external">letter</a> from Vivian Mae Marino, “to let all of you know that my son, Tom Marino, will save Medicare and strengthen Social Security.”</p>
<p>Why is a 62-year-old <a href="//teapartycheer.com/bios/mid-atlantic/pennsylvania/tom-marino-pa-bio/" type="external">Tea Partier</a> calling on mom? Because a generational antagonist bent on <a href="//www.scribd.com/doc/181205486/The-Rise-of-American-Gerontocracy-and-the-Fall-of-Our-Democracy" type="external">sounding</a> “the alarm of gerontocracy, or rule by the elderly,” <a href="//www.nicktroiano.com/" type="external">may run</a> against Marino as an independent in 2014. That self-proclaimed Paul Revere for millennials is <a href="//www.nicktroiano.com/about_nick" type="external">Nick Troiano</a>, 24, who co-founded a group supposedly representing young Americans who are losing sleep because they feel Congress is stealing their future by spending on seniors. Never mind that his deficit hawk group spectacularly <a href="//www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/15/the-can-kicks-back-fails_n_4790649.html" type="external">imploded</a> last month, after e-mails revealed that it couldn’t balance its budget, and had burned through funds from Wall Street billionaire Pete Peterson, the leading Social Security privateer.</p>
<p>“As a college student in Washington, D.C., this individual [Troiano] founded a <a href="//www.thecankicksback.org/" type="external">group</a> called The Can Kicks Back,” Marino’s <a href="//d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/americadeservesbetter/pages/85/attachments/original/1395843611/Marino_Letter.pdf?1395843611" type="external">appeal</a> said. “The Can Kicks Back claimed to be concerned about our nation’s debt and deficit. In reality, it is just another front group funded by Wall Street billionaire Pete Peterson.” Marino’s letter did what Republicans almost never do—unmask other Republicans’ real agenda. “Why are Pete Peterson and Kick The Can Back so dangerous?” he wrote. “Their goal is to increase tax loopholes for the largest corporations in the country and they plan to pay for this corporate giveaway to the Fortune 500 by cutting Social Security benefits for older Americans.”</p>
<p>Marino didn’t stop there. “One commentator recently suggested that The Can Kicks Back’s strategy was, ‘to attempt the enlistment of millennial (young Americans age 18 to 25) in the effort to impoverish their grandparents,” he said. “Within just a day of his announcement, this individual considering running against me claimed that he had already raised $10,000. How much of that do you think was from Peterson and other Wall Street fat cats who want to get their hands on your Social Security benefits.”</p>
<p>This spat captures the contours of an old and still looming political fight where centrist Democrats and most Republicans refuse to fortify America’s most popular and widely used social insurance programs by <a href="" type="internal">a mix of</a> simple tax increases and more realistic cost-of-living increases. More than <a href="//www.cepr.net/documents/publications/ss-2011-03.pdf" type="external">80 percent</a> of Social Security benefits go to people with incomes of less than $30,000—and most average less than $12,000 a year. Yet faces are appearing on America’s airwaves posing a false analysis and choice: that federal finances are a mess; and that the only fix is depriving seniors of earned social insurance benefits so those funds could be diverted to struggling youths.&#160;</p>
<p>Abby Huntsman, the poised 27-year-old daughter of multi-millionaire 2012 GOP presidential candidate, Jon Huntsman, and a co-host of MSNBC’s millennial-targeted show, “ <a href="//www.msnbc.com/the-cycle/about" type="external">The Cycle</a>,” is a prime example. Two weeks ago, she went into an <a href="//www.msnbc.com/the-cycle/watch/the-millennial-generation-faces-big-problems-194378307939" type="external">on-air tizzy</a> about how Social Security would disappear for her peers if older Americans kept getting all the benefits. “At the rate we are spending, the system will be bankrupt by the time you and I are actually eligible to get these benefits,” she declared, citing new Pew Research Center <a href="//www.pewresearch.org/the-next-america-book/" type="external">research</a>. “Would you rather have 80 percent of what you have today, or nothing at all?”&#160;</p>
<p>Baby boomers will have to forgive Huntsman for plagiarizing the Beatles—she calls her TV commentary Abby’s Road. But they shouldn’t let her off the hook for wild inaccuracies, Los Angeles Times business columnist Michael Hiltzik <a href="//www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-abby-huntsman-20140314,0,489874.story#ixzz2x6FBFBjl" type="external">noted</a>. Telling her peers that they will get zero when the retire, which is incorrect, so that they will accept a budget deal that would instead lower their eventual retirement benefits, is not looking out for her generation.</p>
<p>On Thursday, Huntsman <a href="//video.msnbc.msn.com/the-cycle/54799629/?utm_source=twitterfeed&amp;utm_medium=twitter#54799629" type="external">hit back</a> at Hiltzik, flashing his column on the air, and declaring, “entitlement reform is the most pressing long-term budget decision we have to make as a country. Come on, man! It isn’t about me. It’s about the major problem.” Her solution, needless to say, was cutting Social Security, screening incomes of Medicare recipients, and postponing the onset of that program from age 65 to 67.</p>
<p>The problem is that Huntsman doesn’t understand the real problem—and refuses to consider other options besides spending cuts, as Hiltzik said in a Friday <a href="//www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-abby-20140328,0,5688966.story#axzz2xHiPnAOY" type="external">piece</a>. “That’s where she really goes off the rails,” he said, citing her remarks no one is discussing serious options. “We have been debating those options, for years.”</p>
<p>Huntsman is not alone in resurrecting a generational warfare meme. Comedian Bill Maher recited the same <a href="//www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-bill-maher-20140210,0,1569408.story#axzz2x7RDolZ5" type="external">incorrect clichés</a> in jokes on his TV show. But more serious is the Pew Research Center report—and a new related book—cited by Huntsman, from ex-Washington Post reporter turned Pew research czar Paul Taylor.</p>
<p>Taylor’s <a href="//www.pewresearch.org/the-next-america-book/" type="external">book</a>, The Next America: Boomers, Millennial and The Looming Generational Showdown, is a full-throttled Pew production. It’s packed with facts, figures, graphs, and dire-sounding analysis to support a particular conclusion, which Taylor <a href="//www.npr.org/2014/03/04/285581006/millennials-to-bear-burden-of-boomer-s-social-safety-net" type="external">told</a> NPR. Speaking of Social Security and Medicare, he said, “Everybody who looks at the demographics knows that those systems are going broke within 15 or 20 years and the longer you wait, the more the burden of the solution is going to fall on millennials.”</p>
<p>It’s worth noting that this is the same line that U.S. News and World Report, the pro-business weekly magazine, took in its November 5, 1984 <a href="//books.google.com/books?id=1EJHAAAAMAAJ&amp;focus=searchwithinvolume&amp;q=5+november+1984" type="external">editorial</a>, after President Ronald Reagan, the conservative Republican, and Democratic House Speaker Tip O’ Neill, put together a bill modifying but not privatizing Social Security—as right-wingers had hoped. The magazine called it “nothing less than a massive transfer of wealth from the young, many of them struggling, to the elderly, many of them living comfortably.”</p>
<p>Fast-forward 30 years and Paul Taylor is making the same case on NPR—as an information broker to its educated, influential audience. “I leave this book thinking we have very serious demographically driven challenges,” he said on <a href="//www.npr.org/2014/03/04/285581006/millennials-to-bear-burden-of-boomer-s-social-safety-net" type="external">March 4</a>. “We’ve got to rebalance the social safety net so it’s fair to all generations.”&#160;</p>
<p>Pew isn’t the disinterested wise observer that’s NPR presents. It and the right-wing Laura and John Arnold Foundation have lead <a href="//ourfuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Plot-Against-Pensions-final.pdf" type="external">a tag team effort</a> to cut back government employee pensions. They recite austerity frames—talking about slashing spending and avoiding other options where wealthy interests would pay more. Taylor is a bit too black and white when he says “everyone” in Washington knows that a retirement safety net crisis will explode in 15 or 20 years. That’s not how liberal economists see it.</p>
<p>“It is striking that NPR is willing to focus so much more attention on the threat to the living standards of millennials presented by a 2-3 percentage point increase in payroll taxes,” <a href="//www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/npr-tells-us-that-pew-expert-paul-taylor-wants-to-promote-generational-conflict" type="external">blogged</a> Dean Baker, at Washington’s Center for Economic and Policy Research after Taylor’s appearance. That focus ignores the “policies that could lead to much or all of the benefits of productivity growth over the next three decades going to those at the top, as has been the case for the last three decades,” he said, referring to America’s wage and income stagnation.&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>When you peel back the details, what’s going on here is simple and not new. Right-wingers—starting at the libertarian Cato Institute which doesn’t want federal social insurance programs to work, going next to Wall Street firms that see a gold mine from privatizing Social Security, and continuing to today’s spokespeople for these interests—want to undermine public confidence in government and push for-profit substitutes. They know that seniors and near-retirees won’t buy into any of this, which is why they have tried for decades—as Republican Congressman Marino’s fundraising letter noted—to create generational grievances pitting America’s young against its elderly.</p>
<p>“I’m not quite a believer in cabals, but that’s sort of what happened,” said Eric Kingson, Syracuse University Professor of Social Work and co-director of <a href="//www.strengthensocialsecurity.org/social-security-works-0" type="external">Social Security Works</a>, the national advocacy organization. “It [generational warfare] doesn’t take off when people see their parents and their grandparents struggling on fairly minimal income.”</p>
<p>Right Wing History Repeats Itself</p>
<p>Experts who have studied America’s social insurance programs for decades know that cutting Social Security would cause more poor seniors in the future—including today’s millennials. That is because smaller baseline benefits would yield smaller future monthly checks, even after cost-of-living increases. How do they know that? Because in the early 1980s, when Social Security faced a funding shortfall in a bad economy, Congress’s fix ended up <a href="" type="internal">shrinking payments</a> to today’s retirees by more than 20 percent, compared to what they would have been if left alone. Three factors did that: increasing income taxes on Social Security benefits, delaying annual cost of living increases every year by six months, and eventually raising the retirement age from 65 to 67.</p>
<p>The losers in that political fight—lead by the Cato Institute and anti-tax Wall Streeters—have been fighting to privatize Social Security ever since. Their best strategy, as <a href="//object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/serials/files/cato-journal/1983/11/cj3n2-11.pdf" type="external">laid out</a> in the fall 1983 Cato Journal, was seen as fomenting a generational divide fighting for a shrinking slice of the federal pie. At the same time, they also began to push businesses to replace employee pensions with individual retirement accounts, which, as AlterNet’s Lynn Stuart Parramore has <a href="" type="internal">described</a> in detail, have produced far less for retirees.</p>
<p>“We must prepare the political ground so that the fiasco of the last 18 months is not repeated,” Cato Journal’s influential 1983 article, “Achieving A “Leninist” Strategy,” began. “We must begin to divide this [pro-Social Security] coalition and cast doubt on the picture of reality it presents to the general public.” Cato knew who it wanted on its team. It “should consist not only of those who will reap benefits from the IRA-based private system [that a lawyer and columnist Peter J.] <a href="//www.cato.org/people/1675/commentary" type="external">Ferrara</a> has proposed, but also the banks, insurance companies, and other institutions that will gain from providing such plans to the public.”&#160;</p>
<p>And Cato knew its target. “The young are the most obvious constituency for reform and a natural ally for the private alternative,” it said. “The overwhelming majority of people in this group have stated repeatedly that they have little or no confidence in the present Social Security system.” Youthful indignation and grievance could be powerful, Cato said, fantasizing about its coming revolution. “Younger workers… would see just how much of a loss they are taking by participating in the program… assuming, for the sake of argument, that they would ever have received those benefits.”&#160;</p>
<p>Needless to say, Social Security has not collapsed as Cato forecast—even though today’s generational warfare arguments are basically repeating 30-year-old rhetoric. The program is solvent under promised benefits through 2033—a half-century after Congress reformed it. Social Security advocates say such longevity is a sign of its great success. But, as was the case in 1983, federal law requires Social Security to pay out only what it takes in. The next funding shortfall is predicted to come in 2033, when benefits would be cut by about 20 percent to Baby Boomers and GenXers if no revenue changes were made. But modest increases in payroll taxes—fifty cents a week for most workers, and raising the cap on how much of one’s annual income is subject to Social Security taxes (the first $117,000) would <a href="" type="internal">more than offset</a> 2033’s predicted shortfall.</p>
<p>Those simple options, needless to say, are almost never discussed by Cato’s narrative or by its more modern descendents. Cato’s generational warfare script had another dark thread that was developed in a <a href="//object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/serials/files/cato-journal/1983/11/cj3n2-11.pdf" type="external">second article</a> the same issue of the Cato Journal, where it suggested that elderly people were more likely to be greedy when the government was signing the check, which amounted to taking money from younger people’s pockets. That feeds rightwing scripts that seniors are immorally stealing federal funds from the young.&#160;</p>
<p>“If transfers to aged parents were purely a family decision, I doubt those among today’s elderly who have accumulated significant wealth would be willing to ask their children for a significant portion of their income,” Marilyn Flowers <a href="//object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/serials/files/cato-journal/1983/11/cj3n2-11.pdf" type="external">wrote</a>. “Yet these same individuals seemingly have no qualms about using their political clout to demand through Social Security what is, in an objective sense, the same thing.” &#160;&#160;</p>
<p>Back To Reality</p>
<p>There have been many fact-filled rebuttals to these frames—that seniors are taking too large a slice of America’s limited public resources—even as this pro-austerity script has evolved under the more recent deficit hawk banner. It’s key to note what these right-wingers aren’t calling for. They don’t want to cut corporate subsidies or defense spending, nor do they want to pay more in taxes—such as taxing investment income. They’ll cite big numbers on how much is spent on safety nets to scare people, but they don’t mention the even bigger sums spent on corporate welfare. That was the striking takeaway from David Sirota’s investigate <a href="//ourfuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Plot-Against-Pensions-final.pdf" type="external">report</a> on the joint Arnold Foundation and Pew attack on pensions for The Institute for America’s Future and <a href="//pando.com/2014/02/12/the-wolf-of-sesame-street-revealing-the-secret-corruption-inside-pbss-news-division/" type="external">PandoDaily</a>, which prompted WNET, New York City’s largest public television station, to return Arnold’s $3.5 million grant and cancel a “Pension Peril” series. &#160;&#160;</p>
<p>Social Security defenders like Kingson know that the right’s arguments are simplistic while real life is more complicated. It’s almost impossible to quantify how much money flows from one generation to the next over a lifetime—such as parents raising children and paying for college, helping with a first home down payment or bailing out a child’s bad business decision; to elderly people on the other end not being paid at all for their care giving as their life partners age in their own homes. This reality points to Kingson’s biggest disappointment with today’s political leaders—they aren’t noting how American of all ages are facing intertwined economic struggles.</p>
<p>“Obama’s failure is not building on his promise of we’re in all in this together,” Kingson said. “The concept of all of us being connected and being together leads to policies of compassion, citizenry, decency, dignity. It leads to form social structures that support human beings throughout life. And we as a country aren’t seeing ourselves as being in it together, and nobody is speaking out for that with moral force today.”</p>
<p>“Instead, there’s moral force that’s being exerted from the right in a negative way,” he continued. “They have a narrative that government is falling apart, too much money is being spent, you’re being screwed—and we thought that Obama was going to do this—counter that.”&#160; &#160;&#160;</p>
<p>But a funny thing is happening as today’s generational warmongers—MSNBC’s Abby Huntsmen, prospective GOP House candidate Nick Troiano, Pew research czar Paul Taylor—are that saying generational conflict is America’s fate.</p>
<p>“What’s so fascinating is there isn’t any tension at the moment,” Taylor told NPR. “You have a generation coming in that isn’t wagging its finger with blame at mom or grandma. In fact, they’re living with mom and grandma… and maybe that’s the best basis upon which to go forward and rebalance our books on Social Security and Medicare.”</p>
<p>In other words, there’s no real generational warfare. There are just new faces touting an old line, which is an opportunistic political attack for sponsors to line their pockets or hobble effective government programs—which is exactly what Republican Rep. Tom Marino wrote in his edgy March 10 fundraising <a href="//d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/americadeservesbetter/pages/85/attachments/original/1395843611/Marino_Letter.pdf?1395843611" type="external">appeal</a> unmasking this rhetorical red herring.</p>
<p>“You will not believe the length to which this community organizer and his Wall Street friends will go to buy a seat in Congress,” Marino’s letter <a href="//d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/americadeservesbetter/pages/85/attachments/original/1395843611/Marino_Letter.pdf?1395843611" type="external">began</a>. It ended, “We’ll let the billionaires know that we mean business when we tell them to keep their hands off the Social Security benefits we have earned.”</p>
<p>Steven Rosenfeld covers national political issues for AlterNet. He is the author of several books on elections, most recently&#160; <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/democracy-betrayed-steven-rosenfeld/1127810302;jsessionid=AC5E9DD4655097E5A38BC19EF350CCC2.prodny_store01-atgap04?ean=9781510729452#/" type="external">Democracy Betrayed: How Superdelegates, Redistricting, Party Insiders, and the Electoral College Rigged the 2016 Election</a>&#160;(March 2018, Hot Books).</p> | How Deficit Hawks Are Pitting Millennials Against Seniors to Attack Social Security and Medicare | true | http://alternet.org/economy/how-deficit-hawks-are-trying-pit-millennials-against-seniors-attack-social-security-and | 2014-03-28 | 4 |
<p>According to <a href="http://www.circa.com/story/2017/07/26/politics/james-a-baker-fbi-general-counsel-is-allegedly-under-an-investigation-for-leaking-classified-information-to-the-media" type="external">Circa News</a>, a top lawyer for the FBI and "close confidant" to James Comey, General Counsel James A. Baker, is under a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice on suspicion of "leaking classified national security information to the media."</p>
<p>Circa's Sara A. Carter reports that "multiple government officials close the probe" speaking on condition of anonymity told the outlet that Baker was being investigated over the alleged intelligence leaks. A bureau spokeswoman would neither confirm nor deny the claim.</p>
<p>President Trump has been ratcheting up public pressure on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to crack down on those responsible for the flood of often damaging intelligence leaks to the media. After Trump slammed Sessions for his " <a href="" type="internal">VERY weak</a>" approach to the "intel leakers" and the "Hillary Clinton crimes," Sessions said he would soon be announcing updates on the leak investigations.</p>
<p>When Circa sought more details from the DOJ, the department confirmed that it has "stepped up efforts on leak investigations." When the outlet dug a little deeper, they got a name: Baker.</p>
<p>Three sources, with knowledge of the investigation, told Circa that Baker is the top suspect in an ongoing leak investigation, but Circa has not been able to confirm the details of what national security information or material was allegedly leaked.</p>
<p>A federal law enforcement official with knowledge of ongoing internal investigations in the bureau told Circa, "the bureau is scouring for leakers and there's been a lot of investigations."</p>
<p>On one level, that the department might suspect Baker is unsurprising, as he reportedly had a very close working relationship with the man who admitted to deliberately undermining Trump, former FBI Director Comey, whom Trump unceremoniously fired. Carter notes that " <a href="http://http/nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/06/3-fbi-officials-can-support-comeys-account-of-trump-meeting.html" type="external">recent media reports</a> suggested [Baker] was reportedly advising the then-FBI director on legal matters following private meetings the former director had in February with President Trump in the Oval Office."</p>
<p>While Baker's role as Carter's "close confidant" might suggest he played some part in the leaks, his distinguished, award-filled career does not. However, in the anything-goes, hyper-partisan war between Trump and the Deep State, it's becoming increasingly harder to know who is trustworthy or not.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.circa.com/story/2017/07/26/politics/james-a-baker-fbi-general-counsel-is-allegedly-under-an-investigation-for-leaking-classified-information-to-the-media" type="external">Read Carter's' full report here</a>.</p> | Report: A Top FBI Lawyer Is Under Investigation For Illegal Leaks To Media | true | https://dailywire.com/news/19084/report-top-fbi-lawyer-under-investigation-illegal-james-barrett | 2017-07-28 | 0 |
<p>After its merger with CBS Radio closed Friday morning, Entercom Communications wasted little time making moves.</p>
<p>The company quickly flipped CBS Radio’s Top 40 mainstay <a href="http://variety.com/t/wbmp/" type="external">WBMP</a> (Amp 92.3) in New York to Alt 92.3, with the tagline “New York’s New Alternative.”</p>
<p>Entercom released the following statement: “Alt 92.3 will give music fans a true alternative – an expertly curated playlist with local, informed discovery.”</p>
<p>Commented Entercom president of programming Pat Paxton, “In a city where alternative music is a way of life, we are thrilled to finally fill the void in radio in New York City. With the launch of Alt 92.3, we will cater to the passionate audience who have helped define the genre for decades – and we couldn’t be more excited to turn up the volume.”</p>
<p>As part of the changeover, the station has let go popular morning show hosts Shoboy and Nina, afternoon drive DJ Astra on the Air, and nighttime personality DJ Toro, with reports indicating they may be moved to other stations within the Entercom family.</p>
<p>The move took the stunned staff by surprise Friday morning, revealed in a series of texts.</p>
<p>The first songs airing after the flip included Foo Fighters’ “My Hero,” 30 Seconds to Mars’ “Walk on Water,” MGMT’s “Kids,” Vance Joy’s “Lay It on Me,” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”</p>
<p>There hasn’t been an alternative station in the New York area since 2011, when Emmis Communications WRXP (101.9 RXP) flipped formats to all-news under Randy Michaels’ Merlin Media. That station briefly went back to an alternative format for three months in 2012 before switching to news/sports as WFAN after its sale to CBS Radio. When RXP went on the air in 2008, it was the first alternative station in New York City since WXRK – WBMP’s predecessor — flipped to Active Rock in 2005 as WFNY when Howard Stern left the station to join SiriusXM at the start of the year in 2016.</p>
<p>WBMP’s last ratings in October showed it had a 2.0 12+, placing it at #19 in the market.</p> | Entercom Flips WBMP (Amp 92.3) to Alternative as Alt 92.3 in New York City | false | https://newsline.com/entercom-flips-wbmp-amp-92-3-to-alternative-as-alt-92-3-in-new-york-city/ | 2017-11-17 | 1 |
<p>KIRKUK, Iraq — As Iraqi Kurdish president Massoud Barzani asked legislators to prepare for an <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/thomson-reuters/140704/iraqi-kurdish-president-asks-parliament-prepare-independence-vo" type="external">independence referendum</a> Thursday, dozens of Kurds in the region's capital Erbil rallied in support, waving flags and chanting slogans of freedom and independence.</p>
<p>The reaction internationally has not been so welcoming.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/140703/us-opposes-independence-referendum-iraqi-kurds" type="external">US urged the Kurds to remain</a> with the central government. Maliki was highly unimpressed, accusing them of “exploiting” Iraq's precarious position as government forces battle with the extremist militant group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).&#160;</p>
<p>“This is rejected," he said in a press conference on the semi-autonomous region's push for independence.</p>
<p>The case for Kurdish independence&#160;</p>
<p>Sunni militants seized control of large areas of Iraq last month. The Kurds moved in in the wake of fleeing Iraqi forces, gaining control — for the first time — of the full area they claim as Kurdish land in Iraq. So in effect, not only is Barzani calling for independence, but he plans to take a large chunk of previously government-controlled and oil-rich territory with him.</p>
<p>In an interview with the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28103124" type="external">BBC</a>, president Barzani reinforced his belief in the right to Kurdish independence.</p>
<p>"Iraq is effectively partitioned now," he said. "Are we supposed to stay in this tragic situation the country's living in? It's not me who will decide on independence. It's the people. We'll hold a referendum and it's a matter of months."</p>
<p>If the referendum goes through, most Kurds say the answer will be an overwhelming "yes."</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/140620/can-iraq-hold-together-should-it" type="external">Maybe the world should just let Iraq split apart</a></p>
<p>“Independence will be a great thing for Kurdistan, but it should have been done a long time ago,” said Hawer Ismael, a university student studying business management.</p>
<p>Tailor Reaz Abdul Wahid agreed. “The sooner the better, but I think it will take some time. We have been trying for many years, so it won’t happen overnight,” he said.</p>
<p>Independence has been the ultimate dream for the majority of Kurds since their region was split between Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey in the wake of World War I.</p>
<p>With numbers surpassing 25 million, the Kurds are the largest ethnic group without a country of their own. In Turkey, the battle for independence has been long and bloody with few gains. The recent conflict in Syria gave Syrian Kurds their first chance to seize control of their own lands and today, they too stand on the brink of full independence.</p>
<p>In Iraq, Kurds gained semi-autonomy with the support of the US in 1991. Talk of full independence has been frequent, but this is the first official move towards a complete split from Iraq. But are they capable of the unity such a move would require?</p>
<p>Much of the country remains split between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan who fought a three-year civil war in the 1990s before settling on a power-sharing agreement. Both still operate somewhat independently and hold their own security forces.</p>
<p>But most Kurds believe their leaders are capable of uniting under a Kurdish State flag.</p>
<p>“It won't be easy as there are different groups and different parties, but if we unite we will be stronger and an example to other Kurdish regions,” said Ismael, the university student.</p>
<p>The consequences for Iraq</p>
<p>The central Iraqi government is already dealing with the <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/iraq/140630/what-the-worlds-newest-islamic-caliphate-might-look" type="external">declaration of an Islamic State</a> along its northern and western borders. Many say a Kurdish break from the already weakened Maliki government will further destabilize the country.</p>
<p>“I do not like this call for independence. I reject it!” said Dr. Bassil, a plastic surgeon and Arab resident of Kirkuk, which is now under Kurdish control. “I think it will make even more problems for our country.”</p>
<p>Ismael agreed that independence could further destabilize the central government and may even lead to further clashes, but he remains adamant that the time is right.</p>
<p>“This may be our only chance for this, so we must take it,” he said.</p>
<p>The most significant land gain for the Kurds in this recent crisis is the long disputed city of Kirkuk, whose population is split between Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen and Christians, all of whom claim historical ties to the oil rich city.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/140701/watch-english-speaking-isil-fighter-blames-violence-iraq-an" type="external">An English-speaking ISIL fighter explains how a 98-year-old colonial map created today's conflict</a></p>
<p>This new push for independence has been met with mixed reactions in this divided city.</p>
<p>Among the Kurds, everyone interviewed for this article welcomed Kurdish rule. Arabs and Turkmen were split with some hopeful Kirkuk could stabilize and progress if united with the prosperous Kurdish region. Others, like Ahmed Mohammed, an Arab store owner, were adamantly opposed.</p>
<p>“The Kurds don’t have the right to decide our fate,” he said.</p>
<p>Reaz Abdul Wahid, who lives in the Kurdish region of Kirkuk, said while he hoped for a peaceful transfer to Kurdish rule, there is a possibility of violent resistance.</p>
<p>“In my opinion, the majority will oppose this. But making Kirkuk a Kurdish area is necessary because the Kurds have suffered so much for so many years from the Saddam region and the policies of the new government,” Wahid said, adding he himself was one of thousands of Kurds arrested and tortured during the reign of Saddam.</p>
<p>Harem Sazan, a Kirkuk landowner, said he believed Kurdish rule would bring stability and an economic boom to the city.</p>
<p>“Within five years I think Kirkuk could be like Erbil," he said, referring to the rapid economic expansion of the Kurdish capital which stands in stark contrast to the instability and economic stagnation that plagues much of Iraq.</p>
<p>"If no one opposes this take over it will be a great thing for all of us — Kurd, Turkmen, Christian and Arab,” he said.</p>
<p>But as always, conspiracy theories abound.</p>
<p>“Clearly the USA and Israel are behind this,” said an engineer who gave his name as Qutaiba. “How could Bazani make this decision without their support? We know the peshmerga have their deals with Israel.”</p>
<p>Dr Bassil says the Kurds will never pull off such a bold move, with or without international support. “It’s all just talk,” he said.&#160;</p>
<p>As for the Kurdish claim over Kirkuk he added: “They themselves know they are wrong in making this claim. This city does not belong to any one people. It must be shared between all the people who have a heritage here.”&#160;</p> | The Kurdish moment is now | false | https://pri.org/stories/2014-07-05/kurdish-moment-now | 2014-07-05 | 3 |
<p>An infamous Sinaloa cartel leader was arrested on Tuesday.</p>
<p />
<p>Mexican prosecutors revealed that the cartel launched a struggle for control of the gang following the re-arrest of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.</p>
<p />
<p>The suspect's name has been confirmed as Damaso Lopez, known by the nickname El Licenciado. Lopez was long considered Guzman's right-hand man and helped him escape from a Mexican prison in 2001.</p>
<p />
<p>Photos were distributed showing soldiers in full battle gear guarding the entrance of an upscale apartment building on a major boulevard in Mexico City, not far from downtown.</p>
<p />
<p>Although Mexico City officials say drug cartels do not control territory in Mexico City, they acknowledge that drug lords have sometimes lived in the city and moved drug shipments through the capital.</p>
<p />
<p>In the meantime, Guzman is in jail, the Sinaloa Cartel has been controlled by Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia and Rafael Caro Quintero, two of the most traditional, old-school capos, plus Lopez, and Guzman's son, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar.</p>
<p />
<p>Lopez's son, Damaso Lopez Serrano, will likely seek revenge for his father's arrest. The younger Lopez who is known as the mini-licenciado is known to be violent, flashy and undisciplined.</p> | El Chapo's Right-Hand-Man, Cartel Leader "The Graduate" Captured | true | http://thegoldwater.com/news/2690-El-Chapo-s-Right-Hand-Man-Cartel-Leader-The-Graduate-Captured | 2017-05-03 | 0 |
<p />
<p>An Infantry Training Battalion student looks for an enemy in nearby trees during Patrol Week near Camp Geiger, N.C., on Oct. 28, 2013. patrol week is a five-day training event that teaches infantry students basic offensive, defensive and patrolling techniques. Delta Company is the first infantry training company to fully integrate female Marines into an entire training cycle. This and future companies will evaluate the performance of the female Marines as part of ongoing research into opening combat-related job fields to women. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/marine_corps/10725372226/" type="external">U.S. Marine Corps photo</a> by Sgt. Tyler L. Main/Released.</p>
<p /> | We’re Still at War: Photo of the Day for November 12, 2013 | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2013/11/were-still-war-photo-day-november-12-2013/ | 2013-11-12 | 4 |
<p />
<p>Image source: <a href="http://aws.amazon.com" type="external">Amazon.com Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>What: Shares of Amazon.com are on a roll today, rising 12.5% as of 11:30 a.m. ET. The e-commerce and cloud computing giant <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/29/thanks-to-aws-amazoncom-inc-smashes-q2-expectation.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">reported second-quarter earnings Opens a New Window.</a> last night, blowing past analyst estimates and management guidance alike.</p>
<p>So what: Amazon's second-quarter net sales rose 28% year over year to land at $29.1 billion. Trailing free cash flows doubled to $6.4 billion, Amazon turned the year-ago quarter's $0.12 adjusted net loss per share into $1.07 of positive earnings per share, and GAAP operating income quadrupled to $1.1 billion.</p>
<p>Wall Street's finest would have settled for adjusted earnings near $0.58 per share on roughly $28 billion in sales. Those turned out to be easy targets.</p>
<p>Management's own revenue guidance for this quarter was in line with the analyst view. As for operating profits, the reported figure was 57% above the top end of Amazon's very wide guidance range.</p>
<p>Looking ahead, revenue guidance for the third quarter pointed to 26% growth, stopping at $29.3 billion. The target range for non-GAAP operating income stretches from $1.2 billion to $1.8 billion. That's not a lowball goal.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Now what: Much of Amazon's sudden bottom-line surge comes from the Amazon Web Services segment. That bundle of cloud computing tools saw second-quarter revenues rising 64% year over year, tripling its operating income take. This high-margin, high-growth operating generated 9% of Amazon's overall sales in the quarter, but 56% of the company's operating profits.</p>
<p>Standing on top of the online retail divisions and their solid financial foundation, the cloud computing business has become the little profit engine that could. In a few years, we might think of Amazon as a cloud computing business first and the e-tailing stuff as a curious side project -- assuming that these growth trends continue.</p>
<p>Now, where did I put that old crystal ball again...?</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/29/why-amazoncom-inc-is-soaring-today.aspx" type="external">Why Amazon.com, Inc. Is Soaring Today Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFZahrim/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Anders Bylund Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon.com. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://wiki.fool.com/Motley?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/help/index.htm?display=about02" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Why Amazon.com, Inc. Is Soaring Today | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/04/29/why-amazoncom-inc-is-soaring-today.html | 2016-04-29 | 0 |
<p>No task is more important for any newspaper than to impart the news convincingly to the people and their government that a war is lost or futile or wrong.. The failure of America’s major newspapers in 2005 and 2006 to disclose the U.S.’s defeat in Iraq has been as disastrous as the earlier failure to challenge the government on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.</p>
<p>As for Saddam Hussein–some whiners complain he didn’t get a fair trial. What do they think these trials are for, for heaven’s sake? Here’s what I wrote when he was captured back in December 2003:</p>
<p>“All the U.S. wants is for the former Iraqi president to be hauled into some kangaroo court and, after a brisk procedure in which Saddam will not doubt be denied opportunities to interrogate old pals from happier days like Donald Rumsfeld, be dropped through a trap door with a rope tied around his neck, maybe with an Iraqi, or at least a son of the Prophet pulling the lever.”</p>
<p>Just one more reason why you need read nothing but CounterPunch.</p>
<p>Sixty-nine countries still retain the death penalty. The most recent to abandon it was the Philippines, in 2006. Mexico and Liberia in 2005. Greece and Turkey (along with Bhutan, Samoa and Senegal in 2004). There is some small progress in human affairs.</p>
<p>That said, let’s scroll quickly through the calendar, as it unfolded in a few of my bulletins on this site.</p>
<p>January 18</p>
<p>Three very senior leftists pass on. Sanora Babb died on December 31, aged 98. Harry Magdoff died on New Years Day, at 92. Frank Wilkinson died a day later, at 91.</p>
<p>My line has always been that to get really old it pays to have been a Commie or at least a fellow traveler. In younger years they tended to walk a lot, selling the party paper. They talked a lot and above all, they never stopped thinking. The quickest way to kill someone is to send them off to quasi-solitary, torn from their comfortable nest and thrown into a nursing home or into managed care, where people talk about them at the tops of their voices, referring to them in the third person. You can see them dying before your eyes, their brains turned to mush. It takes about a year to kill them off, unless a “surprise birthday party” wipes them out even earlier.</p>
<p>Trotskyists tend to be more feverish and stressed out, hence less likely to turn the bend into their Nineties. As for Maoists (over here) , I don’t know. As Chou En Lai answered, when asked what he thought of the French Revolution, Too soon to tell. The ex-Maoists I know are mostly still in their mid-60s.</p>
<p>January 19</p>
<p>From the opening moments of the Judiciary Committee’s hearings it became instantly clear that Alito faced no serious opposition. On that first ludicrous morning Senator Pat Leahy sank his head into his hands, shaking in unbelieving despair as Senator Joe Biden of Delaware blathered out a self-serving and inane monologue lasting a full twenty minutes before he even asked Alito one question. In his allotted half hour Biden managed to pose only five questions, all of them ineptly phrased. He did ask two questions about CAP but had already undercut them in his monologue by calling Alito “a man of integrity”, not once but twice, and further trivialized the interrogation by reaching under the dais to pull out a Princeton cap and put it on.</p>
<p>In all, Biden rambled for 4,000 words, leaving Alito time only to put together less than 1,000. A Delaware newspaper made deadly fun of him for his awful performance, eliciting the revealing confession from Biden that “I made a mistake. I should have gone straight to my question. I was trying to put him at ease.”</p>
<p>The Democrats have forgotten how to ask tough questions. The last Democratic senator who knew how to do it was John Edwards.And even if the Democrats could remember how to put a nominee on the spot, their nerve has gone. They think any tough challenge to any nominee will come and haunt them.</p>
<p>Year after year the Democrats have called for loyalty from dubious liberals, crying that the bottom line is the Supreme Court. In January, the bottom line was right there in the nominee’s chair, in the form of Sam Alito and the Democrats ran away. Senator Diane Feinstein told the press, “I don’t see the likelihood of a filibuster. This might be a man I disagree with. But it doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be on the court. I was impressed with his ability to maintain a very even demeanor.”</p>
<p>January 24</p>
<p>I’d got so used to Nicholas Kristof’s January visits to prostitutes in Cambodia that it was a something of a shock to find him this January in Calcutta’s red light district instead.</p>
<p>As readers of his New York Times columns across the past three years will know, Kristof heads into south east Asia around this time–a smart choice, weatherwise–to write about the scourge of child prostitution. One can hardly fault him for that, even though Kristof’s bluff, busy-body prose is particularly irksome as he takes his pet peeve out for an annual saunter, the way A.M. Rosenthal did for years with female circumcision in Africa.</p>
<p>So far as I know, Rosenthal never actually bought a young African woman to save her from circumcision. Maybe they aren’t for sale. In 2004, Kristof did buy two young Cambodian women–Srey Neth for $150 and Srey Mom for $203–to get them out of the brothels in Poipet, and took them back to their villages.</p>
<p>There was something very nineteenth-century abut the whole thing, both in moral endeavor and journalistic boosterism, though presumably there was a twentieth-first century footnote as to whether Kristof billed the Times for the purchase money and transport expenses or listed the girls as a charitable deduction on his own tax return, which could have led to sharp interrogation by some cynical IRS auditor.</p>
<p>In January of 2005, Kristof was back in Cambodia to report that while Srey Neth was doing well, learning to be a hair stylist, Srey Mom was back in the brothel, probably because she needed the drugs. Even in 2005 some of us had our doubts, since Srey Mom wouldn’t leave the brothel until Kristof sprang not only the $203 but also some extra cash for her cell phone and some jewelry she’d hocked. Mind you, most girls would put cell phones ahead of moral renaissance.</p>
<p>February 14</p>
<p>Paranoid America–by which I mean its governors–has long dreamed of foolproof technology to guard the Homeland from subversion, or penetration by alien hostiles.</p>
<p>In its latest variant, the vaunted technology comes in the form of the sweeps by the computers of the National Security Agency, programmed to intercept hundreds of millions of phone, email and fax messages. These days, as much as a third of global communications are on fiber-optic cable routes that pass through the United States.</p>
<p>So, “data mining” by artificially programmed computers is a proceeding that is not only constitutionally illegal but a technological fantasy. The Post quotes Jeff Jonas, now chief scientist at IBM Entity Analytics, as saying pattern-matching techniques that “look at people’s behavior to predict terrorist intent are so far from reaching the level of accuracy that’s necessary that I see them as nothing but civil liberty infringement engines.”</p>
<p>March 9</p>
<p>Americans are in a fever about possible “Arab control” of mainland ports along both coasts of the United States. The whole storm is ludicrous. When it comes to America’s national security and penetration of the mainland by foreign capital, there are bigger worries. This very week, the week of the Chicago Auto Show, the widely read magazine Consumer Reports lists the ten safest cars sold in America this year. They are all Japanese, mostly Hondas, and mostly made in U.S.-based plants put up after Japanese and other foreign automakers were welcomed in by the U.S.A. thirty years ago, partly as a way of undercutting the Union of Autoworkers. This same month the headlines here have been full of stories about the collapse of the top two U.S. automakers–General Motors and Ford–in the face of foreign competition. Well over 100,000 American workers are to lose their jobs, thus vastly increasing U.S. insecurity. Hundreds of thousands more U.S. workers have already lost their jobs to India, China, Mexico, and other low-wage nations because that is the way American business, backed by the U.S. government, wants it.</p>
<p>March 15</p>
<p>Milosevic’s death in his cell from a heart attack spared Del Ponte and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia ­ICTY — (itself a kangaroo tribunal set up by the United States with no proper foundation under international law or treaty) the ongoing embarrassment of a proceeding where Milosevic had made a very strong showing against the phalanx of prosecutors, hearsay witnesses and prejudiced judges marshaled against him.</p>
<p>There are now charges and countercharges about poisons and self-medications. Milosevic’s son says his father was murdered. The embarrassed Court has claimed Milosevic somehow did himself in by tampering with his medicines. But no one contests the fact that Milosevic asked for treatment in Moscow–the Russians promised to return him to the Hague–and the Court refused permission. As the tag from the poet A.H.Clough goes, “Thou shalt not kill; but need’st not strive Officiously to keep alive”.</p>
<p>The trial had been going badly from the point of view of the prosecution (which included the judges) for most of its incredible duration. Here is what Neil Clark, a Balkans specialist, wrote in the Guardian newspaper of London, in 2003,</p>
<p>” But not only has the prosecution signally failed to prove Milosevic’s personal responsibility for atrocities committed on the ground, the nature and extent of the atrocities themselves has also been called into question In the case of the worst massacre with which Milosevic has been accused of complicity-of between 2,000 and 4,000 men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995-Del Ponte’s team have produced nothing to challenge the verdict of the five-year inquiry commissioned by the Dutch government-that there was ‘no proof that orders for the slaughter came from Serb political leaders in Belgrade.’</p>
<p>March 19</p>
<p>(This was a joint bulletin by Jeffrey St Clair and me.) Across the past year the peace movement didn’t do much, so far as we could tell. There are thousands of excellent local efforts, but no national agenda, no overall strategy for ending the war. As popular opposition to the war across the country has mounted, the demonstrations have got smaller! We ascribe this in large part to the disastrous fealty of the leadership of at least two of the big organizations to the Democratic National Committee. This explains why UPFJ, for example, was missing in action for most of 2004. The national leaderships of the peace movement have failed but were bailed out by two great champions who changed the political picture. The first was Cindy Sheehan.</p>
<p>The second champion was Jack Murtha, the 73-year-old former U.S. Marine and life-long hawk who turned on the war in a sensational press conference on the Hill in November, calling for “immediate withdrawal” and repeating that call in vigorous interviews and speeches.</p>
<p>Here was no peacenik turning against the war. But the day he did, the Democratic delegation in Congress fled him, almost to the last man and woman. In its present form the Democratic Party has ceased to be a credible opposition.</p>
<p>Is this too cruel? Surely the Democrats have some fight left in them. After all, the first edition of the Patriot Act in 2002 passed with only one No vote in the Senate. Russell Feingold’s. When the second edition of the Patriot Act passed in recent weeks, there were ten votes against, one from a former Republican, Jeffords of Vermont. The Democrats invented a new form of “safe opposition” here. When Russ Feingold tried to lead a filibuster against the Patriot Act, his Democratic colleagues conducted “test votes” where many of them puffed up their chests and boldly said they opposed the Patriot Act. Then they came to the real vote, chests subsided and the numbers dwindled to eight.</p>
<p>Feingold has now introduced into the Senate a censure motion of the President, charging him with violating the law in the NSA eavesdropping. Dana Milbanke in the Washington Post had an entertaining piece describing the panic of Feingold’s Democratic colleagues when asked for their views on his motion.</p>
<p>Barrack Obama of Illinois: “I haven’t read it.”</p>
<p>Ben Nelson of Nebraska: “I just don’t have enough information.”</p>
<p>John Kerry of Massachusetts: “I really can’t [comment] right now.”</p>
<p>Hillary Clinton of New York rushed past reporters shaking her head, then trying to hide behind the 4’11” Barbara Mikulski.</p>
<p>Charles Schumer of New York, who would normally run over his grandmother to get to a microphone: “I’m not going to comment.”</p>
<p>Mary Landrieu of Louisiana: “Senator Feingold has a point he wants to make. We have a point that we want to make, talking about the budget.”</p>
<p>Chris Dodd of Connecticut: “Most of us feel at best it’s premature. I don’t think anyone can say with any certainty at this juncture that what happened [i.e., the NSA’s eavesdropping] is illegal.”</p>
<p>March 28</p>
<p>The weekend news shows were detailing the latest attack plan of the Congressional Democrats. It’s called “Real Security”. And no, “security” here doesn’t mean a living wage, a pension, a health plan, and no Stop Loss order for your kid to stay in Iraq. It means guns and cops and lots of flag-wagging.</p>
<p>“Real Security” calls for Democrats to hinge the 2006 fall campaign on how the Republicans have failed us on the issue of national security. Harry Reid says Democrats should wrap themselves in the flag, use tanks as backdrop and then try to outflank the Republicans from the right with demands for increased military funding, a better fought war, tighter borders, and ports run by white American-born Christians, preferably free of radical organizers from the ILWU.</p>
<p>As reported in the Washington Times, Reid’s strategy memo advises: “Ensure that you have the proper U.S. and state flags at the event, and consider finding someone to sing the national anthem and lead the group in the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the event.” Next up was Joe Biden, standing between two gold-fringed flags, and probably with Old Glory underwear, telling the press that ” to the extent that Bush fails in Iraq, American interests are seriously damaged, and I’m rooting for his success, not his failure.” This is the man who explained his 30-minute opening speech at the Alito hearings by saying he wanted to put the nominee at his ease.</p>
<p>April 19</p>
<p>One would have thought that after the humiliating self-critiques of last 2005 the New York Times would have simply withdrawn its name from contention in the 2006 Pulitzers, but shame was short-lived and the assigned function of the Pulitzer Prize Committee was to winch the paper’s name out of the mud.</p>
<p>The Committee’s composition made this task easier. On the eighteen-member board sits Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, Nicholas Lemann, dean of the Columbia J-school and contributor to the New York Times magazine, and Paul Tash, boss of the St Petersburg Times, which has friendly ties to the New York Times.</p>
<p>So the Times duly reaped two Pulitzers, the first to a couple of journalists, James Risen and Eric Lichtblau, who sat on an explosive story through the election of 2004, through most of 2005 before finally disclosing the NSA’s wiretaps in time to give a boost to Risen’s book on US intelligence.</p>
<p>Two prizes were not enough for full rehab so the Committee threw in another for two Times reporters for their China coverage.</p>
<p>May 8</p>
<p>For the past few weeks a sometimes comic debate has simmering in the American press, focused on the question of whether there is an Israeli lobby, and if so, just how powerful is it?</p>
<p>I would have thought that to ask whether there’s an Israeli lobby here is a bit like asking whether there’s a Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor and a White House located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC.</p>
<p>The paper by Mearsheimer and Walt is extremely dull. The long version runs to 81 pages, no less than 40 pages of which are footnotes. I settled down to read it with eager anticipation but soon found myself looking hopefully for the end. There’s nothing in the paper that any moderately well read student of the topic wouldn’t have known long ago, but the paper has the merit of stating rather blandly some home truths which are somehow still regarded as too dangerous to state publicly in respectable circles in the United States.</p>
<p>For example, on the topic of what is often called here ” America’s only democratic ally in the Middle East” Mearsheimer and Walt have this to say:</p>
<p>That Israel is a fellow democracy surrounded by hostile dictatorships cannot account for the current level of aid: there are many democracies around the world, but none receives the same lavish support. The US has overthrown democratic governments in the past and supported dictators when this was thought to advance its interests – it has good relations with a number of dictatorships today. Some aspects of Israeli democracy are at odds with core American values. Unlike the US, where people are supposed to enjoy equal rights irrespective of race, religion or ethnicity, Israel was explicitly founded as a Jewish state and citizenship is based on the principle of blood kinship. Given this, it is not surprising that its 1.3 million Arabs are treated as second-class citizens, or that a recent Israeli government commission found that Israel behaves in a ‘neglectful and discriminatory’ manner towards them. Its democratic status is also undermined by its refusal to grant the Palestinians a viable state of their own or full political rights.</p>
<p>May 7</p>
<p>Galbraith died on April 29, at the great aqe of 97. I once drove up to Vermont to interview him in his Vermont farm house. It was dark and I drove uncertainly along a dirt road and up a driveway and knocked on the door, shouting, “Is this the home of Professor Galbraith?” “No, ” came a testy cry from within. “It’s the home of Professor Hook.” Sidney Hook, the prototypical neo-con, lived on the opposite side of the hill from the Keynesian progressive, Galbraith. By no means for the last time, I reflected how easy it is in America to take a wrong turn , often without noticing, and end up 180 degrees from where you thought you were headed.</p>
<p>At the end of the Vietnam war There was talk of a “peace dividend”. Optimistic souls wrote about a shift in budgetary priorities from the military industrial to the social industrial complex, with money pouring into low income housing and mass transit. At this point, in the wake of the Watergate disclosures of slush funds run by Fortune 500 companies, the corporate sector stood as low in public esteem as the CIA. The energy sector and even the Federal Reserve seemed ripe for serious bids for public control.</p>
<p>The usefulness of talking to Galbraith was that his own career lent a cautionary perspective to such hopes. No decent agricultural economist (such as Galbraith had been) in the Depression could have anything other than radical expectations as regards the shackling of the predatory corporate impulse. It was men like Henry Wallace, from the farm belt, who urged whatever left contour the New Deal actually had.</p>
<p>But by 1938 the New Deal had run out of steam, the recovery turned sour and what actually bailed out America was the loom and then the reality of the Second World War. Galbraith, still in his thirties, became deputy administrator in charge of price controls for the office of Price Administration.</p>
<p>As far back as the German script for 1914, war planning has mostly been the pragmatic backbone of socialist blueprints and it was easy to imagine that minute supervision of the economy post Pearl Harbor could flower into large-scale economic planning in war’s aftermath. Meanwhile the reality was that the cost-plus ten percenters were cleaning up on war contracts and around the corner lay the corporate counter-attack of the postwar years that gutted the Wagner Act with Taft Hartley.</p>
<p>Although, as with his hero Veblen, his drollery could get tedious Galbraith had the virtue of irreverence, albeit within the stifling constraints of urbanity. At least Galbraith, in his 90s, could look back to a time when a reformer could not only body forth a social vision, but tentatively identify the agencies whereby that vision could be put into practice. As I read through the Nation’s recent special issue on reforming the world’s economic arrangements, with fine contributions by Stiglitz, d’Arista, Galbraith’s son James and others, not once, in all the essays, was the question of agency ever raised, or the Democratic Party even alluded to. If there’s going to be a fork in the road ahead, the question of agency had better be on the agenda. Galbraith certainly understood that, though he politely underestimated just how roughly capitalism could play to win.</p>
<p>July 15</p>
<p>So they finally killed Zarqawi. At the White House press conference Thursday morning there was gloating of course, just as there was when Saddam’s sons were killed. It takes an effort now to recall that, like the late Zarqawi, Uday and Qusay too were credited with inspiring a large part of the resistance, and then, as now, guarded hopes were expressed in Washington that maybe some sort of a corner had been turned.</p>
<p>By the very location of his final address, a lonely house in the back country east of Baghdad, we can surmise that Zarqawi’s glory days as a guerilla commander were behind him. Leaders of largely urban insurgencies don’t bunker in easily surrounded rural retreats, in areas where locals are liable to turn them in, as happened with Zarqawi. On the other hand, terrorists on the run, with a dwindling band of followers, opt for whatever bolt hole is available, however suicidal it may be.</p>
<p>In many ways Zarqawi was an American asset, discrediting the local nationalist resistance by dint of being a foreigner, from Jordan, a proclaimed follower of Osama bin Laden, a religious fanatic, given to sawing people’s heads off in front of a tv camera. It will be hard to find a symbol of the foe as nasty as he was.</p>
<p>In a month Zarqawi’s name will be barely remembered outside his home village in Jordan. Talk of tides turning, of tunnels getting lighter, of skies clearing will be seen as the self0-deluding babble that it is.</p>
<p>Veterans of Vietnam say that in Iraq the situation is analogous to that prevailing in Vietnam in 1968 when frightful atrocities like My Lai were perpetrated. The troops are over-extended, badly trained, demoralized and know that they are risking their lives in a war with no optimistic outcome.</p>
<p>The circumstances which produce soldiers and units capable of war crimes include the following, according to experts in analyzing the causes of post-traumatic stress disorder. The soldiers are involved in operations which inevitably involve attacks on, and slaughter of, civilians.</p>
<p>Many have seen comrades killed. In this war the platoon is the soldier’s sole life support and emotional and physical sanctuary. All officers are mistrusted and often despised. A death in the platoon engenders the frenzied bloodlust and cold blooded slaughters of incidents like that in Haditha.</p>
<p>Indeed the low quality of the officers in the US armed forces as it has developed across the past twenty years has not been sufficiently addressed by the press, and certainly not by the spineless Congress. On the private testimony of many veterans, it has declined steadily, up through the highest ranks, where there are endless examples of the failure of decent leadership.</p>
<p>So America will see, over the years to come, thousands of traumatized soldiers trying to reenter civil society and resume their peacetime lives. Many will never shake off the traumas instilled by months of service in Iraq, and thousands of families, and communities, not to mention the soldiers themselves will be paying the price while the supreme commanders who launched this war will be making money from lectures and memoirs.</p>
<p>And of course back in Iraq there are already thousands who will only remember America as the land that sent soldiers who shot their brothers or sisters or cousins, or tortured them in prison, or destroyed their homes, or leveled their neighborhoods with high explosive from an airplane.</p>
<p>It’s tragic to say it, but more and more Iraqis are: it was better for a large percentage of that country’s inhabitants under the dictator Saddam Hussein, horrible though he was. The Republicans are tub-thumping, as their best tactic for self-preservation in the fall elections. As a party, with a very few honorable exceptions, the Democrats are doing likewise. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. .July 30</p>
<p>The frayed threads anchoring the American government to reality have finally snapped, just at the moment radiologists are reporting that Americans are getting too fat to be x-rayed or shoved into any existing MRI tube.</p>
<p>The gamma rays can’t get through the blubber, same way actual conditions in the outside world bounce off the impenetrable dome of imbecility sheltering America’s political leadership.</p>
<p>Twenty-three years after one of America’s stupidest Presidents announced Star Wars, Reagan’s dream has come true. Behind ramparts guarded by a coalition of liars extending from Rupert Murdoch to the New York Times, from Bill O’Reilly to PBS, America is totally shielded from truth.</p>
<p>Here we have a Congress which reacts with outrage when America’s picked man in Iraq, Prime Minister al-Maliki, states the obvious, which is that Israel’s attack is “dangerous” and that the world community is not doing enough to curb Israel’s destruction of Lebanon.</p>
<p>What we are now witnessing is the simultaneous collapse of two countries-Iraq and Lebanon-as sponsored or encouraged by America’s ruling bipartisan coalition and its ideological counselors-ranging from Christian nutballs like Falwell to secular nutballs like Hitchens. Wesley Clarke is now saying that back in late 2001 he visited the Pentagon and was told the planned hit list included Iraq, then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia and Sudan as part of a five-year campaign plan. Two down, five to go.</p>
<p>With Bush and Rice and the policy-makers and intellectual courtiers surrounding them, crackpot realism is the prevailing mode.</p>
<p>“Crackpot realism” was the concept defined by the great Texan sociologist, C. Wright Mills in 1958, when he published The Causes of World War Three, also the year that Dwight Eisenhower sent the Marines into Lebanon to bolster local US factotum, Lebanese President Camille Chamoun.</p>
<p>“In crackpot realism,” Mills wrote, ” a high-flying moral rhetoric is joined with an opportunist crawling among a great scatter of unfocused fears and demands. .. The expectation of war solves many problems of the crackpot realists; … instead of the unknown fear, the anxiety without end, some men of the higher circles prefer the simplification of known catastrophe….They know of no solutions to the paradoxes of the Middle East and Europe, the Far East and Africa except the landing of Marines. … they prefer the bright, clear problems of war-as they used to be. For they still believe that ‘winning’ means something, although they never tell us what…” August 3</p>
<p>“Israel is doomed,” said a friend of mine some months ago, returning to the U.S. after a trip to Israel. I asked him why, and my friend, who spent twenty years working at a high level in the Pentagon, answered, “They’ve put in an Air Force man as chief of the General Staff.” He was talking g about Dan Halutz.</p>
<p>Halutz raised a storm when he was asked what feelings, what moral tremors he might have had about the dropping of a one-ton bomb in a house in Gaza. Halutz’s jaunty reply was to the effect that all he felt was “a slight tremor in the wing of the airplane.”</p>
<p>It was Halutz who sold Olmert and Peretz on the fantasy of swift and devastating air force raids finishing off Hezbollah.</p>
<p>Since then Halutz has efficiently united all Lebanese in loathing of Israel, while being an effective propagandist for Hezbollah.</p>
<p>Napoleon said he wanted lucky generals under his command. Hezbollah is lucky in the Israeli military commander it faces, even though Lebanon bleeds. August 17</p>
<p>Quite often these days, here, at CounterPunch, we feel the sort of ecstatic incredulity that the Goths and the Vandals must have felt in the fifth century AD, rejoicing in the stupidity of the Roman Emperor Theodosius II, a fanatical Christian monophysite and book-burner who presided over the accelerating decline of the Empire, and who eventually died at the age of 49 by tumbling off his horse. The Vandals and Goths didn’t anxiously scan the news bulletins from Rome hoping for news of a “better” imperial candidate who would revive the Empire’s fortunes and consolidate the iron rule of Rome, under the slogan, Back to Augustus. Neither should we. October 7</p>
<p>Sex scandals, at least in societies dominated by guilt-sodden Protestants, fulfill the therapeutic function usually attributed to pleasant or exciting sex: exploration of intimate areas of political life, surfacing “issues” normally repressed. America can’t talk about Iraq, where Americans boys are raping 14-year-old girls and shooting families at close range, can’t talk about torture, so instead we focus on what former Republican Representative Mark Foley wrote to a page about boxer shorts and their contents. I often tell people they shouldn’t worry too much about the evangelical Christians. People who spend so much time lecturing others about sin are likely to go sinning themselves, and in the end, like Jimmy Swaggart, they get caught heading into the whorehouse. Republicans are a repressed lot, unless they become libertarians like Justin Raimondo. He can flaunt his own trifecta: gay, antiwar and pro-capitalism. Back in Reagan time, when I was on the campaign trail, the motels were always filled with Republicans stitched into their squeaky-clean suits who were obvious closet cases. November 1</p>
<p>Is the half-hidden message of the 2006 campaign season that in the presidential showdown in 2008 we’ll have Senator John McCain running as both a Republican and a Democrat? It would certainly sweep away any remaining doubts that there is any difference between the two major political parties. And maybe it would open up some space for outside challengers, assuming all vociferous opponents have not by that time been arrested and stuck behind barbed wire in an internment camp in the western deserts.</p>
<p>Pick a topic–the war, the economy, a two million-plus prison population, the environment, the condition of organized labor, the Bill of Rights–and can you recall any Democrat this fall having said anything suggesting that in the event Democrats recapture either the House or the Senate or both anything of consequence might occur?</p>
<p>The week before polling day the New York Times had a story about the Business Lobby’s plans to sweep away all irksome laws and regulations passed in the wake of the Enron and WorldCom scandals. Did anyone cry, “that’s just the kind of corporate villainy we need the Democrats to guard us from!” Of course not. It would be as unrealistic as to hope that a Congress controlled in both chambers by Democrats would simply vote to deny Bush the money for the war in Iraq.</p>
<p>As things stand in organized politics today a purely formal protest is the most we can hope for, and the significance of this fall’s campaign is that no one has pretended otherwise. November 25</p>
<p>There are plenty of real conspiracies in America. Why make up fake ones? Every few years, property czars and city government in New York conspire to withhold fire company responses, so that enough of a neighborhood burns down for the poor to quit and for profitable gentrification to ensue. That’s a conspiracy to commit ethnic cleansing, also murder.</p>
<p>It’s happening today in Brooklyn, even as similar ethnic cleansing and gentrification is scheduled in San Francisco. Bayview Hunters Point is the last large black community in the Bay Area, sitting on beautiful bay front property. So now it’s the time to move the black folks out. As Willie Ratcliff, publisher of Bay View writes, “If the big developers and their puppets, the mayor [Democrat Gavin Newsom] and his minions win this war, they’ll have made what may be the largest urban renewal land grab in the nation’s history: some 2,200 acres of San Francisco, the city with the highest priced land on earth.”</p>
<p>That’s a real conspiracy, even as many in the Bay Area left meander through the blind alleys of 9/11 conspiracism.</p>
<p>Machiavelli points out that every conspirator you add to the plot has less chance of preserving secrecy than the previous one. The 9/11 group in fact did tell people about their plans in various ways but the prevailing belief that Arabs couldn’t do it prevented any of the revelations from being taken seriously. The view that a bunch of Arabs with box cutters couldn’t do it was precisely the cover they needed.</p>
<p>The conspiracy virus is an old strand: The Russians couldn’t possibly build an A bomb without Commie traitors. The Russians are too dumb. Hitler couldn’t have been defeated by the Red Army marching across Eastern Europe and half Germany. Traitors let it happen. JFK couldn’t have been shot by Oswald–it had to be the CIA. There are no end to examples seeking to prove that Russians, Arabs, Viet Cong, Japanese, etc etc couldn’t possibly match the brilliance and cunning of secret cabals of white Christians. It’s all pathetic but it does save the trouble of reading and thinking.</p>
<p>We’ve given over considerable space to scrutiny of the 9/11 conspiracy mongers, because the brew of misunderstood or willfully ignored physics and surreal political caricature has been having a toxic effect on the left. It’s easy enough to proclaim one’s readiness “to speak truth to power”, as the self-regarding tag line goes. As yet, that’s not a very perilous thing to do, here in America, at least on the part of the folks who like to use the phrase. But to speak truth to people overwhelmed with a sense of powerlessness and hence ready to credit Bush and Cheney with supernatural powers of efficient evil–that’s one of our functions at CounterPunch. There’s no point in marching forward under the banner of illusions. December 19</p>
<p>The US-India nuclear cooperation act, signed by President Bush in the White House December 18, was so greased with hypocrisy that it’s a miracle his pen didn’t skid off the edge of the parchment.</p>
<p>The deal, finally struck after months of haggling with India and then in the US Congress, ends the coolness that followed India’s tests in the 1970s and 1998, and allows US firms to start shipping nuclear fuel and equipment to India’s 14 civil nuclear plants. This could allow India to divert fuel to its 12 military nuclear sector and, presumptively, to produce at least 50 extra nuclear warheads a year. What India will actually do with all those warheads is a different matter. The U.S. has about 10,000, and is never entirely sure where they all are.</p>
<p>The act signed December 18 allows rich scope for satirical comment from Iran and North Korea, countries that have, these past six years, been on the receiving end of torrents of abuse from the U.S. government for their nuclear ambitions.</p>
<p>The U.S. has been fostering relations with India for well over the past decade and a half, a period in which, as any traveler in America can attest, Gujeratis have acquired control of about 72 per cent of all American motels. Twenty years ago Indian restaurants were rare in US cities. Now connoisseurs whine about the quality of their dhosas.</p>
<p>There are plenty of enormously rich Indians and émigré organizations with clout, whose money has political weight. Visas are swiftly forthcoming for Indian engineers and start-up entrepreneurs. The hi tech sector teems with Indians. Neoliberal columnists like the ineffable Tom Friedman sound weekly carillons in the New York Times to the Indian neoliberal miracle.</p>
<p>In military-diplomatic terms the geometry is simple enough. With the old Soviet-Indian entente no longer a factor the U.S. can nourish ties to India as a counter to China and Pakistan, and browbeat the latter by conspicuously favoring India in its nuclear trade. past.</p>
<p>The nuclear industry is ecstatic. Twenty years ago it seemed headed for the graveyard. But these days, by uncritical acceptance of all wild claims about human-generated CO2 the Greens have dealt the nuclear industry any number of high cards.</p>
<p>At his press conference in Washington, DC, Bush took pains to pointout that nuclear power is a renewable source and does not produce green house gases. “Nuclear power is going to be the essential source of future electricity in the US and places like India and China.”</p>
<p>A fierce opponent of the decision to okay nuclear trading with India is Gary Milhollin, director of the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control: “If Washington does weaken export controls for everyone, which is bound to happen if it weakens them for India, it may hasten the day when a nuclear explosion destroys a US city. ” China is now also working out deals with India to supply it with nuclear technology, also with Pakistan For Iran, Russia will be the supplier of choice. Non-proliferation as a rallying cry has long seemed to me to be entirely hollow, particularly given the decades of tactful silence about Israel’s nuclear arsenal. My own view is that the NPT should be rewritten to allow each country in the U.N. at least one nuclear weapon. The cause of peace would be enhanced and hypocrisy much diminished.</p>
<p>December 28</p>
<p>Because of former New York Times reporter Judy Miller’s high profile in the WMD fabrications, the Times’ chief military correspondent, Michael Gordon, has garnered little of the criticism he richly deserves.</p>
<p>Having co-written with Miller the infamous aluminum tubes-for-nukes story of September 8, 2002, that mightily assisted the administration in its push to war, Gordon has, as a careful reading of his reports suggests,strongly pushed his own agenda in his recent reports on Iraq, so much so as to provide a significantly misleading picture of the situation on the ground there.</p>
<p>In the latter part of 2006 he became an influential journalistic agitator for a “surge” in troop strength. were necessary to stabilise Anbar.</p>
<p>Immediately after the November 7 mid-term elections, when Democrat John Murtha – an advocate of immediate withdrawal – was running for the post of House majority leader in the new Democrat-controlled Congress, Gordon rushed out two stories, which wereboth front-paged by the New York Times. In the first dispatch, November 14, headed “Get Out Now? Not So Fast, Some Experts Say” Gordon sought out the now-retired General Anthony Zinni (right) and others, who “say the situation in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq is too precarious to start thinning out the number of American troops”.</p>
<p>The next day, November 15, 2006, a second Gordon story was headlined, “General Warns of Risks in Iraq if GIs Are Cut”. Gordon cited General Abizaid’s warnings that phased withdrawal of troops would lead to an increase in sectarian violence, and that more troops might be necessary temporarily. These stories undoubtedly helped to doom Murtha’s bid.</p>
<p>By December 4, with the Iraq Study Group about to issue its report, Gordon returned to General Zinni, writing favourably of the latter’s plan for a temporary increase of troops to offset Iranian influence, suggesting that any precipitate would destabilize Middle East and leave Iraq in chaos.</p>
<p>On December 7, Gordon was at it again,flailing away at Baker and Hamilton’s report. Headline: “Will it Work on the Battlefield?” Lead: “The military recommendations issued yesterday by the Iraq Study Group are based more on hope than history and run counter to assessments made by some of its own military advisors.”</p>
<p>Precipitous withdrawal, Gordon charged, would leave Iraqi armed forces unprepared to take over security burden. Reporters with a propaganda mission can always find the mouthpieces to say what they want. Gordon’s “troop surge” campaign was particularly striking – and politically much more influential in Congress than the mad-dog ravings of the right-wing broadcasters.</p>
<p>Politicians will always be reluctant to accept the facts of life. They yearn for light at the end of the tunnel. The press’s duty is to tell them that there is no light amid the darkness, that quitting time has come. That takes courage and intelligence</p>
<p>December 23</p>
<p>A few days ago, Harry Reid, the incoming Democratic majority leader in the US Senate, went on ABC’s Sunday morning show and declared that a hike in U.S. troops in Iraq is okay with him.</p>
<p>Here’s the evolution of the Democrats’ war platform since November 7, 2006, the day the voters presented a clear mandate: “End the war! Get out of Iraq!” and took the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives away from the Republicans.</p>
<p>So somewhat to their surprise the Democrats recaptured both the Senate and the House. The first thing they did was vote down Murtha as House majority leader and pick the pro-war Steny Hoyer.</p>
<p>Then Nancy Pelosi, chose Silvestre Reyes as House Intelligence Committee chairman. Reyes promptly told Newsweek, “We’re not going to have stability in Iraq until we eliminate those militias, those private armies. We have to consider the need for additional troops to be in Iraq, to take out the militias and stabilize IraqI would say 20,000 to 30,000-for the specific purpose of making sure those militias are dismantled, working in concert with the Iraqi military.”</p>
<p>Next, the Democrats in the Senate gave unanimous confirmation to Robert Gates as defense secretary. Gates has a career record as one who slants intelligence to suit his bosses’ political agenda. House Democrats welcomed the Iraq Study Group report of James Baker and Jim Hamilton by promptly reaffirming the Palestinian Terror Bill 2006″, written by AIPAC. Then, on December 17 the Democrats’ Senate leader, Harry Reid, said it was okay with him to send more troops to Iraq.</p>
<p>[On the website of UPFJ–the prime antiwar coalition, I find the following, on December 30, “We did it! Reid Backed Down! Leading Democrats, including Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid, recently expressed support for the Bush Administration’s idea of a “troop surge” — sending as many as 30,000 more troops to Iraq. But you spoke up! And Reid backed down! He now says: “I believe we should start redeploying troops in 4 to 6 months (The Levin-Reed Plan) and complete the withdrawal of combat forces by the first quarter of 2008 (as laid out by the Iraq Study Group). The President must understand that there can only be a political solution in Iraq, and he must end our nation’s open-ended military commitment to that country. These priorities need to be coupled with a renewed diplomatic effort and regional strategy.” We thank you and our member groups, including CodePink, for taking action!”</p>
<p>Going to Harry Reid’s website, I find nothing of this. Indeed, when I typed the word Iraq into the new Senate Majority leader’s “issues” box, I received the 404 message, “Subject not found”. Experienced climbers say that from the top of Mount Reid, at least two or more positions adopted by the senator on Iraq can be espied at any one time. One can indeed favor redeployment of troops, prefaced by an exciting surge. ]</p>
<p>From the Republican defeats at the November 7 polls through to the publication of the Iraq Study Group report, there was a window for Washington to commence diplomatic operations to get out with all speed.That opportunity has almost gone. Now a decisive moment approaches. The Democratic leadership — Pelosi, Reid, Emanuel, Biden — are recommending that the Democrats in Congress vote to approve the supplemental budget appropriation early next year, probably $160 billion, which will give Bush enough money to keep the war going till he leaves town.</p>
<p>Years ago, my father used to tell me that when it came to assessing the likely policy of the British Labor Party, the best approach was to figure out the worst option available, and then proceed under the assumption that this was the course the Party would adopt. Here in the U.S. I’ve always applied this useful journalistic rule to the Democrats, with unfailing success. Never for a moment, after November 7, did I doubt that Reid and the others would do the wrong thing.</p>
<p>As we warned after the election, the role of the Democrats will be to ease through a troop increase This prediction has turned out to be 100 per cent accurate.</p>
<p>Now comes the chance to see whether the antiwar movement, the progressive Democrats, will meekly toe the line, Voices for Creative Nonviolence, joined by Veterans For Peace, have initiated the “Occupation Project” to occupy the hometown offices of Representatives and Senators who have voted money for the war.</p>
<p>So now let’s see how these Democrats, all with their eyes cocked towards 2008 and the need to hold the antiwar vote, react to the threat or the reality, of being occupied.</p>
<p>2007? This could be the year when Senator Bobby Byrd finally makes it into the White House. When the new Colngress assembles he will be president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate and thus third in line of succession if President Bush, vice President Cheney and speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi are felled by a sudden irruption of Ebola virus. No wonder Byrd favors mountain top removal.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Ahoy 2007! It Just Could Be Bobby Byrd’s Year | true | https://counterpunch.org/2006/12/30/ahoy-2007-it-just-could-be-bobby-byrd-s-year/ | 2006-12-30 | 4 |
<p>The US is a plutocratic imperial power, not a democracy, and one engaged in vast military and secret state security operations.</p>
<p>I keep reading stuff in British papers about what America’s Left must do in an election where Donald Trump “has thrown caution to the wind.” Each time I read anything along that line, invariably, I ask myself, “What Left are they talking about?” As perhaps few in Europe understand, there is no Left in the United States.</p>
<p>Bernie Sanders comes closest to being Left, but he is not only from one of the very smallest states in the Union, it is a state known for its liberal bent, something which exists in very few corners of that huge “pounding fist” of a country.</p>
<p>It would be refreshing if Sanders could win, but he cannot. The odds are completely stacked against him. I believe the unexpected force of his campaign, this man whose name was widely unknown west of New England in a campaign against someone whose name and face are, by contrast, as well known as Hershey bars, is a quiet wave of public recognition of just how repulsive a person Hillary Clinton is. It seems a miracle that he has run so well against her, sometimes beating or virtually tying her.</p>
<p>But remember, this is America we’re talking about, a plutocratic imperial power, not a democracy, and one engaged in vast military and secret state security operations. There is simply no room for a self-declared “democratic socialist.” America has no truck with socialists, even rather nice and soft ones.</p>
<p>Money counts hugely in politics, as it does in every nook and cranny of American life. An accurate motto for America might well be, “If it can’t be bought, it ain’t worth having.” Hillary is exceptionally well connected with, and financed by, the people who really count in shaping American government. Short of a tidal wave of support, any primary lead by Sanders would be stripped of delegates or would be defeated by “super-delegates” at the convention by party insiders.</p>
<p>As for Hillary being elected, nothing in my view could be a greater disaster. She has a murderous record, and I doubt she has told the truth twice in her entire life.</p>
<p>There is simply no question about her tendency to brutal violence. She pushed husband Bill on the needless war in Serbia. She advocated inside the administration for what became the Waco horror. She voted for the illegal invasion of Iraq. She ran at least part of what went on in Libya, a black operation to gather weapons and men to send to Turkey for terrorizing Syria. And we have her brutal idea of humor, complete with sneering laughter, about Gadhafi, a man who on the whole did a decent job of governing in a difficult part of the world: “We came, we saw, he died.” She supports Israel’s worst bloody excesses with a smile and regularly takes money from some of the people who work strenuously to keep them going.</p>
<p>Trump carries a great deal of heavy baggage, and has said many things with which I totally disagree, but he does not have Hillary’s record of death and destruction on a grand scale. He may often be quite unpleasant, but Hillary is almost certainly a psychopath whose narcissistic personality feels driven and entitled to be President so she can continue toying with human beings. I reject 90% of what Trump says, but I reject just about 100% of what Hillary has actually done.</p>
<p>There is one area, and a very important one, where possibly Trump can do something good for the world, and that is foreign affairs. Some of his views there are sound, sounder by far than Hillary’s. His views on matters like Syria and Russia are entirely rational and not weighed down by America’s malicious policies of the last quarter century, policies which Hillary not only supports but helped to establish and execute.</p>
<p>A vote for Hillary is a vote for more American bullying and terror in the world, and that is not in the least an exaggeration. &#160;Terror is the right word for what America has done in the Middle East: it has crashed and raged through the region, leaving it in blazes. Hillary has served as a “willing executioner” in that hellish effort.</p>
<p>If you look at the groups and individuals who are key Hillary supporters, it is a pretty grim picture. It includes many corrupt and brutal foreign governments such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and Israel, and a vast collection of gigantic international corporate special interests, even financial terrorists like the firm of Goldman Sachs who played a key role in the collapse of 2008 and who have never really been called to account for bringing so many to ruin. There is not a glimmer of genuine liberalism or democratic ideals in the people paying and easing her way, although she likes to put on her best clownishly little-girl face and claim how interested she is in the welfare of ordinary Americans at campaign stops.</p>
<p>If we could only gain some sense and rationality in America’s foreign affairs, it would be a genuine advance for the entire world. Almost certainly you have to pay a price for doing that in a place like the United States. Nothing comes free in a throbbing plutocratic power. That price may be living with Trump’s many unpleasant aspects.</p>
<p>The neocons especially see that possibility in Trump, which is why they hate him beyond telling. Already many have said really ugly things in public. And, remarkably, the word “assassination” keeps popping up in those circles. That fact alone should tell us how destructive the impact of the neocons has been upon America’s own society.</p>
<p>It would have been unthinkable fifty years ago for prominent Americans to talk or joke of assassinating a political candidate.&#160; That is how low American society has sunk during its long march with neocons, bombing, invading, promoting terrorism through proxies, and assassinating in the Middle East and in places like Ukraine—virtually all of which derives from the special influence of the neocons.</p>
<p>The political poverty of America was embarrassingly displayed in the original field of Republican candidates which resembled nothing so much as Madame Tussaud’s Chamber of Horrors. Fortunately, most of them are gone. As for Ted Cruz, the neocons’ possible “go to” man for stopping Trump, he is, just for a start, a right-wing religious wacko. There is a video of him on-line sitting at breakfast holding hands with his perfect little suburban family praying over the Sugar Pops. Staff working for Cruz include neo-con and CIA-types, and his wife is associated with Goldman Sachs. He is intellectually gifted, but many of his old associates in government say he is an extremely unpleasant man with which to work, extremely arrogant, and one not to be trusted, being given to treacherous turns. His former roommate at Princeton tells of getting e-mails from other students asking why he didn’t suffocate Cruz with a pillow while he had the chance. At least one person has commented on his resemblance to a serial killer. It would be a pretty desperate move by Republicans to try stopping Trump by loading Cruz, a man they simply don’t like, with money and influence. And I tend to feel the effort would fail in any event.</p>
<p>You get nothing free in a big, ugly place like America, so if you would like to see some end to a quarter century of brutal wars and the savage practices which have taken root under Bush/Clinton/Obama, perhaps you need to take a chance.</p>
<p>As few non-Americans realize, in domestic affairs the American President’s office is a rather weak one. It was designed to be that way. We have seen the frustration of Obama trying increasingly to govern by executive order, a pernicious practice not much different than imperial fiats, but even with that practice he has made little headway in this rigidly structured society. And no one, certainly no genuine liberal, ever can, without fundamental changes we have no reason to expect any time soon. America in its governance much resembles a giant wearing a huge, thick suit of concrete.</p>
<p>It is only in the area of military and foreign affairs that the American President has some real power, and that is an area which needs serious change. It won’t happen under bloodthirsty Hillary, loyal servant to neocon interests.</p>
<p>As far as ugly stuff like great walls or drastic changes to migration, Trump could do nothing without both houses of Congress, so they are proposals unlikely to become realities. Even on such domestic subjects, however, we do hear echoes of the neocon influence. After all, Israel has built many walls and builds more now, all on other people’s land and all of which prevent normal life for millions of others. It couldn’t be more unfair and anti-democratic, but the same people viciously attacking Trump for his proposals are the last ones to say a word about Israel’s actual practices. So those most violently attacking Trump cannot claim concerns for human decency or human rights motivate them, although they very much pretend to do so rather than being open about their real motives. Calling Trump a fascist over mere rhetoric and proposals is pretty ridiculous when we see Israel’s actual practices left unquestioned by crowds of prominent people.</p> | What Is Really at Stake in the Oddest American Election Season of a Lifetime | false | http://foreignpolicyjournal.com/2016/03/09/what-is-really-at-stake-in-the-oddest-american-election-season-of-a-lifetime/ | 2016-03-09 | 1 |
<p>A State Department spokesperson on July 18, 2017, dodged the Washington Blade’s question about why Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has yet to publicly condemn the crackdown against gay men in Chechnya. (Photo by AgnosticPreachersKid; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)</p>
<p>State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert on Tuesday did not say why Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has yet to publicly condemn the ongoing crackdown against gay men in Chechnya.</p>
<p>Nauert noted to the Washington Blade during a press briefing the State Department has urged the Russian government <a href="" type="internal">to conduct an investigation</a> into the crackdown.</p>
<p>Novaya Gazeta, an independent Russian newspaper, in April reported authorities in the semi-autonomous Russian republic in the North Caucuses have arrested more than 100 men because of their sexual orientation — or perceived sexual orientation — since the beginning of the year. At least three of these men reportedly died after their arrest, while others have been beaten and tortured and sent to secret prisons.</p>
<p>“We have called on Russia to hold a federal investigation into that matter,” Nauert told the Blade.</p>
<p>“We have those conversations at the highest levels,” she added, without providing specific details. “Human rights is something that’s very important to us. We continue to speak about that from this position here at the podium and part of my job is speaking on behalf of Secretary Tillerson and speaking on behalf of this department.”</p>
<p>U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley in April said the U.S. <a href="" type="internal">is “disturbed”</a> by the crackdown. U.S. Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) are among the dozens of members of Congress who, along with the Human Rights Campaign and other advocacy groups, <a href="" type="internal">have specifically urged Tillerson to publicly condemn it.</a></p>
<p>Tillerson — who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other Kremlin officials in Moscow in April — told Cicilline last month during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing that he has not discussed the crackdown with Russian officials. A spokesperson for the National Security Council told the Blade he “was not told” that Chechnya “came up” during President Trump’s <a href="" type="internal">meeting with Putin</a> earlier this month at the G-20 summit in Germany.</p>
<p>The State Department last week expressed concern over <a href="" type="internal">reports</a> Chechen authorities killed more than two dozen people who were arrested without charge earlier this year.</p>
<p>Tillerson in January said <a href="" type="internal">during his confirmation hearing</a> that U.S. values “don’t accommodate violence or discrimination against anyone.” The former ExxonMobil CEO declined to specifically say whether “gay rights are human rights.”</p>
<p>Tillerson in June <a href="" type="internal">issued a Pride month statement</a> that, among other things, noted “LGBTI persons continue to face the threat of violence and discrimination” around the world. Embassies and consulates also <a href="" type="internal">received guidance</a> that allowed them to recognize Pride month.</p>
<p>“While gay and bisexual men in Chechnya are being detained, tortured and murdered, this administration has failed to raise the issue with the Russian government,” Human Rights Campaign Global Director Ty Cobb told the Blade on Tuesday. “Why?”</p>
<p>Tuesday’s briefing took place against the backdrop of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov’s claim that gay people don’t exist in Chechnya.</p>
<p>“We don’t have these kinds of people here,” said Kadyrov <a href="" type="internal">during an interview with “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel”</a> that HBO is scheduled to broadcast on Tuesday. “We don’t have any gays. If there are any take them to Canada.”</p>
<p>Kadyrov also described those who have made allegations against his government as “devils” who are “for sale.”</p>
<p>“They are not people,” he told “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”</p>
<p>Nauert condemned Kadyrov’s comments.</p>
<p>“[They] were very concerning and upsetting to us,” Nauert told the Blade.</p>
<p>Kadyrov is a close ally of Putin. Trump continues to face allegations that his campaign colluded with the Russian government to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Chechnya</a> <a href="" type="internal">Donald Trump</a> <a href="" type="internal">gay</a> <a href="" type="internal">Heather Nauert</a> <a href="" type="internal">Human Rights Campaign</a> <a href="" type="internal">Ramzan Kadyrov</a> <a href="" type="internal">Sergey Lavrov</a> <a href="" type="internal">State Department</a> <a href="" type="internal">Ty Cobb</a> <a href="" type="internal">Vladimir Putin</a></p> | State Dept. dodges question about Tillerson’s silence on Chechnya | false | http://washingtonblade.com/2017/07/18/state-dept-dodges-question-tillersons-sillence-chechnya/ | 3 |
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<p>WhatsApp's new user agreement, which allows it to <a href="http://www.pcmag.com/news/347312/whatsapp-to-share-user-data-with-facebook" type="external">share user data Opens a New Window.</a> with its parent company Facebook, prompted European Union regulators this week to open antitrust investigations into the company.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The EU's data protection authority wrote an <a href="https://www.cnil.fr/sites/default/files/atoms/files/20161027_letter_of_the_chair_of_the_art_29_wp_whatsapp.pdf" type="external">open letter Opens a New Window.</a> to WhatsApp on Thursday, explaining that it has "serious concerns" over how data could be shared. The letter explains that a revision to the popular messaging app's user agreement states that WhatsApp can share user information within the "Facebook family of companies" for a range of purposes that include marketing and advertising.</p>
<p>"These changes have been introduced in contradiction with previous public statements of the two companies ensuring that no sharing of data would ever take place," according to the agency's letter. It asks WhatsApp to provide more information about what kinds of data are being shared with Facebook so that regulators can determine whether or not the sharing violates EU laws.</p>
<p>In addition to the EU, individual European countries have also expressed concern about the changes. Italy's antitrust regulator opened a probe into whether or not the data sharing is "unfair" to users, according to <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-antitrust-whatsapp-idUSKCN12S21T?feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=technologyNews&amp;utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtechnologyNews+%28Reuters+Technology+News%29" type="external">Reuters Opens a New Window.</a>. WhatsApp faces a maximum fine of approximately $5.5 million if the investigation finds the data sharing violates Italian law.</p>
<p>A WhatsApp spokesperson <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/eu-issues-data-protection-warning-to-whatsapp-yahoo-1477647543" type="external">told the Wall Street Journal Opens a New Window.</a>that the company is working with regulators to address their concerns.</p>
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<p>In a separate letter to Yahoo this week, European authorities also requested more information about the company's <a href="http://www.pcmag.com/news/348095/report-yahoo-to-confirm-data-breach-affecting-200m-account" type="external">recent data breach Opens a New Window.</a> and revelations that it scanned customers' incoming emails at the request of US intelligence services, the Journal reports. Yahoo has <a href="http://www.pcmag.com/news/348467/report-yahoo-scanned-customer-emails-for-the-feds" type="external">denied the scanning Opens a New Window.</a>, saying that it interprets every government request for user data "to minimize disclosure."</p>
<p>This article <a href="http://www.pcmag.com/news/349144/eu-investigates-whatsapps-data-sharing-policies" type="external">originally appeared Opens a New Window.</a> on <a href="http://www.pcmag.com" type="external">PCMag.com Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | EU Investigates WhatsApp's Data-Sharing Policies | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2016/10/28/eu-investigates-whatsapp-data-sharing-policies.html | 2016-10-28 | 0 |
<p>Talk about value investing. A 2006 Cadillac owned by billionaire Warren Buffett has been auctioned for more than $122,000 - about ten times its current worth.</p>
<p>Buffett offered his car for sale on the website Proxibid, specifying that the money would be donated to the nonprofit Girls Inc. of Omaha. The auction website says the car, valued at about $12,000 went for a final bid of $122,500.</p>
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<p>The metallic beige DTS sedan has just 20,310 miles and has Buffett's autograph on the dashboard.</p>
<p>Buffett has offered to hand over the keys personally to the winning bidder if that person is willing to travel to Omaha to pick up the car.</p>
<p>The last time Buffett's car was auctioned, the 2001 Lincoln drew $73,200 - well above its book value of $11,200.</p> | Billionaire Warren Buffett's 2006 Cadillac worth about $12,000 fetches $122,500 at auction | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2015/02/21/billionaire-warren-buffett-2006-cadillac-worth-about-12000-fetches-122500-at.html | 2016-03-09 | 0 |
<p>Flickr/ <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/samsungtomorrow/8146831564" type="external">SamsungTomorrow</a> ( <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/" type="external">CC-BY-NC-SA</a>)</p>
<p>A startlingly vigilant new television by Samsung, the SmartTV, monitors what people say through a voice activation feature and, as it’s handily interfacing with the Internet, might just share that information with third parties.</p>
<p>So yes — essentially, it’s eavesdropping, although it’s not that its corporate sponsor doesn’t warn consumers. A recent report by <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/05/your-samsung-smarttv-is-spying-on-you-basically.html" type="external">The Daily Beast</a> about this nosy piece of entertainment equipment looked into Samsung’s privacy policy, which states, “Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party.”</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-31296188" type="external">BBC</a> reported that once the story gained traction:</p>
<p />
<p>… an activist for the EFF circulated the policy statement on Twitter comparing it to George Orwell’s description of the telescreens in his novel 1984 that listen to what people say in their homes.</p>
<p>In response to the widespread sharing of its policy statement, Samsung has issued a statement to clarify how voice activation works. It emphasised that the voice recognition feature is activated using the TV’s remote control.</p>
<p>It said the privacy policy was an attempt to be transparent with owners in order to help them make informed choices about whether to use some features on its Smart TV sets, adding that it took consumer privacy “very seriously.”</p>
<p>So, as long as SmartTV owners remember to deactivate that component every single time, then no problem. Or they might just think up some creative messages they could relay to Samsung and other third parties through this innovative feature. Just a suggestion.</p>
<p>— Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Donald Kaufman.</a></p> | Samsung's SmartTV Is Smart Enough to Spy on Its Owners | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/samsungs-smarttv-is-smart-enough-to-spy-on-its-owners/ | 2015-02-10 | 4 |
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<p>Image source: Dave &amp; Buster's.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Dave &amp; Buster's (NASDAQ: PLAY)has been bucking the "restaurant recession" all year long. Shares of the "eatertainment" leader have soared 34% in 2016, and that was before SunTrust initiated coverage of the chain with a buy rating last night.</p>
<p>SunTrust's price target of $68 implies another 21% of upside from here. Factor in the stock's 53% surge in 2015 -- its first full year on the market since its late 2014 IPO -- and you have a stock that has been reborn as a growth stock darling in its latest incarnation as a public company.</p>
<p>There are a few reasons to feel that that Dave &amp; Buster's will deliver double-digit percentage growth again for investors in the year ahead. Let's go over a few reasons whythe company behind big-box restaurants that combine casual dining, sports bars, and massive high-tech gaming arcades will win again in 2017.</p>
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<p>Dave &amp; Buster's runs high-volume eateries, and over the past year, it has grown from 77 to 88 locations. It's not going to slow down in 2017, aiming to open another 11 or 12 units.</p>
<p>This isn't a small-box concept where several locations can exist within the same market. Dave &amp; Buster's won't have the same kind of ceiling as smaller lower volume eateries. The peak will be in the hundreds, not thousands. However, we're not there yet -- and we haven't even considered the international appeal. We're eyeing double-digit percentage growth for the next few years.</p>
<p>The popularity of Dave &amp; Buster's is undeniable. Comps soared 5.9% in its latest quarter, and that's no fluke. The chain has beaten the competitive casual-dining benchmark for 18 consecutive quarters.</p>
<p>Dave &amp; Buster's was born after a restaurant owner and bar owner noticed that patrons of one concept would frequent the other. They teamed up, creating a mammoth restaurant where bar games and other high-tech diversions entertain customers between bites and sips.</p>
<p>Dave &amp; Buster's is unique. Less than half of its money is generated from food and beverages, 44% in its latest quarter to be exact. The balance of its net sales are generated from high-margin video games and other entertainment offerings. An arcade or a restaurant on its own would be a risky proposition, but combined, they create the built-in audience for the other part of the model's business.</p>
<p>It's not a coincidence that serial market thumpers when it comes to earnings expectations also crank out big stock gains. Dave &amp; Buster's has now delivered nine quarters as a public company, and every single time it has blown Wall Street profit targets out of the water.</p>
<p>Data source: Yahoo! Finance.</p>
<p>The last quarter was a <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/12/07/3-reasons-why-dave-busters-is-bucking-the-restaura.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">thing of beauty Opens a New Window.</a>. Net income more than doubled. Dave &amp; Buster's landed 79% ahead of where the pros were parked.</p>
<p>If you think a restaurant stock climbing 34% so far this year is impressive, keep in mind that net income has soared 73% through the first nine months of the year. Dave &amp; Buster's has more than lived up to expectations, yet earnings continue to grow faster than its stock price. In short, the stock is cheaper now -- with a lower trailing earnings multiple -- than it was when the year began. After another four quarters of beating Wall Street through 2016, the stock heads into the new year in great shape.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Dave and Buster's Entertainment When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
<p>David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the <a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-dyn%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=035a8486-c6e0-405a-a940-029fe2b7a231&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks Opens a New Window.</a> for investors to buy right now... and Dave and Buster's Entertainment wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
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<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of Nov. 7, 2016</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFBreakerRick/info.aspx" type="external">Rick Munarriz Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Dave and Buster's Entertainment. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=isiedilnk018048&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/motley.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 3 Reasons Why Dave & Buster's Will Keep Winning in 2017 | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/12/21/3-reasons-why-dave-buster-will-keep-winning-in-2017.html | 2016-12-21 | 0 |
<p>When the New School for Social Research presented Ted Katsaros at its labormanagement luncheon last December, it was recognizing, somewhat belatedly, the union reformer. Just 20 years ago, the same luncheon series featured A.J. Hayes's, then president of the Machinists union and chairman of the AFL-CIO Ethical Practices Committee, who lectured on high policy from a lofty plane. Meanwhile, he was expelling two union reformers in Tool- and Diemakers Lodge 113 in Chicago, Machinists who had led a three-year battle for democracy. Hayes imposed a trusteeship over the lodge for over two years to prevent the rebels from ousting an officialdom accused of financial malpractices by the international's own auditor. That was back in 1958. The trusteeship and the expulsions would be illegal under the current federal law that went into effect in 1959, too late to save Hayes's victims. Now, inching along with the times, the New School brought Katsaros, young, intelligent, articulate, the effective leader of a resolute opposition in Teamsters Local 282 (New York.</p>
<p>Katsaros reports that huge sums have been extracted from the union and its insurance funds by a series of devices, legal, semilegal, and illegal: kickbacks, extortion, finder's fees, real estate deals, commissions. And he tells about murder, beatings and intimidation: the whole register of offenses exposed long ago at the McClellan hearings but still fresh and current.</p>
<p /> | Growth of Reform Among the Teamsters | true | https://dissentmagazine.org/article/growth-of-reform-among-the-teamsters | 4 |
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<p>On Sunday, a cohort of Pakistani imams passed a religious decree, or fatwa, sanctioning transgender marriage for those that have begun the gender transition process and display “visible signs” of being male or female. Those without any “visible signs” may not marry.</p>
<p>“The 50 clerics, part of the little-known Tanzeem Ittehad-i-Ummat body based in Lahore, also said any act intended to ‘humiliate, insult or tease’ transgender individuals should be considered a crime under Islam,” <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36648141" type="external">reports</a> the BBC.</p>
<p>The fatwa comes as basic civil rights legislation in Pakistan fails to protect the vast majority of actual women against domestic violence and abuse.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Three weeks ago</a>, a barbaric horde of Pakistani villagers surrounded an 18-year-old girl, beating her mercilessly and then setting her on fire after she declined a marriage proposal from her male suitor. Maria Abbasi, the deceased young woman, was a schoolteacher, responsible for molding the minds of children in notoriously-undereducated northeastern Pakistan. The attack wasn’t a simple execution. After beating her half to death, the villagers pinned the 18-year-old down and drizzled petrol all over her flailing body. Then they set her on fire until she burnt to a crisp. The mob left her body for dead, their zealotry blinding them to the fact that she was still alive.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Two weeks ago</a>, a Pakistani mother burned her own daughter alive for marrying somebody the family did not approve of. Parveen Rafiq <a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/06/08/pakistani-woman-burns-daughter-alive-because-she-married-against-familys-wishes/" type="external">reportedly</a> confessed to pouring kerosene on her 18-year old daughter, Zeenat, before setting her body on fire. Rafiq called on her son, Ahmar (the victim’s own brother) to help her tie her daughter to a bedpost to make sure the execution was carried out successfully.</p>
<p>Honor killings are pervasive in the more devout Islamic religious communities of Pakistan as village elders and family members exercise full control over the lives of young women in their domain.</p>
<p>But leave it to Pakistan’s generous clerics to flex their “progressive” bonafides and support marriage for a ridiculously small portion of the population. Likely out of a desire to appeal to Western sensibilities and shore up aid money, Pakistan has attempted to “liberalize” negligible elements of its legal system to have something to point to when critics shed light on human rights violations like honor killings.</p>
<p>“In 2012, Pakistan's Supreme Court declared equal rights for transgender citizens, including the right to inherit property and assets,” explains the BBC. “They were also given the right to vote the year before.”</p>
<p>One would think that all the “progressive” legal advancements for Pakistan’s transgender community is keeping them safe and protected. Wrong. What’s legislated into law is very different than the day-to-day practices on the streets.</p>
<p>Make no mistake, transgender individuals in Pakistan are targeted without mercy by the country’s Muslim devotees. Very rarely do the police step in and stop the abuse. <a href="" type="internal">One week ago</a>, a transgender person was shot multiple times in northwest Pakistan after getting harassed and nearly raped by armed men who broke into the individual's home. The attackers aggressively demanded sexual favors from the victim. The victim refused. The attackers then shot the victim numerous times.</p>
<p>Perhaps the transgender community in Pakistan deserve some basic human rights protections before opportunistic Islamic imams begin issuing fatwas on marriage.</p> | Pakistani Imams Okay Transgender Marriage As Transgenders And Women Are Savagely Murdered By Muslim Devotees | true | https://dailywire.com/news/7011/pakistani-imams-okay-transgender-marriage-michael-qazvini | 2016-06-28 | 0 |
<p>Auto maker is operating too many U.S. plants, which saddles it with higher fixed costs</p>
<p>This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (October 10, 2017).</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Despite its drastic downsizing a decade ago under a federally funded bailout and bankruptcy restructuring, General Motors Co. again finds itself with too many U.S. factories that can turn out too many vehicles.</p>
<p>But as GM considers how to trim the excess capacity, which saddles the company with higher fixed costs, it faces a tricky political factor: President Donald Trump's insistence that auto makers assemble more of their vehicles in America and not in lower-cost plants elsewhere.</p>
<p>This year through August, GM built about 7% more vehicles at its North American plants than rival Ford Motor Co. but used about one-third more assembly plants to do so, according WardsAuto.com.</p>
<p>GM's factory-utilization rate in North America averaged 95.1% over the past two years, below Ford's 111.9% and Toyota's 101.4%, Wards data shows. (Rates can exceed 100% when factories work a third shift or schedule overtime work on weekends.)</p>
<p>GM's sprawling factory here in Orion Township, a suburb north of Detroit, is a glaring example of the company's predicament. It makes the slow-selling Chevrolet Sonic subcompact and the new Bolt electric model, for which GM has modest though undisclosed sales goals.</p>
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<p>One recent afternoon, workers filed into the parking lot a few minutes after the day's sole production shift ended -- a rarity in an industry that often runs its factories dawn-till-dusk or even around the clock to boost their efficiency.</p>
<p>GM recently lowered production at Orion by 20%, resulting in 100 lost jobs, said people familiar with the matter. GM declined to quantify the cuts but confirmed it is making fewer Sonics.</p>
<p>"The Bolt is hanging in there, which is good," Henrietta Holland, an Orion factory worker, said after her shift. "But we are worried" about job security. "We feel like we should be getting another product."</p>
<p>Factory-utilization rates typically measure how much production capacity a plant uses, based on a 16-hour workday. GM says its utilization rate is 100% on average when its round-the-clock truck and sport-utility vehicle lines are figured in with the relatively sleepy factories making cars.</p>
<p>While GM has boosted its U.S. employment by more than 6,000 factory jobs since 2010, it also has bulked up production in Mexico for export to the U.S. under the North American Free Trade Agreement. It recently started making two popular crossover SUV models south of the border, and for years has imported large pickup trucks from there.</p>
<p>GM has no plans to construct new U.S. factories, and executives in recent years have weighed closing at least two existing ones, according to people familiar with the matter.</p>
<p>Some of the low usage of its U.S. plants stems from a decision GM made a number of years ago to revitalize its lineup of sedans and coupes, including a new Chevy Malibu that has garnered glowing reviews from critics. But in the past few years, low gasoline prices prompted millions of Americans to gravitate from passenger cars to less-fuel-efficient SUVs and pickup trucks.</p>
<p>To be sure, all auto makers have been grappling with the dramatic consumer shift. Less than 10 years ago, passenger cars accounted for roughly half of U.S. vehicle purchases at retail. Last month, cars accounted for a record low of 35%, according to J.D. Power.</p>
<p>While leaving some GM plants with unused capacity, this switch has boosted the company's bottom line. Its plants that build the highly profitable Chevrolet Silverado pickup, for instance, are working overtime, which helped GM earn a record $12.5 billion operating profit in 2016. GM's stock price has hit a multiyear high.</p>
<p>Chief Executive Mary Barra, a GM lifer of more than three decades who once roamed the factory floors as a plant manager, must contend with the capacity glut at the same time the company is making costly investments in electric cars and self-driving vehicles.</p>
<p>GM said it is working to "drive further improvements" in its plant utilization, including adding crossover SUVs to more factory lines. A plant in the Kansas City area that now makes only the Malibu is scheduled to begin assembling a small Cadillac SUV by late 2018. But such a switch-over typically takes car makers several years of lead time, to order and install new assembly-line equipment and tooling.</p>
<p>GM operates 17 vehicle-assembly plants in North America, after closing several during its bankruptcy. Most, except for five that operate around the clock to build trucks and SUVs, have ample unused capacity.</p>
<p>GM's Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, the lone factory in the auto maker's hometown, in 1999 cranked out more than 200,000 Cadillacs and Buicks. It will likely make around 80,000 vehicles this year.</p>
<p>Compared with competitors, GM has a larger number of plants that make only cars. That has forced GM to make more drastic moves when adjusting production toward trucks and SUVs. It has cut nearly 3,000 jobs since late last year, leaving many U.S. factories on reduced schedules.</p>
<p>GM has more leeway to cut factory workers under more flexible terms under its recent contracts with unionized workers. It pays less in unemployment benefits and uses more temporary workers who aren't due money when they are let go.</p>
<p>GM can "react to market dynamics and take costs out more aggressively compared with past [economic] cycles," company finance chief Chuck Stevens told analysts last year.</p>
<p>Some analysts expect Ms. Barra will make aggressive moves with underused plants, after showing a willingness to ditch unprofitable operations in Europe and elsewhere that other GM executives had long tolerated.</p>
<p>"I would expect to see GM make some bold moves on their car lineup," said Jeff Schuster, an analyst at research firm LMC Automotive.</p>
<p>Write to Mike Colias at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>October 10, 2017 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)</p> | GM Wrestles With Excess Capacity -- WSJ | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/10/10/gm-wrestles-with-excess-capacity-wsj0.html | 2017-10-10 | 0 |
<p>Certain movies cannot be reviewed indifferently. The critics simply have too much invested in their directors to acknowledge that, past performances to the contrary nothwithstanding, their latest effort has to rank somewhere between a disappointment and a disaster. Such is the case with Paul Thomas Anderson’s “ <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1560747/" type="external">The Master</a>.” His previous films, which include “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia” and the terrific “There Will Be Blood,” gave reason to hope that Anderson, still in his early 40s, was the major young talent that American movies have been yearning for (seemingly for decades). There is no reason to abandon that hope now. But the fact remains that “The Master” is an inert film, and that the chief pleasure it affords is watching it make the reviewers squirm.</p>
<p>They say all the right, respectful things about it — at some level they are greeting it as a masterwork and there are plenty of pull quotes in their prose — but there is something dutiful in their work, too. Their hearts aren’t really in the job, and one sometimes gets the feeling that may be true of Anderson’s as well — that his perfectly all right, but not highly original, idea dies as he struggles with it.</p>
<p>He presents us with an angry, hard-drinking soldier named Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) drifting around in the aftermath of World War II, looking for a cause or a character he can attach himself to, give some sort of meaning to his life. What he finds is a fellow named Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an affable evangelist, who is said to be somewhat based on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Dodd is in the process of founding something he calls The Cause and Quell signs on with him as muscle, drinking buddy and general factotum. Many years are spent together in genteel wrangling before Quell finally frees himself of this boring attachment. You don’t get the impression that The Cause is ever going to achieve the power and mystery of Scientology. It remains pretty much a mom and pop operation. And Hoffman, in what seems to me a radically miscalculated performance, is dull as last month’s holy water.</p>
<p>There has to be danger in evangelism, a threat to established religious and even the social order. There’s not a particularly rich movie tradition in “hot spieling,” as it was called in Frank Capra’s 1931 film “The Miracle Woman” or in Richard Brooks’ “Elmer Gantry” of 1960, but those movies had danger in them, a sense that at any moment things could go radically awry.</p>
<p />
<p>I know that Anderson has other matters on his mind, but the good nature of Hoffman’s performance, its sheer blandness, robs this film of dramatic intensity, of supense. Who wants an evangelist who is from time to time a song and dance man and a jokester? There’s no menace to the man and, for that matter, none to Phoenix’s rants. They are ships passing in the night. Or maybe acting –boisterously on the one hand, recessively on the other — in two different movies.</p>
<p>We want — well, all right, I want — this movie to snarl at us from the street corners, to be in conflict with society as well as with its own intentions. Are these people really serious? Or are they just another cult, doomed, as most of them are, to irrelevance? In any case, “The Master” is a missed opportunity. Evangelism is still with us, of course, but it has taken new forms these days and in the antique manner it is presented here, it has no alarm, no real bite. Honestly, we want the kind of grand scale star acting that Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster brought to those lively, edgy movies of the past.</p>
<p>On the one hand solemn, on the other frenzied, this picture never finds a true line to follow. And one leaves it thinking that perhaps we should not bestow auteur status on directors prematurely. For God’s sake, this is only Anderson’s sixth movie, in what is a very promising career. He does not need the burden of perfection imposed upon him every time he releases a film. And the critics don’t need to groan under the weight of doing so. Time enough later for grand retrospectives. Meantime, they might just call the pictures as they see them, bearing in mind that flops, too, have their instructive possibilities. And that there is no need to mislead the public when, regrettably but inevitably, the facts are otherwise.</p> | Paul Thomas Anderson's Cult of Personality | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/paul-thomas-andersons-cult-of-personality/ | 2012-09-18 | 4 |
<p>At a recent Democrats Abroad party here, about 50 people�half American ex-pats, half Germans�celebrate Obama's lead in the polls. The piano player, a German, said she decided to play the gig for free because she likes Obama that much. Under Bush, Germany has felt ignored, especially with regard to the war in Iraq. But the piano player says Obama's minority status also makes him appealing. She says it gives her hope that American politics will somehow be transformed. This journalist says this expectation is common among Germans, and he says Germans see black people as people who carry oppression and now that a black man is running for president, it represents hope in the U.S. but most Germans say they're not ready for the same of their leaders. There are more than 2 million Turks in Germany but only a handful hold political office. Among that handful is this woman who came to Berlin from Turkey when she was two years old. She says Turks in Germany have no equivalent of Barack. She says German society has historically excluded foreigners. She points out that Turks have only been in Germany for about 50 years, far less than African-Americans in America. But religion also holds Turks back�most Turks are Muslim and fear of Islam is high at the moment in Germany.</p> | Obstacles for minorities in German elections | false | https://pri.org/stories/2008-10-22/obstacles-minorities-german-elections | 2008-10-22 | 3 |
<p>BRIDGTON, Maine (AP) — A Maine animal rescue group says it has raised enough money to save a 15-year-old pony that lost part of its penis due to cancer and frostbite.</p>
<p>Bridgton-based Animal Rescue Unit took over care of the pony that was suffering from cancer and infection. Brogan Horton said temperatures plummeting to 25 below exacerbated the problem, causing part of the animal’s flesh to break off during an examination.</p>
<p>The animal, named Richard, will be spared from being euthanized thanks to a <a href="https://www.youcaring.com/arumyhreclinic-1066057" type="external">fundraising campaign</a> that surpassed its goal of raising $4,000 for care, including reconstruction.</p>
<p>Horton said the pony will be transferred to an animal hospital on Friday and the surgery will take place Monday. She said the goal is for the pony to live the remainder of its life pain-free.</p>
<p>BRIDGTON, Maine (AP) — A Maine animal rescue group says it has raised enough money to save a 15-year-old pony that lost part of its penis due to cancer and frostbite.</p>
<p>Bridgton-based Animal Rescue Unit took over care of the pony that was suffering from cancer and infection. Brogan Horton said temperatures plummeting to 25 below exacerbated the problem, causing part of the animal’s flesh to break off during an examination.</p>
<p>The animal, named Richard, will be spared from being euthanized thanks to a <a href="https://www.youcaring.com/arumyhreclinic-1066057" type="external">fundraising campaign</a> that surpassed its goal of raising $4,000 for care, including reconstruction.</p>
<p>Horton said the pony will be transferred to an animal hospital on Friday and the surgery will take place Monday. She said the goal is for the pony to live the remainder of its life pain-free.</p> | Fundraiser saves pony who lost penis to cancer, frostbite | false | https://apnews.com/87e368af880f48d292d913c18051d317 | 2018-01-17 | 2 |
<p />
<p>That’s the real issue this time,” he said. “Beating Nixon.&#160; It’s hard to even guess how much damage those bastards will do if they get in for another four years.”</p>
<p>The argument was familiar, I had even made it myself, here and there, but I was beginning to sense something very depressing about it.&#160; How many more of these goddamn elections are we going to have to write off as lame, but “regrettably necessary” holding actions?&#160; And how many more of these stinking double-downer sideshows will we have to go through before we can get ourselves straight enough to put together some kind of national election that will give me and the at least 20 million people I tend to agree with a chance to vote for something, instead of always being faced with that old familiar choice between the lesser of two evils?</p>
<p>Now with another one of these big bogus showdowns looming down on us, I can already pick up the stench of another bummer.&#160; I understand, along with a lot of other people, that the big thing this year is Beating Nixon.&#160; But that was also the big thing, as I recall, twelve years ago in 1960 – and as far as I can tell, we’ve gone from bad to worse to rotten since then, and the outlook is for more of the same.</p>
<p>—Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ’72</p>
<p>Another bummer indeed. It’s been nearly four and a half decades since His Majesty, Dr. Gonzo, wrote those words…and my oh my has the rot turned putrid, the stench overwhelming.</p>
<p>Were it only the fact that a corporate imperialist sociopath and a raving pseudo-fascist gasbag are competing to become the Murderer-in-Chief, one could simply retreat to the friendly confines of the Hobson’s Choice Inn.&#160; There, among the carpets and curtains carrying the stains of elections past, one would watch the political circus in peace while doing the work of organizing against both Tweedle Bum and Tweedle Bummer.</p>
<p>But this time, there’s something even more sinister afoot, something far worse than mere cardboard cutouts in formal dress. No, this time it’s the pompous arrogance and vacuous prattling of “leftists,” “anti-imperialists,” and other assorted mental contortionists doing their damnedest to browbeat everyone within earshot (eyeshot?) that THIS TIME it’s important!</p>
<p>“How can you sit aside so smug and allow the fascist Trump to win? You’re being irresponsible,” they chirp.</p>
<p>“How can you attack Trump and let the Warmongering Witch of the West become President? You know what she’ll do,” they drone.</p>
<p>And the response to the denizens of both camps remains the same: If you’re not opposing both Janus faces of Dillary Crump while working to guillotine the many-headed hydra of the ruling class, then what the hell are you really doing?&#160; Oh, right, I forgot – this is all “strategic,” it’s about avoiding a calamity by accepting a disaster.&#160; I’m sure the children of Libya or Muslim-American and Mexican-American immigrants will understand as they are crushed under the bus beneath which they were thrown by a “progressive left” so quick to speak for them.</p>
<p>But perhaps it might be useful for the Left, of which I consider myself a part, to reflect on just what the sort of ‘sophisticated’ and ‘pragmatic’ politics of lesser evilism hath wrought: the continued evisceration of the working class by both the red team and blue team of the single ruling party, perpetual war for profit and Empire, an immutable rightward drift that makes Richard Nixon look like Eugene Debs, and a parasitical ruling class of finance capital whose greatest trick has been convincing the people that it doesn’t rule them.</p>
<p>And where are the victories?&#160; What can we point to as the great breakthrough justifying the tactical vote?&#160; [crickets]…[a single tumbleweed rolls along an empty desert landscape]</p>
<p>Have we seen anything but an acceleration of the worst aspects of imperialism and capitalism?&#160; The climate is in crisis and we’re told by leftist royalty like the great Noam Chomsky that we should <a href="" type="internal">vote for Clinton</a> because she at least recognizes the peril of climate change while Trump wants to put a lump of coal in Pachamama’s stockings.&#160; But the obvious question then becomes: so what?</p>
<p>So what Clinton pays lip service to the global threat? She was an ardent supporter of the “ <a href="http://theamericanenergynews.com/markham-on-energy/dnc-platform" type="external">All of the above</a>” energy policy of Obama while <a href="" type="internal">promoting fracking around the world</a>, taking massive <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaign-updates/hillary-clintons-connection-oil-gas-industry/" type="external">campaign donations from energy industry lobbyists</a>, and tacitly <a href="" type="internal">supporting</a> the construction and expansion of the Keystone XL pipeline until it became politically untenable (thanks in no small part to the Bernie Sanders campaign).&#160; And, of course, who could forget the votes she cast in <a href="" type="internal">support for expanded offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico</a>, a shameful vote which directly contributed to the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010.</p>
<p>I suppose the question should be asked of Chomsky: Is a begrudging vote for Hillary to be cast solely on the grounds of her having appropriately progressive and focus-grouped talking points?&#160; It seems that’s just about the size of it. So then the inevitable follow-up question would be: Why f*cking bother rewarding her for knowing the importance of lying well?</p>
<p>And how about that pesky little World War III problem?&#160; I can almost hear the “Oh, don’t exaggerate…Hillary doesn’t want to start a war with nuclear-armed Russia” cries from the tastemakers of the liberal unintelligentsia.&#160; Well, let’s allow the Queen of Chaos to speak for herself.&#160; In a raving, Strangelovian speech given before the mouth-breathing jingos of the American Legion, Clinton explained:</p>
<p>We need to respond to evolving threats, from states like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea…We need a military that is ready and agile so that it can meet the full range of threats — and operate on short notice across every domain — not just land, sea, air, and space, but also cyber space…You’ve seen reports — Russia has hacked into a lot of things, China has hacked into a lot of things —&#160;Russia even hacked into the Democratic National Committee! Maybe even some state election systems, so we’ve gotta step up our game…Make sure we are well defended and able to take the fight to those who go after us. As president I will make it clear that we will treat cyberattacks just like any other attack…We will be ready with serious political, economic, and military responses.</p>
<p>Did anyone else feel a shiver run down their spine, as I did?&#160; Clinton literally advocates for war with Russia, arguing that a cyberattack which may, or may not, have originated in Russia be treated as an act of war.&#160; Nuclear-armed Russia should expect a military response from the United States over allegations of hacking?&#160; It’s sort of a pot calling the kettle black and trying to smash it with a goddamn sledgehammer kind of situation.</p>
<p>Now, of course, there are plenty of good people on the Left – Adolph Reed, Noam Chomsky, Arun Gupta, and many others – arguing that Clinton is a necessary evil to block Trump from bringing to fruition a full-fledged fascist movement that would have dire ramifications for social justice movements.&#160; And there is undeniably an element of truth in that.</p>
<p>However, the wisdom of the logic relies on a false premise: Trump represents an existential threat while Hillary does not.&#160; This basic assumption is undeniably flawed as global war with countries like Russia and China is indeed one of the great threats to humanity; this is precisely what Clinton’s belligerent foreign policy leads toward.&#160; And there was a time when anti-war still was synonymous with Left activism.&#160; What happened that we are now told that the pro-war position is necessary in order to stop, er, um, fascism?&#160; How far we’ve fallen.</p>
<p>Trump: The Fascist “Anti-Imperialist”</p>
<p>In the unending search for the most imbecilic political logic, one comes across that rare breed of obtuse ignoramus who suggests that Trump is the anti-imperialist’s choice.&#160; If that word has any meaning left today – something that is very much open for debate given recent developments – its application to Donald Trump is about as appropriate as referring to Clinton as the anti-fascist’s choice.</p>
<p>Trump doesn’t mean no more imperial wars; he simply means no more pretending our wars aren’t imperial.&#160; He’s not for ending the wars, but rather fighting them with the nakedly neo-colonial intentions made overt that Clinton would only secretly share over candlelit dinners with Huma Abedin, Madeleine Albright, and Mephistopheles.&#160; With people like Walid Phares, Michael Flynn, and Keith Kellogg as <a href="" type="internal">advisers</a>, Trump will retain a pro-Israel imperial policy in the Middle East while <a href="" type="internal">advocating for NATO’s expanded mission of counter-terrorism</a>.&#160; Oh, excuse me, Trump wants Denmark to pay “it’s fair share” of NATO costs – pardon me while I release to the heavens a flight of doves in his honor.</p>
<p>What anti-imperialist isn’t enamored with a candidate who calls for a full <a href="" type="internal">military invasion of Syria and Iraq</a>" And, of course, there’s no connection whatever between imperialism, colonialism and white supremacy, right"&#160; Trump can spout the most virulently racist filth heard in US politics since George Wallace and Barry Goldwater went on a Tinder date to the Old Ebbitt Grill, and yet these anti-imperial mannequins swear up and down that Trump is an enemy of the Empire.&#160; Even his complimentary reach-around to Bibi <a href="" type="internal">Netanyahu</a> isn’t enough to shake the cobwebs from the faux anti-imperial noodleheads of the commentariat. Sigh.</p>
<p>And so, where does this leave us on the Left?&#160; Everyone wants to bludgeon leftists into supporting Clinton to stop Trump using the familiar cudgel of “necessary evil”, while offering little to no additional direction other than “once the election is over we will…”&#160; Yeaaaaaah, that’s worked out well for us thus far.</p>
<p>Others secretly root for Trump to upset the apple cart and open a space for the Left, conveniently forgetting that the Left remains a fractured and disunited bloc while the fascist right grows in strength and organization every day.&#160; And commentators of the Left rush to tell their readers and fellow travelers that THIS or THAT is what they should do.</p>
<p>I’ve got an idea. How about we take a breath, drink/smoke/snort something nice and strong, close our eyes and listen close to hear the echoes of Dr. Gonzo reverberating off the walls of the Left echo chamber:</p>
<p>“Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously.”</p>
<p>Or, if that’s just too droll:</p>
<p>“In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity.”</p> | Stop Trump! Stop Clinton!! Stop the Madness (and Let Me Get Off)! | true | https://counterpunch.org/2016/09/28/stop-trump-stop-clinton-stop-the-madness-and-let-me-get-off/ | 2016-09-28 | 4 |
<p>Image from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/28/airports-us-immigration-ban-muslim-countries-trump" type="external">The Gaurdian</a></p>
<p>Dozens of Muslim immigrants were detained at airports across the country on Saturday after President Trump signed an executive order banning travel into the U.S. from seven majority-Muslim nations. It is clear that Trump intends to carry out, to the best of his ability, his racist and draconian campaign promise to ban Muslim immigrants from entering the country. At the same time, he has suggested that he would allow Christian refugees from these countries to enter.</p>
<p>Trump's order and today's detention of Muslim immigrants, nearly all of whom reportedly hold U.S. green cards or visas, has sparked outrage across the country. Hundreds of people have mobilized in only a few hours' time to airports in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and elsewhere to demand the release of all detainees and an end to Trump's Muslim ban. Demonstrators shouted "Let them in!" and held signs reading "No Ban. No Wall" and "Refugees Welcome."</p>
<p>The protests have already won a partial victory. Saturday night, a federal judge issued an injunction that would prevent the deportation of the detainees the time being. However, the court order is expected to affect only 100-200 Muslims who are currently detained in the U.S. It does not affect the ban on the thousands of Muslim refugees and immigrants who are currently abroad.</p>
<p>In an show of solidarity with detainees, New York taxi drivers held a one-hour work stoppage, refusing to pick up any passengers at JFK. While still limited in scope, the drivers showed that worker solidarity will be critical to a successful fightback against Trump's reactionary campaign against Muslims and immigrants.</p>
<p>Related</p>
<p><a href="Muslim-Rights" type="external">Muslim Rights</a>&#160;&#160;&#160;/&#160;&#160;&#160; <a href="immigrant-workers" type="external">immigrant workers</a>&#160;&#160;&#160;/&#160;&#160;&#160; <a href="Donald-Trump" type="external">Donald Trump</a>&#160;&#160;&#160;/&#160;&#160;&#160; <a href="United-States" type="external">United States</a></p> | Workers and Activists Fight Back Against Detentions of Muslims | true | https://leftvoice.org/Workers-and-Activists-Fight-Back-Against-Detentions-of-Muslims | 2017-01-29 | 4 |
<p><a href="" type="internal" />MIAMI — Miami-Dade County met this week to consider a ban on “ex-gay conversion” therapy, a practice that is already banned in Miami Beach, the city of Miami and West Palm Beach, the <a href="http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/miami-dade-county-may-ban-gay-conversion-therapy-9484598" type="external">Miami New Times</a> reports.</p>
<p>The county’s ban was first proposed in late May by Commissioner Sally Heyman and co-sponsored Levine Cava and Audrey Edmonson; this week’s hearing was to be the second of three votes before a full airing for the commission. Heyman says if the bill passes, “other cities will hopefully follow.”</p>
<p>The bill would fine anyone who practices conversion therapy on a minor $500 on a first offense, with escalating $1,000 fines. Even if the bill passes, local LGBT activists warn that work remains to protect gay youth from the harmful practice, the New Times reports.</p>
<p>“The bill is not complete by any means,” warns&#160;Justin Fletcher, deputy director of SAVE, a South Florida LGBT rights group. Fletcher notes that&#160;ordinance only applies to unincorporated parts of Miami-Dade, so if passed only six municipalities out of 30 will have bans in place.</p>
<p>However, Levine Cava says she will be seeking an effort for county-wide expansion of the ordinance if passed. SAVE has been working with several local governments for widespread bans on conversion therapy, the New Times reports.</p>
<p>In January, they partnered with State Rep. David Richardson to introduce a bill banning conversion therapy in the entire state of Florida. But the bill was shot down by the conservative legislature in May. Now they hope to be successful in Miami-Dade as they gather supporters to rally at Wednesday’s public hearing at the Stephen Clark Government Center, the Miami New Times article notes.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Audrey Edmonson</a> <a href="" type="internal">ex-gay therapy</a> <a href="" type="internal">gay conversion therapy</a> <a href="" type="internal">gay therapy ban</a> <a href="" type="internal">Levina Cava</a> <a href="" type="internal">Miami</a> <a href="" type="internal">Miami New Times</a> <a href="" type="internal">Miami-Adde County</a> <a href="" type="internal">Sally Heyman</a></p> | Miami-Dade County moving forward in ‘conversion’ ban | false | http://washingtonblade.com/2017/07/14/miami-dade-conversion-therapy-ban/ | 3 |
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<p>Theoretical economics, for understandable reasons, is rarely a topic of public discussion. For economists, it is perhaps just as well; they are&#160;spared the task of explaining their highly abstract and often irrelevant models. But times of crisis produce demands for explanation and remedies,&#160;which in turn lead to a reexamination of the theory underlying policy prescriptions. The demands for explanation seem only reasonable since economics claims a special status among social sciences as the most "scientific." Indeed, the application of mathematics to economic theory, linear programming, input-output analysis, and econometrics is an impressive technical and analytic tool. But whether these advances in technique give us greater insight into the functioning of the economy is another question. Lester Thurow, in Dangerous Currents, agrees with a verdict once pronounced by Robert Heilbroner that "the prestige accorded to mathematics in economics has given it rigor but, alas, also mortis."</p>
<p /> | Economics in Trouble | true | https://dissentmagazine.org/article/economics-in-trouble | 2018-10-04 | 4 |
<p>Hillary Clinton campaigning in 2008Elise Amendola/AP Photo</p>
<p />
<p>When Hillary Clinton narrowly lost the Democratic nomination in 2008, there was one key voting bloc that derailed her presidential bid: college students and young adults, who threw their support behind&#160;Barack Obama. Ready for Hillary, <a href="" type="internal">the primary super-PAC</a> paving the way for a Clinton 2016 campaign, is already hard at work&#160;to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself should she decide to enter the race.&#160;</p>
<p>The group brought in former Obama campaign youth vote coordinator Rachel Schneider to oversee outreach to voters ages 16 to 30, with a particular focus on those still in school. Schneider has spent the last few months traveling around the country to set up satellite organizations on college campuses with the goal of attracting all of the best student organizers to Clinton’s side before any other Democrat launches a presidential campaign. Earlier this year, she swung through Missouri and South Carolina. Last week, Schneider toured New Hampshire’s main colleges, and she’s scheduled to visit Iowa next week, where she’ll meet with students from the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, Drake University, and the University of Northern Iowa.</p>
<p>There are now 33 Students for Hillary groups nationwide. So far they’re recruiting the most die-hard activists to prepare for next fall, when they’ll blitz new students during&#160;orientation to build Hillary’s army. “I’ve been focused on identifying students on campuses who are interested in being part of this movement from the ground floor,” Schneider says. For Democratic-leaning students interested in a career in politics it’s a no-brainer: leading a Students for Hillary group will position them as prime contenders for low-level jobs in Clinton’s actual campaign.</p>
<p>“It’s pretty neat to sort of rally around this person even without them having stated intentions to run,” says Monica Diaz, president of the Iowa State University College Democrats, who’s in discussions with Schneider about setting up a Students for Hillary group at her school. “I hope we can rally up enough people to push her to run, and by starting this early, I think we can.”</p>
<p>Schneider, 25, studied journalism at Northwestern University but gravitated to politics. She joined Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, first as an intern—”I was in a paying job and [the deputy youth director] convinced me to leave my paying job to intern on the campaign,” she says—then eventually worked&#160;her way up to national youth vote coordinator. Schneider looks straight out of the catalog of stereotypes for the Obama generation. When we met in Ready for Hillary’s Arlington office in early April, she wore a bright plaid shirt and chunky hipster eyeglasses. After Obama won, Schneider conducted a study for the Youth Engagement Fund (a project of the&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Democracy Alliance</a>) on what various campaigns—including Obama’s—did to organize students during 2012. She&#160;has carried those lessons to her work at Ready for Hillary. “It was a really extended post-mortem and analysis,” she says. “I learned an unbelievable amount.”</p>
<p>Ready for Hillary is working with 270 Strategies, a consulting firm founded by two Obama alums, to build their campus strategy. “A campaign can get many benefits from recruiting a college student,” says Mitch Stewart, one of the firm’s cofounders&#160;and the Obama campaign’s&#160;director of field operations in Iowa when Obama won the 2008 caucuses thanks to strong student turnout. “Beyond getting their vote, you can get a lot of energy and activism and enthusiasm that can invigorate an entire campaign.” College students—with their abundance of free time, few obligations, and fresh-faced enthusiasm—are often the foot soldiers campaigns depend on for door-knocking and phone-banking.</p>
<p>Ready for Hillary is employing the so-called snowflake model pioneered by the Obama campaign to build their college campus infrastructure. Rather than top-down orders from the central organization, the super PAC offers guidance to the Students for Hillary groups but lets each individual campus chapter devise&#160;their own outreach tactics. “It’s really important for us to set up a model that allows people to organize themselves,” Stewart says.&#160;</p>
<p>Each week, Schneider hosts several video conference calls with volunteers from the campus groups to teach them the basics of campaign organizing, including how to use Facebook to recruit fellow students. The goal is to have a robust staff for each Students for Hillary group established by the fall so that each organization can hit freshmen orientation with gusto.&#160;</p>
<p>The size and scope of the various chapters vary from school to school. Haley Adams, a sophomore at Yale who launched one of the first Students for Hillary groups last year, says that her group signed up over 100 supporters in a single day when Clinton visited her alma mater to accept an award last October. At conservative-tilting Clemson University in South Carolina, Bria Burke-Koskela, a sophomore political science major, set up a Students for Hillary chapter after meeting Schneider this spring, and about 25 people have signed up so far.</p>
<p>At the more-liberal University of Missouri, around 40 people showed up when Schneider and Lisa Changadveja, Ready for Hillary’s head of LGBT outreach, visited the campus in February. Emily Waggoner and Caleb Cavarretta, head of the Mizzou chapter, say&#160;they’ve been amazed by how quickly their fellow students have latched onto supporting Clinton; they’re&#160;already spotting Ready for Hillary stickers on backpacks and cars around campus. They’ve added a professional campaign flavor to their group. In addition to Cavarretta and Waggoner, the Missouri student group includes several official student positions: chief of staff/data officer, creative director, outreach director, events director, and campus coordinator. Whenever fickle Midwestern weather permits, they’ve been out tabling at the Speaker’s Circle, a highly foot-trafficked part of campus near the library. They’re aiming to collect 400 to 500 names of would-be Clinton supporters by the end of this semester. “I find it so incredible that there’s so much support for her among young Americans,” Waggoner says, “which is something that she lacked in 2008. I think that this time around it could change a lot of things for women.” &#160;</p>
<p>It’s important to remember the history of Clinton’s last campaign to understand why Ready for Hillary has placed such a heavy emphasis on drawing in young voters. Despite a few stumbles, Clinton’s&#160;campaign was still cloaked in an aura of inevitability heading into&#160;the Iowa caucuses in January 2008. But Clinton and her staff had resigned themselves to losing that one key voting bloc: college students and young adults. Obama’s message of hope and change paired with a robust campus-organizing infrastructure had locked up the student vote for the young senator. “There was something about the issues Obama cared about and his life story that appealed to young people that was organic,” says Tobin Van Ostern,&#160;national director of Students for Barack Obama in 2008, “whether that was the way he was able to talk to young people, or the fact that he was a younger candidate, or the fact that his upbringing and more diverse background is much more common among younger folks.”</p>
<p>Instead of appealing to twentysomething voters, the Clintonites went on the offensive, trying to peel away older voters and depress Obama turnout by inciting generational warfare. “This is a process for Iowans,” Clinton <a href="http://www.michigandaily.com/content/obama-criticized-courting-iowa-students-other-states" type="external">said</a> about a month before the caucuses, a pointed comment aimed at&#160;college students after the Obama campaign distributed pamphlets encouraging them to vote. “This needs to be all about Iowa, and people who live here, people who pay taxes here.” Her advisers piled on. “Our people look like caucus-goers,”&#160;Mandy Grunwald, a senior&#160;media consultant on the campaign, <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1107/6815.html" type="external">said</a> after the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Des Moines, “and [Obama’s] people look like they are 18. [Mark] Penn said they look like Facebook.”&#160;Even Bill joined in. “Historically,” the former president <a href="http://web.grinnell.edu/sandb/caucus/v124i12-caucus-9.html" type="external">said</a> at an event on a college campus, “the Iowa culture has been that the caucus should just be for Iowans because it’s not an election.”</p>
<p>Obama, meanwhile, had been begging, practically pleading for support from college kids. “Don’t let somebody tell you that you are not part of this process,” he <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/us/politics/03student.html?em&amp;ex=1199422800&amp;en=f0030c22a8334708&amp;ei=5087" type="external">said</a> at a December 2007 event at Grinnell College, “because your future is at stake.” His efforts paid off. Clinton finished third in the caucuses, derailing her campaign’s momentum. Obama came in first thanks to his volunteers on college campuses. “We really, really invested in having very specific outreach,” Stewart says of that campaign, “both from a material and message perspective, but also from an organizing perspective, allowing college students who support the candidate the tools necessary so that they can organize other students.” Voters younger than 30 <a href="http://www.rockthevote.com/about/press-room/press-releases/young-voters-turn-out-huge-010308.html" type="external">voted</a> 57 percent for Obama in the caucuses and made up more than a fifth of the vote, a trend that would continue throughout the nomination battle.</p>
<p>Part of Clinton’s struggles were strategic, a failure to invest properly in building campus infrastructures. “I’m still, to this day, surprised that the Hillary team didn’t do more,” says Van Ostern, “particularly after it was clear that young people were supporting Obama by a lot and he was able to turn them out. I have to imagine if they had done more outreach to young people, particularly young women, they could have had a similarly compelling, emotional appeal.”</p>
<p>Instead, there was also a palpable distaste for Clinton among college-age voters that election cycle. I was an Iowa college student myself during the last Democratic nomination, and I remember all my friends rallying around Obama with only a handful of holdouts canvassing for Clinton. She represented everything old news to my generation. We came of age during the tail end of Bill’s presidency. The Clintons were our parents Baby Boomer obsession. The old fights over draft dodging and inhaling were quaintly out of touch when Barack Obama owned up to being a stoner in high school and having experimented with&#160;cocaine. The Iraq War, launched while we were in high school contemplating our futures, was the initial moment of political awakening for many of us; Clinton’s vote in favor of the war destroyed her chances of winning over the college-age crowd last time around.</p>
<p>Republicans have already signaled that they plan to highlight Clinton’s age and Baby Boomer status should she become the Democrats’ nominee. “The idea that we’re at the end of her generation and that it’s time for another to step forward is certainly going to be compelling,” Karl Rove has <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/us/politics/republicans-paint-clinton-as-old-news-for-2016-presidential-election.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=0" type="external">said</a>.</p>
<p>Yet that argument appears to hold less weight among the college kids of today. She receives rapturous applause when her speaking tour takes her to college campuses, an increasingly frequent occurrence. Polls have <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/page/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2014/01/30/National-Politics/Polling/question_13008.xml?uuid=iyS0YolrEeOnYKhkFdCUTQ" type="external">found</a> that voters ages 18 to 39 are more likely to view Clinton favorably than their parents.</p>
<p>Ready for Hillary doesn’t have much in the way of an explanation for why the current crop of college Democrats are more welcoming to Clinton than the last generation. Schneider couldn’t offer more than a shrug of her shoulders when I posed that question to her. “I think students really do see that Hillary stands for the issues that they care about and that she’s willing to fight for those issues,” she said.&#160;</p>
<p>Hillary’s newfound appeal among young voters seems less about substance and more about a shift in style. Clinton has been on&#160;the speaker circuit since she left the Obama administration last year, largely shying away from controversial political subjects. Instead, she’s embraced a more modern image, tweeting and sporting chic sunglasses in her profile picture. And current students never lived through the Clinton battles of yore. For the kids Ready for Hillary aims to organize, blue dresses, selling out welfare, and Black Hawks down are mere pop-culture relics rather than vivid representations of the politics of the past. And much as students latched onto the historic nature of Obama as the first African American president, current students might rally around the proposition of electing the first female president.</p>
<p>“She’s been doing things over the last few years that are designed to have a bigger youth appeal,” Van Ostern says of Clinton. “Whether that’s certain conferences or speaking at certain things, or even the simple things like being willing to poke fun at herself on Twitter and that whole meme. Those things, while they’re pretty light, they humanize a candidate. What young people really look for universally is authenticity.”</p>
<p>Here’s a map of all of the Students for Hillary groups that have already been established or are in the works:</p>
<p />
<p /> | Millennials Shunned Hillary in 2008. Her Shadow Campaign Won’t Let It Happen Again. | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2014/04/ready-for-hillary-clinton-campus-organizing-2016/ | 2014-04-15 | 4 |
<p />
<p>A bullish view on sterling spurred Morgan Stanley strategists to upgrade their view on UK midcap companies on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>A stronger sterling is usually accompanied by underperformance of large-cap UK equities relative to other regions, the broker warned, adding they recommended investors look for exporter shares to sell.</p>
<p>Foreign exchange is having the greatest influence on UK stocks in 20 years, Morgan Stanley said, leaving the latter susceptible to currency swings.</p>
<p>Since the Brexit vote last June, the performance of the FTSE 100 is has highly correlated, inversely, with the sterling's move against the U.S. dollar, as index constituents which derive significant chunks of their revenue offshore saw sharp earnings upgrades.</p>
<p>At the same time, shares of domestic UK companies, whose earnings are in sterling but costs can be offshore, suffered in relative terms.</p>
<p>Morgan Stanley now sees a high probability that this reverses. The firm's FX strategists expect the sterling to rise to $1.28 by the end of this year, and $1.45 by the end of 2018.</p>
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<p>Those forecasts prompted the firm to upgrade midcaps to "neutral" from "underweight," and to downgrade their "overweight" stance on UK large-caps to "neutral."</p>
<p>Sectorally, financials and real estate stand to gain most from a stronger currency, the bank said, as their relative performance was most correlated to the exchange rate.</p>
<p>Overweight-rated stocks in the bank's domestic UK basket include AA, Autotrader, Lloyds, Marks &amp; Spencer and Whitbread.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Helen Reid, Editing by Vikram Subhedar)</p> | Morgan Stanley sees brighter outlook for sterling, UK midcaps | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/03/07/morgan-stanley-sees-brighter-outlook-for-sterling-uk-midcaps.html | 2017-03-17 | 0 |
<p>The recent coup against Paraguay’s democratically elected president is not only a blow to democracy, but an attack against the working and poor population that supported and elected President Fernando Lugo, whom they see as a bulwark against the wealthy elite who’ve dominated the country for decades.</p>
<p>The U.S. mainstream media and politicians are not calling the events in Paraguay a coup, since the president is being “legally impeached” by the elite-dominated Paraguayan Congress.&#160;But as economist&#160;Mark Weisbrot explained in the Guardian:</p>
<p>“The Congress of Paraguay is trying to oust the president, Fernando Lugo, by means of an impeachment proceeding for which he was given less than 24 hours to prepare and only two hours to present a defense. It appears that a decision to convict him has already been written…The main trigger for the impeachment is an armed clash between peasants fighting for land rights with police…But this violent confrontation is merely a pretext, as it is clear that the president had no responsibility for what happened. Nor have Lugo’s opponents presented any evidence for their charges in today’s ‘trial.’ President Lugo proposed an investigation into the incident; the opposition was not interested, preferring their rigged judicial proceedings.”</p>
<p>What was the real reason&#160;the right-wing Paraguay Senate wanted to expel their democratically elected president? Another article by the&#160;Guardian makes this clear:</p>
<p>“The president was also tried on four other charges: that he improperly allowed leftist parties to hold a political meeting in an army base in 2009; that he allowed about 3,000 squatters [landless peasants] to illegally invade a large Brazilian-owned soybean farm; that his government failed to capture members of a [leftist] guerrilla group, the Paraguayan People’s Army… and that he signed an international [leftist] protocol without properly submitting it to congress for approval.”</p>
<p>The article adds that the president’s former political allies were “…upset after he gave a majority of cabinet ministry posts to leftist allies, and handed a minority to the moderates…The political split had become sharply clear as Lugo publicly acknowledged recently that he would support leftist candidates in future elections.”</p>
<p>It’s obvious that the President’s real crimes are that he chose to ally himself more closely with Paraguay’s left, which in reality means the working and poor masses of the country, who, like other Latin American countries, choose socialism as their form of political expression.</p>
<p>Although Paraguay’s elite lost control of the presidency when Lugo was elected, they used their stranglehold over the Senate to reverse the gains made by Paraguay’s poor.&#160;This is similar to the situation in Egypt: when the old regime of the wealthy elite lost their president/dictator, they used their control of the judiciary in an attempt to reverse the gains of the revolution.</p>
<p>Is it fair to blame the Obama administration for the recent coup in Paraguay? Yes,&#160;but it takes an introductory lesson on U.S. – Latin American relations to understand why.&#160;Paraguay’s right wing – a tiny wealthy elite – has a long-standing relationship with the United States, which has backed dictatorships for decades in the country – a common pattern in most Latin American countries.</p>
<p>The United States promotes the interests of the wealthy of these mostly-poor countries, and in turn, these elite-run countries are obedient to the pro-corporate foreign policy of the United States ( <a href="" type="internal">The Open Veins of Latin America</a> is an excellent book that outlines the history).</p>
<p>Paraguay’s elite is incapable of acting so boldly without first consulting the United States, since neighboring countries are overwhelmingly hostile to such an act because they fear a U.S.-backed coup in their own countries.</p>
<p>Paraguay’s elite has only the military for internal support, which for decades has been funded and trained by the United States.&#160;President Lugo did not fully sever the U.S. military’s links&#160;to his country.&#160;According to Wikipedia,&#160;“The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) provides technical assistance and training to help modernize and professionalize the [Paraguay]military…”</p>
<p>In short, it is not remotely possible for Paraguay’s elite to&#160;act without assurance from the United States that it would continue to receive U.S. political and financial support; the elite now needs a steady flow of guns and tanks to defend itself from the poor of Paraguay.</p>
<p>The&#160;Latin American countries surrounding Paraguay denounced the events as they unfolded and made an emergency trip to the country in an attempt to stop them.&#160;What was the Obama administration’s response?&#160;Business Week explains:</p>
<p>“As Paraguay’s Senate conducted the impeachment trial, the U.S. State Department had said that it was watching the situation closely.”</p>
<p>“We understand that Paraguay’s Senate has voted to impeach President Lugo,” said Darla Jordan, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs…“We urge all Paraguayans to act peacefully, with calm and responsibility, in the spirit of Paraguay’s democratic principles.”</p>
<p>Obama might as well have said: “We support the right-wing coup against the elected president of Paraguay.” Watching a crime against democracy happen – even if it is “watched closely” – and failing to denounce it makes one complicit in the act. The State Department’s carefully crafted words are meant to give implicit support to the new illegal regime in Paraguay.</p>
<p>Obama acted as he did because Lugo turned left, away from corporate interests, towards Paraguay’s poor.&#160;Lugo had also more closely aligned himself with regional governments which had worked towards economic independence from the United States.&#160;Most importantly perhaps is that, in 2009, President Lugo forbid the building of a planned U.S. military base in Paraguay.</p>
<p>What was the response of Paraguay’s working and poor people to their new dictatorship?&#160;They amassed outside of the Congress and were attacked by riot police and water cannons.&#160;It is unlikely that they will sit on their hands during this episode, since President Lugo had raised their hopes of having a more humane existence.</p>
<p>President Lugo has unfortunately given his opponents an advantage by accepting the rulings that he himself called a coup, allowing himself to be replaced by a Senate-appointed president.&#160;But Paraguay’s working and poor people will act with more boldness, in line with the social movements across Latin America that have struck heavy blows against the power of their wealthy elite.</p>
<p>President Obama’s devious actions towards Paraguay reaffirm which side of the wealth divide he stands on. His first coup in Honduras sparked the outrage of the entire hemisphere; this one will confirm to Latin Americans that neither Republicans nor Democrats care anything about democracy.</p>
<p>Shamus Cooke is a social service worker, trade unionist, and writer for Workers Action ( <a href="http://www.workerscompass.org/" type="external">www.workerscompass.org</a>) He can be reached at&#160; <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p> | Obama’s Second Latin American Coup? | true | https://counterpunch.org/2012/06/25/obamas-second-latin-american-coup/ | 2012-06-25 | 4 |
<p>JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - A South African company has been accused of falsely labeling meat products as halal, including pork, kangaroo meat from Australia, and water buffalo from India.</p>
<p>The allegations have created an uproar in South Africa's Muslim community. Under Islamic law, pork is not eaten, and animals must be slaughtered according to the halal way.</p>
<p>But Cape Town-based Orion Cold Storage said it was framed, with the company's employees bribed to switch products and labels. The company has laid criminal charges against two people for sabotage, blackmail and extortion, arguing that the scandal was created to benefit rival companies,&#160; <a href="http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Halaal-meat-scandal-firm-lays-charges-20111115" type="external">the South African Press Association reported</a>.</p>
<p>"The companies for which they work will stand to benefit substantially if Orion's position in the market can be undermined," Orion said in a statement, <a href="http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Halaal-meat-scandal-firm-lays-charges-20111115" type="external">according to SAPA</a>.</p>
<p>Orion's director has reportedly faced death threats over the allegations of mislabeled meat.</p>
<p>The South African Halaal Authority Trust, the Red Meat Industry Forum of South Africa and the South African Meat Industry Company have reportedly filed an interdict application against Orion, to stop the company from distributing meat, <a href="http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/pork-claims-a-set-up-meat-supplier-1.1179819" type="external">the Independent Online reported</a>.</p>
<p>South African Muslims make up just under than 2 percent of the country's total population of 49 million.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/weird-wide-web/south-africa-man-killed-pet-hippo-humphrey-marius-els" type="external">South African man killed by his pet hippo, Humphrey (VIDEO)</a></p> | South Africa: Scandal over mislabeled "halal" pork | false | https://pri.org/stories/2011-11-16/south-africa-scandal-over-mislabeled-halal-pork | 2011-11-16 | 3 |
<p>William K. Black, author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One, teaches economics and law at the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC). He was the Executive Director of the Institute for Fraud Prevention from 2005-2007. He has taught previously at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and at Santa Clara University, where he was also the distinguished scholar in residence for insurance law and a visiting scholar at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.</p>
<p>Black was litigation director of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, deputy director of the FSLIC, SVP and general counsel of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, and senior deputy chief counsel, Office of Thrift Supervision. He was deputy director of the National Commission on Financial Institution Reform, Recovery and Enforcement.</p>
<p>Black developed the concept of "control fraud" frauds in which the CEO or head of state uses the entity as a "weapon." Control frauds cause greater financial losses than all other forms of property crime combined. He recently helped the World Bank develop anti-corruption initiatives and served as an expert for OFHEO in its enforcement action against Fannie Mae's former senior management.</p>
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<p /> SHARMINI PERIES, EXEC. PRODUCER, TRNN: Welcome to The Real News Network. I'm Sharmini Peries, coming to you from Baltimore.
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<p />Our regular guest on The Real News Network on finance and banking, Bill Black, titled his blog this week "How the Rocket Scientists Aided the Senior Fraudulent Bank Officers", so much so that our banking regulators at the Department of Justice deemed it too difficult to prosecute the bankers for the 2008 financial crisis.
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<p />Here to discuss the rocket scientists, who are they, and how the did they aid the bankers is Bill Black himself.
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<p />Joining us from Kansas City, Missouri, Bill is an associate professor of economics and law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He's a white-collar criminologist and former financial regulator and the author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank Is to Own One.
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<p />Thank you so much for joining us, Bill.
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<p />BILL BLACK, ASSOC. PROF. ECONOMICS AND LAW, UMKC: Thank you.
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<p />PERIES: Bill, how are these rocket--well, first I should say, who are these rocket scientists?
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<p />BLACK: Well, the rocket scientists are mostly mythical, but this is the latest excuse out of that great excuse factory which is the Department of Justice for why they have failed to prosecute a single senior banker who actually led any of the frauds that caused the financial crisis.
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<p />The context was the traditional exit interview of a senior Washington official, in this case Deputy Attorney General James Cole, with Bloomberg. And the idea of this kind of interview is you get to tout your accomplishments and you don't get asked very tough questions. But Cole did get asked by Bloomberg, so how come you didn't convict anyone? And Cole's answer was that it was impossible to get convictions, because the bankers who led the frauds that caused the financial crisis were, and I quote, "rocket science", unquote. So, apparently everybody in banking who's at all senior is a rocket scientist.
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<p />Now, this is crazy on multiple dimensions. So I actually wrote three columns, one on each dimension of craziness.
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<p />The first one is, of course, well, let's just assume that Cole's speaking the truth, that the bankers are so smart, so much smarter than the lawyers at the Department of Justice, that there is no way to convict them of even blatant crimes that cause a financial crisis, where we lose $21 trillion in GDP, 10 million American jobs. Right? You might think, if you were a senior Justice Department official, your job would be to warn about that and to say, we must change things so that we can make sure that people can't become wealthy by committing these kinds of devastating felonies with impunity. But no. Cole gave no such suggestion, no indication that he thought it was a problem at all that the people could get off with complete impunity. And, of course, the Bloomberg reporter never bothered to ask a question like that. So that's the first dimension [crosstalk]
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<p />PERIES: Bill, is part of the reason that the DOJ isn't able to do these kinds of prosecutions they don't have enough resources and support to mount a case against the banks?
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<p />BLACK: Well, part of the reason they can't succeed brilliantly is certainly that. But that doesn't explain why they don't bring 50 or 100 of these prosecutions. They don't have the resources to bring thousands of major prosecutions, but they certainly do have the resources to bring some, several hundreds of them. So, no, it's a matter of will and it's a matter of ideology. They really, really don't want to prosecute these folks. And that's the second dimension of craziness, right?
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<p />So what are the three big fraud schemes? One is that the lenders extort the appraisers to inflate the appraisal. Well, I can explain that to regular jurors in about 15 seconds, and they all realize, wait a minute, no honest banker would ever do that, because the true market value of the home is your great protection for the bank against loss. So that's an easy fraud scheme to explain. And we know that that fraud scheme is pervasive and all the investigations and all the empirical evidence demonstrates that. So that's certainly not even remotely rocket science.
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<p />The second big fraud scam was liar's loans. And again we have really good numbers on that and we know that no honest lender would make liar's loans. And we can explain that to a jury within ten or 15 minutes.
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<p />PERIES: And what are liar's loans?
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<p />BLACK: Liar's loans are when you don't verify, typically, the borrower's income. Sometimes you don't also verify the job as well, or even their assets in those circumstances. And the industry's own studies say that this is an open invitation to fraud, say that the incidence of fraud in such loans is 90 percent. And investigations show that it's overwhelmingly lenders and their agents who put the lies and liar's loans. So, again, not only is that not rocket science. I mean, it kind of lacks subtlety to call your loans liar's loans, you know, as a lender. This one isn't clever in the least bit.
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<p />Because there's no fraud exorcist, once the loans start out fraudulent, they have to stay fraudulent, and you can't sell a loan in the secondary market by making a representation in a warranty to the buyer that says, hi, I'm selling you fraudulent loans. So that means if you're going to sell to the secondary market--and roughly 95 percent of these fraudulent loans were sold to the secondary market--then the only way you can do that is through a fraudulent representation and warranty. And we have particularly good data from Clayton on the frequency, and it's roughly half [snip] all the loans being sold were sold through fraudulent representations and warranties.
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<p />Now, you are taught in America how to do a percentage, typically in fifth grade. So that's about the math level you need as a prosecutor.
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<p />PERIES: And in addition to that, Bill, they have access to experts like you who could be brought in to explain these and use you in terms of the trials themselves.
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<p />BLACK: Indeed they do. And, in fact, the rocket scientists would actually be useful witnesses for the prosecution, because in most cases their warnings were deliberately ignored, and they were excluded from the key meetings, and they were even fired when they did the right thing, by the senior officers that were leading the frauds. So instead of being a big scary thing, the rocket scientists would actually be part of a successful prosecution case. And that's the third dimension of crazy.
<p />
<p />So it turns out rocket scientists--but what that means, really, is people with really, really strong mathematics skills. So we're talking about people with PhDs in mathematics or in physics, because physics has such heavy math skills these days. Those folks were never the CEOs of the big banks, and they were almost never the CFOs, the chief financial officers of the big banks. A typical highest position they would get to is the chief risk officer. So, first rocket scientists were not running these places. And the key isn't to prosecute these math whizzes. It's to prosecute the CEOs, the chief financial officers, and the people in the boards of directors, and the chief lending officers, folks like that. That's who we want prosecutions of.
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<p />And as I've said, in many cases, as I've explained, the quants, the quantitatively skilled people, which is a tiny segment of bankers, would actually be star witnesses for the prosecution, saying, yes, I warned the CEO that this could have disastrous consequences. And what happened then? Well, then I was fired. You know? It would be a really good case for the prosecution. And that happened to several cases. In other cases they were simply ignored or shoved to the side and kept out of the loop on important decisions. In all of those cases, they would be useful witnesses. So, again, this is a complete fiction created about these so-called math whizzes. And why anyone would be intimidated by the math whizzes [snip] after all, they get the total crisis completely wrong.
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<p />PERIES: Bill, normally in a democratic society one of the pillars that would hold the DOJ accountable is the media here. And you mentioned that Bloomberg did ask one tough question. But have they played their role in terms of the prosecutions that need to come about?
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<p />BLACK: Yeah, I wouldn't exactly call it a tough question. But there was no follow-up, of course, to an insane answer. But that's--you know, at least they left it as just an obvious clunker and didn't try to give them an excuse for correcting such a silly excuse.
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<p />PERIES: So if the media is not playing its role, normally in these kinds of situations, for example, in the environmental sector, when the EPA isn't doing their job, a whole mass of community organizations and environmental organizations would rise up and have protests and so on. But this isn't the case when it comes to the DOJ or these kinds of prosecutions. You know, we had Occupy for a moment, we had Occupy for a moment, but that has disappeared. Is there any organizations that are playing a watchdog role?
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<p />BLACK: There are organizations like Better Markets that are certainly supportive of it, but no, there is no significant entity that has made this their issue. Nor [is] any member of Congress currently making this their issue. So we continue to hope that Senator Elizabeth Warren will make this one of her major issues.
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<p />PERIES: Alright. Thank you so much for joining us, Bill.
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<p />BLACK: Thank you.
<p />
<p />PERIES: And thank you for joining us on The Real News Network.
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<p />End
<p />
<p />DISCLAIMER: Please note that transcripts for The Real News Network are typed from a recording of the program. TRNN cannot guarantee their complete accuracy. | Is Financial Fraud Too Complex to Prosecute? | true | http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D31%26Itemid%3D74%26jumival%3D12559 | 2014-10-23 | 4 |
<p>BERLIN (AP) — Members of the center-left Social Democratic Party in Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt state have voted against a proposed national-level coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bloc.</p>
<p>German news agency dpa reported that delegates at a party convention in the eastern state narrowly backed a motion by the youth wing on Saturday rejecting a renewal of the “grand coalition” that has governed Germany since 2013.</p>
<p>The Social Democrats’ leadership hammered out a <a href="" type="internal">deal Friday with Merkel’s Union bloc</a> that will be put to members on Jan. 21.</p>
<p>Critics of continuing a coalition with Merkel’s conservatives say the alliance has cost the Social Democrats substantial voter support and the party should instead seek to strengthen its profile by spending the next term in opposition.</p>
<p>BERLIN (AP) — Members of the center-left Social Democratic Party in Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt state have voted against a proposed national-level coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bloc.</p>
<p>German news agency dpa reported that delegates at a party convention in the eastern state narrowly backed a motion by the youth wing on Saturday rejecting a renewal of the “grand coalition” that has governed Germany since 2013.</p>
<p>The Social Democrats’ leadership hammered out a <a href="" type="internal">deal Friday with Merkel’s Union bloc</a> that will be put to members on Jan. 21.</p>
<p>Critics of continuing a coalition with Merkel’s conservatives say the alliance has cost the Social Democrats substantial voter support and the party should instead seek to strengthen its profile by spending the next term in opposition.</p> | Social Democrats in east reject proposed German coalition | false | https://apnews.com/b7548f49af374087bb3b3523adb9f693 | 2018-01-13 | 2 |
<p>Aug. 28 (UPI) — General Dynamics Land Systems has received a $310.6 million contract for engineering changes to the M1A2 Abrams tank System Enhancement Package Version 3, the Department of Defense announced on Friday.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1290800/" type="external">The work</a> will include design, development and integration for the upgrades to the M1A2 and is projected to be completed by Feb. 28, 2024.</p>
<p>The M1A2 SEP 3 are upgraded versions of the M1A2 Abrams tank. The original SEP added improved depleted uranium armor inserts to the baseline M!A2 for greater protection along with other modifications</p>
<p>SEP 2 versions include upgraded computers, additional front and side armor, a sturdier transmission, modern infrared sensors and a Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station for the top-mounted .50mm machine gun.</p>
<p>SEP 3 will improve power generation, networking capabilities and have a lower-profile CROWS system.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://armscontrolcenter.org/fact-sheet-m1-abrams-tank/" type="external">M1A2 Abrams</a> is the main battle tank of the U.S. Army, <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Marine_Corps/" type="external">Marine Corps</a> and many other allied militaries. It is a modified version of the original M1 tank with a 120mm gun in place of the M1 105mm, depleted uranium armor inserts, and other changes.</p>
<p>Over 10,000 Abrams tanks have been produced since the tanks introduction in 1980. It has been exported to countries across the world and is expected to remain the standard U.S. tank for years to come.</p> | General Dynamics receives $310.6M contract for M1A2 SEP 3 upgrades | false | https://newsline.com/general-dynamics-receives-310-6m-contract-for-m1a2-sep-3-upgrades/ | 2017-08-28 | 1 |
<p>Conservative pundit Ann Coulter appeared on Fox News Saturday morning and confirmed that she wants Speaker John Boehner to keep any immigration reform bill off the House floor, and blasted the junior senator from Florida for his change in stance on immigration reform.</p>
<p />
<p>Ann Coulter: “If Rubio’s Amnesty is So Great, Why Is He Lying?”</p>
<p />
<p>Coulter reserved special criticism for Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a “Gang of Eight” member who helped write the bill.</p>
<p>“It’s striking that Republicans, including Marco Rubio, don’t support such amnesties when they’re running for office,” Coulter said. “Oh no, somehow it’s once they get to Washington they discover all these unknown bounties for Republicans in amnesty.”</p>
<p>She added “Rubio specifically said ‘a pathway to citizenship is amnesty’ when he ran against Charlie Crist a couple of years ago.”</p>
<p>Coulter felt let down by the Florida senator and first unleashed on him in an April column where she asked, “If Rubio’s amnesty is so great, why is he lying?”</p>
<p>She also berated Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., for trying to rush the bill through before July 4.</p>
<p>“This is the way the Democrats always hoodwink, always snooker the Republicans,” she observed. “The better path has always been, let’s think about this. Let’s see what’s in this 1,000 page bill. I mean, this is another Obamacare-type bill, where people don’t know what’s in it. A real immigration bill could be about one page long: enforce, e-Verify, build a fence.”</p>
<p>H/T <a href="http://www.mediaite.com/tv/coulter-bashes-immigration-bill-gop-being-hoodwinked-into-legalizing-millions-of-democratic-voters/" type="external">Mediaite</a></p>
<p /> | Coulter on 1,170-page bill: Dems get new voters, GOP hoodwinked | true | http://bizpacreview.com/2013/06/22/coulter-on-1170-page-bil-dems-get-30-million-new-voters-gop-hoodwinked-78489 | 2013-06-22 | 0 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A woman who was hit by a pickup truck while walking her dog near Wyoming and Anaheim in Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights last week died two days after the accident.</p>
<p>Wendy Lacy, 75, and her dog, Skipper, were struck by a truck on Jan. 20 while crossing a the street. Lacy was taken to the hospital in critical condition, and Skipper was taken to a nearby veterinary clinic, where he died a couple hours later, said officer Tanner Tixier, a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department.</p>
<p>Lacy was a scientist who worked at nuclear power plants in Washington and California, according to an obituary. After moving to Albuquerque, she worked as a docent for the National Museum of Nuclear Science &amp; History.</p>
<p>The driver remained on the scene, and the initial investigation showed that neither alcohol nor drugs were a factor, Tixier said.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Retired nuclear scientist, dog killed while crossing Albuquerque street | false | https://abqjournal.com/534572/retired-nuclear-scientist-dog-killed-in-crossing-albuquerque-street.html | 2 |
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<p>Former Rep. Ron Paul is drawing criticism for a tweet about Marine sniper Chris Kyle's death, saying Kyle had lived "by the sword" and died by it.</p>
<p>"Chris Kyle's death seems to confirm that 'he who lives by the sword dies by the sword.' Treating PTSD at a firing range doesn't make sense," Paul <a href="https://twitter.com/RonPaul/status/298477312876355585" type="external">tweeted Monday</a>.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/130203/eddie-routh-charged-murder-chris-kyle-american-sniper" type="external">Eddie Routh charged in murder of Chris Kyle, 'American Sniper' author</a></p>
<p>Kyle, a former Navy SEAL and the author of "American Sniper," was <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/130203/chris-kyle-author-american-sniper-shot-dead-at-t" type="external">shot and killed</a> at a Texas gun range on Saturday.</p>
<p>Eddie Ray Routh, a former Marine, <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/130203/former-marine-charged-shooting-death-american-sn" type="external">has been charged</a> in the deaths of Kyle and 38, and Chad Littlefield, 35, at the shooting range about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth.</p>
<p>Paul, a three-time presidential candidate, is known for his staunch opposition to US military involvement and conservative fiscal policy.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/130203/chris-kyle-author-american-sniper-shot-dead-at-t" type="external">Chris Kyle, author of American Sniper, shot deat at Texas gun range</a></p>
<p>But his tweet about Kyle's death appeared to cross the line.</p>
<p>"Why would you say such an ugly, insensitive thing, publicly? His family &amp; friends are grieving his loss &amp; you mock. Shame on you," one Twitter user replied, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-chris-kyle-sniper-controversy-20130204,0,7353665.story" type="external">according to the Los Angeles Times</a>.</p>
<p>"So all veterans, once done serving our nation with honor, deserve to be murdered as civilians?" said another. "Wow."&#160;</p>
<p>Paul's son, Kentucky Congressman Rand Paul, rushed to show support for Kyle, calling him a "hero" Tuesday, <a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/05/rand-paul-says-navy-sniper-was-hero/" type="external">CNN reported</a>.</p>
<p>And Paul himself seemed to walk back from the comment, posting this follow-up <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ronpaul/posts/10152285499876686" type="external">on Facebook</a>:</p>
<p>"As a veteran, I certainly recognize that this weekend's violence and killing of Chris Kyle were a tragic and sad event," Paul wrote, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/05/ron-paul-tweet_n_2623194.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003" type="external">a</a> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/05/ron-paul-tweet_n_2623194.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003" type="external">ccording to The Huffington Post</a>. "My condolences and prayers go out to Mr. Kyle’s family. Unconstitutional and unnecessary wars have endless unintended consequences. A policy of non-violence, as Christ preached, would have prevented this and similar tragedies."</p> | Ron Paul sniper death tweet draws criticism (VIDEO) | false | https://pri.org/stories/2013-02-05/ron-paul-sniper-death-tweet-draws-criticism-video | 2013-02-05 | 3 |
<p>The usual suspects are at it again — doing their damnedest to escalate a war they have no intention of either fighting in or paying for themselves, and to involve you in it.</p>
<p>US Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (of the “Connecticut for Lieberman” Party, in which the ordering of names conveys his boundless sense of personal entitlement) visited Turkey this week for a photo opp with officers of the “Free Syrian Army” and to grandstand for further US intervention in Syria’s year-long “civil” war.</p>
<p>I put the “civil” in scare quotes, because normally civil wars are mostly internal affairs. The Syrian “uprising” appears to have been both instigated and funded by Washington from the git-go, through front “non-governmental organizations” funded by the American neoconservative (and very governmental) “National Endowment for Democracy.”</p>
<p>While Bashar al-Assad’s “National Popular Front” regime — centered around the fascist Ba’ath Party, with some lapdog “opposition” parties permitted to participate as long as they don’t actually, um, oppose — is certainly a poster child for bad government (but I repeat myself!), there’s little reason to believe that the “uprising” enjoys strong popular support or that, if successful, it will eventuate in anything significantly better for the Syrian people.</p>
<p>McCain/Lieberman’s busking for US intervention isn’t about freedom, democracy or human rights. It’s about the external turf and internal stature spats over which the overgrown street gangs we call “governments” perpetually obsess.</p>
<p>Quoth Lieberman: “How many world leaders have to be deceived by Assad for us to realize that we cannot rely on his word, that he will only respond to power — the same kind of power that he is brutally using against his own people.”</p>
<p>In what significant respect is Assad different from Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, Bahrain’s Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Abdullahs of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, Yemen’s Saleh, the Shah of Iran, or any other regional ruler whom the US supports (or supported until they fell)? Is power not the language they also speak?</p>
<p>For that matter, one might ask, how many people have to be deceived by Lieberman and his ilk to arrive the same realization? Lieberman and McCain never met a war they didn’t like, at least so long as it was fought with other people’s money, with other people’s blood, and for the benefit of themselves and their cronies in government and among the corporati.</p>
<p>And don’t get me started on “the brutal use of power” against one’s own people. The United States imprisons a higher percentage of its populace than any country on earth. Its cities are occupied by sizable, growing and increasingly militarized police forces. Its airports are living caricatures of the old Soviet bloc’s security bureaucracy as portrayed in Cold War era American cinema.</p>
<p>McCain and Lieberman have been both prominent architects of the existing US police state and staunch advocates of its endless extension. Who the hell are they to criticize Assad’s Syria?</p>
<p>But this, of course, is what governments and politicians do. Their primary function is to loot the productive for the benefit of their own class — the political class — and the creation of, and escalation to conflict with, external enemies is indispensable to that project.</p>
<p>This week it’s Syria and Iran. Next week? Uganda or Cuba or the Korean Peninsula or Djibouti. Don’t worry, they’ll find someone, somewhere for you to fight. They always do. Of course, they’d rather not talk about how last week went in Somalia and Afghanistan and Pakistan and Iraq (quite well for them, not so well for you), thank you very much.</p>
<p>Does Bashar al-Assad deserve to be overthrown? Certainly. But let’s let the Syrians worry about that for themselves instead of getting ourselves roped into doing it for them. Our job here in America is figuring out how to rid ourselves of his spiritual siblings, including McCain and Lieberman.</p>
<p>Thomas L. Knapp is Senior News Analyst at the Center for a Stateless Society.</p> | Syria and the Usual Suspects | true | https://counterpunch.org/2012/04/12/syria-and-the-usual-suspects/ | 2012-04-12 | 4 |
<p>Radio host Laura Ingraham launched a series of vicious attacks on Texas State Senator Wendy Davis for her filibuster fight against the state's anti-choice bill, by asking Davis which children she "sees on the playground shouldn't be there" and bringing up Davis' personal history to try to discredit her.</p>
<p>In a June 27 tweet, Ingraham mocked characterizations of Davis as a hero after her successful <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/texas-state-senator-wendy-davis-filibusters-her-way-to-democratic-stardom/2013/06/26/aace267c-de85-11e2-b2d4-ea6d8f477a01_story.html" type="external">filibuster</a> of Texas' <a href="http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/831/billtext/pdf/SB00005H.pdf#navpanes=0" type="external">Senate Bill 5 (SB5)</a>, one of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws. In response to Davis' efforts, Ingraham tweeted a "question" to Davis: "Which kids that you see on the playground shouldn't be there?":</p>
<p>Ingraham pushed her attack further during the June 27 edition of her radio show. She seized on Davis' personal history as a teenage mother, who later became successful, to claim Davis is "the kind of person who should actually be advocating for life":</p>
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<p>The attack mirrored one made by&#160; Texas Governor and former Republican presidential contender Rick Perry, who, according to Think Progress, used his speech at the Right To Life c <a href="http://stoptheabortionagenda.com/convention/" type="external">onvention</a> to claim Davis "hasn't learned from her own example":</p>
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<p>According to Texas Observer staff writer Forrest Wilder, Davis responded to Perry's attack by saying "Rick Perry's statement is without dignity and tarnishes the high office he holds":</p>
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<p>From the June 27 edition of The Laura Ingraham Show:</p>
<p>INGRAHAM: The amazing thing about Wendy Davis is that she became a mom while she was still in her teens and she lived in a trailer park for a time. She ended up graduating with honors from Harvard Law. Her life story actually indicates why you shouldn't give your children up. You should consider adoption, or figure out a way with family members to raise the child yourself, or take the adoption alternative. She went on to go to Harvard Law. Right, So why -- when you think about it, Wendy Davis should actually be the type of person who is advocating for life after her life story.</p>
<p>I mean -- you know what I would like to ask the Planned Parenthood folks, just look around you. Which of the children on the playground shouldn't be here right now? Point the children out who shouldn't be here. You're listening to your healthy radio addiction, the Laura Ingraham Show.</p> | Laura Ingraham Launches Vicious Attacks Against Texas Senator Wendy Davis | true | http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/06/27/laura-ingraham-launches-vicious-attacks-against/194650 | 2013-06-27 | 4 |
<p>“Fan” is short for fanatic. Fanatics are people who are thoroughly committed to an idea, an entity, or a cause. One British citizen is a die-hard Spam fanatic.</p>
<p>In order to show how much he loves the processed and canned meat, he legally changed his name to Mark “I Love Spam” Benson.</p>
<p>Spam, a square-shaped ham <a href="http://www.eater.com/2014/7/9/6191681/a-brief-history-of-spam-an-american-meat-icon" type="external">made</a> of pork, salt, potato starch, sugar, and sodium nitrate, has long been demeaned as sub-par food for people typically below the poverty line.</p>
<p>Ever since Hormel introduced this product in 1937, Spam has been a byword for gastronomic kitsch.</p>
<p>During the Second World War Spam was doled out to Allied soldiers as part of their rations.</p>
<p>Factories sprung up in the U.S. and U.K. in order to meet this wartime demand. Benson’s grandfather and uncle both produced Spam at the Newforge Foods factory outside of Liverpool.</p>
<p>Benson initially took the middle name “I Love Spam” as a tribute to his family. However, because of his unusual name, Benson has become a minor celebrity in the U.K.</p>
<p>Therefore, when Benson’s fiancée Anne Mousley told him they were scheduled to be married inside of the Spam Museum in Minnesota, the <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/man-who-changed-middle-name-9816584" type="external">news</a>hit the British tabloids.</p>
<p>Benson and Mousley will be the first couple to ever be married inside of the museum. As for their honeymoon, the pair have already scheduled to attend the Spam Jam Festival in Hawaii, the American state that consumes the most Spam in the entire country.</p>
<p>Featured image via:&#160; <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/man-who-changed-middle-name-9816584" type="external">Daily Mirror&#160;</a></p> | World’s Biggest Spam Fan Gets Married In The Spam Museum | true | http://offthemainpage.com/2017/02/17/worlds-biggest-spam-fan-gets-married-in-the-spam-museum/ | 2017-02-17 | 4 |
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<p>Pope Francis criticized the U.S. military for having named its largest non-nuclear explosive devices as the Mother of All Bombs. Pope emphasized that the word mother should not be used to describe a dangerous mother.</p>
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<p>The lethal weapon was used by the U.S. Air Force on&#160;an Islamic State tunnel complex in Afghanistan last month. The non-nuclear bomb has been labeled MOAB, a term that has been picked up by media outlets.</p>
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<p>In a statement made by Pope, he expressed his disgust with the use of the word mother by saying that he was ashamed when he heard the name. The Pope was speaking to students on Saturday. He also emphasized that a mother gives life but the MOAB gives death, adding that it does not make sense to call the non-nuclear device a mother.</p>
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<p>U.S. Air Force dropped the bomb, officially designated as the GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) on suspected Islamic State fighters in eastern Afghanistan last month. The nickname has been used in briefings and reporting on the attack.</p>
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<p>Pope Francis is scheduled to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on May 24 in a potentially awkward encounter given their opposing positions on immigration, refugees, and climate change. This comes after he's been criticizing the naming of the US military's largest non-nuclear explosive ever used in combat as "the mother of all bombs".</p>
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<p>The&#160;US dropped the bomb on ISIS target in Afghanistan,&#160;reports indicate that it weighs 21,600lb (9,800kg). Pentagon said it was dropped from a US aircraft in Nangarhar province, targeting tunnel complex used by IS.</p>
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<p>The explosive is officially called the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) but is widely known as the mother of all bombs. The device was first tested in 2003 but had not been deployed in combat before. Pope's comments come ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump on 24 May, an encounter that many suggest will be awkward.</p>
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<p>Source:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/pope-ashamed-to-hear-the-word-mother-used-to-describe-a-deadly-bomb/article/2622348" type="external">washingtonexaminer.com/pope-ashamed-to-hear-the-word-mother-used-to-describe-a-deadly-bomb/article/2622348</a></p> | Pope Francis:'Mother' should not be used to describe a bomb | true | http://thegoldwater.com/news/2747-Pope-Francis-Mother-should-not-be-used-to-describe-a-bomb | 2017-05-06 | 0 |
<p>Lt. Col. Ralph Peters (Ret) is a familiar face on Fox News. He has been doing commentary on military matters and foreign affairs for more than a decade. He has always been a hard-core spokesman for ultra-conservative views and a fierce opponent of all things liberal. He once <a href="" type="internal">called President Obama</a> a “total pussy” on the air (for which he got a two week suspension).</p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NewsCorpse/posts/2081502651864519" type="external" /></p>
<p>For a little background, Peters is so radical that he once complained that the U.S. military needed to buck up and <a href="" type="internal">produce more civilian casualties</a> in order to win the war on terror. He also advocated <a href="" type="internal">targeting the media</a> for military attacks, including in the U.S. But more recently he has assumed a strident “NeverTrump” position. He believes that Donald Trump is Putin’s puppet and even announced on Fox that he would be <a href="" type="internal">voting for Hillary Clinton</a> because he doesn’t “want Moscow’s man in the White House,” and that “Vladimir Putin has a deep hold on Trump.”</p>
<p>Bearing all of that in mind, the <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/tomnamako/ralph-peters" type="external">letter</a> Peters released on Tuesday is all the more remarkable. In it he announced that he was severing his relationship with Fox News. And the substance and tone of the document is just plain shocking. For someone so devoted to the far-right agenda, Peters’ descriptions of Fox News must sting. And no matter how much of a war-mongering neanderthal he is, he seems to have solid grasp of how reprehensible and dangerous Fox News is. So read on in amazement (emphasis added):</p>
<p>On March 1st, I informed Fox that I would not renew my contract. The purpose of this message to all of you is twofold:</p>
<p>First, I must thank each of you for the cooperation and support you’ve shown me over the years. Those working off-camera, the bookers and producers, don’t often get the recognition you deserve, but I want you to know that I have always appreciated the challenges you face and the skill with which you master them.</p>
<p>Second, I feel compelled to explain why I have to leave. Four decades ago, I took an oath as a newly commissioned officer. I swore to “support and defend the Constitution,” and that oath did not expire when I took off my uniform. Today, I feel that Fox News is assaulting our constitutional order and the rule of law, while fostering corrosive and unjustified paranoia among viewers. Over my decade with Fox, I long was proud of the association. Now I am ashamed.</p>
<p>In my view, Fox has degenerated from providing a legitimate and much-needed outlet for conservative voices to a mere propaganda machine for a destructive and ethically ruinous administration. When prime-time hosts–who have never served our country in any capacity–dismiss facts and empirical reality to launch profoundly dishonest assaults on the FBI, the Justice Department, the courts, the intelligence community (in which I served) and, not least, a model public servant and genuine war hero such as Robert Mueller–all the while scaremongering with lurid warnings of “deep-state” machinations– I cannot be part of the same organization, even at a remove. To me, Fox News is now wittingly harming our system of government for profit.</p>
<p>As a Russia analyst for many years, it also has appalled me that hosts who made their reputations as super-patriots and who, justifiably, savaged President Obama for his duplicitous folly with Putin, now advance Putin’s agenda by making light of Russian penetration of our elections and the Trump campaign. Despite increasingly pathetic denials, it turns out that the “nothing-burger” has been covered with Russian dressing all along. And by the way: As an intelligence professional, I can tell you that the Steele dossier rings true–that’s how the Russians do things.. The result is that we have an American president who is terrified of his counterpart in Moscow.</p>
<p>I do not apply the above criticisms in full to Fox Business, where numerous hosts retain a respect for facts and maintain a measure of integrity (nor is every host at Fox News a propaganda mouthpiece–some have shown courage). I have enjoyed and valued my relationship with Fox Business, and I will miss a number of hosts and staff members. You’re the grown-ups.</p>
<p>Also, I deeply respect the hard-news reporters at Fox, who continue to do their best as talented professionals in a poisoned environment. These are some of the best men and women in the business.</p>
<p>So, to all of you: Thanks, and, as our president’s favorite world leader would say, “Das vidanya.”</p>
<p>That hardly requires any elaboration. However, Fox News issued a brief and uncharacteristically weak response:</p>
<p>“Ralph Peters is entitled to his opinion despite the fact that he’s choosing to use it as a weapon in order to gain attention. We are extremely proud of our top-rated primetime hosts and all of our opinion programing,”</p>
<p>Fox didn’t even bother to refute any of Peters’ allegations regarding Fox’s devolution into a propaganda machine. Nor did they defend the assertions that Trump is a hapless asset of Vladimir Putin. They just bragged about their on-air shills (only those in primetime) and made a wholly nonsensical accusation that Peters was seeking attention. By quitting his job at a major cable TV network? Um, Okay. Let’s see if any of his former colleagues have the guts to join a long overdue and righteous exodus from Fox. Or they can stay and forever wallow in the treasonous glow of Comrade Trump’s State TV.</p> | ‘I Am Ashamed’ To Be Associated With Fox News, Says Long-Time Military Contributor | true | http://newscorpse.com/ncWP/?p%3D35253 | 4 |
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<p>Postal officials say dozens of long-time employees are expected to retire so they’re accepting applications for various positions at mail facilities around New Mexico.</p>
<p>The jobs are described as transitional and postal support positions. None of the jobs offer benefits, but some come with the potential of permanent employment with the agency.</p>
<p>The pay ranges from $12.38 to $16 per hour.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The Postal Service, an independent agency of government, does not receive tax dollars for its day-to-day operations but is subject to congressional control.</p>
<p>The agency has been struggling in recent years to cut costs. Some options include shorter hours at low-revenue post offices in rural areas and closure of some mail processing centers.</p> | U.S. Postal Service Hiring in N.M. | false | https://abqjournal.com/146384/u-s-postal-service-hiring-in-n-m.html | 2012-11-15 | 2 |
<p>Shares of Stage Stores Inc. plummeted 31% in premarket trade Thursday toward a record low, after the department store chain reported a fourth-quarter profit that missed expectations and provided a downbeat outlook. The company swung to a net loss of $6.8 million, or 25 cents a share, in the quarter to Jan. 28, from a profit of $21.0 million, or 71 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. Excluding non-recurring items, adjusted earnings per share of 20 cents missed the FactSet consensus of 27 cents. Revenue fell to $454.4 million from $502.6 million, above the FactSet consensus of $449.1 million, as same-store sales dropped 8.5%. The company expects 2017 losses per share of 95 cents to $1.55, compared with the FactSet loss consensus of 35 cents a share. "Our fourth quarter adjusted earnings reflect continued challenges in our oil impacted and border states, as well as the overall soft retail environment," said Chief Executive Michael Glazer, noting that weak traffic led to heightened promotional activity and pressure on gross margins. The stock has plunged 74% over the past 12 months through Wednesday, while the S&amp;P 500 has climbed 21%.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2017 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p> | Stage Stores' Stock Plunges Toward Record Low After Disappointing Results, Outlook | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/03/02/stage-stores-stock-plunges-toward-record-low-after-disappointing-results.html | 2017-03-16 | 0 |
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<p>Margaret J. King, 32, of Alamogordo, was jailed Friday on a $100,000 bond charged with criminal sexual penetration of a 15-year-old boy, the <a href="http://www.alamogordonews.com/ci_16419278" type="external">Alamogordo Daily News</a> reported.</p>
<p>Detective Sgt. Israel R. Trujillo said King was being held on five counts of fourth-degree felony criminal sexual penetration of a minor between 13 and 16 and five counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the Daily News said.</p>
<p>Trujillo said officers responded to King’s residence on a report of King and a 15-year-old boy having a sexual encounter in the woman’s bedroom, the paper reported.</p>
<p>Officers and detectives found several pieces of evidence to support the allegation that King was having sex with the boy, Trujillo told the Daily News.</p>
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<p>Trujillo said an investigation showed that King and the boy had begun a friendship about three months ago, a relationship he said became sexual in nature, the Daily News said.</p>
<p>The relationship allegedly began when the boy, who recently turned 16, was just 15, the paper reported.</p>
<p>According to Trujillo, detectives are still investigating whether King and the boy had sexual encounters outside the Alamogordo area, the Daily News said.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | 9:05am — Alamogordo Woman Accused of Having Sex With Boy, 15 | false | https://abqjournal.com/9936/905am-alamogordo-woman-accused-of-having-sex-with-boy-15.html | 2 |
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<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - <a href="" type="internal">Verizon Communications</a> Inc posted strong first quarter growth in wireless subscribers helped by sales of the Apple Inc <a href="" type="internal">iPhone</a>.</p>
<p>Verizon earnings rose to $1.44 billion, or 51 cents per share from $443 million, or 16 cents per share in the same quarter a year before. Revenue rose to $26.99 billion from $26.91 billion in the year ago quarter.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>(Reporting by Sinead Carew; editing by Derek Caney)</p> | Verizon posts subscriber, earnings growth | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2011/04/21/verizon-posts-subscriber-earnings-growth.html | 2016-03-04 | 0 |
<p>Amidst the untimely deaths of British pop star David Bowie and British actor Alan Rickman, a February 2013 episode of The Simpsons has surfaced that honored Alan Rickman and David Bowie.</p>
<p>On Thursday, the official Simpsons Twitter account linked to a video clip of the episode which was a spoof of Love Actually, featuring Rickman, and Bowie's music.</p>
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<p>[ <a href="http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/16/simpsons-alan-rickman-david-bowie-tribute" type="external">Entertainment Weekly</a>]</p> | Watch: The Simpsons Honored David Bowie And Alan Rickman Three Years Ago | true | http://thefrisky.com/2016-01-17/watch-the-simpsons-honored-david-bowie-and-alan-rickman-three-years-ago/?utm_source%3Dsc-fb%26utm_medium%3Dref%26utm_campaign%3Dbowie-rickman | 2018-10-03 | 4 |
<p>The number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. leaped by 35 this week to 694.</p>
<p>A year ago, 637 rigs were active.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Houston oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. said Friday that 551 rigs sought oil and 142 explored for natural gas this week. One was listed as miscellaneous.</p>
<p>Texas jumped by 17 rigs, Oklahoma increased by seven, North Dakota was up three and Ohio two. New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Utah and West Virginia increased one apiece.</p>
<p>Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana and Wyoming were all unchanged.</p>
<p>The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981. It bottomed out in May at 404.</p> | US rig count jumps 35 this week to 694; Texas up 17 | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/01/20/us-rig-count-jumps-35-this-week-to-64-texas-up-17.html | 2017-01-20 | 0 |
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<p>Spectrum Retirement Communities has begun construction of a 140-unit complex that will provide independent living, assisted living and memory care options for seniors. Individual residences will range from studio suites to two-bedroom, two-bath 1,000-square-foot apartment homes.</p>
<p>Spectrum has senior living facilities in 10 other states. The company’s managing director, John Sevo, said Albuquerque presented an attractive market because of its growing senior population.</p>
<p>“We liked the northwest sector,” Sevo said. “It was the best site, it had the demographics and had available land.”</p>
<p>Ground preparation work for the Palmilla Senior Living community has been under way and construction activity will soon be visible at the 7.5-acre site at 10301 Golf Course NW. The opening is targeted for May 2013, Sevo said.</p>
<p>Palmilla will have a staff of about 70, and Sevo expects Spectrum will begin recruiting late this year.</p>
<p>The location is just south of the shopping center on the southwest corner of Golf Course and McMahon, and the Lovelace Westside Hospital is on the northwest corner of the intersection.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Spectrum communities typically offer social activities, and concierge services, including private bus or limousine transportation, Sevo said.</p>
<p>“It’s like living on a cruise ship that doesn’t move,” he said.</p>
<p>The northwest Albuquerque-southwest Rio Rancho area has seen an uptick in health and senior-related building activity in recent years.</p>
<p>Presbyterian Healthcare Services opened its 68-bed Rust Medical Center hospital in October and announced in March that it was expanding the facility to 92 beds.</p>
<p>Hawthorn Retirement Group of Vancouver, Wash., began work in February on a 131-unit retirement community on Westside Boulevard just east of the hospital. And in April, local company Life Spire broke ground on a 15,900 assisted living facility for 30 residents, on 24th Street off Southern in Rio Rancho. — This article appeared on page 3 of the West Side Journal</p> | ‘Cruise Ship’ Living | false | https://abqjournal.com/108539/cruise-ship-living.html | 2012-05-24 | 2 |
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<p><a href="http://sage.abqjournalfit.com/2013/10/20/headline-233/experts-gross-suitcase/" type="external" />Do you have to spend a whole day packing to travel? Learn how to pack in a hurry without paying extra baggage fees.</p>
<p>Nikki has to get ready for a business trip. She’s asked Elizabeth, her professional organizer, to help her pack. She told Elizabeth that she usually needs to take two bags because she packs too much.</p>
<p>But if Nikki takes two bags, she’ll have to pay for the second one herself, according to a new company travel policy. Nikki isn’t willing to do that, but she needs some help to fit what she needs into only one suitcase.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Elizabeth suggests they start making a list of the activities Nikki will be doing each day of her trip. Nikki lists two travel days, two days in the main office and two days visiting the field office.</p>
<p>Travel clothes will be casual because she will not be in the office on those days. The days in the main office require more formal business clothes, and the field office days will be business casual.</p>
<p>Because shoes take up a lot of space, Elizabeth asks Nikki to pick only two pairs. One pair should be appropriate for business casual and traveling, and one pair will go with her more formal business clothes. Both pairs are the same color, so they can be worn with any outfit.</p>
<p>To pick out clothes for the trip, Elizabeth suggests that Nikki first pick out jackets she can wear to the main office and the field office. Then Nikki picks out skirts and pants that will also work for both offices. With only one color of shoe, all the pieces will work together, and Nikki will be able to make several outfits from only a few pieces.</p>
<p>By traveling in an outfit that can go dressier by adding a jacket, Nikki also has an outfit to go out for a casual dinner with her colleagues after work.</p>
<p>Nikki is thrilled she can get everything in one suitcase and still look professional the entire trip.</p>
<p>Learn along with Nikki as she and Elizabeth, the professional organizer, get the house organized room by room. Start <a href="http://sage.abqjournalfit.com/2012/09/08/nikki-works-with-elizabeth-the-professional-organizer-from-ask-the-experts/" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p>Copyright© 2013 Elizabeth Tawney Gross, Organizing For Everyday, LLC</p>
<p>Ask the Experts panelist Elizabeth Tawney Gross is the owner of Organizing for Everyday and a certified professional organizer in chronic disorganization. Send her a question at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>. Find out more about her at <a href="http://org4everyday.com" type="external">org4everyday.com</a>.</p>
<p>To ask Elizabeth a question, type in the comments field below. Or ask a question by emailing <a href="" type="internal">[email protected].</a></p> | Pack in One Suitcase: Tips for Trips | false | https://abqjournal.com/510961/headline-233-2.html | 2 |
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<p>A suburban Dallas police chief acknowledged Monday that an officer who fatally shot a black 15-year-old in a moving vehicle fired as the car was driving away — not as it reversed toward officers, as the department had previously asserted.</p>
<p>Balch Springs Police Chief Jonathan Haber told reporters that police video contradicted his department’s original statement about the Saturday night shooting of Jordan Edwards. Edwards, a high school freshman, had gotten into a vehicle with four other teenagers to leave a house party as police were arriving to investigate an underage drinking complaint, according to his family’s attorney, Lee Merritt.</p>
<p>Police first said the vehicle backed up toward police at the scene “in an aggressive manner.” But Haber said Monday that police video shows the vehicle was instead “moving forward as the officers approached.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Before Haber’s update, Merritt and the teen’s family held their own news conference, during which Merritt accused police of “offering facts that they believe paint a picture that would justify the unjustifiable.” He later told The Associated Press that Jordan’s shooting brings to mind the high-profile deaths of other black people after police encounters that have sparked outrage and protest in recent years, but that this case stood out for its “sheer recklessness.”</p>
<p>“This has happened far too often,” Merritt said. “We are tired of making the same rhetorical demands, of having the same hashtags.”</p>
<p>Indeed, thousands of Facebook and Twitter users have posted about the case in recent days with the hashtag “#jordanedwards,” some comparing his death to other police shootings of young black men, such as 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland who was fatally shot in November 2014 as he held a pellet gun.</p>
<p>Merritt said Edwards’ family wants to see the officer fired and criminally charged. The police chief called for time to let authorities complete their investigations. Haber wouldn’t identify the officer and didn’t release his race, but said he had been “removed from all duties” and placed on leave.</p>
<p>Haber also wouldn’t release the police video or describe it in detail other than to acknowledge he erred in describing the encounter, but said he was troubled by what he saw.</p>
<p>“I do have questions in relation to my observation on the video, and what is consistent with the policies and core values of the Balch Springs Police Department,” Haber said.</p>
<p>Balch Springs’ official use-of-force policy encourages officers facing an oncoming vehicle to “attempt to move out of its path, if possible, instead of discharging a firearm at it or any of its occupants.” The policy was posted online by ‘Point of Impact,’ a series on police shootings reported by freelance journalist Eva Ruth Moravec. It echoes advice given by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.</p>
<p>Haber did not return phone and email messages Monday seeking clarification about whether he believed the officer violated the policy on Saturday night. The Dallas County district attorney’s and sheriff’s offices are investigating the shooting. A spokeswoman for the sheriff said its probe was in the “preliminary stages.”</p>
<p>The original police statement about the shooting said officers responded to a report of “several underage kids drunk walking around.” It doesn’t specify whether the passengers of the vehicle in which Jordan was riding were among them.</p>
<p>Merritt said there was no alcohol found in the car and no evidence that the passengers had been drinking.</p> | Chief: Car driving away when officer fatally shot Texas teen | false | https://abqjournal.com/996125/dallas-area-teenager-killed-when-officer-fires-into-car.html | 2017-05-01 | 2 |
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<p>Fire Chief Paul Berardi said two other firefighters were injured Monday night as the massive fire engulfed the building comprising businesses and apartments on the city's northeast side.</p>
<p>"They did not die in vain," he told KSHB-TV Monday night. "They saved two civilians, carried them out of the second floor on ladders, before the wall collapsed."</p>
<p>All firefighters were accounted for and outside the building when part of the second story apparently caved in, forcing a wall to collapse outwards about 30 feet and trapping the four firefighters who had been working to protect a nearby grocery store from the blaze, Berardi said at a news conference Tuesday.</p>
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<p>Soon after, two mayday calls indicated firefighters were in "urgent distress," he said. A rapid intervention team witnessed the collapse and pulled them from the rubble. The firefighters were rushed to hospitals, where two were pronounced dead, he said.</p>
<p>Berardi appeared to be fighting back tears as he identified the dead as 17-year department veteran Larry J. Leggio, 43, and 13-year veteran John V. Mesh, 39.</p>
<p>He said two people were rescued from the building shortly before the collapse but on Tuesday he didn't indicate what role the injured and dead firefighters played in that rescue. He said another person also may have been rescued from inside the structure.</p>
<p>"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those lost and injured and with their peers throughout KCFD," he said, adding that "the outpouring of condolences has been amazing."</p>
<p>One of the firefighters was treated and released from a hospital Monday night and the other could be released Tuesday, he said. Fire crews remained at the scene Tuesday morning, but the fire was under control.</p>
<p>Berardi said the cause of the fire did not appear to be suspicious but that a response team from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would help with the investigation.</p>
<p>Mayor Sly James said he was praying for the firefighters.</p>
<p>"Unfortunately situations like this really bring home to all of us the dangers that firefighters and police officers confront every day," he said.</p>
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<p>Bo Tran, the building's owner, said he hadn't received any information about what caused the blaze. He said the building included 16 apartment units, with about 20 residents. He said there had been a fire in an apartment unit five or six months ago but that the damage had been repaired and he didn't know its cause.</p>
<p>The commercial tenants included payday loan and tax businesses, a nail salon and a bar.</p>
<p>"I feel hurt," Tran said. "I lost my building, but I am more hurt because two firefighters died."</p>
<p>Rachelle Horn, 41, of Kansas City, said she stopped Monday to watch the fire and then witnessed the collapse and emergency crews performing CPR on one of the firefighters as he was pulled from the debris.</p>
<p>"To experience the whole thing made me feel a little nervous and sad," she said Tuesday upon returning to see the aftermath of the fire.</p>
<p>Funeral arrangements were pending for Leggio, who was married, and Mesh, who leaves a wife and four young daughters, the department said.</p> | 2 firefighters die after 2 rescued from Kansas City blaze | false | https://abqjournal.com/659183/2-firefighters-die-after-2-rescued-from-kansas-city-blaze.html | 2015-10-13 | 2 |
<p />
<p>Tuesday was another down day for the stock market, with all three major market benchmarks falling from their recent all-time highs. Losses generally amounted to between 0.25% and 0.5% as investors responded negatively to a number of potential obstacles for specific industries, including possible drug-price reductions for pharmaceutical companies, the impact of new healthcare legislation on other healthcare stocks, and anticipated interest rate increases in the banking sector.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Yet some stocks successfully navigated the downward pressure on the broader market, and Weatherford International (NYSE: WFT), Astoria Financial (NYSE: AF), and TerraForm Global (NASDAQ: GLBL) were among the best performers on the day. Below, we'll look more closely at these stocks to tell you why they did so well.</p>
<p>Shares of Weatherford International soared 12% after the oil-field services giant lured a new chief executive officer from an industry peer. Weatherford named Mark McCollum as its new CEO, and investors took the news positively in part because of what they see as a prospective future strategic direction for the company. In particular, McCollum has worked at Halliburtonas its chief financial officer, and some investors believe that Weatherford would make a good acquisition target for Halliburton in the long run. On the other hand, as lucrative as a buyout bid could be, Weatherford's longer-term prospects could be even more promising if the recovery in the energy market continues at the same pace it enjoyed throughout much of 2016.</p>
<p>Image source: Weatherford International.</p>
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<p>Astoria Financial stock climbed 12% in the wake of an acquisition bid from Sterling Bancorp (NYSE: STL). The $2.2 billion transaction will involve Astoria shareholders receiving 0.875 shares of Sterling stock for every Astoria share they own, which represented about a 19% premium based on Monday's closing prices for the two stocks. After the deal is completed, Astoria shareholders will own about two-fifths of the combined company. The post-merger bank will keep the Sterling name and become the sixth-largest regional bank in New York City, and Astoria CEO Monte Redman said that "combining our significant strengths will create a strong regional bank that will provide exceptional value for our investors while maintaining our strong commitment to our customers and the communities we serve." Sterling shares fell on the bid, but that's fairly typical in all-stock transactions as institutional investors make hedging transactions.</p>
<p>Finally, shares of TerraForm Global soared 16%. The clean energy power plant specialist said that it had reached an agreement with Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM)for a merger deal worth a combined $1.34 billion. Under the terms of the deal, Brookfield will pay $787 million in cash and assume $455 million in net debt, with TerraForm Global shareholders receiving $5.10 per share in cash. For the clean-energy company, the move represents "a successful completion of TerraForm Global's strategic alternatives process to maximize value for our shareholders," according to interim CEO Peter Blackmore. Moreover, SunEdison, which is a substantial stakeholder in TerraForm Global, supports the deal, which makes it likely to go forward in the second half of 2017.</p>
<p>Offer from The Motley Fool: The 10 best stocks to buy nowMotley Fool co-founders Tom and David Gardner have spent more than a decade beating the market. In fact, the newsletter they run, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the S&amp;P 500!*</p>
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<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of 1/30/2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGalagan/info.aspx" type="external">Dan Caplinger Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of Halliburton. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Why Weatherford International, Astoria Financial, and TerraForm Global Jumped Today | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/03/07/why-weatherford-international-astoria-financial-and-terraform-global-jumped-today.html | 2017-03-17 | 0 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>vs. Tacoma</p>
<p>6:35 p.m.</p>
<p>Probable starters: Isotopes LHP Harrison Musgrave (0-1, 5.40) vs. Rainiers RHP Chris Heston (1-0, 3.18)</p>
<p>&#160; Radio: 610 AM</p>
<p>Sunday: Seven batters registered a hit on the afternoon for Albuquerque as the Isotopes defeated visiting Tacoma 3-2.</p>
<p>Isotopes reliever Austin House faced his former UNM teammate D.J. Peterson in the eighth. An error on ‘Topes third baseman Derrik Gibson allowed Peterson to reach first base.</p>
<p>Isotopes starter Zach Jemiola recorded his first quality start of the season and the first for the Albuquerque staff since April 11.&#160; The 23-year-old right-hander allowed two runs over 7 innings, the longest outing for the Isotopes in 2017.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | ‘Topes Today, Monday, April 24 | false | https://abqjournal.com/992153/topes-today-monday-april-24.html | 2 |
|
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Seth Connell reports</a> that despite the fact that the gun store from which Stephen Paddock bought his firearms passed all background checks without any red flags, the store and its employees are now getting threats over the incident.</p>
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<p>Over the course of several decades, Paddock reportedly purchased quite a few firearms in several different states. Each time, he passed the required background checks, and every firearm he purchased was completely legal.</p>
<p>On the shop’s Facebook page, owner David M. Famiglietti posted a letter sending condolences to the victims and their families following the tragic attack.</p>
<p />
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<p>He declined to speak to the media at this time, but stated that if anyone has questions regarding the story they can email him and he will try to respond in a timely fashion. He specifically requested that other employees not be bothered about the incident, and that people only deal directly with him.</p>
<p>Customers poured out support for the business below the posted letter.</p>
<p>Joshua Briseno: Well said. Great business. Missing being a patron of NFA since I’ve moved away from Vegas. Its unfortunate when someone takes our hobby/sport and twist is into something evil AND then tries to find blame in anything and/or anyone else.</p>
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<p>Matt Ostrin: As a current costumer, I have nothing but positive thing to say about your company. Very professional and friendly as well. You will continue to have my business. Thank you and God bless.</p>
<p>Neal Savage: This is a great company excellent product and customer service. Always doing things in a law-abiding way. Unfortunately there are bad people in this world Who buy guns cars anything they can get their hands on and will do harm with them. People that harass employees of this company are also very bad people.</p>
<p>Behind the scenes, though, the business has received hate, vitriol, and threats from their haters, Guns.com is <a href="http://www.guns.com/2017/10/05/gun-shop-that-sold-guns-to-las-vegas-shooter-gets-hate-mail-and-threats/" type="external">reporting</a>:</p>
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<p>He also stated the store had followed all regulations when selling firearms to Stephen Paddock, the man responsible for the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, and that the necessary background checks were conducted.</p>
<p>“My entire staff takes their job very seriously and if there were any ‘red flags’ during this transaction, like any other, it would have been halted immediately,” Famiglietti said. “The firearms that he purchased did not leave our store capable of what we’ve seen and heard in the video without modification. They were not fully automatic firearms, nor were they modified in any way (legally or illegally) when they were purchased from us.”</p>
<p>Famiglietti went on to say that since it was made public New Frontier Armory was one of the stores that sold firearms to Paddock, he and his employees had been receiving threatening phone calls, hate mail, and other threats. People have also been leaving fake negative reviews on the company’s various online platforms.</p>
<p>“Even though to us this is not important at the moment, we ask that people funnel their anger where it belongs instead of threatening and hurting others,” Famiglietti stated.</p>
<p>“We obviously did not sell him these firearms with the intent that he would use them to hurt anyone in anyway if it does end up that he used these specific firearms in this horrific crime. It’s no different than blaming Mandalay Bay for booking his hotel room, The State of Nevada DPS or the FBI for giving us the authority to transfer the weapon–it obviously wasn’t done with malicious intent.”</p>
<p>Understandably, people are outraged and horrified by what happened, but that certainly doesn’t justify attacking people who were not the ones carrying out the attack.</p>
<p>What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</p> | Meme Reveals Most Illogical Aspect of Gun Control Supporters | true | http://thefederalistpapers.org/us/meme-reveals-illogical-aspect-gun-control-supporters | 0 |
|
<p>Wednesday, January 31 2018</p>
<p>Natural Rubber</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Turnover: 654,482 lots</p>
<p>Open High Low Settle Prev. Change Vol Open</p>
<p>Settle Interest</p>
<p>Mar-18 13,245 13,275 12,825 12,910 13,540 -630 38 102</p>
<p>Apr-18 13,125 13,125 13,125 13,125 13,665 -540 6 110</p>
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<p>May-18 13,400 13,440 12,880 13,175 13,585 -410 576,542 509,238</p>
<p>Jun-18 13,505 13,505 13,045 13,270 13,645 -375 22 268</p>
<p>Jul-18 13,635 13,635 13,300 13,445 13,620 -175 22 294</p>
<p>Aug-18 13,665 13,670 13,225 13,515 13,625 -110 12 90</p>
<p>Sep-18 13,705 13,760 13,265 13,520 13,875 -355 72,518 100,862</p>
<p>Oct-18 - - - 13,875 14,165 -290 0 18</p>
<p>Nov-18 13,920 13,980 13,500 13,630 14,060 -430 164 230</p>
<p>Jan-19 15,640 15,640 15,180 15,400 15,800 -400 5,158 16,118</p>
<p>Notes:</p>
<p>1) Unit is Chinese yuan a metric ton;</p>
<p>2) Volume and open interest are in lots;</p>
<p>3) One lot is equivalent to 10 metric tons.</p>
<p>Write to [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>January 31, 2018 02:37 ET (07:37 GMT)</p> | China Shanghai Rubber Futures Closing Prices, Volume | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/09/12/china-shanghai-rubber-futures-closing-prices-volume.html | 2018-01-31 | 0 |
<p>U.S. manufacturing growth accelerated for a second straight month in March, an industry report showed on Tuesday, as production recovered though employment growth slowed.</p>
<p>The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said its index of national factory activity rose to 53.7 in March, which was up slightly from February's read of 53.2 but below the median forecast of 54.0 in a Reuters poll of economists.</p>
<p>Readings above 50 indicate expansion in the sector.</p>
<p>The report remains below November's recent peak reading of 57, which was the highest read since April 2011. Gains in the month came alongside a rebound in the production subindex, which jumped to 55.9 from 48.2, ending a three-month string of slowing growth. The forward-looking new orders index rose to 55.1 from 54.5.</p>
<p>There were some cautionary notes, as the employment index fell from 52.3 to 51.1, the weakest read for the index since June 2013. Analysts were expecting a reading of 52.8 in the employment index.</p>
<p>A separate report from financial data firm Markit showed U.S. manufacturing activity slowed in March after nearing a four-year high in February. However, the rate of growth and the pace of hiring remained strong, Markit's data showed.</p>
<p>- Reuters</p> | Manufacturing Growth Sped Up Last Month, Industry Report Says | false | http://nbcnews.com/business/economy/manufacturing-growth-sped-last-month-industry-report-says-n68751 | 2014-04-01 | 3 |
<p>China sent Liu Yang - its first woman astronaut - into orbit on Saturday, along with two others, to achieve the country's first manual space docking.</p>
<p>Shenzhou-9 is China's fourth manned space mission and blasted off on schedule at 6:37 p.m. local time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center the Gobi desert in the northwest of the country, <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gELN7hK4WrYXINgP2yjD6M9JcZJg?docId=CNG.7bd103d02c7593c2733ec1430677329e.121" type="external">according to Agence France-Presse</a>. Chang Wanquan, commander-in-chief of China's manned space program, said the rocket had entered orbit and declared the launch a "complete success."</p>
<p>Liu, a 33-year-old air force pilot, Jing Haipeng and Liu Wang will dock with a prototype space lab created last year in a major step toward building a larger, more permanent space station by 2020, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/16/chinas-first-female-astronaut-space?newsfeed=true" type="external">reported the Guardian</a>. The astronauts will be there for about a week, with two living and working inside the module to test life-support systems and one remaining in the capsule to deal with any emergencies.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/120615/liu-yang-named-first-chinese-astronaut-space" type="external">Liu Yang named as first female Chinese astronaut in space</a></p>
<p>"I believe that we can achieve this goal [of a permanent space station by 2020], because we already have the basic technological capability," Zhou Jianping, the chief designer of China's manned space engineering project, told reporters before the launch, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/16/china-space-idUSL3E8HG04P20120616" type="external">according to Reuters</a>.</p>
<p>The launch was seen on state television and showed the three astronauts waving from the cabin until moments before the blast-off, reported Reuters. A red sign with the Chinese symbol for good fortune hung behind them.</p> | Liu Yang: China's first female astronaut sent into space | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-06-16/liu-yang-chinas-first-female-astronaut-sent-space | 2012-06-16 | 3 |
<p>Romenesko LettersJennifer Merritt says she's not surprised to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3295-2003May1.html" type="external">read</a> that the New York Times ran corrections for dozens of Jayson Blair's stories over four years. "A review of his work at previous internships would have shown a similar track record," she writes. "To disclose my relationship, I interned one summer at the Boston Globe with Blair and the string of corrections is not news to me -- nor should it have been to the Times, which owns the Globe. There, too, Blair had many corrections on his stories."</p> | Letters: Did NYT check Blair's Boston Globe accuracy record? | false | https://poynter.org/news/letters-did-nyt-check-blairs-boston-globe-accuracy-record | 2003-05-02 | 2 |
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>Immigration reform was once again used during the recent presidential election as a platform by the bipartisan system to either woo the Latino vote or to persuade the anti-immigrant electorate. The GOP’s xenophobic message of border protection as a national security threat flies in the face of actual&#160; <a href="https://www.wola.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/WOLA-Not-a-National-Security-Crisis-October-2016-2.pdf" type="external">evidence</a>, while the Democrats “fix our broken immigration system” mantra has separated thousands of families and <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/08/31/u-s-immigrant-deportations-declined-in-2014-but-remain-near-record-high/" type="external">deported</a> over 2.4 million people. However one might choose to approach the issue, something is certain: the nativism (on both sides) encapsulating the immigration debate has failed to mention the conditions fomented by United States foreign policy as&#160;a key promoter of Latin American migration.</p>
<p>Addressing the implications of failed foreign policy towards Latin America needs to become part of the immigration debate. Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras comprise between <a href="http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/analysis-unauthorized-immigrants-united-states-country-and-region-birth" type="external">71</a> to&#160; <a href="http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/ois_ill_pe_2012_2.pdf" type="external">80 percent</a>&#160;of unauthorized migrants in the U.S. South-to-north migration is the result of widespread poverty, crime, hunger, unemployment and ill-distributed wealth, resulting from&#160; <a href="http://www.nnirr.org/~nnirrorg/drupal/sites/default/files/excluded_and_exploited_-_english.pdf" type="external">economic policies</a>&#160;advanced by obsolete financial institutions. Enclave economies established in Central America through U.S. foreign policy are part of&#160;the root cause of the Central American exodus.</p>
<p>For decades, Latin America has endured military coups, economic warfare and neoliberal austerity measures designed and implemented to serve transnational interests. The socio-political paradigm shift occurring in Latin America should not be met with a Cold War Era attitude. The unethical use of developing nations as battlegrounds for proxy wars will continue to fuel south-to north migration. An honest reassessment of U.S. foreign policy must occur in order to reform the immigration system. Genuine diplomacy based on mutual recognition, respect and sustainable development is vital to immigration reform.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>After the Great Depression, Mexico’s protectionist policies and industrialization through ISI (Import Substitution Industrialization) boosted production, increasing economic growth to an average of&#160; <a href="http://www.iadb.org/regions/re2/santafin.pdf" type="external">6.1 percent</a>&#160;per year during a period known as the “Mexican Miracle.” By the 1970s, Mexico had achieved agricultural self-sufficiency. But the miracle did not last. Inward industrialization failed to nurture a workforce capable of competing with foreign industries, and reckless government spending and social unrest proved to have adverse effects. Mexico’s economy inevitably declined and further industrialization and development had to be financed by the U.S.</p>
<p>During the 1960s and 1970s, the U.S. government provided financial and military aid to Latin American nations willing to undertake neoliberal economic reforms. Mexico’s projected oil revenues made it a perfect candidate for foreign aid, but this assistance proved inadequate since it was not in sync with regional needs. Unilateral economic hegemony was established. U.S. agribusinesses scattered heavy-industry factories throughout the land.</p>
<p>Mexico’s “Lost Decade” proved fatal: prolonged financial chaos marked by the overvalued currency and followed by devaluation was an inevitable welcome to the “Tequila Crisis.” Trade liberalization and privatization led to NAFTA in 1994—subsidized&#160; <a href="http://cepr.net/documents/nafta-20-years-2014-02.pdf" type="external">U.S. agricultural products</a>&#160;entered en masse, leaving three million farmers jobless. Recession exacerbated by debt, armed rebellion, corrupt banking practices and a weak fixed exchange rate resulted in a widening economic gap.&#160; <a href="http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34733.pdf" type="external">Poor people were hurt most</a>.</p>
<p>Sixty percent&#160;of the&#160; <a href="http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTMEXICO/Resources/A_Study_of_Rural_Poverty_in_Mexico.pdf" type="external">extremely poor</a>&#160;living in rural Mexico depends on agriculture: corn is grown on 50 % of the arable land. Influx of lower-priced NAFTA corn undermined Mexican agriculture and workforce. The wide gap in U.S./Mexican incomes and the 2,000-mile Southwest border shared by the&#160;two countries make immigration an inevitable reality.</p>
<p>In 1993, President Carlos Salinas de Gortari, said that&#160;NAFTA&#160;would allow Mexico to <a href="https://migration.ucdavis.edu/mn/more.php?id=2025" type="external">“export goods and not people.”</a> &#160;Currently,&#160; <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/03/5-facts-about-illegal-immigration-in-the-u-s/" type="external">52%</a>&#160;of unauthorized migrants in the U.S.&#160;come from Mexico, where&#160;about <a href="http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.NAHC?locations=MX" type="external">53%</a> of&#160;the population lives&#160;at&#160;the national poverty line.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>Ravaged by the second largest civil war in Central America, with&#160; <a href="http://datos.bancomundial.org/indicador/SI.POV.NAHC?locations=SV" type="external">31%</a> of the population living in poverty and&#160;high <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/01/05/why-el-salvador-became-the-hemispheres-murder-capital/" type="external">homicide rates</a>, El Salvador is the second largest source of unauthorized migrants to the U.S. from Latin America.</p>
<p>In 1932, the government’s massacre dubbed “ <a href="http://www.umich.edu/~ac213/student_projects06/student_projects/usica/el_salvador.htm" type="external">La Matanza</a>” began a pattern of systematic massacres, displacements, civilian disappearances and a 50-year military rule supported by the U.S. government, through&#160;its assistance of the paramilitary force known as&#160;ORDEN, which were trained by the <a href="http://www.lib.luc.edu/specialcollections/exhibits/show/ellacuria-tapes/us-involvement" type="external">U.S Green Berets</a>. &#160;By 1980, the FMLN (The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front) was established to counterattack the violent regime. In response, the U.S.-backed death squad,&#160; <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3ae6aae70.html" type="external">Atlacatl Battalion</a>&#160;was also established. On January 1981, the FMLN launched its “General Offensive” strategy against the military junta, igniting the 12-year Salvadoran civil war.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.usip.org/publications/truth-commission-el-salvador" type="external">Eighty-five percent</a>&#160;of the human rights violations committed during this period were attributed to State agents and approximately 5% of the violence was attributed to the FMLN. Continuous violence and poverty arising since the civil war have been defining factors in increased migration to the U.S., which historically has had a failed <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/time-for-a-us-apology-to-el-salvador/" type="external">foreign policy</a> in El Salvador.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>During <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=h17R_A0n-1MC&amp;pg=PA18&amp;lpg=PA18&amp;dq=backward+country,+into+a+modern+capitalist+state+arbenz&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=Igf8AokPcQ&amp;sig=VJyoJBEEJZPdat3O6AyJ4YPjXyY&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiq9NK4sa3QAhVM_4MKHfpaCY8Q6AEIHTAA#v=onepage&amp;q=backward%20country%2C%20into%20a%20modern%20capitalist%20state%20arbenz&amp;f=false" type="external">his inaugural speech</a> in 1951, Guatemala’s democratically-elected President, Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán, asserted that he would convert his nation from a “a backward country with a predominantly feudal economy into a modern capitalist state.” &#160;His promise was somehow fulfilled: Guatemala became a true banana republic. Concentration of wealth in the hands of few, racial exclusionism and structural injustice birthed a 36-year civil war: the longest in Latin America, and the most atrocious genocide against the <a href="http://www.cja.org/article.php?list=type&amp;type=294" type="external">Mayan peoples</a>.&#160;Guatemala is the third leading source of unauthorized immigrants to the U.S.</p>
<p>Guatemala is one of the&#160; <a href="https://www.wfp.org/countries/guatemala" type="external">most unequal countries&#160;</a>in the world:&#160;59.29% of the mostly indigenous population lives in poverty, and resides mostly in rural areas.</p>
<p>During the 1920s, the Guatemalan government conceded 100 kilometers of uncultivated land to the United Fruit Company. In 1936 the company and the government signed a 99-year concession, leading to the company’s second plantation and&#160;establishment of a monopoly.</p>
<p>Between 1944 and 1954, continuous exploitative labor practices by United Fruit led to the implementation of a new labor code, which the company declared as “communistic” as it did not serve its best interest, therefore it threatened to leave. Agrarian Reform Law Decree 900 enabled the government to expropriate about 209,842 acres of uncultivated lands owned by the company to redistribute to landless peasants. United Fruit was compensated with governmental bonds worth $627,572 based on the company’s declared tax value of the land. In the U.S., the company embarked on a public relations against Árbenz Guzmán, which led to the U.S-backed coup known as Operation PBSUCCESS, making way for ethnic conflict between Mayans and wealthy Ladinos. Poverty and inequality led to civil war and genocide, with lasting effects. Today, those same persistent conditions have led to the Guatemalan exodus.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>The original banana republic historically plagued by military rule but blessed with fertile soil, Honduras was the perfect recipe for agrarian capitalism.&#160;Home to the oldest unbelievably-acquired <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=YRaefhEJoewC&amp;pg=PA64&amp;lpg=PA64&amp;dq=Honduras+foreign+debt+1908&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=ssEwVXlZRq&amp;sig=2Du1zOGjNuMJz7BCUg2Gm_DkIQA&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=rykKVN-fHszisASr24DIDw&amp;ved=0CE8Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&amp;q=Honduras%20foreign%20debt%201908&amp;f=false" type="external">foreign debt</a> and also United Fruit, the country’s resources have been foreign-controlled since post-colonial dependency, promoting the unethical use of leverage by foreign capital and forming the current socio-economic mechanism in which <a href="http://data.worldbank.org/country/honduras" type="external">64.5 percent</a> of Hondurans experience poverty.</p>
<p>Poor U.S. foreign policy in Honduras has fomented adverse conditions, leading to structural problems such as money-based politics, violence, no development, poverty and <a href="http://www.democracynow.org/2011/5/31/exclusive_interview_with_manuel_zelaya_on" type="external">political instability</a>. Such problems have always and will always be part of the immigration issue not only in Honduras, but all over Latin America.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Therefore, it is time to stop considering mass deportations as a viable solution since it would cost <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/reports/2010/03/19/7470/the-costs-of-mass-deportation/" type="external">billions of dollars</a>, time and separation of families.&#160; Likewise, it is time to stop promoting the militarization of the border, since it is creating more <a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/08/28/343748572/former-border-protection-insider-alleges-corruption-distortion-in-agency" type="external">violence</a>. Migration intent is fueled by the consequences of devastating pasts and the desire for better futures.</p>
<p>Comprehensive immigration reform starts with responsible foreign policy. Interventionism is not the answer. Instead, we must push for genuine diplomacy based on mutual recognition, respect and sustainable development. That is vital to fixing the this country’s immigration system.</p>
<p>Reform U.S. foreign policy. Now, more than ever.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Dariana Arias graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in Political Science and Philosophy. She is currently chronicling unfolding events in Venezuela, her homeland.</p>
<p>Immigration reform is thus held out as a form of Latinx bait, the only worm on the Democratic party’s fishing rod.</p>
<p>August 5, 2016</p>
<p>The immigration debate in the U.S. has become stale, and we’re contributing to it. We celebrate and fight together as immigrants, but there has always been another side to our story.</p>
<p>February 18, 2017</p>
<p>As a scholar on U.S. immigration law and policy, I’d like to correct and contextualize the numbers.</p>
<p>February 5, 2018</p> | The Importance of Foreign Policy in Immigration Reform (OPINION) | true | http://latinorebels.com/2016/11/16/the-importance-of-foreign-policy-in-immigration-reform-opinion/ | 2016-11-16 | 4 |
<p>On Monday, Evan McMullin announced his candidacy for the presidency, issuing a <a href="https://www.evanmcmullin.com/my_letter_to_america#.V6jUrrtsLEo.twitter" type="external">letter</a> to his fellow Americans delineating his reasons for entering the race. He wrote:</p>
<p>Our American Nation is the greatest experiment in freedom the world has ever known. It’s given generations of citizens the blessings of liberty ever since the Founding Fathers risked their lives in what seemed like an improbable bid for independence. While the republic they created was one of imperfect freedoms, for 240 years the arc of progress and liberty has moved ever-upward. Even in times of economic crisis and war, our nation has been a singular source of hope for people throughout the world yearning for liberty, dignity and opportunity.</p>
<p>After citing his experience as an undercover operations officer with the Central Intelligence Agency and senior national security and policy advisor in the House of Representatives, McMullin continued, “Like millions of Americans, I had hoped this year would bring us better nominees who, despite party differences, could offer compelling visions of a better future. Instead, we have been left with two candidates who are fundamentally unfit for the profound responsibilities they seek.”</p>
<p>Then McMullin stated why the two leading candidates were unacceptable:</p>
<p>Hillary Clinton is a corrupt career politician who has recklessly handled classified information in an attempt to avoid accountability and put American lives at risk including those of my former colleagues. She fails the basic tests of judgment and ethics any candidate for President must meet. Moreover, she only offers stale economic ideas like the same old top-down government control that has brought us eight years of historically low growth.</p>
<p>Donald Trump appeals to the worst fears of Americans at a time we need unity, not division. Republicans are deeply divided by a man who is perilously close to gaining the most powerful position in the world, and many rightly see him as a real threat to our Republic. Given his obvious personal instability, putting him in command of our military and nuclear arsenal would be deeply irresponsible. His infatuation with strongmen and demagogues like Vladimir Putin is anathema to America values. We cannot and must not elect him.</p>
<p>"We must not abandon the fight for these values, for doing so will deprive future generations of Americans the bright future we want to give them."</p>
<p>Evan McMullin</p>
<p>McMullin listed the basic American values that undergird his philosophic positions:</p>
<p>Americans who believe in limited, Constitutional government that is smaller, smarter, and more accountable view both Clinton and Trump as symbols of corruption and excess that provide no hope of basic competence in the federal government. Those who embrace the dignity and value of every human life from conception until death; who understand the crushing danger of our unsustainable national debt; who believe deference to our Constitution outweighs partisan political priorities are all looking for something better than the two major party candidates are offering. These foundational and time-tested principles transcend party and politics but sadly have no champion in this election. We must not abandon the fight for these values, for doing so will deprive future generations of Americans the bright future we want to give them …</p>
<p>He concluded: “Just as the American Revolution required men and women devoted to liberty and freedom to stand up and be counted, this moment calls a new generation to the same sacred task. With that in mind, I have decided to pursue the cause of American renewal and the Presidency of the United States of America.”</p> | Open Letter From New Candidate McMullin | true | https://dailywire.com/news/8192/open-letter-new-candidate-mcmullin-hank-berrien | 2016-08-08 | 0 |
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<p />
<p>Sells, who will be the franchise’s third head coach, is the technical director for the New Mexico Rush soccer club.</p>
<p>“His reputation is pretty stellar, he’s had great success at the youth level and he is now the national technical director for Rush,” Sol general manager Larry Espinoza said. “His experience from a coaching and playing standpoint makes him fantastically qualified for the job.”</p>
<p>Sells hopes to play a more possession-heavy style, building the attack from the backline. He wants a more adventurous attacking style than in years past. Last season, the Sol finished with a minus-15 goal differential, mustering just 17 goals in 14 games.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“We have a great soccer community, but unfortunately you have to get results to get people to show up,” Sells said. “My goal is to work with the players and educate them about different formations and different systems based on game situations.”</p>
<p>The Sol conducted a national search and talked with candidates from New Mexico, Texas, Florida and New York. Club officials used a hiring matrix assigning weighted point values to different coaching attributes.</p>
<p>“I went to people I trust in the soccer community, and his name came up a lot,” Sol president Ron Patel said. “I heard a lot that nobody was more qualified to do this than Justin Sells. I have a lot of confidence we’re going to win a lot of games with Justin Sells as head coach.”</p>
<p>The contract is for one season.</p>
<p>Matt Gordon, who was the Sol’s assistant coach in its inaugural season in 2013, has served as head coach the last three seasons. Gordon and the club parted ways after the 2017 season when the Sol finished 2-10-2.</p>
<p>Despite a disappointing record, the Sol had its best attended season in club history drawing 10,060 total fans. The Sol averaged 1,264 fans a game at St. Pius High School and 2,282 fans a game for the three it played at UNM.</p>
<p>“I think it’s a new chapter, we’re going to see a different flavor of the Sol,” Patel said. “We’ve always been very defensive minded, I see him more possession, more attack minded. I think it’s a new direction.”</p>
<p>Sells is a logical choice for offensive minded soccer. After all his name is still scattered throughout the Lobo soccer record book. Sells, who played for UNM from 1994-97, is first in career points (132), goals (57), shots (322), and hat tricks (5).</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>A major emphasis this year will be on mining Albuquerque area talent.</p>
<p>“I want to find local guys,” Sells said. “There are a lot of good local players, former Lobo players and with proper preparation they can contribute to this. There’s a handful of those guys that are experienced college players and for whatever reason it is hasn’t work out. My goal is to try and get those guys back playing here.”</p>
<p>Sells noted the advantage of pulling local players is the ability to get a head start on season training in the spring.</p>
<p>He cited Luke Lawrence a Sol alum and Lobo senior who is trying out for Penn FC in the USL, the second tier of American professional soccer. If Lawrence doesn’t get his USL shot this year, he would be a prime target to return to the Sol.</p>
<p>“There have been a lot of good players that have come out of New Mexico that are often overlooked for some reason,” Espinoza said. “With Justin being more of a local guy, this presents a greater opportunity for local statewide players to give a shot at tryouts.”</p>
<p>The next steps are setting open tryout dates for January and February. Sells wants to get a group of 15-20 players he can monitor and train heading into the spring.</p>
<p>“This is a new challenge for me and to me that’s exciting,” Sells said. “I’m going to do everything in my power to put a good product on the field.”</p>
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<p /> | Sol to name former Lobo as coach | false | https://abqjournal.com/1101996/sol-to-name-former-lobo-as-coach.html | 2 |
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<p>Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) insisted Friday he was innocent of any corruption charges that the Department of Justice was <a href="" type="internal">reportedly</a> planning to bring forth against him.</p>
<p />
<p>"Let me be very clear: I have always conducted myself appropriately and in accordance with the law," the New Jersey Democrat said in a statement. "Every action I and my office have taken for the 23 years that I have been privileged to serve in the U.S. Congress has been based on pursuing the best policies for the people of New Jersey and of this entire country."</p>
<p>Menendez rattled off a list of things he says he has fought for, such as protecting victims of Superstorm Sandy and "making certain Iran never, ever achieves the ability to produce nuclear weapons."</p>
<p>"That's who I am. And I'm not going anywhere," he said.</p>
<p>His statement came after coming federal corruption charges were reported earlier Friday by <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/06/politics/robert-menendez-criminal-corruption-charges-planned/index.html" type="external">CNN</a> and the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/07/us/menendez-expected-to-face-federal-corruption-charges.html?_r=0" type="external">New York Times</a>. The Times reported that the charges would be filed in the coming month following a two-year probe into "allegations that he accepted gifts and lavish vacations in exchange for political favors for a longtime friend and political benefactor" - Florida doctor Salomon Melgen.</p>
<p>Menendez said the two were friends and that there was nothing improper about his conduct, adding that he wouldn't say any more regarding the "ongoing inquiry."</p>
<p>Attorney General Eric Holder, asked Friday by a White House pool reporter to confirm that he had authorized the charges against Menendez, said, "I can't comment on that."</p> | Bob Menendez Vows To Fight Corruption Charges: 'I'm Not Going Anywhere' | true | http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/bob-menendez-statement-corruption-charges | 4 |
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<p><a href="http://pienews.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Netty.jpg" type="external" />Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the shooting and killing of four people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels on Saturday. He said he shares in the grief of the families of the victims. "This act of murder is the result of constant incitement against Jews and their state. Slander ["]</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/Netanyahu-Deadly-Belgium-attack-result-of-anti-Israel-incitement-353245" type="external">Click here to view original web page at www.jpost.com</a></p>
<p /> | Netanyahu: Deadly Belgium attack result of anti-Israel incitement | true | http://politicalillusionsexposed.com/netanyahu-deadly-belgium-attack-result-of-anti-israel-incitement/ | 0 |
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